Colorado's youth want lawmakers to create a more gender-affirming atmosphere in schools and health care settings. The Colorado Youth Advisory Council — which includes students aged 14-19 from across the state and lawmakers — sent this message as it recently advanced two draft bills for lawmakers to possibly consider in the coming legislative session. One measure would require public schools to address students by their preferred name without requiring a name or gender change. A second bill would provide state grants to health providers to get trained in gender-affirming care and create a task force to study obstacles for transgender people in Colorado. The Democratic-controlled Legislature in Colorado has advanced a handful of measures to expand transgender rights and protections in recent years, including requiring new public buildings to install bathrooms for all genders, prohibiting conversion therapy for minors, and making it easier for people to change genders on official documents. However, Republican state lawmakers on the panel objected to the name requirements in school, suggesting it amounts to lying to parents who won't know about their child's other name. Other legislation drafted by the youth council, including bills to create an ethnic studies commission and address gun violence in schools, did not advance. #Trans Rights