Round 2: Resources for Transgender Coloradans and Their Allies
By Sunnivie Brydum, Guest BloggerAs we wrap up November as Transgender Awareness Month, we want to continue to highlight resources for Colorado’s transgender community and their friends, family, partners, and allies. Throughout the state, organizations are making an effort to increase transgender visibility, the quality and quantity of support services offered, and to make it better for transgender, intersex, and genderqueer people. Keep reading to find out more about the transgender support services, networks and organizations in your neighborhood.
Gender Identity Center of Colorado
1151 S. Huron St. Denver, CO 80223303-202-6466
The Gender Identity Center of Colorado was founded in 1978 in an effort to serve Colorado’s transgender community with resources, support, and safe space. Since its inception, the GIC has been available to anyone regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, and it seeks to provide a comprehensive list of resources to the community — including therapists, doctors, surgeons, local and national trans advocacy organizations, legal information, and a glossary of terms used within and to refer to the transgender community.The GIC hosts weekly open support groups every Saturday at 7 pm, in addition to several identity-based support groups. Those include a transition support group every Tuesday at 7 pm, a cross-dressing support group every first Friday of the month at 7 pm, a genderqueer support group on the first Sunday at 7 pm, and a support group for transmen on the third Sunday at 7 pm. In February, the GIC also hosts Colorado Gold Rush, an annual awards banquet honoring influential members of the transgender community. The Gender Identity Center was a primary sponsor of the Denver/Golden Transgender Day of Remembrance Candleight Vigil and Celebration of Life, in partnership with Keshet and One Colorado.
Lambda Community Center’s Eclectic
212 S. Mason St. Fort Collins, CO 80254970-221-3247
The Lambda Community Center in Fort Collins features a series of programming directed toward transgender, intersex, and genderqueer people and their partners and families, known as Eclectic. With two meetings monthly, Eclectic’s meetings on the second Tuesday of the month are a peer-led support group, whereas meetings on the fourth Tuesday take on a social tone, with activities held either at Lambda or within the larger Fort Collins community. For many, Eclectic is a wonderful introduction to the transgender, intersex, and genderqueer community, an important first step in sharing experiences and escaping the isolation that makes one feel so alone.According to Eclectic’s site: This group offers a space to talk about gender and biological sex in a setting separate from the community whose focus is on sexuality. Walking into the support nights puts a smile on many people’s faces, for they laugh more than any other group we have at Lambda. Anyone is welcome just as they are and are offered kind words and support from the Lambda representatives as well as the participants.
Colorado Anti-Violence Program
304 Elati Street Denver, CO 80223303-839-5204
The Colorado Anti-Violence Program (CAVP) is one of the state’s only LGBTQ-focused violence-response and reporting systems. Since much of the violence perpetrated against the LGBTQ community is directed towards transgender women — and especially transgender women of color — CAVP has a particular, vested interest in working with and protecting the transgender community.CAVP hosts a 24-hour crisis hotline, at 303-852-5094 or toll-free at 1-888-557-4441, where trained advocates accept reports of discrimination, harassment, stalking, violence within or directed towards the LGBTQ community, violence within correctional facilities or from law enforcement, hate-related vandalism, employment discrimination, school-based bullying, relationship violence, and drug-related assault, harassment, or violence. All information given over the hotline is confidential, and anyone who reports to CAVP is given access to crisis intervention counseling, safety planning, referrals, group counseling, court, hospital or police accompaniment, in addition to emergency services. CAVP also collects data from these reports, compiling them into comprehensive examinations of the state of violence against LGBTQ people in Colorado, and using the data to facilitate prevention and outreach throughout the state.Sunnivie Brydum is the Denver LGBT Issues Examiner and a guest blogger for One Colorado. This article is also available on Examiner.com. You can also find Sunni on Facebook and Twitter, exploring and talking about her passion: the politics of equality.