Enterprise Highlight: Queer Asterisk

While studying Somatic Psychology at Naropa University, transgender student Sorin Thomas envisioned a new kind of organization, one devoted to counseling and education, rooted in social justice, and guided by queer and transgender leadership. This vision led to the creation of Queer Asterisk Therapeutic Services in 2016.

Today, Queer Asterisk provides queer and transgender-affirming care to more than 1,000 Coloradans each year. Their counter-oppressive approach includes making therapy affordable; they are credentialed with every major insurance provider and also offer sliding scale and pro bono services to the community.

In 2022, Queer Asterisk is expanding to include an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) designed to provide comprehensive mental health treatment to youth ages 12-17 who are Queer, Trans, and/or BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color). Funded by a three-year-grant, our program will be the first of its kind centering historically marginalized voices and staffed by clinicians with shared lived experiences.

As the lives of transgender people become the focus of political rhetoric across the country, our comprehensive services become more vital every day. We are seeking support to ensure that transgender youth live to see tomorrow and that all members of the LGBTQ+ community can access the care that is often unavailable.

With financial underwriting, insights gained through focused interventions will set a new standard of care for Queer Asterisk’s community, and for the mental and behavioral health fields. RSF has been able to support Queer Asterisk’s work with grants from Donor Advised Funds.