One Colorado Now Supports the Kelly Loving Act

One Colorado now supports the Kelly Loving Act, HB25-1312, a bill proposing legal protection for transgender individuals, after updates have been introduced. The bill, named in honor of a transgender woman killed during the 2022 Club Q shooting in Colorado Springs, has been strengthened with additional protections that present legal durability and impact. 

The updates build on the strong foundation set by the bill’s original drafters. The One Colorado team has been in meaningful contact with bill sponsors, community members, legal experts, and partners including Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, Rocky Mountain Equality, Transgender Law Center, NCLR, and Advocates for Transgender Equality to support transgender, nonbinary, and gender-expansive Coloradans. 

The following are the additions to HB25-1312 that One Colorado have introduced and advocated for:

Simplification of Updates to Family Documents

The bill now makes it easier for people to update documents like marriage licenses so that their name and gender marker accurately reflect their identity, ensuring families are recognized as they truly are.

Strengthens Access to Gender Marker Changes
The bill clarifies that transgender Coloradans can use self-attestation to update their gender marker across all forms of identification, including driver’s licenses, state IDs, IDs for undocumented individuals, and birth certificates, and that they can make updates more than once if needed, without requiring a court order.

The Kelly Loving Act will also expand protections in key areas:

Support of Inclusive School Policies on Chosen Names
Ensures that if schools adopt chosen name policies, they must be inclusive of all students.

Requires Gender-Neutral Dress Code Enforcement
Prohibits schools from enforcing dress codes based on gender, allowing all students to follow any version of the dress code.

HB25-1312 is on its way to the Senate for final votes. One Colorado urges bill supporters to contact their senators to solidify the bill and affirm that Colorado is a safe place for transgender people and their families, creating a blueprint for progress for trans Americans that other states can proudly follow. 

Photos courtesy social media