The LGBTQ+ community has a long and storied history in Colorado, and History Colorado is working to help reflect on Colorado’s queer past.
As Colorado winds down from celebrating its 50th Denver Pride this past June, it is important to remember that Pride goes beyond just one month of the year while looking back on the LGBTQ+ activists and community members who helped pave the way for Pride as we know it today.
History Colorado has a large, free-to-the-public online collection of photographs, oral histories dating back to 1973, podcasts, artifacts, and catalogs covering a multitude of LGBTQ+ Colorado history.
Highlights of the online archive include the Frank Brown Collection which features photography of activists in the mid-1990s protesting Amendment 2, a Colorado initiative that sought to take away individual protections based on sexuality.
There are also multiple oral histories spanning from the 1970s to the early 2020s, each representing Coloradan LGBTQ+ individuals of diverse backgrounds and experiences.
Another highlight is a 2021 Lost Highways podcast “Going Back to Trinidad” about the Colorado town once referred to as the “sex change capital of the world.”
In addition to its web collection, History Colorado created the Rainbows & Revolutions traveling exhibit, curated by Aaron Marcus, to highlight various facets of the state’s LGBTQ history from 1883 to the present.
Rainbows & Revolutions features videos and artifacts from “The Revolt on City Council” in 1973, a visual history of the Denver nightclub Tracks, and various physical media including Pride march posters, personal photographs, and court documents.
History of Colorado has thoughtfully and meticulously curated its web collection and exhibition to highlight the personal experiences and activism of LGBTQ+ individuals throughout Colorado’s history.
Rainbows & Revolutions is currently on display at the Colorado Mesa University’s 437CO Art Gallery in Grand Junction.
More information can be found on History Colorado’s official website.
