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<v Speaker 1>She's always fighting for Colorado kids and kids all over

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<v Speaker 1>the country. She was just a mom, just a mom

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<v Speaker 1>hanging out when she found out that her daughter was

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<v Speaker 1>being asked to join a club and then being told

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<v Speaker 1>she was trands, and on and on, And we're going

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<v Speaker 1>to get to that in a second. With Aaron Lee

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<v Speaker 1>with Protect Kids Colorado. Aaron, good to see again.

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<v Speaker 2>First of all, hey me, any, thanks for having me.

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<v Speaker 1>So we have so much to talk about. We started

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<v Speaker 1>out on Monday communicating you were to conference. I'm like, oh,

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<v Speaker 1>we have to talk about what's in the DPS contract. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>since then, the DPS contract has been ratified by the teachers.

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<v Speaker 1>But what was so egregious about what was in that

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<v Speaker 1>contract that got the ire of not just Protect Kids Colorado,

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<v Speaker 1>but other parental organizations.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, well, I through Defending Education, we followed a formal

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<v Speaker 3>letter asking them to remove all of the mandated diversity,

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<v Speaker 3>equity and inclusion. So, if you were to do a

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<v Speaker 3>word search on this bargaining agreement, the number one you used.

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<v Speaker 2>Word as equity.

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<v Speaker 3>It is throughout the entire thing mandatory training for equity,

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<v Speaker 3>mandatory hiring standards which are very clearly biased and discriminatory

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<v Speaker 3>mandating that you must hire a certain amount of people

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<v Speaker 3>of color, really just forcing DEI.

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<v Speaker 2>Into the classroom.

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<v Speaker 3>And this is a school district where less than thirty

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<v Speaker 3>percent of the kids can read and do mathic grade level.

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<v Speaker 3>Yet they're focusing all of their attention and money. Really,

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<v Speaker 3>our taxpayer dollars are going towards DEI rather than learning.

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<v Speaker 1>In the contract, how much was about hiring teachers that

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<v Speaker 1>have a proven track record of success, like really excellent teachers,

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<v Speaker 1>or or accountability for teachers that may not be performing

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<v Speaker 1>at the highest level.

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<v Speaker 2>How much of that is in there as I read it? Nothing?

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<v Speaker 3>And as we're seeing school districts like DPS taking away

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<v Speaker 3>merit based ranking for students, they're also not worried about

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<v Speaker 3>merit and they're hiring practices just equity and DEI.

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<v Speaker 1>One of the most frustrating thoughts that is so pervasive

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<v Speaker 1>among those who are just completely wedded to DEI is

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<v Speaker 1>that if you just get a teacher in front of

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<v Speaker 1>a student that looks like them, right flying that brown

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<v Speaker 1>students can only learn from brown teachers. Black students can

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<v Speaker 1>only learn from black teachers. Now, don't get me wrong,

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<v Speaker 1>I would love to have role models of every stripe

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<v Speaker 1>in every school. You know, upstanding people from all walks

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<v Speaker 1>of life. But the notion that a black or brown

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<v Speaker 1>kid can't learn from a great white teacher is just stupid.

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<v Speaker 1>It's just dumb, and it's insulting and it's racist, frankly,

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<v Speaker 1>and it sounds like they just codified that all into

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<v Speaker 1>their contract.

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<v Speaker 2>They did.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, we specifically asked them to take out Article thirty one,

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<v Speaker 3>which was focused on equity hiring and training. They have

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<v Speaker 3>mandatory DEI training, mandatory DEI hiring requirements, and we asked

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<v Speaker 3>them to remove that.

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<v Speaker 2>They did not.

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<v Speaker 3>They went and ratified this agreement in with that still intact.

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<v Speaker 3>One thing they did do was replace references to race

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<v Speaker 3>and color with the term marginalized groups instead.

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<v Speaker 2>So different.

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<v Speaker 3>It's semantics gate, you know, a game of semantics. But

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<v Speaker 3>the end result is the same.

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<v Speaker 1>And this is not all the Denver Public Schools has

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<v Speaker 1>been up to. They have now found themselves in the

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<v Speaker 1>cross pairs of the Trump administration. You would think for

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<v Speaker 1>everything we just talked about the fact that the teachers

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<v Speaker 1>union contract is riddled with the word equity more than

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<v Speaker 1>any other word in the contract. But no, the Trump

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<v Speaker 1>administration is now paying closer attention because of bathrooms.

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<v Speaker 2>Tell me what is going on there?

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, well, one thing I should have mentioned is that, yes,

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<v Speaker 3>it's horrible that DEI is littered throughout, but they're breaking law.

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<v Speaker 2>It's unconstitutional for them to force DEI the way that

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<v Speaker 2>they are.

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<v Speaker 3>So DPS early on in the Trump administration, back in January,

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<v Speaker 3>actually back in winter break, they refurbished their female bathroom

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<v Speaker 3>at East High School into an all gender bathroom, but

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<v Speaker 3>left the male bathroom intact. So they eliminated the only

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<v Speaker 3>single sex space for females and left the male bathroom.

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<v Speaker 3>So males can use any bathroom, females can only use

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<v Speaker 3>one that'll also allows males in. And so the Trump

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<v Speaker 3>administration sent them a very strongly worded letter and opened

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<v Speaker 3>a Title nine investigation on Denver Public schools. And now

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<v Speaker 3>yesterday they have the findings of their investigation and they

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<v Speaker 3>are in no uncertain terms demanding that DPS change these

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<v Speaker 3>policies that allow males to use female single sex spaces

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<v Speaker 3>or else.

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<v Speaker 1>So what I find remarkable, Aaron, is where are the

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<v Speaker 1>parents here? This is I you know, I realized that

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of parents, especially single parents, they're working, they're

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<v Speaker 1>doing all of these things. But dang, make a phone call, like,

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<v Speaker 1>pick up the phone.

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<v Speaker 2>And say it's not okay.

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<v Speaker 1>This should not be okay that girls now don't have

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<v Speaker 1>an option to pee at school if they're uncomfortable being

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<v Speaker 1>in a bathroom.

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<v Speaker 2>With a boy. That's ridiculous.

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<v Speaker 1>And please, for that person who's about to text me,

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<v Speaker 1>why is he 'tcomfortable the way that the back.

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<v Speaker 2>I don't care why she's uncomfortable.

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<v Speaker 1>She deserves to have a space where she can go

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<v Speaker 1>urinate without feeling like she is under attack, and like

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<v Speaker 1>it or not, that's just the way things are.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, this is just so stupid.

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<v Speaker 1>So what is Has the school district responded to your

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<v Speaker 1>knowledge that?

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<v Speaker 2>No, it seems like they're doubling down. It's my understanding.

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<v Speaker 3>They actually added another all gender bathroom instead of backtracking

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<v Speaker 3>on eliminating the female spaces. And it's important to point

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<v Speaker 3>out that, you know, I believe transgenderism facilitates misogyny.

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<v Speaker 2>They didn't eliminate the male bathroom.

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<v Speaker 3>They eliminated the female single sex space. And to your point,

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<v Speaker 3>where are the dads like parents in general? Yes, but

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<v Speaker 3>why are these board meetings not packed out with angry

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<v Speaker 3>fathers wanting to protect their daughters. As we saw in

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<v Speaker 3>Loudon County, Virginia, the whole state election was shifted by

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<v Speaker 3>girls being raped in their bathroom by trans identified males.

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<v Speaker 3>So there clearly are real serious ramifications of allowing males

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<v Speaker 3>into these female spaces. We're not asking for a whole lot,

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<v Speaker 3>and it's not discriminatory to say that Title nine should

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<v Speaker 3>be upheld.

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<v Speaker 1>Aaron Lee is my guest with Protect Kids Colorado. Now, Aaron,

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<v Speaker 1>I want to Aaron was just a mom whose daughter

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<v Speaker 1>found herself being invited to what was supposed to be

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<v Speaker 1>an art club meeting turned out to be a gender

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<v Speaker 1>identity situation and created havoc for her daughter, and Aaron

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<v Speaker 1>found herself thrust into the spotlight a little bit. But boy,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm going to say, you have really strapped on the

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<v Speaker 1>battle armer rhetorically speaking, and I am just amazed at

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<v Speaker 1>how you continue to just engage and engage and engage.

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<v Speaker 1>Let's talk about the fact that Aaron Lee is now

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<v Speaker 1>going to have a case heard at the Supreme Court.

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<v Speaker 3>Hopefully we have filed our certain petition to the Supreme

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<v Speaker 3>Court for them to take up the case. There are

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<v Speaker 3>four secret school transitions that have been or will be filed,

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<v Speaker 3>and so I hope that ours is the one that's heard,

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<v Speaker 3>or at least there's a consolidation and we're considered. But

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<v Speaker 3>I think this issue will be decided at the Supreme Court,

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<v Speaker 3>probably in the spring session. They'll decide and fall whether

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<v Speaker 3>or not to hear them. But they've really taken a

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<v Speaker 3>liking to the transgender issue and recognize there such a

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<v Speaker 3>great area around parents'.

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<v Speaker 2>Rights, and the basis of my lawsuit is.

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<v Speaker 3>Really common sense to do parents have the right to

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<v Speaker 3>direct the care, custody and control of their children?

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<v Speaker 1>Ye?

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<v Speaker 3>Or does that right belong to the state And as

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<v Speaker 3>we know, that is an inalienable right that belongs to parents.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, I agree, aarin. So when will you know if

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<v Speaker 1>they're taking up your case?

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<v Speaker 3>So hopefully September or October when they call conference, they

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<v Speaker 3>will make that decision. But again, you know, it's a

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<v Speaker 3>big deal for it to be sitting there. Pam Bondi

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<v Speaker 3>actually was our lead attorney before she took another job,

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<v Speaker 3>So there's a lot of eyes on this issue and

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<v Speaker 3>on this case. And it wouldn't just set precedent here

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<v Speaker 3>in Colorado, that would set precedent in the entire country

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<v Speaker 3>that schools must pass a policy that parents will be

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<v Speaker 3>notified when their child is transitioned.

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<v Speaker 2>Like I wasn't.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I think for sure. I realized that the people

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<v Speaker 1>who say, you know, we're protecting the kids, that is

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<v Speaker 1>an assumption that every parent is the kind of parent

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<v Speaker 1>who would react badly and abusively to a child, And

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<v Speaker 1>that assumption is flat out wrong. So I'm glad you

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<v Speaker 1>guys are fighting this. What else were we going to

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<v Speaker 1>talk about, because I gotta take a break. What was

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<v Speaker 1>the other thing?

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<v Speaker 2>Erin?

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<v Speaker 1>We were stacking them all up before we did this.

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<v Speaker 3>Uh, well, our thirteenth twelve lawsuit, so defending EDCPAN and PKCEE.

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<v Speaker 3>We filed this letter to DPS, but we also filed

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<v Speaker 3>a federal lawsuit against house built thirteen twelve.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, you know what, We're going to talk about that

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<v Speaker 1>later when the lawsuit moves further along. We'll talk about

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<v Speaker 1>that later. But keep doing what you're doing protect kids.

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<v Speaker 1>Colorado is a wonderful organization. If you as a parent

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<v Speaker 1>or a grandparent, even if your kids are out of

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<v Speaker 1>the schools, you need to understand that some of the

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<v Speaker 1>stuff that's going on is absolutely crazy and they're helping

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<v Speaker 1>protect our kids.

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<v Speaker 2>Erin, Thanks so much for your time today, Thanks for

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<v Speaker 2>having me