LGBTQ Breaking News Service

While Rangers fans can celebrate a TV show that hasn’t aired a new episode in more than two years, there will be no such celebration for the team’s LGBTQ fan base.

When Steven Alix opened Tight End in the former location of Streets Denver at 1501 East Colfax Avenue in April 2021, it became Denver’s only gay sports bar. Now, a few months into business, it’s carving out its place on Colfax as a regular sports bar with good pours, plenty of wide-screen televisions, and a relaxed, down-to-earth atmosphere.

“I love sports, I know a lot of people love sports, and it’s the same amount in the gay community as the straight community; the only issue is, a lot of people who play sports or watch sports didn’t have a place where they felt safe,” Alix says. “Almost the opposite, right? Like especially growing up in it, a lot of coaches gave people a lot of crap. So I wanted it to be a safe place for anyone who just wants to enjoy the game.”

This carefully curated concept isn’t new to Alix, who also owns X Bar and co-owns The Squire Lounge,
— in fact, it’s been in the works for five years. When Streets closed in March 2021 after twenty years in business, Alix “finally just kind of found the right match that I envisioned [for the concept] and jumped on it,” he says.

Tight End is fairly small, but it feels airy and open, with a cozy front patio adorned with string lights. A DJ in the corner pumps loud dance music in the late evening after the major games end, and the space is filled with the sounds of laughter and glasses clinking. On the televisions, episodes of Family Feud and Shark Tank play alongside basketball and hockey games. There’s karaoke on Wednesdays and two-dollars-off drinks every day from 3 to 8 p.m. Alix says the clientele has been diverse. “It’s all over the place,” he notes. “It’s absolutely wonderful. It’s gay, straight, women, men — you name it.”

EXPAND

Tight End welcomes customers with a warm and accepting atmosphere.

Gabrielle Bye

To help expand the business, the bar partners with local gay sports leagues for events. “They’ve been great to work with,” Alix says, “it’s been incredible. And we’re working to get with more and more of them. And it’s so great — every sort of sport has a gay league in Denver.” The bar also recently acquired 3 Guys Pies, located next door to Tight End. “The pizza place will stay open after close so that there’ll be an after-bar place. And it’s going be called End Zone Pizzeria,” Alix says.

More late-night pizza on Colfax? We’ll toast to that!

Tight End is located at 1501 East Colfax Avenue and is open from 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 2 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Get more information at 303-861-9103 or tightendbar.com.

Florida State’s approach and attitude have been on display nationally in the Women’s College World Series. What the Seminole may lack in individual star power has been overshadowed by the team’s stellar collective effort.

“It’s clear that this team is selfless and has confidence in each other,” said former FSU catcher and Lincoln star BillieAnne Gay, a starter on the 2004 FSU team that advanced to the WCWS.

“You can tell by watching them leave it all on the field. …  Their focus and pride are rooted in the team, not individual success. They collectively love winning more than they fear losing, and that’s just the mindset of a champion.”

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FSU has been traveling a familiar path in the WCWS heading into Monday’s elimination game against Alabama in Oklahoma City.

The winner advances into the best-of-three championship series that is scheduled to start Tuesday against the winner in the opposite bracket between Oklahoma and James Madison.

In 2018, the Seminoles dropped their first game to UCLA but went on to win their next six games to win the national championship.

FSU became just the third team to lose its first game of the tournament and roar back through the losers bracket to win the title, joining Texas A&M (1983) and UCLA (2003).

On Sunday – less than 24 hours after winning an elimination game over Oklahoma State that ended at 2:36 a.m. – FSU beat Alabama 2-0 to snap the Crimson Tide’s 20-game win streak and force a second game against Alabama. The Seminoles again displayed their perseverance as Sunday afternoon’s game was delayed 2 hours and 26 minutes when played was stopped in the bottom of the first inning due to inclement weather.

The Seminoles have won their last seven consecutive WCWS elimination games to set a tourney record. With its win over Oklahoma State, FSU had tied the mark of six set by UCLA. The Bruins won four straight in 2003 and their next two elimination games in 2006.

“This team is scrappy,” said former FSU pitcher and Chiles star Sarah Hamilton.

“You can see it all the way down to the base running. I think the girls who’ve been there (for the 2018 win) have really shown great leadership. They’re fighters. They’ve had a tough road (playing well after midnight) but they’re making it look fun and easy.”

FSU has been scratching for every win in the WCWS with timely hitting, superb defense and outstanding pitching.

After dropping their WCWS opener 4-0 to UCLA, the Seminoles have ripped off wins over No. 11 Arizona (4-3), No. 5 Oklahoma State (4-2) and No. 3 Alabama. They have outscored (10-9) opponents but have been out-hit (22-21).

Former FSU coach JoAnne Graf, who led the Seminoles to back-to-back AIAW (now NCAA) national titles in slow pitch in 1981 and 1982, points to the team’s leadership and ability to perform under pressure.

“They are clearly taking advantage of other teams’ mistakes – our base running has been exceptional,” Graf said.

“Players have been aggressive. If the other team makes a mistake, we are taking extra bases and turning extra bases into runs. It as been phenomenal. It goes back to their attitude, playing each day, playing hard and for each other, and not putting pressure on themselves.”

In Sunday’s win over Alabama, FSU snapped a scoreless tie in the fifth inning when Sydney Sherrill drew a bases-loaded walk. In the sixth inning, the Seminoles made it 2-0 as Dani Morgan hit a two-out triple and Josie Muffley smacked a single to right field

Morgan who went 2-for-3 and scored both of the FSU’s runs. 

Caylan Arnold started and pitched 4.2 innings. She allowed just  two hits and a walk with five strikeouts. Kathryn Sandercock (27-3) tossed 2.1 innings of relief.

“You can see the passion and drive in each of these young athletes,” said former FSU pitcher Casey Hunter Garrett, who went 33-4 with 14 shutouts in 2004 and resides in Illinois. 

“The players and coaches have overcome many challenges in the last two seasons that no one has experienced and have executed the goals they have set. Every day is a new challenge with the late games to the early COVID test, and they continue to succeed and drive in to their goals.”

Reach Jim Henry at jjhenry@tallahassee.com.

No one covers the ‘Noles like the Tallahassee Democrat. Subscribe using the link at the top of the page.

Joe Biden attends a campaign event. (Photo credit: ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)

The Catholic League has prepared this report, “President Biden’s Policies: Departures from Catholic Teachings” that outlines many instances where his Biden’s decision-making on important moral issues is at variance with established Catholic teachings. It has been sent to all the bishops in the United States.

• Jan. 20, 2021 – Biden signed an executive order affirming that “children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or school sports,” affirming his campaign promise to allow minors to use facilities and participate in high school sports opposite their biological sex. While campaigning, in response to a question from a parent of a transgender child, Biden said that there would be “zero discrimination” when it came to minors seeking to change their gender.
• Jan. 20, 2021 – Biden issued an executive order requiring all federal agencies to implement the ruling in the Supreme Court decision Bostock v. Clayton County, which treats sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes. This is a grave injustice that erases the differences and complementary relationship between man and woman.
• Jan. 22, 2021 – Biden issued a statement on the 48th anniversary of Roe v. Wade describing the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision as a “foundational precedent” to which all judicial nominees should commit. Biden called for Roe’s codification.
• Jan. 23, 2021 – The Department of Justice announced that it would repeal a Trump administration memo that blocked the enforcement of the Bostock ruling in federal law.
• Jan. 25, 2021 – Biden signed an order that would allow transgender persons to serve in the Armed Forces. As part of the order, Biden urged the Defense Department to create a process that would allow individuals to change sexes while serving.
• Jan. 28, 2021 – Biden issued the “Memorandum on Protecting Women’s Health at Home and Abroad.” This memorandum revokes the Mexico City Policy, which is a U.S. government policy that requires foreign non-governmental organizations to certify that they will not “perform or actively promote abortion as a method of family planning.”
• Jan. 28, 2021 – Biden instructed the Department of Health and Human Services to immediately move to consider rescinding the Trump administration rule blocking health care providers in the federally funded Title X family planning program from referring patients for abortions.
• Jan. 28, 2021 –Biden ordered that the necessary steps be taken to resume funding to the United Nations Population Fund, which promotes family planning through abortion.
• Jan. 28, 2021 – Biden directed United States Agency for International Development and other United States government foreign assistance programs to ensure that adequate funds are being directed to support abortion rights.
• Feb. 4, 2021 – Biden issued a “Memorandum on Advancing the Human Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex Persons Around the World.” This will limit the ability of faith-based organizations to assist in foreign aid.
• Feb. 4, 2021 –Biden signed an executive order allowing for nonmarried couples to be treated as married for the purposes of the refugee system in certain circumstances.
• Feb. 25, 2021 – The House passed the Equality Act. Biden on the campaign trail had made enacting this legislation within his first 100 days in office a top legislative priority.
  • The act would effectively gut the 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act, eviscerating important religious rights.
  • State laws that protect religious liberty would be gutted.
  • Freedom of speech, belief, and thought, as U.S. bishops have said, would be put “at risk.” Conscience rights are the most important of all rights. When they are attacked, all liberties are jeopardized.
  • Taxpayer-funded abortions would become a reality.
  • Bishops stress that “Houses of worship and other religious spaces will be turned into places of ‘public accommodation.'”
  • Adoption and foster care providers would have their rights stripped.
  • Catholic hospitals would no longer be allowed to govern as Catholic facilities, threatening healthcare for everyone, especially the poor.
  • Starting in kindergarten, students would be indoctrinated in the LGBT agenda.
  • Parental rights would be decimated.
  • Men who transition to female could compete in women’s sports, effectively working against the rights of women.
  • Privacy rights would be a thing of the past. As has already happened, a man who thinks of himself as a woman would be allowed to use the women’s locker room
• Feb. 25, 2021 – Rachel Levine, a transgender born a biological male, was Biden’s nomination for Assistant Secretary for HHS. When questioned about sex transitioning of minors during his confirmation hearing, Levine did not oppose the idea of allowing minors to receive hormone therapy and puberty blockers.
• March 4, 2021 – Biden supports the For the People Act (H.R. 1), a bill that calls into question the impartiality of those who have religious affiliations. The objectionable provision is directed at a person’s suitability serving on a state’s redistricting commission. It assumes that people of faith – but not atheists – are inclined to be partisan observers, thus coming dangerously close to invoking a “religious test.”
• March 8, 2021 – Biden issued a statement on the introduction of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (VAWA), voicing his support for VAWA’s reauthorization. Unfortunately, the reauthorization includes gender identity language that undermines the intended purpose of VAWA and thereby harms the very women it seeks to protect.
• March 11, 2021 – As part of Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act, there was no language that reflects the longstanding, bipartisan consensus policy to prohibit taxpayer dollars from funding abortions domestically and internationally. The policy was needed because this bill includes many general references to healthcare that, absent the express exclusion of abortion, have consistently been interpreted by federal courts not only to allow, but to compel, the provision of abortion without meaningful limit.
• March 17, 2021 – Biden’s White House issued a statement in support of the House resolution to remove the ratification deadline for the Equal Rights Amendment. The ERA would mandate federal funding for abortion and eliminate sex distinctions in the law, thus eliminating the existing legal protections for biological women.
• March 18, 2021 – The Office of Population Affairs at HHS announced the Biden administration’s plan to repeal the Trump-era Protect Life Rule governing Title X by the end of the year. This announcement was in direct response to President Biden’s executive order issued on Jan. 28.
• March 30, 2021 – Secretary of State Antony Blinken disbanded the “Commission on Unalienable Rights” because it overemphasized religious liberty. This was commissioned by Secretary Pompeo to “provide…advice and recommendations concerning international human rights matters…[and] fresh thinking about human rights discourse where such discourse has departed from our nation’s founding principles of natural law and natural rights.” Instead, Blinken would rather treat religious liberty as a coequal right, diminishing its status and freeing the State Department to promote LGBT and abortion rights.
• March 31, 2021 – The Department of Defense released a statement affirming Biden’s executive order on transgender persons in the military stating that the Department will “provide a path for those in service for medical treatment, gender transition, and recognition in one’s self-identified gender.”
• April 13, 2021 – Under Biden, the Food and Drug Administration is no longer enforcing the “in-person dispensing requirement” for the chemical abortion pills.
• April 13, 2021 – Under Biden, the USAID Middle East Bureau renamed the “Religious and Ethnic Communities Office” to the “Equity and Diverse Communities in the Middle East and North Africa Office” to shift the Bureau’s focus away from protecting the rights of religious minorities in the Middle East and emphasize other groups such as LGBT.
• April 14, 2021 – HHS introduced the Title X changes outlined by Biden’s “Memorandum on Protecting Women’s Health at Home and Abroad.” Under these new rules, grantees would be required to refer for abortions, despite moral or religious objections, effectively banning otherwise pro-life grantees from participating.
• April 16, 2021 – Under Biden, the National Institute of Health removed restrictions on human fetal tissue research.
• April 20, 2021 – After a group of Catholic doctors and hospitals won a case over an HHS rule that would compel them to provide gender-transition surgeries, regardless of their conscientious beliefs, the Biden administration appealed to keep this mandate in place.
• April 22, 2021 – The Department of Housing and Urban Development announced changes to the Equal Access Rule, which would require participants in the Department’s Office of Community Planning and Development programs to accommodate transgender persons based on their gender identity. This would compel Catholic shelters to house individuals of the opposite sex.
• April 25, 2021 – The DOJ issued a statement of interest in favor of a Georgia transgender prisoner who is suing the Georgia Department of Corrections for failing to house him based on his gender identity because Georgia does not want to house people of one biological sex with those of the other.
• May 10, 2021 – The Department of Health and Human Services announced that it would reinstate an Obama-era rule that would remove exemptions for religious and Catholic hospitals that refused to provide transgender services and procedures that go against their religious beliefs. The rule interpreted “sex discrimination” under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act to include “gender identity.” This is a major blow to the religious liberty rights of Catholic doctors and hospitals. It would force doctors and hospitals to provide sex reassignment surgeries, even if these surgeries go against their religious beliefs, as well as cover these surgeries and procedures in their insurance policies.
• May 12, 2021 – HHS Secretary Xavier Beccera, who voted against a law that banned partial-birth abortion when he was a congressman, was asked if he would respect this law. He made it clear he would not. He justified this stance by falsely claiming that there is no such law. In 2003 Congress passed the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act and President George W. Bush signed it.
• May 14, 2021 – The White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships met with leaders of six secular organizations: Freedom From Religion Foundation, the American Humanist Association, American Atheists, Center for Inquiry, ExMuslims of North America and the Secular Coalition for America. They expressed their displeasure with the pro-religious liberty policies of the previous administration, accusing it of fomenting “Christian nationalism.”
• May 17, 2021 – After the Supreme Court said it would take up a case involving Mississippi’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks, White House press secretary Jen Psaki informed reporters that Biden was “committed to codifying” Roe v. Wade no matter what the Court decides.
• May 28, 2021 – Biden released his budget proposal for FY2022, and it allocates money for abortions since it has no Hyde Amendment language. This is the first budget proposal since 1993 that does not include conscience protections to ensure federal funds are not used for abortions.

Bill Donohue is president and CEO of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, the nation’s largest Catholic civil rights organization. He was awarded his Ph.D. in sociology from New York University and is the author of eight books and many articles.