{"id":22856,"date":"2025-04-04T12:01:50","date_gmt":"2025-04-04T18:01:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/statehouse-democrats-move-to-expand-protections-for-transgender-coloradans\/"},"modified":"2025-04-04T18:01:50","modified_gmt":"2025-04-04T18:01:50","slug":"statehouse-democrats-move-to-expand-protections-for-transgender-coloradans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/statehouse-democrats-move-to-expand-protections-for-transgender-coloradans\/","title":{"rendered":"Statehouse Democrats move to expand protections for transgender Coloradans"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"State
State representatives debate legislation in the Colorado House on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, in Denver, Colorado.(Jesse Paul\/The Colorado Sun)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The Colorado Senate commemorated Transgender Day of Visibility on Monday with a resolution on the chamber floor, but Democrats want to do more than just talk.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re also proposing new protections for trans people.<\/p>\n

\u201cTransgender Coloradans are part of the fabric of our communities. They are parents, students, care givers, faith leaders and neighbors,\u201d said one of the resolution\u2019s sponsors Sen. Lisa Cutter, a Jefferson County Democrat. \u201cThey experience elevated levels of poverty, discrimination and violence.\u201d<\/p>\n

All Senate Republicans refused to support the resolution, staying seated as it was presented on the chamber floor while other lawmakers stood in recognition. But their steadfast opposition isn\u2019t deterring the legislature\u2019s Democrats, who introduced two bills on Friday aimed at further protecting trans rights under state law.<\/p>\n

One of the proposals, House Bill 1309<\/a>, would make it illegal for health insurance companies to deny or limit coverage for gender-affirming care, when it is considered medically necessary by a patient\u2019s doctor. Colorado public health policy already directs insurers to provide the coverage, but the measure would codify the requirement. Proponents say that would make it harder to reverse or undermine by interests on the local or national level.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile this isn\u2019t a reactionary bill to the change in leadership at the federal level, it is going to continue to insulate Colorado against attacks on LGBTQ people,\u201d said Jax Gonzalez, political director for the LGBTQ advocacy group One Colorado.<\/p>\n

Another proposal from Democrats, House Bill 1312<\/a>, would implement a string of protections for trans people in schools and the courts.<\/p>\n

The measure is named after Kelly Loving, a transgender woman who was killed in the 2022 mass shooting at LGBTQ+ nightclub Club Q in Colorado Springs.<\/p>\n

Under the bill, school dress codes could not be based on gender and would have to allow students to dress according to any version of the dress code. The measure would also create new requirements for school policies around students\u2019 chosen names.<\/p>\n

When it comes to the courts, the bill would provide protections during child custody hearings. It would prohibit using a transgender parent\u2019s identity against them and would shield parents who allow their kids to get gender-affirming care.<\/p>\n

It would also make it a violation of the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act to purposefully misgender someone.<\/p>\n

Both measures build on laws passed in recent years that expanded protections for transgender people. Some of the most significant laws shield patients who come to Colorado for gender-affirming care, and their in-state providers, from out-of-state investigation or prosecution.<\/p>\n

Republican lawmakers have strongly opposed trans-rights bills in the past and are expected to do the same this year. But the Democrats have the numbers to pass this year\u2019s measures without any Republican votes, just like they have in recent years.<\/p>\n

No Republicans spoke against Monday\u2019s resolution in the Senate, even as they made their opposition known. Senate Democrats moved forward without bipartisan support.<\/p>\n

Gonzalez from One Colorado said the resolution may seem like empty words, but it set an example.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to make sure that trans and LGBTQ adults are visible to young people so that they understand there\u2019s a future life for them,\u201d Gonzalez said. \u201cIt\u2019s not about young people becoming transgender, but about young people seeing that all sorts of different people get to have positive, healthy lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s especially important given the high rates of suicide in transgender youth, Gonzalez said. As of October, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that one-quarter of transgender high school students<\/a> in the United States had attempted suicide in the past year.<\/p>\n

Colorado may have some of the most robust protections for transgender people of any U.S. state, Gonzalez said, but more needs to be done to make Colorado truly safe for transgender people.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because there are both national and local interests working to roll them back, including an effort to put a measure on the Colorado ballot next year that would ban certain transgender youth from participating in girls\u2019 sports.<\/p>\n

The Colorado Sun is a reader-supported, nonpartisan news organization dedicated to covering Colorado issues. To learn more, go to coloradosun.com<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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