Citizens Project

Citizens Project to Honor Rosemary Harris Lytle with 2012 Divine Award

6th January, 2012

Citizens Project’s Divine Award Celebration annually honors a member of our community who is dedicated to promote lasting, positive changes related to equality, diversity, and religious freedom. We are proud to present this year’s award to Rosemary Harris Lytle, award-winning journalist, activist, Communications Director for ACLU of Colorado, and President of the local NAACP.   

In special recognition of Citizens Project’s 20th anniversary, this year’s celebration will present two additional awards: a Legacy Award to long-time Springs resident and activist Sharon Berthrong, and a Divine Organization Award to the Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado.

Join us  Thursday, February 2, 2012 from 5-7pm for this unique milestone event at:  Stargazers Theater, 10 Parkside Dr., Colorado Springs, CO, 80910. The celebration is free and open to the public, but a $15 donation is recommended. RSVP by January 27 to RoMa Johnson at RoMa@citizensproject.org, or (719) 520-9899.  View the invitation

Citizens Project thanks our sponsors:

2011: The Year in Review

19th December, 2011

Thanks to Citizens Project’s inspired leadership, our volunteers, interns, collaborators, supporters and activists, 2011 was an incredible year! Below are just a few of the things we were able to accomplish with your help:

Awards

Citizens Project received several honors over the last year including: the Gay & Lesbian Fund Advancing Equality Award, “Ally of the Year” from the Colorado Springs Pride Center, and the “Steady and Strong for Diversity and Inclusion” award from the Colorado Springs Diversity Forum.

Events

Citizens Project events are more than fundraisers or friend-raisers; they’re community in action, bringing together people from across the region and across political and religious lines who share a few key values: equality, separation of church and state, diversity and civic engagement.

– More than 100 community members came out in sub-zero temperatures to honor local activist Mary Ellen McNally at Citizens Project’s 7th annual Divine Award Celebration.

- Four hundred attendees at our annual Creating  Community Breakfast joined together to raise $60,000 to increase Citizens Project’s impact in the community.

- Dozens of volunteers attended our twice-annual volunteer open house and staffed the Citizens Project booth at community events such as Everybody Welcome!, Juneteenth, Cinco de Mayo, and Pride Fest.

Collaboration

CP, in close collaboration with the Women’s Resource Agency, Inside/Out Youth Services and many more, worked to re-invigorate the Pikes Peak Equality Coalition, a group of local nonprofits dedicated to opportunity and access for all community members. Through our collective efforts, we made more than 3,000 contacts with voters in the general election cycle, reminding them to cast their ballots. In addition, CP was represented on the Public Affairs and Government Relations Committee of the Colorado Springs Diversity Forum, the Colorado Civic Engagement Roundtable, and the Safe Schools Coalition.  Citizens Project staff members Kristy Milligan and RoMa Johnson also  presented at events and classes statewide, including: Center for Nonprofit Excellence, UCCS, El Pomar, NAACP, and the Denver Mayor’s LGBT Commission. Citizens Project also donated 18 cubic feet of physical archive files to the Pikes Peak Library District’s Special Collections. The archives will be available to the the public and will be preserved for future generations.

Voter Education

2011 was an exciting year in local elections: from the April municipal election and subsequent mayoral runoff election, to the November general election, there were many candidates vying for the votes of Pikes Peak residents.  And Citizens Project continued our 19-year tradition of providing nonpartisan election education information for all local elections through well-attended Mayoral and City Council forums, and a School Board Candidate and ballot measure forum. In addition, we published two comprehensive candidate survey Voter Guides, one for the municipal election and one for the general election, which were distributed to more than 100,000 people in the Pikes Peak region through our website, a mailing to our supporters, and inclusion in the Colorado Springs Independent.

Promoting Dialogue & Awareness

Citizens Project distributed our electronic monthly Freedom Watch Online to more than 2,000 subscribers, providing them with in-depth analyses of local and national issues, opportunities to get involved, and more. Through our electronic Action Network, we sent 1,500 activists up-to-the-minute updates about pending legislation and electoral initiatives with information about how to make a positive impact on public policy.

Again this year, Citizens Project deployed an awareness campaign to stimulate conversation and tackle some of the most difficult issues facing our community. The campaign appeared in print, online, and on billboards, and it continues to create robust discussion on our blog.

CP also worked with a coalition of twenty five diverse faith and civic groups to present a special film screening to commemorate 9/11.

Creating Inclusive Learning Communities

Our second annual Citizens’ Religious Freedom Institute, a one-day seminar for teachers, administrators, students and community members on how the courts have interpreted church/state separation in public schools and how to promote religious freedom in the classroom, was well-attended and highly rated by participants. Many attendees received graduate credit or contact hours, and, as one participant said, it was a “very enjoyable, informative day.”

Again in 2011, Citizens Project mailed the Anti-Defamation League’s December Dilemma publication to 200 local schools, which contains information about inclusive holiday practices. This year we also worked with Inside/Out and the Safe @School Coalition to provide a primer on recently-passed HB1254, which expands protection from bullying to LGBT students. Additionally, we followed up with several high schools that held their graduation ceremonies at churches to help ensure future commencement celebrations that honor the unique faith traditions of all students, and comply with legal precedent regarding separation of church and state.

All of this was work to advance religious freedom, diversity, equality and civic engagement in the Pikes Peak region was possible because of the hundreds of active supporters, just like you, who gave time, money, energy and vision to help Citizens Project put our mission into motion. Thank you – and we’ll see you in 2012!

Citizens Project Heralded as Steady and Strong Champion of Diversity

24th October, 2011

The Colorado Springs Diversity Forum has honored Citizens Project with a Steady and Strong Award for Diversity and Inclusion.  This prestigious award is given to businesses and organizations in the Pikes Peak region that promote diversity and inclusion in both internal operations and external civic engagement. Citizens Project was chosen as a recipient because of its commitment to diversity training, education, and highly inclusive organizational policies and benefits.

“Receiving a Steady and Strong Award for Diversity and Inclusion award is a huge honor for us,” said Kristy Milligan, executive director of Citizens Project. “It demonstrates our ongoing commitment to best practices, public education and outreach. Diversity is more than a box you check. It’s not something you do once and then move on. It’s an ongoing commitment to ensuring that everyone has a voice.”

Citizens Project has been a voice of diversity and inclusion in Colorado Springs for 20 years. Milligan says the organization is dedicated to continuing to champion these values in the community. “No one is more committed to diversity and inclusion than the Citizens Project staff and board members,” she said. “These are the unsung heroes, the silent and steadfast champions who work tirelessly to ensure that everyone has a seat at the table.”

About Citizens Project: Citizens Project is a local grassroots organization dedicated to defending and promoting equality, religious freedom, and respect for diversity – the principles on which our nation was founded. We educate the community through our newsletter Freedom Watch and nonpartisan voter guides, we monitor local government and public schools to ensure that rights and freedoms are upheld, and we mobilize residents to make their voices heard.

Love Thy Neighbor (Conditionally, Of Course)

3rd August, 2011

Love thy neighbor.

A simple enough phrase, but apparently it is more complex than it seems. In the early hours of July 2^nd a group of five friends, two of whom are Fort Carson soldiers, were brutally assaulted right outside of a local restaurant. Why, you may ask? Because four of the five were gay.

Discrimination against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in Colorado Springs is nothing new, but the ramifications of intolerance reach new heights when two of your friends have to be rushed to the hospital, one with an eye swollen shut, and another to emergency oral surgery for a shattered jaw. Can you say excessive?!

Fortunately, police have already taken suspects into custody and are filing charges. But what has the city done about this demonstrable hate crime? Nothing, absolutely nothing. Mayor Bach citied that anything further than a cursory comment about intolerance would be “unnecessary”. So its necessary for the two soldiers to risk their lives fighting for this country, to make sure that people are able to live safe and secure lives here, yet it is apparently “unnecessary” to protect our citizens when back home? They should be shown the respect of  heroes and not scorned like second class citizens. (Here is a link to a news report with video showing exactly how violent this hate crime was.)

Now as police work to file hate crime charges here is my question: what should be done at the municipal level to ensure nothing like this happens again? Should the city promote LGBT acceptance? Should they make a more publicized denouncement of hate crimes? What should be done to protect ALL of our citizens regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, ability, social class, age, religion, political affiliation, gender identity, and especially sexual orientation?

Written by Ian Adams, Citizens Project Intern and UCCS undergraduate student

The Equal Rights Amendment: the time is now!

16th May, 2011

by Cynthia Nimerichter

Several weeks ago, the Denver Post ran an article about the Equal Rights Amendment and the fact that it has never been ratified. In the 1970s, I marched in the streets in support of this measure but to date only 35 states ratified the proposed constitutional amendment. To become part of the U.S. Constitution, three more states would need to vote in favor of it.

I mentioned to a young friend that I had not given much thought to the ERA in many years. My 30-something friend’s response? “What is the ERA?” My friend is very politically savvy and more up-to-date than I am on legislation dealing with discrimination. But her response brought home to me that if the ERA is to ever pass, members of the old guard, including me, need to educate a new generation.

The ERA is fairly simple. Here is the proposal in full:
Section 1. Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.
Section 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.
Section 3. This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification.

This language would guarantee that the rights affirmed by the U.S. Constitution are held equally by all citizens without regard to sex. Sex would be considered a suspect classification, as race currently is.

The Equal Rights Amendment was written in 1923 by Alice Paul, a leader of the woman suffrage movement and a lawyer. It was introduced in Congress in the same year and subsequently reintroduced in every Congressional session for half a century. In 1972 it was finally sent to the states. The deadline for ratification has long passed but a bill is in Congress now, introduced in March of 2011, which would remove the deadline and allow the amendment to be accepted when three more states pass it.

Women have made great strides in recent decades. Yet women earned just 75 percent of men’s earnings in 2009. As stated in the article in the Denver Post, “In 1920, the 19th Amendment finally gave women the vote. Ninety years later, women still have to fight to prove we deserve the basic rights men simply inherit at birth.”

This was reinforced when U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia said in September, 2010 in a speech at the University of California’s Hastings College of the Law that the Constitution does not guarantee equal rights for women.

Colorado has a state ERA and we are one of the states to have ratified the national ERA.  An Opinion Research Corporation poll commissioned in 2001 by the ERA Campaign Network shows that nearly all U.S. adults – 96% – believe that male and female citizens should have equal rights. The vast majority – 88% – also believe that the U.S. Constitution should make it clear that these rights are supposed to be equal. However, nearly three-quarters of the respondents – 72% – mistakenly assume that the Constitution already includes such a guarantee.

It is clear that the citizens of the United States overwhelmingly support a constitutional guarantee of equal rights on the basis of sex, and ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment will achieve that goal.

After all, this is 2011. Can any reasonable person be against full equal rights for women? It does not seem possible but consider this:  recently the Virginia Senate voted to become the 36th state to ratify the ERA. Days later, the bill died in the House of Delegates-in a subcommittee of seven men.

Cynthia Nimerichter is a motivational speaker, author and recovering attorney. She lives in Colorado Springs.

States which have not ratified the Equal Rights Amendment include:

Alabama
Arizona
Arkansas
Florida
Georgia
Illinois
Louisiana
Mississippi
Missouri
Nevada
North Carolina
Oklahoma
South Carolina
Utah
Virginia

Election Season Rolls On…

20th April, 2011

In 2010, Colorado Springs voters made history by approving a ballot measure that creates a “strong mayor.” Seven candidates campaigned for your vote in the April 5, 2011 municipal election. As the results were announced, it became obvious that Colorado Springs was headed for a runoff election.

The City Charter requires a runoff election for the top two vote-getters in the event no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote. These candidates are Richard Skorman and Steve Bach, who received 35.85% and 33.41%, respectively.

Steve Bach

Richard Skorman

Thus the battle begins. So far, the candidates have squared off at one debate, and there are more in the works before the May 17 election deadline.

So what will make the difference in the runoff election? YOU!

VOTE!

Voters who received a mail ballot for the April 5 election will also receive a mail ballot for the May 17 runoff. If you did not vote in the November 2010 election and have not updated your registration status with the City Clerk’s office, you are considered inactive and will not receive a mail ballot for the runoff election, unless you follow these simple steps:  

• Voters with no recent changes of name or address can go to the City Clerk’s Office, 30 S. Nevada Avenue, Suite 101, with identification, to request a mail ballot. An inactive voter ballot request document is also available for download at the City of Colorado Springs website. You may mail  or hand-deliver this request  at least a week prior to the election (if you’re mailing it, please allow adequate time for processing and mailing).
• Voters who have a name or address change must first get an updated Voter Registration form from one of the three El Paso County Election Offices. The downtown office is Centennial Hall, 200 S Cascade Avenue, open M-F 8:00 am – 5:00 pm. You may then go to the City Clerk’s Office to request a mail ballot.

More information on the election process can be found on the City of Colorado Springs website.

YOUR OPTIONS:

If you haven’t yet decided who you will support for Colorado Springs Strong Mayor, here’s all the information you could want, and more:

Candidate websites:

http://www.stevebachmayor.com/

http://skorman4mayor.com/

Voter Guides (some include content for other candidates):

Citizens Project’s Freedom Watch Voter Guide

Colorado Springs Independent Voter Guide (includes endorsements)

Downtown Partnership Candidate Survey

The Gazette Voter Guide and Endorsements

Greater CS Chamber of Commerce Endorsements

Focus on the Family Candidate Survey

KRCC Voter Guide

Citizens Project on Comcast Spotlight!

1st March, 2011

Citizens Project will be featured on Comcast Newsmakers in the month of March. Check out the video below to hear executive director Kristy Milligan talk about elections, diversity, and community!

Citizens Project Thanks You!

11th November, 2010

Thanks to hundreds of supporters and volunteers just like you, 2010 has been a great year so far for Citizens Project and I’m excited to share the highlights with you:

Election Education

For the 19th consecutive year, Citizens Project published a comprehensive local Freedom Watch Voter Guide that was inserted in the Colorado Springs Independent and reached more than 100,000 voters in the Pikes Peak region with unbiased information about candidates and ballot measure descriptions. Citizens Project also took a position against Colorado Ballot Measures 60, 61, 62 and 101, all of which were soundly defeated.

Together with the Colorado Springs Independent and many community co-sponsors, Citizens Project hosted a primary El Paso County Sheriff debate and produced two Election Education Forums in October for the general 2010 election.

Recently, we worked with a broad coalition to challenge the El Paso County Clerk and Recorder’s decision to hold 72% of physical polling locations in churches. We found that neighboring counties held 38% or less of polling places in churches and disseminated research that demonstrates a correlation between voting habits and polling place. Citizens Project also coordinated a mailing to over 400 local faith communities with educational materials about electioneering and how churches can comply with IRS guidelines to protect their tax-exempt status.

Separation of Church and State

Next week, Citizens Project will send all local schools The December Dilemma, a practical guide for educators to ensure inclusive holiday celebrations. We also began planning our second annual Citizens’ Religious Freedom Institute to educate teachers, administrators, students, parents and community members about upholding religious freedom in our classrooms. If you’re interested in helping with this important event, please let us know.

Citizens Project also collaborated with faith and business leaders to develop a proposal for a more inclusive municipal policy regarding banners on public property, which City Council will vote on in early 2011.

Diversity and Equality

Citizens Project played a key role in the re-establishment of a Colorado Springs Human Relations Commission, which will educate and protect all members of our community on the importance of diversity and mediate disputes on behalf of the city. Stay tuned for updates!

In early 2010, Citizens Project launched an awareness campaign designed to stimulate conversation and heighten awareness of our issues. More than 100 people signed up on our website, and many of our friends in the community reported having positive conversations as a result of the campaign.

Time, Talent & Money

Citizens Project has always been a grassroots organization that relies heavily on the support of dozens of volunteers and hundreds of supporters! Our accomplishments this year are a testament to the incredible power of our allies in the community.

We held our first-ever Volunteer Open House in July, and we’re planning a Holiday Open House for volunteers on December 13, 2010 at 5pm right here at the CP office. Please let us know  if you can join us to see our office space and hear about the incredible impact volunteers and donors have on our programs. We also developed a quarterly Volunteer Connection newsletter. If you’re interested in learning about our amazing volunteers or upcoming opportunities to make a difference, please feel free to contact us.

Again this year, Citizens Project has been invited to participate in the Colorado Springs Give! Initiative, a coordinated effort to elevate awareness of nonprofits in our community and increase philanthropy in the region. If you’re interested in donating time or money, and earning great rewards, please learn more by visiting IndyGive.com.  

All this work is possible because of you: thank you for all you do to create community! Please call on us any time with ideas, feedback, problems or questions. You are the citizens of Citizens Project.

LGBT Equality: How Does Colorado Stack Up?

5th August, 2010

Citizens Project celebrated the recent overturning of Proposition 8, California’s anti-gay marriage law, and it made us wonder; how do California’s LGBT laws stack up to Colorado’s?

Colorado had two items on the 2006 ballot regarding same-sex marriage.  Referendum I was a proposed law that would have “legalize[d] domestic partnerships, providing same-sex couples the opportunity to obtain the legal protections and responsibilities granted to married couples under Colorado law.” (CNN)

The other item on the ballot was Amendment 43, which would have defined marriage as being between a man and a woman.  Amendment 43 passed with 56% of the vote, and Referendum I, along with LGBT marriage equality, was defeated when 53% voted against it. (CNN)

However, some rights were granted to same-sex couples in 2009.  HB 1260, which Governor Bill Ritter signed in April of 2009, legally allows “couples (gay, lesbian, or heterosexual) to enter into ‘designated beneficiary agreements’. Designated beneficiaries would have certain rights, including the right to receive state employee pension benefits, health insurance coverage, the right to medical decision-making for an incapacitated partner and the right to inherit if a partner dies without a will.” (HRC)  This bill did more than help same-sex couples; it helped unmarried heterosexual couples as well as people who can’t afford a lawyer to draft a will. (DallasVoice)

California’s laws regarding marriage are more complex.  For a few weeks in 2004, the Mayor of San Francisco issued marriage licenses to same-sex couples, but these were later nullified by California Supreme Court.  Then, in 2008, Proposition 8 was introduced and voted on, and passed in the November election with 52% of the vote.  This proposition said that, “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.”  (CA Voterguide)  However, on August 4, 2010, a California Judge reversed Proposition 8, calling it unconstitutional.  This decision will be appealed, and at least for now, same-sex couples in California are not allowed to marry.  That could change, depending on the ultimate outcome of this litigation.

Colorado’s 1992 Amendment 2 is an ugly blotch in our state history. Amendment 2 would have prohibited legal protection from discrimination for gays and lesbians.  It passed with xx% of the vote. Fortunately, justice prevailed and Amendment 2 was overturned by the Colorado Courts. Given this attempt to legalize discrimination against LGBT people, it may surprise you that California and Colorado have very similar laws in other areas that affect LGBT communities.

Employment: Both Colorado and California have laws that protect people from being discriminated against due to their sexual orientation and gender identity.  California put these laws into effect in 1992 and 2003, where Colorado put them into effect in 2007.  (HRC)

Housing:  Both Colorado and California have laws that prohibit housing discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.  For Colorado, this occurred with the passing of SB 200 in 2008, which, in addition to pre-existing nondiscrimination laws for sexual orientation and gender identity to employment, added housing, public accommodations, credit transactions, jury service, and more to the legally protected areas. (HRC, HRC)

Hate Crimes:  Both Colorado (in 2005) and California (in 1999) include sexual orientation and gender identity in their state hate crimes law (HRC)

School discrimination:  Both Colorado (in 2008) and California (in 2002) have laws that address discrimination, harassment and/or bullying of students based on sexual orientation and gender identity. (HRC)

Adoption:  Both Colorado and California allow second-parent adoptions (adopting the child of one’s partner) as well as same-sex couples jointly petitioning to adopt (adopting from the child’s biological parent(s) or is in the custody of the state) (HRC)

Hospital Visitation:  Colorado and California have similar hospital visitation laws, but they are a result of different processes.  In California, equal hospital visitation rights are granted to same-sex spouses or partners through marriage equality or statewide relationship recognition.  In Colorado, same-sex spouses or partners are extended equal hospital visitation rights through specific provisions as part of a limited relationship recognition statute. (HRC)

Out-of-Jurisdiction Recognition:  In order to be eligible for benefits and protections extended by Colorado, couples must re-register with Colorado regardless of their relationship status elsewhere.  California, on the other hand, recognizes out-of-jurisdiction marriages that occurred before November 2008 as valid marriages, and all other same-sex marriages and civil unions or domestic partnerships as valid domestic partnerships. (HRC)

We can see that Colorado and California’s past in regard to LGBT issues are very similar.  Both states had, or are in the process of having, bad legislation overturned that would have prohibited equal rights from being attained by LGBT communities.  Both states are among the top LGBT-friendly states with regards to discrimination laws.  And they both, despite all of these positive attributes, have a long way to go before true equality is reached.