DENVER, Colo. (KOAA) — A bill that took up hours of debate in the Colorado legislature in its final week passed late Tuesday night.
HB25-1312, "Legal Protections for Transgender Individuals," is also known as the Kelly Loving Act. Kelly Loving was a transgender woman who was killed in the Colorado Springs Club Q shooting in November 2022. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle recognize Loving as a hero.
The bill makes it discriminatory if a "Local education provider" or someone in a workplace doesn't use a person's chosen name instead of their legal name. Students can also follow whatever variation of a dress code they want in a local school. It also makes it easier for someone to change their name on legal documents. Originally, the bill had language tied to family custody issues, but that language was removed through amendments.
The bill points to the language of misgendering and deadnaming as two issues. Misgendering is purposefully referring to someone using a different pronoun with the intent to disregard their gender identity. Deadnaming means purposefully using someone's birth name rather than their chosen name.
Many Republicans argued that the bill infringes on the rights of parents, who may disagree with their child's decision to go by a different name or pronoun.
"We must not allow government to intrude into, and fracture, the trust between parents and children," Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen, who represents El Paso County, said.
Proponents of the bill argue that the trans community needs more protections when it comes to discrimination.
"I hope this bill gets signed into law so that you can see, that the world ain't going to fall apart, that the sun will rise again in the morning," Democratic Senator Julie Gonzales, who represents Denver, said.
The bill passed the Senate on Wednesday with all Republicans voting against it, and all but two Democrats voting for it. The two Democrats who voted no were Sen. Marc Snyder, who represents El Paso and Teller Counties, along with Sen. Kyle Mullica, who represents Adams County.
The House then approved the amendments late Tuesday night, sending the bill to the governor's desk. The debate was cut off by the House Majority leader who imposed House Rule 16, which allows the House to immediately vote.
You can read the bill's full text by clicking here.
You can see how each member voted in the House for the Concurrence below: (Y is Yes, N is No, E is Excused)
| Member | Vote |
| Armagost | N |
| Bacon | Y |
| Barron | N |
| Bird | Y |
| Boesenecker | Y |
| Bottoms | N |
| Bradfield | N |
| Bradley | N |
| Brooks | N |
| Brown | Y |
| Caldwell | N |
| Camacho | Y |
| Carter | Y |
| Clifford | Y |
| DeGraaf | N |
| Duran | Y |
| English | N |
| Espenoza | Y |
| Feret | Y |
| Froelich | Y |
| Garcia | Y |
| Garcia Sander | N |
| Gilchrist | Y |
| Gonzalez R. | N |
| Hamrick | Y |
| Hartsook | N |
| Jackson | Y |
| Johnson | N |
| Joseph | Y |
| Keltie | N |
| Lieder | Y |
| Lindsay | Y |
| Lindstedt | Y |
| Luck | N |
| Lukens | Y |
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You can see how each member voted for the Senate's final reading below:
| Member Name | Vote |
| Amabile | Y |
| Baisley | N |
| Ball | Y |
| Bridges | Y |
| Bright | N |
| Carson | N |
| Catlin | N |
| Cutter | Y |
| Danielson | Y |
| Daugherty | Y |
| Exum | E |
| Frizell | N |
| Gonzales J. | Y |
| Hinrichsen | Y |
| Jodeh | Y |
| Kipp | Y |
| Kirkmeyer | N |
| Kolker | Y |
| Liston | N |
| Lundeen | N |
| Marchman | Y |
| Michaelson Jenet | Y |
| Mullica | N |
| Pelton B. | N |
| Pelton R. | N |
| Rich | N |
| Roberts | Y |
| Rodriguez | Y |
| Simpson | N |
| Snyder | N |
| Sullivan | Y |
| Wallace | Y |
| Weissman | Y |
| Winter F. | Y |
| President | Y |
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Colorado's Kelly Loving Act Passes: A Landmark Bill for Transgender Rights
The Kelly Loving Act has officially passed, aimed at combating discrimination against transgender individuals in schools. Named after a victim of the Club Q shooting, this legislation has sparked significant debate on parental rights and student freedom—stay tuned for updates on what this means moving forward!
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