Pride in Colorado Springs

With Denver PrideFest behind us, we here at OUT FRONT thought it a good idea to cover another up-and-coming Pride parade and festival in case you couldn’t get enough here in Denver.

The one I speak of is none other than Colorado Springs’ Pride Festival, which happens on July 9th and 10th this summer.

I spoke with Chief Innovation Officer at Colorado Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau Amy Long to discuss some things to look forward to and to debunk some of the negative stigma attached to Colorado Springs.

Amy hopes that Colorado Springs PrideFest will keep getting bigger and better as the city grows. Colorado Springs doesn’t have the reputation of an open and welcoming community, but contrary to this assumption is the fact that there is a welcoming community already in place, and as it grows, so too will Colorado Springs PrideFest.

The city-to-the-south is celebrating their 26th Anniversary of Pride this year and their parade kicks off on July 10th at 11am. Amy stated that it would be a shame to miss, because in Colorado Springs, “there is always a lot going on with outdoor adventure, whether that be a hike, a walk downtown … even if you just spend time in the park itself.”

Amy is an ally of the LGBT community, and we discussed how, when working in the public sector, she gets to see the strides Colorado Springs has made in its efforts to be inclusive. These leaps and bounds have made her an ally and advocate who plans to bring this energy to the table by making Colorado Springs the most welcoming and enjoyable place for the LGBT community. One of the steps the city has taken was repurposing a public-school bathroom into a gender-neutral bathroom in one of the biggest schools in the city. The step was well received by both the city, in which officials supported the move, and by the members of the school. There was even a mini-campaign started by the school lacrosse team to post group photos outside the bathroom in support.

Comparing her city’s event with Denver’s, Amy said, “It’s definitely not as big, but it is beautiful to visit.” And it is! Colorado Springs has a lot to offer, including a must: The Garden of the Gods. If you’re here in Colorado for a Pride-month celebration and tour, Colorado Springs should be a spot on your list.

Inevitably, while discussing Colorado Springs and the LGBT community, we ran into the discussion of whether Amy or any of her colleagues have experienced any sort of adversary or hardships along the way while planning the event. I am happy to mention that her answer was a resolute “no.” She said that while Colorado Springs is traditionally thought of as more conservative, there has been no trouble opening up the dialogue to discuss Pride and furthermore, how having Pride here is especially important. “If there are communities that are unwelcoming, the best way to break that down is to bring in people of all kinds,” she says.

She told me that Colorado Springs has an active LGBT community who live there, work there, and make their life there and how there are even organizations in place to help the LGBT youth in the city. You may have heard however, how the Colorado Spring LGBT Center recently closed after nearly 40 years. Amy told me that despite this, a smaller organization called Inside Out moved a short time ago to downtown Colorado Springs. There, LGBT youth can go for specific programming and counseling. Inside Out is known by the locals of Colorado Springs to be a safe place.

All in all, Colorado Springs PrideFest this year is a vital step in bringing pride and positivity into the lives of the inhabitants of Colorado Springs and Colorado as a whole.