Colorado’s House of Representatives recently approved two bills to protect trans rights. The first bill included is H.B. 25-1309, which makes it illegal for health insurance providers to deny or limit gender-affirming care provided by a doctor, and codifies public health rules protecting gender-affirming care in Colorado. This bill also exempts testosterone prescriptions from state monitoring programs which are meant to limit abuse of controlled substances.
Republicans attempted to amend the bill to exclude gender-affirming care for trans minors, an amendment which was struck down by the Democrat-majority chamber.
Additionally, H.B. 25-1312, allows courts to consider deadnaming and other forms of misgendering in child custody disputes, according to LGBTQ Nation. This bill also maintains that deadnaming and misgendering are discriminatory acts under the state’s anti-discrimination law, requiring schools to accept trans students’ chosen names, and also bans schools from having gendered dress codes.
Rep. Rebekah Stewart, the bill’s sponsor said “Supporting a child’s gender identity is indeed in the best interest of the child, and that support cannot be used against a loving supportive parent in a dispute.”
“What’s happening at the federal level is casting a long shadow and we don’t know what the future holds,” said out trans state Rep. Brianna Titone. Titone sponsored H.B. 25 – 1309 and says passing this bill is “about taking control of what we can do to ensure that our friends and neighbors and family members continue to get the care they need regardless of what might happen in the future.”
The Trump Administration has unleashed a slew of anti-trans measures since taking office in January. Many of these have been passed via executive orders that ban people from fully participating in public life, and cut off crucial resources to the community across health and education sectors.
Currently, both bills will still need to make it through another vote in the Colorado state house and senate before going into effect, however, both are currently controlled by Democrats.
