“To remain a viable contributor to efforts that support our LGBTQ friends – especially in these times of controversy – we must not rest on our laurels, but continue to grow support.”
Since 1996, Community Foundation Boulder County has stood with our LGBTQ – lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer – community through the Open Door Fund.
“While we remain committed to organizations whose missions make them primarily LGBTQ-focused, we’ve also been able to support a variety of nonprofits to enable them to recognize and support all of the people they serve,” says Elvira Ramos, Vice President of Programs and Inclusive Leadership. “Thanks to a strong, committed group of volunteers and donors, the Open Door Fund has reached its goal of a $1M endowment. But we know that, to remain a viable contributor to efforts that support our LGBTQ friends – especially in these times of controversy – we must not rest on our laurels, but continue to grow support.”
Indeed, in light of the recent Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission ruling, our radio show this month focused on the effects of the ruling, the persistent challenges faced by our LGBTQ community, and how to better support marginalized family members, friends, and neighbors. Related, CEO Jeff Hirota recently issued this statement of support from Community Foundation Boulder County.
Recalls Josie Heath, former foundation president, “In 1992, the voters of Colorado approved an amendment to the constitution that would have allowed discrimination against LGBTQ folks in employment. Despite what the polls showed – that it wouldn’t pass – it did. In response, there was this widespread feeling of what could be done about it.
“While a lot of money had been spent on political action, very little money was available to put into organizations that were helping the LGBTQ community, or working to be proactive about making sure that there was greater awareness about the community’s needs.”
Then the Tides Foundation issued a matching grant opportunity for community foundations to ignite positive action. “I thought, ‘what a great idea,’ and I put it to the board,” continues Josie. But the foundation’s Board of Trustees at the time was divided, and the issue even brought about the resignation of some of its members. “It was painful, but it was the right thing to do.
“We ended being one of five community foundations, nationally – but we had to match $25K, which we raised among both gay and straight community members through small dinners that eventually evolved into the Open Door Fund galas.” According to Josie, special credit goes to early supporters Margaret Katz (the foundation’s former Vice President of Philanthropic Services), her mother Phyllis, and Boulder County Clerk and Recorder Hillary Hall. In 2014, Hall faced legal action for issuing same-sex marriage licenses, calling a ban thereof “unconstitutional and unenforceable.”
Adds Josie, “The Open Door Fund started as a bootstrap operation. But it grew to be successful, and it’s more important today than ever. Certainly worrisome now, of course, is the recent Supreme Court ruling and potential encroachment on LGBTQ rights. We all need to be digging in our heels to not go backward, and to stay strong in our community’s most deeply-held values.”
Sue Anderson, current Vice Chair of the foundation’s board, was also among the earliest supporters and advisors of the Open Door Fund. “The first grants were given out in the late-90s,” she says. “When I think of the trajectory of the fund, and the timeframe it started, it was a time when things were often polarized and sometimes scary for LGBTQ people.
“Programs and services, then, were sometimes provided in a culturally competent way, but not most of the time. Young people, seniors, transgender people, people who don’t have job security – these are all people experiencing a lot more vulnerability, and services were badly needed.
“Fast forward a couple decades and things have gotten a lot better for our LGBTQ community members – certain protections, the right to marry, and so on. I’m very proud of the Open Door Fund for being one of only two or so LGBTQ funds left in the country. Many similar initiatives and organizations started in the mid-90s, but most have since gone away.”
In the current political climate, however, there’s been some backward movement. “Some policy reversals and policy decisions appear to give those who want to discriminate or harass others license to do so,” Sue says. “So people are on guard, and an entire community feels more vulnerable. We’re seeing the same thing regarding immigrant issues. Anyone who’s the target of policy changes is scared.
“In response, the Community Foundation – whether through the Open Door Fund specifically, or by putting out messages affirming that we stand with all sectors of our community – is committed to communicating over and over again who we are as a community.”
Concludes Sue, “We’re talking about people – about human beings who are living their lives, who are not posing a threat to anyone, and who do not deserve to be treated as political footballs, or like our lives somehow represent political division … because they don’t.
“While some people may think, ‘we’ve dealt with this issue,’ the Open Door Fund is as important now as it ever was. We should all be thinking about all parts of our Boulder County community, and how important it is to support everybody – and I mean everybody. That’s how we’ll find our way through political and social divisions.”
