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Get Connected with
Community!
LunchBreak
E-Newsletter
Get connected
with the Colorado Springs' source for GLBT news, information and
events. The
newsletter is published once per week, and is received by thousands
in the Pikes Peak region, and throughout the state. Find out what's
happening in the community today! Email
LunchBreak@YourPrideCenter.org
to subscribe.
Looking for
additional
news sources?
Also check
out the Colorado Springs Independent, Newspeak and OutFront
Colorado. Available at the Pride Center, or online.
Pride Center
Groups
Men
Men4Men
| Meets Every Tuesday
7:00pm - ?? | Pride Center's Community Room
Multi-generational men's social group, welcoming Gay & Bi Men in a drug- and alcohol-free environment! Movies, games, potlucks, discussion, networking and community building.
Contact men4men@pcisys.net.
FUSION! Gay Men's
Book Club | Meets 3rd
Wednesday
Every Other Month
7:00 - 9:00 | Pride Center's Rainbow Room
To read the book ahead of time, contact
rioarriba@aol.com.
January 20th, March 17, etc.
Great OUTdoors
Gay/Bi Men’s Hiking Group
Season begins Sunday, May 24
th.
First hike out, the Crags.
Hikers reception! Meet fellow gay/bi hiking enthusiasts
before our first outing.
Friday, May 22nd at 7:00pm. Wine and cheese, beer
and chips provided. At the Pride Center, 2508 E. Bijou Street.
Hikes are held the 2nd and 4th
Sundays of the month at 12:00. Meets at the MCC parking lot. Hiking
locations vary. For more information, please email
greatoutdoors@yourpridecenter.org.
Women
Lesbian Singles |
Meets the 4th Friday from 6:00-8:00pm at the Pride Center
Connect with
other Lesbian Singles in Colorado Springs!
We are an all-inclusive social group to include Bisexual and Transgender that identify as Lesbian. We maintain a safe and fun environment for women of all ages. Contact mollyandbrown-lesbiansingles@yahoo.com.
Womyn's
Pride Book & Movie Club
Meets
the 1st Monday of the month from 6:30 -8:30 at the Pride Center to
discuss the book selection for the month. Meets the 3rd Sunday of
the month at various times and locations for a movie and discussion
over dinner. Connect with the group directly by emailing
WomynsPride@earthlink.net.
Womyn's Social
Network | Meets
throughout the month
We are a social/activities group for lesbians (both singles and
couples) in and around the beautiful Colorado Springs area.WSN has activities
throughout the month. To connect, join the Yahoo group at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Womyns_Social_Network/.
WSN Coffee
| Meets 2nd Saturdays 9:00 - 11:00
(Meets at Rico's Cafe - 322 N. Tejon) For more info, contact
Kit at 719.646.2771 or email
rojito00@hotmail.com.
WSN Dinner Night
| Meets 1st Wednesdays 6:30 - 8:30
(Check with WSN Group for location)
WSN Game Night
| Meets 3rd Saturdays (Game Night) 6:30 - 8:30
Pride Center's Rainbow Room & Community Room
Transgender
FtM Guys Nite
Out | Meets 2nd Fridays at 7:00p
Meet up at the
Pride Center, then head out for various activities
PAGE - Peak Area Gender
Expressions | Meets 1st & 3rd
Tuesdays
7:00 - 9:00 | Pride Center's Rainbow Room
Connect with Southern Colorado's Transgender Resource, Support &
Activism Group
For more info, email
us Nancy-Jo directly at:
nancy-jo1@juno.com or
(719) 217-8896.
People
& Life
Adopt-A-Highway | Meets 2nd Saturdays
8:00 (am) | Cascade/Hwy 24
Join with the GLBTA community as we help the environment while
creating positive visibility for our community. Plus, it's great
exercise! Email to get on the list for updates and details.
rioarriba@aol.com
GLBT People
with Disabilities
|
NEW DAY / TIME!
A group for LGBT people with all types of disabilities.
Meets 1st and 3rd Tuesday | 2:00pm - 4:00pm | at Your Pride Center, 2508 E. Bijou Street | Call 719-471-4429 for more info.
HIV Support Group |
Meets 2nd
Wednesday (Beginning May 13th)
6:00 - 8:00 |
Pride Center Community Room
Friendly place to discuss HIV and AIDS issues for people living with
HIV/AIDS.
hivsupport@yourpridecenter.org
Sip & Sup
| Meets 3rd Saturdays
6:00 - 8:00 | Meets at various locations for dining experiences!
Connect with GLBT Community over dinner!
To find out this month's dinner spot, call Karl or Kevin at
578-9004, or email at kabeck1964@hotmail.com
LGBT Colorado
Springs Quick Guide
The Pride
Center offers many services, including business networking, groups,
advocacy, health services, and more. But there are many other groups
and organization in Colorado Springs. Here's a quick guide to help
get you connected with our entire community.
Organizations
Bacchus Wine Tasting |
www.csbacchus.com
Club Buddies | Gentlemen's Club |
www.clubbuddies.com
Dinner of the Month Club | LGBT Women's Group | See LunchBreak
Gill Foundation/Gay & Lesbian Fund |
www.gillfoundation.org
Inside/Out Youth Services |
www.insideoutys.org
Out Loud Men's Chorus |
www.outloudcsmc.org
Peak Area Gender Expressions | 719.217-8896
PFLAG | www.cspflag.org
The Pride Center |
www.yourpridecenter.org
Pikes Peak Lavender Film Festival |
www.pplff.org
Pikes Peak Metropolitan Community Church |
www.ppmcc.org
Pikes Peak Summit Masters |
www.summitmasters.com
Stonewall Democrats | 719.238.0150
United Court of the Pikes Peak Empire |
www.ucppe.org
Bars &
Clubs
Bijou Bar & Grill |
www.bijoubar.com
Club Q | www.clubqonline.com
DJ's Bar & Grill |
www.djsbarandgrill.net
Underground |
www.undergroundbars.com
Youth
Services
Inside/Out Youth
Services
328-1056 |
www.insideoutys.org
Urban Peak
630-3223 |
www.urbanpeak.org
College
Groups
Colorado College (EQUAL, QSA)
Pikes Peak Community College (Pride Alliance)
UCCS (SPECTRUM, QSU)
LGBT-Friendly
Businesses
www.GLBTAChamberofCommerce.org
Advocacy. Resources.
Community.
Support. Health.
Right here at
Your Pride Center!
(719) 471-4429 | 2508 E. Bijou Street, Colorado Springs, CO
About LGBT
Colorado Springs
Welcome to
Colorado Springs' GLBT Community! The Springs is home to some of the
nation's oldest GLBT groups, including the United Court of the Pikes
Peak Empire, Pikes Peak Gay & Lesbian Community Center, Pikes Peak
Metropolitan Community Church, and many others. Today, there are
more than 25 GLBT groups and organizations, including 5-6 LGBT bars
& clubs, two major youth programs, a newly formed men's chorus, and
more. Colorado Springs offers a wide variety of outdoor activities
and cultural events, and is definitely a hot spot for those
interested in politics. From Garden of the Gods to Pikes Peak, the
Springs is a beautiful setting at the foot of the front range. For
more information about the Springs in general, please check out the
city's site at
www.springsgov.com,
or look into the Chamber of Commerce and Visitor's Center.
But what about
the reputation?
Many people
have said "It's so conservative in Colorado Springs - how can there
be a Center? How can you live there?!" The easy answer is, we were
here first!
The Beginning
When the modern LGBT rights movement began with the 'Stonewall
Riots' in 1969, the Colorado Springs LGBT community was like any
other. In fact, Colorado Springs is home to some of the nation's
oldest GLBT organizations, like the United Court of the Pikes Peak
Empire, founded in 1973. Shortly after the riots, what's known as
the "Community Center" movement began, and Pikes Peak Gay & Lesbian
Community Center was formed in 1978, also ranking it among the
nation's oldest GLBT Centers.
The Turmoil
It's important to look back a little further in history to find out
how the turmoil began. In 1968, like most large cities, Colorado
Springs founded its own Human Relations Commission to address racial
issues within the city. In the 1980's, following a housing market
crash, city leaders struggled to find industry that could withstand
economic hardships. At the time, they decided to bring in religious
organizations and to foster a safe haven for nonprofit
organizations. Among those relocating to Colorado Springs - Focus on
the Family. In the late 1980's, GLBT leaders (many from the Pride
Center) approached the city's Human Relations Commission to address
discrimination faced by the LGBT community in the city. Again, in
line with the rest of the nation, leaders asked the commission to
include sexual orientation in the city's nondiscrimination policies,
and asked the Human Relations Commission to address the disparities.
Unfortunately, with the influx of conservative religious
organizations, the situation quickly escalated. In 1991, the city
council ordered the Human Relations Commission to remove any
reference to "sexual orientation" from its documents, and in 1992,
Colorado Springs gave birth to Amendment 2, which was designed to
forever bar GLBT people from being included in nondiscrimination
laws. The Amendment passed in Colorado, but the Colorado State
Supreme Court issued an injunction and found the law
unconstitutional. The case went the United States Supreme Court
which issued a final ruling declaring the law unconstitutional in
1996. In the meantime, LGBT leaders continued to push for equality
through the Human Relations Commission, and in the end, the city
council decided to disband the 30 year old institution in 1995
(making Colorado Springs one of the largest cities without a Human
Relations Commission). In 1997, the city passed a "Zero Tolerance"
resolution that included the term "sex", and the anti-GLBT leaders
worked to start a legal battle to ensure "sex" did not mean "sexual
orientation". In 2002, the city manager at the time added $6,700 to
the city's budget to cover same-sex domestic partners of city
employees. This became the hot button issue for the next city
council election, and their first order or business was to remove
the mere $6,000 line item, even though LGBT community leaders and
the Vice Mayor at the time offered to cover the cost. In 2004, the
Mayor stopped issuing the historic PrideFest proclamation because he
says he does not support same-sex marriages.
Today
Today Colorado Springs has a thriving LGBT community. With several
organizations, and incredible activists, the LGBT community is
making advancements despite the conservative atmosphere. We are
making progress on a city-wide nondiscrimination ordinance which
includes sexual orientation and gender identity, and we're
continually working to educate the community-at-large through press
and other activities. Indicators of progress include the Pikes Peak
Lavender Film Festival, and Colorado Springs PrideFest (started in
1991) which attracts approximately 10,000 participants each year,
including more than 100 business and organization supporters. In
addition, LGBT parents have been making major progress in the school
systems, as have LGBT students, and the Springs is home to one of
the most active transgender resource and support groups, Peak Area
Gender Expressions. Though there have been set-backs, the GLBT
community continues making headway, and ultimately, we have come a
long way. Many people say they feel comfortable being "out" in
Colorado Springs, and more and more people are living their lives
openly. In general, when asked about the climate, we at the Center
are proud to say we have a great community, although the politics
continue to be a little rough. For those who do experience
discrimination, the Center provides advocacy services, and continues
to work towards greater systemic change so that one day the
"turmoil" will be completely behind us. In the meantime, we
encourage everyone to get connected with community so that you can
enjoy the many wonderful LGBT people who call the Springs "home".
Welcome to the Springs' lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
community.
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