On the final Friday of April, The Center hosted our first in-person Queer Prom since 2019! Held at the Tivoli Adirondacks, the evening was set in a multi-level space where attendees could dance, chat, eat, and connect with each other and the community organizations present at the event. The space was decked out with rocket balloons, hanging stars, moons, and planets, and rainbow astronaut lights for this year’s theme of OUT in Space.
In total, 115 youth attended the event. It was so exciting to see so many people attend the event, and more so, to see so many queer youth gathered together, supporting one another and sharing in the collective joy of the evening.
This year, Queer Prom featured music by Denver-local DJ Markie. As a resident DJ at clubs in town such as Triangle and Tracks, DJ Markie is no stranger to bringing the energy to an event and getting a crowd dancing and having fun. By the end of the evening, she had the whole dance floor packed with attendees, singing and dancing the night away.
Event attendees were also entertained by Charly Charmed Magic, an award-winning magician! Charly’s close up magic had youth and volunteers alike engaged and impressed by the tricks up her sleeve. Her friendly style and humorous approach to magic engaged even the shyest of attendees, making sure each and every person felt included.
Later in the night, two youth drag performers, Wanda Prize and Hunnie Bun, captivated the audience with several performances. The attendees were enthralled by the talented drag artists and cheered them on. After the performances, youth lined up to chat and get their photos taken with the drag performers.
Several community organizations also attended the event, including Bee the Vibe, BeYou by Children’s Hospital, Jefferson County Public Library, Parasol Patrol, and Unfiltered. From button making, to resources, to stickers and more, attendees were able to engage with each organization and receive some fun items to take home.
The most special part of Queer Prom was seeing so many queer youth together having fun and feeling comfortable. The impact and importance of a safe space like this was clear, and feedback received after the event only solidified this notion.
“As a non-binary youth, it felt amazing to be able to wear something comfortable and fun to a prom event without feeling uncomfortable or judged,” said one attendee. “This event gave me a way to participate in a common high school activity, but with people similar to me so that I could actually enjoy it.”
A parent of an attendee reached out to The Center, saying that they were “crying happy tears this weekend! [My child] had so much fun and danced the night away. They even exchanged numbers with a new friend,” said the parent. “[My child] is still glowing and that makes my Mama heart soooo happy!!”
We are so thankful to everyone who attended Queer Prom, to those who volunteered to help set up, take down, and chaperone the event, to our entertainers and our resource fair partners, and everyone else who made this special event possible.
To see photos from the event, click here to visit the Flickr album.