A bill is making its way through the Colorado state legislature that would classify parents as abusive if they don't endorse their child's gender disorders. If passed, it could result in the removal of children from their homes. One father is sharing his own story as a warning about how real the threat already is.
The Colorado House of Representatives passed HB1312 earlier this month and it is making its way to the state Senate.
HB 1312 also known as the "Kelly Loving Act," would add "misgendering" and "deadnaming" as acts of discrimination under Colorado's Anti-Discrimination Act and prohibit the acts in public places.
Not only that, the measure would require courts to consider whether parents are affirming their child's gender dysphoria in custody battles or if they are "coercing" that child toward understanding their God-given gender instead. In the cases where they do not affirm their child's confusion, the court can revoke custody of parents.
The act, which is named after a 40-year-old transgender man killed in the Club Q mass shooting in 2022, outlines that "misgendering" is purposefully referring to someone using a different pronoun with the intent to disregard their gender identity. Additionally, so-called "deadnaming" means to purposefully use someone's birth name rather than their chosen name with the intent to disregard their gender identity.
Republican Rep. Jarvis Caldwell accused Democrats of fast-tracking the bill by invoking Rule 16, which bypasses debate. "I believe they did this to silence us because they know how much negative attention this has been getting nationwide," he said in a post on X.
Here are my thoughts on what transpired today with being silenced and robbed of speaking on behalf of my 90,000 House District 20 constituents about HB25-1312. #coleg #copolitics pic.twitter.com/hsLMwkVoaR
— Rep. Jarvis Caldwell (@RepCaldwell) April 6, 2025
"After preventing us from the ability to debate, Colorado House Democrats rammed through HB 1312," Caldwell later told The Daily Signal. "It's codifying into law that if their ideology confuses your child, and you don't affirm that delusion, you're committing child abuse and can lose custody of your child."
"We have now crossed the Rubicon of parental rights with this bill," he added.
A Dad Shares His Heartbreaking Story
The bill is gaining national attention and critics warn that stories like Colorado's Dustin Gonzalez will become more commonplace in the state.
Gonzalez lost custody of his 12-year-old biological daughter after school officials at her school socially transitioned her to a different sexual identity without his knowledge or permission.
The Christian dad spoke before the Jefferson County Public Schools Board of Education earlier this month to share his plight and why parents should not remain silent as their parental rights are being stripped.
"I'm not just fighting for my daughter. I am fighting to make sure that what happened to me and my family never happens to another parent in this district," he told the board.
My story. https://t.co/veHqkLnkjT
— Dustin Gonzalez (@Dgonz102) April 11, 2025
"This happened quickly, secretly, encouraged by a school-appointed therapist and a system that never thought to include me," Gonzalez explained. "The school didn't inform me, they didn't ask them, they replaced me."
"By the time I found out, I was already labeled the problem. My objections weren't treated as concerns but were treated as opposition. My voice was dismissed as hateful. My presence undermined. The therapist, the school, and the court-appointed investigator all decided because I didn't affirm something, that I didn't deserve to parent my daughter equally anymore," he shared.
"They didn't accuse me of abuse, they didn't claim I caused harm. The only evidence against me was that I said I am not ready to affirm this yet. That's it. And now I'm at risk of losing parenting time and being erased from my daughter's life. Not because I failed as a father, but because I dare to ask questions."
"And it started in your schools. Your systems made it possible. And your silence made it permanent," Gonzalez shared. "You replaced my voice, you stole my seat at the table, and you made decisions about my daughter without me."
Gonzalez is not the only parent facing this battle.
Other Parents Losing Their Children
As CBN News reported, Indiana's Department of Child Services took Mary and Jeremy Cox's gender-confused child away from them due to their refusal to affirm his identity because of their Biblical beliefs about sex and gender.
The couple had previously sought a lower court's intervention to return their child to the home but was denied. The trial court removed the Cox's son from the home and barred them from speaking to him about the topic of sex and gender.
"So as a mom having limited access to your children is heartwrenching," Mary described. "I miss his laugh. I miss being with him...There are so many things that we are to our children. Not just their first teachers, but basically their first loves and to miss out on that during such formative time in his life...we never get that time back."
Abigail Martinez's story is also heartwrenching.
The California mom lost her daughter to suicide after losing custody because she did not celebrate her child's gender dysphoria.
Martinez lost custody of her teenage daughter, Yaeli, because her religious beliefs on sexuality conflicted with her state's decision to endorse gender disorder as normal.
"My daughter was murdered by a gender ideology. CPS took my daughter when she was 16 years old. It was helped by her public school counselor and LGBTQ group and another trans-identified girl," she testified during a California Judiciary Senate hearing in 2023.
"My daughter was taken from her loving home because the state of California claimed I was abusive for not affirming her trans identity. I lost my daughter over a name and pronouns. Even after I promised to call her a male name, it wasn't enough," Martinez continued.
A few years later, her daughter committed suicide.
Meanwhile, Colorado State Rep. Caldwell is encouraging a fight against the bill before it's too late.
"I believe the ultimate intention of this bill is to make it impossible for a parent to get their child help when the child is gender confused by declaring such help as child abuse," he told the Daily Signal.
The bill is on its way to the Colorado Senate Judiciary Committee. If passed, it will head to the full state Senate for a vote.
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