0
0

100,000 flock to Civic Center for Denver Gay Pride weekend

July 1, 2009 by admin in Press

Festival headliner Deborah Gibson (photo by Steve Gonzales)

This weekend more than 100,000 people gathered in Denver’s Civic Center Park for the annual Gay Pride festival. Drag queens, families, church ministers and smartly-groomed dogs alike were there to celebrate the contributions, achievements and culture of Colorado’s GLBT community.

While some of the celebration was decidedly light-hearted, including a performance by all-grown-up now pop star Deborah Gibson and a “Dogs in Drag” competition, there were more serious causes for celebration. A prominent campaign throughout the park reminded fairgoers of five laws now protecting GLBT individuals in the state that once passed the notorious Amendment 2, before the US Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional.

As of this year the state of Colorado has laws protecting gays from discrimination in employment and housing, recognizing sexuality in bias-motivated crimes (“hate crimes,”) allowing legal co-parent status for same-sex partners of biological parents, and the recognition of same-sex partners in legal matters like insurance and hospital visitation. Still, the reminder of recent setbacks in legal matters nationwide was evident on T-shirts decrying California’s recently passed Proposition 8 or signs expressing disappointment in President Obama’s attention (or lack thereof) to gay rights issues at the national level.

Whatever legal tensions still exist for the gay community, for at least a couple of days Denver’s downtown park was transformed into a bright, colorful, open and affirming oasis under clear blue skies.

Share:

There are 3 comments on 100,000 flock to Civic Center for Denver Gay Pride weekend

  • Frank on July 2, 2009 at 10:18 am

    Damn Deb looks hotter everyday. Good thing I am straight, LOL. Now if I only had an actual chance with her. Keep up the good work Deb.

  • Thomas J. Masters on July 8, 2009 at 8:41 am

    ONLY IN YOUR DREAMS, ONLY IN YOUR DREAMS….:-)

    Remember, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE….

    IN YOUR DREAMS:)))

    (Don’t Us Deb Heads have the coolest person in the whole wide world to LOVE, her MUSIC and TALENT that is!)

  • NATHANIEL MATTHEW OBER on July 9, 2009 at 9:08 pm

    YOU ACTUALLY KNOW HOW TO TYPE.
    WE SHOULD GRAB A BURGER SOME TIME.
    MY LIVEJOURNAL IS LIKE DEEP THOUGHTS or whatever.
    MY SIEBERBORG YOUTUBE IS ME NAKED WITH CLOTHES ON.
    MY clem.mscd.edu/~nober is kinda proff
    I WANT THE CAMPFIRE SINGLE AND ELECTRIC YOUTH ON VINYL.
    I AM WORKING ON MAKING WAX TRAX LIKE THE SEAL ON AN ENVELOPE AND MP3’S LIKE MONEY FOR MUSICISIANS.
    PLEASE HELP

    N.M.OBER