A Colorado resident was removed while giving testimony on a controversial bill to the state House Judiciary Committee Tuesday.

“Sex matters, it matters in prisons, it matters in sports, it matters in my bathroom, misgender is nothing, it means nothing,” the woman says to the committee as trans members of the of audience hiss. “So, the person this bill is written after it is, is, is literally an admitted former prostitute and other literature and he works with Children.”

According to the bill’s sponsor, HB 24-1071 or “Tiara's Law,” aims to simplify the process of legally changing names for convicted felons seeking gender affirming care while incarcerated. It was inspired by Tiara Latrice Kelley, a transgender drag queen with a lengthy criminal history who has been convicted of at least three sex crimes in Florida.

A Colorado resident was removed January 30th 2024, while giving testimony on controversial HB 24-1071, to the state House Judiciary Committee Tuesday.

Democrat supporters in the legislature continue to emphasize the importance of inclusivity and accessibility, while opponents voice concerns about government overreach and the allocation of taxpayer resources.

Critics also argue that HB 24-1071 represents another unnecessary woke layer of government that prioritizes the needs of a small select few over the interests of the vast majority.

PRIME SPONSORS

·      Rep. Lorena García

State Representative Lorena Garcia, a Democrat representing District 35, is the sponsor of this controversial bill. Rep. Garcia claims that transgender people are disproportionately represented in the legal system, with a conviction rate that far exceeds their population percentage.

According to her statements to 9News, approximately 17% of incarcerated individuals identify as transgender, while they make up only 4% of the population in Colorado.

Many are extremely skeptical of these highly inflated Colorado numbers which are not reflected in other states nor in the federal prison system. According to the Justice Department, only about 1,200 inmates — of the nearly 156,000 federal prisoners in the United States — identify as transgender.  A vast difference in data presented by Colorado Democrats proposing this controversial bill.

Rep. Garcia argues that the bill is essential because many transgender individuals may not have had the opportunity to transition or change their names before entering the penal system. She believes that by making name changes more accessible, this legislation would positively impact their mental health and overall identity.

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Rich Guggenheim gave opposing testimony to the state House Judiciary Committee. A member of the LGB community in Denver, Guggenheim said, “This bill will have unintended homophobic consequences and place too many children in harm's way while hampering the efforts of parents and law enforcement to keep them safe. For these reasons, I implore the members of this committee to vote against HB24-1071.”