March for Queer and Trans Youth Autonomy Calls for Protection of Queer Youth

Taking to the steps of the Capitol building in Denver this past week, local organizations, community activists, and queer/trans entertainers rallied to protect queer and trans youth. During this March for Queer and Trans Youth Autonomy, concerned citizens of Colorado heard statements from members of the local LGBTQ community chanted and marched in solidarity and then gathered for an afterparty, all this for the purpose of amplifying the voices of queer youth in Denver and across the country.

Organized in conjunction with several nationwide walkouts, protests, and rallies all over the country, Queer Denver’s call for support was answered by several local businesses, nonprofits, and press outlets. Joining this move of solidarity is Bread & Rose Legal Center, Queer Youth Assemble, and the Parasol Patrol. Illegal Pete’s provided food and snacks for the occasion, while a sea of people flooded the Capitol to join the rally, march, and afterparty.

“As of this morning, according to the ACLU, there have been 430 anti-queer bills that have been proposed or passed in the United States, and that’s too many. There’s queer people being murdered left and right, being discriminated against and harassed. It’s really important that legislation is passed to ensure that queer kids are safe and to make sure that it is a fundamental right to be queer without fear or harm or harassment. So it’s really important that we’re all here for these people. At the end of the day, I think we can all agree that no one deserves to die, be murdered, harassed, or put down for something that we cannot change,” says Angel (they/them), who is a volunteer with Queer Denver.

During the March for Queer and Trans Youth Autonomy last Friday, local queer entertainers, icons, and activists spoke out against the violence that the LGBTQ community faces. Included speakers during this call for action were Colorado House Representative Brianna Titone, Ophelia Peaches, and local youth actor and drag artist Hunnie Bun.

“Can you really be pro-life and deny me mine? As much as people say ‘misery loves company,’ I would have preferred it if I were alone in this. But as you can see, kids like me are under attack all across our nation. Try as you may, but you cannot ban a people’s existence. Are we not all human? We are all one race, the human race,” says Hunnie Bun during the rally.

Proceeding the rally, the local queer community and its allies joined together in march to History Colorado, where families, friends, and loved ones alike shared in a celebration of queer and trans joy. The afterparty featured drag performances and appearances from Venus Victola, Potted Plant, food and snacks, and local vendors.

Photos by Julius Garrido