DENVER — On Friday, dozens of volunteers worked to setup stages and tents at Denver’s Civic Center Park in preparation for the 2023 Denver PrideFest.
Artist Lonnie Hanzon was also on-site, setting up his art installation for this year’s Pride celebration.
“This year we’re taking a bunch of very large corn syrup totes of all things, making a big base because we can put water in them and making as the base… we’re covering them with all of the protest signs that we use today so 'Drag is not a crime', 'Black lives matter', 'Trans rights are human rights', 'No human is illegal', all the things that we’re still fighting for 50 years or 60 years later,” Hanzon said during a recent interview on Real Talk with Denver7 and CPR News. “Blasting above all of that is ‘Love is love is love is love’… so we start from a base of fairly serious stuff and then we rise 28 feet up into the air with silk flags so it sort of a vertical rainbow.”
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Hanzon explained the importance of the “Love is love” reminder this year, of all years.
“Right now, we’re in a very divided and horrible place in some ways and people are getting really upset about what people wear or what they look like and how they walk or talk or read. So I always start looking at the issues and try to find a sweet spot,” Hanzon said.
Rex fuller, the CEO of the Center on Colfax, a resource center for the LGBTQ+ community, said Pride protests started in Denver after a series of incidents involving members of the community and police.
“Fifty years ago this year, in October, there was a massive protest that took place at City Council protesting that police harassment. From that emerged a group of activists who said, 'What do we need in the community?' Part of it was to build on this Pride celebration that started to happen, part of it was to build a community center and that was the origin of the Center on Colfax,” Fuller said.
This year, Milson-Coors is a sponsor of Denver PrideFest.
During a time when corporations like Target face criticism over removing Pride-themed items over anti-LGBTQ+ customer backlash, Fuller said while corporate support for Pride can be a complicated issue, corporate support is very helpful.
“We have year-round programs serving LGBT youth, young adults, the trans community, older adults. We provide workforce training around LGBT employment topics. So, there’s a lot of work that we do year-round and this event. Denver Pride is a fundraiser for the Center on Colfax and contributes to making those programs happen,” Fuller said. “Corporate sponsorship is a very important part of how we are able to make a successful festival happen. It’s a free festival, there’s no admission charge to come, so that’s one of our important revenue streams as a fundraiser.”
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Denver PrideFest begins with a 5K race on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. starting at the Colorado State Capitol Building. Denver’s Pride Parade steps off Sunday along Colfax Avenue beginning at 9:30 a.m.
Denver PrideFest will be held at Civic Center Park Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
