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One Colorado director Brad Clark opens up in interview with Out Front Colorado

One Colorado director Brad Clark opens up in interview with Out Front Colorado

When news broke a year ago that One Colorado, the mysterious new LGBT advocacy organization had hired Brad Clark – a shy political genius from Iowa – as its executive director, Coloradans had no idea what to expect. His reputation was solid. But how would Clark and the new statewide organization fit into – and work with – the already robust, but splintered community? Was this a hostile takeover, or a move toward corporation?

 

A year later, we have our answer: despite a few hiccups, One Colorado and Clark have brought stakeholders to the table, given a voice to the voiceless and led the first organized fight for same-sex relationship recognition since 2006. In an hour long interview with Out Front Colorado, Clark discusses what drives him, Ken Buck and “Anus Grandma.”

 

It’s been a year. How do you feel?
I feel wonderful.

 

I know you’re a man of few words…
(Laughter) I think it’s been a journey full of excitement and challenges. There’s a lot of energy all around the state that really inspires me. Personally, it’s been a great move. A new professional challenge, meeting new friends, meeting new people. Hearing different stories.

 

What’s been the biggest challenge for you?
I think a consistent challenge for me – throughout my life – has been I’m a fairly reserved and shy person. And given that, within politics, it’s always a challenge.

 

You’re a Scorpio! Scorpios are usually bold, loud, to pardon the gay cliché – fierce. Do you see any of those qualities in yourself?
Umm. I love to win. (Laughs). I think anger is often a driving force of many people doing this work. And the testimony we heard from the (civil union) opposition drives me to continue fighting.

 

You lead an initiative, out in Iowa, for safe schools. You actually started an organization that specialized in that.
I think for many of us, it was hard enough as LGBT youth, the pain and isolation of going to school. Even if they weren’t picking on you. You still know that experience of living in isolation. I think that’s where the passion in me started. What I’m amazed by, in both Iowa and Colorado, are the number of people who have stepped up to help.

 

What drives you to work toward safer schools, personally? Were you picked on?
Not to that much of an extent. I think my story … I don’t know if you’ve read the book The Best Little Boy in the World, but it’s a story about overcompensating. I would always try to be the best student, the best Christian, the best athlete, the best musician. I would run for student government to make sure people really liked me. I had all these negative feelings that caused me to do that.

 

Do you still have those negative feelings about yourself?
I don’t think so. I think for most folks, there’s always internalized homophobia that we’re always weeding out. I don’t often think about being gay. Even though I advocate for these issues all the time.

 

But even beyond the whole gay thing, have you come to a point where you’ve stopped wondering if people like you?
I’ve come to a point where I really don’t care.

 

When I did my own background check on you a year ago, when I called Iowa, when I mentioned the name “Brad Clark” they said you were Superman. They said you had an “S” on your chest. Do you agree with that?
No. I think that I have been lucky to be surrounded by really smart, committed people.

 

What’s been the biggest challenge for you, just the physical move from Iowa to Colorado. A lot of people in the LGBT community are natives. While you’re a transplant. That’s what we call you.
I think the hardest thing has been simply, (not having) an institutional knowledge of growing up in the state. Growing up in Iowa, if I didn’t know somebody, I probably knew somebody who did. And here, I’ve had to learn in a fairly short period of time. Catch up. It’s hard to teach that. It’s all part of the experience.

 

As an outsider, when you went to the town halls, did you see Northern Colorado, Southern Colorado, the Western Slope? Because that’s what we see. Did you see the difference or are we more alike then we think?
I think there are unique experiences facing different people in areas of the state, I always come back to, in our data, and anecdotelly, we all share common goals and struggles. All of the things that were articulated in those town halls were similar. But culturally, the experiences are different in how discrimination comes out in different parts of the state.

 

Out of the blue, Ken Buck makes a statement comparing homosexuality to alcoholism. You pounce on it. And Buck loses. That was a big victory for One Colorado. What was going through your head during that whole Meet The Press-gate.
(Clark’s eyes light up.) I just kept thinking he was going to come out and say “well, I really didn’t mean that,” and retract his statement or something. And he never did. And he just sat on it. It’s one of many things he made mistakes on to show how extreme he was. From what he said about rape victims and women to immigrants to LGBT folks. It was the straw that broke the camels back.

 

Were you watching Meet the Press as it happened?
I was in shock that he said it. And instantly, I went to my computer to figure out what to do.

 

Do you normally watch Meet the Press?
Periodically. But I knew that he and Bennet were going to be on there. It was a big deal for Colorado.

 

How political are you? Are you a wonk?
Sometimes I’m a wonk. I’m much more focused on and knowledgeable about state’s issues then I am about federal issues. Its just what I’ve spent my professional life doing. I’m one of those people who know a lot about one thing and not much about other things. So I’m a horrible dinner guest.

 

After Ken Buck, what many people didn’t know, was that One Colorado was gearing up for its first year at the legislature. What didn’t we know that was going on behind closed doors leading up to the session.
We were having initial conversations, well before (October) with legislatures. It was conversations around equality, our (Political Action Committee) survey. We were already engaging in those conversations with candidates, then elected officials. Talking with some of our supporters, building messages. Preparing for town hall forums, media trainings, that happened after that.

 

I guess the big question is, when did you know we were going for civil unions? Was it Day One?
Given the survey that happened in February of 2010, and then the town hall forums – I think given that experience, I think the combination of that qualitative and quantitative data, re-enforced for a lot of people, we needed to create a journey forward. Given the constitutional amendment, how do we provide protections for the same sex-couples in the state. Those conversations had been going on for several months. I don’t know when the final decision happened.

 

What caught you off guard during the session?
Two things. One, “Anus Grandma.” (One of the most outspoken critics of the civil union bill, XXXX, a retired educator, feared the bill would make it law to teach anal sex to elementary school children.) I did not see that coming. Second: the fact that no Republican on that committee distanced themselves from that testimony.

 

What’s the one thing we don’t know about Brad Clark?
I have a bizarre fascination with contemporary Christian music. I love April Fools’ Day, except this past April Fools’ Day. (The civil union bill died the day before.) And I’m perplexed by Leaper Years. Do any of those count?

 

Talk to me about contemporary Christan music? Do you rock out to it? Is it your daily dose of Jesus?
It’s one of the presets in my car. I grew up with it. It makes me calm down. I don’t necessarily listen to the words. The beat, it calms me down for some reason. It maybe some bizarre relationship with my childhood.

 

What’s the best practical joke you ever pulled?
(Laughs.) I don’t think I want to share it.

 

Looking forward, what do you see for Brad Clark, One Colorado, the Colorado gay community?
For myself, I’ve been learning a lot. Which is very important to me professionally. I’m looking forward to more of that over the summer, the fall and next year. I think for One Colorado, we have these three initiatives: advancing civil unions, help working with our education allies to implement the safe schools bill to start new GSAs around the states. And I’m really excited about our health care project that we’re beginning to engage in. It’s an issue that impacts our community at a significant rate. Both access and competent care.

 

What was the biggest lesson you learned last year, going into your next?
I don’t know if its a lesson, but the thing that was the bedrock, or the foundation of where we started was those early town hall forums. I’m really happy we did those and have done them sense. I think the commitment from this organization, and the origin of the organization, is how do we create a statewide movement and a statewide voice.

 

If there were a blooper reel from your first year at One Colorado, what would it include?
Probably me and Jess driving around the state. I’m not a good driver. She’s terrified to drive with me. The drive from Grand Junction to Durango nearly gave her a heart attack. I don’t enjoy driving. My office and my home in Iowa were five blocks away. So I didn’t drive that much. I think I get distracted by shiny objects.

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