Nearly 700 Coloradans Sign Up to Oppose HB25-1312 in Marathon Capitol Hearing

Controversial Gender Identity Bill Amended, Advances to Senate Floor Amid Ongoing Religious Liberty Concerns

(Photo provided)

After a marathon session at the Colorado Senate that went into the late night, House Bill 25-1312 passed out of the House with several key amendments and now heads to the Senate floor. While supporters frame the legislation — also known as the "Kelly Loving Act" — as a necessary expansion of anti-discrimination protections for transgender individuals, religious organizations and parental rights advocates remain deeply alarmed.

The revised bill removes one of its most hotly contested provisions: a clause that would have allowed judges to consider misgendering or “deadnaming” a child as a form of abuse in custody decisions. Two additional sections were also struck. One would have classified the public use of a person’s former name, or “deadname,” as a discriminatory act. The other would have required schools with uniform or dress code policies to enforce them in a gender-neutral manner.

Despite these changes, critics argue that the legislation still poses serious threats to religious freedom and parental authority. Sections of the bill that remain intact continue to raise concern:

• Section 3 establishes a shield law that prohibits Colorado from complying with out-of-state efforts to remove a child from the custody of a parent or guardian who allows gender-affirming medical care.

• Section 4 addresses school name-change policies, ensuring consistent application across all students but not altering existing parental notification requirements.

• Section 7 mandates that all public entities include fields for both legal and chosen names on official forms and use the chosen name on subsequent documentation.

These provisions were a central focus of emotional testimony earlier this week in the historic Old Supreme Court chamber at the Colorado State Capitol, where hundreds of Coloradans packed into three overflow rooms to speak out against HB25-1312.

670 individuals signed up to testify in opposition to the bill, compared to just 70 in support. Nevertheless, legislative Democrats imposed an eight-hour cap on testimony, leaving many voices unheard.

Among those able to testify was Brittany Vessely, Executive Director of the Colorado Catholic Conference — the policy voice of Colorado’s four Catholic bishops. Vessely condemned the bill as “a codification of discrimination against faith-based and private institutions.”

“Each person should be treated with dignity, respect and compassion,” Vessely said. “But HB1312 codifies discrimination against any institution — faith-based or private — and individual with a different belief about human sexuality, and forces them to conform to government-mandated beliefs about ‘sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression’ under threat of criminal and financial penalties.”

While the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA) currently exempts spaces “principally used for religious purposes,” Vessely noted that HB1312 fails to extend those protections to affiliated ministries such as hospitals, shelters, clinics and schools.

“The state cannot determine which religious activities are deserving of constitutional protection,” she continued. “Requiring faith-based organizations to defer to a person’s chosen gender identity forces them to violate their religious beliefs to avoid civil liability or shut down.”

Vessely cited legal precedents including Hurley v. Irish-American Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Group of Boston (1995) and Colorado’s 303 Creative decision (2023) to argue that the bill threatens both religious expression and conscience rights.

She also warned that even with amendments, Section 3 effectively designates Colorado a “sanctuary state” for minors in conflict with parents who affirm biological sex.

“This is a gross overreach of Colorado into parental rights,” Vessely said.

Other testimonies echoed deep concern over parental exclusion and ideological overreach. Erin Lee, a mother from Larimer County, described how her 12-year-old daughter was socially transitioned at school without parental knowledge.

“She was taught that she could pursue puberty blockers and wrong-sex hormones to fix herself, and coached on how to see an affirming therapist and get a gender-affirming care letter at school without my consent,” Lee testified. “By the time we found out, we were threatened with the suicide myth and bullied with the words, ‘Would you rather have a living son or a dead daughter?’”

Lee said her daughter eventually attempted suicide.

“She is now a healthy, whole 16-year-old girl. Calling my child by her birth name was not malicious harassment or discrimination — it was honest, loving and it saved her from being a lifelong medical patient,” she shared.

Evan De La Cruz, an adult who detransitioned after identifying as transgender, spoke to the lasting psychological and physical consequences of transition-related treatments.

“This is irreversible,” De La Cruz testified. “My voice will never go back. My breasts will never come back. I’ll never get my ovaries back.”

She added, “We can only heal by being honest with ourselves, by asking the right questions.”

Medical professionals also expressed alarm. Dr. Travis Morrell, of Colorado Principled Physicians, argued, “We should not teach kids that their value depends on what others call them. We should teach them that every kid is born in the right body.”

Nicole Hunt, a mother of four representing Focus on the Family, emphasized that the bill interferes with constitutionally protected parental rights.

“To compel experimental drugs or face the potential of losing your child is directly interfering with what the Constitution protects,” she said.

Dr. Steve Broman, another physician, was blunt in his assessment: “There is no such thing as a trans child. That term is an oxymoron. The prefrontal cortex doesn’t fully develop until about age 25. The bottom line is, leave the children alone, because 85 to 95 percent of kids with dysphoria adjust normally by age 21.”

As one of the state’s largest charitable networks, the Catholic Church warned of serious consequences for the public good if faith-based ministries are forced to shut down.

“A recent report by Catholic University of America shows that the Catholic Church in Colorado provides an economic benefit of $4.8 billion annually,” Vessely said. “The state cannot afford to pick up the ministries of the Catholic Church if they are forced to shut their doors.”

Despite the amendments made this week, the Colorado Catholic Conference — on behalf of the state’s bishops — continues to urge lawmakers to vote “No” on HB 1312 as it heads to the Senate floor.