Rainbows & Revolutions

Rainbows & Revolutions explores how LGBTQ+ people’s very existence in Colorado has been a rebellious act: from quiet assertions of identity to loud and proud demonstrations for civil rights, equality, and liberation. The exhibition features stories of LGBTQ+ Coloradans and their allies who changed the cultural, business, and political landscape of our state over generations. The exhibition begins with Early Advocates, looking at the 1950s and ’60s when some of the first gay rights groups were emerging nationally and in Colorado.

Defining acts of rebellion, self-expression, and solidarity are highlighted in this exhibition. Visitors will witness expressions of defiance, from demonstrations for civil rights and equality in the 1950s, to the high-profile revolt against Denver’s City Council in 1973.?Rainbows & Revolutions?dives deep into how Colorado dealt with the AIDS crisis in the 1980s and teaches about the devastating passage of Amendment 2 in the 1990s. In a nod to modern times and extraordinary progress, the journey continues with Colorado electing the nation’s first openly gay governor in 2018.

A timeline installed on the gallery’s walls dives deeper into the national LGBTQ+ history. The timeline highlights moments in Colorado’s LGBTQ+ history that visitors will have encountered elsewhere in the exhibition and puts them in context related to national events impacting the LGBTQ+ community. Altogether, 82 historical moments are represented, stretching from 1883 to 2022.