Denver PrideFest honors past advocates

This year’s 38th Annual PrideFest recognized not only individuals working to shape the future of LGBT rights in Colorado, but also those activists and trailblazers who organized the very first Pride Parade in Denver.

Shortly after noon on Sunday as the clouds rolled in, cooling off the crowd from an angry sun, almost two dozen lawmakers, commissioners, and city council members along with their families crowded onto PrideFest’s central stage in front of the Greek Amphitheater in Civic Center Park.

“These are the people who support equality for LGBT people in Colorado,” Mindy Barton, Legal Director and PrideFest organizer for the GLBT Center of Colorado, told the cheering audience. “This is the biggest contingent we have ever had.”

Both LGBT and straight allies were represented on stage, including State Senators Pat Steadman, Irene Aguilar, Jessie Ulibarri, Speaker of the House Mark Ferrandino, State Representatives Rhonda Fields, Paul Rosenthal, Tracy Kraft-Tharp and many others.

“They are all people who support legislation that supports LGBT people,” Barton added, after reading off the names of all the officials. “Thank you, all of you for your support in our community, and thank you for being here today.”

Barton then began to speak about the theme for Denver’s 2013 PrideFest: Focus on our families.

“When we’re talking about focusing on our families, we are not just talking about LGBT people. We’re not just talking about people in relationships. We’re talking about people who are children of wonderfully supportive parents, like those who are part of PFLAG. We’re talking about older gay and lesbian couples. Couples who have been together 35 years, 50 years.”

Barton then mentioned how it was a historic year for Colorado with the recent passage of the Civil Unions Act, granting same-sex couples the same rights and protections afforded to couples who apply for marriage licenses.

But the fact that Colorado’s Amendment 43 defines marriage between a man and a woman, blocking any sort of state recognition for same-sex marriage wasn’t lost on PrideFest attendants. “What do we want next?” Barton asked the crowd, who responded with the resounding marriage equality!

“We can’t wait to go forward, but also take a chance to look backward,” said Barton, who invited several veteran activists on stage who were part of Denver’s first Pride Parade. “When we talk about where we are now, we have to talk about where we came from.”

In the early 1970s, there were only a few local organizations that represented the LGBT community, including the Rocky Mountaineers Motorcycle Club, the Imperial Court of the Rocky Mountain Empire, and the Toby Foundation, the oldest continuing gay organization in Colorado.

In the fall of 1975, volunteers with the Toby foundation applied for a permit to host the very first Pride Parade in Denver. The permit was approved at a cost of $4.00, and the parade took place in 1976, on Sunday, June 27.

Almost 40 years later, the same route continues to this day. “Thirty-seven years ago, when we put this together, some of the people here with me today were there,” said Christi Layne, Empress 6 of the Rocky Mountain Imperial Court. “We had no idea that we would be at this place at this time.”

Barton was then presented with the original police permit as the crowd applauded and cheered. “Today I hand it over to the Center so it will be on permanent display, so we can see our beginnings,” said Layne.