Personal Pride tips: Keep yourself and others safe at Pride

Pride should be fun, but being safe is the best way to ensure it stays fun long-term. Here are your tips for a safe, fun time this Pride season.

First, get down to the nitty-gritty: During Pride season, there are a lot of opportunities for sex, booze and even drugs – not to mention a lot of partying and chaos. No matter what you choose, use these tips to make sure you’re always in control of your safety.

Have a plan: Decide beforehand what works for you based on your own beliefs and preferences – what you’re willing and not willing to do – and stick to those limits as alcohol, excitement and the heat of the moment push you to take risks and do things you wouldn’t necessarily opt for otherwise, which you might end up regretting. A plan includes a back-up plan for how you’ll get home or where you’ll stay if you end up stranded in the evening.

Be communicative about sexual safety. Neither safe sex – nor your limits – should be taboo. When opportunities present themselves, vocalize where your limits are before things heat up so nobody gets any ideas, and you can get a sense if the person you’re with is obviously pushy or disrespectful of your boundaries. Along with it, tell your partner anything you need to disclose.

Carry condoms if your Pride agenda does hold a potential for sex. They prevent many – but not all – STIs and they’re easy to carry around. Men and women alike can use condoms for a lot of forms of play – oral, anal, and on toys. There should be no shortage at Pride; many parade floats and booths will toss them out for free, so make sure you keep a couple in your pocket.

Take an opportunity to get tested: Knowing yourself and knowing your partner is crucial, and there are many testing sites and outreach programs available right there at Pride, often for free!

Now step back before the bedroom, bathroom, kitchen countertop or whatever setting it all goes down and protect yourself from a different kind of downside – being victimized.

Take a moment to think about what you would do if you find yourself in a dangerous or threatening situation before the festivities begin. There’s no reason to spoil the fun, but you’ll have a better strategy if you think about it when you’re calm.

Keep trusted friends in-the-know on your whereabouts if you end up going home with a new-found acquaintance, and offer to do the same for them. There are plenty of friendly faces at PrideFest, but there are also opportunists with slippery boundaries when it comes to consent, looking for wallets to yank from tipsy people on the street, and if homophobes ever did know for sure where there’d be an abundance of out-and-proud LGBT people, it’s Pride.

Hang around a friend or group – especially on the street at night – and don’t leave with a stranger if nobody you trust knows where you are going and when to worry if you’re not back.

Watch your drinks – sometimes danger comes discreetly. If a person you don’t know offers to buy you one, go with her or him to the bar so you can keep your eye on it until it’s in your hand. Don’t drink anything you didn’t see poured, don’t leave drinks unattended, and if you take a bathroom break, leave them with a friend. If you suspect you or someone you’re with has ingested a tampered drink, immediately take the person to a hospital or call an ambulance.

If you do realize you’re in danger – or have become a victim of a robbery or attack – make a scene, and call one of the numbers on our emergency contact list on page 40.

Be responsible and never drink and drive, it is unsafe and expensive, and you can bet police will be looking for intoxicated drivers over Pride weekend. If you’re driving, it’s better to have a plan for where your car can stay overnight if you do drink more than you thought you would – and a plan for who might be able to pick you up. Take a moment to look over ways to get around Denver without a car on page 36.

At bars or parties, there is an etiquette to indulgence – set limits for yourself. There’s no shame in turning down a drink if you’ve had enough! Resolve beforehand what you’re willing to do or not do, and stick to that when drugs or alcohol may affect your judgment and push you to be more liberal about limits you haven’t already set. ]