For Immediate Release
Media contacts:
Jane Turnis
(719) 389-6138
JTurnis@ColoradoCollege.edu
Leslie Weddell
(719) 389-6038
Leslie.Weddell@ColoradoCollege.edu
FORMER LOG CABIN REPUBLICANS LEADER
TO DISCUSS GAY/LESBIAN RIGHTS, MARRIAGE AMENDMENT
Panel discussion to follow new Gill Action Fund director’s talk
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Sept. 29, 2006 – Patrick Guerriero, the
newly appointed executive director of the Gill Action Fund and former national
executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans, will discuss "Gay and
Lesbian Rights and the Federal Marriage Amendment” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday,
Oct. 7 in Packard Hall, 5 W. Cache La Poudre St. on the Colorado 
College
campus. A panel discussion, led by Colorado College alumni, will follow.
The Federal Marriage Amendment is a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution which would define marriage as a union of one man and one woman.
Guerriero’s talk at Colorado College comes one month before the mid-term elections, in which the debate surrounding domestic partnerships and gay marriage will be an issue. Colorado voters face two referendums in November that involve same-sex relationships.
Guerriero began serving as the first executive director of the Gill Action Fund on Sept. 1. He leads the Denver-based issue advocacy organization whose goal is equal rights for all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender expression.
The Gill Foundation arose from a 1992 Colorado ballot initiative denying lesbians and gay men equal protection. The initiative, known as Amendment 2, passed by a narrow margin but was ultimately struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court. Tim Gill, founder of the Denver-based software company Quark, Inc., pledged $1 million in 1993 to raise awareness in Colorado about the effects of discrimination. A year later, he established the Gill Foundation to secure equal opportunity for all Americans, regardless of sexual orientation or gender expression.
In the 12 years of its existence, the Gill Foundation has become the nation's largest private foundation focusing on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights. During these years, the foundation has invested more than $81 million to support programs and nonprofit organizations across the country that share its commitment to equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans.
Guerriero, 38, brings to Gill a distinguished political background. He headed the Log Cabin Republicans, a national organization dedicated to advancing equality, from 2002 to 2006. Under Guerriero’s leadership, Log Cabin became the leading conservative voice that helped defeat the Federal Marriage Amendment in the U.S. Congress in 2004. Under his tenure, Log Cabin quadrupled its budget and dramatically increased membership.
Guerriero won a seat as a Republican in the Massachusetts House of Representatives
at age 25 in 1993, went on to serve three terms in the state house and never
missed a vote. His advocacy for strong local government earned him the 1998
Fenn Award for Political Leadership from the Kennedy Library's New Frontier
Society and the Massachusetts Municipal Association.
Guerriero joined the administration of Massachusetts Gov. Jane Swift in May
2001 as deputy chief of staff, advising the governor on various policy issues,
including the extension of domestic partner benefits to state employees. In
2002, he was asked to run for lieutenant governor by Gov. Swift, thus becoming
the first openly gay politician selected as a running mate by an incumbent governor.
His talk, part of Homecoming events at CC, is sponsored by the GLBT Alumni of Colorado College, and is free and open to the public.
For information, directions or disability accommodation at the event, members of the public may call (719) 389-6607.
About Colorado College
Colorado College is a nationally prominent, four-year liberal arts and sciences
college that was founded in Colorado Springs in 1874. The college operates on
the innovative Block Plan, in which its 1,945 students study one course at a
time in intensive 3½-week blocks. For more information, visit www.ColoradoCollege.edu
<http://www.ColoradoCollege.edu>.