I marched in the Denver Pride Parade with Colorado Leather. This was the first time I've marched at Pride: it was the first time I identified with a specific community to march with.

The solidarity was amazing. There were far more groups than I could count taking pride in their identity. The cool thing was a vast majority of those people were willing to accept me for who I am. I could be me, shared that and hold my head high. **And those other groups would support me just as I supported them.** The big we—the whole parade—were united in that acceptance, in creating a space where people could be themselves. And let me tell you a larger community where you can do things like hold the ABDL flag high with pride is something I can really get behind.

Then there was the small we: Colorado Leather and the actual group I marched with. Not only do they accept me, but we can work together as we each explore what leather means to us, growing together as we walk similar paths. I knew many of the people I was marching with already, but spending time together, connections grew and I found all sorts of new things we had in common.

My deepest thanks go out to the audience. That was a long parade, and yet many people kept up the energy, kept shouting and cheering until the end. That energy is a critical part of the experience. The audience was there offering acceptance, validating us as we stood proud, just as they accepted themselves.

A Consent Story.

There was a bondage bear on our float. One kid asked whether the teddy bear was happy being tied up like that. “Yes, he’s happy,” the person I’m marching with said, “we asked him if he wanted to be tied up.” We always ask. If we get kids talking about consent that young, the world will be a better place!

My Thanks

My thanks go out to the people who welcomed me to the community and made it possible for me to participate. It means so much.