One Colorado, the state’s largest advocacy organization for gay and transgender rights, will continue its fight against conversion therapy in the upcoming legislative session under the leadership of its new executive director, Daniel Ramos.

Ramos, 29, was picked as the organization’s new leader after a search by its board of directors to replace former director Dave Montez this summer.

“Daniel has the experience and determination to take on One Colorado’s hefty to-do list and hit the ground running as we continue our march toward full equality,” said One Colorado board co-chairs Bill Mead and Mark Thrun in an email to supporters in late August.

Ramos, a Sterling native,  isn’t a newcomer to One Colorado, which lobbies the Legislature, local governments and schools on issues related to LGBTQ health care, relationship recognition and transgender equality.

He’s worked for One Colorado in various capacities over the last five years, including as its political and organizing director. When he first joined the organization, Ramos led its safe schools program, an initiative aimed at improving the experiences of LGBTQ students.

Though Senate Republicans killed bills that would have banned  gay conversion therapy in 2015 and 2016, Ramos said One Colorado isn’t deterred.

The group hasn’t released its endorsement list yet, but Ramos said One Colorado will work this fall to help elect “pro-equality” candidates on both sides of the aisle.

“Currently in Colorado it’s legal to practice conversion therapy, a discredited and dangerous practice aimed at changing a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity,” Ramos said. “Our bill would ban the practice of conversion therapy because we believe no young person should have to experience so-called therapy that tells them who they are and who they love is wrong.”

With Ramos as its new leader, One Colorado will also continue to advocate on behalf of transgender individuals.

A bill to make it easier for transgender people to change their birth certificates was rejected by Senate Republicans for the last two years.

Ramos said that bill, which would have allowed a person to change the gender on their birth certificate without getting surgery, continues to be a top priority for One Colorado. Under the law, a person’s birth certificate also would not be listed as “amended.”

“(We’re) making sure that transgender people have opportunities in Colorado, that they have identity documents that match who they are and that also in health care, making sure transgender people can access the basic health care they need,” he said.

The organization, which has seven employees and a supporter list of more than 60,000 people, will make sure that non-discrimination laws are being enforced in places like schools, hospitals and housing. One Colorado is also working to ensure that health insurance companies aren’t denying benefits to LGBTQ-identified Coloradans.

One Colorado will continue to push back against religious freedom bills like the ones passed in Indiana and Mississippi that would allow people to refuse service to LGBTQ people on the basis of their religious beliefs.

Though the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2015 ruled that same-sex couples can marry nationwide,  Ramos said the organization’s work is far from over.

“After our big marriage win last year, we know that there’s a lot of work left to do,” he said. “One is training our next generation of LGBTQ young people and their allies to be leaders in the community.”

One Colorado helped create the fourth-largest Gay Straight Alliance network with more than 220 student clubs at middle schools, high schools and colleges across the state.

Ramos wants LGBTQ-identified young people to lead clubs at their schools or run for student government, like he did at the University of Colorado as an undergraduate. He also holds a master’s degree in public administration from CU’s Denver campus.

He said he believes working with schools on anti-bullying measures and working to develop LGBTQ student leaders is key to their future success.

“When students experience bullying, it impacts the way they can participate in school and it impacts their opportunities in the future,” he said. “When LGBTQ young people are targeted based on their sexual orientation or transgender status in school, that’s one of the issues we want to make sure that we address.”