Tuesday, June 18, 2019

This Pridefest is brought to you by....

Denver's Pride Parade--or The Coors Light Pride Parade--was Sunday, and thousands of others, I found a spot along the East Colfax route to watch what is truly Denver's best party. For two and a half hours, laughing, dancing, singing marchers--on foot or on float--paraded down the street enroute to a rainbow festival of food and entertainment in Civic Center Park. I had hoped to be part of the parade, as I have in the past few years, but a wonky foot led me to a chair under a shady tree instead. Watching is of course, a big part of the fun so no regrets there.

As I often do, I summoned up one of my younger selves--one who would have been marching in the early 80s down this street, a time when the AIDS epidemic was at its peak and the legalization of gay marriage was far from a possibility in anyone's minds. More a protest than a parade, though I remember its playful irreverence, such as the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence--gay men dressed as nuns--posing on cathedral stairs. This younger self would have felt awe and joy at how mainstream LBGTQ acceptance has become--though in fairness she would not have used most of that acronym--just "L" and "G". At the same time, she would have been appalled at just how corporate everything has become. Perhaps she would have stalked off and joined her friends in the park to grouse about it. We would have thoroughly dissected the rainbow equivalent of "green-washing", a distraction from corporate practices that should be questioned.

Coors was a major sponsor of the parade this year, as it has been for a number of years now, but it was not the only one backing Pridefest, the weeklong celebration preceding the parade. Other big players were Walmart, Wells Fargo, Nissan, Smirnoff, Comcast Xfinity, along with Channel 7TV and The Colorado Department of Health and Environment. There were a host of supporting and participating sponsors too--retail outlets, oil and gas companies, banks, among others. (Click here for a full list.) Many, many other groups participated, not for profit, but with a message to share: churches, non-profits, politicians, cultural and student groups. My beloved square dance group, The Rainbeaus, danced their way down the street, while behind them the Mile High Freedom Band played.

Older Kathy is less likely to rush to judgment, while lamenting the fact that Coors beer has been and probably remains a taste abomination, far inferior to the numerous craft beers in Colorado. Craft breweries were banned from selling their tasty wares because of the deal with Coors and instead held an alternate event in West Denver. (Perhaps I'll take younger Kathy there next year.) Older Kathy would have also pointed out the fact that sponsorships underwrite programs for the LBGTQ community at The Center all year long. And--let's face it--we're in a corporate age, in which non-corporate funds are scarce and the costs of putting on any public event--insurance, security, materials--are well outside the limits of passing the hat around.

Seeing the youthful energy and creative decorations of the marchers on Sunday, I found it impossible to be churlish. This year was the 50th anniversary of what's now called the Stonewall Uprising, that night in June when patrons of the Stonewall Inn in NYC rebelled against the police harassment they were constantly subjected to. That rebellion provided the energy to launch a gay liberation movement that led to such amazing changes in US culture. The results of this long struggle led to Sunday's celebration, which I cheered on along with everyone else.  I didn't take a single picture, knowing that The Rainbeaus' chief photographer, Frank Bull, would share his album with me and other club members. Here are a few photos I downloaded from his collection. The first one expresses the conviction I'm sure all would share.


And this one expresses the contradictions. Corporations may well have excellent hiring practices for LBGTQ job seekers, but their work in the world raises questions, such as: How is our community affected by fracking of oil and gas in Colorado?


I enjoyed the creativity here on this float and many others.


Then too, the spirit of protest still lives.



Skipping the party, I headed toward the bus stop on 17th, ready to give my foot a complete rest. Two women passed by and pressed a rainbow crown in my hands--with the King Soopers supermarket logo. How appropriate, I smiled to myself. And at the same time, in my heart, I thought: Until next year--all good wishes for pride, activism, persistence and above all--love.