Denver's Stonewall: Commemorating a Half-Century of Fighting Back

The same year that the Triangle opened its doors, activists with the newly formed Gay Coalition of Denver began dismantling the legal framework used by the Denver Police Department to harass gays, lesbians and drag queens. Like the 1969 Stonewall uprising in New York City, the group was fighting back against police oppression. Unlike New York’s Stonewall, however, the action was nonviolent and no one was arrested.

On October 23, 1973, 350 gays and lesbians showed up at a Denver City Council meeting to protest the city's anti-gay laws. At that time, same-sex couples simply holding hands, dancing, kissing and flirting could be arrested. So could men wearing female attire in public.

After waiting several hours to be heard, Denver City Council President Robert Koch told the activists that they had only thirty minutes to present their case — less than a minute each for the 35 people signed up to speak. When the crowd applauded the first speaker, Koch threatened to have them hauled away on sheriff's buses.

Koch initially refused to let the group show a graph illustrating the extent of enforcement of “lewd behavior” laws against gays, but he backed down. The slide showed that 100 percent of those arrested under the ordinance were gay. The presentation led to council repealing four laws that the Denver vice squad used to arrest and harass gays, sometimes ruining their lives and reputations. This wasn’t the end of police harassment, but it was a pivotal moment in Denver’s gay-rights movement. And today, the DPD is the first police department in the state to have an approved LGBTQ+ liaison.

In recognition of the fiftieth anniversary of the 1973 milestone, the Center on Colfax and Denver Film will host a screening of Gay Revolt at Denver City Council and the Beginnings of an Organized Gay Community at 6:30 p.m. Monday, October 23, at the Sie FilmCenter. The documentary chronicles the events leading up to the revolt and how they helped change Denver’s treatment of its gay and lesbian citizens. The documentary was directed and narrated by Gay Coalition of Denver co-founder Gerald Gerash, who was also instrumental in the 1976 founding of the Center. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with Gerash; Phil Wade, the first “out” teacher in DPS; and Robin Kniech, Denver’s first openly gay city council member.

Admission is free, but seats are limited; register here.