Editor’s Column: Pride is a State of Mind

Addison Herron-Wheeler is OUT FRONT's co-publisher and editor-in-chief and friend…

Happy Pride, y’all! No I didn’t get the dates confused, I was all-too-aware that Pride happened back in June. But now it’s time for Aurora Pride! Every year since 2017—with the exception, of course, of 2020—we’ve brought you programming in August for Aurora Pride, first at the municipal building, and then at the Aurora Reservoir. Now, we are beginning a new chapter at Fletcher Plaza!

This year, Aurora Pride will take place August 30 at Fletcher Plaza. We’re moving Aurora Pride to be a bit more centrally located in downtown Aurora, closer to Denver and to Aurora proper where most people live and work. We’ll be outside of the Martin Luther King Library right off of Colfax, with some programming in Manos Sagrados and The People’s Building as well.

So why Aurora Pride, why August, why now? When the OUT FRONT Foundation first set out to throw Aurora Pride, we were thinking that August would be a great time to keep the party going, since June is so saturated. This has only proven more true over the years, with every weekend in June hosting multiple, overlapping events. We also had in mind that the folks in Aurora have a diverse, vibrant community that is also overlooked, and they deserve their own celebration.

Unfortunately, last year, Aurora was thrust into the public eye, but not in a positive way, as Trump and his cronies declared his crackdown on immigrants “Project Aurora” following the inflated and mostly made-up Venezuelan gang violence epidemic that got national attention. With all that negative attention on Aurora, we thought it was even more important to celebrate the diversity in the city. That’s why this year, we’ll have even more diverse food offerings and businesses than ever before.

So whether you live in Denver, Aurora, or another surrounding city, if you can, come see us on Labor Day weekend for some good food, drinks, music, drag, and shopping. We would love to party with you one more time and end the summer right. Until then, happy Pride!

-Addison Herron-Wheeler

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Addison Herron-Wheeler

Addison Herron-Wheeler is OUT FRONT's co-publisher and editor-in-chief and friend to dogs everywhere. She enjoys long walks in the darkness away from any sources of sunlight, rainy days, and painfully dry comedy. She also covers cannabis and heavy metal, and is author of Wicked Woman: Women in Metal from the 1960s to Now and Respirator, a short story collection.