NEWS / Colorado Governor Jared Polis signs bill adding gender marker to death certificates

Colorado Governor Jared Polis has signed a bill that will add a gender marker to state-issued death certificates. The marker will have 3 options—male, female, and nonbinary.

The new law will take effect on January 1, 2026, with coroners, funeral directors, or others completing the death certificate application to select one of the 3 options to reflect the gender identity of the deceased.

Colorado death certificates will continue to have a “sex” marker reflecting the biological sex of the individual, with both parties agreeing that this information remains important, especially for medical researchers.

"People in Colorado deserve to be recognized in death as they lived their life," State Representative Kyle Brown, a Democrat, was quoted by the KUNC as stating.

According to the Colorado Sun, Colorado will be joining California and New York in allowing non-binary individuals to have their gender identity listed on vital records. Republicans argued that the legislation is a “deception” and a violation of 1st Amendment rights.