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| Shannon Masden, the Organizing Director of One Colorado, is pictured at the far right. The other two ladies in the picture are Alternative Breaks participants Anna and Sacha. |
After a tune-filled trek across the state of Kansas,
followed by an eventful day of exploring the sights and sounds of downtown
Denver, it was time to get down to business. We spent the day in the company of
Shannon Masden, the Organizing Director of One Colorado, for what was, in
essence, a day of education for our group. We began with introductions, focusing
on our personal reasons for volunteering with an organization that advocates
for LGBT equality. Shannon continued our discussion by giving us an overview of
One Colorado. She explained that One Colorado is an umbrella organization that
advocates for LGBT equality across the state. Within this umbrella organization
are three distinct nonprofit units that function both independently, as well in
conjunction with one another. These three units are as follows: 501c3, 501c4,
and a Political Action Committee (PAC). Each of these three separate
organizations comes with different strings and limitations attached. For
example, funds that are allocated towards the 501c3 can be used to discuss
broad issues, but cannot be used to support a specific candidate or bill. However,
funding allocated towards the 501c4 can be used for the lobbying of specific bills
and legislation. Furthermore, funds given to the PAC can be used to support specific
legislative candidates endorsed by One Colorado. The inclusion of all three
organizations is meant to give One Colorado greater freedom and flexibility to advocate
as they see fit. Shannon next discussed the history of her organization, which began
approximately two years ago. One of the first tasks accomplished during the early
days of One Colorado was the administration of a state wide survey of LGBT
individuals. The original goal was to collect information from approximately
one thousand participants. However, One Colorado was able to amass an
astounding total of 4,600 responses. Shannon stressed the importance of
gathering data from across the state, due to the fact that Colorado is both culturally
and climatically different on either side of the Rocky Mountains. Therefore, a
state wide survey was vital for understanding the needs and opinions of all
LGBT Coloradans. The results of this survey were incredibly interesting and
complex. For example, the inclusion of race or nationality dramatically influenced
the opinions and needs of LGBT Coloradans, as LGBT Coloradans of color were heavily
concerned about racism within their communities, while Caucasian LGBT Coloradans
were not. Shannon explained that this particular result ultimately reflects the
complex and multifaceted nature of identity. The results of this survey were
ultimately used to determine the four main focus areas of One Colorado, which
are as follows: Relationship Recognition, Health, Safe Schools, and
Inclusivity. Shannon explained to us that research has determined three distinct
steps that ultimately lead towards the creation of safe schools for LGBT youth.
These three steps include teacher training, the creation of inclusive policies,
and the establishment of Gay Straight Alliances, all of which are supported and
conducted by employees of One Colorado. We next discussed the goal of relationship
recognition at length, which involved an incredibly interesting and in-depth
discussion of politics. One Colorado, as well as all LGBT Coloradans and
allies, are currently focusing their efforts on a bill that would legalize
same-sex civil unions in the state of Colorado. In 2006, Colorado passed a Constitutional
ban of same sex marriage, ultimately amending the state constitution to define marriage
as being between one man and one woman. Additionally, Shannon explained that
the language used in many Colorado laws covering partner benefits and protections
are limited to words like “spouse”. This specific language, as well as the constitutional
ban of same sex marriage, has greatly limited the rights and privileges of same
sex couples in the state of Colorado. Therefore, the bill currently supported
by One Colorado would legalize same-sex civil unions, and would also add “and
party to a civil union” to every law that uses words similar to spouse when
discussing issues such as end of life decisions for one’s partner. Shannon next
led an interesting discussion on the nature of civil unions versus marriage. For
example, we discussed the fact that marriage is culturally associated with religion.
Additionally, Shannon took this time to discuss the discrepancies and
disagreements within the LGBT community, as some LGBT individuals wish to
strongly advocate for marriage, some for civil unions, and some for other
issues such as homelessness amongst LGBT youth. Shannon continued our
discussion by explaining the processes involved in changing or passing laws. For
example, she discussed the fact that some bills are introduced by legislators,
while others are put forth by the citizens of Colorado themselves. The pieces
of legislation proposed by Colorado citizens themselves are often meant to change
or slightly alter the state’s constitution. An interesting component of this political
and legislative discussion was the topic of political strategy, which included
when to use certain types of legislative or legal action. For example, Shannon
mentioned Proposition 8 in the state of California, which essentially defined marriage
as being between one man and one woman in the state of California. This
proposition was eventually passed. However, LGBT individuals and allies in
California are currently in the process of suing, based on the grounds that the
ban on same sex marriage is unconstitutional. Shannon noted that the process of
taking this issue to the courts would work well in California, as their courts
are all rather liberal. However, Shannon also mentioned that this same legal
action would not work well at all in Colorado, as it is home to more
conservative courts. After our in-depth discussion of the political system, we
ended our day with a discussion of oppression and identity. These discussions involved
creative activities that allowed us to conceptualize and interact with these often
complex topics. Throughout our discussion of oppression, we focused heavily on various
“-isms”, such as sexism and ageism. This discussion was meant to give us a
better understanding of the world and culture that we find ourselves in, as
well as to give us the tools and knowledge to effectively discuss and visualize
change. All in all, today was an incredibly eye opening and often emotional day
of discussion and learning, all of which was conducted in an effort to fully
prepare us for the work and activism that awaits us throughout the remainder of
this week.
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