Statehouse Democrats move to expand protections for transgender Coloradans ...0

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.

This story was produced as part of the Colorado Capitol News Alliance. It first appeared at kunc.org.

They’re also proposing new protections for trans people.

“Transgender Coloradans are part of the fabric of our communities. They are parents, students, care givers, faith leaders and neighbors,” said one of the resolution’s sponsors Sen. Lisa Cutter, a Jefferson County Democrat. “They experience elevated levels of poverty, discrimination and violence.”

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’t deterring the legislature’s Democrats, who introduced two bills on Friday aimed at further protecting trans rights under state law.

One of the proposals, House Bill 1309, 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’s 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.

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“While this isn’t 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,” said Jax Gonzalez, political director for the LGBTQ advocacy group One Colorado.

Another proposal from Democrats, House Bill 1312, would implement a string of protections for trans people in schools and the courts.

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.

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’ chosen names.

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

It would also make it a violation of the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act to purposefully misgender someone.

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.

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’s measures without any Republican votes, just like they have in recent years.

No Republicans spoke against Monday’s resolution in the Senate, even as they made their opposition known. Senate Democrats moved forward without bipartisan support.

Gonzalez from One Colorado said the resolution may seem like empty words, but it set an example.

“We need to make sure that trans and LGBTQ adults are visible to young people so that they understand there’s a future life for them,” Gonzalez said. “It’s not about young people becoming transgender, but about young people seeing that all sorts of different people get to have positive, healthy lives.”

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That’s 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 in the United States had attempted suicide in the past year.

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.

That’s 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’ sports.

This story was produced by the Capitol News Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC News, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS and The Colorado Sun, and shared with Rocky Mountain Community Radio and other news organizations across the state. Funding for the Alliance is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

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