One Colorado’s Statement on Senate Committee’s Voting Down the Birth Certificate Modernization Act

One Colorado sent out a statement to the public concerning yesterday’s shameful decision to strike down a hopeful legislation that would’ve made life easier for many trans Colorado. The statement goes thusly:

[Yesterday], the Colorado Senate State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee voted to defeat the Birth Certificate Modernization Act (House Bill 1185), a bill that would bring Colorado law in line with federal policy for transgender Coloradans who want to update the gender on their birth certificate.  Executive Director Dave Montez has this to say on the defeat of this bill on a party-line vote.

“Today the Republicans on the State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee of the Colorado Senate had the chance to, yet again, do the right thing for transgender Coloradans. Despite the fact there was no testimony in opposition to the Birth Certificate Modernization Act today, the Republican members of the committee chose to play politics with our families.

It was our hope that at least one Republican senator on the committee would side with the five Republicans in the Colorado House of Representatives who voted in favor of House Bill 1185 because it upholds the Republican ideals of freedom, privacy, and limited government. 

This much-needed legislation would simply have brought Colorado law in line with existing policies at the federal level, and in doing so would have protected the privacy of transgender Coloradans and protected them from discrimination. Not only did dozens of transgender Coloradans and their families ask the committee to pass this bill today, but the Office of the State Registrar — which is the department in charge of issuing birth certificates — came out firmly in support of House Bill 1185 because of the its importance for transgender Coloradans. 

While we are disappointed in the committee’s vote today, we will continue to work in the legislature to reduce the many barriers transgender Coloradans face. We want to thank State Senators Ulibarri and Jones for their votes today in support of transgender Coloradans and their families.”