Gill Foundation

We're very grateful to our board co-chairs, Scott Miller and Tim Gill, for their continued commitment to the city we call home.

This week, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston announced that a fund directed by Tim and Scott made a grant to the Denver Park Trust, bolstering the effort to rebuild the City Park bandstand that was destroyed by fire in March.

This gift matched the $125,000 raised by the community through a micro-giving campaign launched by 9News anchor Kyle Clark's "Word of Thanks Fund" and supported by the Denver Park Trust, City Park Alliance, City Park Friends and Neighbors, and Denver Parks and Recreation.

"The community has already shown how much the bandstand means to them," said Tim. Scott agreed: "We wanted to recognize and build on that extraordinary community effort."

Denver philanthropists cover the rest of the cost to rebuild City Park Bandstand The historic bandstand burned in March. Investigators still aren't sure why.

Ten years ago today, President Obama designated the site of the uprising as our first national monument recognizing the fight for LGBTQ equality. This milestone is an opportunity to celebrate all who have contributed to that fight—and honor their legacy by continuing to defend this sacred ground.

Efforts to erase history have proliferated in recent years. They reached Stonewall National Monument last year when references to transgender, q***r, and in some cases bisexual people were removed from its materials. Then, one morning this February, we woke up to find an empty flagpole where its iconic Pride flag once flew.

The next day, advocates and local leaders gathered at Stonewall to re-raise a temporary flag. Following a national outcry and swift legal action, the original flag was restored in April. As it flies over Stonewall on its 10th anniversary, we’re reminded that the fight to preserve our history is never over.

We’re grateful to President Obama and the many LGBTQ advocates who made Stonewall National Monument a reality 10 years ago—and to all of those who continue to defend it to this day.

As we close out our recognition, the highlights the California advocate who spent two decades fighting the legal battles behind marriage equality.

Kate Kendell served as Executive Director of the National Center for Le***an Rights (NCLR) in San Francisco for more than two decades, leading the organization through some of the most consequential LGBTQ+ legal battles in U.S. history. Under her leadership, NCLR was a key force in challenging California's Proposition 8 and advancing the legal arguments that ultimately contributed to nationwide marriage equality.

Kendell's work extended beyond marriage — championing adoption rights, transgender legal protections, and family law equity for LGBTQ+ individuals and families across California and the country.

Her legacy is a reminder that landmark rulings don’t happen without the advocates who fight for them—or the communities whose strength and solidarity make that fight possible: https://bit.ly/4eFOJQY

On Friday The Alexander Foundation kicked off Pride Month with its annual Spring Fling, where they honored Tim Gill as the inaugural recipient of the Dr. Willard Leavel Community Pillar Award.

For 45 years, The Alexander Foundation has provided financial assistance and support to students and community members across Colorado, helping them overcome barriers and access opportunity. It was established during the early years of the HIV/AIDS crisis, when such support systems were often nonexistent. Today, it continues to help LGBTQ weather financial hardship, access educational opportunities, and obtain housing, healthcare, and other essential needs.

The Dr. Willard Leavel Community Pillar Award is named after the organization's founder, recognizing individuals who demonstrate the leadership, commitment, and capacity to advance meaningful change in pursuit of . We are honored that The Alexander Foundation chose to recognize Tim's work—through the Gill Foundation and beyond—with its inaugural award.

Thirty years ago today, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Romer v. Evans, the landmark case that struck down Colorado's Amendment 2 as a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

Following tireless work and expert strategy from attorney Jean Dubofsky and her team, the Court ruled that our country's laws could not carve out people from fundamental civil rights protections.

This decision marked a sea change. In the decades that followed, Romer v. Evans would serve as a basis for rulings that struck down so**my laws and the Defense of Marriage Act—and ultimately secured the to marry nationwide.

It also started conversations. "People were less afraid," Tim Gill said. "Politicians were less afraid of discussing the issue and expressing positive opinions. So the real legacy is the change it made in people’s minds."

But that work is far from over. As Tim put it, "I don’t think you’re ever finished.” Read more from The Colorado Sun on the living legacy of Romer v. Evans and the ongoing work to defend treatment for LGBTQ people in Colorado and across the country:

30 years ago, a landmark Supreme Court decision bolstered LGBTQ+ rights — and changed Colorado’s “Hate State” reputation Thirty years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Romer v. Evans overturned Colorado's Amendment 2 and ended its "Hate State" reputation.

Today the U.S. made a grave error by granting so-called “free speech” exemptions to Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy. And they turned a blind eye to the many LGBTQ youth who will be directly harmed by their decision.

The case challenged Colorado’s law banning licensed mental health professionals from practicing conversion therapy. The Court kept the law in place but severely undermined it by allowing fraudulent practitioners to claim that talk-based conversion therapy is protected speech rather than regulated professional conduct.

To be clear—this ruling is about how can be regulated, not whether it is safe or legal. It isn’t. It remains malpractice and consumer fraud, and we still have legal tools available to combat it. We can also spread the word about the enormous harms of conversion therapy to discourage parents and families from seeking out this dangerous practice.

Learn more from The National Center for LGBTQ Rights:

Supreme Court Rules Colorado Conversion Therapy Ban Violates First Amendment, But Leaves Malpractice And Other Legal Claims Intact “This decision is narrowly about how conversion therapy can be regulated. It does not mean that conversion therapy is safe or legal. Conversion therapy is still medical malpractice and consumer fraud,” said NCLR’s Shannon Minter WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Supreme Court today issued a ruling ...

Today is , an opportunity to celebrate the many contributions transgender Americans have made to our country—including those who have served in our armed forces.

Although service members have been banned from representing our country in uniform, they continue to demonstrate their courage and patriotism by telling their stories and challenging the ban in court and in the public sphere.

One of those patriots, Colonel Bree Fram, was the highest-ranking openly transgender member of the U.S. armed forces. " is not self-sustaining," she said. "It requires people again and again who are willing to stand up and say, if not me, then who?"

Hear more about Colonel Fram's story—and those of other transgender service members who continue to represent our country with honor and grace:

Transgender troops speak up as they're forced out : Consider This from NPR President Trump banned transgender people from the military during his first term.But at the time, service members could continue with their service if they had received an official diagnosis of gender dysphoria.Citing military excellence and readiness, the second Trump administration is now forcibl...