About Us
Our Mission
is to continuously improve the lived experience of our LGBTQIA+ community.
Our Vision
is to embrace, strengthen, and celebrate the diversity of our LGBTQIA+ communities across the mountains of Colorado through education, connection, and advocacy
Who We Are Now
Mountain Pride is an organization inspired and driven to serve the needs of our LGBTQIA+ communities. LGBTQIA+ people in small towns and rural communities face unique challenges in coming out and being out. Meanwhile, they frequently live in communities with few or no resources for LGBTQIA+ people, forcing them to travel long distances to access the services and care they need. Mountain Pride is addressing these challenges by increasing year-round programming for the LGBTQIA+ community in addition to the annual Pride in the Park. Mountain Pride is devoted to strengthening its foundation and expanding its reach as an organization by establishing supportive, safe spaces, enhancing family acceptance and understanding, and offering access to education, resources, and programs.
Proud Beyond Pride
Thank you Rachel Ledon for telling the story of Mountain Pride!
Our History
In 2020, the inaugural Pride in the Park was hosted in Eagle County did not have a pride festival. This resulted in forming a "Pride Committee" comprised of Eagle County residents committed to growing and strengthening the LGBTQIA+ community and its allies in Eagle County. Eagle County Pride hosted a variety of social events and meetings and self-care activities such as yoga and dancing classes. Resulting from the success of our outreach efforts and the desire to serve as a resource for the neighboring communities, our organization grew to serve not only the LGBTQIA+ communities in Eagle County but also the LGBTQIA+ communities throughout the mountains of Colorado, prompting us to change our name to Mountain Pride and recieve 501(c)3 status.
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While “Pride in the Park'' is at the heart and the core of our history and organization, our community needs so much more. That is why, in 2022, under the authentic and courageous leadership of our founding Executive Director, Madison Partridge and in partnership with queer leaders and allies across professions, ages, languages spoken, religions, etc., we set new audacious goals to be “Proud Beyond Pride”.
We got to work, first by listening to the needs of our community. Time and time again we heard from parents about the affirmation their children needed in their schools and classrooms. We heard pleas for safe spaces to connect with other people who identify as LGBTQIA+. We saw community leaders and workplaces requesting training to better support their employees and to show they saw the whole being and authentic selves of all employees.
We are “Proud Beyond Pride '' because our community needs us more than one month a year. We have a steadfast commitment to embracing, strengthening, and celebrating the diversity of our LGBTQIA+ communities across the mountains of Colorado by building community, providing opportunities for education, advocating for issues affecting queer people, and providing access to resources.
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In our first year, we provided over 5,200 meaningful touchpoints to over 3,000 individuals through our four strategic program areas. But beyond numbers is the story of one; one parent, one youth, one educator, one queer person whose life is forever changed because they now have a source of unified support. We are listening to individuals and our community every day. While we can celebrate how far we’ve come in just one year, we know that there is still work to be done so that all members of our community can be PROUD.
Our Sponsors
