Child protection

Cole: Colorado’s gender bills sideline parents and rush kids into harm

Top Stories, Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State / / , , , ,

On Friday, March 28, Colorado legislators introduced House Bill 25-1309 and House Bill 25-1312, proposals crafted to safeguard transgender youth. Their aims are well-meaning: one mandates insurance coverage for gender-affirming treatments such as hormone therapy and surgeries, while the other anchors gender identity within custody law to protect vulnerable children. 

Yet, beneath these noble intentions lies a troubling prospect—lasting harm to the very youth they seek to shield, coupled with an alarming shift of authority from parents to the state.

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A shepherd in the trenches: Rep. Scott Bottoms answers the call to fight for Colorado

Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, State, Top Stories / / , , , , ,

El Paso County Republican Rep. Scott Bottoms walked the quiet State Capitol halls with his wife, prayers filling the empty space. They spent hours there—no fanfare, just a pastor seeking God’s will on a new path after years of preaching in Colorado Springs. 

Several lawmakers asked him to run for office. “I’m a pastor,” he told them. One replied, “Pray about it.” That stuck. “I almost said no,” Bottoms said. “I was scared God might say yes.” 

“I didn’t choose this,” Bottoms said. “I felt God say ‘This is your battlefield.’”

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