The ninth annual Colorado Springs PrideFest parade unfurled Sunday over six downtown blocks, a blur of church groups, men wearing black leather vests, one city councilman and an older couple in a green Mercedes convertible proclaiming, "We support our gay kid."
At the end of the parade, police estimated between 3,500 and 4,500 people filled Acacia Park for a celebration sponsored by the Pikes Peak Gay & Lesbian Community Center.
"It's a day to stand up and be counted, and not as a minority as people think of us," said Becky Lewton, who marched with her partner, Jennifer Porterfield, and Porterfield's 2-year-old son, Kyle. The boy chomped on an ear of corn and wore a blue "I love my gay mommies" T-shirt.
"We're teachers. We're lawyers. We're professional people," Lewton said. "(The parade) is certainly not a sexual thing, and that's what people think it is."
About a dozen protesters, some holding placards and a couple of them carrying crosses, stood at one street corner as the parade passed. The parade's master of ceremonies urged supporters to avoid them, and most did. Police reported no problems.
Last week's increased rancor about gay issues in the city prompted organizers to pay for about 10 extra-duty police officers to patrol the crowd. The event drew increased attention after conservative groups, including Focus on the Family and the Christian Coalition of Colorado, criticized Mayor Mary Lou Makepeace for signing a proclamation recognizing gay-pride week.
The idea of a recall effort against Makepeace has been raised by some of her opponents.
City Councilman Richard Skorman, who marched in the parade, told the crowd at the park that if an effort is launched to recall Makepeace, it should include all the council members who signed the proclamation - him included. Councilmen Lionel Rivera and Bill Guman were out of town and did not sign the proclamation, Skorman said.
He said the mayor would have faced controversy regardless of her response to PrideFest organizers' request for the proclamation. He said she made the right choice.
"If she would have said no, it would have been a statement to people here that they're not welcome in the community," Skorman said.
Frank Whitworth, co-founder of the local gay-rights group Ground Zero, estimated that 75 percent to 80 percent of the crowd Sunday was from Colorado Springs. He said in the past, such as in 1993 after statewide voter approval of the anti-gay rights measure Amendment 2, supporters were bused in from Denver to bolster the crowds. Amendment 2 was later ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court.
"I think it's a wonderful atmosphere," Whitworth said. "Of course, there are extremes, but what you see here is the community."
Someone wandering through the park Sunday afternoon would have seen far more dogs on leashes than men in drag. One could eat barbecue, listen to live music or buy a multitude of things - ranging from rainbow cigarette lighters to gas grills and new Subarus.
The banners in the parade heralded civil-rights groups, support groups, gay pageant winners and gay-friendly churches, including First Congregational Church, All Souls Unitarian Church and Pikes Peak Metropolitan Community Church.
About midway through the entourage, Porterfield, 25, and Lewton, 32, towed Kyle in a plastic wagon. The two women exchanged gold rings earlier in the morning as a symbol of their commitment to each other. Porterfield came out as a lesbian two years ago and split with Kyle's father.
To Kyle, Lewton is "mama" and Porterfield is "mommy." While Porterfield gets a card on Mother's Day, Lewton gets breakfast in bed on "Becky's Day" every year.
"We're no different than a straight family," Lewton said. "We argue about the same stuff. Believe me."
Eric Gorski covers religion and nonprofit organizations and may be reached at 636-0304 or gorski@gazette.com.