On Monday, May 19, a coalition of parental rights organizations initiated legal action in a Denver federal court challenging Colorado’s recent legislation that mandates the use of transgender individuals’ chosen names and pronouns. The lawsuit disputes House Bill 1312, approved by Gov. Jared Polis the previous Friday, which categorizes the use of incorrect names and pronouns for transgender individuals as forms of discrimination under Colorado’s Anti-Discrimination Act.
The law requires family courts to treat actions such as using a transgender person’s former name or incorrect pronouns, or threatening to disclose their gender-affirming medical information, as forms of coercive control in custody disputes, with violations potentially leading to investigations, legal action and financial penalties.
Plaintiffs, including Defending Education and Do No Harm, allege the law violates First and 14th Amendment rights by punishing speech opposing the law’s views on contested sex and gender issues; Sarah Parshall Perry called the law “an exercise of remarkable hubris.”
The suit seeks to block enforcement of the law, implying prolonged litigation and raising debate over free speech versus protections for transgender people in schools and public life.
