Colorado
Supreme Court strikes down Colorado’s ‘conversion therapy’ ban for LGBTQ kids
The Supreme Court has sided with a Christian counselor challenging Colorado’s ban on LGBTQ+ “conversion therapy” for kids, ruling the law is a violation of her First Amendment rights.
In an 8-1 opinion, the majority of the justices found Colorado’s law regulates speech based on viewpoint and and sent it back to a lower court to decide if it meets a legal standard that few laws pass. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was the lone dissenter.
“Colorado may regard its policy as essential to public health and safety,” Justice Neil M. Gorsuch wrote for the majority. “But the First Amendment stands as a shield against any effort to enforce orthodoxy in thought or speech in this country.”
In a fiery dissent, Jackson warned of “potential long-term and disastrous implications” of the decision.
“In the worst-case scenario, our medical system unravels as various licensed healthcare professionals – talk therapists, psychiatrists, and presumably anyone else who claims to utilize speech when administering treatments to patients – start broadly wielding their newfound constitutional right to provide substandard medical care,” Jackson wrote.
She argued states should be free to regulate health care, even if that means incidental restrictions on speech. The decision, Jackson wrote, “opens a dangerous can of worms” that “threatens to impair states’ ability to regulate the provision of medical care in any respect.”
The case stems from a lawsuit filed by Kaley Chiles, with support from President Donald Trump’s administration, against laws passed in Colorado and more than 20 U.S. states that she argues wrongly bar her from offering voluntary, faith-based therapy for kids.
Colorado, on the other hand, says its measure simply regulates licensed therapists by barring a practice that’s been scientifically discredited and linked to serious harm.
During oral arguments in October, the court’s conservative majority didn’t seem convinced that states can restrict talk therapy aimed at changing feelings or behavior while allowing counseling that affirms kids identifying as gay or transgender. Justice Samuel Alito said the law “looks like blatant viewpoint discrimination.”
The arguments come months after the court found other states can ban transition-related health care for transgender youths, a setback for LGBTQ rights.
Chiles is represented by Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative legal organization that has appeared frequently at the court in recent years. The group also represented a Christian website designer who doesn’t want to work with same-sex couples and successfully challenged a Colorado anti-discrimination law in 2023.
Colorado has not sanctioned anyone under the 2019 law, which exempts religious ministries. State attorneys say it still allows any therapist to have wide-ranging, faith-based conversations with young patients about gender and sexuality.
“The only thing that the law prohibits therapists from doing is performing a treatment that seeks the predetermined outcome of changing a minor’s sexual orientation or gender identity because that treatment is unsafe and ineffective,” Colorado state attorneys wrote.
Therapy isn’t just speech, they said — it’s health care that governments have a responsibility to regulate. Violating the law carries potential fines of $5,000 and license suspension or even revocation.
Linda Robertson is a Christian mom of four from Washington state whose son Ryan underwent therapy that promised to change his sexual orientation after he came out to her at age 12. The techniques led him to blame himself when it didn’t work, leaving him ashamed and depressed. He died in 2009, after multiple suicide attempts and a drug overdose at age 20.
“What happened in conversion therapy, it devastated Ryan’s bond with me and my husband,” she said. “And it absolutely destroyed his confidence he could ever be loved or accepted by God.”
Chiles contends her approach is different from the kind of conversion therapy once associated with practices like shock therapy decades ago. She said she believes “people flourish when they live consistently with God’s design, including their biological sex,” and she argues evidence of harm from her approach is lacking.
Chiles says Colorado is discriminating because it allows counselors to affirm minors coming out as gay or identifying as transgender but bans counseling like hers for young patients who may want to change their behavior or feelings. “We’re not saying this counseling should be mandatory, but if someone wants the counseling they should be able to get it,” said one of her attorneys, Jonathan Scruggs.
The Republican administration said there are First Amendment issues with Colorado’s law that should make the law subject to a higher legal standard that few measures pass.
Colorado
Where to watch Philadelphia Phillies vs. Colorado Rockies: Live stream, start time, TV channel, odds for Sunday, April 5
The Philadelphia Phillies (5-3) will try to complete a three-game sweep over the Colorado Rockies (2-6). The Phillies won the series’ first two games by limiting the Rockies to a single run in each. Philadelphia’s Taijuan Walker is scheduled to start against Colorado’s Tomoyuki Sugano.
How to Watch Philadelphia Phillies vs. Colorado Rockies
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Time: 3:10 p.m. ET / 12:10 p.m. PT
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Where: Coors Field, Denver
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TV Channels: Rockies.TV, NBCSP+
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Team records
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Philadelphia Phillies: 5-3 (No. 3 in NL East)
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Colorado Rockies: 2-6 (No. 5 in NL West)
Odds
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Spread: Colorado Rockies +1.5
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Moneyline: Colorado Rockies +145 / Philadelphia Phillies -175
Starting pitchers
Philadelphia Phillies: Taijuan Walker (0-1, ERA: 11.57, K: 2, WHIP: 2.79)
Colorado Rockies: Tomoyuki Sugano (0-0, ERA: 1.93, K: 4, WHIP: 0.86)
Weather: 63°F at first pitch
Ballpark: Capacity: 50,144 | Roof: Open | Surface: Grass
Weather: 63°F at first pitch
Ballpark: Capacity: 50,144 | Roof: Open | Surface: Grass
Colorado
Hooters Colorado Shoots Bikini Calendar Photos In The Mountains & Refuses To Die, Nacho Hat & Is Nike Dead?
Plus: The colors are starting to pop from Augusta National.
Quick observations — in no particular order — from Florida while Mrs. Screencaps packs up the kids this Saturday morning for the long journey back to rainy Ohio
- Our kids must’ve thrown a pool ball or pool football 3,000 times on this trip. If they end up needing Tommy John surgery in June, it was due to this trip.
- We spent the last three days in Orlando and not once did the boys ask if we could go to a Disney or Universal property. At about $900 for a Disney park and $1,000 for Universal, it was a big relief. There’s a clear dilemma right now based on the prices: Do modern middle-class families have the money to blow on one day at these parks? Yes, but at some point, as in our case, you have to take a stand financially. The parks have reached the tipping point. We cannot be the only family in this situation. We saw my cousin this week in Florida, and she was talking about how her and her husband bought an acre of land in a beautiful part of Michigan for $1,800 last year. Meanwhile, Disney can suck a family dry for $1,300 after entrance, parking and food in a matter of hours. I vote for buying land. The same can be said for Mrs. Screencaps. My ears perked up when she showed interest in picking up some land. That was something I haven’t heard out of her before.
- Like many generations before me, I’m going to miss this weather when we hit the Ohio River, and it’s instantly 54, rainy and cloudy.
- However, I don’t know how people in Florida deal with highway traffic, or traffic in general for trips to grocery stores. I get it when I see people on Twitter parroting the line, “We’re full. No northerners are allowed in.”
- Did I mention how nice it was to not check email, Slack messages or DMs? So relaxing. I sat there in a cabana the last two days at the pool listening to music, watching the boys throw the football and never once did I wonder what people were sending me on social media or via email.
- Publix needs to figure out its Greek pasta salad. What they’re selling IS NOT Greek pasta salad.
- Gas was $4.29 at the final stop on I-75 before you go across the Everglades. It was one of the first questions my dad asked me when we rolled into his place just off Marco Island on Monday. It was officially on his mind.
- I hope our boys understand how fortunate they are to have two things in their lives: (1.) a grandfather who keeps his boat in a Marco Island boat house where they drop it in the water and have it ready for you when you pull up to the dock, and (2.) a grandmother who has a beautiful 9-hole golf course at her trailer park. Boys, those are the amenities that make these trips special, let me tell you. We might not have dropped $1,300 at Disney, but we had some fun.
- Speaking of golf, Screencaps Jr. had his first official 9-hole round of golf at my mom’s place and it was a special father-son moment. There I was having to teach him everything about golf etiquette, what club to use and how to handle himself on a green. As I told the text group, now I know why Diesel gets so emotional over moments with his own boys. Last Saturday, I had one of those moments with Screencaps Jr. On the Par 3 course, he had a couple of blowup holes, a couple of doubles and even a bogey. You better believe I made him count every stroke. Start them young. If they learn to shave strokes at 13, just think of how they’ll keep score at 33.
- We just happened to drive by the strip-mall Hooters in Kissimmee the other night and there was one lone middle-aged guy, maybe 58, sitting at the outdoor bar on a pretty pleasant Thursday night. I don’t want the iconic brand to die, but young, red-blooded men just aren’t showing up for a beer and wings. It’s sad, but it’s the world we’re living in.
— Keith in Indian Rocks Beach writes:
Hey Joe, if you need a place to park to take the kids to the beach, hit me up.
Kinsey:
Next time, Keith. I was so in the moment and ignoring my work email that I just saw this — a week later.
I looked up Keith’s address. He’s definitely right on the water.
— Chuck writes:
I dont see many Kinseys out there. Enjoy your vacation. Good luck to you and Outkick.
Kinsey:
From one Kinsey to another, thanks for the email, Chuck. I’ve enjoyed this vacation. Now it’s time to get home and get rolling on Spring, the mowing season, baseball season, track season and planting season for Mrs. Screencaps.
Is Nike about to get Wendy’s’d?
While I was ignoring the world in Florida, Nike stock was dropping like a rock. Of course the LIBS say this has nothing to do with the DEIs inside Nike joining forces with Kap or all the Alphabet Mafia messaging the company has pounded for years.
And don’t forget about how Nike promoted Lizzo-sized mannequins in 2022 only to have Lizzo turn her back on the fatty lifestyle.
Nike marketing chose a path. Combine that with changing tastes in culture and you have a brand in a free-fall.
Masters kits are arriving
— Mark writes:
Look what just showed up!! I’m a 60 year old man acting like a teenager right now! Food box arrives tomorrow!!
Kinsey:
Enjoy those drink cups, Mark. Those are about to become the best drink cups in your cabinet. Cherish them. Don’t let your friends walk off with them.
######################
That is it this morning. I know it’s a short one, but Mrs. Screencaps is ready to roll. The 3.5L V6 Honda Odyssey is ready to roll. We have a 13-hour day in front of us. It’s time to get back to reality.
I’ll see you guys again on Monday.
Have a great weekend and Happy Easter.
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Colorado
Colorado fire department to break ground on new station to accommodate community growth
One community in Douglas County is preparing to break ground on a new fire station.
Castle Rock Fire and Rescue Department’s Station 156 will be located in the northeast portion of town.
The new station will serve Cobblestone Ranch and Terrain, two growing subdivisions. It will include a 13,000-square-foot fire station and a 13,000-square-foot logistics center.
“When I started 1986, we had two fire stations,” Fire Chief Norris Croom told CBS Colorado. “We were an all-volunteer department.”
In the 40 years Croom has been with the fire department, a lot has changed.
“7,500 people were in town,” Croom said. “Right now, we’re at about 87,000 people, and this will be our sixth fire station.”
Croom is presently the chief of a fire department that’s four times bigger and serves a much larger community.
“Just mind boggling that it’s grown so fast,” said Judy Barnett, who lives in the Castle Oaks community.
For 30 years, Barnett has also watched the town grow from her backyard.
“Just overnight, you look out, and there’s another house,” Barnett said.
Her rural home in northeast Castle Rock is getting more suburban, with the addition of communities like Cobblestone Ranch and Terrain.
“The Terrain pretty much surrounds us on the west side,” Barnett said.
Croom says his department is being stretched thin in those areas.
“We’re seeing response times as long as 14 to 15 minutes,” Croom explained.
But, soon, Castle Rock Fire and Rescue will break ground on a solution, a new fire station on Castle Oaks Drive.
“We believe that we’ll be able to cut those response times in more than half,” Croom said.
Fleet maintenance work is done at Castle Rock’s public safety training facility, but that work will soon have a new home. A logistics center will be built along with the new fire station.
Croom says the logistics center will provide a centralized location for equipment and space for maintenance work.
“As far as our equipment is concerned, we’ve got it stored throughout all of our different stations,” Croom said. “So, if you need hazmat equipment, you might have to go to Station 5. If you need wildland equipment, you might have to go to this station. We’ll be able to take all of that out of those stations and consolidate it into one central location.”
The total cost of the facility is $21.5 million. It’s being paid for with TABOR timeout dollars, a general fund loan, capital impact fees and certificates of participation. Twelve firefighters will be needed to staff the new station. Croom says the money to hire more firefighters comes from a ballot measure passed by Castle Rock voters in 2024.
“We do worry about fires as of lately. We’re surrounded by scrub oak,” Barnett said. “As dry as it is, it, you know, and it wouldn’t take much.”
The new Station 156 is just minutes from Barnett’s home, and will serve her community, as well as Terrain and Cobblestone Ranch.
“I think that’s great because, of course with all the growth around here, there’s a lot more chance of having a fire,” Barnett said. “The hard thing about growth is all the people, but then that good thing is that we get those kind of amenities.”
The station will break ground next week, and it’s expected to be operational in 2027.
“As the town continues to grow and as the community continues to grow, us being able to keep up with that growth is significant,” Croom said.
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