Maddie Peltier-Meade, her partner Karen and their five children were used to being targets before they moved to Monument.In Ohio, anti-gay activists stuck a knife in their door. In Minnesota, residents flocked their yard with picket signs to protest Peltier-Meade’s wedding. Now settled in the Pikes Peak region, she and her family feel accepted and safe.That’s even after Mayor Steve Bach this month refused to sign a proclamation supporting PrideFest and the Colorado Springs City Council this week rejected a resolution condemning a recent alleged homophobic attack at a fast-food restaurant.“I love it here because we come from a very intensely anti-gay community. Coming from ‘Die faggots, die,’ to being protested against, to people constantly trashing my yard, this is a relief,” Peltier-Meade said, during PrideFest, which drew scores of people to Acacia Park Saturday.

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For Peltier-Meade the politics that come with homosexuality in the Pikes Peak region don’t detract from the welcoming atmosphere she’s found.“The reason we moved here is because it’s a place we could raise our kids,” she said.Despite recent tension, PrideFest chairwoman Amy Ramos said the weekend event, which continues with a parade on Sunday, is about embracing families.“It’s our one day to put our face forward as a family,” she said.Among the tents of more than 150 vendors, Justice Hamilton contemplated whether to join in karaoke.Hamilton moved to Colorado Springs in 2009 and said the community is more accepting of gays and lesbians than his hometown of Memphis, Tenn.“I really love Colorado Springs in general. The people here are so much different than where I’m from,” Hamilton said. “Where I come from, it’s kind of a scar.”Mateo Ramirez, co-owner of Little Lake Youths Haven & Horse Rescue, said community members stepped up when he was the victim of a hate crime outside a local club in 2009. He suffered a traumatic brain injury and had a tooth knocked out, but the support eased some of the pain of his long recovery.“I felt like everybody reached out to me and expressed their concern. We have a very good gay community here,” said Ramirez, a Fort Carson soldier.This month, the Pentagon announced it would abide by an appellate court order and stop discharging openly gay troops.Lisa Cush and her three children attended the event in support of the community.“The reason for the festival is important to us,” Cush said as her children, ages 1, 3 and 6 slurped down slushies in the shade. “It’s important to us to be supportive of our friends and neighbors and let them know we care.”Cush said PrideFest is a family-friendly event and her kids loved playing in the bounce house, fishing for ducks and meeting dogs from National Mill Dog Rescue.“It’s very family-oriented. I think that’s important because we’re all families here,” she said.