More than half a million people are expected to sing, dance and march in this weekend’s two-day Denver Pride festival in what some call an act of resistance amid rising threats to LGBTQ people and a slash in donations in response to corporate pullbacks under the Trump administration.
The Center on Colfax, which organizes the parade, said Thursday that the nonprofit is within $10,000 of reaching its fundraising goal thanks to donations, despite being behind more than $200,000 two months ago.
“I think Pride at its core is a protest and sometimes that protest is shown as joy, as a resistance, and that’s why we see so many people celebrating love, their queer identity,” said Kim Salvaggio, the Center’s CEO.
“I think sometimes people forget that us just being seen as our true selves, that is a protest. That is an act of resistance.”
The cuts in sponsorships were largely a result of companies fearing consequences from the Trump administration for supporting diversity, equity and inclusive practices and programs, Salvaggio said. In April, Denver7 reported a 62% drop in contributions compared with last year, a $230,000 shortfall.
But since then, the Center has made a comeback with soaring donations, some of which came in anonymously, Salvaggio said. The parade is a pivotal fundraiser that supports the center’s year-round services available for free for the LGBTQ community, including mental health counseling.
Drag queen Bettie Pages carries a large sign while marching with Feeding Denver’s Hungry as part of the nonprofit’s involvement in Denver PrideFest’s Coors Light PrideFest Parade down Colfax Avenue on June 16, 2019 in Denver. Photo by Andy Colwell, special to the Colorado SunThis year’s Denver Pride parade and festival — one of the country’s largest free Pride events — comes at a tumultuous time for queer people amid a rise in hate crimes targeting people for their sexual orientation or gender identity.
The FBI reported 2,402 recorded crimes related to an alleged victim’s sexual orientation in 2023, up from 1,947 the year before. There were 547 incidents related to a person’s gender identity, compared with 469 the year before, 401 of which were specifically anti-transgender and 146 that targeted someone who was gender-nonconforming.
In Colorado, hate crimes targeting LGBTQ people nearly doubled between 2019 and 2023. There were 68 victims of hate crimes who were targeted for their gender identity or sexual orientation in 2019. That number increased to 92 in 2021 and to 120 in 2023, state data shows. The victims included people identifying as gender-nonconforming, transgender, bisexual, lesbian and gay.
LGBTQ centers that serve as anchors for queer people in local communities are also reporting threats, made both online and offline, specifically aimed at transgender-related programs and youth initiatives.
Nearly three-quarters of LGBTQ centers across the country reported experiencing harassment in the past two years, according to a 2024 report by the Movement Advancement Project and CenterLink, a nonprofit organization of LGBTQ centers. Most of the harassment was spurred by anti-LGBTQ politics or rhetoric, the report said.
“And so now more than ever, I think what I would ask is for our allies, especially understanding the attacks on our trans community and in particular our trans youth community, the one thing that sends a message is your participation,” Salvaggio said.
“It’s just showing up and letting the numbers of solidarity speak.”
Last year, the center raised $2.6 million, falling slightly short of its $2.9 million goal, she said, adding that the center plans to diversify its fundraising efforts to ensure it stays open and remains free regardless of executive orders.
“Our corporate sponsors have been amazing, but we can’t leave our financial stability to a pen stroke from an administration,” she said. “We have to diversify the way that we bring in money.”
A crowd gathers during the 2023 Denver Pride. This year will be the 50th annual celebration. (Photo by Tyi Reddick, provided by The Center on Colfax)“A beacon of hope”
Denver’s first Pride event kicked off in 1974 in Cheesman Park with about 50 people to commemorate the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, which started June 28, 1969, in New York City.
This year, about 13,000 people are expected to walk down the parade route Sunday, Salvaggio said. There will be 250 floats, a slight decrease from 270 last year due to funding cuts. The “gayborhood market” will double in size, with 90 gay businesses compared with 48 last year, offering attendees a way to support local LGBTQ small businesses.
This year, instead of marching down Colfax Avenue, the parade will move north to 17th Avenue due to construction from the East Colfax Bus Rapid Transit project.
“We are probably a beacon of hope for people right now across the country that Colorado has made a very clear stance that gender-affirming care is here,” Salvaggio said.
“That’s why we need people to show up to help support us financially, to volunteer, to be seen, to be heard, because it’s not just about people living in Colorado anymore. It’s about the people that are going to need to find sanctuary here.”
For a full schedule of the weekend’s events, visit denverpride.org.
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