Linda S. Fowler

Linda S. Fowler lets nothing get in her way from achieving her goal of protecting people’s civil rights and equality for women. This all began while Fowler was in college, in 1965, on a trip to Selma, Alabama to participate in the civil rights march led by Martin Luther King Jr.  In 1973, Fowler contributed her ideas about civil rights when she began working for Big Mama Rag, a Denver women’s journal, and strong promoter for women and the LGBTQ+ community. Big Mama Rag brought to the attention the laws and limits put on women and the LGBTQ+ community by society. Fowler helped Big Mama Rag become a nationally respected news platform. Because of this, Fowler was invited to be a part of Colorado’s representatives at the 1977 International Women’s Year Conference. 

Meanwhile, Fowler continued leading by example becoming a role model for women and the LGBTQ+ community. Fowler was one of the only women in the country to succeed in leadership roles in the construction industry. Denver’s headquarters for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (DHUD) named Fowler the first woman Construction Analyst in 1978. Fowler fought for this job by showcasing her hard work proving that women could excel and deal with the duties of the construction industry. This leadership led to more women working for DHUD. Fowler won the 1981 Career Woman Award from the Association of Federal Professional and Administrative Women. In 1991, Denver’s mayor at the time, Wellington Webb, made Fowler the first chair of the Mayor’s Gay and Lesbian Advisory Committee. There, Fowler led educational programs for police and other departments to become aware of what’s essential for Denver’s LGBTQ+ community.  

Fowler started up the Colorado Legal Initiatives Project (CLIP) that worked on changing Colorado’s 2nd Amendment which would’ve banned equal opportunity rights for homosexuals. Fowler stood before the U.S. Supreme Court in the Romer v. Evan case to help overturn this amendment in 1995. This was the first Supreme Court case involving homosexuals’ rights. This action secured the rights of homosexuals which still helps people today. After this, Fowler was interviewed multiple times by national newspapers, radio stations, and television stations to help back the civil rights of gays and lesbians. With Fowler’s nonstop social activism efforts, she helped positively impact women’s lives until there was change. With advocacy and help from Fowler, today the LGBTQ+ community has the right to legal marriage in the United States. 

In 2014, Fowler began helping the Planned Parenthood Federation of America as Owner’s Representative and Facilities Developer. With Fowler’s brilliant construction mind and a fight for justice, she helped lead a team to finish a $62 million job that helped provide reproductive care for thousands of women and families throughout the country. Fowler has impacted the lives of women and LGBTQ+ communities throughout the nation, always finding a way to assist when needed.