Global Courant 2023-04-30 01:23:58
A majority of Colorado Democrats in the state House voted against a measure that would strengthen criminal penalties for indecent exposure in view of a minor, and a state lawmaker argued the bill could be used to “ban” drag shows and harm transgender people.
State Representative Leslie Herod, a Democrat who has represented a Denver area district in the state House since 2017, outlined her frustrations with the House floor measure Saturday, saying the proposed law uses language like other measures across the country that are intended to “target” transgender people.
“Laws like these have been used to ban drag shows, to target individuals using the restroom — the gender they identify with, a public restroom — to charge them with crimes,” Herod claimed. “I am deeply concerned about the attacks on the transgender community that are taking place across the country.”
Introduced by Democrats, HB23-1135 would take criminal penalties for indecent exposure from a class 1 misdemeanor to a class 6 misdemeanor if committed in view of a person under the age of 18. The measure passed with unanimous Republican support despite 27 of 46 Democratic representatives voting against the bill.
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Leslie Herod listens during a mayoral debate in the City of Denver at McAuliffe International School on March 14, 2023. (Aaron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
“When I first read this bill, it didn’t even cross my mind, as a lawyer,” said Herod, who made a failed bid in the Denver mayoral race earlier this year. “But as I’ve looked at the bills and talked to my colleagues who are fighting these kinds of bills around the country, it’s very clear to me that the language is very much reflected in some of the laws that have been used to educate members of our community. target because of who they are.”
Democratic Representatives Dafna Michaelson Jenet and Shannon Bird introduced the bill in the state House, and Democrat Senator Rachel Zenzinger and Republican Senator Jim Smallwood spearheaded the Senate version of the measure.
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After Herod voiced her opposition to the bill, Bird noted that none of Colorado’s LGBTQ+ advocacy groups were concerned about the bill, adding that every district attorney in the state supported the measure.
“There is no intention to harm any member of any community,” Bird said, adding that the proposed measure “is about protecting children, ensuring that any sexual crime against a child is punished.”
A tweet from the Colorado House Republican Caucus targeted the 27 Democrats who voted against the measure, highlighting Herod’s comments from the audience.
“A Democrat attacked the bill for ‘targeting’ the transgender community in its dissent,” the GOP caucus wrote.
Mourners hold a candlelight vigil outside the Colorado State Capitol on November 23, 2022 in Denver to honor the victims of a shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs. (Chet Strange/Getty Images)
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The bill, according to his tax bill shared onlinewould “increase state revenue from criminal fines and court costs by a minimal amount beginning in fiscal year 2023-24, credited to the Fines Collection Cash Fund, various other Judiciary Department cash funds, and the General Fund.
“The fine for a class 6 misdemeanor is $1,000 to $100,000 and $500 – $1,000 for a class 1 misdemeanor.”
