Help Make Once Colorado's 2018 LGBTQ Lobby Day the Best Ever

By Laura "Pinky" Reinsch, Political Director, One Colorado

Last year was the most successful LGBTQ Lobby Day in One Colorado's history – over 350 people attended to speak with their representatives, and we had representation from 34 out of 35 State Senate districts! Together, we worked to bring lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer Coloradans, their families, and allies from all across the state to discuss the issues impacting LGBTQ Coloradans with lawmakers at the State Capitol.

Can you help make sure this year's LGBTQ Lobby Day is our best ever? Chipping in $15, $25, or $40 will help cover the travel costs of Lobby Day participants from every corner of Colorado who otherwise wouldn't be able to attend!

Thank you for standing with us in our efforts to make Colorado a more fair and just state for all Coloradans – especially LGBTQ Coloradans and their families.

Be part of this, and help us make sure everyone who wants to can attend our 2018 LGBTQ Lobby Day on February 26th by giving $15, $25, or $40 today.

Are You Gay With Something To Say? Bloggers Wanted For Denver's Best Gay Blog!

Are you a new or experienced writer or blogger? Do you want to be? Or maybe you're just some gay guy with something to say? Well, what better forum for you than MileHighGayGuy?

MileHighGayGuy is looking for regular and guest bloggers to write about local news and events, do music and movie reviews, or write opinion or feature pieces from a gay perspective.

These are unpaid positions but offer the opportunity to be published in Colorado's Best Gay Blog (2010, 2011, 2012 OUTstanding Awards, Denver 2012 #WebAwards), expand your audience and gain valuable experience. There's also swag available in the form of free movie and concert tickets, music, books and other cool stuff.

If interested, shoot an email over to Drew Wilson at drew@milehighgayguy.com. And if you've got column or story ideas to pitch, this is the place to do it.

Erase The Hate Announces "Change Makers" for Social Impact Campaign's Accelerator Program, Including Denver's Pathos Labs

Erase The Hate, NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment’s social impact campaign recently launched to fight hate and inequality in America, has announced the six nonprofit start-up Change Makers chosen for its inaugural Erase The Hate Accelerator program. The Accelerator, a central component of the overall campaign, is an innovative program that identifies, supports and funds emerging activists – Change Makers – and fast-tracks their ideas toward greater impact. It provides grants; coaching and mentorship from leaders in the field, including the campaign’s Advisory Council members; and skill-based support from the NBCU Cable Entertainment’s Employee Volunteer Corps.

Bonnie Hammer, Chairman of NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, founded Erase the Hate at USA Network more than two decades ago. Now she is leveraging her entire portfolio of top cable networks, studios and digital businesses to amplify Erase The Hate’s mission to encourage a new generation to take action against hate, intolerance and inequality in America. Erase The Hate is proud to partner with the nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, Civic Nation, to help carry out this mission.

Erase The Hate will host the Change Makers in New York City beginning Monday, February 5th, for an Accelerator immersion week with a curriculum custom-built to address the needs of each organization. The week will include workshops focused on strategic planning, rapid prototyping, fundraising and storytelling, as well as featured guest speakers: Brittany Packnett; Nick Fellers, Founder & President of ForImpact; and Chip Heath, Stanford professor and author. Change Makers will also meet with mentors and funding advisors including the members of the Erase The Hate Advisory Council, and be teamed with Erase The Hate Employee Volunteer Corps members, Cable Entertainment employees who have raised their hands to provide ongoing targeted, skill-based support for each Change Maker. The Accelerator immersion is being facilitated by Uncharted, a nonprofit organization that works with entrepreneurs to tackle complex social issues.

“These six groups are tackling the kinds of systemic change it will take to create an America where everyone feels safe from hate and discrimination,” said Brittany Packnett, Vice President of National Alliances at Teach For America and Erase The Hate Advisory Council member. “Supporting these Change Makers will only take their great work to the next level, and hopefully inspire even more Americans to do their part and join this critical movement.”

The six Erase The Hate Accelerator Change Makers are:

Athlete Ally (New York, NY)
Athlete Ally educates and activates athletic communities to eliminate homophobia and transphobia in sports, and to use their platforms to speak out for LGBTQ equality locally and globally. The program was founded by Hudson Taylor, a three-time All-American wrestler at the University of Maryland. Since its founding, Athlete Ally has attracted more than 150 professional and Olympic athletes as Ambassadors of the organization; established student-run Athlete Ally chapters with over 50 colleges and universities; and continues to organize athletes, teams and leagues to advance LGBTQ inclusion within sport and under the law.

The Better Arguments Project (Washington, DC and Boston, MA)
The Better Arguments Project equips Americans to reach across political, cultural and economic divides to have arguments that bring us closer together rather than drive us further apart. The project centers on the simple idea that America doesn’t need fewer arguments, it needs better arguments, encouraging people to understand themselves and each other, ask great questions, and learn how to talk as well as listen. With a special focus on high school students, the program is a collaboration between two non-profits: The Aspen Institute Program on Citizenship and American Identity; and Facing History and Ourselves.
 
Data for Black Lives (Boston, MA)
Data for Black Lives (D4BL) inspires people with expertise in science and tech to put their knowledge to work fighting discrimination and promoting equality. The program, co-founded by Yeshimabeit Milner, Lucas Mason-Brown and Max Clermont, seeks to build a network of “movement scientists” — scientists, engineers, coders and mathematicians committed to using data to create measurable, positive change in the lives of black people.

EmbraceRace (Amherst, MA)
EmbraceRace supports parents, caregivers, educators and other caring adults to raise children who are thoughtful, informed and brave about race. The organization was founded by Melissa Giraud and Andrew Grant-Thomas, whose experience as social justice workers and educators, and as partners and parents to children of color, inspired them to create this community of support and to identify, curate and create the kind of tools they struggled to find for themselves. Through resources, discussions and networks, EmbraceRace aims to foster resilience in children of color and to nurture cross-racial inclusivity and empathy in all children, to raise kids who think critically about race and racialized patterns of inequity, and to support kids and adults to be racial justice advocates for all children.

Equality for HER (Brooklyn, NY)
Equality for HER empowers those who identify as women to combat violence and inequality. The effort was founded by Blair Imani, whose experience as a black, bisexual, Muslim woman inspired her to create a platform for the voices and perspectives of women who don’t fit neatly into traditional identity boxes. By creating resources, lesson plans, toolkits and explainers on key issues facing people who identify as women — from sexual assault and interpersonal violence to gender diversity — Imani hopes to invite more Americans into the conversation, and to chart the path toward a more inclusive world.

Pathos Labs (Denver, CO)
Pathos Labs creates empathy-based virtual reality experiences to challenge assumptions and increase interpersonal understanding. Founder Romain Vak, the son of Iranian and French immigrants, believes that when we engage with those with whom we might not otherwise interact, perspectives and biases begin to change. Building on the success of its previous VR experiences (“Strangers,” and “My Beautiful Home”), Pathos’ upcoming film project, “The Other,” with its accompanying curriculum, seeks to bring viewers face-to-face with those who represent different identities in America.

Denver Zoo Sets All-Time Attendance Record in 2017

Denver Zoo served a record 2,239,114 people in 2017 through Zoo visits and outreach education programs, the highest in the Zoo’s 121-year history. A total of 2,176,016 guests visited the Zoo while 63,098 people participated in the Zoo’s outreach education programs in schools, libraries and community centers throughout Colorado and Wyoming, as well as conservation education programs around the world. A total of 382,446 guests were provided access to the Zoo with free admission.

Much of last year’s success can be attributed to the Zoo opening its new tiger exhibit, The Edge, in March 2017. Located at the southeastern portion of the Zoo, The Edge is home to the Zoo’s three Amur tigers—Nikolai, Nikita and Thimbu—and offers several unique ways for guests to see the tigers closer than they ever have before. In addition, guests enjoyed the popular Dinos! Live at Denver Zoo traveling exhibit that ran July through October 2017. The exhibit, supported by Your Hometown Toyota Stores, featured 21 life-size dinosaurs, 19 of which were animatronic. Dinos! Live at Denver Zoo gave visitors the opportunity to learn about the extinct beings, while comparing them to the living animals who call the Zoo home.

“The 2017 attendance record reinforces the importance of the Denver Zoo in our community,” said Denver Zoo Interim President/CEO Denny O’Malley. “We are very pleased that our guests value the Zoo as an enjoyable place to visit with family and friends to learn about animals and the conservation efforts underway throughout the world to save them. We will continue to explore the most effective ways our Zoo can support the preservation of wild animals and wild spaces, while enhancing our on campus guest experiences.”

Crowds also flocked to see the many new births at the Zoo. Reticulated giraffe, Dobby, made national headlines when his mother surprised the Zoo with her pregnancy just days before delivery in March 2017. With the aid of Zoo staff, Dobby was nursed to health after initially struggling his first few weeks of life. Two male red panda cubs, Lali and Masu, were also popular among fans when they were born in August 2017.

This is the fourth time Denver Zoo has reached more than two million guests. The 2016 attendance number was 2,050,819. In 2015, the attendance number was 2,037,036. Both years were just short of the former record-year (now second-highest attendance) set in 2012, when Toyota Elephant Passage opened and the Zoo served 2,065,410 guests.

Former Bloomberg Reporter Documents Racism in Gay Dating Apps

Hornet teamed up with documentary filmmaker and former Bloomberg and ProPublica reporter Patrick G. Lee to create a video series that explores the experiences of queer men of color (QMOC) on gay apps. By giving voice to QMOC experiences and helping everyone better understand them, perhaps we can create a better, more humane online community that welcomes all of us. Their stories tell of a harrowing and unique experience; one that reveals a dark side to gay dating apps:

 On being Asian on gay dating apps
“Asian men in the West are stereotyped as being effeminate. In gay culture, we’re assumed to be bottoms, to be submissive, to be easy. That translates onto the gay apps too: Sometimes people who message me will get angry if I don’t respond, as if they’re entitled to my time and desire if only because I’m Asian and they’re not.”

On the best way for gay men of color to navigate online spaces
“The best advice a friend gave me was to recognize my own value and affirm myself for who I am: I am loved and I am lovable, and it’s not my duty to educate others when they are being racist or discriminatory. As my friend Nick says in the No Filters video series, “The block function exists for a reason.” Instead of getting caught up in the sometimes-ugly nitty-gritty of chatting on gay apps, I focus on finding and meeting people who are open to seeing me for who I am, and not as some fulfillment of a two-dimensional stereotype-fantasy.”

On the importance of queer people of color’s perspective
“If we don’t see ourselves reflected in the stories being told around us, it’s hard for us to envision our own futures and work toward our liberation. So taking ownership of our experiences and working with fellow queer and trans people of color to tell our stories is a crucial step in building a shared community grounded in self-love and mutual recognition. It’s how we signal to each other — and to younger generations — that we are not alone and that we are worthy of being seen.”

Koelbel Urban Homes: The New Modern in Denver

Koelbel Urban Homes (KUH) has quickly emerged as a leader in creating urban neighborhoods that promote community and synergy by integrating life, work and play.

As the newest division of legendary developer Koelbel and Company, KUH is focused on in-fill properties, designing and building innovative homes tailored to each unique site.

Offered homes run the gamut of detached single-family homes to svelte modern attached designs featuring today's popular spaces, such as rooftop decks and open-plan concepts. All KUH homes, of course, are designed for optimum living and with respect for the surroundings.

2017 Gay Travel Award Winners Revealed

The nominees have rallied and the votes have been tallied - click the link to find out the winners of the 2017 Gay Travel Awards.

Denver Named One of 2018's Best Places for Valentine's Day

Source: WalletHub

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner and America’s sweethearts planning to spend an average of $143.56 each on the occasion, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2018's Best Places for Valentine’s Day along with interesting stats about the holiday in its Valentine’s Day Facts infographic.

To determine the most romantic yet affordable cities for celebrating the Day of Hearts, WalletHub compared 100 of the largest U.S. cities across 23 key metrics, ranging from florists per capita to forecasted precipitation to cost of a three-course meal for two.
 

Top 20 Places for Celebrating Valentine’s Day
1	San Francisco, CA		11	Austin, TX
2	San Diego, CA		12	Scottsdale, AZ
3	Las Vegas, NV		13	Denver, CO
4	Orlando, FL		14	Washington, DC
5	Chicago, IL		15	San Antonio, TX
6	New York, NY		16	San Jose, CA
7	Portland, OR		17	Minneapolis, MN
8	Seattle, WA		18	Atlanta, GA
9	Honolulu, HI		19	Phoenix, AZ
10	Los Angeles, CA		20	Houston, TX

Nice To See StevieB: Trapped in a Tiny Chair

By StevieBYesterday was the first day of class. I am pretty excited for this chapter of my eduction. I can now just choose the classes I want; meaning, I am only sitting in classes that I have an exceedingly high level of interested. First up is a class devoted to the Thirty Years War. One of my my favorite chapters of history. That time-frame in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648 when the Holy Roman Emperor (who was not holy, not Roman, nor an Emperor) Ferdinand II of Bohemia was crowned Holy Douchebag I by kicking some Protestants in the balls. This led Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden to be credited with starting that hair cut that every gay male has today. So, another reason we owe a debt to Swedish trendsetters.

The Professor of this class has stated he will stay away of the popular stories of 1600s and 1700s. Because If I have to hear one more lecture of the Restoration of the English Monarchy, I may puke. I kid, I kid. A bit. This class should be all French/Dutchiness.

The other class is Modern Philosophy. Which I thought was gonna be all Ayn Rand and debating Quasi-Realism to prove that I don't exist. But no Atlas Shrugging for me. Nope. Starting out we will be finding out that we think, therefore we...be. Sorry, René Descartes. It's fine, but your haircut bothers me. Seriously who wears bangs?? Outside of Zooey Deschanel. Both of these classes are in the older buildings on campus which means the class rooms are small and they sport those desks attached to chairs. This makes me feel like a circus bear stuck on a bicycle. I cram my large frame into the tiny chair and attempt to blend in with the muggle-sized co-students. This is a small price to pay however, to learn of Swedish war victories.

A Path to Victory in 2018 — HRC and the Power of the Equality Voter

Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, released a new report, A Path To Victory In 2018: The Power Of The Equality Voter, on the growing political power of the LGBTQ movement and HRC’s groundbreaking work to mobilize millions of “Equality Voters” in the 2018 elections.

Last July, a year after HRC significantly expanded its grassroots engagement and proved that LGBTQ voters are one of the most important and effective voting blocs in the nation, HRC launched HRC Rising — a bold, proactive grassroots campaign to accelerate progress in states from coast-to-coast, resist the politics of hate, fight anti-LGBTQ legislation, and fuel pro-equality candidates and initiatives in 2018, 2020, and beyond. As the largest and earliest grassroots expansion in the organization’s 38-year history, HRC has made an especially strong, early push to organize against the Trump-Pence agenda and turn out the millions of equality voters in Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

“It is clear that LGBTQ voters — and their allies — are one of the most reliable and highly-engaged voting blocs in the United States,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “From North Carolina to Virginia to Alabama to a wave of historic victories for transgender candidates across the nation this past fall, equality voters are making their voices heard at the ballot box. These victories are a model for our battles nationwide. And in 2018, HRC is mobilizing like never before to pull the emergency brake on the Trump-Pence administration’s hate-fueled agenda and send a loud and clear message that if you come for our community, we’re coming for you on Election Day.”

HRC has pioneered new tools to target millions of “Equality Voters” in key districts and states. Partnering with the data and analytics firm Catalist to create an “Equality Voter Model,” HRC built on decades of voter and polling data to assess the degree to which a person is likely to support pro-LGBTQ policies -- from marriage equality and adoption by LGBTQ parents, to laws that would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. During the 2016 election, HRC refined the model, allowing for direct outreach to millions of equality voters in crucial battleground states, moving them to action in support of pro-equality issues and legislation, as well as our endorsed candidates.

As part of the HRC Rising initiative, national and in-state staff and volunteers will be using this model to replicate recent victories, and are working in coalition with local partners to bolster efforts to advance equality, defend the LGBTQ community against attacks, deliver wins for pro-equality candidates this year, and lay the groundwork for future legislative victories.

Despite the challenges of 2016, the cycle demonstrated the immense power of LGBTQ voters and allies. In North Carolina and elsewhere across the nation, equality voters stood up in large numbers. In a watershed moment for the LGBTQ community, North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory was the only incumbent governor of either party to lose re-election and the only incumbent governor to lose re-election in North Carolina’s history — in large part due to his discriminatory, anti-LGBTQ HB2 law. The power of Equality Voters was also made crystal clear in 2017 when a wave of pro-equality and openly LGBTQ candidates were elected in states across the country. In Alabama, HRC-endorsed candidate Doug Jones claimed a historic victory over his opponent — the notoriously anti-LGBTQ politician Roy Moore. In Virginia, voters sent a resounding message rejecting the politics of hate and fear by electing pro-equality candidates up and down the ballot.

DNC on Anti-Transgender RNC Resolution

Today, the Republican National Committee at their Winter Meeting, approved a resolution calling a transgender individual “a disqualifying psychological and physical” condition and Trump’s decision to ban transgender individuals from joining the military a policy “intent and prerogative to strengthen our military with sound personnel policies.” 

In response, DNC ­­­LGBTQ Media Director Lucas Acosta released the following statement: 

“Over the last month alone, the Trump-Pence administration has rolled back significant protections for the LGBTQ community, ripped apart families, and allowed health care workers to discriminate access to medical care. Today, the RNC decided to go even further and pass a hateful resolution, which only serves to subvert and further demean hardworking men and women who want to serve their country in the most honorable way they can. The RNC has proven they are more than willing to deny basic rights to LGBTQ Americans all while accepting money from an accused sexual predator and funneling money to an alleged child molester.

“Every American deserves respect and Democrats will not rest until every American is given the opportunity, respect, and rights they deserve under the Constitution.”

Prominent Turkish LGBTIQ Activist Arrested in His Home in Ankara

On Friday morning, Ali Erol, a prominent Turkish human rights activist and a founder of Kaos GL Association, Turkey’s first registered LGBT organization, was arrested and detained in a home he shares with his partner.

Clear indications of the purpose of his arrest are yet unknown, though Kaos GL has reported that Erol’s social media posts were included in the authorities’ detention warrant.

Turkey does not criminalize homosexuality, however discrimination against LGBTIQ people, including arbitrary arrests and targeting by authorities, is rampant and on the rise.

Jessica Stern, OutRight Action International Executive Director, commented on the arrest, saying, “OutRight calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Turkish LGBTIQ human rights activist Ali Erol. He is an unjust casualty of an increasingly authoritarian government attacking democracy and curtailing the rights of Turkish citizens exercising their rights to expression and assembly. The persecution of LGBTIQ, and all, Turkish human rights defenders needs to stop now.’

In November 2017, the governor of Ankara banned all LGBTI related events in the Turkish capital, citing that such events could spur public animosity from other groups and the need to maintain safety and security. While Kaos GL as well as another Ankara based LGBTI group has challenged the ban citing unconstitutionality, it remains in place indefinitely.

Istanbul Pride events have been banned by the city’s governor for the past three years, with Pride marchers, who went forth with the celebrations despite the ban, being met with arrests and rubber bullets.

Since a failed military coup attempt in July 2016, dissenters, opposition leaders, human rights activists, and journalists have been heavily persecuted and arrested. With reports of the arrests of over 50,000 people.

Current President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s authoritarian rule is one that also seeks to impose a more conservative interpretation of Islam onto the population.

Yildiz Tar, Media and Communications Coordinator for Kaos GL, commented, “Us having such little information about the detention of a prominent figure of the LGBTI movement and founder of Kaos GL is unlawful and worrying.

If you recall, Ankara Governorship banned LGBTI events for an indefinite period in November. This detention is an intervention in both freedom of expression and LGBTI rights. We hope this mistake will be corrected.”

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Do you want to advertise to Denver’s gay community? Of course you do, it’s the 7th largest in the United States! And the best way to reach them is with MileHighGayGuy – Colorado’s Best Gay Blog.
 
Just click the Advertising page or email sales@milehighgayguy.com to get started today.

Denver Limo, Inc.: The Hottest Limos In Colorado Now at the Lowest Prices of the Year!

Denver Limo, Inc. is the leader in ground transportation in Denver, Colorado. Providing limousine service in Colorado for over 17 years, Denver Limo, Inc. has the hottest limousines, SUV limos, and Party Buses in the state - and they're currently available at the lowest prices of the year! 

Ten Ways To Experience & Celebrate Rural Colorado This Summer

Tucked in the smaller towns in all corners of the state is where travelers will find some of their most authentic Colorado experiences: elevated western hospitality; farmers and producers supporting a superior local fine-dining and culinary experience; small town arts and culture with urban sensibility; a growing outdoor recreation scene of world-class outfitters and sporting events. Plus, Colorado’s small towns offer unique places to sleep, with new and unexpected lodging offerings, farm stays and ranch packages rounding out a visit.

 

After the jump are ten travel experiences set to connect travelers with some of rural Colorado’s best flavors, farmers, tours and road trips, historical landmarks, festivals, markets, outdoor adventures and natural wonders for summer 2018.