Out Front Colorado
Encyclopedia
Out Front Colorado is a lesbian
, gay
, bisexual
and transgender
newspaper in the Denver metropolitan area. Out Front Colorado was founded by Phil Price with its first issue hitting the stands on April 2, 1976. "Out Front Colorado" is now the second oldest independent LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender) publication in the United States
on June 28, 1969, the homosexual community began fighting back against the government-sponsored system that persecuted sexual minorities. Despite being founded seven years later by Phil Price, a student at the University of Colorado
in Boulder
in 1967, Out Front Colorado came on the heels of the Stonewall riots and became part of the gay rights movement. Price saw a need for a voice for the LGBT community in Colorado and started the publication in his parent's basement.
On June 5, 1981, AIDS
was first reported in the gay community in Los Angeles. For Out Front Colorado, this meant a period of time where a single issue of the publications didn't go by without a memorial for an AIDS victim. This epidemic
brought the LGBT community together, unifying their common grief and support of victims through the publication of breaking news on the search for diagnoses, treatment and a cure.
Colorado Amendment 2, also known as Romer v. Evans
, served as a major uniting factor for the gay community in 1996, when the Supreme Court ruled that the law was unconstitutional. Amendment 2 was passed in Colorado in 1992 and prevented any city, town or county in the state from taking any legislative, executive, or judicial action from recognizing homosexual citizens as a protected class
. In other words, the legislation took away the ability to put in place non-discrimination laws in the state of Colorado, giving it the "hate state" reputation. Due to a strong activist base, the case was pushed to the Supreme Court, where it was overturned. Justice Anthony Kennedy
wrote the majority opinion, stating that:
In the midst of the battle of Amendment 2, Price died in 1993 at the age of 39 as a victim of AIDS. He left Out Front Colorado to Greg Montoya, Jay Klein, and Jack Kelley
. Kelley later died due to natural causes.
The paper changed its name from Out Front to Out Front Colorado in 1995 in hopes of reaching out on a national level. The name change of the publication also served to provide a niche for local LGBT news.
The paper celebrated its 30th Anniversary on April 2, 2006.
The publication has had a web presence since 2006, creating a more versatile way of reaching information with some articles being only available either in print or on the website.
A V.I.P. membership card was also adopted as a method to provide proof to advertisers that readers of the publication were visiting their companies. The membership card is free and provides readers the ability to show their card to retailers across the state of Colorado and receive discounts on their purchases.
Out Front Colorado presented a Spanish
-speaking component of their website in 2009.
The longevity of the publication has been, in parts, thanks to its niche writing and focus on the Colorado LBGT community. While nationwide issues are covered, the publication strives to find the local angle for their readers.
The paper has covered in-depth news stories from around the region in the past such as the arrival of the HIV
/AIDS
pandemic, the Colorado Amendment 2
controversy, and the murder of Matthew Shepard
.
The paper also publishes several Special Edition issues each year with themes and coverage of community events such as AIDS Walk
Colorado, Rocky Mountain Regional Rodeo, Aspen Gay Ski Week, Dining Out For Life, as well as an annual Holiday Gift Guide and New Year's issues. The largest issue based on circulation and page count is the Special Edition issue timed to coincide with PrideFest
when that event takes place in Denver each June.
Year-round regular features in Out Front Colorado include commentary by drag comedian NuClea Waste, Gabby Gourmet restaurant reviews, an "Ask A Slut" advice column answered by a group of 8 local drag performers, and a satirical column on gay culture called Stuff Gay People Like.
It has a main circulation of 20,000 copies distributed at more than 250 locations in the Denver metropolitan area. Out Front Colorado has a main readership of 50,000 readers, and has a subscription base of over 200 readers.
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
, gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
, bisexual
Bisexuality
Bisexuality is sexual behavior or an orientation involving physical or romantic attraction to both males and females, especially with regard to men and women. It is one of the three main classifications of sexual orientation, along with a heterosexual and a homosexual orientation, all a part of the...
and transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
newspaper in the Denver metropolitan area. Out Front Colorado was founded by Phil Price with its first issue hitting the stands on April 2, 1976. "Out Front Colorado" is now the second oldest independent LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender) publication in the United States
History
After the Stonewall riotsStonewall riots
The Stonewall riots were a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City...
on June 28, 1969, the homosexual community began fighting back against the government-sponsored system that persecuted sexual minorities. Despite being founded seven years later by Phil Price, a student at the University of Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
in Boulder
Boulder
In geology, a boulder is a rock with grain size of usually no less than 256 mm diameter. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive....
in 1967, Out Front Colorado came on the heels of the Stonewall riots and became part of the gay rights movement. Price saw a need for a voice for the LGBT community in Colorado and started the publication in his parent's basement.
On June 5, 1981, AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
was first reported in the gay community in Los Angeles. For Out Front Colorado, this meant a period of time where a single issue of the publications didn't go by without a memorial for an AIDS victim. This epidemic
Epidemic
In epidemiology, an epidemic , occurs when new cases of a certain disease, in a given human population, and during a given period, substantially exceed what is expected based on recent experience...
brought the LGBT community together, unifying their common grief and support of victims through the publication of breaking news on the search for diagnoses, treatment and a cure.
Colorado Amendment 2, also known as Romer v. Evans
Romer v. Evans
Romer v. Evans, 517 U.S. 620 , is a landmark United States Supreme Court case dealing with civil rights and state laws. It was the first Supreme Court case to deal with LGBT rights since Bowers v...
, served as a major uniting factor for the gay community in 1996, when the Supreme Court ruled that the law was unconstitutional. Amendment 2 was passed in Colorado in 1992 and prevented any city, town or county in the state from taking any legislative, executive, or judicial action from recognizing homosexual citizens as a protected class
Protected class
Protected class is a term used in United States anti-discrimination law. The term describes characteristics or factors which can not be targeted for discrimination and harassment...
. In other words, the legislation took away the ability to put in place non-discrimination laws in the state of Colorado, giving it the "hate state" reputation. Due to a strong activist base, the case was pushed to the Supreme Court, where it was overturned. Justice Anthony Kennedy
Anthony Kennedy
Anthony McLeod Kennedy is an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, having been appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1988. Since the retirement of Sandra Day O'Connor, Kennedy has often been the swing vote on many of the Court's politically charged 5–4 decisions...
wrote the majority opinion, stating that:
- "To the contrary, the amendment imposes a special disability upon those persons alone. Homosexuals are forbidden the safeguards that others enjoy or may seek without constraint."
In the midst of the battle of Amendment 2, Price died in 1993 at the age of 39 as a victim of AIDS. He left Out Front Colorado to Greg Montoya, Jay Klein, and Jack Kelley
Jack Kelley
Jack Kelley was a longtime USA Today reporter and nominee and finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2002.He is perhaps best known for his professional downfall in March 2004, when it came out that he had long been fabricating stories, going so far as to write up scripts so associates could pretend to...
. Kelley later died due to natural causes.
The paper changed its name from Out Front to Out Front Colorado in 1995 in hopes of reaching out on a national level. The name change of the publication also served to provide a niche for local LGBT news.
The paper celebrated its 30th Anniversary on April 2, 2006.
The publication has had a web presence since 2006, creating a more versatile way of reaching information with some articles being only available either in print or on the website.
A V.I.P. membership card was also adopted as a method to provide proof to advertisers that readers of the publication were visiting their companies. The membership card is free and provides readers the ability to show their card to retailers across the state of Colorado and receive discounts on their purchases.
Out Front Colorado presented a Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
-speaking component of their website in 2009.
Content
Price started the publication from a political perspective, being "very in-your-face and rebellious" . While the publication still publishes political information and supports candidates, news features and entertainment are the main components.The longevity of the publication has been, in parts, thanks to its niche writing and focus on the Colorado LBGT community. While nationwide issues are covered, the publication strives to find the local angle for their readers.
The paper has covered in-depth news stories from around the region in the past such as the arrival of the HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
/AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
pandemic, the Colorado Amendment 2
Romer v. Evans
Romer v. Evans, 517 U.S. 620 , is a landmark United States Supreme Court case dealing with civil rights and state laws. It was the first Supreme Court case to deal with LGBT rights since Bowers v...
controversy, and the murder of Matthew Shepard
Matthew Shepard
Matthew Wayne Shepard was a student at the University of Wyoming who was tortured and murdered near Laramie, Wyoming, in October 1998...
.
The paper also publishes several Special Edition issues each year with themes and coverage of community events such as AIDS Walk
AIDS Walk
AIDS Walk is a walkathon fundraiser that raises money to combat the AIDS epidemic. The funds raised from AIDS Walks usually benefit a local AIDS service organization , which provide services and advocacy for local community residents who are infected with HIV...
Colorado, Rocky Mountain Regional Rodeo, Aspen Gay Ski Week, Dining Out For Life, as well as an annual Holiday Gift Guide and New Year's issues. The largest issue based on circulation and page count is the Special Edition issue timed to coincide with PrideFest
PrideFest (Denver)
PrideFest is an annual Gay pride event held each June in Denver, Colorado. PrideFest honors the culture and heritage of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in the State of Colorado. The annual event draws an estimated 200,000 spectators to downtown Denver and is presented by the...
when that event takes place in Denver each June.
Year-round regular features in Out Front Colorado include commentary by drag comedian NuClea Waste, Gabby Gourmet restaurant reviews, an "Ask A Slut" advice column answered by a group of 8 local drag performers, and a satirical column on gay culture called Stuff Gay People Like.
Price and Distribution
Since Out Front Colorado is maintained through advertisement sales, it is a free publication and is therefore free in the state of Colorado. It has a cover price of $2.95 and can be bought from bookstores within the state as well as in 10 other states.It has a main circulation of 20,000 copies distributed at more than 250 locations in the Denver metropolitan area. Out Front Colorado has a main readership of 50,000 readers, and has a subscription base of over 200 readers.
External links
- Out Front Colorado Online
- Out Front Colorado Facebook http://www.facebook.com/OutFrontColorado