One Colorado: A Colorado committee just took two anti-LGBTQ votes

By Daniel Ramos, Executive Director, One Colorado

Republicans on the Colorado Senate State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee JUST took two anti-LGBTQ votes.

The first was a 3-2 vote to defeat the bill to ban conversion therapy (the fourth year this committee has voted to kill this bill) and the second was a 3-2 vote to pass a bill that will legalize discrimination against LGBTQ Coloradans in the areas of adoption and foster care. This second bill could actually pass the State Senate in the coming days. Will you fight back today and send your state senator an email telling them to vote no on Senate Bill 241?

CLICK HERE to tell your state senator to make sure every child in Colorado has a loving home by opposing Senate Bill 241.

Not only does this bill allow discrimination, it endangers children. It would supersede laws that protect kids and would open the door to a wide range of physical, emotional and psychological child abuse, as long as that abuse does not “imminently and seriously endanger a minor’s physical health,” and as long as the parents claimed it was based on religious beliefs or moral convictions.

You can help make sure this harmful piece of anti-LGBTQ legislation does not pass by telling your lawmaker to vote NO on this bill.

There are more than 6,600 kids currently in Colorado’s child welfare system – and this legislation will make it harder for those kids to find permanent, loving homes.

Adoption agencies shouldn’t deny loving, stable, forever homes to children in foster or government care just because the prospective parents are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) or don’t otherwise share the agency’s religious views.

RiNo kickstarts parking and mobility study

The RiNo Business Improvement District (RiNo BID)—in partnership with the City of Denver Public Works Department and the North Denver Cornerstone Collaborative (NDCC)—announces the launch of a parking and mobility study to help establish a framework through which the district can strategically and creatively manage access and mobility in and around the area. The RiNo Art District is a unique location in Denver, where a predominantly industrial land use character has shifted into more active uses and higher parking demand. Amid this land use change, the RiNo area’s parking, mobility and access challenges are becoming more apparent. To stay ahead of these access challenges and continue to support the activities and existing residents in the area, the RiNo BID introduces its study “RiNo MAPS” (RiNo Mobility and Parking Study) to begin immediately.

The study will first conduct an analysis of existing conditions and future demand and then provide innovative, forward-thinking, and creative solutions and strategies that have been successful in urban centers around the world to address the ways that people need to and want to move around RiNo today and in the years to come. “RiNo has consistently positioned itself as the district in the City of Denver in which new ideas are welcomed and piloted,” states Jamie Licko, RiNo BID President. “We seek the same mentality in exploring how best to advocate for improved access and safe mobility for RiNo and the surrounding neighborhoods while planning for a future in which transportation as we know it will change. RiNo desires to be a pedestrian, bicycle, and transit-friendly neighborhood that decreases the reliance on vehicular travel.”

“This is an opportunity to ensure the streets in River North work for people,” states Justin Croft, RiNo BID Board Chair. “Our streets should be places and not just thoroughfares, where bicyclists and pedestrians are welcome and safe as they traverse the district, interacting with each other and the diverse businesses that call RiNo home. We’ll also focus on highly efficient parking that can be flexible over time as mode-share changes.”

Nelson\Nygaard will direct the study for the RiNo BID and is expected to complete its work in August 2018. “RiNo is a creative district, and we expect creative solutions to come from this study,” notes Lauren Mattern, Project Manager for Nelson\Nygaard. “This is a period of rapid change for the area, an area requiring community-oriented access improvements, and it is also an era of shifting American generational attitudes about car ownership, city life, and mobility technology. The unique challenges in the district call for piloting innovative parking, accessibility, and mobility solutions that work for the distinct residential and business communities within the district.”

Print all In new window Edmund White & Roxane Gay to be Honored at 30th Lambda Awards

Lambda Literary, the nation's oldest and largest literary arts organization advancing LGBTQ literature, is pleased to announce that Edmund White (pictured) will receive Lambda's Visionary Award and Roxane Gay will receive the Trustee Award at the 30^th Annual Lambda Literary Awards ("Lammys").

White and Gay will be honored along with the winning authors of 23 separate LGBTQ literary categories determined by over 65 judges. The Lammys bring together over 500 attendees, sponsors, and celebrities to celebrate excellence in LGBTQ publishing, making it the most glamorous and prestigious LGBTQ literary event in the world.

The awards will be hosted by Kate Clinton on Monday, June 4 in New York City at the NYU Skirball Center for Performing Arts (566 LaGuardia Place, New York, NY 10012). The red carpet and exclusive VIP cocktail reception will begin at 5:30 pm, followed by the ceremony at 7:00 pm. An after-party at Le Poisson Rouge (158 Bleecker Street, New York, NY 10012) will immediately follow the ceremony.

"The contributions of this year's special honorees, Edmund White and Roxane Gay, have inspired readers and writers around the world," said Tony Valenzuela, Executive Director. "We are privileged to celebrate their tremendous contributions at this year's Lammy Awards."

Alan Cumming to introduce Edmund White for the Visionary Award

Edmund White, the honoree of the Visionary Award, is the author of some twenty-five books including Genet: A Biography, for which he won the National Book Critics Circle Award. He is also the author of a groundbreaking trilogy of autobiographical novels-A Boy's Own Story, The Beautiful Room is Empty, and The Farewell Symphony. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and an officer in the French Order of Arts and Letters, as well as a winner of the France-Amériques award and of the Mondello prize in Sicily. In 2018 he received the PEN/Saul Bellow Award for Achievement in American Fiction. White will be introduced by Tony award-winning actor, Alan Cumming, who currently stars on CBS's Instinct.

Rebecca Solnit to introduce Roxane Gay for Lambda Literary's Trustee Award

Roxane Gay, the honoree of the Trustee Award, is a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times. She is the author of the books Ayiti, An Untamed State, the New York Times bestselling Bad Feminist, the nationally bestselling Difficult Women and the New York Times bestselling Hunger. Difficult Women and Hunger are both 2018 Lambda Literary Award nominees. She is also the author of World of Wakanda for Marvel. She has several books forthcoming and is also at work on television and film projects. In 2018 she won a Guggenheim Fellowship. Gay will be introduced by deeply influential feminist author Rebecca Solnit.

Confirmed Lambda Literary Awards Presenters (in alphabetical order):

Alison Bechdel (MacArthur Fellow and award-winning author of Fun Home), Nicole Dennis-Benn (author of Lammy winner Here Comes the Sun) Nancy Bereano (founder and publisher of Firebrand Books), Kate Bornstein (author of Gender Outlaw and celebrated performance artist), Katherine Forrest (author of legendary Kate Delafield series), Rigoberto Gonzalez (Guggenheim and NEA Fellow, author and poet), Michael Nava (author of legendary Henry Rios mystery series), Tommy "Teebs" Pico (poet and author of Junk), Pamela Sneed (poet and author of Imagine Being More Afraid of Freedom Than Slavery and KONG), Alok Vaid-Menon (gender non-conforming writer and performance artist), Carmelita Tropicana (Obie-winning performance artists), and Paula Vogel (Pulitzer Prize winning playwright for How I Learned to Drive).

 

Additional celebrity presenters will be announced in May.

LEGENDARY HIV ACTIVIST LARRY KRAMER TO SPEAK AT 2018 U.S. CONFERENCE ON AIDS

NMAC has announced that legendary HIV activist and writer Larry Kramer will speak at the United States Conference on AIDS (USCA) on Sept. 7, 2018, in Orlando, FL. USCA will run from Sept. 7-10.

“Larry is not just a legend but almost a mythical figure in the HIV community,” said Paul Kawata, NMAC’s Executive Director. “He was intimately involved in the first responses to the HIV epidemic in the 1980s, from the founding of Gay Men’s Health Crisis and ACT-UP to his writing of The Normal Heart, Larry was unafraid to speak the truth, no matter the consequences. Those who survived the early days of the epidemic and all those currently living with HIV who are thriving owe a debt of gratitude to Larry. We are honored to have him address the USCA and remind us of the continued need for HIV activism.”

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.

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! 

Gay Help Wanted: Book Reviewers for MileHighGayGuy

Hey book lovers, I'm getting more books for review than I can handle. If you're interested in doing occasional book reviews, email me at editor@milehighgayguy.com. You won't get paid but you will get plenty of free, gay-themed books.

Rhein Haus: Serving Up Weiners Und Balls in Downtown Denver

Rhein Haus is a gay-owned, two-story, 14,000 square-foot Bavarian-inspired restaurant in Downtown Denver with house made sausages, pretzels, and other authentic eats, 24 German and local drafts, Bavarian-inspired cocktail list, and four indoor bocce courts.

Nice To See StevieB: The First Mother

By StevieB

It is tough having your Mother pass-away on the same day as Barbara Bush.

All media sources seem to have prepopulated new stories about how the life of this wife and mother impacted the country. A loving mother raising children who changed the world. A supportive wife, who stood by her husband for seventy-three years. All these tributes to the former first lady portray her as a throwback to an earlier and almost genteel era of America. This silver-haired matriarch of a political dynasty. Barbara Bush Who used her rule to enrich the family and country she served.

Yet, as the warm glow softens the loss felt by the passing of such an impactful mothering presence; you begin to question this loyalty to memory. Was she not the lady that ripped her red AIDS ribbon from her blouse before joining her husband on the podium at the Republican National Convention? Agreeing, that yes “Barbara Bush was a generous and smart and amazing racist who, along with her husband, raised a war criminal.”*

As the people around me are speaking of the life and legacy of a woman who brought safety, warmth, and enrichment into their lives. I struggle to not think of the warmongering. I search my mind for any time that is not a war on terror. When my Christian name was not replaced with "that Dirty Democrat." When handing over the book, "Loving Someone Gay" it is tossed into the trash. How do you remember a dedicated racist? A person who used racism as an artist uses paint upon a canvas. The art of racism instilled so deeply in her children, it would take years of new coursework to learn tolerance and compassion?

I can almost accept that she was a throwback to an earlier and almost genteel era of America. But, it is also the time when the "N" word was used with joyous passion. I can accept the warm and nostalgic retelling of a life in which the person weaving the narrative had a much different experience to mine. They must have never experienced the warmongering. The removal of the red ribbon. Or, simply, they have and are better at understanding that when an individual dies, you only speak of the good things.

So, rest in peace. Your legacy is secure.

* Randa Jarrar

Do You Want To Reach Denver's Gay Community? Advertise With Denver's Best Gay Blog!

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.
 
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After Forever, the Story of a Gay Couple That Have It All. Or Do They?

After Forever, premiering tomorrow on Amazon, is a unique, romantic, touching, funny and heartbreaking new short-form internet series that tells the story of Brian and Jason, a 50'ish New York City gay couple that have it all - until they don't.

The series stars Emmy-nominated Kevin Spirtas as Brian and Mitchell Anderson as Jason. Perfect for binge-watching, the episodes average 11 minutes each, allowing you to finish the entire season in 90 minutes.

Alexander Foundation's Spring Fling this Friday!

The 2018 Spring Fling - the Alexander Foundtion's biggest fundraiser - is this Friday. Socialize at the exclusive William D. Barrow mansion at the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association and support the Foundation's worthy causes. Purchase your tickets using promo code VROOM to get $5 off your ticket that includes complimentary cocktails, heavy hors d’oeuvres, an exciting silent auction and a brief program recognizing our scholarship recipients.

Benjamin Gibbard Performs 'And I Love Him' on Conan

 

Benjamin Gibbard performed "And I Love Him" recently on Conan. The song is from the new album UNIVERSAL LOVE, a collection of reimagined wedding songs for the LGBTQ community, celebrating the enduring and overwhelming power of love and music to unite.

The album includes boundary-changing songs from some of today’s most-beloved artists. Bob Dylan, one of the most influential and successful recording artists in American history, is among the visionary artists participating in this unprecedented project. Dylan re-recorded “She’s Funny That Way” as “He’s Funny That Way.” The album features five additional stellar artists whose involvement is a testament to the urgency of equality in entertainment: Kesha (“I Need a Woman to Love Me”), St. Vincent (“And Then She Kissed Me”), Benjamin Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie (“And I Love Him”), Kele Okereke of Bloc Party (“My Guy”), and Valerie June (“Mad About The Girl”).

Tell the Colorado senate committee to ban conversion therapy today!

By Laura “Pinky” Reinsch, Political Director, One Colorado

Today, a committee in the Colorado Senate will be voting on a bill that will protect LGBTQ young people from so-called "conversion therapy” — a dangerous and discredited practice that falsely claims to change their sexual orientation or gender identity. Colorado Senate leadership has chosen to send the bill to the “kill committee” instead of giving this bill a fair hearing. For the fourth year in a row, Senate leadership has chosen politics over banning this harmful practice.

CLICK HERE to tell the committee to protect LGBTQ youth and support this ban.

All the nation’s leading medical and mental health organizations have come out against these practices — which include the use of shame, verbal abuse, and even aversion techniques like electric shocks. These practices pose serious health risks, including depression, guilt, helplessness, hopelessness, social withdrawal, and even suicide.

You can help end these practices in our state by telling our lawmakers that you want them to protect young LGBTQ people by supporting this bill.

We know Vice President Pence supports funding groups that practice conversion therapy. It's time for Colorado to send a message that we support LGBTQ young people and don't want this happening in our state.

We can’t turn our backs on young people and allow one more young person to be targeted and hurt by these dangerous and discredited practices.

Do You Want To Reach Denver's Gay Community? Advertise With Denver's Best Gay Blog!

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.