PRESS RELEASE - Community Town Hall 10/26/26

4 hours ago

13 min read

Community Town Hall

October 26,2026

Live archive available on our Facebook page

Thank you for joining us tonight. To start, we’d like to answer a set of questions that have been floating around on social media.

We understand that integrity and transparency are pivotal qualities for this board to have moving forward, and we’d like to take this opportunity to embody those qualities.

There have been questions on our standing as an organization, our financial transparency, and how the board came to the point we are at today. As we have stated over the year, we are now an entirely new board, with the first half of the new board joining in April/May. Some of us have not worked in this context before. Since March, the members who were present worked diligently to untangle the situation they had inherited. When our press release was made about restructuring, we were actively within the beginning days of that process. At the beginning, there was a lack of awareness of exactly what the board was facing. As the situation became more clear, members of this board did their due diligence with the information they had access to. The new board has grappled with repairing infighting; relationships with other organizations, community members, and businesses; missed issues; and the curveballs that we all experience when going through life.

Specifically regarding our registration with the Secretary of State, there have been big questions in the public - why did “restructuring” as well as the gap in registration last so long? What is the financial picture? In addition, there is a perception that the board has lied to the public about the timing of board developments. We’d like to address that perception.

We absolutely understand that withholding information does not lend to transparency. We also understand we have the responsibility to deliver clarity to the public, and to come with unity to fix our mistakes. With what board members had access to at the time, they did not have the ability to provide the public with clear answers, as they were still learning exactly what the situation was. There were members of the board that had been withholding information from the rest of the board - those members are no longer present, partially as a result of this development. The new members did not learn about the registration lapse with the Secretary of State until late April. The serving president was tasked with restoring our registration, and that was completed by another member in late April when it was clear that it had not happened. Since then, we have been in good standing and will continue to be in that status.

As far as our financial activity, we have numbers for you. For charities, we have a 3 month automatic extension for registering for the year ahead to be able to solicit donations. We did inherit a mess of sorts. By 4/25/2026 we were able to amend that and return to good standing. Our current members’ financial access only goes back to March/April, so we are unable to verify anything that occurred before that time at the present moment.

$64,080.70 was awarded to us in 2024 for a developmental grant. We gave $35k to LBU for the needs assessment and deliverables
$6.5k on strategic board retreat to rebuild bylaws
Spending on board insurance, administrative maintenance, a full rebrand and website rebuild, and event investments. Website domain and maintenance portal, Nordpass, a storage unit, and reusable supplies for events like stage equipment, tents, and generators.
$30k was put into a CD

Now, after having addressed the big questions we would love to get into responding to feedback submitted through our Pride Feedback Survey.

Jacop’s identity
- There was a concern within one of the feedback form responses regarding our Board President’s identity. We want to make it clear that first and foremost, we understand the concern in making sure queer voices are centered in this organization for obvious reasons. However, we’d also like to clarify two other pieces of this discussion - it is imprudent to assume someone’s identity based on appearance alone. Jacop should not have to prove his queerness and validity on this board, and he was placed as President by unanimous decision made by the other diverse identities on this board. It is also important that we reiterate that allies are more than welcome to participate on this board and absolutely should - it is important to keep and strengthen ally connections. If there are further concerns, please don’t hesitate to speak with Jacop on this matter.

Are allies allowed to join? Absolutely! We value our ally ties and they are needed to bridge communities. Please, if you’re interested get involved!

Hilltop/Karis - the lot was donated to us, we do not have say or control on evolution of programs within Hilltop’s loss of funds, using the lot this year meant we could invest our available funds in supplies for longevity - tents, generators, stage, etc.

Pride on grass - we are comparing available options and have prioritized booking a park venue. This possibility is not guaranteed, but it is a priority subject that we will continue to work hard to deliver while keeping the location ADA accessible and disability friendly.

More marketing and notice - we have created a structured event rollout plan that will allow for far more marketing and are reaching out to other avenues to advertise activities

Parade - we did not get many float applications given the forms were released just 4 weeks away. We have made an intentional rollout plan with plenty of notice to ensure that the parade and festival are given ample time to develop. We know the parade is an incredibly important pillar of Pride Weekend and it is prioritized to deliver what the community deserves.

Drag-centric - we did have other performers and activities, and understand the photos posted didn’t highlight that. We absolutely will work toward making sure activities and performers are well-rounded and that our social media posts reflect that!

Conflicting with other community events - we have moved the date to better accommodate other local events while still making sure we have Pride at such a time that works with our climate and allows for our college-aged community members to be involved.

More collaborators - We are enthusiastically rebuilding relationships and beginning new ones around the region - we are excited to present these when Pride Festival Weekend rolls around, as well as through other community events we’ll be having this year.

More events, please! We have planned far more community events to have people get involved and provide more volunteer opportunities. If you are interested in getting involved, please visit our website or come see a board member!

We’d love to take this time to announce a few events, and then we will begin public discussion.

Living History Museum Project interest form is available now, applications will be released April 2027
Birthday Celebration in Early March - Lowell School
Pride Festival 2027 will be held August 27th-29th
Suicide Awareness Tabling - November 21st, Martin Mortuary
Re-igniting Coffee with Queers - launch TBD 2027, if you’d like to volunteer or if a venue would like to participate please reach out!.

PUBLIC Q&A

What is the best way for the community to get involved as we continue to develop events for the upcoming year?

Watch out for posts on our social media to keep up with upcoming events. Please reach out to us either through email at info@coloradowestpride.org or visit our website to use our contact form and/or fill out a volunteer application.

Do we have a newsletter for those who don’t use social media?

We are currently in the beginning process of building a newsletter and working out logistics for delivery.

Do you have a location planned for August?

Yes, we have Lincoln Park prioritized and are identifying other park or grass-based spaces to make the festival more welcoming for people with dogs and/or children. Reserving a date at Lincoln Park is based upon the NCAA/CMU Football schedule as that has priority with the city. Once that is out, we are able to reserve the park. There is also the factor of not being able to parade directly into Lincoln Park, but we are adjusting plans and looking at all of our options.

Med tent at next Pride Festival?

Yes, absolutely. We did contact a few organizations and medical providers to get professional staffing, but given the timing we were unable to secure staff. Several of our board members are CPR certified, and we do have basic first aid supplies at the CWP tent. An official med tent with medical staff will be at the next festival, and will have proper signage.

What are your major sources of revenue? Are there any fundraisers we should be aware of to help support Colorado West Pride financially?

As of now, we are rebuilding our sponsorship base and sources of revenue through grants, merchandise, and partnerships. We were unable to solicit donations for a portion of 2025 and 2026 due to our standing with the Secretary of State. We have returned to good standing and are now able to receive donations throughout the year. We do have a donation button on our website that is available throughout the year, as well as our sponsorship links for the festival and other events. We are also discussing a gala-style fundraising event. We are also discussing getting registered for Colorado Gives Day.

What happened to cause Colorado West Pride to be out of compliance with registration?

We are currently investigating what transpired before restructuring. This was initiated following the comments received in September. We did not have access to necessary accounts and documents until March, and immediately took action on what we were able to as we regained access and became aware of the situation. We are currently registered and in good standing.

Because there is a limited number of board members, will CWP be seeking a committee for the Pride event and these other small events, or will CWP be trying to do this all in-house?

We are always looking for new people to be involved at every capacity. We have discussed having a Community Advisory Board or something similar. We like the idea of having a 12-member board to give us more resources and capacity to look at big-picture goals. There is a Volunteer Application link available on our website, as well as our Board Member Application.

Is Whitman Park available?

As far as we know, Whitman Park is not available to reserve through Parks and Rec. There are also utility needs that affect our options as far as parks, which may or may not be available at Whitman Park if it were to become available for reservation.

Does the Board have an organizational framework in terms of decision-making and transparency, and how CWP might handle conflict?

Our understanding as a team is that we have the conversation - we look at things as “how can we tackle the issue” rather than “how can I go after the person making the question or discussion”. We also commit to removing our egos from decision-making and discussions. As far as conflict resolution, we have an understanding that we are not always going to agree - that still means we need to be adults and we must be respectful, responsible, and take the time to be kind and hear each other out. Our bylaws dictate that we have a 2/3rds majority vote, and every board member has equal voting power. The bylaws also include responsibility to cover necessary duties in good faith, standards of conduct, confidentiality, removal and resignation processes, and conflict of interest policies. We will also be having regular Community Town Halls for increased public transparency and input.

Who was specifically responsible for the lapse with the Secretary of State?

The board members who were involved and present at the time are no longer on the board. We do not have specifics on what individuals were responsible, nor would it be prudent for us to speak on that.

With the issue of the Secretary of State reporting, where has that money gone? If it hasn’t been handled properly, what will we be doing to ensure accountability and compliance moving forward?

We are currently in the process of investigating exactly the details of the situation between August and March, and what steps we need to take to rectify any potential situation with collection of funds that may have occurred - we are still collecting the specifics before addressing this with the public so we are providing clarity rather than more confusion. We are currently in good standing with the Secretary of State as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, and our required 2025 tax forms were filed.

Suggestion: Encouraged to go beyond ADA compliance and moving into disability justice by consulting with disabled community members about what their needs may actually be beyond the obvious things like wheelchair access - some may be able to walk without an assistive device, but may have other needs that may not be immediately obvious, like the uneven ground at Las Colonias or shade availability for those with conditions or taking medications that cause heat sensitivities. This year was much better, but shade and parking continue to be an issue.

We believe this is a big piece of where having a community advisory board would be a great move when we are able to do so, because we can have a lot more discussion and more diverse voices directly expressing this is what we need to see to enjoy this - not only the festival but other events throughout the year. We do also have disabled board members, but that does not negate the need for diverse community input.

Suggestion: accessibility form, a specific place for community members to express their needs without having to look for who to contact.

Moving forward we will make that a reality and make sure that accessibility is addressed on our other event-related forms.

To ensure equitability, how can CWP make sure that all of the events do not funnel into the pockets of a certain local bar?

We are very committed to expanding what our local queer events can look like. We’re expanding who we work with, continuing to collaborate with others and prioritizing solidarity, while also prioritizing branching out. We do think it is very important that we work with every queer-friendly venue that is available to us while continuing to make sure that we preserve and repair some of our relationships with other locations. Agreements that have happened in the past and driven previous structure are changing - the landscape can evolve throughout time and growth. It would be foolish for us to ignore that there is only one local nightlife venue that is an explicitly, outwardly labeled queer space, and it’s important to acknowledge that. However, we are not a bar and nightlife-centric organization - we are a community organization. It is best for us to allow the queer nightlife scene to thrive and continue to grow, and support their strengths while we build ours. We are committed to repair and collaboration. We are prioritizing working together, starting fresh, and hope that our community will meet us in working forward to that goal.

What are the milestones that CWP hopes to reach leading into the festival for this upcoming year?

We’re very excited to launch Coffee with Queers in following our goal of branching out. We are excited to see the year-round structure that we’ve created come to life and allow for better rollout as we move closer to Pride Festival season. We’re looking forward to meeting identified deadline “milestones” for progress in upcoming events. Our Birthday Party celebration will be a great way to celebrate as we meet the milestone of being just 6 months away from our 15th Pride Festival.

What kinds of child-friendly events are being explored this year? Are any of them not just child-friendly, but child-centered?

We are exploring the possibility of participating in PBS KidsFest - we attempted to make it happen this year, but it was just a bit too short-notice. Child-centered and child-friendly events are close to our board member Max’s heart as they are an elementary school educator, so we are definitely brainstorming and working toward having some throughout the year. If you are a community member with something specific you’d like to see, please reach out to let us know! We’d love to collaborate with youth-centered opportunities and organizations around the valley. Our Birthday Party will also be a family-friendly event. We are moving into a more family-friendly direction as we go forward.

How much will the parade be prioritized in the future? This year it was very small.

We did not get many float applications given the forms were released very late, only 4 weeks in advance. We have created an intentional rollout plan with plenty of notice to ensure that the parade and festival are given ample time. We know the parade is an incredibly important pillar of Pride Weekend in Grand Junction and it is prioritized to deliver what the community deserves. We are working out the logistics of moving into a park space and what the parade may look like moving forward since that would likely mean not parading directly into the festival. We know the downtown Main Street location is very important and are working to structure in such a way that allows both the Main Street parade and being in a park space to be a reality.

What is the range of CWP? What areas do we intend to serve? Is it Grand Junction, or broader?

Our goal is to collaborate with as many locations in Western Colorado as possible. We have been speaking with Durango Pride as well as a few other towns to work together to be present and collaborate, especially for underserved areas. ‘

Does CWP have thoughts about bringing Pride Events to Palisade, Fruita, and other surrounding areas?

We’d love to communicate with community leaders in those areas to get a feel for what this may look like and what their communities would like to see. The idea of a pop-up pride or something of that nature could be a fun possibility. Generally, our regular conduct is GJ-centered, but our goal is to branch out and coordinate to have regional events. With Coffee with Queers, we are assessing queer-friendly businesses to work with so we can bring that to those communities. Tabling at the farmer’s markets is also a possibility. In the past, we have worked with some businesses to hold fundraisers, so we are happy to continue that endeavor. We also participate in Paddle with Pride in Palisade as long as conditions allow. We’d love to do some Outside with Pride themed events that would allow us to explore all throughout Mesa County.

Are there any ideas or plans for cultural events that aren’t necessarily a party/performance or outdoor activity?

We are looking at structuring events that are balanced - big things and small things. We’d like to create some more hangout-space types of events and are wanting to be more involved all year round. We’d love to pursue more historical and educational parts of what activities can look like. We connected with Colorado Health Network at the Pride Festival and would love to collaborate with them to re-ignite the HIV/AIDS education work that is needed in our community in terms of current and historical education.

Will CWP be rebuilding relationships to try and gain connections back with those previously on the board?

There are many that have knowledge that want success for the organization. Of course - we are always looking to rebuild and reconnect, we are in a very open space right now. We would love to reconnect and make sure we are not repeating mistakes. We are pursuing growth, not exclusion.

Suggestion of bringing back Bears Brunch or Elders Brunch

Mixed reaction from the audience, but definitely on the table. Will work toward elder-centric event and other events to represent every part of this community.

Suggestion of more Community Town Halls

We will absolutely schedule more. Please note our board meetings are public meetings as well. If anyone in the community would like to attend a meeting for public comment, simply give us a heads-up so we have everything we need ready for you.