News
March 11, 2013
Join Mayor Michael B. Hancock and Senator Patrick Steadman at the Jokers, Jewels & Justice VIP Reception!
The Center is thrilled to announce that Mayor Michael B. Hancock will be speaking at the Jokers, Jewels & Justice VIP reception, during the annual benefit for The Center’s Legal & Advocacy Program, on Thursday, March 14th, 2013 at The Grant-Humphreys Mansion.
Mayor Michael B. Hancock personally understands the necessity for LGBT equality in Colorado, and he testified on the civil unions legislation at the Capitol and he supports the continued work of The Center!
Longtime champion for equal rights, former PrideFest Grand Marshal and a great friend of The Center’s Legal & Advocacy Program, Sen. Pat Steadman will speak on the progress made in this state on LGBT equality, including success with the civil unions legislation, and present the Visionary in Action award to Sen. Jessie Ulibarri.
The Center is also excited to have Steven Chavez, the Director of the Colorado Civil Rights Division (CCRD) speak briefly about the role of CCRD during a time when transgender protections have made it in to Colorado law and to present the award of Barrister of the Year to Clemmie Engle.
Jokers, Jewels & Justice is The Center’s Legal & Advocacy Program fundraiser. It’s a glamorous night of casino gaming, with a silent auction, benefitting the only statewide legal project dedicated solely to advancing LGBT equality
Purchase your tickets today to attend the VIP reception and hear from these amazing leaders in Colorado LGBT legal and policy issues!
Press Release
February 26, 2013
Media Contact: Dani Perea • 303.951.5215 • dperea@glbtcolorado.com
For immediate release:
The Center Supports Coy Mathis and The Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund
The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of Colorado (The Center) is proud to support Coy, her family, and The Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund in doing such amazing work to encourage this school to fully follow the law of this state.
Courtney Gray, Transgender Programs Coordinator at The Center, says “It’s imperative that we allow our youth to go to school in an environment free from discrimination. Forcing someone to use a restroom that doesn’t align with who they are is cruel and a distraction; we need to give our youth the opportunity to learn without distractions or fear of segregation.”
After the school restricted Coy’s access to the appropriate restroom facilities, the Mathis family reached out to the Center’s Legal & Advocacy Program via The Center’s Legal Helpline, and we were able to provide some resources for the Mathis family and brief them on state law. The Center’s Legal Director, Mindy Barton, simply states, “Since 2008 the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act prohibits discrimination against people on the basis of transgender status in places of public accommodation.”
In this situation, the law in the state of Colorado allows Coy access to the girls’ restroom at her school, just like any other female student. We hope that public institutions and schools across Colorado will take this opportunity to review their policies and procedures to ensure that no youth is required to go through this in the future.
“The Center’s Rainbow Alley offers a variety of programs to support youth and their families who may be going through similar issues,” said Cory Barrett, Rainbow Alley Director. “True Colors and Gender Queery are programs which can provide strength for families to know that they are not alone.”
The GLBT Community Center of Colorado has a long history of being involved with legislative and policy changes supporting transgender Coloradans. Many of the cases where we have directly represented clients have been relating to issues of transgender equality. For more information on The Center’s Transgender Programs and the Legal & Advocacy Program, visit www.glbtcolorado.org.
Resources for Transgender Youth Available at The Center
The Center’s youth services program, Rainbow Alley, provides programming and support for transgender and gender non-conforming youth and their families:
Gender Queery is a program that focuses on the needs of gender non-conforming and transgender identified youth. The program consists of group discussion, support groups, and individual counseling sessions. Furthermore, curriculum, community educational trainings and workshops are offered.
True Colors is the family program for Rainbow Alley focused on younger youth up to age 16 who identify as LGBTQ or may be questioning. There are a number transgender identified and gender non-conforming youth who are engaged in this program. We bring together youth and their families with the focus of providing education, social engagement, and support.
For more information on Gender Queery and True Colors, contact Director of Rainbow Alley and Youth Services, Cory Barrett at 303-951-5212 or at cbarrett@glbtcolorado.org.
Know Your Rights:
For information on transgender terminology, click here.
For information on the rights of transgender and gender nonconforming students, click here.
If you have been discriminated against in Colorado because of your sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, or HIV status, email legal@glbtcolorado.org or call The Center's Legal Helpline at 303-282-6524.
July 24, 2012
Center Staff Members and Denver Sheriff’s Department Present New Transgender Inmate Policies to the American Correctional Association
The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of Colorado’s Legal Director Mindy Barton and Transgender Programs Coordinator Courtney Gray, along with Captain Paul Oliva of the Denver Sheriff’s Department presented the new policies for transgender and gender-variant inmates at the American Correctional Association’s (ACA) 142nd Congress of Correction today.
The ACA is the oldest and largest international correctional association in the world, dedicated to excellence in serving all disciplines within the corrections profession.
Courtney Gray says, “This is a necessary policy for the safety of transgender and gender-variant inmates, and I’m proud that Denver now has one of the most progressive policies in the nation.”
The new procedures were created for the safety of all inmates, including those who identify as transgender and gender-variant. A recent survey of transgender individuals nationwide found that 22% of those who have interacted with law enforcement reported harassment and of those who spent time in jail, transgender and gender-variant individuals reported harassment 37% more often than their peers.
In presenting about the process used to create the new protocols at the ACA Congress of Correction, The Center and the Denver Sheriff’s Department hope to share a model of success that can be used by other departments nationwide.
Colorado has been a national leader in the amendment of state and municipal laws affecting LGBT equality and the key has been providing explicit protections to safeguard LGBT people from harassment and discrimination. The new policy is believed “to be one of the most comprehensive policies in the country covering transgender and gender-variant inmates” says Mindy Barton.
As the policy is implemented, The Center will continue to work with DSD on refining the best practices.
June 22, 2012
Center Staff Members Awarded the Exemplary Service Award by the Denver Sheriff’s Department
The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of Colorado’s Legal Director Mindy Barton and Transgender Programs Coordinator Courtney Gray are being presented with the Exemplary Service Award today at 1pm for their work with the Denver Sheriff’s Department in creating policies for transgender and gender-variant inmates.
“Being recognized by the Denver Sherriff’s Department with the Exemplary Service Award is a true honor,” said Mindy Barton. “In collaborating on producing what we believe to be one of the most comprehensive policies in the country covering transgender and gender-variant inmates, the cooperation between DSD and The Center has been outstanding.”
The goal of the new policy focuses on the safety of all inmates, including those who identify as transgender and gender-variant. A recent survey of transgender individuals nationwide found that 22% of those who have interacted with law enforcement reported harassment and of those who spent time in jail, transgender and gender-variant individuals reported harassment 37% more often than their peers.
“I’m honored to be recognized by the Denver’s Sheriff Department for our work,” said Courtney Gray. “This is a necessary policy for the safety of transgender and gender-variant inmates, and I’m proud that Denver now has one of the most progressive policies in the nation.”
Colorado has been a national leader in the amendment of state and municipal laws affecting LGBT equality and the key has been providing explicit protections to safeguard LGBT people from harassment and discrimination.
With that in mind, Director of Corrections Gary Wilson first approached The Mayor’s GLBT Commission about creating a proactive policy, recognizing the realities of unemployment and underemployment facing transgender people. The Commission then reached out to The Center, as well as the ACLU of Colorado, and other LGBT-serving agencies to form a committee who drafted the policy.
The new policy aims to create a safe space for all inmates, and encourages facilities to treat inmates by their gender identity. Individuals who identify as transgender or gender-variant can fill out a form with their preferred name and pronoun, as well as a preference for the gender of the person who will search them. The policy also creates a Transgender Review Board that includes community advocates who can work with staff to assist in determining issues. The Center will continue to work with DSD on refining the policy and best practices.
June 4, 2012
Colorado’s Out Gay and Lesbian Legislators Named Grand Marshals of the 2012 CoorsLight PrideFest Parade
The Center is honored to announce our 2012 Denver PrideFest Grand Marshals: the four out gay and lesbian members of the Colorado state legislature: Senator Pat Steadman, Senator Lucia Guzman, Representative Mark Ferrandino, and Representative Sue Schafer. This year’s PrideFest theme is “Fight for your Right to Pride,” in recognition of both Pride month’s roots as a time to honor the Stonewall Rebellion and other moments when lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people stood up to oppression, and also in recognition of the work our representatives in the legislature have done in support of Colorado’s LGBT community.
The CoorsLight PrideFest Parade is the seventh largest Pride parade in the nation. This year, the parade is on Sunday, June 17, stepping off from Cheesman park at 9:30am and proceeding down Colfax into Civic Center Park, where the Grand Marshals will address the crowd in a rally. Last year, over 100,000 people attended the CoorsLight PrideFest Parade.
Says Representative Mark Ferrandino on being nominated as Grand Marshal: “I'm honored to serve with my fellow LGBT colleagues as Grand marshal of this year’s Pride Parade. Each of us works every day to move Colorado forward by fighting for our constituents. I am humbled to be able to serve my constituents of Denver who encourage me to fight for equality. The strong and growing numbers of LGBT elected officials has helped to change the hearts and minds of people across our great State. I appreciate the acknowledgment by the Center of the work being done in the legislature to ensure equal rights for our community.”
Senator Lucia Guzman says, “It is an honor to serve in the Legislature and I shall always be appreciative of the support of so many Coloradoans. As an "out" elected official, I find it even more important to the people of Colorado to be honest and "be who I am.” Denver PrideFest is one of the nation's largest celebrations of LGBT Pride and it is important that the people attending PrideFest understand that their legislators are "leading the march" for respect, justice and equality.”
Denver Pridefest 2012 will be held on Saturday, June 16 and Sunday June 17, in downtown Denver’s Civic Center Park. Founded in 1975, Denver Pridefest is now the third largest pride festival in the country, with attendance for 2012 expected to exceed 325,000. Headliners for this year’s festival are dance superstar Kristine W on Sunday and Fab Morvan of Milli Vanilli on Saturday. Entertainment for PrideFest includes the OutWest Country Stage, the Latin Stage, Smirnoff Dance World, and a Family Interactive area with a petting zoo.
Produced by The GLBT Community Center of Colorado (The Center), the mission of Denver PrideFest is to create a fun, safe and empowering space to celebrate and promote the heritage and culture of the LGBT community in Colorado.
April 16, 2012
The Center announces 2012 Denver PrideFest Main Stage Headliners
The Center is thrilled to announce our 2012 Denver PrideFest main stage headliners: international dance music icon Kristine W and R&B star Fab Morvan of Milli Vanilli. Kristine and Fab are set to perform at Denver PrideFest on June 16 and 17 in Civic Center Park.
A former Miss Washington and an international dance music icon since the late 90s, Kristine currently holds the world’s record for Most Consecutive #1 Billboard Club Hits with nine. Her 15th and latest #1 track on the Billboard Dance/Club Play Songs chart is “The Power of Music.” Kristine W. will headline the main stage on Sunday, June 17th.
Fab, who entertained millions around the world as a member of the 80’s pop duo Milli Vanilli, is returning to the music world with a solo album as a singer, songwriter, and performer. Entertainment Tonight dubbed him a modern-day cross between Marvin Gaye and Usher. Morvan will light up the Saturday main stage at PrideFest on June 16th.
“We are tremendously excited about the strength of the entertainment line-up this year at PrideFest,” says Amy Drayer, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at The Center, “and we’re looking forward to revealing the headliners for the Latin, Dance, and Country stages in the next few weeks. As one of the last non-ticketed major Pride celebrations in the county, we constantly work to bring the best entertainment possible to the Denver LGBT community.”
Recognized as the third largest pride festival in the US, Denver PrideFest is a fun and empowering celebration of the heritage and culture of the LGBT and allied community in Colorado. Produced by The Center, the festival also features more than 250 vendor booths with arts, crafts, food and more. We provide a VIP area with food and drinks for sponsors and contributors to enjoy, and there's also a family area, youth alley, and a transgender resource area.
March 21, 2012
Feds Start New Anti-Bias Housing Regulations
For The Center by Public News Service-CO
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is offering protections similar to the race and religion protections in the Fair Housing Act in federally funded housing projects or federally backed mortgages.
Carlos Martinez has seen firsthand how discrimination can affect this population as head of the GLBT Community Center. He says the center gets calls every month from people refused housing because of sexual orientation. He recalls one case in which a woman and her son were forced to move out of an apartment when the woman became the partner of another woman.
"She goes, 'I remember through this whole process my son saying to me, Mommy, why are they throwing us out? We haven't done anything wrong.' "
Rick Garcia is the HUD Regional Director based in Colorado.
"They cannot prevent a member of the GLBT community that they perceive would be an inappropriate resident to occupy housing from, in fact, occupying that housing unit. That's a big step for us as a department, to move in this direction."
Martinez says this sort of federal action can lead to a larger societal acceptance of the GLBT community.
"These are baby steps that go towards that. So, I think what HUD is also doing is coming out and saying these are best practices."
Colorado's laws have prohibited housing discrimination based on sexual orientation since 2008, but Martinez thinks the new federal rules will offer another layer of protections, and will increase awareness about housing discrimination.
The Center Welcomes New Hires
The Center is pleased to announce and welcome development associate Clayton Scherf, transgender programs coordinator Courtney Gray, and vice president of programs Kelly Nichols. The new hires come on the heels of The Center’s expansion into Northern Colorado. With a new satellite location and an expanded staff, The Center will better be able to offer statewide resources and support to LGBT Coloradans.
Courtney comes to The Center with an extensive background in Transgender programming, which includes volunteer work at The Center. In addition to her new position, Courtney is the Co-Chair of the Transgender Community Advisory Committee. In this role, she orchestrates and moderates support groups, manages a speakers bureau, and plans community events.
“The inclusion of a Transgender Programs Coordinator on our team strengthens our ability to address the social and support needs of our community,” noted Executive Officer Carlos Martinez. “We’re so excited for the experience and energy that Courtney will bring to the team.”
Kelly will be serving the constituents of The Center by ensuring the excellence of its youth, elder, transgender, and community programs, as well as The Center’s Northern Colorado programs. She will also be responsible for driving the creation and implementation of new and innovative activities to further meet the interests of the LGBT community, and enrich the lives of its members.
“We’re thrilled to have Kelly on the team,” noted Executive Officer Carlos Martinez. “With her leadership, we’re looking forward to guiding our community programs to new heights.”
With ten years of experience in the finance industry, Clayton will assist the Development Team in an administrative capacity. Clayton is a familiar face at The Center, as a front desk volunteer since 2011. As a volunteer, he provided the hub of The Center with outstanding customer service. “Clayton’s experience and dedication will be a great asset to the Development Team,” said Vice President of Development Deb Pollock.
The GLBT Community Center of Colorado Named a Finalist by the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce as Large Non-Profit of the Year
The Center is honored to be recognized by the Denver Metro Chamber alongside other Denver area non-profits for its outstanding work and positive impact in the community. Each year the Chamber receives a diversity of nominations for deserving non-profits who work to change our community for the better; The Center is proud to be a finalist among that group in 2012.
Considerations for the award include demonstrated excellence in the following areas:
Management philosophy of the organization
Addressing the current challenges in the business and non-profit environments
Demonstrating innovation and creativity in the areas of development, marketing, management, fundraising and program execution
Strong staff retention initiatives
Strong customer service and donor retention methods
Outside community involvement of organizational leadership
Each year programs of The Center reach over 335,000 community members in Denver, Colorado, and the Rocky Mountain Region. For more information about the awards visit www.denverchamber.org
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The Center Hires Courtney Gray as Transgender Program Coordinator
The Center is pleased to announce its recent hire of Courtney Gray, who will join The Center team as the Transgender Programs Coordinator. Courtney comes to The Center with an extensive background in Transgender programming, which includes volunteer work at The Center.
“The inclusion of a Transgender Programs Coordinator on our team strengthens our ability to address the social and support needs of our community,” noted Executive Officer Carlos Martinez. “We’re so excited for the experience and energy that Courtney will bring to the team.”
In addition to her new position, Courtney is the Co-Chair of the Transgender Community Advisory Committee. In this role, she orchestrates and moderates support groups, manages a speakers bureau, and plans community events.
Through The Center’s Transgender Community Advisory Committee, The Center provides programming, support and services tailored for Colorado's transgender community, including two social and support groups, a group for significant others, friends, and families, and a transgender resource area at Denver PrideFest. Now, with a staff member devoted to Transgender programming at The Center, we are planning on expanding our offerings. Courtney will also be working on Transgender programs in Northern Colorado.
In May 2011, Courtney planned and implemented The Center’s first transgender job fair, attracting five employers and serving 65 attendees, making Denver the first non-coastal city to host such an event. Due to the breakout success of the fair, The Center is hosting two transgender job fairs this year, one on May 5, and another in October.
In addition to her volunteer work at The Center, Courtney is a well-known, respected instructor and speaker. She teaches courses at Arapahoe Community College Policy Academy, training law enforcement professionals on how to address the unique needs of the transgender population. Courtney has also taught at the University of Colorado at Boulder, Red Rocks Community College, and Metro State Community College.
Courtney grew up in Colorado and has lived in the state for 35 years. She lives with her wife, Rachel, daughter Leighanne, and their dog, Ginger, in Arvada.
The GLBT Community Center of Colorado announces expansion of programming to Ft. Collins and Northern Colorado to begin January 3, 2012.
The new additional location will allow The Center to provide services for seniors, youth, the transgender community and other LGBT constituents in Northern Colorado.
Beginning January 3, 2012, the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of Colorado will offer programming, legal resources, and referrals to the Northern Colorado community at 212 South Mason St., Ft. Collins. The Center will also produce PrideFest Ft. Collins on September 8, 2012.
Carlos Martinez, CEO of The Center states about the growth, “This is an historic opportunity for The Center, a chance to expand the programs we currently offer the Denver LGBT community to our constituents in Northern Colorado. We will bring the successful program delivery models we’ve built in Rainbow Alley, SAGE of the Rockies, Legal and Advocacy, transgender programs and PrideFest, and more to a part of the state that is ready to take advantage of the resources we offer.”
The Center announces the expansion on the heels of the successful completion of its 2009 – 2011 strategic plan that included the purchase, renovation and operation of its permanent home at 1301 E. Colfax in Denver, and the renewal of The Center’s brand and remodel of its entire online presence. The strategic plan and the new home resulted in a 25% growth in services delivered to the community through Center programs and an impressive 34,600 visitors utilizing the facility in 2010.
“We could not be in a stronger position to announce and carry out this next step for the organization,” remarks Board Co-Chair Barbara Harrison. “Based on the success of our capital campaign, the strength of our programs and staff, and the vision of our leadership and our board, The Center is ready to fulfill its promise of delivering resources and programs statewide, in partnership with the Northern Colorado LGBT community.”
The GLBT Community Center of Colorado is the third-oldest LGBT community center in the country. We engage, empower enrich and advance our community through statewide advocacy and nationally recognized cultural and educational programming.
Denver PrideFest draws more than 300,000 people; Rainbow Alley, our youth drop-in center sees more than 750 visits per month. SAGE and Family Programs connect the community with each other and with our events; our Legal & Advocacy program represents clients in impact litigation and assists over 350 people a year through the legal hotline. We partner with over 50 statewide organizations and annually serve nearly 25,000 individuals who visit our safe and welcoming space.
The Center will be Tweeting for Dollars on Colorado Gives Day, December 6th
Coloradans are encouraged to “give where you live,” on December 6th during Colorado Gives Day, a statewide initiative benefitting several non-profits, to increase philanthropy in Colorado. The annual event is hosted by the Community First Foundation (http://www.communityfirstfoundation.org/).
The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, & Transgender Community Center of Colorado (The Center) (http://www.glbtcolorado.org/) will be hosting a unique 24-hour tweetathon that day, thanking donors and encouraging supporters with the hash tag CO4TheCenter (#ThanksCOCenter) http://twitter.com/#!/COCenter). Supporters who use the hash tag will be entered into a drawing for prizes.
On last year’s Colorado Gives Day, The Center raised $107,000. In 2011, The Center hopes to raise $125,000 to support our operations and community programming. Donations that day will be accepted through the online giving website www.GivingFirst.org, starting at 12:00am.
Colorado Gives day is a powerful day to give to The Center, as the value of individual donations on December 6th will be increased through two matching programs; The Gill Foundation will be matching new and increased donations to The Center dollar for dollar, and Giving First will also be allocating a proportional match from a $30,000 incentive fund. Additionally, GivingFirst will be randomly choosing donors every hour to win $1,000 prizes for their organizations, and twelve $5,000 prizes will be awarded to organizations with the most successful campaigns. The Center hopes to be a recipient of these bonus dollars in addition to the guaranteed matches.
Similar to last year, credit card and processing fees will be covered by Community First Foundation (http://www.communityfirstfoundation.org) and sponsors so that 100 percent of Colorado Gives Day donations go directly to nonprofit organization.
In addition to fundraising, Colorado Gives Day raises awareness of the state’s nonprofit sector and educates communities on the benefits of online giving. Last year on Colorado Gives Day, Coloradans donated $8.4 million online for 529 charities.
October 11, 2012
Director of the United States Office of Personnel Management, John Berry, to tour The GLBT Community Center of Colorado Friday 10/14/2011
Highest ranking openly LGBT official in US government history will make remarks focused on American Jobs Act and job readiness and placement programs through The Center
Community Engagement Opportunity with
John Berry - Director, the United States Office of Personnel Management
The GLBT Community Center of Colorado
1301 E. Colfax Ave., Denver CO 80218
Friday, October 14, 2011, 5pm - 6pm
This Friday, John Berry, Director of the United States Office of Personnel Management, will tour The GLBT Community Center of Colorado. After the tour of the facility we will gather in The Center's commons to hear Berry talk about job opportunities in America and learn more about job preparedness and placement programs in the LGBT community.
Highlighted in the tour will be Rainbow Alley, our youth drop in program, SAGE of the Rockies, our senior's program and their job placement and preparedness collaborations, and outcomes and next steps for our Transgender Career Advancement Project.
Event schedule:
4.45pm - press call and briefing time with Amy Drayer, VP Strategic Initiatives at The Center
4.50p - Director Berry arrives to The Center and meets with CEO Carlos Martinez, conducts tour of the Center
5.25pm - Director Berry concludes tour in Center lobby (open press)
5.30pm - Director Berry remarks on the American Jobs Act (open press)
5.40pm - SAGE Coordinator Shari Wilkins and guests to brief on SAGE job readiness programs (open press)
5.50pm - Transgender Career Advancement Project representative Courtney Gray and guests to brief on TCAP (open press)
6pm - Event concludes
Learn more about Director Berry and his role in the Obama Administration as the head of an important Federal agency and as a high-ranking openly LGBT official:
http://www.opm.gov/about_opm/director/berrybio.asp