Longmont's Alejandro Rodriguez to lead Latinx LGBTQ work at Out Boulder County

Out Boulder County, or OBC, has brought in Longmont resident Alejandro Rodriguez to lead equity work for the LGBTQ community.

“I fell in love with Alejandro when I met him, so it’s exciting to have him on the team now,” said OBC Executive Director Mardi Moore. “He’s so good at connecting people, he has such a kind heart and he’s so driven toward success.”

Rodriguez moved to Longmont five years ago with his husband. He has a degree in Sociology from the University of North Texas, a first-generation graduate in his family. Outside of his work for advocacy and social equity, Alejandro humbly considers himself an average person. He likes to be home with his husband, watch television and play video games.

OBC’s former coordinator for the Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous and people of color, or QTBIPOC, program, José García-Madrid left the position to pursue and education in law school in Spain.

Four years after the program started, Moore saw an opportunity to expand the role to meet the needs of the LGBTQ and BIPOC communities in the area.

“The Colorado Health Foundation has been really important to us in our diversity, equity and inclusion work, and they came forward with a two year grant,” Moore said. “As José gets ready to attend law school in Madrid, we took the opportunity to transition the role into a full time position. They say you can tell from your budget what you really value and we value this work.”

Rodriguez started volunteering with OBC shortly after the organization opened its Longmont office in 2016, according to Moore. From helping with youth QTBIPOC groups and more recently getting involved in vaccination equity clinics, Rodriguez has been an advocate for equity in the LGBTQ and Latinx communities in Longmont and Boulder County.

“I wouldn’t even call it a job, because everyone at Out Boulder County is passionate about outreach for underrepresented people,” Rodriguez said. “I have plans though. In general, what I want to do is work together with other organizations to create a better environment for people of color, immigrants and LGBTQ communities in Boulder County. There’s a need for programs and outreach for these members of our community.”

Rodriguez was part of the volunteer team that led the vaccine equity clinics in Boulder County, to promote equity and increase outreach to traditionally underserved communities. The clinics were a collaboration between local and county governments, along with community organizations like Out Boulder County, Medical Reserve Corps of Boulder County and El Centro Amistad.

“I was very happy to be a part of it and fill the void and need that was there for translation and interpretation,” Rodriguez said. “It was needed, I think in a way, to recognize and see for myself things I’ve known for a long time. There’s a need to help immigrants and non-English speaking people in the county.

OBC’s Education and Program Manager Michal Duffy, pronouns they and them, was optimistic about Rodriguez joining the staff full time and the opportunities it opens up for reaching more of the Latinx and BIPOC communities in the county.

“We’re building relationships that can shape what the organization can do in meaningful ways,” Duffy said. “Alejandro coming on full-time, as a community member that’s worked with us for a long time, can really help us take it to the next level.”

Duffy, who leads equity and diversity training for civic organizations and businesses throughout the area on behalf of OBC, said they were looking forward to collaborating with Rodriguez on expanding programming to support initiatives for the BIPOC community. Of particular note will be work on how inclusive language is evolving and changing in both English and Spanish, according to Duffy.

“I believe in an environment of friendship and family, and people know where I stand with social issues, I don’t think anyone will be surprised that I found a platform and official role to work on things that I’m passionate about,” Rodriguez said.

According to Moore, Rodriguez hit the ground running in his first week. Partnering with Latinx organizations Padres & Jovenes Unidos and Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement, Rodriguez joined protests against ICE detaining and mistreating trans asylum seekers in Aurora last week.

“Familia Trans Queer Liberation Movement are fighting and advocating to get trans women of color out of immigration detention centers,” Rodriguez said. “In the past few months, four or five trans women of color have died in immigration detention after being denied basic medical assistance. Trans people don’t get treated with the dignity they deserve.”

“With Alejandro on our team the world opens up a little bit more for the work that Out Boulder County is doing,” Moore said. “He knows things other people here don’t, and he opens doors for a lot of folks.”

Rodriguez recognized the importance of organizations in Boulder County taking action to bring better representation and equity to their staff in order for the BIPOC community to feel that they have a voice in their own advocacy.

“There’s this saying that goes around when it comes to minorities, that we need a seat at the table. At some point we get tired of waiting for that chair to be built for us,” Rodriguez said. “So I want to collaborate with other organizations to represent and make known the challenges and experiences people of color face every day. I want to build my own table, because I’m tired of waiting, and at Out Boulder I can start building that table.”