ALAMOSA — SLV Pride in Alamosa on Aug. 24 was awash with rainbow flags, shirts, hats, shorts and many other items celebrating the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex, asexual, (LGTBQIA+) community in the San Luis Valley. The rainbow flag represents the diversity of the LGTBQIA+ population.
The festivities began with a parade of about 75 marchers led by the Denver-based cheerleading group CHEER Colorado, followed by a contingent from Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. The parade ended in Cole Park, where there was music, fun, speakers, and drag.
Many groups were present throughout the park with tables and representatives, including Adams State University, Trinidad State College, Alamosa Democrats, Valley-Wide Health, and Heart of the Rockies Medical Center.
Lindsay Miller with CHEER Colorado said, “We are an all-volunteer cheerleading team. Our mission is to show up for and positively impact and further strengthen the Colorado LGBTQIA+ community. We are one of a dozen teams in the country that are collectively the Pride Cheerleading Association.”
Miller added that the team has raised and donated over $100,000 to support LGBTQIA+ serving charities. The Denver-based troupe had 13 cheerleaders and two support staff at SLV Pride.
Sierra Willoughby, Chief of Interpretation, Education, and Visitor Services at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, told the Valley Courier, “We are here because the National Park Service is for all Americans. We do outreach at many different events, such as Pride and Hispanic Heritage Month. The Pride event is a community event, and we are part of this community and we are here to show everyone that the National Park Service welcomes all Americans.”
State Representative Matt Martinez said, “I think this is a great event; I'm really glad to see this grow over the last few years, especially after Covid. I've seen this continue to grow, and the community is involved, and we celebrate our LGTBQ + community; I think it is great.”
