Colorado students want a law allowing minors to use their preferred names, pronouns in schools
Colorado students who are transgender and go by a name that’s not their legal one would have the right to use their preferred name at school, and teachers who disregard their wishes could face disciplinary action.
That’s the proposal outlined in draft legislation that has received preliminary approval from a committee of state lawmakers and was brought forward by high school students who are part of the Colorado Youth Advisory Council.
With the proposal, lawmakers are stepping into a polarizing issue that has erupted recently in school board contests and in school districts that have attempted to honor students’ wishes without consent from parents.
Students already have the right to use preferred names and pronouns through the state Civil Rights Commission, which says that “deliberately misusing an individual’s preferred name, form of address or gender-related pronouns” is discriminatory. But school district policies on the matter vary. A state law could create a uniform policy for districts, including a plan of action when a teacher or staff member refuses to use a students’ preferred name or pronouns.
It could also clear up confusion about what school districts are supposed to do when a student wants to use a preferred name and their parents do not.