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Tag: Parental Rights

Doctors, parents, pastors say HB25-1312 “crosses line” as Senate advances bill after midnight
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Doctors, parents, pastors say HB25-1312 “crosses line” as Senate advances bill after midnight

By Tori Ganahl | Rocky Mountain Voice HB25-1312, also known as the “Kelly Loving Act,” proposes major changes to how Colorado law handles gender identity. After more than eight hours of emotional testimony that went past 1:00 a.m., the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the bill on a 5–2 party-line vote. The bill would expand the state’s anti-discrimination laws to include gender identity and expression in areas like public spaces, schools, and legal proceedings. Bill sponsor Faith Winters described it as a “crash couch for the state,” a metaphor meant to convey safety and refuge for at-risk individuals. https://twitter.com/scottpshamblin/status/1917691858547007671?s=42 Despite several amendments adopted during the hearing, critics argue the bill still threatens parental...
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“Drawing the line”: School boards warn HB25-1312 oversteps on parental rights, brings policy chaos
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“Drawing the line”: School boards warn HB25-1312 oversteps on parental rights, brings policy chaos

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Board members say the bill risks punishing parents, stripping local authority, and forcing schools into the middle of contentious custody battles More than 70 school board members and education leaders have signed a letter urging lawmakers to reject HB25-1312, also known as the Kelly Loving Act. Jason Jorgenson, secretary of the District 11 Board of Education and a lead organizer of the opposition letter, said HB25-1312 “risks encouraging youth to pursue a path of gender transition without appropriate parental involvement.” Andrea Haitz, president of the District 51 Board of Education, warned that the bill “risks placing schools in an even more precarious legal position, especially when parents disagree on matters like gender identity or p...
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HB25-1312 Scheduled for Senate Judiciary Hearing Wednesday: How to Participate
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HB25-1312 Scheduled for Senate Judiciary Hearing Wednesday: How to Participate

By Rocky Mountain Voice Staff The Colorado Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on House Bill 25-1312, titled "Legal Protections for Gender Expression and Identity," this Wednesday, April 30 at the Colorado State Capitol. The bill, which has already passed the House, could redefine “discrimination” to include parents, teachers, and citizens who don’t comply with radical gender ideology demands—including pronoun use and so-called "gender-affirming care." Hearing Information: Date: Wednesday, April 30, 2025 Scheduled Start Time: 1:30 PM (subject to floor work delays) Location: Old Supreme Court Chambers, Colorado State Capitol Members of the public who are interested in providing testimony have several options to participate. Individuals who wish to testif...
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Ganahl: From Superior Elementary to sex camps — Colorado parental rights under attack
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Ganahl: From Superior Elementary to sex camps — Colorado parental rights under attack

By Heidi Ganahl | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice In 2018, as a mom of four with three of my children in first and third grade at Superior Elementary, I was shocked to learn that our young students were being exposed to confusing gender identity discussions without parental knowledge.  This was done through a program called Queer Endeavor at CU Boulder, which trained thousands of teachers in the metro area to integrate “queering the curriculum” around “problematic parents.” As a statewide elected University of Colorado Regent at the time, I felt a responsibility to speak out, warning that this was the start of a dangerous trend.  I was called a fearmonger and mocked.  But today, that warning has become a chilling reality. Colorado schools and universiti...
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Colorado Supreme Court tightens child welfare case rules: No jury trial without parental presence
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Approved, denvergazette.com, State

Colorado Supreme Court tightens child welfare case rules: No jury trial without parental presence

By Michael Karlik | Denver Gazette The Colorado Supreme Court adopted on Monday a package of revisions to the rules governing child welfare cases, while modifying one section that governs when a parent surrenders their right to have a jury decide if their child is neglected. Earlier this month, the justices held a hearing to evaluate the long-running group effort to revise the rules of juvenile procedure. They heard the proposed package had achieved consensus among the entities with a stake in such proceedings. The proposal reflected recent changes to state law and clarified the unique position children occupy in dependency and neglect matters — the formal name for child neglect cases. However, the Supreme Court ended up tweaking the language that des...
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Gimelshteyn: The unraveling medical crisis that Colorado parents must pay attention to
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Gimelshteyn: The unraveling medical crisis that Colorado parents must pay attention to

By Lori Gimelshteyn | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Just a few years ago, parents were assured that “gender-affirming care” was lifesaving, compassionate, and backed by science. Affirmation, puberty blockers, hormones, and ultimately surgery were sold as the only path forward for a child questioning whether they were “born in the wrong body.”  But the cracks in this narrative are widening—and behind them lies a deeply troubling truth: children have been swept into a medical experiment that ignores mental health, underlying trauma, and long-term consequences. Families across Colorado have shared heartbreaking stories of what happened when they trusted this system.  Many parents believed they were doing the right thing—only to realize that the affirmative model...
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Colorado’s ‘totalitarian’ transgenderism bill sparks concerns from parents
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Approved, Fox News, State

Colorado’s ‘totalitarian’ transgenderism bill sparks concerns from parents

 By Taylor Penley | Fox News Parental rights advocates are cautioning against a "totalitarian" transgenderism bill rammed through the Colorado state House that they say could jeopardize parents' chances in custody battles if they "misgender" or "deadname" their children. "This is giving the authority to our state to take our children away if we don't agree with these gender transitions, so it's got huge ramifications for all parents, especially those in custody situations who are fighting with their ex-spouses to stop their children from being medicalized," Erin Lee, a mom from the Centennial State, told "The Faulkner Focus" on Monday. She added, "It opens the door for all parents to potentially have their children forcibly removed by the state if they're not willing to affir...
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Anderson: Education dollars should help all students perform, while lawmakers focus on funding gender ideology
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Approved, Commentary, State, The Business Times

Anderson: Education dollars should help all students perform, while lawmakers focus on funding gender ideology

By Christy Anderson | Commentary, Business Times Let’s look at the facts. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2024, only 36 percent of Colorado’s fourth-graders read at a proficient level, and just 42 percent are proficient in math. These numbers should alarm every parent, educator, policymaker and taxpayer. Beneath the surface of annual graduation celebrations lies a troubling reality: Many students are not prepared for life after high school. Colleges are restructuring their curricula to accommodate lower proficiency levels, and remedial classes are becoming the norm, not the exception. As an educator with 25 years of experience in Mesa County Valley School District 51 and a Realtor who works closely with families across our community, I’ve seen firstha...
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Hancock: HB25-1312 replaces truth with dogma and calls it progress
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Approved, Colorado Politics, Commentary, State

Hancock: HB25-1312 replaces truth with dogma and calls it progress

By Michael A. Hancock | Commentary, Colorado Politics From the rugged ridgelines of the Rockies now echoes a different kind of thunder — not from the skies above, but from the marble halls of Colorado’s State Capitol, where lawmakers are ushering in a bill that feels less like legislation and more like dogma. House Bill 25-1312, ostentatiously named the “Kelly Loving Act,” is heralded as a civil rights measure. But dig past the buzzwords and you’ll find something far more troubling: a secular creed imposed with such fervor it borders on religious zealotry — and as such, possibly violates the U.S. Constitution’s Establishment Clause. At the heart of the bill is a sweeping redefinition of “coercive control” in family law. If passed, courts would be mandated to treat “deadnaming” and...
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Parents and Pastors Rally at Capitol to Stop HB25-1312 from Becoming Law
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Parents and Pastors Rally at Capitol to Stop HB25-1312 from Becoming Law

By Rocky Mountain Voice Staff A coalition of pastors, parents, and constitutional advocates will gather Thursday on the West Steps of the Colorado State Capitol to oppose HB25-1312, the controversial “Kelly Loving Act” that critics say represents a direct attack on parental rights, religious liberty, and free speech. The event—organized by Fight 1312, a Colorado-based grassroots movement—will begin with a rally and prayer walk at 1:00 PM, followed by a press conference at 2:30 PM featuring local faith leaders and conservative advocates, including former Trump appointee William Wolfe. “HB25-1312 is an attack on parental rights, free speech, and the ability of families to raise their children according to their values,” said Pastor J. Chase Davis, one of the event organizers and Lea...
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