5 ways to celebrate Pride Month - MSU Denver RED (2024)

Denver is celebrating 50 years of Pride this month.

What started in 1974 as a small gathering in Cheesman Park has grown into Denver PrideFest, a two-day extravaganza that draws over half a million people. It is not only the largest Pride event in the Rocky Mountain region; it’s ranked among the top Pride celebrations in the United States.

Nearly 400,000 Colorado adults identify as LGBTQ+, including one in every five Coloradans between ages 18 and 30, according to the 2023 Colorado Health Access Survey. At a time when there are 515 anti-LGBTQ bills in the U.S., Colorado remains one of the most LGBTQ-friendly states. Still, more can be done to address disparities and dispel misconceptions, said Anahi Garrido, Ph.D., director of the Gender Institute for Teaching and Advocacy at Metropolitan State University of Denver and associate professor and chair of the University’s Department of Gender, Women and Sexualities Studies.

Garrido and Tyrell Allen, director of the LGBTQ Student Resource Center on the Auraria Campus, have actionable tips for learning more about LGBTQ issues and building community during Pride Month and year-round.

Attend Denver PrideFest

The 1974 Cheesman Park LGBTQ Pride event was organized by the Imperial Court of the Rocky Mountain Empire, one of Colorado’s oldest organizations for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. About 50 attendees celebrated the community’s progress and commemorated the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in New York. The Denver event’s popularity led to the founding of The Center on Colfax, a nonprofit providing programs and services to the LGBTQ population. The center took on planning the celebration in 1976.

This year’s celebration June 22-23 at Civic Center will feature a 5K, a parade, exhibitors, food vendors, live performances and the newly added Gayborhood Market in Lincoln Veterans Memorial Park, supporting about 100 local LGBTQ small businesses, entrepreneurs, craftmakers and artisans. Denver PrideFest is free and open to the public.

RELATED PHOTOS: Pride Parade returns to Denver

Seek out alternative Pride celebrations

Throughout June, there will be no shortage of Pride events in metro Denver and around Colorado.

If you’re looking for a Pride experience without the large parade crowds, explore some of the unique alternative celebrations around town. Offerings include Queer Immigrant Pride! at the Motus Theatre, Shout! A Denver Gay Men’s Chorus Concert at the Arvada Center, the Mile High 2 Spirit Pride Extravaganza presented by Four Winds American Indian Council, the Girl Scout DreamLab June Family Fun Day: Celebrate Pride! and so much more.

No matter where you live in metro Denver or how you want to celebrate, there are Pride festivities for everyone.

Help build a brighter future with One Colorado

One Colorado is the state’s leading advocacy organization dedicated to advancing equality for LGBTQ Coloradans and their families through state policy, advocacy, health care and education. Visit its website to subscribe to emails and follow it on Instagram or Facebook to stay up to date on LGBTQ news, initiatives, events and opportunities to get involved.

Sign up for a class or training

Refine your understanding of LGBTQ issues from an academic perspective by taking a Gender, Women and Sexualities Studies class at MSU Denver. Select from Introduction to Transgender Studies; Introduction to Gender, Women and Sexualities Studies; Queer Theory; and more.

Additionally, Denver Health offers LGBTQ-affirming care training to community partners. Out Boulder County conducts trainings for organizations, including Beyond Binary: LGBTQ+ Core Concepts & Etiquette Essentials and Creating LGBTQ+ Inclusive Workspaces for Leaders & HR. Its website also has educational resources. Inside Out Youth Services in Colorado Springs holds community workshops to train adults to support LGBTQ youth. And the Safe Zone Project is a free online resource dedicated to LGBTQ awareness and ally training.

RELATED: 25 years of pride

Plug in to resources at MSU Denver

Founded in 1992, the LGBTQ Student Resource Center was Colorado’s first on-campus LGBTQ support organization. The tri-institutional center on the Auraria Campus provides access to resources, support services and growth opportunities for LGBTQ students. Learn about upcoming events on Instagram.

For online resources about gender-diversity issues from an intersectional perspective, check out GITA’s media center, which includes podcasts, a newsletter and event recordings.

MSU Denver alumni are encouraged to get involved through the LGBTQ+ Alumni Network, an official MSU Denver Alumni Association affiliate group providing opportunities for networking, engagement and community-building. LGBTQ-identifying faculty and staff members can participate through the Queer Faculty and Staff Collective.