The gays are at it again.
The Pikes Peak Gay and Lesbian Community Center plans to send a letter to Mayor Steve Bach on Thursday asking him to issue a proclamation for the annual PrideFest celebration even though the mayor refused last year.
“We are pushing for a Equality Proclamation this time,” Charles Irwin, executive director of Colorado Springs Pride, said in an email.
” Surely he will sign that don’t you think?”
Here’s a copy of the letter the group plans to send to Bach:
Mayor Bach,
We are excited to inform you and city council that the 22nd Annual Colorado Springs PrideFest and Parade “We The People – Call For Equality” will take place on Saturday and Sunday, July 21 & 22, 2012, in downtown Acacia Park.
As one of the largest summer events in Colorado Springs open to the entire community, we’re proud to be celebrating diversity in our area with more than 150 local and out-of-state businesses and nonprofit organizations, including a wide spectrum of community support.
Mayor Bach, the Colorado Springs Pride continues to be recognized as a dignified voice that seeks to promote acceptance and understanding of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender community while maintaining our firm commitment to treating those with opposing viewpoints with dignity and respect. Along with the city’s firm commitment to promoting diversity and equality, we once again ask you and the City Council to sign the attached document, proclaiming July 20, 21 & 22, 2012 as LGBT Equality Weekend.
Should you or City Council have any questions, please feel free to contact us. Again, we are committed to continuing open dialogue within Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak Region so that as a community we can work to foster an atmosphere of tolerance, diversity, equality and respect.
Sincerely,
Charles B Irwin
Executive Director
Here’s a copy of the proclamation the group wants Bach to sign:
LGBT EQUALITY WEEKEND
July 20TH – 21ST& 22ND 2012
Whereas, the 22ND Annual Colorado Springs PrideFest Celebration will be held July 21 & 22, 2012; and
Whereas, the PrideFest Celebrations taking place throughout Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender LGBT Equality Weekend are accomplished by community collaborations between local nonprofit organizations, businesses and citizens of Colorado Springs; and
Whereas, PrideFest provides educational opportunities, recognition of diversity within the Colorado Springs community, and promotes an atmosphere of tolerance, diversity, equality and respect for all people; and
Whereas, Colorado Springs Pride and the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community of Colorado Springs are recognized for their positive contributions to the Colorado Springs community-at-large.
Now, therefore, I, Steve Bach, Mayor of the City of Colorado Springs, with the support of the City Council, to ensure that Colorado Springs is known as a city dedicated to embracing diversity and freedom, do hereby proclaim the weekend of July 20TH – 21ST & 22ND 2012 as
LGBT EQUALITY WEEKEND
July 20TH – 21ST& 22ND 2012
In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the City of Colorado Springs to be affixed this _________________day of ____________________________ 2012.
__________________________
Mayor of Colorado Springs
This town is to homophobic for this to happen.
Sorry, the mayor only represent some of the people in town and he’s verrrrry selective (discriminatory).
Just say no. Government should not be endorsing or sanctioning sexual preferences. Keep government out of our bedrooms! Just say NO!
I know the Mayor cannot support this, he is doing it for the children.
Mayor Marylou Makepeace signed these declarations from 1997 to 2003. Do you think that the city is doing better or worse financially than we did then? Did the end of the world come by her signing the declarations? Is this community more united or more divided than it was then?
Government has no business in endorsing or promoting citizens’ sexual preferences. Period.
Wasting time on these meaningless proclamations is, well, a waste of time.
Stand fast, Mr Mayor.
Gays need to shut or go back in the closet. I don’t see the mayor or any other politicians signing endorsements promoting heterosexual week. I don’t think the gays will be happy until we hoist a banner over Colorado Springs proclaiming “Butt Buddy Week” as a local holiday.
Maybe the straight people in Colorado Springs can have their own weekend in August . I wonder how many people would show up and if Mayor Bach would support this and sign a proclamation to support it .
Hmmm….interesting question?
Since the Mayor gas already said no to any Gay Pride proclamation, I see no point in publicly asking for one again, save to irritate him.
But if that is needful, next year the gay community should offer a compromise. We all know Mr Bach is seeking to promote the interests of business, so ask him to sign this proclamation:
“Whereas Gay JOB CREATORS provide employment for hundreds of local residents,
And gay little people PAY hundreds of thousand of dollars in TAXES to the city treasury,
And a two day long gay block party will bring hundreds of out of town visitors who will spend MONEY, enriching even straight JOB CREATORS,
Be it ordered that the Barony of Colorado Springs does welcome any money its gay residents and visitors may spend during their Pride Celebrations.”
That sounds like a Chamber of commerce/ Corporate sort of statement Mr Bach could relate to.
Ah, Rights, still with us?
You really need not fear the whole Pride in the Park thing, its quite innocuous. Tell you what, show up Saturday and you can see for yourself these events (sales booths and speeches notwithstanding) are 99% about your neighbors listening to music, visiting with friends, eating, and drinking – just like an NRA, Tea, or VFW party.
In fact Rights, show up Saturday and I’ll buy you a brew at the beer tent. The whole point is to welcome diversity, even grumpy old white men. : )
Frank,
Straight people have a party parade every Saturday night on Tejon Street.
I really see no reason to even bother trying to get our mayor to pay attention to smaller elements of our community, he only cares about bankers, lawyers and developers and that’s been made clear for the entire time he’s been in office. This isn’t a gay issue, it’s a people issue. He promised not to issue any proclamations for any issue and it’s been a lie he uses his office for his own benefit and those of his cronies and has no interest in being a Mayor for the people. He has issued proclamations, which I don’t have a problem with if he had the balls to say, I hate gay people and will not endorse them, instead of hiding in a world of deception.
I’m pretty amazed at how much hate is being spewed here. I feel sorry for you guys. I really do. You must be miserable with your lives.
This is not something that our government should have to endorse. It should not be pushed into everyone’s face anyways. And it is certainly not wrong to be honest and make a stand against something you believe is morally wrong. Just look at the name calling from the gay people here! Honestly, where is the hate?
Ha. Ha. Ha. Bigot Bach care about somebody other than himself? Funny.
Is it me, or does the hate seem to always come from the gay side of the issue? Strange to see someone called “Funny” calling another person a “bigot”. What are you taking pride in? Being mean? And hate seems to be the key word being used when someone does not accept or agree with what you are doing or saying. There are bad things in the world, and it is right to make your stand against those things if you truly believe they are bad. And that goes for both sides. But the words of the gay people here only make them look wrong in every way.