Manny Rutinel, a far-left state legislator and House candidate in Colorado’s 8th Congressional District, voted in support of a bill that instructed courts to take pronoun use into consideration as a factor when deciding child custody cases.In particular, the Kelly Loving Act required courts to deem "deadnaming" and "misgendering" as a kind of coercive control"A court shall consider reports of coercive control when determining the allocation of parental responsibilities in accordance with the best interest of the child," the bill initially read when Rutinel voted for it.MAMDANI COMPARISONS FOLLOW COLORADO DEMOCRAT INTO PIVOTAL HOUSE RACE AFTER PRIMARY WINRep.Manny Rutinel, democratic candidate for the 8th Congressional District, poses for a portrait at the house Chamber of Colorado State Capitol building in Denver, Colorado on Friday, February 20, 2026.
(Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)Rutinel’s past vote in favor of the package is drawing scrutiny as he wages a bid to unseat incumbent Rep.Gabe Evans, R-Colo., in one of the country’s most competitive congressional races, raising questions about his position on parental authority when it comes to issues like gender.To at least one Republican strategist, the vote speaks for itself."Far-left liberal Manny Rutinel wants the government to take away your kids if you don’t adopt his radical transgender agenda.
Disgusting and disqualifying.Rutinel will be resoundingly rejected by Coloradans this fall," Zach Bannon, a spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in a statement to Fox News Digital.Rutinel’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the bill or what led him to support it.The Kelly Loving Act, named after a 40-year-old transgender woman who was one of the five victims in the 2022 Club Q mass shooting in Colorado Springs, deals largely with how the state plans to handle preferred pronouns.It would allow residents to change the sex designation on official do...