Celebrating queer joy in the Pikes Peak region

MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. — Rainbow flags, LGBTQ-affirming signs and bustling crowds lined the streets of Manitou Springs on Saturday. Heavy rain poured over the outdoor pride festival at Soda Springs Park, but that didn’t stop attendees from enjoying community with one another.

A town of about 5,000, Manitou Springs sits just west of Colorado Springs with Pikes Peak soaring over the city. The city is known for its crystal shops, outdoor scenery and mineral hot springs.

Kittie Kilner loves her town, where she owns a hemp shop and escape room. She sees Manitou Springs as a safe haven for LGBTQ+ people and was shocked to hear the town never had a Pride festival until 2022, when she planned its first.

“I was very surprised because Manitou is such a welcoming community and so eclectic and varied in its people,” Kilner said. 

So Kilner rallied her neighbors around supporting the LGBTQ+ community in town. She hired drag performers from Colorado Springs and encouraged local businesses and nonprofits to table at Pride. In the festival’s second year, the number of attendees and performers doubled, Kilner said. Rainbow flags also hung from the city’s lamp poles and businesses covered their windows in rainbow decorations.

Kilner felt Pride was more important than ever in 2023, as dozens of states pass anti-LGBTQ+ bills and LGBTQ+ hate crimes are at historically high levels.

Violence against her community hits home for Kilner, as Club Q, one of two LGBTQ+ bars in neeighboring Colorado Springs, was the scene of a mass shooting in November of last year. Five people were killed and more than 25 were injured. Each of the drag performers at Saturday’s festival performed at Club Q, and many were shooting survivors.

“After that happened, it felt like it was more important to keep a safe space here and keep a place for them to perform since their main place was not available for them anymore,” Kilner said.

As the country turns its eyes to vitriol and violence facing the queer community, Rocky Mountain PBS interviewed seven LGBTQ+ Manitou Springs Pride attendees about their joy. You can read their stories below.

Ezekiel Simons

Ezekiel Simons is pansexual and nonbinary. They live in Colorado Springs, where they grew up. Simons sported a rainbow umbrella and floral blazer. They flashed a sign that read “Stop using the Club Q tragedy for your personal gain,” a nod of support for the victims and families of the shooting. For Simons, pride celebrations are a place where they can live authentically and be surrounded by others doing the same.

“It’s part of the expression of just who you are,” Simons said. “It’s places like this where they’re fully excepting of everyone around you and it’s just acceptable to be exactly who you are.”

Growing up in Colorado Springs, Simons said the area once known for its ultra-conservatism and anti-LGBTQ+ hate has improved strongly.

“The amount of representation has gone up so much more than it used to be,” Simons said. “When I was growing up here, there was almost no fay representation anywhere, and now you walk down downtown Colorado Springs and there are flags in every window and gay events happening.”

Carly Meredith

Carly Meredith is a lesbian born-and-raised in Colorado Springs. She moved away for years and then moved back to the city. She marketed CBD products at Manitou Springs Pride and enjoyed celebrating alongside other community members.

“To me, queer joy is about being proud of myself and not afraid to be who I am,” Meredith said. “It took me a long time to get here, but I definitely feel like I’m here now.”

Chelsea Sobolik

Chelsea Sobolik is a lesbian from Colorado Springs. She survived the Aurora theater shooting in 2012. After the Club Q shooting happened, she and Cole Danielson, a friend, started a nonprofit called LoveLit, with a goal of supporting survivors of mass shootings. The two promoted their nonprofit — which hosts support groups and connects survivors to resources — at Pride on Saturday.

“Just felt drawn to keep rolling w my perspective as a survivor and as a member of the LGBTQ community, it definitely hit parts of who I am,” Sobolik said. “Especially in the years following a tragedy, a lot of people don’t understand that year one is only the beginning and by then, a lot of resources are gone for survivors.”

Cole Danielson

Cole Danielson is a transgender man in Colorado Springs. He attended a vigil for Club Q shooting survivors and knew he wanted to help in more meaningful ways. Danielson figured once media attention and resources died down, victims and their families would still need help and support, so he and a group of other LGBTQ people in the city started the nonprofit.

“It’s to show the rest of the community that might be against us that we have numbers and we’re not going to hide,” Danielson said. “There are gaps in regards to resources for LGBTQ community here in the Springs.”

Nola Ortega

Nola Ortega is a queer man in Colorado Springs. He wore a fluffy purple wig and red garland to Pride over a black dress. The event and outfit made him feel authentic in his skin, something he said he hasn’t always felt in Colorado Springs.

“Queer people are still being treated unfairly all around the country,” he said. “We’re still people regardless of race, religion or sexuality. We’re just like everyone else.”

Kittie Kilner

For the event's organizer, queer joy is about love for members of her community. 

"Queer love, to me, is all-encompassing love and everybody's love," Kilner said. "It's important now more than ever that we keep that love going and that safe space going."

Alison Berg is a journalist at Rocky Mountain PBS. You can reach her at alisonberg@rmpbs.org.