The Center on Colfax

Last updated
The Center on Colfax
Predecessor Gay Coalition of Denver, Unity, Gay Community Center of Colorado
Formation1976
Type Nonprofit
PurposeCommunity center for LGBTQ people
Headquarters1301 E. Colfax Ave.
Location
  • Denver, Colorado
Websitelgbtqcolorado.org

The Center on Colfax is a LGBTQ community center in Denver, Colorado. The nonprofit provides programs and services to the queer community including mental health support, historical preservation, and community building. [1]

Contents

History

1970s

The Center on Colfax was founded in 1976 and grew out of the advocacy work of the Gay Coalition of Denver. GCD held the "City Council Revolt" in 1973 which resulted in Denver city council repealing four discriminatory laws. [2] The founders of GCD, Gerald "Jerry" Gerash, Lynn Tamlan, Mary Sassatelli, Jane Dundee, and Terry Mangan, met in apartments and members' homes at first before they got an official home. [3]

The GCD office closed after a year in 1974 due to lack of funds. As Gerash wrote, “Still, some of GCD’s services and activities continued through the initiative of volunteers working from their homes, and through community meetings and events.” [4] On October 24, 1974, GCD prevailed in its June 1973 lawsuit to halt discriminatory harassment of gays by police; plaintiffs were represented by Gerash, Daniel Bremer, Paul Hunter, Henry Toy, Milo Gonser, Kathy Bonham, William Reynard, and Kent Miller. [5] [6] With this success Gerash felt it was time to bring nine different gay groups together under one umbrella, proposing Unity as the name and the establishment of a gay community center. For a first meeting in early April 1975, Gerash drafted a four-point General Statement of Purpose, the last of which was “To work for the establishment of a Community Center for Gay People.” The twenty or so attendees from the nine groups voted unanimously to create Unity and the center. [4]

The Gay Community Center of Colorado was incorporated in 1976. The Center officially opened in August 1977. [7] To be more inclusive, the organization changed to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center of Colorado, and was eventually shortened to The Center. [3]

The first Denver Pride Parade was also in 1975, of which The Center was one of the original founders and producers. [8]

1980s

With the rise of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, The Center became more necessary than ever. The Center founded the Colorado AIDS Project in 1983. [7] Original founders included Bob Engel, Donna Cecere, Tim Timmons, and Phil Nash, and Dave Holbrook was the original coordinator. The Colorado AIDS Project separated from The Center to become its own organization in 1984. [9]

The Center published the Colorado Gay and Lesbian News from 1981 to 1984. [7] [10]

1990s

Anti-gay sentiment in Colorado rose in the 1990s. In 1992, voters passed Amendment 2, which rescinded rights for LGBTQ people. Colorado Legal Initiatives Project (CLIP), which was the foundation for today’s Legal & Advocacy Program The Supreme Court overturned Amendment 2 in 1996. [7]

The Center started to receive support from the Gill Foundation. [7]

The Center started an anti-violence campaign that eventually became independent, the Colorado Anti-Violence Project. [7] [11]

Lavender University and Rainbow Alley were community education programs started in the 90s. [7]

After 1989, The Center took over running the Denver PrideFest and it became the event we see today. [7] In 1990, the official attendance of Pridefest was 5000 people. In 1991, over 15,000 people attended, and in 1992 after Amendment 2 passed, over 30,000 people attended. [12]

2000s and today

In the 1980s, Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE) of the Rockies began to support elders. [13]

In 2008, Angie Zapata was murdered in Greeley, which was followed by a wave of activism. [12]

In 2010, The Center moved to its current location in Capitol Hill. [7]

Colorado LGBTQ History Project

The Center established the Colorado LGBTQ History Project, which collects and preserves the oral history from Denver community members. The Terry Mangan Memorial Library holds over 2000 volumes of LGBTQ material, which is the largest library of LGBTQ material in the state. [14]

Awards

The Center hosts local awards such as Pride in Business Award and the Visionary Award. [15]

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References

  1. ↑ "About The Center on Colfax". The Center on Colfax.
  2. ↑ O'Donnell, Tim. "Denver's Center on Colfax Boosts the Preservation of Colorado's LGBTQ+ History". National Trust for Historic Preservation.
  3. 1 2 Bindel, Paul (December 16, 2015). "In the beginning..." Out Front Magazine.
  4. 1 2 Gerash, Gerald (June 3, 2016), "On the Shoulders of the Gay Coalition of Denver", in Nash, Phil (ed.), United We Stand: The Story of Unity and the Creation of the Center, Denver, Colorado: The Center, pp. 3-7.
  5. ↑ City and County of Denver Civil Action No. C37520, Gay Coalition of Denver et al. v. City and County of Denver et al., Complaint for Declaratory Judgment and Injunctive Relief, filed in District Court June 27, 1973.
  6. ↑ Parmenter, Cindy (October 4, 1974). "Pact May End Homosexual, Police Hassle". Denver Post. p. 44.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "History of The Center". The Center on Colfax.
  8. ↑ "The Center on Colfax". Denver Pride.
  9. ↑ "COLORADO AIDS PROJECT RECORDS". Denver Public Library.
  10. ↑ "Colorado Gay and Lesbian news". Brown University Library Catalog.
  11. ↑ "EQUALITY COLORADO RECORDS". Denver Public Library.
  12. 1 2 "Colorado Experience: LGBTQ". Youtube. Rocky Mountain PBS.
  13. ↑ "The Center Advancing LGBT Colorado--Sage of the Rockies". Denver Regional Council of Governments.
  14. ↑ "Colorado LGBTQ History Project". The Center on Colfax.
  15. ↑ Patterson, Denny (September 22, 2021). "The Center on Colfax Celebrates 45 Years". Out Front Magazine.
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