FEB RUA RY 7, 2018 O U T FR O N T M AGA ZINE .CO M FREE
QUEER
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CONTENTS FEBRUARY 7, 2018 VOL41 NO28
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ROBIN KNIECH FIGHTS FOR A MORE INCLUSIVE DENVER 8 WHAT LGBTQ ACTIVISTS WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT THE NEW TAX CODES 11 LOCAL BISHOP FIGHTS QUEER DISCRIMINATION IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 14 PINWHEEL COFFEE: WHIPPING UP INCLUSIVITY IN THE HIGHLANDS 19 PANTHER PERFORMANCE PROVIDES (HORSE) POWER AND PROTECTION FOR QUEER PEOPLE
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23 KAYVAN FOR DENVER: A BOLD NEW FUTURE FOR THE MILE HIGH CITY 26
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WADE FRISBIE ON THE VALUE OF THE PINK DOLLAR 30 TRIANGLE BAR BRINGS AN URBAN, CHIC AESTHETIC TO DENVER’S QUEER NIGHTLIFE 34 THE APP STORE: MANAGING YOUR MONEY IN 2018 48 HEINZESIGHT: OVERCOMING NEGATIVITY
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SERVING THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS SINCE 1976 PHONE 303-477-4000 FAX 303-325-2642 WEB OutFrontMagazine.com FACEBOOK /OutFrontColorado TWITTER @OutFrontCO INSTAGRAM /OutFrontColorado FOUNDER PHIL PRICE 1954-1993 ADMINISTRATION info@outfrontmagazine.com JERRY CUNNINGHAM Publisher J.C. MCDONALD Vice President MAGGIE PHILLIPS Operations Manager JEFF JACKSON SWAIM Chief Strategist EDITORIAL editorial@outfrontmagazine.com RYAN HOWE Editor ADDISON HERRON-WHEELER Digital Content Manager BRENT HEINZE Senior Columnist SARAH FARBMAN Copy Editor ARIANNA BALDERAMMA Intern WRITERS: Yvonne Wright, Ezra Kronfeld, Caitlin Galiz-Rowe, Alysha Prieto ART art@outfrontmagazine.com DESIGN2PRO Graphic Designer COVER DESIGNED BY REED LECROY WITH MODEL JOSUE LEDEZMA CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS Charles Broshous MARKETING + SALES marketing@outfrontmagazine.com HARRISON SCHAFFER Director of Sales & Marketing DANNY GREGORY-O’SHEA Marketing Executive ZACKERY GLASS Marketing Executive BRENNAN GALLAGHER Marketing Executive National Advertising Rivendell Media 212-242-6863 | sales@rivendellmedia.com CORRECTIONS (SORRY Y’ALL) Aspen Gay Ski Week’s Spokesperson’s correct name is Jim Guttau not Jim Guttua.
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fights for a more Inclusive Denver By Alysha Prieto
“W
e’re going to count to three and I want you to say the name of a woman who inspired you. We’re going to do it all together. Get her name in your mind. One. Two. Three!” Denver’s At-Large Councilwoman Robin Kniech shouted.
UNE, introduced Kniech to job standards, affordable housing, and environmental standards in Denver. She humbly credits her quick rise to public office to her “very focused trajectory” and focusing on local government, investments, and transit in Denver.
Kniech is Denver's first LGBTQ city council member.
Kniech traced her place in public office to her work on the Union Station Project. It proved to others, and in some ways herself, that she could put her talents to use as an elected official.
She stood on the Civic Center’s West Stage before the vast crowd that had united for 2016’s Women’s March on Denver. Adding to the attendees’ indiscernible response, Kniech contributed her grandmother’s name. “Think of a woman who paved the way that you’ve never met. Put her in your mind. We’re going to do it again. On the count of three, you’re going to say her name with me. Ready? One. Two. Three!” Kniech was raised in a working class family in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Both her parents were union members, her father in construction and her mother a factory worker with Master Lock for more than 40 years. As she grew up, she was armed with the sense that if you work hard then you should be able to get by. “We always had enough food to eat and a roof over our head, but we also didn’t take those things for granted because they were hardscrabble fought,” Kniech said. Public office wouldn’t cross her mind until after graduating law school, moving to Colorado, and working as a community organizer in Denver, but the childhood value held fast. “It’s a big part of my concern with people and making sure that they have a good quality of life and are able to make ends meet,” she added. Policy work with FRESC, who recently changed their name to 6 \\ F E B R U A R Y 7 , 2 0 1 8
“I think I, like many women, had to be urged by others to run, and I was urged by a really diverse group of people,” Kniech said. The Union Station Project was the first time that she made the switch from someone who was suggesting how to improve the city to someone who was appointed to sit at the decision making table. Kniech learned that she could be both an advocate for change and understand the logistics, good policy, and management that go into creating dependable solutions. “One of my former colleagues used to say that ‘Denver is a place where you can prove yourself and it doesn’t matter if you have six generations of history,’” Kniech said. “I was able to, as an out lesbian and young woman, really find a path where people were judging me based on my outcomes.” Kniech also had to overcome internalized barriers in order to run for office in 2011. In her mind, her background didn’t match that of the traditional decision maker. She didn’t come from a wealthy family. She wasn’t willing to make false promises for the polls. And she was a new mother; her son wasn’t even two yet. Historically, women are less likely than men to feel as though they are qualified to run for office. Last June, NPR reported
that women only made up 24 percent of state legislatures, 19 percent of congress members, and 12 percent of the nation’s governors. NPR also recognized an analysis from Obama’s 2012 analytics director, Amelia Showalter. “Madam President, Role Model in Chief” found that when women are elected to major office, other women are two to three percent more likely to run in the coming years. But in November, voters celebrated the victory of diverse women elected to office across the nation. Among so many other winners, the House of Delegates now includes its first trans women, first Latinas, and first AsianAmerican woman. These elected women, and those that came before, continue to inspire Kniech. One of those women is former Councilwoman Cathy Reynolds. Reynolds was one of the first women elected to Denver City Council in 1975, and after 28 years in office, was the longest serving member. During her tenure she helped to pass many of the city’s current LGBTQ protections. “My ability to be in the seat was built on the shoulders of straight allies. It was an all-straight council that passed the non-discrimination policy in the city. It was an all-straight council that passed partner benefits for employees of the city. You don’t have to be LBGTQ to advance LGBTQ equality,” Kniech said. As the first out lesbian elected to Denver City Council, Kniech believes her identity gives her a lens to include other disenfranchised communities. It allows her to continually go back and think about how she is including different voices and perspectives. It also gives her a chance to challenge perception. Despite the fact that she is a minority in the political world, less-than-pleasant encounters are few and far between. As a young and active feminist she remembers being what she now considers the language police.
“If someone used a word that I thought wasn’t the right word for a sexual orientation or for a woman, I would berate them. Or I would want to,” she said. Nowadays, she handles uncomfortable situations by making her boundaries clear, aiming to meet people where they are, and education. With about a year and a half left in her current term, Kniech is working on making lasting change in areas that she has been focused on throughout her whole career. Awareness and education on transgender issues, protecting Denver’s immigration bill, and providing access to opportunity and affordable housing for low-income families—just to name a few. Kniech attributes a growing city and accelerated rate of displacement to making the affordable housing problems tougher to solve, but not impossible. “We’re still using the tools we have because they make a difference for the families that they impact. We can’t throw up our arms and say it’s too big and we’re done. No. I can impact a hundred families. I can impact a thousand families. I have to do that,” she said. Receiving money in the budget five years in a row for housing made her proud. Establishing a ten-year fund, a solution that will last longer than Kniech, made her even more proud. Aside from lasting change, Kniech believes that success means championing the voices of the people who are most impacted by the issues. “There is physical infrastructure and there is human infrastructure. If I am successful, the folks that I’m working alongside will be more empowered and more effective,” she said. They also become more likely to work with government again. Support, believes Kniech, is the key to transforming constituents, especially women, into fellow elected officials and lawmakers. To her, the easy answer that many people point to is simply asking women to run, encouraging them to use their talents. “Behind every great man there must be great woman,” she reminded the protesters last January. “Behind every great woman there are many other great women.” OUTFRONTMAGAZINE.COM
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WHAT
LGBTQ Activists Want You to Know
About the New Tax Codes By Yvonne Wright
Tax season is already underway, but changes are still on the way. While President Trump’s massive tax plan was signed into law just before the new year, actual changes to how much you pay in taxes won’t likely come until next year’s tax season. But many LGBTQ advocates warn other provisions could start costing you money and services soon. 8 \\ F E B R U A R Y 7 , 2 0 1 8
“T
he tax package will undoubtedly hurt the LGBTQ community,” said Laura Durso, vice president of LGBTQ research and communications for the Center for American Progress. She and others, like the Human Rights Campaign and GLAAD, have come out against the new law, saying it will cost a disproportionate number of LGBTQ people their health care. They’re concerned about the part of the tax plan that rolls back the Obamacare requirement for everyone to purchase health insurance. “No one, not a single person, will lose their health care as a result of the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act,” said Gregory Angelo, president of the Log Cabin Republicans, a group of conservative LGBTQ members. While the GOP maintains that health care coverage won’t change, a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report predicts it will cost 13 million people their health insurance in the next 10 years. Four million of those are expected to lose coverage over the next year alone. Others are expected to see health care costs rise. “LGB individuals are less than half as likely as heterosexual individuals to have access to coverage through a spouse or partner’s employer,” said Durso. Those not covered by group health insurance will see premiums rise by about 10 percent in most years of the upcoming decade, according to the CBO report. Both LGBTQ and low-income advocates fought the legislation that was rushed through both chambers of Congress in less than 24 hours. It did not receive a single vote from democrats. They argued they simply didn’t have enough time to read through the bill before voting, and what they did see seemed to provide tax relief to big companies while costing average Americans more. Here is what we do know. The tax package lowers the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent. That tax cut is permanent. Standard deductions for individuals and families will double, as will child taxcredits. Those tax cuts are temporary and will expire in seven years. Tax cuts sound good. But analysts warn that the money lost through tax cuts must be made up somewhere else. With corporations and upper-income individuals getting even bigger tax breaks, that money will likely come from cuts to Medicaid and Medicare. That could impact programs for everyone from people with HIV/AIDS to people with disabilities and the elderly. How much money are we talking about? The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget predicts that this tax plan will cause the national debt to double—literally double—over the next 10 years. That’s an increase of between $1.5 and $2.2 trillion dollars to the deficit. The exact price tag varies from analyst to analyst and will fluctuate with economic expansion or deflation.
“Programs crucial to the LGBTQ community like Medicare, Medicaid, global HIV and AIDS programs, and the Ryan White Care Act will surely face future efforts to cut their benefits,” said David Stacy, government affairs director for the HRC. The HRC estimates 40 percent of people with HIV/AIDS depend on Medicaid for health care. Angelo, and other conservatives like him, argue the tax plan will spur economic growth, which will benefit the economy. He is particularly happy about the death tax reform, which he said “has been a cornerstone of the LCR tax policy going back more than a decade.” The measure mostly benefits the very rich. Money or property left to heirs after death will now only be taxed after $11 million, instead of the current base of $5 million. So if you have less than $5 million when you die, this reform won’t impact you. “Total repeal of the death tax remains a priority to the Log Cabin Republicans,” said Angelo. More concerning to middle and lower-class families is a cap on certain write-offs. Until now, taxpayers could deduct all taxes paid to state and local governments, including property, income, and sales tax. The tax reform will limit those writeoffs to $10,000. That could cost middle class homeowners a significant amount of money. Republican representatives from areas with high state taxes and high property values, like California, New Jersey, and New York, were among the 12 members of the GOP to vote against the tax measure in the House. They know their constituents will face some of the biggest losses with the new reforms. Representative Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY) identifies as gay and a co-chair of the LGBT Equality Caucus. He told the Washington Blade he voted against the tax measure because “It raises property taxes for us and 83 percent of the benefits go to the richest one percent.” In Colorado, votes were split down party lines, with all republican house and senate members voting for the new tax codes and all democrats voting against them. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) was a key vote in getting the measure out of the Senate Budget Committee, where it faced tough debate. While cuts to social programs have not happened yet, Durso said, “Members of the community need to be vigilant to see if lawmakers use the deficits resulting from the tax package to attack programs that are vital to LGBTQ people, including the 1.8 million LGBTQ people on Medicaid.” One way, she said, is to check out the Hands Off campaign at HandsOff.org. She also suggests working on a local level. “LGBTQ community members can speak out... to mayors, city councils, county commissioners, state legislators, and governors to pass policies that will protect them from these changes,” Durso said. OUTFRONTMAGAZINE.COM
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LOCAL BISHOP FIGHTS QUEER DISCRIMINATION in the Supreme Court of the United Methodist Church By Addison Herron-Wheeler
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ccording to most Christians, God is love. But unfortunately, many Christian folks also believe that being queer is a sin, something that would disqualify believers from fellowship and a place in heaven. But, Bishop Karen Oliveto of the United Methodist Church doesn't buy it. She is a lesbian and a Christian who has given her life to the church. Not surprisingly, many Christians don't accept her as a bishop, and she's had to defend the title she earned through hard work and good, legitimate acts of faith. Today, Oliveto is following the process set before her by the Supreme Court of the United Methodist Church in order to uphold her appointment. Still, Oliveto doesn't let any of this leave a bad taste in her mouth. "I started working in a church when I was 16, so I became really prepared for this life at a young age," she told OUT FRONT. "When I went to seminary, it really deconstructs your faith, and I had to face a part of me that I really worked hard to deny. But in hearing the stories from my gay and lesbian classmates, I finally recognized within me the fact that I was a lesbian." In fact, it deconstructed her faith so much that she hopped on a bus in California and went to Canada. Oliveto wasn't really sure why she was running, but she somehow wanted to escape the feelings of being inescapably queer, and inescapably Christian. At some point during her trip, however, she came to terms with the realization that she was who she was.
“What's amazing is that first year I was questioning my attraction, God was distant from my life for the first time," she admitted. "But the minute I said 'I'm a lesbian,' God was back in my life, and I realized that God never leaves us; we leave God when we deny who God made us to be.” Still, even after that realization, Oliveto was not completely at home or comfortable in the church. She knew she wanted to work in the church and give her life to God, but she hesitated to take a leadership role because of the scandal being out and queer would create. She also hesitated out of a desire to protect her spouse from hate and prejudice. Eventually, however, it was clear that she couldn't stay away from her true calling any longer. In 2016, she entered into a time of discernment, meaning that the church was trying to decide the issue of making her a bishop. Friends and family were coming forward to give their testimony, and though there was a lot of love and positive energy, she worried about the backlash that might happen if 1 2 \\ F E B R U A R Y 7 , 2 0 1 8
she was selected. With these issues heavy on her mind, she turned to her wife, Robin, for emotional support and input. "We were up late the night before talking about it, and Robin said 'perfect love casts out all fear,' which is a quote from scripture, and that was really powerful," Oliveto explained. "In receiving that word we both realized I had to say yes, so we went to bed that night knowing how we were probably going to answer. Then we woke up the next day and it was the Pulse Nightclub shooting, and that only confirmed for me further that this was the right time to come forward as a bishop, not just because I deeply love the church, but also because it was time for the church to recognize that LGBTQ people are in the pews and the pulpits and even in the ranks of bishops." With this in mind, she agreed to become bishop and was appointed. But as soon as this announcement was made pubic, there were already formal complaints launched about her presiding over the Rocky Mountain region of the United Methodist Church. "That didn't surprise me, but it saddened me because I had been well vetted," she said. "I had been vetted by the people who understood my call, by ordained ministry, the churches I served, and the bishops I served under. People believed me to be the most well-qualified candidate for what the church needs, and it saddened me that someone from outside the area would question their integrity and their appointment." Although having to uphold her title as bishop when she was rightfully appointed is frustrating, she keeps an open, positive mind about the course set before her. For every detractor, it seems that there are far more supporters happy to see her succeeding. "I have received about 40 letters that are angry about me being a bishop, but I have received hundreds and hundreds of letters and emails and cards from people around the world, people saying, 'Because of you my kids are back in church; my pain with the church has been healed; thank you for showing me that church can look like what it’s supposed to look like,'” she explained. "I'm reminded that I'm making a difference for people, and that lifts my spirits." As her title is being challenged, Oliveto remains strong and brave. She makes time to hike, go to the gym, pray, and spend time with her wife. She also comforts herself by looking forward to a future where queer folks in the church won't have to go through what she is going through. "I hope that through my ministry I am showing we do have something to offer the church that helps it be more whole, that we are already members of the body of christ; we are in every church, every congregation," she explained. "I'm not the first gay bishop; I'm just not closeted; so my hope is to help people understand that homosexuality isn't just an issue to be dealt with. It's people who are our brothers, our sisters, our siblings. I do believe that diversity is a sign of divinity. We here in the сhurch say that God is three and one, and if we believe that, we'd see that all life is a gift from God."
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PINWHEEL COFFEE:
Whipping Up Inclusivity in the Highlands By Arianna Balderamma
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he southwest corner of Navajo Street and 37th Street in the Highlands has been invaded by middle schoolers. Home to the new(ish) Pinwheel Coffee, you’ll often spot preteens running the small shop during school hours. They didn’t ditch class. And yes, it is totally legal. If you find yourself in the neighborhood and follow the smells of mochas and chai teas, you’ll soon encounter a multicolored sign assuring you the corner shop is a safe space. As you pull upen a glass door and pass by the pinwheel stickered in the center of the glass, you'll be greeted by high bar stools on the left side of the shop that look out towards Navajo Street. Below the towering stools, smaller round tables—with a pop of green from the succulents decorating the light colored wood—dot the floor of the shop. But, the eye of whoever enters will most likely be drawn to the multicolored pinwheels hanging on the back wall. Pinwheel is a coffee shop run by a collection of students from Denver’s public Montessori schools. “It started as an idea between several Montessori educators five years ago. Part of the Montessori philosophy at the middle and high school levels is that the students be a part of an enterprise so they can be a part of the community and learn about exchange and the economy they’re living in,” Julia Richards said. What started as an idea has since brewed into a business, open seven days a week. Working with professionals at Great Work Inc., a nonprofit organization, Pinwheel was brewed to life. Great Work Inc. matched the students with experts, architects, and artists to help them stand out in the sea of coffee shops in the Highlands. Pinwheel officially opened October 31, 2017. Now, students are able to stir a coffee shop class into their schedule and experience the economic structures being taught to them. Montessori schools are simply a different model than most educational institutions. The name comes from Maria Montessori, a woman who studied children and found that hands-on experiences help them learn and grow. The philosophy behind Denver Montessori Junior/Senior High School and Compass Montessori school’s coffee shop is described by Richards as a way for students to “come into work, learn business and entrepreneurial skills, and run the shop.”
friendly environment to accommodate anyone who walks through the door is a top priority for the students. Working behind the counter taking orders and making drinks are Drew, Tehya, and Naveah, Denver Montessori Junior/Senior High School students. While Tehya takes orders and works with customers, Naveah begins to make a simple hot chocolate. Drew stands behind the other two, waiting to assist in anyway. After pushing buttons and pulling down levers to create the drink, both Teyha and Naveah walk away. Drew takes over to put the final touches on the hot chocolate—latte art. As they work, the pinwheels on the wall turn with the light breeze that sweeps the shop each time the front door swings open. The rainbow colors were used as a nod to the idea of making the shop a safe space for all—thanks to a suggestion from Tehya, whose parents are queer—and the pinwheels are there to symbolizes childhood. “That was so much fun to work on and create color schemes. The pinwheels’ colors fade and bring attention to our bar,” Nevaeh said. “They actually spin, and I believe this is the biggest visual we worked on in this class. Great Work Inc. architects helped us create a feature wall to standout from others,” Tehya added. The classes assigned to the ongoing project work cohesively to bring Pinwheel to life. A section of the class is in charge of finding anything from picture frames to soaps to sell at the business’ small shop. Drew, Tehya, and Neveah are part of the group that price the objects. Currently, local artists’ work is displayed on the walls of Pinwheel. In the future, the work of students from the coalition of schools will be placed alongside the professionals’ art and personalized products to be sold at the shop. “Our school is super diverse and we could incorporate that in so many ways, but for now we started with the wall,” Nevaeh said while reminiscing on her time spent at Pinwheel this semester. Aside from learning about economic structures, diversity has become a huge topic to bring into
The class is also giving the students a first-hand look at the gentrification of the Highlands neighborhood.
Pinwheel. Taking what they know from their Sexuality And Gender Alliance club, SAGA, the students put those ideas into action in the workplace, creating a safe space for all who walk through the doors.
DMHS Coffee Shop Educator Hannah Ewert-Krocker explained the demographics of the school. The majority of the students come from a Hispanic background, while the remainder consist of Black or white students. The importance of providing a
So next time you find yourself in the highlands, visit Pinwheel. And if an eighth grader is pulling your latte, don’t stress it. It’s not child labor; it’s a valuable life lesson, wrapped in a coffee sleeve with a dollop of whipped cream on top. OUTFRONTMAGAZINE.COM
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PANTHER PERFORMANCE
Provides (Horse)Power and Protection for Queer People By Addison Herron-Wheeler
T
here is always a fair bit of politics involved when it comes to cars. Whenever queer folks, women, people of color, immigrants, or those who don’t quite fit in with the status quo have to purchase a car or get one fixed, there’s more to consider than when a straight, white man does the same. Many auto shops think they can take advantage of lesbian couples, femme gay men, or non-native English speakers. At Panther Performance Auto Group, none of that applies. A queer and ally-run shop, Panther is all about helping out those who normally might struggle when it comes to auto repair. “My initial discount format was for metalheads, allies, illegals, and LGBTQ people, explained Sam Panthers, store owner. “That was just kind of our target market from the getgo in terms of whom we wanted to work with.”
Customers at Panther are greeted by a bright yellow building with a red mural on the side, the smell of fried chicken wafting over from the Church’s Chicken nearby, and the playful barking of the two dogs who hang out at the garage all day. Once inside, they'll meet Panthers himself, a friendly-looking, slight, and slim metalhead who normally looks like he’s been working on cars all day, or Adalyn Hayes, the shop’s receptionist, whose aesthetic consists of boots, jeans, and a stylish blouse. “Adalyn came in as a customer, not really a victim of my marketing,” Sam says of his office manager Hayes, who is a trans woman. “She just came in randomly and we did some work for her, and eventually when she came on it was kind of a natural reinforcement of what I had intended the store to be.” OUTFRONTMAGAZINE.COM
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Providing Community Resources Panthers and his employees understand that car repair can be frustrating and costly, even more so for those who may not know exactly what to ask or how to gauge if they are being told the truth. “There’s a lot of opportunity for dealerships to take advantage of anyone, but with the queer customer, there’s an added layer of psychology over the entire experience that’s covered by whatever individual human experiences have taken place,” Panthers said. “Sometimes people react to having to deal with something that makes them uncomfortable, and in this industry, as it is in other places, that’s an ugly reality that exists. So if we can provide an environment that is free from all of that for ourselves, then we can do what we set out to do, which is to help everyone with their auto needs, no matter what.” “I’ve heard and seen some pretty gruesome things come through here when it comes to how people have been treated,” Hayes added. “I think they [queer people] definitely get taken advantage of. For instance my friend that came in here and had grease leaking from his rack and pinion; he had already paid someone else like $3,000 in repairs and only needed to pay $600.” Realizing that some kind of service was needed for those who get taken advantage of, Panthers decided that offering fair and reasonable prices wasn’t enough. He also wanted to provide a resource so that people could be knowledgeable about their cars, and even make basic repairs themselves. “We had a customer friend in the community sort of throw our name in the hat as a host at a skillshare event; it was called QT Skillshare, hosted by Blankhouse,” Panthers explained. “We volunteered to host it for a couple reasons. One was just that we were asked to, so if there’s a need and it’s in our ability to respond to it, we will. Beyond that, it’s just about building up a community and anything that we can do in support of that is something that’s gonna be received positively, and that event really didn’t cost us anything, just a little bit of time.” 2 0 \\ F E B R U A R Y 7 , 2 0 1 8
He added that even beyond the money-saving aspect of the classes, it’s important for people, especially those who are marginalized, to have knowledge. “It’s about knowing a little bit about something, and the more you know about whatever it is, the less susceptible you are as a target for any interactions regarding that,” he said. “It’s just about building awareness overall.”
A Queer Angle Panthers also realizes that he has cornered a unique market with the folks he is helping. While he is just an ally himself, having a queer employee greeting and interacting with customers, and generally espousing a friendly vibe for those who are different, started attracting even more LGBTQ customers to the shop, so he made it a point to market that aspect. As a straight metalhead, he hadn’t had much exposure to the queer community, but the more he learned about LGBTQ people, the more he saw parallels between that community and his own subculture as a metal fan. “It’s just interesting that both of those segments, metalheads and LGBTQ people, how much commonality and how much overlap there is there,” he stated. “It doesn’t look like those demographics would look much alike to an observer, but in terms of the people and legitimacy of interaction, intent, I’d say it’s a lot closer than it looks. Over the past year really we learned how much metal and the LGBTQ community have in common. When we flew that flag [gestures to a flag with a rainbow and a satanic pentagram], it really opened my eyes to how well we were being received.”
Headbangers’ Helpers In fact, Panther Performance itself is a bit of an homage to both the metal and queer communities. The office is adorned
with two Pride flags, one with a pentagram, and another rainbow American flag covered in upside-down crosses. It’s also covered in flags, banners, and shirts of the various metal bands that have passed through the shop. Much like the LGBTQ involvement of the store, the metal connection happened somewhat by accident. Although he has always been a metal fan, Panthers didn’t set out to hook up bands with cheap repairs, he but saw a need and made himself available to help. “There was a need that was presented back in August of 2015 by the band Unearthly from Brazil,” he explained. “They had come up from their tour only to find that their van, trailer, rehearsal space, backline drums, hotel, were not available courtesy of the promoter, as promised, so the tour was basically over before it started. So I and their labelmates, Bloodstrike, put our resources together to take care of all those problems, and they were my first customer, because I didn’t have a shop yet.” After that, word got around that Panthers was an ally to the metal community, and would fix tour vehicles for cheap, come through in a pinch, and provide great atmosphere. “Another band, Stock Smile, ended up stopping by to say hi, and then when they got up to Grand Junction their motor went out, so they ended up coming back down and buying a bus off of us,” Hayes remembers. “We also worked with the band Ghoul and their bus, which we had gone up to Rock Springs, Wyoming to rescue,” Panthers recalls. “We went all the way up there because it had died on them and they would have lost it for sure, so I went up there and worked on it.” What it comes down to is, while Panthers may be a metalhead and Hayes may be LGBTQ, the ethos their business is built on doesn’t have anything to do with loud, abrasive music or being queer. They are simply about being decent to other human beings and making an honest profit. As long as Panther Performance sticks to these basic tenants, they’ll have the business of the communities they give back to. OUTFRONTMAGAZINE.COM
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KAYVAN For Denver: A Bold New Future for the Mile High City By Ezra Kronfeld
It was the night of April 12th, 2007, and then-mayor, current-governor John Hickenlooper was holding a community forum. Greeting attendees was a man holding a sign posing the question ‘What’s so scary about marijuana?’—with the goal of challenging Hickenlooper’s hypocritical stances on cannabis.
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D
enverites pointed and giggled at the man, but they didn’t mock his ideals. You see, this man was Kayvan Khalatbari, and he was dressed head-to-toe in a chicken costume. Now, that same man who once wore a chicken costume in public is running for mayor. His steadfast political work and business savvy, have prepared him for this challenge. Born and raised in Lincoln, Nebraska, Khalatbari was the child of an Iranian immigrant and a partial-Cherokee Native. “We grew up pretty poor,” he said. “Not because of what they did, but because of my dad’s gambling addiction; that put us in bankruptcy twice before I was ten years old.” Khalatbari moved in with his mom at a young age after his parents’ divorce and saw her work ethic firsthand. Her indomitable spirit would inspire Khalatbari later on. After being transferred to Denver by the engineering firm he’d been working for, he realized that a traditional “sterile, interior grey cubicle” kind of job wasn’t for him. Following his decision to leave the firm, he sank his savings, cash, and credit into buying a failing pizzeria in Capitol Hill. Now known as Sexy Pizza, the restaurant has become a thriving business with three different locations throughout the city. The chain is known for being sex-positive and affirming in its advertising, as well as for getting involved with charity work. After tons of cannabis-decriminalization advocacy on numerous fronts (including the aforementioned ‘Chickenlooper’ stunt) Kayvan founded Denver Relief, one of the state’s first cannabis businesses.
Khalatbari is currently on the boards of numerous local and national marijuana advocacy groups, including Students for Sensible Drug Policy and the Minority Cannabis Business Association. Although drug policy reform has always been a key aspect in his advocacy and a major part of his platform, he has also been on the frontline for issues like affordable housing and Denver’s homeless. In 2016, after Mayor Michael Hancock’s controversial urban camping ban, Khalatbari posted a video to Facebook showing DPD officers taking blankets from a freezing homeless veteran; after his video went viral with more than a million views, Hancock lifted the ban until April. “We keep criminalizing public health issues, whether it be cannabis or other drugs, sex work, homelessness," he said. "These are things that we throw people in jail for for trying to survive.” As a principal member of the Alternative Solutions Advocacy Project, Khalatbari worked to get Beloved Community Village, a community of tiny homes for the city’s homeless, approved last March. He claims that although projects like these are by no means the “end-all be-all of homelessness,” they are a step forward for finding new, innovative ways of combating the city’s housing problems. In terms of his goals as mayor, Khalatbari wants to include the voices of those who, according to him, have not been recognized properly by the current administration. This would include millennials, the poor, people of color, and the queer community.
To check out where Khalatbari stands on the other issues check out KayvanForDenver.com.
Photo by From The Hip Photo & Provided by Kayvan Khalatbari
He’s also the man behind Sexpot Comedy, a multi-platform media enterprise spreading its tenacious tentacles out from the Denver comedy scene and into the world at large, and birdy magazine, the city’s most popular collective arts and literary publication.
“The cannabis industry is just another business, you know, that’s what I’ve fought for since I’ve been in it for about a decade now,” he said.
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Old Major Celebrates 5 Years in Denver OLD MAJOR, one of Denver’s mostcelebrated restaurants, has officially been serving up elevated farmhouse cuisine for five years—a huge feat in Denver. It’s not only the delicious swine and seafood that has contributed to the success, but the attention to details that keep this restaurant booming in the Mile High City. As you pass through the heavy, black curtains at 3316 Tejon St. in the Highlands, you’re immediately greeted with a wave of wooden floors, walls, tables, and chairs all built from locally repurposed wood—a sweet nod to the roller rink that formerly occupied the building. The lights hanging from the ceiling were once air filters for tractors, while old butcher pulleys hold lights in the bar area. A painting of the bar’s namesake, Animal Farm’s Old Major, is proudly displayed behind the bar. “Everything you see is repurposed in one way or another from somewhere in Denver,” Executive Chef and Partner Justin Brunson said. “Almost
everything that you’ll encounter at Old Major is local. Except the seafood; we fly that out from Boston.” He wasn’t lying. Old Major is the first restaurant in Denver to feature an in house butchery. This gives Justin the opportunity to buy entire pigs from local free range farmers, and use as much of that pig as possible. Most of his ingredients, especially in the summer, are sourced from local farmers. And the seafood comes straight from the east coast, and is never more than two days out of the water before it hits the kitchen, making it the best in Denver.
“When you take these extra steps to make sure everything is as good as it can be, it all pays off,” Justin said. “I only want to work with the best of the best. America loves meat. Meat tastes better when it’s not couped up in a factory.”
Justin knows his meats. He knows that things are better when they are fresh, and taken care of properly. He knows the importance of going that extra mile, and it shows. The atmosphere is fresh.
Get out and grab a bite to eat (we suggest brunch and bottomless mimosas or a meaty Valentine’s date), and support a local business that supports local business.
The food is delicious. The drinks are amazing. And the service is phenomenal.
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WADE FRISBIE on the Value of the Pink Dollar
By Addison Herron-Wheeler
I
t’s easy to think about queer rights when the conversation is on using the correct bathroom, being open at school or in the workplace, or including people of color in the queer conversation. But there’s one place where LGBTQ folks still by and large live in the closet: the financial realm. Even married couples often keep separate finances, due to lack of financial understanding and the fear of asking someone and being judged for their lifestyles. This is where Wade Frisbie, financial advisor and former co-chairman of the Colorado LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce, comes in. Frisbie has dedicated his professional life to providing a safe space for queer folks in the financial realm, whether that means providing a forum of discussion for businesses or counseling a recently married couple on how to combine their incomes and still maintain autonomy. OUT FRONT caught up with Frisbie about his new company, his legacy in queer business, and how we can make the financial community more inclusive.
How did you first get involved with the CLGBTQCC? I started with financial advising in 98, and so it just made sense as a gay man to be able to go into businesses where I feel comfortable. The CLGBTQCC really gave me that opportunity. The chamber is now 26 years old; last year was their 25th year anniversary. I started nine years ago, and being able to really help advance it was great. I got on the board of directors straight away and was the treasurer for four years and the co-chairmen for five.
Why was this work important to you? Right when I started in the financial advising world I did see a lack of education in finance in the LGBTQ community, and so this gave me opportunities to find people who actually needed my help, and getting on the board, being able to give back to the community, that was very important both professionally and personally. 2 6 \\ F E B R U A R Y 7 , 2 0 1 8
What moved you to want to work with queer businesses and help improve the lives of queer people financially? At the beginning of the Chamber, we were actually called Colorado Business Council, and that was a safe place for LGBTQ business owners to come together and really be able to see that there is more than just themselves, and so I wanted to keep that going, making sure everyone knows that the pink dollar is powerful and that there is a safe place where business owners can go where we can learn, because the Chamber does more than just networking. We also do educational pieces; we get involved in the legislative piece of businesses. This is a place where you don't have to spend hours and hours trying to find something out yourself when you can have professionals come in and help you figure out what you need.
What is your job background, and how have you used your professional experience to give back to the queer community? As a financial advisor, I help people anywhere from starting out saving to retiring to after passing on their legacies, so in the past I have not seen a lot of people specifically help our community, and it’s important to me to show that there are people like that who are able to help give them the safe space to be able to say, ‘Hey I have a partner, or I am not exactly the one point two children with the dog and the picket fence in suburbia.’” This allows them to speak freely and not only gives me an opportunity to show that some people care and are able to help and have the right information, but that they are in a safe space, and you can be more free; you can be more open with your financial advisor and be able to get down to exactly what you need. I’ve also seen a lot of the LGBTQ community have separate finances in a single household for many, many years, and being able to show them that there is a third-party person that is able to come in and really talk you through about the benefits that you get from sharing finances is really important. That way if something would happen, everyone already knows what is going to go on.
starting to get a lot of allies. It’s important to understand the value of the pink dollar and show that by supporting an LGBTQ business, you are supporting the community. Our community is very tight, meaning that we want to help promote the people who help promote us first. If you’re in the community or you are an ally and you show that proudly, they are going to be going to your business, so our money gets around more and is used more within Denver and Colorado.
What direction do you hope to see the Chamber taking in the future? I think we’ve expanded so much in the past four years, almost doubling our membership, and so what I think the Chamber is trying to do and what I see it doing is being a little more involved in the legislative side of business, showing that the support of the LGBTQ community is important, and then also just going outside of the LGBTQ community and getting those advocates is huge. And that is always an ongoing thing, but I definitely see that expanding.
What are your plans for retirement? I just stepped away from my financial firm after nine years, and I started Frisbie Financial, so I am more independent; I do a concierge financial service where I either go to the clients at home or at their office and really give them that safe space, and not only investment advice but I will answer any type of financial question. I’ll do the research; I will make sure that any financial entity that I recommend is fully researched, and make sure that the people who are answering the questions have a sense of security when they talk to me.
Is there anything else you’d like to add? I think the biggest thing is not being afraid to ask a financial professional like myself if you have questions. With the political climate right now, there are so many things that are changing, and it is so important to be able to have someone that you trust and have someone that you count on and to be able to feel comfortable enough to ask the important questions.
What are some financial issues that you’ve noticed are specific to queer people? The separate finances; there are a lot of opportunities that are being missed because people are too scared to ask someone, and so I think another opportunity missed is just trying to find that person, that financial advisor, or if they need insurance or any other services, instead of going to the yellow pages, they are able to see that this person is part of the community; there is a safe space for them. That is huge.
What do you think you and the CLGBTQCC have done for the queer community in Denver? What are some of your biggest achievements? I think with the CLGBTQCC, it is important to have a safe place for people to come, not only in the community, but we are OUTFRONTMAGAZINE.COM
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Photos by Charles Broshous
TRIANGLE BAR Brings an Urban, Chic Aesthetic to Denver’s Queer Nightlife By Lacy Bursick
S
ean O’Grady looked for several months in search of the perfect building to house his own bar, which is not an easy task with the current Denver market. What he stumbled upon was an old, vacant building with an illustrious history—the perfect place to house his dream.
and decided to honor the building’s history.
Sitting on the corner of N. Broadway and Stout Street, the building has a unique triangle shape aligning with the block. Back in the 70s, the building was home to one of Denver’s most popular gay bars, The Triangle. For decades, queer people filled the building with dancing and debauchery until it closed its doors in the early 2000s. The building was completely remodeled in 2014 from the foundation up. The only thing that still remains from the original Triangle are the exterior brick walls.
In only six weeks, they transformed the space into a warm lounge design. Leather couches are scattered throughout the bar with LED lights, giving it a sexy, modern, chic aesthetic. Outside is a patio lined with contemporary fireplaces and stairs that lead to a rooftop that overlooks the city.
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“I loved that it was able to flourish in a time when it was illegal to be gay, or it was not an easy time to be gay,” O’Grady said. “This was such a big part of history, and we're happy to turn the building back into another gay bar.”
“The first week we were open, all the 70-80-year-old gay men came out and were like, ‘I remember Triangle back in the day.’ It was awesome that the community was excited,” said Adam Perkowski, a bartender/barback who helped open The Triangle last month.
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But Triangle is not just another gay bar. During the day, they have a coffee shop that offers on-the-go food options like breakfast burritos. Then on the weekends, the bar transforms from a classy cocktail lounge to an energized dance floor with local DJs.
friends and previous coworkers.
“The very first day of training with the staff, we just talked about how important it is that people aren't coming to buy a drink. They don't go outside to drink. They don't go out to buy food. They come out for experience, and that's really what we're selling."
Not only did Sean O’Grady, the managing partner, have positive things to say about his team, but his attitude towards them is reciprocated.
They even offer wine and cocktails on the tap. It keeps the service flowing, while allowing customers to still experience fresh wine and delicious craft cocktails beyond the typical whiskey sour. “In Denver, there are so many world class bartenders and bars like Williams & Graham, but I don't know why it hasn't hit the gay scene yet. And so we kind of got lucky, and one of our bartenders who's really well-versed in that scene just worked out a really cool cocktail menu for us,” O’Grady explained. The menu offers farm-to-table food that isn’t the typical fried bar menu. They are locally sourced, offering unique options like wagyu meatballs. They get their liquor just three blocks away at Mile High Spirits and all their baked goods come from Harvest Moon. “We're also super proud of the fact that we are trying to be more sustainable,” O’Grady said. “We compost and recycle. We divert about 78 percent of our waste from the landfill.” Their elevated menu matched with modern decor isn’t the reason they have received all their raving reviews. It’s their engaging customer service from the staff, a lot of whom are
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“We're always empowering our staff, saying ‘Whatever you have to do to make somebody happy, we trust you.’ They've done such a good job, and they're all really fun and friendly people,” he said.
Adam Perkowski said it’s his favorite place he’s worked. He spoke highly of O’Grady’s background and previous work history, having once managed Tracks and Root Down, and was excited to learn he was opening his own business. “The style is great. The owners all know what they are doing,” Perkowski said. There are four investors in Triangle. Sean O’Grady is the managing partner, and his partner, Roger Kerns, who still works for Root Down at the airport, supports the food side of the business. Scott Coors, who is the openly gay grandson of the Coors Brewing founder, and Dave Hurt are investors. “I couldn't ask for better partners on this, and we couldn't do this without them,” O’Grady said. Future plans include participating in the Pride parade, unveiling a bar on the roof just in time for summer, and finishing the basement to create another lounge area that will host more music. “The basement will be more underground, but also a more premium feel. More blacks and more leather. It will be open for Pride,” he said. “We also have some fun DJs booked for the summer. We are excited to push the envelope a little bit and just let the DJs play how they play.”
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THE APP
STORE:
Managing Your Money in 2018 By Caitlin Galiz-Rowe
There’s no denying that the cost of living in Denver is high, and budgeting is difficult and often stressful. Luckily, we live in the height of the information age, and our smartphones can help us do just about anything. Below you’ll find several apps to help you budget and invest your money this year.
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Albert With Albert, you can get a pretty good idea of what your financial health looks like now and take steps to improve and plan for the future. By connecting to your accounts, including bank, credit cards, and loans, Albert will assess your health based on a series of criteria and will give you an overall score. Based on the score, the app will give you suggestions on how to improve through “missions” that challenge you to do different tasks, like assessing which subscriptions you actually use. Albert also features an in-app savings account that will pull a specified amount from your bank each week and funnel it into funds that you’ve prioritized, i.e. “rainy day fund” or “Hawaiian vacation.”
You Need a Budget
To help with budgeting, Albert tracks how much you make, your bills and what you should have left. It also monitors how much you spend each week and where you’re spending often to help cut unnecessary loss. The app is free, but does charge for its “Genius” service, which provides additional features. You can name your price for it, and it’s just pulled from the same account as your savings.
You Need a Budget You Need a Budget is a subscription-based app that helps you budget by sticking to four principles: give every dollar a job, embrace your true expenses, roll with the budget, and age your money. With these rules, You Need a Budget can help you create a plan of where your money will go, actually stick with it, and adjust your allocations as needed. Much like Albert, it connects to your bank accounts to help you put your money where it needs to go and to help show where you have some extra in case you need to make a last minute change. You can set goals for savings or paying off debt in-app, and it shows statistics in real time across platforms so you can easily share information with a partner.
Albert
A subscription goes for $6.99 a month, but you can get 34 days free by going to their website, and students can receive a year free by providing their student credentials.
Mint by Intuit Mint connects to your bank accounts to track your spending and help you create a budget, much like the others. Unlike the other two, it searches across financial institutions to find deals on credit cards and different kinds of accounts to help save you even more. Mint also brings all of your bills into one place so you can easily keep track of due dates and make payments without having to jump across multiple apps or websites. You can set reminders to let you know when bills are coming due or if your account is starting to run low. Need to know your credit score? You can see it right in Mint, with no credit card required, and they’ll explain what it means, too. Tracking your investment portfolio is also available within the app, and it will provide tips to help grow your investments. Mint is free, making it more accessible if you’re on a budget.
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Personal Capital With Personal Capital, you can import your portfolio directly into the app and track your net worth. The net worth analysis includes mortgages, IRAs, home equity, credit cards, and more. It also analyzes fees on mutual funds, retirement accounts, and investments to make sure you’re not being overcharged. Personal Capital combines all of this analysis and tracking with the ability to speak to a financial advisor, so any questions that may come up don’t go unanswered. Personal Capital is free but has options to pay if you want extra features.
Acorns The concept behind Acorns is simple: connect your credit/debit card, and your purchases will be rounded up so the spare change goes into your account. Buy a coffee for $2.78, and the extra $0.22 will go directly into your Acorns account. Even better, you can link multiple cards to maximize how much is going your account.
SigFig
You can choose how often you invest, setting up recurring investments, or doing them individually. Your dollars are spread across 7000 bonds and stocks to help returns and reduce risk. With your Acorns account, you get financial advice from a Nobel Prize winning economist and a magazine subscription to help keep you educated on your finances. An in-app IRA program will also be
Acorns
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rolling out later this year, and you can get on the waiting list now.
Personal Capital
Acorns is $1 a month, and the fee is pulled directly from your account.
SigFig With SigFig, when you invest with at least $2000, you get access to free portfolio management and analysis for your customized portfolio. You also get unlimited access to financial advisors and customer support. Don’t want to move your accounts? No problem. SigFig can manage your TD Ameritrade, Charles Schwab, or Fidelity accounts for you. The app constantly works to lower your taxes as well. Your first $10,000 is managed for free, with only a 0.25 percent annual fee past the initial $10,000, as opposed to the average 1.3 percent.
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ASPEN GAY SKI WEEK Aspen Out hosted the 41st Anniversary of Aspen Gay Ski Week from January 14 through January 20. Hundreds of supporters flooded the chic mountain community to partake in the festivities and frolic with friends on and off the slopes. Out Front caught some of the action at the Downhill Costume Competition, the White Party high atop Aspen Mountain and the Blue Lagoon Pool Party at the Aspen Recreation Center. Photos by Charles Broshous
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NOH8 CAMPAIGN The NOH8 Campaig and photographer Adam Bouska stopped by the GLBT Community Center of Colorado on January 13 for an open photo shoot. The brief stop in the Mile High City gave locals a chance to add their faces to the fight for equal rights. Funds raised by the Campaign are used to continue promoting equality, antidiscrimination, and anti-bullying. Photos by Charles Broshous
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By Brent Heinze
HEINZESIGHT:
I
OVERCOMING NEGATIVITY ’m really trying to turn around negativity in my life. But, the struggle to become a more positive person has been extremely challenging. I feel my life has been more difficult
than most people’s, but I’ve been told that my unhappiness is very apparent when I interact with people and it makes them not want to be in my life. I’m tired of feeling badly about myself, and I want to start having more happiness and good people 4 8 \\ F E B R U A R Y 7 , 2 0 1 8
around me. I’m tired of not having friends and feeling alone. How do I make this process happen quickly? Changing anything in our lives takes a strong desire, good planning, practice, and perseverance. We are all creatures of habit and get used to the way things happen in our lives. Every day, we expect some type of consistency that carries us from one day to the next. Even if we are not super happy, we end
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Is Your Brain Wired to Love? By Chelli Pumphrey, MA, LPC Does dating or in a relationship fill you with anxiety? Or, perhaps you are one to lose interest in partners when things become more intimate. You might even have a history of sabotaging relationships that had potential. You may fear losing yourself in a relationship. If you can relate to any of this, understanding attachment theory may help. As infants, our brains become wired to attach to our parents in certain ways, depending on how our parents meet our needs in those formative years. This interaction creates one of four main attachment styles, called secure, avoidant, anxious, or disorganized. These styles set the foundation for how we interact in our adult relationships. Here’s a brief description of each attachment style: A secure attachment is created when there is a dependable, loving relationship with a caregiver as a child. The avoidant attachment is formed when a parent or caregiver doesn’t respond to a child’s needs with warmth or consistency. The anxious attachment is formed when there is inconsistent love and attention from a parent. More rarely seen is the disorganized attachment, which is formed when a caregiver is consistently rejecting of a child, or when there is abuse or trauma in childhood. It is not uncommon to see anxious and avoidant partners in relationships that are filled with conflict and heartbreak, due to their opposing intimacy needs. The key to finding a compatible, long term relationship is to increase awareness of your own attachment style, and to find a partner with a complementary or stabilizing attachment style.
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up developing a certain level of comfort in that we know what to expect from the world around us. It can be difficult to see how our lives can be different, but we may still desire improvements. Changing how we do something or modifying our thought processes tests us to break out of what we expect to happen to us. When these patterns are challenged, we may feel uncomfortable, frustrated, or wish that the process was easier or happened more quickly. Although there is not a magic formula to make our efforts effortless, here are some suggestions of things to keep in mind that may help to make the process a little less painful. This transition can start before you even get out of bed.Your first thought as you’re regaining consciousness needs to be about how today has the potential to be a good day. It's really hard to work on putting yourself in a positive mindset when you feel that your day will be just as depressingly craptastic as the day before. Start working on changing the way you see possibilities in your life. It may seem a little like Suzie Sunshine, but consider that your day can be full of great potential, friendly people, and opportunities to do things that progress your life forward. Maybe you will have a great conversation or someone sweet will smile at you. There are times when small things may happen to us throughout the day that could put us in a better mood or remind us that there are positive elements to our lives. Having the belief that you are open to good things happening to you at least sets you up to be more aware when faced with life’s potentials. Otherwise you may pass someone or something by that could be a wonderful addition to your life. Start your day by making your bed, feeling good about the water hitting your skin as you take a shower, and enjoying what you're consuming for breakfast. These types of tasks help to make you more aware of your surroundings and begin your day with a sense of accomplishment and pleasure in what you are doing. They can support changing a negative thought pattern about how you don’t want to get up or go to work into a more positive way of thinking about how you feel ready to get on with a great day. If our current political turmoil causes anxiety and frustration, don't read or watch it first thing in the morning. You can save that drama for later. Decide what things can make you smile or focus on something enjoyable. Pick up a book, watch a cartoon, or get a little exercise.
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Throughout your day, look for opportunities to be pleasant to somebody else or do something that could spread a little joy. This can help you continue acting in more optimistic ways and change the way you think about the possibilities for improvements in your life. How we think impacts how we feel. If your thoughts are negative, it may cause you to feel grumpy inside. Chances are that you will then find some way to project these feelings to other people around you. Those kinds of emotions often radiate out from us and others can generally pick up on them, most often causing them to avoid contact with you or run away. Think about how you can possibly engage with someone in a nice way. Make eye contact with somebody at grocery store and give them a grin. Say good morning to somebody at work. Send a thoughtful text message to somebody that you haven't talked to in a while, but you miss. Think about how you may want to work on getting your emotions to be more supportive of creating a happy life. Small changes are still good changes. Throughout your day, make some effort and try to catch yourself thinking about negative things. It’s incredible how we can get accustomed to being cranky or critical about ourselves, others, or our surroundings. For those who seem to have a perpetual negative cloud looming overhead, their days may be filled with many potential pitfalls, villains, and things ready to pounce and ruin their day further. They are also much more likely to allow challenging situations to affect them badly. If you work to identify and change your negative thoughts regarding a variety of situations, then you are less likely to be overtaken by them. As it gets closer to bedtime, take some time and reflect on some of the positive changes you've worked to incorporate into your life. Consider that you may have brightened up somebody else's day. Focus on your desire to wake up the next morning with more of a positive outlook on your life and potential to bring in just a little more happiness into the next day. Remind yourself that none of us were born grumpy. Throughout our lives, we may have experienced multiple situations and people that have left us feeling crappy about the world around us. Focusing on taking your happiness back from these negative situations allows us to feel more confident in our ability to have better lives. At times, this mountain of negativity may appear insurmountable, but it's not. The journey may take a while, but you can keep moving forward. Just keep climbing.
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BAR TAB | THE HOTTEST COLORADO NIGHTLIFE
BOYZTOWN
117 Broadway St, Denver (303) 722-7373 boyztowndenver.com
CHARLIE'S® NIGHTCLUB
900 E. Colfax Ave, Denver (303) 839-8890 charliesdenver.com THU: 2-4-1 drinks 7 pm – closing FRI: Neon Party SAT: Shirts Off-Half Off! SUN: 3-4-1 drinks 4 – 8 pm Kai Lee’s KiKi at 9 pm
CLUB Q
HAMBURGER MARY’S
1336 E 17th Ave, Denver (303) 993-5812 hamburgermarys.com/denver
LIL’ DEVILS
255 South Broadway St, Denver (303) 733-1156 lildevilslounge.com
LIPSTICK NIGHTCLUB
5660 W Colfax Ave, Denver (720) 669-3470
PRIDE & SWAGGER 450 E 17th Ave #110, Denver (720) 476-6360
R&R DENVER
4958 E Colfax Ave (303) 320-9337
TRACKS
3430 N. Academy Blvd, Colo. Springs (719) 570-1429 clubqonline.com
3500 Walnut St, Denver (303) 863-7326 tracksdenver.com
CLOCKTOWER CABARET
2036 N. Broadway, Denver (303) 658-0913 triangledenver.com
16th St. Mall @ Arapahoe, Denver (303) 293-0075 clocktowercabaret.com
COMPOUND BASIX
145 Broadway, Denver (303) 722-7977 compounddenver.com
DADDY’S BAR & GRILL
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PRIDE & SWAGGER
31ST AVE. WRANGLER
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HAMBURGER MARY’S
17TH AVE.
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XBAR
11TH AVE.
COMPOUND BOYZTOWN 1ST AVE. LI’L DEVILS
OGDEN ST.
GLADYS 6TH AVE. TRADE
CLARKSON ST.
8TH AVE.
WASHINGTON ST.
VYBE
DADDY’S BAR & GRILL
R+R DENVER
CHARLIE’S BLUSH & BLU
YORK ST.
ST .M
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UT
COLORADO BLVD.
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TRIANGLE
PENNSYLVANIA
1027 N Broadway, Denver (720) 608-8923 vybe303.com
16 T
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BROADWAY
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CLOCKTOWER
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629 E. Colfax Ave, Denver (303) 832-2687 xbardenver.com
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X BAR
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500 Santa Fe Drive Denver, Colorado (303) 893-6112
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WRANGLER
3090 Downing St, Denver (303) 837-1075 denverwrangler.com MON: Poker Tournament 7 pm WED: Big Gay Jeopardy 8 pm FRI: Free Taco Bar 4-8 pm Phat Friday 9 pm SAT: $3 Svedka SUN: Charity Beer Bust 4-8 pm Show Tunes 9 pm
AK
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GLADYS: THE NOSY NEIGHBOR
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$8 Bottomless Beers 3:30 – 7:30 pm SUN: Funday $1 Bud/Bud Light 7 - 11 pm
SP
4501 E Virginia Ave, Glendale (303) 388-8889 Facebook - Elpotrero.180
TRACKS
SANTA FE DR. KALAMATH ST.
EL POTRERO
TRADE
475 Santa Fe Dr, Denver (720) 627-5905 THU: Skivvy Stripdown SAT: Beer Bust
BROADWAY
1120 E 6th Ave, Denver (303) 993-6365 daddysdenver.com TUE: Pizza & Pitcher $12 WED: Daddy’s Girl Drink Specials SAT & SUN: Brunch Buffet $15, add bottomless Mimosas or Blood Mary’s$10 DAILY Lunch Specials
THE TRIANGLE BAR
DOWNING ST.
BLUSH & BLU
1526 E. Colfax Ave, Denver (303) 484-8548 blushbludenver.com
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OUTBACK CLASSIFIEDS | ENVISIONED BY BOBERTO
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