One Colorado Education Fund: LGBT advocacy group honors CMS with 2013 Ally Award

Sunday, September 01, 2013 12:30 PM

Kate Alfano, CMS contributing writer

The One Colorado Education Fund – the leading statewide advocacy organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Coloradans – has named the Colorado Medical Society one of two recipients of their 2013 Ally Award.

“Since first being presented with ‘Invisible,’ One Colorado’s report on the health care needs and disparities facing the state’s LGBT community, the Colorado Medical Society has worked tirelessly to improve access, seek out new funding and create new opportunities to educate its membership on issues of LGBT health,” the organization said in a news release about the award.

CMS board member Tamaan Osbourne-Roberts, MD, a Denver family physician, accepted the award on CMS’ behalf at an event on Aug. 17 that drew 400 attendees. “Despite the ability to cure things we once thought incurable, despite treatments to extend life and restore function in ways that once would have been thought miraculous, the benefits of such advances still do not accrue equally to all members of society,” Osbourne-Roberts told attendees.

“It has long been recognized that the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community, in Colorado and everywhere, suffer from worse health outcomes and often feel alienated from a system that should be helping them,” Osbourne-Roberts continued. “Physicians, voluntarily or involuntarily, have often been party to this process. We hope our recent, and continuing, efforts help to send a message that physician participation in any such exclusion, through either commission or omission, is a thing of the past.”

The University of Denver men’s hockey team also received the 2013 Ally Award, in recognition of their participation in the You Can Play Project, an organization dedicated to promoting respect for all athletes and addressing homophobia in sports.

“The 2013 Ally Award winners truly embody what it means to be an ally to the LGBT community,” said Brad Clark, executive director of One Colorado Education Fund, in the release. “Because of their courage and commitment to standing up for our community – along with so many incredible allies across our state – we can say without hesitation that Colorado is a fairer and more just place for LGBT Coloradans and their families.”

Also recognized at the event were the honorary co-chairs: Denver County Clerk and Recorder Debra Johnson, state Senators John Morse, Angela Giron and Irene Aguilar, MD, and former state Representative BJ Nikkel. One Colorado honored Tim Sweeney, the outgoing president and CEO of the Gill Foundation, with a special tribute, recognizing him as a longtime champion for LGBT equality.