Citizen activists converge to champion change on LGBT Lobby Day

Hundreds of enthusiastic LGBT advocates from all four corners of Colorado converged in Denver Feb. 4 for One Colorado’s 2013 Lobby Day, urging their lawmakers to support bills that they and One Colorado support.

Close to 250 people congregated in Downtown Denver’s Central Presbyterian Church — headquarters for the day’s event.

“It’s is a chance for LGBT Coloradans and allies to come together and learn about legislation that impacts our community,” said Jace Woodrum, One Colorado’s Deputy Director.

The day began with speeches from six of Colorado’s eight openly gay state lawmakers speaking to the crowd – House Speaker Mark Ferrandino, Sen. Pat Steadman, Sen. Jessie Ulibarri, Rep. Joann Ginal, Rep. Paul Rosenthal and Rep. Dominick Moreno.

“We’re going to see civil unions get through the House this year thanks to the work you did,” Speaker Ferrandino told the crowd, receiving the loudest applause when he added, “it was great opening up the session, getting the gavel from Speaker McNulty and making sure he introduced the Gay Men’s Choir who sang on opening day.”

John Ferguson, a Denver resident since 1983, was there hoping to talk to his legislators about civil unions, equal employment protections and Colorado’s Medicaid expansion that Governor Hickenlooper announced the state would adopt in participation with federal healthcare reform.

“I use to knock on doors with Ferrandino,” Ferguson said.

Wearing t-shirts and buttons that read “One Love, One Dream: Equality,” participants packed the Capitol steps for a morning photo op, later spilling out into the noisy hallways outside Senate and House chambers to talk to their representatives about their key issues.

The most prescient item was, of course, the Colorado Civil Union Act, which has died in partisan turmoil for the last two years in the row but is promised to pass this year now that Democrats who support it control both chambers of the legislature. The bill has made it through several committees and arrived for a vote by the whole Senate, and will soon move on to be taken up in the House.

“We do have considerable support at the Capitol, and a pro-equality majority,” Woodrum said. “But what we really have to be vigilant about is these amendments that keep being suggested, amendments that would harm the bill considerably. We think it’s important to gather supporters of civil unions, go to the Capitol, and talk to our elected officials about passing the bill in its current form.”

Lobby Day participants also focused on another controversial bill that has failed in past legislative sessions: ASSET — Advancing Students for a Stronger Economy Tomorrow, a bill that would lower tuition rates for undocumented immigrants who grew up in the state, and currently have to pay out-of-state rates in Colorado colleges and universities.

“The law would allow undocumented students to gain access to affordable higher education,” Woodrum said. According to ASSET’s website, Colorado ranks 32nd in sending high school graduates to college and proponents suggest the bill could increase that by making higher education more accessible to more people. If passed, ASSET would make Colorado the fourteenth state to grant in-state tuition to undocumented students.

The Job Protection and Civil Rights Enforcement Act was also lobbied by participants.

“It is a law that would update our anti-discrimination laws to provide workers in Colorado with the same chance to earn a living, be safe in their workplace, and allow them remedies if they are discriminated against,” Woodrum said.

One Colorado also urged participants in LGBT lobby day to advocate House Bill 1088, which Woodrum described as modifying the work of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Office of Health Disparities to improve health equity for facing health disparities. It would also re-name the state’s Office of Health Disparities, changing it to the Office of Health Equity, and consolidate several state research committees into a single equity commission that would explore expanded protections for people with disabilities, working and poor communities and the LGBT community.

Finally, participants urged their lawmakers to support the recent Medicaid expansion, which will provide healthcare coverage to more than 160,000 Coloradans who live at or below 133 percent of the federal poverty level.

“Access to affordable, quality care for LGBT Coloradans is an issue,” Woodrum said. “Expanding Medicaid eligibility is one thing we can do to improve access to health coverage.”

Helen Bowman came all the way from Grand Junction to speak with Rep. Ray Scott, a Grand Junction Republican.

“We sat with him for 15 to 20 minutes in his office,” Bowman said, adding that the representative wouldn’t even shake her hand in previous Lobby Days. “He told us he’s a big supporter of designated beneficiaries, but doesn’t support civil unions,” Bowman said.

Though Bowman said Rep. Scott told her he will vote against civil unions, she said she appreciated that her representative took the time to listen to his constituents.

“I think it’s important that we, as a community, not take anything for granted,” Woodrum said. “Certainly we have many, many supportive legislators under the dome this year, including an historic eight openly LGBT legislators. But we can’t rest on our laurels. We’ve got to make sure that we’re letting our voices be heard.”

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