UNDERSTANDING VULNERABILITIES AND STRENGTHENING SUPPORT FOR LGBTQ+ COMMUNITIES

The Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking and Rocky Mountain Equality are collaborating on important and timely training exploring the intersection of human trafficking and LGBTQ+ identities in Colorado. In this training, you will be able to:

• Identify key vulnerabilities to trafficking among LGBTQ+ individuals based on systemic drivers

• Connect with trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and affirming support and strategiesto improve identification, engagement, and support for LGBTQ+ individuals

  
  

Use the following form to indicate your attendance and let us know if you have any accessibility needs, questions, and or preferences.

Kara Nopalitano (she), Education and Partnerships Director (LCHT) (Kara Napolitano - Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking)

Marla Sutherland (she), Research Manager, (LCHT) (Marla Sutherland - Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking)

Castro (they/elle), Education and Training Manager, RMEQ

Kara Napolitano (she/her) is a human rights advocate and trainer. Kara holds an MA in International Development with concentration in International Human Rights Law from the University of Denver. Before completing her education, she spent eight years working and volunteering in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, working mostly with education-based NGOs in post-conflict areas. This is where she was introduced to the crime of human trafficking. She was appointed to Governor’s Colorado Human Trafficking Council Prevention Task Force in 2018 and the Equitable Access Task Force in 2022 and she is a commissioner on the Denver Crime Prevention and Control Commission.

As the Education and Partnerships Director, Kara leads training and education efforts and statewide partnership development for the Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking (LCHT). She has trained more than 25,000 professionals across rural and urban Colorado on how to recognize and compassionately respond to labor and sex exploitation in their communities. Kara works alongside law enforcement, healthcare providers, those working with systems-involved youth and professionals in other intersecting sectors to build collaborations that prevent exploitation, support survivors, and hold perpetrators accountable in communities across the state.

Marla Sutherland is the Research Manager at the Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking (LCHT). She holds a Master of Arts in Women’s and Gender Studies and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Her academic research explored the (re)distribution of resources through the legal and political frameworks of kinship, with a focus on protecting the well-being of vulnerable populations within an ethical politics of kinship care.

Marla brings extensive experience in homeless response systems across Northern Colorado and the Metro Denver regions. She has held a range of leadership and service-oriented roles, including housing counselor, property manager, and the first-ever Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) Database Administrator in Northern Colorado. She has also served as the Continuum of Care (CoC) Manager and Coordinated Entry System (CES) Manager for the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative (MDHI).

Deeply committed to justice and equity, Marla sees activism and lifelong learning as vital components of her work. Outside of LCHT, she enjoys volunteering, spending time with friends and family, exploring the outdoors, and discovering new pathways to healing and peace.