Denver is known as a “Sanctuary City” for queer people escaping persecution from other states. In 2024 alone, 43 states passed 48 laws out of 669 (14%) proposed anti-queer laws, compared to 2023 when 49 States passed 87 out of 604 proposed anti-queer laws (7% a 2 fold increase). You don’t have to go far to be in a state with some kind of anti-queer laws: Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah, Texas, etc…. all have bills aimed at stripping rights away from queer people. Add in the many escaping violence and/or persecution from their own loved ones everywhere else. These people, especially queer youth, are escaping these states and others and coming to places like Denver daily. Many come here with absolutely nothing but the clothes on their backs. 

Denver does have services you can for the most part obtain, like EBT, and medicaid. That being said, being unhoused is criminalized here. So if you’re here and try to survive on the streets, you’re likely to be harassed by the police on top of the increased risk of violence being a queer person on the streets. Denver’s shelter system is not equipped to deal with this specific demographic. There are zero queer-only overnight shelter services. The Delores Project only has 30 beds, but offers them to cis women as well as queer people. The congregate shelters are set up based on gender, which leaves queer people, especially trans and non-binary people, in a situation that can be detrimental to their safety. All of the congregate shelters in Denver are run by religious organizations that have known track records of anti-LGBTQIA+ sentiments. Denver does have a day center that caters to queer people, as well as cis women, but again, it is not just for queer people forcing trans and non-binary people to be put in untrue unsafe boxes.

It’s time the city of Denver, and the state of Colorado lives up to their ideals of equality for the queer community, and to work with a non-religious provider to create an accessible non-congregate/emergency congregate queer-oriented overnight shelter, staffed by queer people!!!!!!! We’re tired of hearing the stories of abuse that our houseless queer family have to endure because we have nowhere safe for them to go!!!!!!!!!