DENVER — In honor of Pride Month, Denver7 | Your Voice set out on a mission to capture authentic conversations between members of the LGBTQ+ community.
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The discussion began what with Pride Month means to each of them, then moved to anything good or bad that happened in the past year, and ended with the pairs explaining what they are proud of over the last year.
The strangers
Clouds loomed over Cheesman Park as rain prepared to fall on Friday afternoon. Still, Josette Carpenter strolled through the flowers, taking in the fresh air ahead of a storm.
Walking in that same park was Kiera Zimmerman. The two met for the first time that day.
Carpenter, who is pansexual, and Zimmerman, a transgender woman, sat together as strangers and discussed topics close to their heart in honor of Pride Month.
"It's really cool that, like, we're absolute strangers and have things in common," Carpenter said.
"I don't just walk up to people and start talking about my personal life or my feelings behind that, and I think it's just kind of great to be able to meet someone and share it with them," said Zimmerman.
The two, who live in Denver, explained what Pride Month means to each of them.
"It's a great time of the year. Honestly, I feel like the whole LGBTQ+ community just comes out in full force, and you feel the whole sense of community that sometimes is lacking otherwise," Zimmerman said.
"The weather makes it beautiful. The people make it beautiful, and the allyship too," Carpenter said. "It's when people feel, in my opinion, the most strength to be the loudest."
Over the last year, both Carpenter and Zimmerman said they have experienced personal growth.
"I've always felt like a sense of self pride and acceptance, but it's kind of like, come overboard. And I think having pushback to the LGBTQ+ community, almost like, pushed it out of me," Zimmerman explained. "Okay, I have to stand in my truth, yes, and that's what I'm going to do. And it's just brought me a lot of joy."
"Oh, my goodness. I feel that sense of it really pushing it out of you. Like, being so much more sure in yourself and what you believe in when there's pushback," Carpenter replied.
The two have witnessed several good things since the last Pride Month as well.
"Because I work online, I feel like I have seen a lot more people be proud online, and I've seen some of my friends come out, and that's really beautiful to see," Carpenter told Zimmerman.
With the good they have experienced, also comes the bad.
"I would say, when I started dating again, I dealt with a lot of people kind of, I think, not facing their own fears. Especially when you see the current climate and a lot of push against people in the community, where I think when people don't really face those fears themselves, they feel like they're just going to shy away even more to it," Zimmerman said to Carpenter. "I think that's been challenging, but honestly, it's also a good thing for me, because it kind of shows me the people I want to have in my life that can kind of stand proud and brave, and be proud of me."
What Carpenter and Zimmerman are most proud of from the last year stems from living their truth.
"For a while, I've kind of been dependent on other people in my life, and I think in this past year, I've really come into my own a lot more," Zimmerman said.
"I've been really proud of building an online audience. It started growing when I started being more of my authentic self," Carpenter added.
The lovebirds
Coors Field on Friday evening was filled with Rockies fans, enjoying the sunshine after a week filled with rain.
Rainbows splayed across clothing danced in and out of the crowd, with the theme of the evening as Pride Night.
Two of the people in attendance were Stephanie Schmalz and Deb Dodd, who wore personalized jerseys reading "She's mine" and "I'm hers" across their backs.
"Pride month for me is very important, because I came up in a time when you weren't allowed to have pride," Dodd explained. "You had to hide who you were. It was dangerous to show who you were. So, to be able to be out in a crowd of people and feel safe to be myself means everything to me."
"I mean, I knew when I was 10. So everybody, some people were like, it's about time. Took you long enough. We knew a long time ago," Schmalz said about coming out to her family and friends. "I knew, and I just was afraid my grandparents were going to be hurt, and they were amazing people. And I look back and think that was really dumb, because they would have been fine, but I was just so worried to lose them."
Since last June, the two have lived through a number of positives in both of their lives — one, being their relationship.
"I'm loving that people are open and accepting, and so that's a big one for me," Schmalz said.
"It is for me too," Dodd replied. "But with everything that's going on, it's kind of scary. So, it makes you want to hang on to it tighter, because of what we're going through right now with rights wanting to be taken away... I guess it makes it even more special for me that I really want to hang on to, because you don't know what's going to happen."
There have been downsides to the last year for the couple, too.
"My fiance broké up with me, that hurt," Dodd said.
"Yeah, that's a bummer. I mean that's good for me, but that was a bummer for you," Schmalz said with a smile.
When asked what the two were proud of, they instantly began bragging on each other.
"I am proud of my job and what I do," said Dodd.
"I'm proud of your job too," Schmalz replied.
"I'm proud that I put myself out there and reached out to you, because I told you, when I saw you online, I was like, 'Oh, she's far away, and she's beautiful.' But, I messaged you anyway," Schmalz told Dodd.
"Yeah, you did," Dodd said.
"And normally I wouldn't have, and I'm glad that I did, because it was the best thing ever," Schmalz continued.
"I'm glad that you did."
The drag queens
June 6 was the first Friday of Pride Month, and crowds lined up to enter Tracks Denver, an LGBTQ+ nightclub.
As people packed inside on the dance floor, Gucci Blaze and Lulu Krystals were laughing together in a private room while speaking with Denver7.
Gucci Blaze described herself as "Denver's Disney Princess," while Lulu Kystals said she is "Denver's campalicious glampy drunk aunt." The two came from prior performances earlier in the night — Gucci wore her hair long with a dress, while Lulu donned a cowboy hat and cow print onesie.
The two said Pride Month is their opportunity to stand up for their community, and themselves.
"We're kind of the poster children of Pride," Lulu said. "Every time we get in drag, like, it's pride. Every time."
"Pride is an opportunity to both respect and reflect on where we've come from and where we're going," Gucci said. "We have to remember that Pride started as a protest, and especially right now, with everything going on in the world, it is the most important protest to be making politically."
The good over the past year for both drag queens ranged from Gucci Blaze opening for Chappell Roan and Lulu Krystals quitting her job to pursue drag full-time.
"What bad happened to you?" Gucci asked Lulu.
"Hmm, it's been a long year," Lulu laughed. "The shorter list was the good stuff."
"I shattered my own femur on stage," Gucci told Lulu.
"Wait, how did you do it?" Lulu asked.
"I did a side aerial and heels, and I landed it, but apparently not correctly," Gucci replied.
Gucci Blaze grew up in Colorado Springs, and Lulu Krystals was raised in Ohio. The two reflected on their younger selves, and what they would think about their lives now.
"I think I spent my whole childhood wishing I was a girl, and I somehow managed to do that professionally," Gucci said with a snap of her fingers.
The partners
The City Park Farmer's Market was bustling on Saturday morning, with people perusing different stands for local produce and food stands.
One of those stands was The Easy Vegan, a venture started by Alexi Mandolini and Taylor Herbert at the start of the pandemic. Since then, their business has blossomed and expanded, with the two opening another concept called Other Dog Denver within the last year.
"We're business partners and life partners. I don't recommend that for everybody, but it works out really well," Herbert said.
For the two, Pride Month is a chance to model what life can be like for others who may struggle to see a future.
"I grew up in in North Carolina, and, you know, I think there was kind of like a whole generation of queer people who we didn't have the opportunity to look up to. You know, we lost a lot of people to the AIDS crisis, things like that," Herbert said.
"Pride Month, to me is — it's just the feeling of belonging," Mandolini said while smiling at Herbert. "It feels comforting, and it feels like we belong. So Pride is so important."
"I agree," Herbert replied. "Just a signal to other people to know that this is a safe space to be who you are and love who you love."
The biggest positive from the last year for the couple was the expansion of their business.
"We actually just signed a brick and mortar restaurant lease. So, more on that soon. It's not like a big secret, but we haven't made the formal announcement yet," Herbert said. "We're in the business of hospitality and to, you know, especially moving into a brick and mortar space, to know that it's a safe space where that type of [negative] attitude towards queer people would never be tolerated."
Herbert and Mandolini did not have many negative things to share from the past year, and instead, have hope for what is still to come.
"There's so many things we can't control in this world, and creating a safe space that you can control is the goal," Herbert explained.
"I feel like it is a very scary time. And like in the past, I think we just lean on community," Mandolini added.
The two are proud of the ways in which their lives have changed over the last year — from night owls to morning birds, who work and live together in a seamless fashion.
"I'm so proud of the fact that we have been able to balance being like work partners and also just like romantic partners," Mandolini said. "We're a very good team."
"We spend so much of our lives working, and to have found a really awesome team who can, like, help keep the dream alive. Yeah, that's something that I'm super proud of," Herbert said about their business.
"A lot of unknown," Mandolini said about whats to come in the next year. "But, we can do it together."
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