Frank Whitworth
Author: Beau Toepfer
Colorado Springs was instrumental in getting Amendment 2 passed in Colorado, and was also a major location for the organization of queer resistance to the amendment. Frank Whitworth stepped into a lead role in opposing Amendment 2 in the 1990s, as well as other anti-queer legislation being passed in Colorado, all the while staying relatively civil, non-violent, and non-confrontational.
About Amendment 2
In large part due to its large religious presence and its being the hometown of Colorado Family Values, a far-right extremist organization, Colorado Springs was largely responsible for getting Amendment 2 on the ballot and passed in Colorado. Amendment 2 attempted to block queer-identifying people from being able to claim discrimination based on their sexual orientation.[1] Amendment 2 passed in Colorado by 53%, but was blocked by a trial on its constitutionality. Whitworth was able to vehemently oppose Amendment 2 and organize large opposition, in his role as the executive director of Ground Zero, to the amendment in Colorado Springs and Washington D.C.[1:1] A march in Washington D.C. that was led by Colorado, and in part Whitworth, attracted at least 300,000 protesters, but likely more.[1:2] Whitworth also opposed hetero-normative, christian ideologies that were trying to be pushed on Colorado Springs public schools, framing the opposition in favor of queer-identifying individuals.[2]
Whitworth and Amendment 2
Whitworth’s largest focus while working for Ground Zero was creating opposition to Amendment 2. Throughout the 1990s, he organized protests, built his base, and spoke out against the amendment in all forms.[3] He wrote letters to the editor at the Colorado Springs Gazette, often in direct opposition to the opposition leader, Will Perkins, who led Colorado Family Values.[4] Whitworth and Perkins would write contradictory letters to disprove each other's claims. While they fought each other in the paper, they were respectful of each other's organizations and continually advocated for cooperation and non-violence. He noted that he hoped to be able to find common ground with some Amendment 2 supporters, but that he and Perkins were fundamentally opposed.[4:1]
Whitworth helped to organize protests in Colorado Springs, and had plans in place no matter what the outcome of the supreme court decision to uphold or illegitimize Amendment 2.[3:1] He also was one of the leaders of the massive Washington D.C. march to oppose Amendment 2.
Whitworth and Other Anti-Queer Legislation
Whitworth also opposed a Colorado Family Values policy for Colorado Springs high schools that would have pushed abstinence and traditional family values in school sexual education classes. He notes that pushing this rhetoric in class would have been detrimental to homosexual students, and that CFV “want{s} to stop homosexuals from being who they are.”[5]
Community Impacts
It has been noted that Amendment 2 was beneficial to the queer movement in Colorado because it catalyzed the movement, forcing people to organize and build infrastructure that is used today. Much of the movement building in Colorado Springs and the surrounding region was led by Whitworth through his role at Ground Zero.[1:3]
References
C.J. Janovy, “The Gay Nineties,” Denver Westword, November 25, 1999, https://www.westword.com/news/the-gay-nineties-5061055/. ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Lawton, Wendy Y. “D-11 Urged to Adopt Policy on Morality/ Family Values Puts Spotlight on Teen Sex.” The Gazette. January 9, 1997, sec. A. ↩︎
McCaffrey, Raymond. “Amendment 2 Fight May Reignite as Ruling Nears.” The Gazette. January 31, 1996. ↩︎ ↩︎
Rosemary Harris, “Study Alleges Anti-Amendment 2 Bias/ Editors Dispute Focus’ Findings,” The Gazette, August 20, 1993. ↩︎ ↩︎
Lawton, Wendy Y. “D-11 Urged to Adopt Policy on Morality/ Family Values Puts Spotlight on Teen Sex.” The Gazette. January 9, 1997, sec. A. ↩︎