Ana and Deep welcome Jack Teter, Vice President of Government Affairs at Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains and a leader of the Families Not Politics coalition, to break down the two anti-trans measures on your ballot, Propositions 134 and 135. First, who’s behind them: Protect Kids Colorado, with a former state senator who once tried to make abortion punishable by death on its board and an anti-abortion group as its biggest funder. Then what they do. Prop 134 bans trans kids from school sports starting in kindergarten, defines sex by egg and sperm production in children who produce neither, and leaves 179 school districts with no instructions on who checks a kid’s gender or how. The proponents’ answer is a $1,000 cheek swab, and the real effect is that any girl who’s too tall or too strong can be accused. Prop 135 bans surgeries that Children’s Hospital and Denver Health already don’t perform on minors, while its vague exceptions leave out congenital conditions like hypospadias, so the kids most likely to lose care aren’t trans at all. Jack explains why the voters who matter are pro-choice Democrats who signed the petition at the grocery store, why it’s okay to have questions, and why these are polling neck and neck in a state that could be the only one in the country to beat them.
Help Defeat Props 134 and 135:
Families Not Politics: mobilize.us/familiesnotpolitics
Canvass with Denver DSA: mobilize.us/voteno134135
Colorado Springs canvass, Sat Oct 24: mobilize.us/familiesnotpolitics/event/1069232
Denver canvass with PWN and ACLU, Sun Oct 25: mobilize.us/familiesnotpolitics/event/1015974
Aurora canvass, Sat Oct 31: mobilize.us/familiesnotpolitics/event/1067169
Boulder canvass, Sun Nov 1: mobilize.us/familiesnotpolitics/event/1067170
Check our our new substack: leftintheattic.substack.com/
The LITA November 2026 Ballot Guide: leftintheattic.com/voterguide
Chapters
00:00 No One Has Ever Beaten One Of These
01:00 Halloween Team Costumes
03:10 Meet Jack Teter
05:50 What Planned Parenthood Of The Rocky Mountains Does
09:30 Who Is Protect Kids Colorado?
09:50 Astroturf, Explained
11:00 Focus On The Family And The Evangelical Vatican
16:40 What Prop 134 Actually Does
18:00 “They Don’t Understand Basic Biology”
19:30 The $1,000 Cheek Swab
21:10 “You Are Not A Bigot If You Have Questions”
23:30 Who Gets Accused
28:20 What Prop 135 Actually Does
31:20 Hernias, Hypospadias, And Kids Who Aren’t Trans
33:50 Hospitals Already Don’t Do These Surgeries
39:40 Who We Actually Need To Talk To
44:00 “You Should Be Really Suspicious”
44:20 A Ballot Built For Solidarity
50:50 How To Help
54:10 Polling Neck And Neck
55:00 Wrap And Subscribe
Meet Your Hosts
Ana Mitchell, Ph.D., is a former CDC scientist who was swept up in federal cuts and is now reinventing herself as a civic coach and creator. After a decade reducing disparities in health and education, she’s building Civically Fit (see civicallyfit.org) to make civic engagement accessible, authentic, and sustainable. A proud Latina and Colorado native, Ana is focused on helping people build community and power through everyday civic action.
Deep Singh Badhesha is an attorney, political strategist, and the founder of Lamp Strategies, a public affairs firm, with more than a decade of experience shaping campaigns and policy in Colorado. A former public school math teacher, Colorado Supreme Court clerk, Colorado House Democrats staff, and Capitol lobbyist for Denver Public Schools, he now works across campaigns, ballot initiatives, and legislative fights, and turns up on TV and radio to argue about all of it. He's the son of Punjabi immigrants, a Colorado Springs kid, a new dad, and a longtime organizer who believes community, not saviors, will rebuild the Left. He also has way too many hot takes on everything from food and sports to politics.
Links:
Website: www.LeftInTheAttic.com
Instagram: @leftintheatticpod
TikTok: @leftintheattic
Email: LeftInTheAtticPod@gmail.com
Voicemail: (303) 416-2846
