During a recent Colorado House Judiciary Committee hearing on HB25-1312—a bill addressing legal protections for transgender individuals—Democratic State Representative Yara Zokaie sparked controversy by likening concerned parent groups to hate organizations. In response to Republican State Representative Jarvis Caldwell’s inquiry about stakeholder engagement, Zokaie stated, “A well-stakeholdered bill does not need to be discussed with hate groups… we don’t ask someone passing civil rights legislation to go ask the KKK their opinion.”
HB25-1312 proposes that courts consider actions such as “deadnaming” (using a transgender person’s former name) and “misgendering” as forms of “coercive control” in child custody cases. The bill successfully passed the committee with a 7-4 vote and is now advancing to the Assembly for further consideration.
Representative Caldwell expressed deep concern over Zokaie’s remarks, emphasizing that labeling parents as hate groups is “reckless” and that parents advocating for their children’s education and rights should be respected, not vilified.
If enacted, Colorado would become the first state to pass such legislation. A similar bill in California was vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2023.
Source: Fox News
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