Denver, CO
Tens of thousands line streets to celebrate at Denver Pride Parade
DENVER — About 100,000 people lined the streets Sunday morning for the Denver Pride Parade.
It was a chance to celebrate and reflect on how far the region’s LGBTQ+ community has come.
Like many people, Maya Scott-Donegan learned new things during the pandemic and made an important discovery about herself.
“When I found out that I wasn’t straight, it was during the pandemic so there wasn’t like any events for me to go to, so I just wanted to be here to be around other queer people,” said Scott-Donegan.
She and her family drove from Ft. Collins to attend Denver’s pride parade.
“I’m excited to be around other people who are like me and to see how many of them there are,” said Scott-Donegan. “You don’t always realize how many people are part of the community.”
The Denver Pride Parade is a chance for members of the LGBTQ+ community and their allies to celebrate each other.
That celebration was on full display for over two hours Sunday as the parade made its way from Cheesman Park down Colfax Avenue.
Organizers estimate 100,000 people attended the parade.
They say over 500,000 people are attending PrideFest at Civic Center Park this weekend.
Tens of thousands line streets to celebrate at Denver Pride Parade
Denver City Councilwoman Robin Kniech served as one of the parade marshals.
Kniech was the first out LGBTQ+ member of the city council when she was elected in 2011.
Because of term limits, she’s leaving the council next month.
“It’s bittersweet to be saying goodbye,” said Kniech.
As she looks back, Kniech has mixed emotions about the progress made and the challenges that remain.
“We have seen gay marriage become legal during my time in office. I couldn’t marry my partner when I was first elected, and now I have a wife, and we are able to have our relationship recognized,” said Kniech. “We’ve seen our country come to accept gay marriage, but we’ve also seen this incredible backlash where in many cases it’s less safe to be out in our country. We’ve seen transgender individuals see their identities be erased so there is both pain and challenge and violent and attacks at the same time we’ve seen moving forward.”
This is why she and others say events like the pride parade and pride festival are so important.
“Pride is one collective story of joy and celebration,” said Kniech. “And we know that the stories will uplift.”
While Kniech will be leaving the council, two more out members of the LGBTQ+ community, Darrell Watson and Shontel Lewis, will be joining it.
“I’m so excited to welcome them and to pass the mantle off to them as they break new ceilings,” Kniech said.
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The Denver Broncos are one win away from earning a playoff berth. The Broncos (9-5) can clinch their first playoff berth since the 2015 season with a win Thursday against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Peyton Manning was the quarterback the last time the Broncos reached the playoffs.
Denver quarterback Bo Nix knows what’s a stake in the game against the Chargers (8-6), but he doesn’t want his teammates to view the game as a one-and-done in terms of earning a playoff berth. The rookie is thinking big.
“We’ve got three games to win three and go into the playoffs and win a Super Bowl,” Nix told reporters on Tuesday.
The Broncos have won four consecutive games, their longest winning streak since the 2023 season, when they won five consecutive games. Nix wants the Broncos to win their final three games of the regular season and enter the playoffs riding a seven-game winning streak.
However, if the Broncos want to extend their current streak and earn a playoff berth, they must defeat the Chargers.
“We’ve talked about it all year, ‘The next game is the most important game. Right now, this is what’s important to us. It’s the most important,” Nix told reporters on Tuesday. I think this next one would put us on track for where we want to go. So, we have a lot of work to do. The job’s not finished, so that’s what we’re going to do.”
The Denver Landmark Preservation Commission approved owners’ applications for economic hardship regarding two damaged historic homes.
This decision came after the owners requested the buildings to be demolished in June. A request that was denied.
The historic homes at 1600 Colfax Ave. and 1618 Colfax Ave. were built in 1895. Both buildings are located in the Wyman historic district.
Annie Levinsky, Executive Director of Historic Denver, Inc. explained their importance to the Denverite in a 2018 interview, stating the homes are some of the last of their kind along Colfax Ave.
The discussion on the fate of the structures has been ongoing. Community groups pushed back against the idea of demolition in 2018. At that point, the owners developed plans to restore and preserve the structures. However, they were never implemented. Construction costs increased from the beginning of the project planning in 2019 through 2022, the owners said, making the plan no longer feasible.
A fire at 1600 E Colfax Ave. in March 2024 caused significant damage to the structure. The owners said the structure was already deteriorating prior to the fire and the costs of restoration were too high.
The owners submitted applications to demolish the buildings in April 2024. After the commission denied their request, they filed appeals arguing that the cost to repair the homes outweighs the potential value after they’re restored. They claimed that the inability to demolish the buildings would cause economic hardship.
Estimates provided in the appeals state the rehabilitation of the 1600 structure reflects a negative value of $6 million, while the 1618 structure reflects a negative value of $4.1 million.
Both appeals were approved at the Commission’s Dec. 17, 2024 meeting.
Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine has been involved in NBA trade rumors since the offseason. Several reports over the summer indicated LaVine had little to no trade value, as his contract and injury history kept teams away. Now amid a strong season, LaVine has been productive and healthy for the Bulls.
Averaging 21.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists this season, LaVine could help several contenders. Putting up these numbers on great efficiency, LaVine is knocking down 50.1% of his field goal attempts and 42.8% of his three-point attempts. On Tuesday, the Denver Nuggets were named as a team reportedly interested in adding this production to their lineup.
Per Sam Amick and Tony Jones of The Athletic, the Nuggets have a “significant” level of focus on LaVine ahead of the NBA trade deadline.
Via Amick and Jones: “League sources say the focus on LaVine in recent discussions is significant, with the Nuggets interested in the 29-year-old who is averaging 21.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists this season. LaVine, a two-time All-Star, is owed $43 million this season, $45.9 million next season and has a player option worth $48.9 million for the 2026-27 campaign.”
Sources, with @Tjonesonthenba: The Denver Nuggets are searching for a dynamic scorer to help Nikola Jokic. More intel here on how the Bulls’ Zach LaVine is front and center in their pursuit, with others as well. @TheAthletic https://t.co/0FogrNZGai
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) December 18, 2024
As The Athletic noted, any LaVine trade would likely require Denver to include Michael Porter Jr. for salary purposes, which the team may be hesitant to do. That said, LaVine is a more complete scorer than Porter, and could help ease the burden on Nikola Jokic offensively.
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