Celebrating Michael Dougherty’s Allyship in Action

At Rocky Mountain Equality, we know that real progress for LGBTQ+ people isn't just made in statehouses or courtrooms far away. It's made by the people who show up, day after day, in our own communities. 

Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty is one of those people, and I want to take a moment to recognize just how much his leadership has meant to me and our community. Michael has been a genuine partner to Rocky Mountain Equality and the people we serve, not just in words but in action. I also have the honor of calling him a friend. Friends are people you trust, and from the moment I met Michael I knew he was someone I could trust.

I remember one Saturday afternoon around 3pm, I received a call from a parent of a trans youth who had just been taken to juvenile detention. The parent was worried about how they would be treated and if they would be placed in the right environment. I called Michael, and he answered on the first ring. He followed up with me as soon as he had new information, and I was able to assuage the parent’s fears. That’s just one example of the 24-hour service and community support he provides.  

The law can be scary and complicated and often wasn’t designed to support LGBTQ+ people. Michael understands that, and he takes every opportunity to try to make it work better for us. When he was in charge of training for district attorneys across the state, he asked us to train them on LGBTQ+ issues. He’s brought chiefs of police in Boulder County, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, the FBI, and state patrol together to be in conversation with members of our community to hear their concerns so they could better serve us. He and his staff have provided more Know Your Rights trainings to underserved communities than I can count.

When the federal government considered scaling back the comprehensive collection of hate crime data, Michael worked alongside us to push back because you can't address what you don't measure, and LGBTQ+ people deserve to be fully counted. Crimes against us for who we are should never be swept under the rug.

He's also shown courage in holding power accountable, leading prosecutions of public officials for sexual misconduct, sending a clear message that no one is above the law and that survivors deserve justice regardless of who has caused them harm.

In the state legislature, Michael testified in support of eliminating the so-called LGBTQ+ "panic defense," a discriminatory legal strategy that has too often been used to excuse violence against our community. His voice in that fight helped move Colorado closer to ensuring that no one's life is worth less in the eyes of the law because of who they love or who they are. When Colorado strengthened its hate crime laws to allow more flexibility in prosecution and better representation for trans victims, Michael was there, speaking up in support of changes that make our legal system more responsive to the realities our community faces.

In Boulder County, Michael created Colorado's first District Attorney Hate Crimes Initiative and Anti-Bias Hotline back in 2018. He built the Hate Crimes Multi-Disciplinary Team, bringing together his office, law enforcement, and community members to address bias-motivated incidents in our community. That kind of coordinated, community-rooted response saves lives. 

Allyship isn't a single moment. It's a pattern of showing up, again and again, especially when it's not easy or politically convenient. Michael Dougherty has shown that he is willing to show up throughout his time as Boulder County District Attorney. Thank you, Michael, for always showing up for the LGBTQ+ community.