Pride In The Park

Pride In The Park is Fort Collins’ own gay pride even which typically happens in early June. I think it is is in it’s 3^rd or 4^th year now… something like that. There are all kinds of performers all over Colorado that come to support this LGBT event in Fort Collins which is good! Pride In The Park is not as blatantly flamboyant as Denver’s gay pride (Pridefest) which is both good and bad. Usually since Pride In The Park is typically quieter and ‘under the radar’ so to speak it seems to not attract much for religious protesters. That is good. The bad is that it isn’t blatantly flamboyant like it should be where you are really out and proud. There is no big gay pride parade that takes place with Pride In The Park. There are multiple venues though where certain events do take place like where LGBT films events are, drink specials, etc. These venues change every year so do keep that in mind… all except the main pride event always still seems to be in Civic Center Park in Oldtown Fort Collins.
I shouldn’t dis Pride In The Park really. It is a pride event that Fort Collins did not have before less that ten years ago… that is a good thing! There are many non profit agencies, companies and business that show up to offer helpful information and support to the LGBT community of Fort Collins at Civic Center Park during the typical duration of the event which is about the length of a weekend.
Fort Collins is a relatively gay friendly town but of course like any town there are those who wish to oppress and usually makes their religion their excuse for doing it. I remember when the gay community center opened up in Fort Collins, the Lambda Center, some ‘religious’ group posted graphic pictures of homosexuals in sexual positions and below these pictures it asked, ‘Do you want this in you neighborhood?’ Um… FYI it probably was already happening in the neighborhood! Despite these putrid and unnecessary notices from the intolerant demographic of Fort Collins, the Lambda Center has persevered and still remains in existence I am very happy to say!
While Fort Collin’s gay community is relatively small and gets smaller once the college students leave for the summer it is good to have an event like Pride In The Park to affirm the LGBT community of Fort Collins. However bear in mind if you want the kind of pride celebration that you see in magazines like in The Advocate or Out, you best go to Denver to celebrate being a member of the LGBT community in it’s most unapologetic tone by Colorado standards. It is not entirely unfounded that some people of the LGBT demographic here in Colorado call Fort Collins, Fort Closet.