September 2009 Issue

Food, fun, music, friends, oh and don't forget the drag queens! Pueblo Pride has come and gone, and thanks to the support of the community of Pueblo, it was a great success. From the parade to the hilarious Shakespeare in Drag show, it was a day full of fun. And Pueblo, your gay community is proud of you for showing your support throughout the day!

On Saturday August 15th, more people than in any year's past lined three blocks of Main Street in Pueblo for the modest, but proud Pueblo Pride Parade. Led by Parade Marshal and City Councilman Ray Aguilera, the parade included members of the Southern Colorado Equality Alliance, the non-profit group which organized Pueblo Pride, Colorado State University-Pueblo's gay/straight alliance group, Prizm, even a 24-foot float for the Pirate's Cove, Pueblo's only gay bar.

Councilman Aguilera began the festivities by reading the proclamation from the city, officially naming the day: Gay Pride Day in the City of Pueblo. Aguilera also expressed his personal support for the LGBT community, encouraging members to continue to stand up for ourselves.

The free entertainment attracted hundreds of Puebloans this year. Local band, Martini Shot, kept the festival dancing for nearly two hours. The praise and sign team of the Christ Chapel of Southern Colorado performed several inspirational songs, while the drag queens of Colorado Springs performance groups, Glitter and the United Court of the Pikes Peak Empire, kept the party going for the rest of the afternoon.

In the biggest turnout yet, over two dozen local vendors, artists and non-profit groups took advantage of the festival this year. The ACLU Foundation Pueblo Chapter, the Colorado Queer Straight Alliance and the Colorado Anti-Violence Program all passed out important information for the gay community and their straight allies in the city of Pueblo.

While at Pueblo Pride, one couldn't help but notice the number of young people who were walking around enjoying themselves. SCEA President Anthony Salazar explains, "I'm proud we give the LGBTIQ youth a place to be for a day to show them that they do matter and have a place in this world along with everyone else."

After the festival concluded, SCEA hosted a movie at the Robert Hoag Rawlings Library InfoZone. Nearly fifty people of all ages showed up to watch the Academy Award-winning movie Milk. It was, by far, the best turnout for a movie SCEA has seen. The true story even brought some movie goers to tears.

The festivities continued into the night at the Gold Dust Saloon where the Gypsy House Players, in conjunction with Pueblo Community College, entertained a large crowd on the back patio of the restaurant with a free production of the hilarious play, Shakespeare in Drag. Drinks, burgers and comedy all came together for a great ending to such a successful day. Salazar summed it up best, "I'm most proud of the work that the board of the SCEA does to get this thing together each year, bringing people together for a common purpose."

Thank you Pueblo for showing your support on a day that is important for members of the gay community.

 

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