On Friday, the Colorado state legislature advanced a bill that would require K-12 schools to implement policies forcing teachers to address students by their “preferred pronouns.”
According to a report from Fox News, House Bill 1039, would also mandate educators to call students by their so-called “chosen names.” This would include extracurricular activities, attendance lists, and the students’ school ID cards.
Reportedly, the bill is backed by the left-wing Colorado Youth Advisory Council. The group reportedly said that many “school administrative systems cause humiliation for transgender Colorado youth when schools use the students’ deadnames (birth names that do not align with their gender identities).”
"When schools keep a student’s former name and gender marker on school transcripts and records, it outs transgender students to their peers, thereby violating their privacy," the group wrote to lawmakers before they voted.
Predictably, Republican lawmakers pointed out that the bill violates parents’ rights (via Fox News):
State Rep. Anthony Hartsook, a Republican, called the bill "open-ended and ill-defined" that could lead to "many, many paths."
"We open up Pandora's Box for discernment on what is discriminatory and what is not, what is intentional and what is not," Hatsook said on the House floor. "Who starts deciding that when and where do we start deciding that? When and where do we bring the parents into that discussion?"
Republican State Rep. Brandi Bradley agreed with Hartsook and urged colleagues to vote "no" on the legislation.
"And now we have told the teachers that they're being discriminatory," Bradley said of the bill. "I have four teenagers. They are awesome kids, but sometimes they like to play games. So tell me how codifying or putting this bill in is not going to go against teachers and their rights in a field where we already have so much shortage?"
Republican State Rep. Rose Pugliese added she does not want schools to know more about her kids than she does.
"Parents have the right to know," said Pugliese.
Reportedly, pro-LGBTQ+ lawmakers believe that children who believe they are “transgender” who have not come out to their parents would be in danger if the legislation is not approved.
The issue of addressing students by their “preferred pronouns” has become an issue at school districts across the country. Townhall has previously reported on many school districts that conceal information about students’ gender identities from parents. However, several polls have shown that parents support policies that keep them in the loop.
This month, a couple in Indiana asked the United States Supreme Court to intervene after their child, who is “transgender,” was taken from their home by the state when they refused to use his chosen name and pronouns.
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