Daniel Ramos is the Executive Director of One Colorado. One Colorado is a statewide advocacy organization committed to creating a fair and just Colorado for all people, especially lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) Coloradans and their families.

On this week’s show, Daniel shares with me what One Colorado is working on, the progress that’s been made in LGBTQ rights over the years, the work that remains, and a lot more. You can tell when you listen to this week’s episode that Daniel Ramos has had a lot of practice talking about the mission of One Colorado and advocating for its policy positions.

And normally when a guest sounds a bit scripted, I try as an interviewer to knock them off their axis a bit. But I didn’t try to that this time. Why? Because I believe in what One Colorado is trying to accomplish, and if you happen to be hearing some of this for the first time – whether it’s the struggle that transgender people have to go through to live their lives or how gay and lesbian folks don’t come out just once, they come out again and again and again their entire lives – you deserve to hear it from someone who fights on their behalf every single day.

And while I don’t usually call attention to evaluating my own performance as an interviewer, this isn’t my finest performance. I’m an ally. And I just want to do right by the movement for equality. As a result of wanting to get it right, I stumble over some questions and get flustered by some of the stories Daniel shares with me. At times, this is a very personal interview on both sides.

Is it as heavy as I’m probably leading you to believe? Absolutely not. We talk about real issues, yes. But we also quote lines from Seinfeld. We begin the episode talking about our favorite places for brunch. We talk a bit about high school theater.

All in all, this is a great episode, and one I’m proud to feature. Daniel Ramos is a savvy professional, a fierce advocate, and a good dude. Check out One Colorado on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

You can download this episode on iTunes, stream it on Stitcher, or listen at the Jon of All Trades homepage.

UPDATE: At the request of an organization called AllConnect who reached out to me in June 2023, I am including a link (found here) to an educational guide that focuses on online safety tips and support groups for LGBTQIA+ youth.

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