Colorado’s House Bill 25-1312 has pierced through committee like a freight train. Every Democrat signed off. Every Republican pushed back. The lines are no longer blurred. They’re painted in bold. One side says this is about protection. The other calls it coercion dressed up in compassion.
This bill doesn’t just speak. It roars into the private lives of families. Under this legislation, if a parent calls their own child by the name they gave them at birth, the state can use that against them in custody court. That’s now considered a potential form of abuse. A misused pronoun could cost you your child. Let that sink in.
It didn’t stop there. Colorado lawmakers want to regulate speech in every public space, every school, and every institution. Misgendering is now discrimination. Deadnaming is labeled an act of control. Under this bill, the state’s anti-discrimination laws expand to include slips of the tongue and refusals to conform. It applies everywhere from a public library to a private school.
Private and charter schools are not exempt. Their dress codes are now dictated by the state. They must allow students to use chosen names in school records. If a boy shows up and says he’s now a girl, every adult in that building is required to play along. And if they don’t, it’s discrimination.
Parents are cornered. Courts will now consider your language at home when deciding who gets custody of your child. We’ve crossed into the territory where ideology outweighs biology. The bill even ensures Colorado won’t help out-of-state courts that attempt to restrict gender-affirming care. Translation: Colorado is now a legal sanctuary for gender-transitioning minors. Parental objections are no longer the law.
The name attached to this bill, “Kelly Loving Act,” honors a transgender individual tragically killed in 2022. But the scope of this legislation is far beyond honoring a victim. It’s sweeping. It’s systemic. It’s about rewriting norms at every level and putting the government’s view of gender ahead of the family’s.
Critics aren’t just concerned. They’re alarmed. This is a new frontier of state power. It’s one thing to protect rights. It’s another to punish disagreement. Schools can’t enforce boys’ and girls’ dress codes anymore. Every form, every policy, every employee must adjust or be labeled discriminatory.
Colorado’s House is not done yet. This bill moves forward. The next vote decides whether it becomes the new standard for the state. For now, the message is clear: Language is no longer just language. It’s now a tool for the state.
The bill:
https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb25-1312
https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2025A/bills/fn/2025a_hb1312_00.pdf
