Steamboat Springs is gearing up to host this month’s annual Yampa Valley Pride festival. Founded last year, the event honors the Indigenous name of the Yampa Valley while representing several Northwest Colorado mountain communities surrounding the nationally renowned ski destination.
While LGBTQ presence may often be associated with larger metropolitan centers, smaller towns and rural areas like this one are home to vibrant queer populations, from youth to long-time residents.
“The LGBTQIA+ community is active and thriving,” explains Chelsie Holmes, co-founder and chair of Yampa Valley Pride. “Many of us hold leadership positions in nonprofits and government agencies. Some of us own and/or run prominent businesses in town.”
Holmes shares her inspiration behind bringing the celebration to the community last year and what Pride means to Yampa Valley’s LGBTQ residents.
“I moved here from a historically queer neighborhood where I was constantly surrounded by community,” she reflects. Upon arriving in Steamboat Springs, she found it challenging to meet other LGBTQ locals due to the lack of organized events. As she and her co-founders began building a presence, she quickly discovered that many in the Yampa Valley had been craving a sense of community.
“People have hosted private parties and events to celebrate Pride Month in the past, but last year was the first ever large-scale public Pride event,” Holmes says.
The 2021 festival provided a boost of visibility and a sense of belonging for area residents, and momentum has grown ever since. Holmes happily shares that the reaction from the locals has been overwhelmingly supportive.
In addition to the summertime celebration, the organization helps to bring vital resources to the area to benefit the community now and in the future.
“Yampa Valley Pride is working to foster connection, organize, and advocate year-round for needed services to be available so that LGBTQIA+ people have a visible, influential presence and want to continue living here,” Holmes says.
These resources are particularly important for youth, who often require a means to travel hours to Denver or Laramie for services like LGBTQ-friendly healthcare or gender-affirming support. As additional requests, ranging from inclusivity training to financial or legal help for displaced teens, continue to pour in, the organization looks to new ways to continue expanding and is even discussing opening a resource center.
Yampa Valley Pride will take place on Saturday June 25 from 12-3 p.m. at the county building lawn in downtown Steamboat Springs. Attendees can expect music, giveaways, games, and LGBTQ artists selling their work. Local healthcare providers and nonprofits will also be available to connect community members with safe, affirming, and accessible resources. The main event is all ages, but 21-plus festivities are planned afterward.
As Steamboat Springs looks ahead to this year’s event, it bears the question: What’s next for Yampa Valley Pride?
“This year and into the future, we are hoping to have a bigger and better celebration,” Holmes shares. “In addition, we are working with the Social Justice Coalition, which is a collective of nonprofit agencies with a common goal of fostering equity and justice, and the city of Steamboat Springs on a roundtable project to follow the festival. Our hope is that LGBTQIA+ folks will have a seat at the table and a platform to express the changes that need to be made for us to feel welcome and supported in this community.”
To learn more, check out Yampa Valley Pride on Facebook and Instagram.
Photo courtesy of Yampa Valley Pride
