Gov. Polis Bill Signings Mark Major Win for Colo LGBTQ+ Community

From bureaucracy to physical violence, queer individuals face unique challenges that require ongoing solutions. Governor Jared Polis signed four bills into law yesterday in Colorado that will make the lives of LGBTQ+ people in Colorado a little bit easier.

The bills were signed by Polis on the afternoon of July 13 at The Center on Colfax, an LGBTQ+ community center in Denver.

The bills signed help protect the LGBTQ+ community’s rights in a wide variety of ways: from funding and streamlining medical access and programs, to protecting queer people’s very lives in the courtroom, to reaffirming minors’ gender identities.

Perhaps the most overdue bill is Senate Bill 221, the Gay Panic Or Transgender Panic Defense Act. Up until this point, a defendant could claim “a sudden heat of passion” brought on by their knowledge (or discovery) of the victim’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression as a legal defense for committing violence against that person.

Read more: https://coloradotimesrecorder.com/2020/07/major-win-for-colo-lgbtq-community/27105/