June 15, 2012 08:11 PM UTC

Guzman, Steadman, Ferrandino: Grand Marshals at PrideFest this Weekend

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• by: Colorado Pols

Denver’s annual PrideFest is set to kick off tomorrow, with Fab Morvan of Milli Vanilli fame headlining Saturday’s festivities at Civic Center Park — or at least doing an admirable job of pretending to headline, as it were.

The 80s lip-syncing pop star aside, however, this year’s PrideFest promises to be even more politically charged than usual in the wake of the contentious civil unions battle at the State Capitol last month.

While Democrats have long participated in the PrideFest parade, they’ll likely receive the warmest reception to date because of their forceful and repeated attempts to pass civil unions legislation in the face of House Speaker Frank McNulty’s machinations.

It’s fitting, then, that the Senate and House sponsors of the civil unions bil — Denver Democrats Pat Steadman and Mark Ferrandino, respectively — will be the parade’s grand marshals this year, joined by the legislature’s two other openly gay lawmakers: Denver Senator Lucia Guzman and Wheat Ridge Representative Sue Schafer.

While Steadman and company would’ve no doubt preferred this to be the first PrideFest following Colorado’s adoption of a civil unions law, this may very well be the last celebration without one: the speaker’s boneheaded impetuousness has all but assured that Democrats will have the majority they need to pass the bill next session.

Perhaps, then, it would’ve been more fitting for McNulty to be grand marshal.