The organizers for Pikes Peak Pride were already expecting a big turnout this weekend its annual Colorado Springs festival and parade in response to the federal rollback of support for the queer community. Losing the proclamation from the City Council may just add another reason to speak out.

Justin Burns, vice president of Pikes Peak Pride and organizer for the festival since 2022, said they asked for the proclamation 30 days ahead of the event, which is the timeframe recommended on the city’s website. They found out last Friday that City Council leadership had turned them down.

Council President Lynette Crow-Iverson and President Pro Tem Brian Risley said in a statement that “our role is not to engage in identity-based or political gestures, but to focus on governance that benefits all residents.” Council leaders said they were trying to avoid “divisive or performative politics,” but Burns said not issuing a statement was its own performance.

“We’re not asking for special favor or pandering. We’re just asking for recognition like any other event would get recognition,” Burns said.

Amber Ptak, CEO of ChangeLine, the company that runs the downtown LGTBQ+ community center Prism Community Collective, said LGBTQ+ people have been in a heightened state of fear since President Donald Trump took office and that the City Council decision is just a byproduct of actions out of the White House.

She said the “national tenor” has shifted to be more anti-LGBTQ+, which provides cover for locals to spread more hate against the community. Ptak added that there’s an increased rate of homelessness and suicide when LGTBQ+ people feel disconnected from their communities and families.

“I’ve heard heightened fears from people, who say they are less comfortable holding hands with those they love, and they have less trust with institutions,” Ptak said.

Colorado Springs has a long history of ebbs and flows of support for the gay community. Burns said it felt like an achievement for Pikes Peak Pride to get support from both the mayor’s office, under former Mayor John Suthers, and the City Council as recently as 2022 — only to now have a step in the opposite direction by the new council leaders.

PrideFest had been the annual celebration in Colorado Springs from the early 1990s until it missed the years during the COVID-19 pandemic. It debuted around the same time the Colorado Springs-based group Colorado for Family Values began the ballot initiative for Amendment 2, which prevented local governments in Colorado from enforcing anti-discrimination protections for the LGBTQ+ community.

The amendment was passed by voters in 1992 and overturned as unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1996.

In 2009, when Vice Mayor Larry Small issued a letter in support of the event, it made headlines as the most support PrideFest had received from a city elected official in years. Suthers issued a annual welcome letter for Pride after he was elected mayor, a less formal acknowledgement than a proclamation but still a welcome sign of support.

“It’s unfortunate that they leaned on a more political idealization of what they feel because it does harm when residents feel like they’re being singled out and not acknowledged,” said Naomi Lopez, vice chair of the El Paso County Democratic Party.

There will be a few other visible changes to this year’s Pride event. The parade route on Sunday will step off from America the Beautiful Park to avoid the construction on Tejon Street. The corner of Tejon and Vermijo Avenue had been painted into a rainbow crosswalk for several years but Burns said they were told by the city it would not be allowed this year because of ADA concerns.

Pikes Peak Pride leadership said it is grateful for the city’s support and the sponsorships it has retained as some companies pulled back on diversity efforts. Mayor Yemi Mobolade will be issuing a proclamation of support for Pride Saturday morning, joined by councilmember Kimberly Gold.

Burns said he felt the event would be fully supported and protected by the Colorado Springs police and emergency services, which was a big question for some attendees. The event is being held on the grounds around the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum. The Colorado Springs Airport is a first-time sponsor.

“We don’t rely on proclamations or crosswalks to have turnout for the event. The LGBTQ population is here, it’s part of our community and we know that they want to come out,” Burns said.

Gazette reporter Nick Smith contributed to this story.