House Judiciary advances Kelly Loving Act after hours of testimony on transgender protections

The House Judiciary Committee advanced House Bill 13‑12, called the Kelly Loving Act, to the Committee of the Whole on a 7–4 vote late Wednesday after an extended public hearing filled with personal testimony from transgender Coloradans, parents, medical professionals and opponents.

Proponents say the bill clarifies existing anti‑discrimination law, protects students and adults from repeated misgendering or “deadnaming,” and adds a shield so Colorado will not enforce out‑of‑state orders that would remove a child from a parent for bringing the child here for gender‑affirming care. Opponents argued the measure risks overruling parental discretion and could create novel legal complications in custody disputes.

Representative Rob Garcia, the bill’s prime sponsor, told the committee the measure was born of months of stakeholder work and said the purpose is to make statutory protections meaningful: “This bill is about ensuring that what we say exists with anti discrimination is a reality,” Garcia said during his opening remarks.

Representative Webb Stewart, Garcia’s co‑prime sponsor, summarized the bill’s three broad aims — custody standards, school rules and clearer statutory definitions in Colorado’s anti‑discrimination law — and defended the measure as narrowing, not expanding, confusion in the law. “It clarifies protections in child custody, that supporting a child's gender identity is indeed in the best interest of the child,” Stewart said.

The bill would do several things in statute: - Add “coercive control” language to family‑law factors a court…