Julian Rush passed away at the age of 87 on November 28, 2023, with his two sons by his side in Phoenix, Arizona. Reverend Rush was one of the first openly gay ministers and the first director of CAP (Colorado Aid Project) and, in the face of discrimination, lived his life to help people in need and create a more inclusive world.
David Duffield, Coordinator for the Colorado LGBTQ History Project, wrote in an essay memorizing Rush, and says: “In his service to others through his ministry and his work with the Colorado AIDS Project, he moved people heroically through some of the darkest times in recent memory.”
Born in Meridian, Mississippi in 1936, Rush, in many regards, had an all-American childhood filled with church, piano lessons, and Boy Scouts. But growing up in the deep South, Rush was confronted by the blatant racism and homophobia that was rampant in the hostile environment.
He recounted his upbringing in the segregated South: “By junior high school, I knew there was something about that social structure which didn’t make sense to me.”
He went on to receive his Master of Sacred Theology at Southern Methodist University’s Perkins School of Theology. During this time, his interest in politics grew. He campaigned for John F. Kennedy and also joined the third Montgomery march. While he never met Martin Luther King Junior, King inspired Rush and ignited his passion for the civil rights movement.
After completing his degree, he served as a United Methodist youth pastor in Fort Worth, Texas, Colorado Springs, and finally in Boulder. During his time in Boulder, he separated from his wife and began to accept that he was, and always had been, gay. Rush confided in the head preacher of First United Methodist Church, resulting in the preacher outing him in 1981. Concluding multiple hearings, Rush was found unsuitable for his position and terminated based on his sexual orientation.
Many in the congregation met Rush with support. Shortly after his dismissal, he was appointed to St Paul’s United Methodist Church, though without pay. To subsidize his income, he began working part-time for the Chrysalis Project, which offered outreach and support to young commercial sex workers.
In 1983, Denver’s Gay and Lesbian Community Center hired Rush to direct the newly established Colorado Aids Project (CAP). With the Reagan administration all but ignoring the health crisis, local queer communities faced the task of treating patients with limited (albeit nonexistent) help from the government.
During the organization’s infancy, it had only one staff member, two volunteers, and seven patients. Over the 17 years Rush ran CAP, he established the organization that is now a part of the Colorado Health Network.
CEO of the Colorado Health Network, Darrel Vigil, says, “When he left the organization in the year 2000, he had over 50 employees and a budget of 3 million dollars. 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.”
His name became synonymous with the organization through the 80s and 90s. Bearing witness to the death and suffering that was ongoing during the AIDS crisis had taken a toll and Rush was, in his words, burned out. This fatigue led to him stepping down from the position.
After leaving the organization, Rush directed the Caring Friends Program of Hemlock and then co-directed the Client Services Program of Compassion and Choices. He also continued his passion of composing music and hymns.
Julian Rush will be remembered by family, friends, and the LGBTQ+ community as a person who created a more inclusive and safe world. His role as an LGBTQ+ activist and with CAP continues to have positive ripples that can still be seen today and he will be mourned by many.
More information about Julian Rush can be found here and his obituary can be found here.
Photo courtesy of social media
