PrideFest 2016: Look who's celebrating

This year I attended Pridefest 2016, my first time to join a US gay pride march in 30 years. It was an exhilarating experience--and a relaxing one, as I rode the Banjo Billy bus with other older friends from Cheesman Park to downtown. More than 2000 took part, on foot, on floats, on stilts, on horseback, in wheelchairs. Lesbian, gay, transgender or not, all moving to music, to shouts or just happy silence. I've followed and celebrated so many changes affecting LBGT communities over the years that I hadn't expected to be surprised. And yet I was, as the feeling was so different from my memories of marching here in the 80s. PrideFest is now Denver's answer to Mardi Gras as well as a celebration of the progress made since 1969 when Stonewall marked the beginning of the gay liberation movement. Do you believe we've seen these changes in our lifetimes? I asked Gayle, who rode on the bus with me. She nodded, knowing just what I meant.

Jump back to the 80s: I can't remember exactly what year I participated or even who I marched with, having unearthed no pictures from that earlier era. Also, I was more left-leaning lesbian-feminist than gay identified in those days, marching for other events: safe streets (Take Back the Night) or an end to US military interference in Central America. As for gay pride, I do remember that we were clearly less festive then, clearly out of the mainstream. In the 1980s, banners called for an end to gay oppression, for unity in the community, for resources to fight the AIDS epidemic. Not that we were without humor. I still remember two men dressed as nuns, posed provocatively on the steps of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception on Colfax as the rest of us marched past. I refreshed my memory of gay pride events in Denver through an excellent article by Aaron Marcus in Colorado Heritage magazine a few years ago. You can access the pdf here.

Fast forward to 2016. Here I'd like to show the spirit and diversity of Pridefest through these photos, shared by photographer Frank Bull, fellow square dancer in the Rainbeaus.

There were many remembrances of the victims of the mass shooting in Orlando, like the banner carried by these cyclists.

It wasn't until 1997 that New Jersey became the first state to allow same-sex couples to adopt jointly--another landmark change in my lifetime. Colorado allows LBGT individuals and couples to adopt or become foster parents. Marchers affiliated with Denver Foster Care and Adoption turned out on Sunday. Photos of family diversity are on their website.

Founded in 1972, Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) was one of the earliest--if not *the* earliest) support groups for the community. There are seven chapters in Colorado today.

This contingent reminds us all that HIV and other health concerns remain a priority.

What would a parade be without horses? The International Gay Rodeo Association had its representatives at the march. The Rocky Mountain Regional Rodeo is scheduled for July in Denver.

Sen. Michael Bennet, who is up for reelection, was present along with other politicians and candidates. Sen. Bennet is expected to win--and his popularity rose recently after he joined other Democratic senators demanding Congressional action on gun control.

Yes, and what would a parade be without the Imperial Court of the Rocky Mountain Empire? At least I think that's their float here. I don't know much about them, actually, but a check of their website shows they've been around since 1974 and have provided fun and fund-raising for a variety of LBGT organizations. In the 80s, I would have disparaged them perhaps. Now I wish they had been my fashion consultants.

An LGBT Equality Caucus was formed in the US Congress in 2008, and now Colorado has one too. Their mission: to support bills promoting equality.

Hillary supporters joined the parade and so did Bernie's, still not unified, but all agreeing to "trump" hate.

The Colorado Society of School Psychologists were there too, reminding us that they support all students.

Who knew? Denver continues to grow and change and drink kava too. So what is kava, I wondered? A relaxing, social drink, it's said. Find out more here.

I looked for my square dance friends, but couldn't find them! Not surprising. The parade was so long. The Banjo Billy bus was at the front, and my friends danced along near the rear, on a float or on the street. Perhaps next year....

Such a satisfying morning. After Gayle and I hopped off the bus, we watched from a shady patch of pavement on Sherman Street in front of the State Capitol before seeking refuge in air-conditioned Capitol Hill Books. We skipped the security check, the speeches, and the hundreds of vendors in Civic Center Park. The temperature was climbing to 100F that day. Later I saw coverage and photos of this year's iconic symbol, a large black box with messages honoring the lives of the shooting victims in Orlando. And I made my own silent promise to remember in the November elections all candidates who support--or don't support--effective gun control.