In every corner of the nation, state-based groups have spent the month of June celebrating Pride. Many are using these events to grow their list; others are mobilizing supporters around a legislative or ballot campaign; still more are taking this opportunity to educate their base on critical issues facing LGBT people.

In our search to learn more about what member organizations were doing this Pride season, we stumbled upon an excellent video of the team at One Colorado organizing at Denver Pride, one of the country's largest festivals and parades. As you can see from the video below, Team OC made a big splash at Denver's gathering of 300,000 people -- spending the weekend talking with LGBT people about immigration reform and healthcare equality for transgender people.
 

One Colorado on the March: Denver Pride 2013 from One Colorado on Vimeo.

After watching the video, we immediately wanted to know more about One Colorado's Pride efforts so we caught up with Brad Clark, OC's Executive Director, to get some answers.

Equality Federation: With all of the issues impacting the LGBT community nationwide, why did you choose to focus on transgender healthcare and immigration reform at this year's Pride?
Brad Clark of One Colorado: One Colorado is committed to securing equality and opportunity for all LGBT Coloradans.  All means all – and that includes undocumented LGBT people whose families constantly face the possibility of being torn apart and transgender Coloradans who far too often face barriers to basic health services and coverage.

EF: What is the current state of transgender health care in Colorado?
BC: As we know too well, for far too many transgender Coloradans, refusal of care and coverage for medically necessary healthcare has long been the rule and not the exception. In One Colorado’s recent report on LGBT Coloradans’ health care experiences, Invisible: The State of LGBT Health in Colorado, three out of four transgender Coloradans reported a lack of or limited insurance to be a problem for them in getting the health care they need. And 85% of transgender Coloradans reported health care expenses to be a barrier to seeking services. Incredibly, 53% reported being refused care from a provider.

EF: It was heartwarming to see supporters holding Trans Ally signs. Now that you’ve created momentum, how are you planning to continue to increase trans visibility in the state of Colorado?
BC: We plan to continue to highlight the voices and experiences of transgender Coloradans in our work -- from health care to school safety to marriage.  There is no greater tool to change the hearts and minds of the public than our stories.  We plan to continue to highlight the stories of transgender Coloradans as we advocate for reforms in our communities.  Specifically, we plan to continue to advocate for a better healthcare system that responds to the needs of transgender Coloradans.

EF: You collected 3,200 petition signatures in support of immigration reform. How will this petition further your ultimate goal in mind of ensuring that LGBT folks have access to a pathway to citizenship?
BC: We will be advocating for the ultimate passage of comprehensive immigration reform on the federal level.  This petition will help us show our Colorado representatives in Washington that LGBT people and our allies support this critical legislation to provide more than 11 million undocumented individuals in this country a pathway to citizenship – including more than 267,000 LGBT undocumented people whose families face the daily fear of being torn apart through deportation.

EF: The video is clear: you had great community support at Pride. How were you able to garner this enthusiasm?
BC: One Colorado has the support of more than 30,000 people across the state -- from the western slope to the front range -- all united with a common purpose: a fair and just Colorado. It's a mainstream Colorado value -- and we've been fortunate to have the support of thousands of LGBT people and allies, teachers, elected officials, business and labor leaders, and communities of faith.

Congratulations to the team at One Colorado for an incredibly successful Denver Pride -- and thanks for sharing your story!