Denver, CO – One Colorado supports ACLU Colorado’s lawsuit against Children’s Hospital Colorado (CHCO) over the stoppage of gender-affirming surgery for patients over age 18, and released the following statements in response:

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“Everyone deserves access to essential medical care, free from discrimination,” said Nadine Bridges, MSW (she/her), One Colorado Executive Director. “The fight for transgender rights is a fight for equal and affirming healthcare for all. One Colorado applauds Caden Kent for bravely standing up to protect the rights of transgender, non-binary, and gender expansive community members. We all must work to ensure that everyone has the right to live authentically and receive access to the care they need.”

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“From inception, One Colorado has worked to ensure that transgender, non-binary, and gender-expansive Coloradans have access to affirming healthcare,” Garrett Royer  (he/him), One Colorado Deputy Director. “That effort cannot be accomplished without the support and partnership with health providers including Children’s Hospital Colorado. This lawsuit is an important step to ensure health systems are accountable when access to lifesaving care is no longer offered, or ended abruptly. One Colorado is proud to stand with ACLU and Caden Kent.” 

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“While we are grateful for the steps Children’s Hospital has taken to repair with our community, we must acknowledge the rippling systemic impacts of their decision – setting the precedent for a hospital to provide services to one group of individuals but not another,” said Alex Floyd, LCSW (they/them), One Colorado Health Equity Director. “For this reason we stand behind the ACLU’s decision and all trans and gender expansive Coloradans and their right to equitable access to medically necessary care.” 

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“Commitment to provide life-saving, inclusive health care is critical as the health and safety of transgender and gender-diverse people are politicized and threatened across the country,” Skylar Patron, RN (they/them), One Colorado Health Equity Manager. “We must let our young people know Colorado stands with them, and we will protect their right to exist as their authentic selves. We are a sanctuary state for transgender folks, and states across the country are watching us to follow our lead. Colorado must remain a sanctuary — the lives of our young people depend on it.”

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Over the past decade, One Colorado has worked to make Colorado the national standard for gender-affirming care through community-based research, grassroots organizing, and policy advocacy, including:

2024   

• One Colorado is supporting HB24-1040, which would assess the state of gender affirming care across Colorado in order to identify regional disparities and how we can further work to improve health care access. The bill is led by Colorado Youth Advisory Council (COYAC) bill and sponsored by Rep. Stephanie Vigil (D-16), Sen. Janice Marchman (D-15), Sen. Faith Winter (D-25).

2023

• One Colorado supported SB23-188, which protects patients and providers of politically targeted health care services from interstate criminal and civil threats.
• One Colorado partnered with HCPF to update their gender affirming care policy, including expansion of gender-affirming care services covered by Medicaid, reduction of barriers to care, and allow greater autonomy for each person to decide what their gender journey is

2022

• One Colorado led HB22-1267, which created culturally-relevant healthcare training grant program for priority populations.

2021

• One Colorado led HB21-1108, which added gender expression and gender identity to Colorado statutes that prohibit discrimination.
• One Colorado partnered with the Colorado Division of Insurance to provide gender-affirming care in the individual and small group health insurance markets as part of Colorado's Essential Health Benefit (EHB) benchmark.

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Based on One Colorado research “Closing the Gap,” we know that gender-affirming care is vital to the mental and physical health of transgender and gender-nonconforming (TGNC) Coloradans. CHCO’s decision to stop gender-affirming surgery for people over age 18 exacerbates existing barriers to care and increases harm towards Colorado's TGNC community:

• Waiting for medically necessary health care services can have severe and lasting consequences on mental health for trans and gender non conforming individuals. 
• As a Sanctuary State for gender-affirming care, our Colorado medical community is overwhelmed. Every gender-affirming care provider has a waitlist, and 85% of TGNC Coloradans struggle to find competent providers and facilities. 
• 35% of trans youth now live in states where their healthcare is banned, due to unprecedented anti-LGBTQ legislation in Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas,  Virginia and others.
• Discrimination has lasting impacts across an individual's life. The 2022 U.S. Trans Survey showed that 40% of respondents had thought about moving to another area because they experienced discrimination or unequal treatment where they were living, and 10% actually moved because of discrimination. 

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Since the Denver Post first reported CHCO’s policy change in July 2023, One Colorado has prioritized advocacy efforts on this issue to:

• Reinstate gender-affirming surgery for people age 18;
• Protect medically necessary care for our trans and gender expansive community; and
• Ensure  providers and hospitals are accountable to deliver consistent and equitable access to LGBTQ+ affirming healthcare.

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One Colorado and a coalition of LGBTQ+ partner organizations and leaders have engaged in advocacy  with CHCO  in an effort to find a solution that best serves our community, including  a coalition letter requesting CHCO  executives correct this decision, a gender-affirming care rally at the State Capitol, a petition crowdsourcing support from LGBTQ+ Coloradans and allies across the state, and community listening sessions with CHCO leadership. 

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We respect CHCO’s engagement with One Colorado and the coalition over the past 7 months. However, the decision to stop gender-affirming surgery for people over age 18 has already had outsized community and systemic impacts. Furthermore, we cannot agree with a policy that allows for discrimination and refusal of medically necessary care based on a person’s identity. One Colorado looks for CHCO to respond with strong visible allyship in a time where LGBTQ+ healthcare and our community’s existence is being erased, politicized, and polarized.

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One Colorado is the state’s leading advocacy organization building a brighter future for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) Coloradans and their families. 

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