The Colorado legislature, as featured on Libs of Tik Tok, wants to make it easier for convicted felons to change their names — but only those seeking gender affirming care.
When Libs of TikTok pick up a story about Colorado legislators, you know you are in trouble. @coloradodems #COLeg #COPolitics https://t.co/9l6MQISAbh
— Watty Strickland (@wattystrick) January 29, 2024
The story featured in the video is from 9News, which highlighted this person’s unverified claim about Florida law, that we could not substantiate.
Florida does have a three-strikes law for felony offenders. But charging prostitutes with a felony for getting three misdemeanors?
It didn’t check out with Google, and 9New didn’t attribute that information to anyone except Tiara Kelley.
“So in Florida, when you have three of a similar charge, whether they’re misdemeanors, and they’re three of a similar charge, they become a felony charge, so that’s where my felony came from, was from being a sex worker and having three different charges for that,” she said.
Kelley said that her felony conviction changed her world. As she began her gender affirming care, a piece of her past always remained: her legal name. She said it is a name she no longer identifies with and shudders when she hears it.
Colorado’s law already states that a person’s name can be changed for “good cause.”
Democrat state Rep. Lorena Garcia of District 35 in southwestern Colorado thinks gender transformation is good cause, and the law should state that.
Most people do hate the names given by their parents, and we don’t take issue with anyone changing their name whether through marriage or choosing a different gender.
But allowing convicted felons to change their name because their birth name makes them shudder?
Garcia: HB 1071 is clarifying in our state law that if you have a felony and you’re also trans, that you can get a name change if the court allows it.
Garcia wants voters to think it’s okay for felons to change their names under Colorado law. The court does not allow it.
It’s one thing for trans folk to want to change their name for personal reasons, it’s another to allow felons to change their names to hide a criminal history.
The legislature and Gov. Polis should reject Garcia’s bill.