A report from the group Do No Harm alleges that Colorado has spent millions of taxpayer dollars on programs, school clinics, and medical training initiatives that encourage children to pursue gender transitions, often without parental consent. The report claims these efforts include state-funded counseling, social media campaigns targeting minors, and medical school curricula instructing future doctors on facilitating youth gender transitions.
The core dispute centers on whether these state-backed initiatives undermine parental rights and use public funds to promote irreversible medical interventions for minors.
The debate over youth gender transition has drawn national attention, with Colorado cited as an example of how state policy can shape access to gender-related care for children. Critics argue that these programs bypass parental involvement and risk long-term harm, while supporters say they provide necessary support for vulnerable youth.
State-Funded Counseling and Outreach
The "I Matter" program, established to offer free mental health counseling to children, reportedly costs Colorado taxpayers about $11 million annually. According to the Do No Harm report, the program allows children as young as 12 to access confidential counseling without parental consent, and it is unclear how parental consent is verified for those under 12. The report states that from 2021 to 2024, "I Matter" recorded 12,896 counseling sessions with children, 469 of which were categorized as "gender-affirming care," including sessions with children as young as five.
The program also ran a $5 million social media influencer campaign targeting children ages 12-18, emphasizing the confidential nature of services and the lack of parental involvement. Influencer messaging to parents encouraged them to trust government therapists with their children's care. The report claims that while "I Matter" does not directly provide puberty blockers or surgeries, it refers children to organizations that do.
School-Based Health Clinics
Colorado's School-Based Health Centers (SBHCs), located in public schools, provided care to 34,427 patients during 96,452 visits from 2021 to 2022, with operating costs of $21.5 million. The report asserts that while these clinics do not explicitly list "gender-affirming care" among their services, staff receive training focused on supporting gender-diverse youth and providing gender-affirming care. Trainings cited include "Introduction to Providing Gender-Affirming Care to Transgender & Gender Diverse Youth" and "Supporting Gender-Expansive Youth."
Medical School Curriculum and Hospital Practices
The University of Colorado's medical school and its affiliate, Children's Hospital Colorado, are named in the report for training future physicians to support youth gender transitions. The hospital's TRUE Center for Gender Diversity reportedly provided puberty blockers to 257 children and cross-sex hormones to 549 adolescents in 2025. The report claims that medical students are instructed to prioritize a child's wishes regarding gender identity, sometimes concealing aspects of care from parents and using billing workarounds to avoid parental detection.
According to the report, students are taught that children as young as 18 months can distinguish gender identities, and by age six, can develop their own gender identity. The curriculum includes scenarios where physicians are encouraged to confront parents who oppose transition and to emphasize the alleged mental health risks of not affirming a child's gender.
"A publicly funded network of Colorado organizations is pushing resources that promote youth gender ideology on vulnerable children."
— Dr. Kurt Miceli, chief medical officer at Do No Harm
The report also states that there are no minimum age requirements for certain surgeries with parental consent and that students are taught to help children conceal transition-related treatments from parents if desired.
Political and Legal Context
The Federalist notes that Colorado law provides mechanisms for authorizing gender transition for minors, including in custody disputes. The report's release comes as Colorado voters are expected to consider ballot initiatives later this year aimed at restricting gender transition surgeries for children.
State officials and supporters of these programs have not publicly responded to the report's allegations. Proponents of gender-affirming care for youth argue that such services are essential for the well-being of transgender children and that confidentiality can be necessary for those in unsupportive home environments.
