COLORADO, USA — Colorado is mourning the loss of Julian Rush, a leader in Colorado's fight against AIDS.
He was 87 years old.
Rush was a youth minister in Boulder back in the '80s. He later came out as gay and went on to become the executive director of the Colorado AIDS Project, which has since become part of the Colorado Health Network.
"Julian Rush was a pioneer and he served for 17 years leading this organization," said Darrell Vigil, the CEO of the Colorado Health Network. "He really laid that groundwork in Denver and throughout Colorado and beyond through his work. It's an honor to follow in his footsteps, really."
The Colorado AIDS project started in 1983. At the time, there was one staff member, two volunteers and eight clients.
"When he left the organization in the year 2000, he had over 50 employees and a budget of 3 million dollars," Vigil said. "Today, we’re seeing over 5,500 HIV-positive clients and over 7,000 prevention clients, and really we wouldn’t be doing this work if it hadn’t been for the work that he did in the beginning."
Before his work in the HIV/AIDS epidemic, Rush was a youth minister for the United Methodist Church. He inspired Karen Oliveto, the first openly lesbian bishop in the United Methodist Church.
"Hope, he gave hope," said Bishop Oliveto. "So many of us wondered how could we do this, how could we do this with integrity? Is there a way? Without someone like Julian, I would have lived in despair, totally wondering how can I rectify that the God who made me called me into this, but the church doesn’t want me and I think my life would have been much different."
"Different" is how Jason Rush, Julian's son, described their relationship. He spoke to 9NEWS via Zoom from the Philippines.
"I guess I knew a different side of my father than people in the public did," he said. "I think he left with us that sense of civic duty of trying to do a little bit in the world and leave the world a better place than the world you entered into."
A better world is what Rush always wanted. Vigil said they will continue that battle.
"He always ended with keep fighting the good fight," he said.
Vigil said they are working with other organizations to plan a memorial in his honor. They are hoping to schedule that in January.
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