Conservative Colorado Springs is no stranger to public celebrations of Pride. The now-defunct Colorado Springs Pride Center hosted that city’s first Pride in 1990, 32 years ago.
After an end to Colorado Springs Pride in 2019, followed by a two-year global pandemic, the organizers of Pikes Peak Pride are ready to show the world what an inclusive, community-centric Pride event can look like.
According to Justin Burns, one of many organizers of Pikes Peak Pride, “The biggest desire of Pikes Peak Pride is to be more inclusive of our geographic area and the LGBTQ population within it. Previously, Pride has been more gay-centric. Our desire is to open up the umbrella to the whole spectrum of our community.”
Jessica Laney, Pikes Peak’s other organizer, discovered her passion for pride for the first time in 2015.
“As a trans woman, I’ve always known something was different about me. I attended my first Pride event in Florida around 2015. I was very nervous, and I needed my friends to get me there. Once I was there, though, I just felt so comfortable.”
“Pride was … this feeling of family and knowing you could absolutely be yourself without judgment, and that you were going to be welcomed and celebrated. It was one of the first times I’d felt like my true self.”
The effort is being spearheaded by friends, community members and a crew composed entirely of volunteers. They all share a powerful connection—Pride and a love of the queer community.
“Our theme this year is Flaunt Your Pride. We want everyone to flaunt themselves, come out and show themselves, show the world who they are.”
That includes a renewed effort to have a rainbow crosswalk installed at the intersection of Tejon Street and Colorado Avenue in downtown Colorado Springs.
A Colorado Springs art collective vandalized that city crosswalk in 2019 by painting it the colors of the rainbow flag. The incident caused public outcry on both sides of the aisle, leading to the mayor’s office officially permitting a temporary rainbow crosswalk at that location.
Now that it’s 2022, Burns and Laney want it back. Partnerships with city officials and a renewed public pressure campaign seem to be advancing the effort for greater queer community visibility in the Springs.
“I’ve been in the closet for a long time, and I’m never, ever planning on getting back in,” Jessica says. “I’ll be loud and proud for many years to come.”
A new father, Burns says, “This job can be very thankless. It costs about $100,000 to make an event like this happen, and we’re all volunteers. We all have day jobs and families.”
Jessica couldn’t agree more.
“I can’t wait for next year. Next year will be so much easier. It’s finding the sponsors, building a website from scratch, finding volunteers … It’s been quite the adventure, but honestly, this is our passion. We just had no idea how big it would be.”
For Laney and Burns, all the time and effort is worth it. They’ll debut the fruits of their labor on July 23 and 24 at Alamo Square Park.
Guests can expect a warm welcome to an all-ages, family-friendly event with DJs, drag queens, live burlesque performances, bands, and educational opportunities throughout the weekend.
In addition to ancillary events popping up around Colorado Springs, you should expect a beer garden, queer and allied vendors, food trucks, and a Sunday parade.
Pikes Peak Pride is still seeking volunteers, sponsors, vendors, and community partners. You can get in contact with the organizers of Pikes Peak Pride by visiting pikespeakpride.org, or find them on social media to learn more about donating, volunteering, and sponsoring.
Photo courtesy of Pikes Peak Pride
