Listen:
-
play_arrow
Luke Ryan Kennedy Pickering
ACLU CO sues Children’s Hospital of Colorado
The American Civil Liberties Union, commonly known as the ACLU, is suing Children’s Hospital Colorado on behalf of an eighteen-year-old transgender patient, alleging discrimination.
The ACLU suit says the patient was supposed to have chest reconstruction surgery at the hospital before the Aurora hospital discontinued gender-affirming surgery for adults last summer. It tells the same surgery is still available to cisgender patients, including men who have enlarged breasts due to hormonal imbalances.
The patient began receiving care at Children’s Hospital for mental health concerns when he was sixteen, according to the Denver Post. He was diagnosed with gender dysphoria, a condition that manifests when one’s gender identity doesn’t match one’s physical characteristics. He became eligible for the chest reconstruction once he turned eighteen.
Children’s Hospital Colorado, which is in Aurora, has said the number of requests they’ve had for gender-affirming surgeries has increased as those procedures shut down in other states.
The hospital has not commented on the ACLU lawsuit.
The University of Colorado to offer a master’s degree in gender and sexuality studies
For the first time, CU Boulder will be offering a master’s in gender and sexuality studies.
There are more than 40 graduate programs in gender and sexuality studies in the United States, but none in Colorado, according to the Daily Camera.
Women and gender studies is also the only social sciences department at CU Boulder without a graduate program.
The Camera said the new degree is expected to be offered at the start of the Fall 2024 semester.
Boulder spends almost $5 million on land
Boulder County Commissioners have approved two land purchases, totaling nearly five million dollars, to buy Longmont-area parcels of land.
Boulder County Parks and Open Space bought 42 acres of land that used to belong to the Sky Pilot Farm and a 101-acre parcel between Longmont and Lyons.
The Longmont Times-Call says the land purchases include water and building rights and are accessible by public transport.
One County Commissioner told the Times-Call that the purchases will give community members, particularly indigenous ones, the opportunity to farm.
Speaking of land purchases, the City of Superior voted earlier this week to buy a quarter acre of open space that the 2021 Marshall Fire destroyed. It is next to Coal Creek, in an area that city officials say they want to keep open for flood mitigation.
Colorado Butterfly is ” likely in danger of extinction”
A rare subspecies of butterflies exclusive to Colorado, northern New Mexico, and eastern Utah is at risk of extinction. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced yesterday that they’re placing the Silverspot butterfly under the “threatened” category under the Endangered Species Act.
The classification is one step from “endangered,” and will spark new protective measures for the butterfly, focusing on safeguarding its ten known populations across the southwest.
Federal wildlife authorities cite climate change, habitat loss, and the impact of livestock grazing as the primary dangers to the butterfly’s survival.
Federal officials stress that while the Silverspot butterfly is not on the brink of extinction right now, the data suggests it faces a probable risk of disappearing in the foreseeable future.
The Boulder Motor Vehicle Express kiosk has moved to King Soopers
Boulder’s only Motor Vehicle Express kiosk is on the move.
Patrons use the kiosk to renew motor vehicle registrations, which up until yesterday was located at the Boulder County Building on 33rd St. Now, according to the County website, the kiosk can be found at the King Soopers on 30th and Arapahoe.
More information on vehicle registration and renewals can be found on bouldercounty.gov.
Red light and speed enforcement at certain intersections
New red-light cameras and speed monitors are coming to Boulder this spring.
The city will begin enforcing speed limits along Broadway and Pine Street with automated monitors on March 15. The city also plans to install new red-light cameras that will be up and running by April 1 at the intersections of Canyon Boulevard and 15th Street, as well as 28th Street and Jay Road.
There will be a month-long grace period for violators after enforcement begins.
