Dive deeper into One Colorado’s issue areas
Across the state, we focus on key issue areas to advocate, educate, advance, and protect LGBTQ+ Coloradans, our families, and our communities.
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Health Equity
Advocating for health access and working to reduce healthcare barriers for LGBTQ+ Coloradans.
One Colorado’s Health Equity Team advocates for equitable and just health access and reduces barriers to care for LGBTQ+ Coloradans and youth.
Our aim is to do this work through education and advocacy, in partnership with our community.We prioritize protecting and expanding access to quality healthcare for our transgender, nonbinary, and gender expansive community, who faces heightened health disparities, barriers to care, and discrimination in the current sociopolitical context.We believe that our wellbeing and liberation is deeply interconnected and by advocating for equity for one of us we are advocating for equity for all of us.
This work is achieved by uplifting community voices in our community advisory group and through public education, training, and advocacy within healthcare spaces.
Community
Uniting LGBTQ+ Coloradans, allies, and communities across the state around the issues that matter most.
One Colorado’s Field Team works across the state of Colorado to foster community and promote equality through civic engagement initiatives, power-building and volunteerism, electoral organizing, and 1:1 relationships among LGBTQ+ Coloradans and allies!
Our work depends on our community bringing their perspectives forward, raising the issues that are most important, and uniting through our collective power to advance equality.
Youth & Schools
Working to ensure LGBTQ+ youth are affirmed and included in Colorado’s educational spaces.
One Colorado’s Youth and Schools team works to ensure that youth are actively and intentionally included in our goal of creating inclusive and equitable policy and spaces across Colorado. We actively support the health and wellbeing of our LGBTQ+ youth through our youth and community engagement program.
Through this work we advocate for school policy change, support statewide GSA involvement, and provide training and resources to schools to foster safe and inclusive learning environments for LGBTQ+ youth.
Policy
Protecting the rights and freedoms of LGBTQ+ Coloradans and our families.
For over 12 years, One Colorado has effectively advocated for LGBTQ+ Coloradans and their families by lobbying the General Assembly, executive branch, and local governments on issues like safe schools, transgender equality, relationship recognition, and LGBTQ+ health and human services. Read our annual Legislative Session Report to find out more about our recent work to protect, defend and advance LGBTQ+ rights in Colorado.
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Program Impact Data
1,000+ signatures
In 2024, One Colorado collected over 1,000 community signatures supporting gender affirming care access in Colorado. In the same year, the Health Equity team also advocated with provider and community members to update Medicaid's gender affirming care policy.
52 GSA’s across Colorado
One Colorado is proud to support and resource local GSA’s across the state of Colorado to ensure LGBTQ+ students, peers, and their school-wide communities have an affirming, inclusive educational experience.
24 Colorado Pride events
In 2024, One Colorado participated in 24 Pride events across the state, increasing organizational support by 3,000 community members. One Colorado power-builds with LGBTQ+ Coloradans, families, and allies throughout the state to ensure that we can stand together against hate, and defend the rights of LGBTQ+ Coloradans
18 pro-equality bills
Since 2010, we have led 18 pro-equality bills to pass into Colorado law protecting LGBTQ+ Coloradans. One Colorado advocates for inclusive state, local, and and federal policies that confront discrimination and promote equality for LGBTQ+ Coloradans, our families, and communities.
One Colorado is founded, with Brad Clark as the first Executive Director. In the Fall, the first Statewide Needs Assessment Tour begins, surveying LGBTQ+ Coloradans and allies to create a work plan for the new organization.
One Colorado leads House Bill 11-1254 to passage during the 2011 legislative session. The bill prohibits bullying on the basis of a student’s actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. Additionally, HB11-1254 includes a Bullying and Education Grant Program to provide funding for schools to implement anti-bullying efforts.
Civil Unions fails in the Colorado House galvanizing LGBTQ+ community and allies to flip the Colorado House.
After three years of attempts, Civil Unions passes the Colorado Legislature, and Governor Hickenlooper signs the bill into law. Going into effect on May 1, 2013, the law made Colorado the 18th state to offer comprehensive relationship recognition to same-sex couples and finally admonish the “hate state” reputation.
The One Colorado PAC endorses its first slate of 47 pro-equality Colorado state and senate candidates for the 2014 general election.
Daniel Ramos becomes One Colorado’s executive director.
One Colorado, with a partner coalition, leads the efforts to repeal SB16-146, HIV and STI Criminalization Laws.
One Colorado launches the Colorado GSA Network with the goal of making Colorado schools safe and inclusive for all students, including LGBTQ students.
One Colorado surveys over 3,500 LGBTQ Coloradans and releases the 2016 needs assessment, Closing the Gap: The Turning Point for LGBTQ Health.
One Colorado leads HB17-1188 to pass during the 2017 legislative session. The bill adds physical or mental disability and sexual orientation to make the statute consistent with Colorado’s existing law concerning bias-motivated crimes. Additionally, One Colorado, alongside coalition partners, defeated two religious exemption measures.
One Colorado supports Jared Polis in his first gubernatorial election to become Governor of Colorado and the first openly gay governor in the country. Additionally, One Colorado supports Brianna Titone in her election to become the state’s first openly transgender legislator.
One Colorado leads two pro-equality bills to passage in the 2019 legislative session, including the passage of Jude’s Law and becoming the 18th state to ban conversion therapy.
One Colorado signs onto amicus curiae brief urging the Supreme Court of the United States of America to confirm that discrimination because a person is gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender is prohibited sex discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
One Colorado leads four pro-equality bills to passage in the 2020 legislative session, including HB20-1061, allowing Coloradans to access HIV prevention treatment from a pharmacist; SB20-221, a ban on the gay and trans panic defense legal strategy; SB20-166, streamlining requirements for minors getting a new birth certificate from the state registrar; and HB20-1419, creating a drug assistance program for lower income Coloradans with medical or preventive needs regarding AIDS or HIV.
One Colorado stops all in-person events to protect our statewide community from the spread of COVID-19. Later in the year, One Colorado hosts virtual events, including our annual Pink Party and the Ally Awards!
Nadine Bridges becomes One Colorado’s executive director, and is the first Black, Queer woman to lead the organization.
One Colorado leads two pro-equality bills to passage in the 2021 legislative session, including HB21-1108, to update existing anti-discrimination statute to include gender identity and expression, and HB21-1072, prohibiting discrimination of LGBTQ+ parents in state-funded adoption and foster care services.
One Colorado’s advocacy in partnership with the Colorado Department of Insurance advances the approval to provide gender-affirming care in the individual and small group health insurance markets as part of Colorado's Essential Health Benefit (EHB) benchmark, a life saving and innovative update.
The Movement Advancement Project names Colorado the #1 state leader in the LGBTQ+ equality movement in the nation in 2021.
One Colorado leads three pro-equality bills to passage in the 2022 legislative session, including Marlo’s Law, Culturally Responsive Healthcare Training, and the Modernization of Older Coloradans Act.
One Colorado is a Grand Marshal at the 2022 Denver Pride Parade! One Colorado leads the parade, and the team is joined by board members, volunteers, and community from across the state.
One Colorado hosts the first ever Prism Awards (formerly Ally Awards), continuing the annual event to honor LGBTQ+ individuals and allies who are making a substantial impact in the Colorado community.
One Colorado’s community organizing and advocacy at the State Board of Education leads to the reinstating of inclusive social studies standards across the state.
One Colorado launches a new brand identity and website to best fulfill our mission and serve the statewide LGBTQ+ community, our families and allies.
One Colorado revitalizes the Statewide Tour, traveling to 15 communities across Colorado. At every stop, we gathered to talk with LGBTQ+ Coloradans about what matters most to the local community, share our stories and commit to continued action.
One Colorado leads a successful referred measure, SCR24-003, to passage through the House and Senate during the 2024 legislative session. The proposed measure gives Colorado voters the opportunity to remove Amendment 43 from the Colorado State Constitution and protect marriage equality in Colorado.
One Colorado defeats 27 anti-trans ballot initiatives at the Colorado Title Board, aimed at limiting the rights of LGBTQ+ youth and families in Colorado.
One Colorado hosts its annual LGBTQ Lobby Day with over 300+ LGBTQ+ Coloradans and community allies in attendance to learn and advocate for the pro-equality policy issues that matter most to them.
One Colorado’s work continues to build a brighter future for LGBTQ+ Coloradans, our families, and our communities!
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Resources
Change begins with education. Check out One Colorado’s Resource Hub to learn how you can advocate for yourself and others!
Donate
One Colorado relies on your support to effectively work in our key issue areas. Your donation helps us advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, promote health equity, organize our communities across the state, and support youth and schools.
