Under Pressure from Parents, Colorado Dems Backpedal from Extreme "Misgendering" Bill—But Not Far Enough
Colorado parents’ rights advocates say a revised bill still goes too far pushing the transgender agenda in schools.
Colorado lawmakers watered down their legislation threatening parents’ control over their children’s upbringing before passing it, but parents’ rights advocates say the bill’s transgender activism still goes too far.
"This bill undermines the sacred role of parents to guide their children's upbringing, education, and healthcare decision," Tina Descovich, co-founder of Moms for Liberty, told Restoration News. "By codifying subjective gender ideology into law, it coerces families to comply with a radical agenda or face severe consequences."
"We stand with countless Colorado parents, grassroots activists, and concerned citizens who are fighting tirelessly to oppose this bill," she added.
Colorado senators passed House Bill 25-1312 on May 6 in a 20-14 vote. If signed by Gov. Jared Polis, it would require schools to implement a gender-neutral dress code and use a "trans" child’s preferred name over their legal name, with no requirements for parental notification or consent.
The original bill also classified "misgendering" and "deadnaming"—or using a person’s biological pronouns and birth name—as discrimination and would have required courts to consider whether parents are gender-affirming while deciding custody cases. Those two provisions were in the version of the bill that passed the state House last month but have since been removed amid the rising backlash from outraged parents and community members.
"This bill is seeking to control what we think, how we raise our children, what we say. It’s exerting coercive control that only exists in authoritarian regimes, quite frankly, and I won’t stand by and let it happen," said Jennifer Sey, founder and CEO of XX-XY Athletics, at a May 1 town hall in Aurora hosted by Moms for Liberty.
As a retired gymnast, Sey has been a vocal opponent of the trans ideology infecting public schools and, in particular, female sports. A seven-time member of the U.S. Women’s National Team, she was also the 1986 U.S. Women’s All-Around national champion. In March 2024, she launched her sportswear brand in alignment with her new mission: protecting women and girls from Democrats’ harmful trans agenda.
"I am a strong advocate for children and truth—I’ve been doing that for 20 years. And I believe in biological reality, and I believe we get to raise our children the way that we determine, barring abuse," Sey said.
She held that the bill would prohibit her from operating her business as it "negates and criminalizes" the gendered speech she uses to promote her brand.
Other opponents of the bill have pointed to the outcomes of similar laws in California and Canada as reason for alarm.
In California, school districts are now forbidden from requiring teachers or administrators to tell parents when a student changes their gender identity following the passage of Assembly Bill 1995.
Meanwhile, in Canada, a father who allegedly "misgendered" his daughter was imprisoned for six months and fined $30,000.
Colorado’s bill will now return to the state House for final approval of the Senate’s amendments before it heads to Polis’s desk.
(READ MORE: Moms For Liberty Resisting Extreme Trans Bill in Blue Colorado)
