[1] The Center on Colfax was founded in 1976 and grew out of the advocacy work of the Gay Coalition of Denver.
[2] The founders of GCD, Gerald "Jerry" Gerash, Lynn Tamlan, Mary Sassatelli, Jane Dundee, and Terry Mangan, met in apartments and members' homes at first before they got an official home.
As Gerash wrote, “Still, some of GCD’s services and activities continued through the initiative of volunteers working from their homes, and through community meetings and events.”[4] On October 24, 1974, GCD prevailed in its June 1973 lawsuit to halt discriminatory harassment of gays by police; plaintiffs were represented by Gerash, Daniel Bremer, Paul Hunter, Henry Toy, Milo Gonser, Kathy Bonham, William Reynard, and Kent Miller.
For a first meeting in early April 1975, Gerash drafted a four-point General Statement of Purpose, the last of which was “To work for the establishment of a Community Center for Gay People.” The twenty or so attendees from the nine groups voted unanimously to create Unity and the center.
[3] The first Denver Pride Parade was also in 1975, of which The Center was one of the original founders and producers.
[7][11] Lavender University and Rainbow Alley were community education programs started in the 90s.