The Summit County chapter of Parents, Friends and Families of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) was founded in 1994 and provided a vital source of support for Katie Brown when she was coming out about seven years ago.Brown, a 17-year resident of Summit County, reached out to the organization after a devastating break-up that left her emotionally wrecked and in need of a support circle because her family and friends didn’t know she was gay.Through her connections with PFLAG, Brown met people who understood what she was going through and could give her guidance.But organized groups don’t always solve the socializing problem.”PFLAG is more of a support resource – not a big let’s party and hang out sort of thing,” said 30-year-old Dillon Valley resident Kris Eickhoff, who has been out for several years in Summit County.Summit Sisters used to provide an informal monthly potluck gathering at a participant’s home, but hasn’t been active in about six months. ” I thought, where is everyone?”What is the scene?While the women who were interviewed for this story say the general feeling is that the lesbian community is not really a community at all, Summit County does have a handful of outlets in which lesbians can socialize, but none seems to act as a connecting force.
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“I still do things with friends from Denver, but not as often.”I don’t have near as much social life as I had there.”In Denver, Oakley said she belonged to many lesbian-oriented organizations, such as Rocky Mountain Career Woman, Women in Sports and book clubs, that don’t have a presence here because of a lack of interest.Furthermore, she thinks the local lesbians don’t participate in the few organized activites Summit County does have for lesbians, making it even tougher to meet people.”I came up here and I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “I think the younger community has to be out there, I just don’t know where they are.”And, it’s not only the younger lesbians that are seemingly nonexistent in the county.Jane Oakley, 58, moved to Summit County from Denver five years ago to make a long-term commitment to her partner, who was already established in the High Country.”I miss (Denver) a lot,” Oakley said. “I haven’t met a single (lesbian) my age.”Arnold grew up in Miami, went to college at the University of Florida in Gainesville, then lived in South Beach, a trendy hot spot with a huge gay presence located on the southern tip of Miami.She says moving to Summit County was a culture shock.”When I first moved here, I had the misconception that all women were going to be gay,” she said.Her assumption, she said, came from the fact that all the lesbians she knew in Florida dressed similarly to the mountain fashion that is popular among Summit County women.But, Arnold quickly realized that the lesbian community in Summit County is small and the number of younger, single lesbians is even more minuscule.”I really think it’s just me,” she said of the 20- to 32-year-old crowd. Arnold, 23, has cultivated many friendships and thinks Breckenridge is “the perfect place” to be during this stage in her life, but there’s one aspect of her life in which she feels a void.”I’m the only lesbian anyone knows here,” Arnold said.
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She graduated from college, moved to the mountains, secured a seasonal job and adapted to a life that revolved around snowboarding, rock climbing and mountain biking. In between spoonfuls of homemade soup at a quiet Breckenridge café, Florida native Lindsey Arnold tells a typical Summit County story. Arnold partly attributes the lack of visibility of local lesbians to a small number of women overall in the community.
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Summit Daily/Brad OdekirkLindsey Arnold, 23, moved to Breckenridge about a year-and-a-half ago and has yet to meet any other lesbians her age.