The Center Celebrates Transgender Day of Visibility
This past month The Center on Colfax hosted a day full of connections, community, and nonstop chatter to celebrate Transgender Day of Visibility.
On Saturday, March 30, attendees were greeted by books from Denver Public Library Bookmobile, a van packed with curiosities brought by the Denver Museum of Nature & Science’s Curiosity Cruiser, a plethora of engaging community events, and resources from a selection of groups aiding the transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse community.
OFM was lucky enough to get the chance to chat with Sable Schultz, the Director of Transgender Services at The Center on Colfax. Sable has used her experiences and passion to uplift trans folks and the queer community at The Center for over eight years.
When asked what her biggest takeaway working at The Center, she says:
“For me, (it’s) the opportunity to really help people find a sense of pride in their experiences and identities. When I came out, I came out in the late 90s–There were very few resources for transgender, gender-diverse, and nonbinary folks, and very few rolemodels out there. And it became a passion for me to help empower other trans, nonbinary, and gender-diverse folks to recognize their own power within their identities and find a source of pride and direction with who they are. It’s really amazing; we get a lot of folks who are just initially coming out and providing them a space where they can come in, be themselves, connect with other community members, and realize that they can be their authentic selves.”
When asked about what she hoped the event could offer folks, she adds:
“A lot of the goal of this event is to uplift and empower the voices and lives of trans, nonbinary, and gender-diverse folks. So often in the news, we hear a lot of negativity associated with trans experiences: either legislation targeting trans folks; we hear a lot of deaths of trans folks, a lot of just this sorta hostile atmosphere, and it can weigh heavily on our psyche, on our emotions. So events like these are an opportunity for trans, nonbinary, and gender-diverse folks to come together and uplift and empower one another, share one another’s stories with each other, and really get a sense of community and recognize we’re all in this together.”
The event certainly lived up to this goal—community could be felt in the room and at each table folks from many walks of life were connecting and chatting. The organizations offering resources were bustling as guests meandered through the packed rooms. And downstairs, the boom of voices was consistent as speakers and guests shared their stories.
Guests were invited to meet new friends in speed “friending,” engage in multiple mini workshops led by community members and speakers, slam down some stories, poems, and music at an open mic, and share their personal stories and experiences at the Story Booth. With a packed house, The Center was rich with friendly conversations, new blooming friendships, and the catharsis of sharing and listening to the hardships also faced by trangender, non-binary, and gender diverse individuals.
The event also featured a range of organizations that provided resources; those in attendance included CO4Kids, Identity Hormones, Jade Wellness, One Colorado, PFLAG Denver, and UCHealth’s Integrated Transgender Program.
Events such as these are more than important; they are vital. Offering safe spaces for folks in a world that can be downright unaccepting (and worse) can create community and truly save lives. Expanding transgender rights and social acceptance has been a constant battle, and with the recent legislation being passed, this journey can become emotionally taxing and especially terrifying for those living in states discriminating against gender diverse folks.
Acknowledging the hardships shared by transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse folks is essential to making progress, but it’s equally important to give folks time to simply celebrate themselves and allow them the space to find the beauty and power in their identities.
Photo by Anna Lee
