Education Department Warns Colorado: Children ‘Do Not Belong to Government’
The U.S. Department of Education is warning the state of Colorado over a bill moving through the state Legislature that could strip parents who do not immediately affirm their child’s “gender transition” of their custody rights.
Colorado House Bill 1312 would strip parents of custody rights for simply “misgendering” or “deadnaming” their children, equating that to “abuse.” It says doing so counts as “coercive control” which “means a pattern of threatening, humiliating, or intimidating actions, including assaults or other abuse.”
HB 1312 would also make Colorado a destination state for transgender medical interventions on minors by prohibiting the state’s courts from recognizing another state’s law that allows a child to be separated from a parent who attempts to provide their child with opposite-sex hormones and mutilating surgeries.
In essence, the bill says, “Come one; come all. Transgender interventions for all, no questions asked.” And an equally pernicious companion bill, HB 1309, would guarantee it is fully funded by every health plan in the state.
HB 1312 also adds “misgendering” and “deadnaming” to Colorado’s Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA), “prohibiting these discriminatory acts in places of public accommodation.” This threatens the free speech rights and religious freedom of businesses and employees, forcing them to use false, biology-defying language.
CADA is the same law that has been used by homosexual and transgender activists in the state to persecute Christian baker Jack Phillips for his religious convictions on marriage and sexuality.
If that wasn’t enough, HB 1312 mandates schoolteachers, administrators and counselors use a student’s “chosen name” and prohibits all sex-based dress codes.
“Children do not belong to the government. They belong to parents,” Education Department spokeswoman Julie Hartman told The Daily Signal regarding HB 1312, adding,
“Parents should be the primary decision-makers when it comes to their child’s education,” Hartman concluded.
HB 1312 was rushed through the Colorado House within days of being introduced. It was approved by the House on April 6 in a 38-20 vote.
The bill was introduced in the Colorado Senate Judiciary Committee on April 22; a committee hearing on the bill has not yet been scheduled. The Colorado legislative session ends on May 7, so any attempt to pass the bill in the Senate would have to come before then.
On March 28, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) sent a “Dear Colleague” letter directing schools nationwide to comply with parental rights laws. The letter directs schools to:
- Ensure parental rights to inspect and review education records.
- Ensure parents receive annual notification of rights.
“Parents are the most natural protectors of their children. Yet many states and school districts have enacted policies that imply students need protection from their parents,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon at the time, adding,
The ED has also launched multiple probes into alleged violations of Title IX, including into schools that allow boys to invade girls sports and private spaces. The department has also launched a special Title IX task force to ensure girls and women’s Title IX rights are upheld nationwide.
To oppose HB 1312, concerned citizens may learn about how to participate in Colorado’s legislative process and sign up to testify. You can also urge your Colorado senator to vote no on the bill.
Related articles and resources:
Alerting parents: The horrific bill passing through Colorado’s Legislature
Oppose Colorado’s Radical Abortion and ‘Transgender Rights’ Legislation
Radical Colorado ‘Transgender’ Bill Threatens Parents’ Rights and Free Speech
Photo from Getty Images.
