Colorado Springs City Council leadership’s decision not to proclaim June as Pride month did little to dampen the spirits of the thousands of revelers who turned out for the annual Pikes Peak Pride Parade on Sunday.

Due to ongoing road work on Tejon Street, this year’s parade route was a little different, starting at America the Beautiful Park and proceeding along Colorado Avenue before turning south on Tejon Street. But the destination — Pioneers Museum/Alamo Square Park — was the same, and so was the atmosphere, attendees said.

“The turnout has been really great, and I think that’s important,” said Aspen Rawson, a student at University of Colorado Boulder. “The vibe has been really happy and joyful, and the music has been really good. It’s been fun.”

Colorado State Rep. Brianna Titone served as the grand marshal for this year’s parade. Elected in 2018, Titone is the first openly transgender legislator in the Colorado General Assembly, and is currently running for state treasurer.

Hundreds of vendors’ tents occupied the space around the museum on Sunday offering a wide array of goods and services, including food, beverages, jewelry, clothing, mental health services and other items that, in another setting, might seem risqué.

Earlier this month, City Council President Lynette Crow-Iverson said council leadership would not issue a proclamation celebrating June as Pride month, citing a desire to “avoid divisive or performative politics.”

On Sunday, the reactions from paradegoers ran the gamut from anger to apathy.

“There’s still going to be Pride whether the city proclaims it or not,” said Jack, a Denver-based vendor. “It’s nice to have the city’s support, because there’s an acceptance that comes with the proclamation. But it’s going to happen no matter what.”

“It’s kind of a slap in the face to the community,” said Kyle Crutcher of Out Loud Colorado Springs Men’s Chorus. “Legally, (the proclamation) doesn’t hold a lot of weight, but it’s good to feel recognized.”

Marius Nielsen, another chorus member, said there’s a direct relationship between acceptance and mental health among the queer community.

“When queer young people know they are accepted, it saves lives,” Nielsen said. “It’s literally suicide prevention. So for the city not to acknowledge the queer community, they’re just slapping down young queer people.”

Mostly, parade attendees chose to focus on the music, camaraderie and the overall joyous spirit of the weekend — a time where everyone, gay or straight, trans or cisgender — could be openly, unapologetically themselves.

“If you look at the turnout, you can see that we have each other to lean on for support,” said vendor Keyali Smith. “That’s what today is about.”

“We know that things in the broader world are bad for our community,” said Nielsen, who performed with the Out Loud chorus on Saturday.

“But to come here and look at the crowd and see that people are showing up, living happy and open lives — it’s so powerful. We’re still here; we’re not going anywhere. We’re going to continue to live up to our potential no matter how many people try to slap us down.”