09-05-25 Interview - Lori Gimelshteyn - Three Important Petition Drives Are Taking Off Today

Let me go to the phones where Laurie.

Every time I try to say your name, I mess up the last part. So please give me your last name one more time on the air before we start our interview.

Hey, Amandy, it's Gimmelstein. Three syllables, Gimmelstein.

I want to make it Gimmelstein, even though I know how it's spelled, that that's not remotely how it's pronounced. So I just wanted to let you do that so I did not destroy it. Laurie is part of the great team that is with Protect Kids Colorado, and they are doing so much to do exactly what their name says, and that is protect kids.

Laurie. This is a big, big, big.

Day, right, This is a huge day for three ballot initiatives that are going to protect kids in Colorado if they pass. Tell people what's happening this afternoon and why we're doing it.

Yes, we're so excited, so I protect Kids Colorado. We are bringing three initiatives to the ballot hopefully in twenty twenty six. And tonight we are having a launch event at Saint Thomas More Catholic Church in Centennial and we're going to be showcasing our three valid initiatives to protect, prohibit, and punish so protect women in girls' sports for males, prohibit child mutilation from sex change surgeries on minor children,

Well, I love all of these, and you have some pretty You got some heavy hitters that are joining with you to help make this happen.

You've got Jennifer Say from.

Xxxy sports former Levi's executive who has really just come out guns a blazing rhetorically of course when it comes to protect kids. And we also have the other gentleman's name Mark. What is Mark's last name?

Guys?

Thank you Mark, guys. He has an incredible story as well. How did he get connected with you, guys?

Well, Oz Mark Geist many of your listeners may know him from Operation BEng Ghazzi. They may have seen his major motion picture thirteen hours based on his ordeal in Libya and os when when he came back from the Marines, he was actually a sheriff down in Teller County and he was the lead child crime investigator, and he just has a heart for protecting children, for protecting our country.

So let me ask this question, is there any polling data that you either have access to or have seen that you would like to share the shows where the average coloradin is on these issues. Because I know how I feel, and I feel passionately that I also know I live in somewhat of a bubble, right, So I know that the people in my life look at everything that you're talking about, all three of these, and go, I can't believe.

That's not already a thing.

Right, It's like it's such common sense that we would all agree. But what does the bigger picture look like for you?

Yes, we're so grateful that we have the opportunity and the funding to extensively pull. So we did focus groups and we did pulling, and all three ballot initiatives pulled incredibly well across the political spectrum from unaffiliated Democrats, Republicans, and we had a threshold where we if we're going to run these, they have to pull it up that we know that if we get these on the ballot, the people of Colorado are going to vote. Yes.

That is so good to hear. So let's talk about where we are. You just mentioned the event coming up this afternoon five to eight pm at Sir Thomas Moore in Centennial. I've got the address on the blog today if people want to join you. But today begins the active process of getting petitions, getting petitions signed, So this would be a perfect way if somebody's listening and saying how can I help? You can actually go to today's event and get petitions to have signed.

Correct.

Yes. So the event starts at six pm at Saint Thomas mar Church. All three of our chairs will be there so people will get to meet Jennifer, se and Oz and Aaron Lee. We will have petition packets ready to go. If you circulated a petition last year for us, we welcome you back. If you haven't, we're here to help. We're here to help, get you equipped, get you everything

How many days do you have to get all the signatures?

We have six months. We are very excited. We were able to get all of these initiative paths that title Board we were challenged but with the title board decision, but we prevailed at that hearing as well, and so we have the full six months to collect these signatures and we are very optimistic that all three will make it to the ballot.

Well, I have to tell you, I was extremely impressed that you guys somehow managed to answer the incredible difficult question of what is a woman.

What is a boy? What is a girl?

And what is a man fairly easily in these I mean, they're very explicit, and I do think that the simple definitions that you're giving sort of drive home the point of how like common sensus really is. And I hate the phrase common sense because my common sense may not be common sense to other people, but in the history of our world, these are all common sense definitions.

So hats off to you guys.

I'm super excited, and I'd love for you to stay in touch Lorie and kind of keep me posted or if you're having another big event where people can stop by and sign or get petitions. I want to keep this ball rolling in any way shape we can, So if you have anything else to report, I mean, I want to let people know how they can do this because I guarantee you if my listeners see people standing outside of a King super or a safe Way or Walmart or whatever, they are going to sign these petitions.

So I want them to be signed.

Make sure you're signing in the right district, you guys, make sure that you're signing it with correct information, because a bad signature is kind of weighted in a bad way.

If they get too many.

Bad signatures as they're certifying signatures, it can really create a huge problem. So make sure you're signing in your district to make sure you're signing with all your good information when you do sign.

Is there anything else my listeners can.

Do for you, LORI, yeah, So you can sign anywhere across the state of Colorado. These are all Colorado Revice Statutes initiatives, and so that's exciting. We are asking people to do three things. Sign the petition, get ten friends and family to sign, and if you can give five, ten, twenty dollars. This is a grassroots effort driven by volunteers,

Protect Kids Colorado dot org. Lorie, I know the event today is going to be outstanding.

Again.

The information about that event is it is this afternoon for oh jeez, hang on one second. I literally just my I've never in the last ten years not turn my phone off until today and it actually just ran because someone called me.

Sorry about that.

It's from six to eight pm tonight at Saint Thomas Moore Catholic Parish that is at eighty thirty five South Quebec Street in Centennial. You can stop by, meet Jennifer, meet Oz, meet Aaron Lee, who has been on the show many many times. Jennifer's been on the show as well. And more importantly, get those petitions going and get take them to church this weekend, take them to your coffee club that you meet with, take it to your book club,

Thank you Mandy,