ColoradoSeen 01-2016

Colorado Seen 01/2016

PRIDEFEST ALSO: n FOUR TWENTY

Colorado... as seen by SONY

From the Editor

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s birthplace of the socially liberal Libertarian Party (founded in Colorado Springs in 1971), and the socially conservative group Focus On the Family (founded in the same city in 1977), Colorado has been a battlezone in the culture wars for over 40 years.

In 1992, Colorado voters passed Amendment 2, which banned local ordinances prohibiting discrimination against gay people (later overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court).

Yet in 2012, Colorado voters also passed Amendment 64, making the State one of the first two in the U.S. to legalize marijuana in most respects, including sales.

This issue looks at a couple of annual events that celebrate Colorado’s libertarian side - the 420 marijuana “smoke-out,” and PrideFest, the gay rights parade and celebration.

It is telling that both events take place beneath the windows of the State Capitol — truly the people speaking truth to power.

Colorado Seen An internet image magazine Editor & Publisher Andrew Piper We welcome comments and letters. Submit them to: coloradoseen@comcast.net To submit work or story ideas for consideration, send an e-mail to: coloradoseen@comcast.net If you would like to advertise in ColoradoSeen, send an e-mail to coloradoseen@comcast.net for information on rates and interactive links.

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On the cover: A member of SQUID (Swimming Queers United In Denver) practices dance moves in Cheesman Park, before taking part in the 2015 Gay Pride parade in Denver.

FOUR TWENTY 4:20

is a time. 4/20 is a date. Four Twenty is an event, at that time, on that date.

A long-time expression of civil disobedience to anti-marijuana laws, in Colorado it is now a celebration that recre-

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ational pot was legalized in the state in 2012.

At 4:20 on 4/20 in 2015, several thousand pot-users legally lit up in Denver’s Civic Center Plaza, wreathing the Capitol in a haze of smile-inducing smoke, as the news

helicopters circled, and the pot industry touted its wares with signs and balloons (above).

Leaf-themed fashion abounded (right), and, except for the smartphones, the scene might have been from a 1968 lovefest. n

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More weed fashion bedecks two celebrants, above. Peace!

At right, advertising balloons and an attractive sales force promote Colorado’s pot industry, which includes not only growers and retailers, but also providers of growing supplies

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and other paraphernalia.

Gross sales of marijuana grew to over $995 million in Colorado in 2015, producing $135 million in licensing and tax revenue for the state government, and creating an estimated 10,000 jobs.

The CannaBus, above, has long promoted the legalization of marijuana, and still advocates for continued pot freedoms in Colorado, as well as encouraging other states to join in the fun and rewards of caPOTilism.

Photos and text by AndY Piper

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A guitarist finds his groove amd expresses his passion during the 2015 4/20 smokeout in Denver.

Opposite, a hulahoop sums up the carefree, childlike street theater of the informal event.

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n It should be noted that there are actually two 420 celebrations in Denver’s Civic Center Plaza — the 420 Rally, on the nearest weekend to the actual date, including a concert, and drawing up to 80,000 people.

And a more informal smoke-out, on the actual date at the actual time, drawing about 3,000 people.

These pictures are from the informal “potculture” celebration in 2015.

The 2016 420 Rally and concert

was scheduled for Saturday, 4/16 —but was cancelled due to a heavy spring snowstorm.

The informal event on 4/20/16 is forecast to have sun and temperatures near 60.

That’s karma for you.

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Lolita sunglasses, hammocks, sandals, peasant prints, hanging out — and the inevitable funny haze. If it were not for the omnipresent smart phones, the scenes could

be right out of The Haight or Berkeley in 1968.

Who would have thought that Colorado would beat California to the punch in legalizing recreational marijuana? n

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On June 21, 2015, at Denver’s Gay PrideFest in Civic Center Plaza, Rick and Brian Smith pose for a picture as groom and bride. Five days later, the U.S. Supreme Court made gay marriage legal nationwide.

Denver family values At Denver’s Gay PrideFest celebration in 2015, participants include supportive family members, above. At left, Hadley Weir,3, tries on the showgirl headwear of Jenelle Diaz, in pink, as Jenelle and others primp beside their float before the parade.

Photos and text by AndY Piper

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n the middle of every June since 1976, Denver has held a gay pride parade and weekend-

long PrideFest celebration. 2015’s was the 40th.

It is ranked in the top 10 of such celebrations nationwide, and garners praise as one of the most family-friendly,

promoting itself as a celebration of “community, heritage, family and culture.”

Among the activities are a childrens’ parade, a “dogs in drag” To Page 18 ➤

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Mariah Spunic, in blue, and Beverly Bourbougue make last-minute adjustments to their costumes before boarding their float in Cheesman Park to take part in the 2015 PrideFest parade through central Denver.

➤ FROM Page 15 parade, face painting booths, and a “Big Gay 5K” run.

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cross those forty years, there have been many cultural changes and challenges, The AIDS/HIV epidemic; Colorado’s own Amendment 2, banning gay rights legislation (since ruled unconstitutional); the expansion of the definition of gay to include transgender, bisexual, and other forms of orientation; and most recently, the Supreme Court ruling permitting gay marriage thoughout the United States, delivered six days after the celebration on June 20 and 21, 2015.

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Above, a white chrysanthemum makes a phone call from Cheesman Park.

A rainbow balloon, sign of gay pride, decorates one of the many pets that attend each PrideFest, opposite, as its guardians relax in the June breeze.

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resciently, the festival had a theme of marriage, with a giant Equality Cake sculpture by artist LonTo Page 27 ➤

The SQUID athletic group (Swimming Queers United In Denver) rehearses its dance moves in Cheesman Park before the start of Denver’s 2015 gay pride parade.

Parade participants dance to their own music before the parade kicks off, in the back of a pickup dressed out as a Denver Broncos-themed float.

Passing the State Capitol at Colfax and Lincoln streets, the massive parade draws an equally massive sidewalk crowd of observers - rich campaigning grounds for Colorado politicians seeking the gay-rights vote.

n PrideFest in Denver in 2016 will be held June 18-19, with the parade beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday. It will be the 41st celebration and the 40th anniversary of the events start in 1976.

➤ FROM Page 18 nie Hanzon dominating the center of Civic Center Plaza, and a “bride-andgroom” photo booth under the trees.

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unday was the day of the parade, a mile or so along Colfax Avenue from Cheesman Park to the center of the festival in Civic Center Plaza.

Thousands of gay celebrants, and their parents, siblings, and children, all took part. Floats, dance groups, banner-bearers and politicians rounded out the mass of people that filled the street. n

Above, a banner and float commemorates military members “kicked out for being gay.” Opposite, a sculpture by Lonnie Hanzon title Equality Cake dominates the center of Civic Center Plaza during the 2015 PrideFest celebration.

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Loving arms form a bond in the waning hours of the 2015 Denver Pridefest. n

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