In William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” Ariel’s ominous declaration that “Hell is empty and all the devils are here” is meant to serve as a powerful reminder that evil isn’t confined to the underworld but can also be found in our fellow men. Wicked deeds and destructive plans dwell in the hearts of humans just as readily as in the depths of Hades.
Yes, demons are real. And sometimes they wear the mask of a Colorado state legislator.
Wokeness, far from being “put away,” is digging in its heels across America’s blue states, with each vying to outdo the others in dismantling truth, religious freedom, parental rights, and nature itself.
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Colorado, once a bastion of rugged individualism, now seems determined to snatch the crown of “most godless state in America” from the communist paradise that we currently call California.
For any astute observer, this is no surprise. The current political agenda of Colorado leftists is simply part of the course trajectory as we hurdle towards the inescapable event horizon of the cultural and sexual revolution. The brakes have been cut. Reverse is not an option.
Because once you start down the slippery slope — greased to the gills by the philosophical framework of critical theory, queer theory, cultural Marxism, and intersectionality — empowering the government to kidnap kids from loving parents who won’t affirm their transgender delusions is, well, just a speed bump on the way to our androgynous utopia of state-enforced transsexuality.
Sorry, parents, progress waits for no man. Or woman. Or whatever.
Case in point: Colorado House Bill 25-1312. This proposed legislation, which has passed the Colorado House and now moves to the Colorado Senate, is nothing less than a brazen attempt to enthrone radical gender ideology as the Centennial State’s supreme law over reason, biology, faith, and the family — the First Amendment be damned.
Per usual, this bill is being advanced under the guise of “protecting” the “rights” of “sexual minorities” and strengthening “protections for transgender people and gender-affirming care.”
A more accurate description is a bill “to outlaw Christianity in Colorado, censor and punish everyone who believes that boys can’t become girls, and destroy parental rights.” Euphemisms are handy, aren’t they?
Here’s a brief summary of what the bill actually does:
1. Redefines parental oversight — The bill classifies a parent’s refusal to affirm a child’s self-declared gender identity as “coercive control,” which is considered a form of “child abuse.” This could trigger state intervention, including investigations by child welfare services. Parents who do not support social or medical “transitions” (e.g., pronoun changes, hormone therapy) may face accusations of neglect or unfit parenting.
2. Mandates transgender “affirmation” in institutions — If passed, schools, healthcare providers, and counselors must affirm a child’s gender identity. Any failure to do so would violate the law. Religious institutions, including churches and Christian schools, would be required to adopt policies aligning with “gender identity affirmation” or be punished.
3. Coerces speech — The bill effectively restricts free speech by compelling the use of pronouns or penalizing language that does not align with a person’s declared “gender identity.” Publicly questioning or denying someone’s self-professed “gender identity” would be deemed discriminatory.
4. Gives the state final authority over children — The state gains increased power to override parental decisions, allowing minors to access gender-affirming treatments without parental consent. This provision positions the state as the ultimate arbiter of a child’s identity, sidelining family and faith-based values.
This isn’t a “protections” bill, it’s a calculated assault on free speech, Christian ethics, and parental rights — and it demands a response. The bill is a masterclass in overreach. By elevating subjective feelings above objective truth, the bill seeks to outlaw dissent and force compliance with a worldview that denies the created order.
The process was as troubling as the content. Democrats used Rule 16 to stifle debate, ensuring that the bill faced little scrutiny.
Introduced with minimal notice, it left opponents scrambling to respond. Most telling was the decision to force a House vote on a Sunday, a sacred day for Christians. This wasn’t mere scheduling; it was a deliberate signal of contempt for the faith community and a rush to ram the bill through. Such tactics betray a deeper aim: not dialogue but dominance.
If enacted, HB25-1312 would have sweeping consequences. It would empower the state to dictate what parents teach their children about identity and morality, effectively sidelining them. Christian schools and churches could be coerced into adopting policies that violate their beliefs or face extinction. Counselors rooted in biblical ethics might lose their livelihoods. Normal Coloradans would have to weigh whether speaking the truth is worth the punishment.
As with every political effort led by the gender mob, this bill isn’t about inclusion; it’s about control — control of language, belief, and the next generation. Remember, the LGBT movement doesn’t (can’t) reproduce naturally. So the way they produce “offspring” is by corrupting your kids.
Thankfully, resistance is rising. Rep. Jarvis Cardwell has been on the front lines, warning the nation about the implications of this dystopian bill. And Rep. Brandi Bradley has been a steadfast voice, warning that HB25-1312 is “an attack on parental rights” and that “what they call ‘gender-affirming care’ is coercion — telling a child that God got it wrong. That they alone were made incorrectly. That’s not love. That’s abuse.”
Pastor Chase Davis, who leads a Boulder-area congregation, has also stepped into the fray. He submitted written testimony against the bill, warning that:
“HB25-1312 codifies hostility toward Christian beliefs by treating basic biblical convictions as discrimination. To recognize that men and women are distinct, to refuse to affirm gender confusion, and to speak truthfully about a person’s sex are not acts of hatred but of faithfulness to God.
HB25-1312 is an affront to truth, to family, and to religious liberty. It seeks to replace God’s authority with state-mandated falsehoods. It criminalizes Christian convictions and makes it illegal to live and speak according to biblical truth.”
Additionally, 16 pastors from small-to-midsized churches sent a letter to the larger churches in Colorado, imploring them to use their reach and resources to help defeat this bill, charging them that “The hour demands your voice — bold and unapologetic. Use your platforms to defend parents, protect our institutions, and resist this tide. Silence is no longer neutral; it is surrender.”
Their clarity and courage are vital, but they need an army behind them. This bill tests whether Colorado’s Christians will bow or fight for their convictions.
Pastors and churches must lead this charge. Too often, believers have shied away from cultural conflicts, hoping they’ll pass. But Scripture commands us to “contend for the faith” (Jude 1:3) and to “stand firm” (Ephesians 6:13).
Pastors need to preach with boldness, equipping their people to see HB25-1312’s conflict with God’s design. They must echo Peter’s resolve: “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). Silence now means ceding ground to a state that demands conformity over conscience.
This is a defining moment. Christians must take decisive action. We are called to be “salt and light” (Matthew 5:13-16), preserving truth and exposing error. While it might appear to be an uphill battle, every Christian in Colorado must believe that God has placed them in the state “for such a time as this.” This is not a time for silence or half-measures but to stand valiantly in the defense of children, truth, and religious freedom.
If we let the state redefine reality and claim our children, we fail as God’s servants. But we have hope: “The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
Colorado may be flirting with godlessness, but the Church, anchored in truth, can turn the tide.
The devils are in Denver, but with a united Christian effort and through the power of prayer and the Holy Spirit, we can cast them out.
Originally published at the Standing for Freedom Center.
William Wolfe is a visiting fellow with the Center for Renewing America. He served as a senior official in the Trump administration, both as a deputy assistant secretary of defense at the Pentagon and a director of legislative affairs at the State Department. Prior to his service in the administration, Wolfe worked for Heritage Action for America, and as a congressional staffer for three different members of Congress, including the former Rep. Dave Brat. He has a B.A. in history from Covenant College, and is finishing his Masters of Divinity at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Follow William on Twitter at @William_E_Wolfe
