At Denver PrideFest parade, celebrations drown out Supreme Court decision in favor of Masterpiece Cakeshop

As floats made their way down Colfax Avenue for the Coors Light PrideFest Parade, there was a quiet undertone. Two weeks earlier, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Colorado baker who denied a same-sex couple a wedding cake.

But on Sunday, the decision in the controversial case that was framed as LGBTQ rights versus religious freedom was largely drowned out by a marching band playing “Y.M.C.A.”

Rainbow-colored flags, shirts and hair painted Colfax Avenue as a large crowd lined the street to cheer on the passing parade. People leaned over balconies and out of windows to watch while others observed from bar patios. A few expert parade goers sat on folding chairs in the back of pickup trucks that were parked along the street, sipping from red solo cups while under the shade of an umbrella.

Drag queens narrated the passing floats, including one that blasted queer singer Janelle Monáe’s “Make Me Feel.” High schoolers waved rainbow flags from lesbian pop singer Hayley Kiyoko that said “20GAYTEEN.” Dogs in rainbow tutus used their big eyes to earn pets from passersby.

Parade grand marshals Charlie Craig and David Mullins stood in the back of a yellow truck, waving to the crowd. They were the couple denied a cake by Masterpiece Cakeshop in 2012.

Read the full story from The Denver Post.