By Penny Robo
Two pieces of LGBT-friendly legislation were introduced in Colorado. Today, Governor Jared Polis signed them into law.
The first is a ban on conversion therapy: HB19-1129 prevents health care providers from forcing the awful, abusive practice on minors, and, obviously, provides a roadblock for parents looking to subject their children to it. Maine signed a similar bill into law earlier this month, making Colorado the 18th such state to do so.
HB19-1039, aka Jude’s Law follows the lead set by other states (as I covered last month) by allowing trans people to change the gender marker on their birth certificate to M, F, or X without a court order or doctor’s note.
Polis is the first openly gay governor in the US, and appears to be making good use of the opportunities afforded him by his office to protect marginalized and vulnerable people… it’s really, really hard to see something bad here, and it’s basically my job to look for the worst US politics has to offer my community. Good job, Colorado. ■
