When the Briargate Branch Computer Library opens in July 2005, it will boast state-of-the-art technical equipment and capabilities.  It will also prominently and permanently recognize the Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado, which contributed $50,000 toward its construction.

In accepting the grant, the Pikes Peak Library District was required to include sexual orientation in its employment non-discrimination policy.  The branch will also allow the Gay & Lesbian Fund For Colorado to sponsor events and activities in the new facility.

“The Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado is extremely proud to have helped fund the Briargate Branch Computer Library.  The equipment, the building, the location are all fantastic, and it’s going make life better for many, including thousands of Springs residents living in the northeast part of the city,” said Mary Lou Makepeace, executive director of GLFC.

“We applaud the leadership of the Pikes Peak Library District, who were willing to learn about the impact of discrimination on gay and lesbian people,” said Makepeace.  “Their willingness to create a discrimination-free workplace ensured that virtually every child and adult in Colorado Springs will benefit from the amazing technology of the new Briargate Branch.”

About the Gay and Lesbian Fund for Colorado

The Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado was established in 1996 as a project of the Gill Foundation.  The Gay & Lesbian Fund For Colorado has a dual mission:  to support community nonprofits that offer equal opportunity regardless of sexual orientation, and to raise public awareness of the contributions that gay men and lesbians make to Colorado. www.gayandlesbianfund.org

The Gill Foundation, established in 1994 by software entrepreneur Tim Gill, seeks to secure equal opportunity for all people regardless of sexual orientation or gender expression.  The Gill Foundation is the largest funder focusing principally on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights in the United States. www.gillfoundation.org