DENVER – For the first time in its nearly 50-year history, all major Denver pro sports team will march for LGBTQ+ rights during Denver PrideFest this weekend.
The announcement from the Center on Colfax, however, does not mean that any players from any of the teams will be marching this Sunday.
Contingents from the NBA champions Denver Nuggets, the Denver Broncos, the Colorado Rockies, the Colorado Avalanche, the Colorado Rapids and the Colorado Mammoth will join the hundreds of thousands of people that will be marching for equality during the Denver Pride parade on Sunday.
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Among the contingents will be Supermascot Rocky, Denver Nuggets dancers, Skyline Drum Squad and the Mile High City Hype Squad; the Denver Broncos cheerleaders and Miles the Mascot; the Colorado Rockies mascot Dinger; the Colorado Avalanche Ice Patrol, Bernie the Mascot and The Celly Squad; the Colorado Mammoth Wild Bunch and Wooly the Mascot, and RapidMan, the Mascot from the Colorado Rapids.
“Over the years, there has been a lot of debate just about the presence of LGBT athletes in professional sports in general. And so I think slowly, the teams are starting to see the value of that segment of the community, as part of their fan base,” said Rex Fuller, the CEO of the Center on Colfax, organizers of Denver PrideFest. “Certainly, I think that there are a lot of LGBT sports fans in Denver, and I think that the teams are responding to that and wanting to send a message of being welcoming and accepting. I think it's a great important step. Now more than ever, that show of solidarity is a very meaningful statement.”
This year’s parade begins Sunday, June 25 at 9:30 a.m. and will see hundreds of thousands of guests line 14 blocks of Colfax Avenue starting from Cheesman Park and ending at Denver’s Civic Center. There, guests will be able to continue enjoying PrideFest festivities including live music, food, games, community and more.
Survivors of the Club Q shooting will serve as grand marshals of this year's Denver Pride Parade.
Denver PrideFest – the largest Pride celebration in the Rocky Mountain region – is taking place June 24 and 25.
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