COLOR

Ventura County COLOR

 
COLOR is a gay-straight alliance whose mission is to build and serve a community in which all people have the liberty to dream and the opportunity to realize their dreams while earning and maintaining respect.

We believe that the only way to end discrimination against GLBTQ people is to show that GLBTQ people are just like anyone else.  We aim to show this through providing services that benefit the community as a whole.

• We believe that now is the time for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community to rejoin the mainstream community as a fully enfranchised member with the full rights and responsibilities of our peers.
  We believe that the struggle for equal rights for GLBT persons is our responsibility, and we accept that responsibility with humility and resolve.

• We believe in the inherent dignity of all persons regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other secondary characteristic which might manifest in the individual.

• We believe that if we show others a new paradigm of interdependence our example will lead others to change their mistaken perceptions of GLBT persons.
  While we understand that there are many different roads to full equality, we hold our guiding principle to be fully inter-dependent integration with our community.

• We define our community to include all persons who reside within the County of Ventura regardless of the secondary characteristics of such persons, i.e. gender identity, socio-economic status, political affiliation, etc.

• We declare that, while we will maintain an open and affirming relationship with our community, we will not be complicit in our own oppression.  We will not tolerate acts of aggression, acts that seek to undermine the dignity of our humanity, acts that endanger our persons or any other action which might be construed to defame the character of any member of our community.

• We will strive to create coalitions within our community of like minded organizations for the purpose of accomplishing common goals and maximizing the impact our presence has in our community.

• We believe that, while advocacy is a serious matter requiring commitment and dedication, having fun is essential to our success.