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Pride is to celebrate who we are today

Pride is to celebrate who we are today

It’s that time of year again. The hustle and bustle of the businesses, nonprofits and proud members of the LGBT community is in full swing preparing for what we consider the biggest LGBT event of the year.

Holly Hatch

PrideFest is more than a two-day celebration of dance parties and drink specials – although we’re not complaining about those. It’s a full-swing fête put on by the community, for the community, to stand in solidarity, to learn and advocate our rights, and to revel in the unique beauty of the flair, fervor and festive individuality that are the unifying fabric of our LGBT family.

No doubt many of you are in high-gear already, some shopping for sexy short-shorts and sassy pasties, some crash dieting to squeeze into that saucy outfit to sport in the heat of the Mile High sun, and many looking forward to the camaraderie found when we’ll soon be surrounded by flocks of like-minded – or at least like-spirited – people.

Yet our staff at Out Front Colorado knew we’d need to add a new perspective to the typical Pride mix. In our community there’s always focus on the future – winning equal rights, finding our soul mates, improving our relationships with our parents or families, and, this time of year, resolving to bulk up or slim down. But Pride is loving who we are, this moment, this life, this body. So we conceived a fusion of the Pride season – detailed in our Pride Guide insert enclosed here – by complementing it with a topic we’ve been long eager to breach: body image.

During a season when many give their bodies an overdose of stimulants, sun, sex and play, we hoped to take the time to honor our bodies as they are now. Not only as challenges or self-improvement projects or eye-candy, but as conduits of spirit and strength; there is beauty there in any size or shape, any color or complexion.

Through our bodies we share the experience of sacred physical sensation. Through our bodies we give and receive pleasure, pain, connectedness and passion.

And who more perfect for the job of writing the cover story than local sex educator Shanna Katz? She’s a leader in sex-positive and body-positive culture, with a passion for keeping it real.

Katz jumped right on board – as we guessed she would – as we were mapping out the concept.

All we needed was a group of people willing to pose – in underwear – and to publicly confess their triumphs and insecurities with body image. What an awkward question – and tall order – to ask of someone, yet in our free-spirited LGBT community perhaps it’s no surprised that many we reached out to were genuinely interested; skeptical, yet receptive and curious as to what it would all be for.

A week later, 17 people showed up at our office – surrounded by computers and cubicles – where a makeshift photo studio was arranged. Some were nervous or insecure; murmurs of awkward small talk and anxious coughs simmered until it was time to start. Most of the anxiety was coming, by the way, from our staff.

Volunteer Caitlin McGrath broke the ice. Stripping off her clothes faster than a magician reveals a rabbit from a top hat, she yanked her dress over her head and in an instant the whole crowd’s energy was changed. Soon afterward, our volunteers – most of them strangers to us and each other – were giggling and sighing in their underwear, confessing thoughts about their bodies that seemed to have been bottled up for years while we wrote their comments down. Chatting, laughing, munching on the provided fruit and carrot sticks like it was only a casual Sunday afternoon barbecue in the park.

Boudoir photographer Kim Harrison, with a cheery smile and sweet Southern charm, offered an extra boost of confidence as she snapped more than 1,000 photos.

It was the most inspiring photo shoot I could have imagined, and an honor for our staff and me to be a part of.

Along with our excitement about the cover story, Out Front Colorado is proud to debut an awaited re-design – new features, artistic elements, sections for flow and many new bright contributors are among the introductions in this issue. We’ve brought in creative experts, freelance designers and an ambitious, energetic group of interns to create it. Along with all that came a creative group of Web designers who recreated our website, now https://www.outfrontmagazine.com.

Come pick our brains – and let us pick yours – during PrideFest weekend at any of the three booths we’ll have open at Civic Center, or visit our Pride Party Best Bets where you’ll be sure to run into a friendly face, and committed team.

Thank you for continuing to support the community’s publication, for lending us your voices, opinions, unique perspectives – and your criticisms – that have allowed us to grow and improve.

We’re looking forward to creating lasting relationships with all facets and individuals in the community. So use us, abuse us – kindly – and help us to continue weaving together the unique fabric of our community. ]

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