“Around that murder, there were also some bias incidents happening on campus here at CSU in Fort Collins. Fort Collins got some national attention around that time,” said Maggie Hendrickson, current CSU Pride Resource Center Director. “And so, it just really highlighted that we really needed to find a physical location and resources to support our community here.”

The Fort Collins Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Alliance, the Student Organization for Gays, Lesbians, and Bisexuals, and others worked with the Associated Students of Colorado State University to open GLBT Student Services at CSU, which opened officially on Aug. 1, 1998. The center’s opening was several years after political unrest surrounding Amendment 2, which barred discriminatory protections based on sexual orientation. Despite being coined as the “hate state” nationwide, Amendment 2 was struck down in 1996.

“There was a lot of pride, too, around CSU being one of the earlier schools to open an LGBTQ center despite all the things happening around the nation at the time,” said Hendrickson. “We were reconciling and coming out of the HIV and AIDS epidemic. There was a lot more visibility and destigmatization of LGBTQ folks.”

CSU’s GLBT Student Services opened without a physical office. The first director, Lisa Phelps, shared a position with Residence Life and the GLBT Student Services office. It was not until November 1998 that the office gained a physical location in the basement of the Lory Student Center.

“The first center was really literally just an office cubicle downstairs. But after the flood, you go upstairs and there’s a space. There’s not a cubicle with a desk and a chair,” said CSU alumni Morris Price, who graduated in 1987. “I think that’s what struck us more than anything else. The universe was putting it front-facing and not hiding it.”

Price, who is now the vice president of grants and impact at the Colorado Trust, worked with the center’s first full-time director, Randy McCrillis, to mobilize CSU alumni to raise funds to support the growth of the center.

In 2002, increased visibility of the center led to a 175% increase in contacts over a period of one year. In 2016, the center changed its name to what it is now known today: the Pride Resource Center.

Following the testimonies of the center’s earliest days, the film delves into the reflections of recent CSU alumni, who emphasize the center’s profound impact on helping them succeed and graduate during their time as students.

Ali Owens, who first attended CSU in 2004, dropped out of school at the time due to feeling a lack of direction and community.

“I felt so alone and so lost. I didn’t really have a sense of community anywhere,” said Owens. “I was so scared to get involved with any kind of clubs or, you know, anything that that would have helped me meet people and feel a sense of belonging.”

Owens eventually came back to CSU and is now a current student and graphic designer for the CSU Pride Resource Center. Owens, who identifies as non-binary, sees the CSU Pride Center as an integral part of finding their identity through exchanges with others with similar experiences.

“Gen Z, they know how to take care of each other. And I’ve really seen that a lot in the Pride Center. It’s been so inspiring and in a way it’s been healing for that younger part of myself that never really received that. So, it’s been absolutely beautiful,” said Owens.

In recent years, the CSU Pride Resource Center utilized information and data on the well-being of LGBTQIA+ students to advocate for three full-time professional staff.

“We’re actually one of few LGBT centers in the country that’s on a college campus that has more than two full-time professional staff, which is really exciting,” said Hendrickson.

Currently, staff at the center are expanding on what thriving looks like for students, from good grades, fostering community, to finding a job that aligns with their career goals.  Owens also outlined the center’s initiatives to better integrate intersectionality and inclusivity for students from diverse backgrounds.

“We don’t see a lot of diversity here, unfortunately, and that’s also reflected in the campus,” said Owens. “It can be really hard to create spaces for people with marginalized identities that aren’t centering around whiteness. And so one of the challenges that we’ve come up against at the Pride Center has been how do we actually make this space more affirming and more safe for students of color?”

The film culminates to present-day accomplishments and signature events that have grown throughout the years. The Pride Center’s events accentuate queer joy, self-expression, and a sense of family.  Several students also established the “House of Ovis,” one of the few university drag houses in the nation.

“Big pieces of our collective queer history comes from drag culture, ballroom culture, how black trans women and other folks have gathered and created avenues for chosen family, but also self-expression,” said Hendrickson. “To see our students really honoring that legacy by creating their own drag house, for example, hosting the state’s largest drag show, the students are really trying to latch onto what is that legacy around self-expression?”

The film premiered at the Lory Student Center Theater during the event “Legacy of Leaders,” one of several events planned for LGBTQIA+ History Month in October. The event also featured a historical presentation and panel discussion with previous leaders of the Pride Resource Center.