One Colorado: January 13

The day has finally arrived… our last day working with One Colorado. I can’t believe the trip is actually over. Going on this trip was hands down one of the best decisions I’ve made in my time at KU.

I’m going to quickly sum up what we did today so I can get to my conclusion (which I already typed and know is ridiculously long. So I’m sorry to anyone who wanted to read this quickly….) We met with Shannon and some of us did data entry, button making, and other office tasks. Audrie and I reorganized the office for Jess because, let’s be honest, things were a bit chaotic. We grabbed lunch at our fave coffee shop and then went back to the office to work with Daniel again. We got to talk to him a lot and really get to know how he got involved and the work he’s doing. He was really young and cool which was neat because he shared a lot of his college experiences and post grad work from the last year. Then we called Colorado Public School districts to request an update of their anti-bullying, anti-harassment, and anti-discrimination policies to make sure they were compliant with the states inclusive requirements and that LGBT students have schools that are working to protect them. It was fun because I got to tell one secretary that she had to tell us the policy or we’d file an open records request and I felt really sassy and awesome. Anyways, on to the serious stuff…

At the end of the day Shannon had us sit down and complete one of the exercises we did on the first day of the trip: write down one thing we learned, felt, and will do. She also added another category: what was the most difficult or challenging thing we did on this trip?

I learned: more than I ever expected. I have followed the obstacles and victories within the LGBT community since I was in high school and always passionately shared my opinions with anyone who will listen; however, I had no idea how many branches there were within the movement for social justice. We had discussions and volunteer opportunities to combat oppression within schools, the religious community, day-to-day interaction, and of course—our legal system. I learned about obstacles that children face with bullying, that couples face with adoption, that partners face when they want to purchase a home, that a man faces in church, and SO, SO many more. At the civil unions rally, one woman shared a story with me about her sister. Her sister has a partner from Belgium. Even though her sister and her partner have been in a relationship for years, they can’t live in the United States because her sister doesn’t have the legal rights as a “spouse” to bring her partner here. This lack of equal legal rights means that these two sisters, who are in their seventies and want to spend time together, are forced to live thousands of miles apart. We learned that issues overlap—which is why One Colorado has expanded their allies to include Immigrant Rights groups and other communities to create a larger and stronger base in the fight for equality.

I felt: sad, angry, inspired, motivated, and empowered.

I will: learn more about the Kansas legislator and who my representatives are. I have returned with so many tools that I can use to educate myself and try to make a change at a local level. I want to learn about the politics in my state and what protections exist within different institutions for sexual orientation and gender identity and what I can do to expand these rights so that everyone has the same legal protections and is treated equally.

Finally, what was most challenging? I actually went back to the first day for this question. I chose this break because I wanted to learn how to have educated conversations with others about the LGBT community. I wanted to learn the facts, what language to use, what responses to criticisms were effective, and most importantly—I wanted to learn where my place was in the community as a straight ally. Is it important to say that I’m a straight ally when I don’t believe that it should be necessary to declare what your sexual orientation is? It’s my belief that every person regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation is equal and that who you love isn’t something that needs to be justified—it just is the way it is. Unfortunately, our society isn’t there yet. The LGBT community does need straight allies to vocalize their support and be a strong presence in order to see a change on not only the legal level, but also in everyday interactions and situations. I was nervous coming on the trip, even though I knew the beliefs I had, because I didn’t know where I fit in and how to effectively communicate ALL of the reasons why I support the LGBT community when I am not necessarily a member of it. I know that I’ve left with a better understanding of myself, of my beliefs, and of how to talk about those beliefs with others. In a way, I think I’m less careful now about what I say because I finally know what I want to be saying.

I honestly wouldn’t change a thing about this week. My group was incredible. We talked about so many different issues, stayed up later than we should laughing (I almost didn’t include this since it’s THAT cheesy, but hey, it’s true), and really got to know each other and why we were on this trip. I am so excited to follow this bill through the Colorado legislator and I will be cheering One Colorado on the whole way!

(Also, thank god everyone loved coffee or we may have had a problem.)

-Anna Hurst