Written by Jordan Javelet (Goucher College)
Fifteen states in the nation have laws protecting employees on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. I am proud to say that one of these states is my home state of Colorado. It’s a large state with a population of about five million, and although it’s a swing state, Colorado’s nine electoral votes went to President Obama in November.
I’m sure President Obama’s support of marriage equality and other legislation protecting citizens of all sexual orientations and gender identities influenced many Coloradans’ voting choice—particularly in two of the biggest cities in the state, Denver (the capitol) and Boulder.
I grew up in Arvada, which is about halfway between Denver and Boulder, and I’ve been visiting the two cities all my life. Denver is a pretty big city, although now that I’ve seen East Coast cities, I have to say it is substantially smaller than most of the older cities like Philadelphia and Baltimore. Denver is very accepting of individuals of all sexual orientations and gender identities. There is a section of town called Cheesman Park where the population is predominantly made up of non-heterosexual individuals. The Cheesman Park grocery store King Soopers is fondly called “Queen Soopers” by people all over the Denver-metro area, and when strolling through Cheesman Park, it is common to see same-sex couples holding hands or playing with their children.
Photo of Cheesman Park
Boulder is one of the college towns of Colorado. It is home to the University of Colorado at Boulder, Colorado’s largest university (30,000 students), and it is perhaps the most liberal city in Colorado. It played a huge role in passing the act that legalized marijuana for recreational use in the state, and it has long been an area where people believe that sexual orientation and gender identity should play no role in determining a person’s rights. Perhaps it is the influence of the college students; perhaps it is something else, but either way, Boulder is accepting and loving towards its LGBTQ community.
Another view of Cheesman Park
Although Denver and Boulder are two of the biggest and most influential cities in terms of equality, the entire state has legislation ensuring workplace equality for all citizens on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Many Colorado elected officials have expressed their support of workplace equality, such as Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, who has been openly supportive of both marriage equality and workplace equality since 2004, when he was still the mayor of Denver. Colorado senators Mark Udall and Michael Bennet are both proponents of equality based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Colorado Congressman Ed Perlmutter has strongly supported equal rights throughout his career. He voted in support of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act in Colorado, which: “Makes it an unlawful employment practice to discriminate against an individual on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation, including actions based on the actual or perceived sexual orientation of a person with whom the individual associates or has associated. [The act] prohibits preferential treatment or quotas.”
Colorado’s legislation ensuring workplace equality has been in effect since 2007, making it one of the first states to pass legislation that provides legal protection in the workplace for all individuals. Colorado’s continued support of the LGBTQ community proves that Coloradans want to be a part of a country in which all citizens are treated equally, and as time goes by, hopefully more states will follow Colorado’s example and ratify acts to protect all citizens in the workplace, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity.
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