How Colorado Helped Build the Anti-LGBTQ+ Playbook

Being queer in America right now feels like being caught on the wrong side of a pendulum swinging backwards. And no state knows it better than Colorado.

Even though it’s currently a safe haven for LGBTQ+ Americans, back in the ‘90s, the landscape of equal rights in Colorado—and across America—was pretty stark. You could say there were actually two completely different Colorados at once. And in 1992, those two Colorados ended up on a collision course over an amendment so egregious it earned Colorado a big, bad nickname.

In order to understand how Colorado became the “Hate State,” we zoom back to the 1950s, when Colorado Springs transformed from a hub of military spending to the “Evangelical Vatican.” Over time, a critical mass of evangelical organizations would flex their muscle to impact state law. Enter Amendment 2—and the blueprint for the nationwide strategy to roll back queer rights that’s still impacting elections today.

In this episode, historian Will Schultz explains how Colorado Springs became the “Evangelical Vatican,” while gay activist and writer Phil Nash recounts how, in his Colorado, Denver’s LGBTQ+ community found a refuge in the city’s first center for gays and lesbians, even as conservative Colorado waged a campaign against them.

Hate State is a production of Odd Bird Sound and Word and LOOKOUT. 

Our editors and executive producers are Carolina Murriel and Isis Madrid of Pizza Shark.

This episode was written and produced by Xandra McMahon, Ann Marie Awad, and Chris Fazzari. Sound design by Carolina Murriel.

Original music by Addison Rider with additional music from Epidemic Sound. 

Archival tape in this episode comes from the documentary “Lesbian Avengers Eat Fire Too.” Thanks to Su Friedrich and Janet Baus at the New York Lesbian Avengers.

Our engineer is Tyler Hill. Additional engineering support from Patrick McNameeking.

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