Two City and County of Denver commissions will be busy this year, if recent actions by the federal government regarding minorities continue, a City Council committee was recently told by commission members.

The Denver Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender & Queer (LGBTQ) Commission works to advance social, economic and political equality for lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer people, according to a one-page presentation to the Safety, Housing, Education & Homelessness Committee.

Arash Jahanian is a civil rights and employment attorney and commission vice-chairman.

“We’re in a time that gives us great concern,” Jahanian said. “Denver has proved to be a welcoming city and we want to move that forward.”

Last year, the commission helped identify resources to address unmet needs of Denver’s LGBTQ homeless population, particularly families, youth and seniors; focused on increasing beds for vulnerable populations, mandating training for shelters receiving city funds on laws, policies and best practices; and how the city and Denver’s Road Home can ensure shelters are providing equitable services to the LGBTQ homeless.

That last effort is still in progress, Jahanian said.

“Homelessness disproportionately affects the LGBTQ community, and a few shelters are not always meeting the letter of city regulations” that bar discrimination, he added. “We’re reaching out to as many shelters as we can to help educate them so they can provide services to all the homeless population.”

Jahanian said he did not want to name one homeless shelter that allegedly denied service, based on personal religious or other beliefs, to some LGBTQ people.

“We’re not talking about the emergency shelters run by the city,” he added. “Some of what has occurred is just due to ignorance of the city’s rules, too.”

The city can withhold funds it allocates to shelters who do not follow the rules, Jahanian noted.

Commission member Tristan Gorman said she considered herself a gender non-conforming person.

“I don’t look like a woman and I’ve been assaulted in a public restroom dispute,” she added. “There could be more training for shelter areas; setting aside small areas for privacy is a key to help stave off the issues shelters don’t want to deal with.”

Anthony Aragon, the city liaison to the LGBTQ commission, noted the 2020 U.S. Census is not likely to include questions to help identify members of the LGBTQ community as was the case in the past. A recent Public News Service story said some members of the national LGBTQ community felt “erased” after questions on sexual orientation and gender identity were removed from a draft of the 2020 Census.

Other actions by the commission last year included a formal recommendation to designate a Denver Police Department LGBTQ liaison that was adopted; working with City Council and community organizations to require all Denver single-occupancy bathrooms be gender-neutral; making state level policy recommendations on issues such as conversion therapy bans, birth certificate modernization and discriminatory religious freedom bills; helping update the city’s anti-discrimination ordinance to reflect correct terminology, removing exemptions to gender identity protections and narrowing religious exemptions to match state law.

Immigrant & Refugee commission

The Denver Immigrant & Refugee Commission advocates for the immigrant and refugee communities in the city. Commission Co-Chairwoman Jennifer Gueddiche has over 18 years of experience in refugee resettlement in the Denver metro area and works for the Spring Institute for Intercultural Learning as director of programs.

“In the current environment of federal executive orders and the like, it’s really important we continue to hold forums and be available to answer questions,” Gueddiche said.

In response to executive orders from President Donald Trump, the commission created a support statement and resource list as a commitment to immigrant and refugee communities that stated, “We know that Denver has a history of welcoming immigrants and refugees and we will continue to act as a welcoming city and an ally for all new arrivals.”

This year, commission members met with Mayor Michael Hancock to have an open dialogue about federal action on immigrants and refugees and supported the mayor’s Immigrant & Refugee Community Forum. Hancock proclaimed March 21 “Denver Immigration Day of Action” to highlight the contributions of immigrants in the Denver community.

The commission is working with the Denver Public Library, Spring Institute and World Denver to encourage local refugees to tell their stories. “Refugees: In Their Own Words” is hoped to educate citizens about the process of vetting, resettlement and successful integration of refugees into their new communities.

The commission also plans to host the 2017 Mayor’s Diversity Awards and share success stories, perhaps through Hancock’s new “Our Immigrant Stories” site. The commission will also work with the Colorado Coalition for Genocide Awareness and Action on a community mental health assessment this summer.