‘This is the most ridiculous thing I think I’ve ever seen this council bring forward, and I’ve been attending these meetings for over 10 years,’ one opponent said
A socialist city councilwoman running for mayor of Denver is sponsoring a measure that would restrict the city’s collection of its residents’ “actual or perceived sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression data,” a move she says is necessary to prevent the “targeting” of “trans folks.”
The ordinance, which was sponsored by Shontel Lewis, the Denver Democratic Socialists of America’s pick for mayor, would cover every city-run program and office, including the court system and law enforcement. It prevents those programs and offices from collecting “personal information” regarding an individual’s gender unless that information is required by federal, state, or city law. It also bars agencies from sharing such information with government agencies outside of Denver.
The proposal is similar to restrictions the city put on collecting and sharing immigration and citizenship information. Lewis and her cosponsor, Councilwoman Stacie Gilmore, said it’s necessary to “prevent city resources from being weaponized against trans and gender-expansive people.” They crafted the measure alongside the director of the prison abolition group Bread and Roses Legal Center, who goes by Z Williams. The Health and Safety Committee voted 5-0 on Wednesday to advance the legislation to the full city council.
“There were a number of concerns from that data being available to use in terms of people’s employment, that data being available to share among different counties and also being able to be shared with the federal government that has already been targeting trans folks,” Lewis said.
It’s unclear how the measure would work in effect, as it includes a litany of vague exemptions. Agencies must still compile and share “gender expression data,” for example, if it’s “necessary to effectuate an important city interest” like human services and criminal justice.
Several people voiced their support for the measure during a Wednesday city council hearing, though two individuals were opposed, Denver’s ABC News affiliate reported Monday.
“This is the most ridiculous thing I think I’ve ever seen this council bring forward, and I’ve been attending these meetings for over 10 years,” one opponent said. “You want us to engage in gender dysphoria.”
Lewis unveiled the legislation one month after announcing her longshot bid for mayor. She is best known for being convicted of stealing thousands of dollars’ worth of food stamps while working for the Colorado Department of Human Services East Food Stamp Office in 2008. Asked recently whether the conviction “is disqualifying for somebody who wants to serve as mayor,” Lewis said it “actually qualifies” her to lead Denver.
“I actually think that experience is what actually qualifies me,” Lewis said. “Twenty years ago, I was young, I was a young mom, I was grieving, I did something really silly, and I paid my restitution, I did my time, and I took care of what I needed to do while also navigating all the ills of poverty.”
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