Tim Gill#Freedom for All Americans

Tim Gill was born in Hobart, Indiana, and moved to Colorado with his family when he was in third grade.{{Cite web|last=Bouchard|first=Jay|date=2019-12-02|title=Who Is Tim Gill?|url=https://www.5280.com/2019/12/who-is-tim-gill/|access-date=2021-02-07|website=5280|language=en}} He attended Wheat Ridge High School in Jefferson County, Colorado, eventually studying computer science and applied mathematics at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Gill is the founder of the Gill Foundation, Gill Action Fund, and OutGiving.{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2015-04-24/america-s-gay-corporate-warrior-wants-to-bring-full-equality-to-red-america |title=America's Gay Corporate Warrior Wants to Bring Full Equality to Red States |last=Green |first=Joshua |date=April 24, 2015 |work=Bloomberg Businessweek |accessdate=3 August 2017}}

Gill first became involved in LGBTQ activism as a freshman at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He volunteered for the campus gay-liberation group and later supported local HIV/AIDS awareness. In 1992, he continued his involvement in LGBTQ political action in response to the passage of Colorado Amendment 2, which prevented non-discrimination ordinances in the state from protecting people based on sexual orientation{{cite news|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2007/03/they-won-t-know-what-hit-them/305619/ |title=They Won't Know What Hit Them |last=Green |first=Joshua |date=March 1, 2007 |work=The Atlantic |accessdate=3 August 2017}} and which the United States Supreme Court struck down as unconstitutional in its 1996 ruling in Romer v. Evans.{{Cite web|title=Romer v. Evans {{!}} law case|url=https://www.britannica.com/event/Romer-v-Evans|access-date=2021-02-23|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en}}

He is widely credited as a visionary strategist and mega-donor who has made significant contributions to virtually every major LGBTQ rights victory in the United States, from the 2003 Goodridge v. Dept. of Public Health decision making Massachusetts the first U.S. state to allow same-sex marriage, to the U.S. Supreme Court's 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision legalizing same-sex marriage throughout the country.{{cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2010/12/gay-rights-take-center-stage-in-ny-046327 |title=Gay rights take center stage in N.Y. |last=Smith |first=Ben |date=December 14, 2010 |work=Politico |access-date=3 August 2017}}

Gill, along with Pat Stryker, Jared Polis and Rutt Bridges—called by the press the "Gang of Four"—together donated significant funds in support of Democratic organizations in Colorado, which many believe helped to flip control of the state legislature to Democratic control in 2004.{{Cite web|last=Kroll|first=Andy|title=This machine turned Colorado blue. Now it may be Dems' best hope to save the Senate.|url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/10/colorado-udall-hickenlooper-senate-democracy-alliance/|access-date=2021-03-30|website=Mother Jones|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|date=2010-04-08|title=How the Dems won Colorado|url=https://www.denverpost.com/2010/04/08/how-the-dems-won-colorado/|access-date=2021-03-30|website=The Denver Post|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|title=Colorado's Big Blue Political Machine: The Gang of Four|url=https://capitalresearch.org/article/colorados-big-blue-political-machine-part-2/|access-date=2021-03-30|website=capitalresearch.org|language=en-US}}

In July 2017, Gill was the subject of a profile by journalist Andy Kroll for Rolling Stone magazine titled "The Quiet Crusader: How Tim Gill turned a $500 million fortune into the nation's most powerful force for LGBTQ rights."

{{Main|Gill Foundation}}

Tim Gill founded the Gill Foundation in 1994, and co-chairs it with his husband Scott Miller.{{cite news|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/founder-tim-gill-exits-quark/ |title=Founder Tim Gill exits Quark |last=Rothenberg |first=Matthew |date=October 25, 2000 |work=ZDNet |access-date=10 August 2017}} {{Cite web|date=2019-07-14|title=Denver's Tim Gill has donated half a billion dollars to LGBTQ equality. Now the software geek turned activist reflects on 25 years of the struggle.|url=https://www.denverpost.com/2019/07/14/tim-gill-colorado-lgbtq-rights/|access-date=2021-02-23|website=The Denver Post|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|date=2021-01-20|title=Gill Foundation puts up $1 million for campaign to expand LGBTQ civil rights|url=https://www.washingtonblade.com/2021/01/20/gill-foundation-puts-up-1-million-for-campaign-to-expand-lgbtq-civil-rights/|access-date=2021-02-23|website=Washington Blade: Gay News, Politics, LGBT Rights|language=en-US}} The national, Denver-based non-profit organization underwrites academic research, polling, litigation, data analytics, and field organizing related to the LGBTQ rights movement.

The foundation's initial focus was to build LGBTQ public acceptance through support of mainstream projects in Colorado. The foundation established the Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado in 1996, which provides financial support to a variety of non-profit organizations in the state. In addition to LGBTQ equality, the foundation focuses on providing STEM education to every Colorado student,{{Cite web|date=2017-09-12|title=Gill Foundation drops $400,000 on STEM labs for every elementary school in Englewood|url=https://www.denverpost.com/2017/09/12/gill-foundation-englewood-stem-labs/|access-date=2021-03-01|website=The Denver Post|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|last=Hendee|first=Caitlin|date=14 September 2017|title=Gill Foundation gift makes 'SmartLabs' a reality for Englewood students|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2017/09/14/gill-foundation-gift-makes-smartlabs-a-reality-for.html|access-date=2021-03-01|website=www.bizjournals.com}} curbing predatory lending and increasing financial literacy,{{Cite web|title=Gill Foundation {{!}} 2018 Annual Report|work=Gill Foundation |url=https://annualreports.gillfoundation.org/annual-reports/year-2018/|access-date=2021-03-01|language=en-US}} and supporting public media.{{Cite web|title=Rocky Mountain Public Media for You|url=https://d1qbemlbhjecig.cloudfront.net/prod/filer_public/krma-bento-live-pbs/Images/Buell%20Public%20Media%20Center/Jan_2021/3a7dc7d13d_Inside%20the%20Buell%20Public%20Media%20Center.pdf|access-date=1 March 2021}}{{Cite web|title=Buell Public Media Center|url=https://www.rmpbs.org/buellpublicmediacenter/|access-date=2021-03-01|website=RMPBS|language=en}}

{{Main|Gill Action Fund}}

In 2005, Tim Gill established the Gill Action Fund, which is separate from the charitable endeavors of the foundation.{{cite news|url=http://www.ebar.com/news/article.php?sec=news&article=701 |title=The Gill Action Fund: Serious LGBT Politics |last=Roehr |first=Bob |date=March 30, 2006 |work=Bay Area Reporter |accessdate=16 August 2017}} The political fund has helped to elect hundreds of pro-equality lawmakers across the country at the local, state, and federal levels. In 2006, its first election year, the fund helped defeat 50 of the 70 anti-LGBTQ candidates it targeted.

The fund also contributed to the successful 2016 election campaign of North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who defeated the incumbent Republican Gov. Pat McCrory. Gill prioritized unseating McCrory after he championed and passed the anti-LGBTQ HB2 "bathroom bill," which forced transgender people to use public restrooms corresponding with their sex at birth rather than their gender identity.

In 1996, Gill founded OutGiving, a private, invitation-only philanthropic conference, to bring major pro-LGBTQ philanthropists together. OutGiving holds a conference every two years to discuss philanthropic strategies.{{cite web|url=http://www.outgiving.org/about |title=About OutGiving |work=OutGiving |accessdate=21 August 2017}}

Since the U.S. Supreme Court's legalization of same-sex marriage in 2015, Gill has shifted his focus to securing non-discrimination protections in the 28 states where it is still legal to discriminate against LGBTQ people in housing, employment and public accommodations.

Gill is credited with developing a bipartisan strategy for securing non-discrimination protections in traditionally Republican states. In 2015, Gill, Paul Singer and Daniel Loeb, helped fund Freedom for All Americans to advocate for non-discrimination protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in states and local communities across the country.{{Cite web|url=http://www.freedomforallamericans.org/introducing-the-campaign-to-secure-non-discrimination-for-lgbt-americans/ |title=Introducing the Campaign to Secure Non-Discrimination for LGBT Americans |last=Polaski|first=Adam |date= June 8, 2015 |publisher=Freedom for All Americans |accessdate=October 3, 2016}}{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/the-next-gay-rights-battle-ending-discrimination-in-the-workplace/2015/06/05/a4d86da0-00a1-11e5-8b6c-0dcce21e223d_story.html |title=Ending discrimination in workplace, other areas is next gay rights battle |last=Somashekhar |first=Sandhya |date=June 5, 2015 |newspaper=Washington Post |accessdate=21 August 2017}} Freedom for All Americans has successfully enlisted the support of businesses and corporations to work with Republican-held state legislatures to reject or overturn anti-LGBTQ legislation.{{Cite web|url=http://www.freedomforallamericans.org/major-businesses-speaking-up-for-nondiscrimination-protections-in-georgia/ |title=Major Businesses Speaking Up for Nondiscrimination Protections in Georgia |work=Freedom for All Americans |date= January 7, 2016 |accessdate=August 21, 2017}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.freedomforallamericans.org/business-community-leading-the-charge-for-nondiscrimination-bills/ |title=Business Community Leading the Charge for Nondiscrimination Bills |work=Freedom for All Americans |date=February 3, 2016 |accessdate=August 21, 2017}} The organization borrows the state-focused model of Freedom to Marry, the grassroots organizations that directed the fight for same-sex marriage equality from state to state leading up to the U.S. Supreme Court's 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision.{{cite web|url=https://thehill.com/regulation/labor/246767-the-next-front-in-battle-over-gay-rights/ |title=The next front in battle over gay rights|last=Wheeler |first=Lydia |date=July 5, 2015 |work=The Hill |access-date=21 August 2017}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/27/opinion/evan-wolfson-whats-next-in-the-fight-for-gay-equality.html |title=Evan Wolfson: What's Next in the Fight for Gay Equality |last=Wolfson |first=Evan |date=June 26, 2015 |work=New York Times |accessdate=21 August 2017}}

In 1998, Gill endowed the Tim Gill Professorship in Infectious Diseases at the University of Colorado's medical school to support HIV research and education.{{Cite web|title=Division of Infectious Diseases Tim Gill Endowment|url=https://medschool.cuanschutz.edu/infectious-diseases/research/tim-gill-endowment|access-date=2021-02-07|website=medschool.cuanschutz.edu|language=en}}

In 2016, Tim Gill directed funding from the foundation to support a comprehensive theme study by the National Park Service to identify historically significant places related to LGBTQ history for potential inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places or designation as a National Monument.{{cite news|url=http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article107470822.html |title=LGBTQ history mapped for possible national historic landmark honors |last=Doyle |first=Michael |date=October 11, 2016 |work=Miami Herald |accessdate=21 August 2017}}{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/national-parks-lgbtq_us_57fd5c09e4b0e9c70229af70 |title=National Park Service Studies Historic LGBTQ Sites For Possible Recognition |last=Sheppard |first=Kate |date=October 12, 2016 |work=Huffington Post |accessdate=21 August 2017}}{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonblade.com/2016/10/11/preserving-lgbtq-history/ |title=Preserving LGBTQ history |last1=Gill |first1=Tim |last2=Jewell |first2=Sally |date=October 11, 2016 |work=Washington Blade |accessdate=21 August 2017}}

{{main|ALF Products}}

{{main|Quark (company)}}

After jobs at Hewlett-Packard and a consulting services firm, Gill started the company Quark, Inc. in 1981 with a $2,000 loan from his parents.{{cite book|title=Hoover's Guide to Computer Companies|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w_sbAQAAMAAJ|accessdate=2 June 2012|date=December 1996|publisher=Hoover's Business Press|isbn=9781878753809|pages=346–|quote= In 1981 Gill, then 27, founded Quark ... }} Quark produced page layout software for the graphics market. With the introduction of Fred Ebrahimi as CEO in 1986, and the launch of the company's flagship page layout software, QuarkXPress, in 1987, Gill became a multi-millionaire.{{cite book|last1=Anton|first1=Kelly Kordes|last2=Cruise|first2=John|title=QuarkXpress 8: Essential Skills for Page Layout and Web Design|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JlNmL51VLFgC&pg=PA209|accessdate=2 June 2012|date=2009-02-13|publisher=Peachpit Press|isbn=9780321616913|pages=209–}} Gill sold his fifty percent interest in Quark in 1999 for a reported $500 million, citing his growing involvement in philanthropic and activist endeavors.

In 2003, Gill created Connexion.org, a social media platform for engaging the LGBTQ community in political activities.{{cite news|url=https://cuindependent.com/2011/08/31/connexion-is-shutting-down/ |title=Connexion is Shutting Down |last=Jones |first=Isa |work=CU Independent |accessdate=16 August 2017}} Connexion closed in September 2011.{{cite news|url=https://www.queerty.com/how-will-connexion-help-lgbts-now-that-theyre-closing-down-20110907 |title=How Will Connexion Help LGBTs Now That They're Closing Down? |last=Villarreal |first=Daniel |date=September 7, 2011 |work=Queerty |accessdate=16 August 2017}}

{{main|Josh.ai}}

In March 2015, Gill co-founded the smart home technology start-up JStar LLC.{{cite news|url=http://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2015/8/25/no-one-left-behind-tim-gill-and-the-new-quest-for-full-lgbt.html |title=No One Left Behind: Tim Gill and the New Quest for Full LGBT Equality |last=Callahan |first=David |date=August 25, 2015 |work=Inside Philanthropy |accessdate=16 August 2017}} He is the Chairman and Chief Technology Officer of the company.{{cite news|url=https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2497539,00.asp |title=Forget Alexa: Josh Is Your New AI Butler |last=Stuart |first=Sophia |date=January 8, 2016 |work=PC Magazine |accessdate=16 August 2017}} JStar's flagship product is Josh.ai, a voice-controlled home automation system using JStar's own artificial intelligence technology platform.{{cite web|url=https://www.digitaltrends.com/home/josh-ai-smart-home/ |title=Have $14,000 to Spend? The Josh.ai Smart Home System May Be for You |last=Chang |first=Lulu |date=May 31, 2016 |work=Digital Trends |accessdate=3 August 2017}} The company is headquartered in Denver with offices in Los Angeles.{{cite web|url=https://www.josh.ai/about |title=About Josh |work=Josh.ai |accessdate=16 August 2017}} In July 2017, JStar announced an additional $8 million in private investment to create original hardware to compete with Google Home, Amazon Echo, and other devices with intelligent assistants inside.{{cite news|url=https://techcrunch.com/2017/07/07/josh-ai-raises-11-million-for-a-premium-home-automation-system-with-a-smarter-ai/ |title=Josh.ai raises $11 million for a premium home automation system with a smarter AI |last=Perez |first=Sarah |date=July 7, 2017 |work=TechCrunch |accessdate=16 August 2017}}{{cite news|url=https://venturebeat.com/2017/07/07/josh-ai-raises-8-million-to-build-an-amazon-echo-competitor-for-smart-homes/ |title=Josh.ai raises $8 million to build an Amazon Echo competitor for smart homes |last=Johnson |first=Khari |date=July 7, 2017 |work=VentureBeat |accessdate=16 August 2017}} Josh.ai can be used through Amazon Alexa-enabled devices, Google Home, and iOS and Android apps.

Gill married his husband, Scott Miller, in Massachusetts in 2009.{{cite news|url=http://www.denverpost.com/pennyparker/ci_12135557 |title=Parker: Tim Gill ties the knot in Massachusetts |last=Park |first=Penny |date=April 13, 2009 |work=Denver Post |accessdate=3 August 2017}} They live in Denver, Colorado with their dog.{{cite web|url=https://gillfoundation.org/about/tim-gill/ |title=Tim Gill |work=Gill Foundation |accessdate=3 August 2017}}

In 2022, Gill's husband Scott Miller became the U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein.{{cite news|url=https://www.advocate.com/politics/2021/8/10/bidens-out-nom-swiss-ambassador-mega-donor-lgbtq-causes |title=Biden's Out Nom for Swiss Ambassador Is Mega-Donor for LGBTQ+ Causes |last=Cooper |first=Penny |date=August 10, 2021 |work=The Advocate |accessdate=12 January 2022}}

Gill is an avid snowboarder.

In 1996, Gill received the University of Colorado Distinguished Service Award for his work supporting HIV/AIDS research.

Macworld awarded him the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001.{{Cite journal|date=1 March 2001|title=Lifetime Achievement Award|url=https://vintageapple.org/macworld/pdf/MacWorld_0103_March_2001.pdf|journal=Macworld|pages=53}}

Gill was awarded the NOGLSTP GLBT Engineer of the Year Award in 2007.{{cite web |url=https://www.noglstp.org/publications-documents/announcements/2007-01-21-noglstp-to-honor-bertozzi-gill-mauzey-and-bannochie-at-2007-awards-ceremony-in-february/ |title=NOGLSTP to Honor Bertozzi, Gill, Mauzey, and Bannochie at 2007 Awards Ceremony in February |accessdate=2019-02-19 |publisher=NOGLSTP}}

In September 2007, People for the American Way awarded Gill its Spirit of Liberty Award.{{Cite web|date=2007-09-19|title=PFAW's Gay Ambassador|url=https://www.metroweekly.com/2007/09/pfaws-gay-ambassador/|access-date=2021-03-16|website=Metro Weekly|language=en-US}}

Gill received Liberty Hill Foundation's Upton Sinclair award in 2011.{{Cite web|date=2011-04-20|title=Liberty Hill Foundation's annual Upton Sinclair Dinner|url=https://patch.com/california/beverlyhills/ev--liberty-hill-foundations-annual-upton-sinclair-dinner|access-date=2021-03-16|website=Beverly Hills, CA Patch|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=May 11 Upton Sinclair Dinner Presenters Announced|url=https://www.libertyhill.org/2011/04/19/may-11-upton-sinclair-dinner-presenters-announced|access-date=2021-03-16|website=www.libertyhill.org|language=en}}

Colorado Governor Jared Polis awarded Gill the Colorado 2019 Vanguard Legacy Governor's citizenship Medal.{{Cite web|date=13 September 2019|title=Gov. Polis announces 2019 Colorado Governor's Citizenship Medals|url=https://www.livecivico.org/news/2019/9/26/gov-polis-announces-2019-colorado-governors-citizenship-medals|access-date=8 March 2021|website=CIVICO}}

In August 2020, he was honored with Family Equality’s Murray/Reese Family Award.{{Cite web|title=Family Equality {{!}} Family Equality to Honor Tim Gill and Scott Miller at September 17 "Our Families, Our Future: What's at Stake" Virtual Event|url=https://www.familyequality.org/press-releases/family-equality-honor-tim-gill-scott-miller-september-17-event/|access-date=2021-03-22|website=Family Equality|language=en-US}}

In January 2025, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Biden.{{Cite news |last=Montague |first=Zach |date=2025-01-04 |title=Who Are the 19 Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/04/us/politics/presidential-medal-of-freedom-honorees.html |access-date=2025-01-04 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.gillfoundation.org/ Gill Foundation]
• [http://www.gillaction.org/ Gill Action Fund]
• [http://www.outgiving.org/ OutGiving]
• [http://www.gayandlesbianfund.org/ Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado]
• [http://www.freedomforallamericans.org/ Freedom for All Americans]
• [https://www.josh.ai/ Josh.ai]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gill, Tim}}

Category:1953 births

Category:American computer businesspeople

Category:American computer scientists

Category:American LGBTQ businesspeople

Category:LGBTQ people from Colorado

Category:LGBTQ people from Indiana

Category:American LGBTQ rights activists

Category:American LGBTQ scientists

Category:Living people

Category:People from Hobart, Indiana

Category:Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients

Category:University of Colorado Boulder alumni

Category:21st-century American LGBTQ people