DENVER, Colorado — With the help of lawmakers, one group is hoping to present a transgender bill of rights in the next regular session. They're calling it the "Kelly Loving Transgender Bill of Rights."
Loving was one of the five people killed inside Club Q in November 2022.
"It's so hard when you lose someone to such a horrific event because you have such a beautiful person, but half the time you talk about them, you talk about how they died and not how they lived," said Z Williams, Director of Client Support and Operations at Bread and Roses Legal Center.
Bread and Roses plans to partner with two lawmakers to introduce the bill, which would bring more resources and protections to the trans community. Those were some of the things Loving advocated for.
"When I first met Kelly Loving’s sister, Tiffany, she shared that her sister was someone that had a big passion for making sure that trans people could live the lives they wanted so helping people transition, learning how to put on makeup, where to work, how to live and be safer," Williams explained. "I think it’s important that we remember and honor trans people as they live honoring all the things that they did and were to a community."
Right now, those with Bread and Roses are distributing surveys within the trans community across the state to find the big issues people are facing.
"You know, sitting here in Cheeseman Park, a picture of what it is to be trans here is very different than it is on the Western Slope," Williams explained. "The further away you get from the urban core, the more issues people face in terms of access, safety, mobility and opportunity."
Williams said the reason why they announced aspirations for the bill so early is because they want feedback from the trans community.
While they wait for the results of the survey, they are meeting with experts in areas like housing and healthcare to make sure whatever they decide to propose is feasible.
"My hope is that it is history making," Williams said. "Its actually changing the dynamics for trans people and their everyday lives."
If anyone is interested in accessing the survey, send an email to breadandroseslaw@riseup.net to request it.