DENVER (KDVR) – After much deliberation and extensive community consultation, organizers of Denver PrideFest 2022 have decided to invite individual LGBTQ law enforcement officials to take part in the event, instead of inviting the department as a whole.

The Center of Colfax, which runs the 2022 Denver PrideFest parade, is creating a group that will be made up of individual LGBTQ first responders and officers, which will be aptly named “Pride on Duty Colorado.”

Pride celebrations spawned out of the Stonewall Uprising of 1969, a protest that rose in response to harassment that became beyond habitual at the Stonewall Inn in New York City.

“In light of that history, as well as in solidarity with recent protests and concerns from the community, we have decided not to include law enforcement agencies in the festival or the parade,” CEO of The Center on Colfax Rex Fuller explained.

In addition to bringing together those LGBTQ residents that selflessly serve the city on the day of the parade, organizers of this group hope to offer both attendees and participants a range of networking opportunities, resources that offer support and year-round training for LGBTQ officers and first responders in Colorado.

If you are an individual interested in joining the Pride on Duty Colorado delegation that will be participating in the parade, then you can reach out to Lt. Michael Wyatt, Lt. Michelle Folmar (Denver Police Department) or Sgt. Jose Gurule (Denver Sherriff Department) to gain more information on the event.

Additionally, if you want to commemorate this historical event, and the subsequent societal struggles and victories the LGBTQ community progressed through following that 1969 spark-of-a-protest, then be sure to attend the parade.