Fired columnist Dan Caldara refused to use the right pronouns for Brianna Titone, left, Colorado's first transgender lawmaker (Brianna Titone/Facebook)

A columnist for the Denver Post has been fired for his views on transgender rights, including insisting that “there are only two sexes”.

Jon Caldara, who had written a weekly column for the newspaper since 2016, said on Friday (January 16) that he was fired for having “politically incorrect” views on trans rights.

Caldara, who is president of the Denver-based libertarian think-tank the Independence Institute, said he was fired because the Denver Post editorial director, Megan Schrader, found his writing “too insensitive”.

He refused to use the proper pronouns when referring to transgender, non-binary, and genderqueer individuals, including Brianna Titone, the Democrat representative for Arvada and the first trans lawmaker in Colorado.

“When people lack empathy, they can’t see that their words and actions inflict harm on others,” Titone said about Caldara being sacked.

“While many of us are working hard at trying to save lives by lifting people up, others continue to put people down with vitriol.

“Denying the existence of people who may be different by denying the chance for kids to learn doesn’t make us disappear. What it does do is it brings us together stronger.”

Caldara wrote on Facebook: “What seemed to be the last straw for my column was my insistence that there are only two sexes and my frustration that to be inclusive of the transgendered (even that word isn’t allowed) we must lose our right to free speech.

“To force us to use inaccurate pronouns, to force us to teach our kids that there are more than two sexes, to call what is plainly a man in a dress, well, not a man in a dress violates our right of speech.”

Last week (January 15), Colorado introduced a new bill that would restrict the medical treatments doctors can give to trans youth.

Along with several mainstream medical associations, LGBT+ advocacy organisation One Colorado warned of the dangers of interfering in the care of trans youth.

Daniel Ramos, executive director of One Colorado, said: “This is one of the most extreme and direct attacks on transgender youth in Colorado’s history.

“This bill overlooks best practices backed by the American Academy of Pediatrics and criminalises healthcare professionals for providing affirming, life-saving care to some of our most vulnerable young people.

“Transgender youth are five times more likely to contemplate suicide and this bill puts the lives and wellbeing of transgender youth at risk.

“Medical care for transgender youth should be determined by healthcare professionals, not politicians.”