"It is definitely an identifier of progress, that we value and care about trans Coloradans and that those identities are a protected class here in Colorado," Gonzalez said., Colorado has seen a steady increase in hate crime cases related to gender identity with 20 reported in 2022. That doesn't include the ones that go unreported.
"We know that criminalization isn't going to end hate crimes," Gonzalez said."That really takes education and cultural shifts, and that includes both cultural shifts within schools and cultural shifts in society broadly, and that doesn’t just happen overnight."recent report done by the Human Rights Campaign
, of the 33 trans individuals killed in the United States in 2023, 90% of them were people of color. "Because of that, our queer and trans community and explicitly trans folks of color are pretty leery of reporting to police offices across the state and definitely here in Denver," Gonzalez said."We have like this historic practice as a queer and trans community that we protect each other." Gonzalez believes the new law is not the complete answer, but they know no one can get to a solution without progress.
"We know that the solution to hate crimes is education, is resources, is anti-poverty measures," Gonzalez said."While it's not the end goal of liberation, it is a step in the direction where we can continue to protect transgender Coloradans."