Colorado Amends its Anti-Discrimination Law, Adding New Protections for Transgender Employees and Disabled Persons in Places of Public Accommodation
In the 2025 legislative session, Colorado lawmakers enacted two laws that amend the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA) in distinct and material ways. The first, HB25-1312 , clarifies CADA’s prohibition on gender expression discrimination in the workplace, while the second amendment, HB25-1239 , expands the remedies available to individuals with disabilities who experience discrimination in places of public accommodation. The Kelly Loving Act (HB25-1312) On May 16, 2025, Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed into law HB25-1312, also referred to as the Kelly Loving Act. Although CADA already prohibits discrimination based on an employee’s gender expression, the newly enacted law now makes clear that gender expression includes both an employee’s “Chosen Name” and “How the Individual Chooses to be Addressed.” The law defines “Chosen Name” as “a name that an individual requests to be known as in connection to the individual’s disability, race, creed, color, religion, se...