Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Parental Rights

“They called us hateful”: Colorado parents see their story reflected in Supreme Court ruling
Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Local, Top Stories

“They called us hateful”: Colorado parents see their story reflected in Supreme Court ruling

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice When the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that public schools must allow parents to opt their children out of LGBTQ+ instruction that conflicts with their religious beliefs, BJ and Brecken Jones sat quietly in their living room—stunned, relieved and vindicated. “For years, we were treated like extremists for simply protecting our kids,” BJ said. “Now the Supreme Court says we were right all along.” For this Boulder County family, Mahmoud v. Taylor wasn’t just a legal case—it was a mirror.  Reading the Court’s opinion, BJ and Brecken saw their own experience reflected almost line for line. What they didn’t expect was that their quiet effort to opt out—rejected by school officials, scorned by activists and ultimately buried in district archi...
Gilmartin: Attacks on John Adams Academy show what happens when excellence disrupts control
Colorado Politics, Approved, Commentary, Local

Gilmartin: Attacks on John Adams Academy show what happens when excellence disrupts control

By Kim Gilmartin | Commentary, Colorado Politics In response to a recent CoPo column about John Adams Academy Douglas County (JAADC), columnist Paula Noonan’s opinion piece is heavy on rhetoric and light on facts. As a co-founder of JAADC, I am compelled to correct the misinformation and misleading claims for the sake of the public, not the punditry. First, one of the core accusations, that JAADC’s curriculum is outdated, narrowly ideological and dismissive of modern disciplines like science and technology, could not be further from the truth. JAADC’s curriculum includes a full complement of science and math courses grounded in logic, inquiry and observation, which are foundational elements of the scientific method. Classical schools nationwide are not only producing though...
Boll: A day camp in Paonia shows how far the agenda to sexualize kids has gone
Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, Local, Top Stories

Boll: A day camp in Paonia shows how far the agenda to sexualize kids has gone

By Laureen Boll | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice In the small, conservative town of Paonia, Colorado, with a population of just 1,500, a local organization is stirring debate with a new initiative aimed at children. The Learning Council, a tax-exempt nonprofit based in downtown Paonia, is hosting a "Sex Health Education Day Camp" for 10- to 13-year-olds on July 14–16.  Led by Alicia Michelsen, the organization’s executive director, the camp has raised eyebrows among some residents who question its motives and appropriateness, particularly given Michelsen’s history of pushing for controversial changes to local school curricula and a broader societal trend where adults seem increasingly focused on the sexuality of other people’s children. A Rejected Vision Fuels a New I...
Parents Push Back: Colorado’s Gender Policies Trigger Rights Showdown
State, Approved, Colorado Politics

Parents Push Back: Colorado’s Gender Policies Trigger Rights Showdown

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics Amid the staccato of legislation that Democrats at the Colorado Capitol adopted to expand what sponsors described as transgender "rights," a growing number of parents are pushing back, arguing that the state government has overreached, impeding their ability to raise their children the way they see fit. In the last few years, parents — and their allies in the Colorado General Assembly — have become more vocal in their opposition to proposals championed by progressive groups. "I think everyone is concerned," said Colleen Enos, director of government relations for Christian Home Educators of Colorado. "It doesn't matter if you're a Democrat, Republican or independent, everyone is concerned about what's happening and how the state is trying to...
Biology vs identity: SCOTUS to rule on transgender athlete bans
Fox News, Approved, National

Biology vs identity: SCOTUS to rule on transgender athlete bans

By Paulina Dedaj , Bill Mears , Shannon Bream | Fox News Oral arguments centered on 2 cases in Idaho and West Virginia are expected to be heard in the fall The Supreme Court decided Thursday to review state bans on transgender athletes participating in public school sports. Oral arguments will likely be heard later this fall regarding two cases in Idaho and West Virginia. Both cases are focused on state laws that prevent biological males from competing on girls’ and women's sports teams. West Virginia, which enacted the "Save Women’s Sports Act" in 2021, is appealing a lower-court ruling that allowed transgender athlete Becky Pepper-Jackson to compete on the school’s cross-country and track teams. This past year, Pepper-Jackson qualified for the West Virginia gir...
Stanford Halts Pediatric Gender Surgeries Amid Legal, Parental Pushback
State, Approved, Breitbart

Stanford Halts Pediatric Gender Surgeries Amid Legal, Parental Pushback

By Katherine Hamilton | Breitbart Stanford Medicine has halted performing sex change surgeries on patients under 19 years old, becoming the second major health care provider in California to do so, as the Trump administration fights to protect youth from gender ideology. The shift occurred before the Supreme Court last week upheld Tennessee’s ban on sex changes for minors, and after the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles announced its decision to close its “trans youth program” in July, the San Francisco Chronicle reported on June 24. Stanford told the publication in a statement: After careful review of the latest actions and directives from the federal government and following consultations with clinical leadership, including our multidisciplinary LGBTQ+ program and its providers...
Sey: Our daughters are counting on us to stand up for Title IX
Outkick, Approved, National

Sey: Our daughters are counting on us to stand up for Title IX

By Jennifer Sey | Commentary, Outkick Not one currently competing female star has spoken up to defend the very category that made their success possible. This is the moment we get real about standing up for women and girls. Even though Governor Gavin Newsom acknowledged in April that it was "deeply unfair" for boys to compete in girls’ sports, the California Department of Education (CDE) and California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) have continued to allow males to compete — and win — in women’s sports.  At the California CIF Championships in June, a male athlete swept gold in the high jump and triple jump and took silver in the long jump, displacing female athletes. Lelani Laruelle should have won gold, with Jillene Wetteland and Julia Teven placing second and thir...
Schwarz: Clarence Thomas just reminded the experts who governs this country
The Western Journal, Approved, National

Schwarz: Clarence Thomas just reminded the experts who governs this country

By Michael Schwarz | Commentary, Western Journal Conservatives have learned the hard way that the phrase “experts agree” really means “shut up and obey your liberal overlords.” On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a Tennessee law, Senate Bill 1, banning transgender procedures for minors. And if that ruling did not prove satisfying enough, Justice Clarence Thomas, part of the 6-3 SCOTUS majority, wrote a concurring opinion in which he blasted the idea that voters and courts should defer to “so-called experts” and their alleged medical “consensus.” Plaintiffs had based their argument against SB1 partly on the opinion of “so-called experts.” “The Court rightly rejects efforts by the United States and the private plaintiffs to accord outsized credit to...
Enos: CHEC’s 2025 Homeschool Freedom Report exposes the good, the bad—and the ugly
Christian Home Educators of Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

Enos: CHEC’s 2025 Homeschool Freedom Report exposes the good, the bad—and the ugly

By Colleen Enos | Commentary, Christian Home Educators of Colorado The CHEC 2025 Homeschool Freedom End-of-Session Report is now published and linked in this blog post. It is a sampling of twenty-eight bills from the legislative session — a total of 657 bills were introduced in the Colorado House of Representatives and the Colorado Senate, with an additional 75 House and Senate Resolutions. This was a large volume of legislation for the 120-day annual session. The report is divided into six sections: Home Education, Education, Parental Rights, Life, Families/Healthcare, and Religious Liberty. Several bills could appear under more than one section, but they were placed under the most pertinent category. Also included is a Legislative Voting Grid for twenty-four of the bills,...
SCOTUS backs states protecting minors from transgender treatment—Colorado lawmakers say HB25-1312 defies it
Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, State, Top Stories

SCOTUS backs states protecting minors from transgender treatment—Colorado lawmakers say HB25-1312 defies it

 By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice A landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding Tennessee’s restrictions on gender-related medical interventions for minors has reignited scrutiny over Colorado’s HB25-1312, with several Republican lawmakers calling the ruling a clear rebuke to the law’s premise—and a warning to parents. “I was so happy with the Supreme Court’s ruling. I hope it leads to the State of Colorado being sued for the passing and the Governor’s signing of HB25-1312,” said Sen. Janice Rich (Mesa County). That ruling, issued June 18 in U.S. v. Skrmetti, affirmed that Tennessee’s restrictions on puberty blockers and hormone treatments for youth were constitutionally sound because the state had a legitimate interest in protecting minors from harm.  The ma...

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