REMEMBERING CLELA ROREX

Clela Rorex is best known for issuing six marriage licenses to same-sex couples at the Boulder County Courthouse in 1975 while County Clerk. She was a multi-faceted feminist, atheist, and parent involved in consciousness raising and the Native American Rights Fund. Hear from those who knew her and were impacted by her life and her work.

Panelists:

Hillary Hall, like Clela before her, served as Boulder County Clerk and Recorder. As Clerk, Hillary was a core participant in creating the country’s nationally recognized election model. Many may remember her for the very visible stance she took on same-sex marriages — issuing licenses before either the state of Colorado or the United States had fully ratified the 10th Circuit constitutional rights ruling. Today Hillary can be found advocating for joy through her spiritual practice, artistic endeavors, golfing with her wonderful husband Tim, and being with her insanely cute dogs, Thatcher and Winston.

Mardi Moore has been on the frontlines of the good fight for 30 years at the local and national level, recognizing that her role in demanding inclusion and diversity needed to go beyond armchair activism. She currently serves as Chief Executive Officer for Rocky Mountain Equality (formerly Out Boulder County), a Colorado-based not-for-profit organization with the mission of working independently and in collaboration, we facilitate connection, advocacy, education, research and programs to ensure LGBTQ+ people and communities thrive in Boulder County and beyond. Under her leadership, the organization has grown five-fold in seven years by modeling equality, respect, intersectional empathy, and deep understanding of the fundamental human right to fall asleep at night dreaming of an optimistic, realistic tomorrow.

Ann C. Noonan, MA, CAS, LPC,  has worked in the field of addiction recovery and mental health for over 40 years. She has been an LGBTQ activist for almost that long. She has been a Board  member and Board chair for Rocky Mountain Equality.  She met Clela during their time volunteering at Rocky Mountain Equality (then Out Boulder). During Covid shutdown, Ann and Clela were paired as support buddies and got to know each other well. Ann helped walk beside Clela during the last few months of her life. She was inspired to learn from her journey, as Clela was an activist and ally right through to the end.

Mark F. Spiegel met Clela Rorex in 1974 and worked on her campaign while renting a room from her. Over the course of their 50-year friendship she became like a big sister to Mark. He knew all of her family and she was always there for him when he needed it.

Panel moderator:

Molly Fitzpatrick, current Boulder County Clerk and Recorder since 2018. In her time as clerk, Molly has already overseen nine elections as of the spring of 2024. She has consistently championed advancements that uphold the values of integrity, accessibility, and security in the elections process and has worked to demonstrate these values to the public through proactive communication and outreach. Before becoming clerk, Molly demonstrated her commitment to civic engagement as the organizing director at New Era Colorado, where she orchestrated statewide initiatives that empowered young voters to participate in the democratic process.

This speaker panel is part of the Bending the Arc program series presented by Boulder Community Health. Check out the whole series here!