The only distinction between Colorado’s LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) Community Color Guard and other entries in Saturday’s Veterans Day parade in downtown Denver was the rainbow-colored splash on its vinyl banner.
In near-perfect lock step, the 17 military vets representing the Air Force, Army, Navy and Marines marched alongside their heterosexual peers for the first time in Colorado history.
“We got an interesting mixture of responses,” ex-Marine Doug Denslow, 37, said. “Some people were clapping, but other people didn’t seem super-excited to see us.”
Clad in his perfectly-pressed dress blues with a neatly cropped buzz-cut, Denslow could still pass for active military, but he has been out of the service for almost a decade.
He was discharged in 2002 after 9 1/2 years of service when his ex-wife outed him to his commanding officer.
With the Sept. 20 repeal of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, Saturday was one of many positive new memories that Denslow is making, and he hopes this trend will continue as he attempts to re-enlist.
“The Marine Corps isn’t taking back any prior-service personnel during the first quarter of the fiscal year, but I will be in line on Jan. 2 to re-apply,” he said.
He is one of two color guard members who said they are seeking re-entry into the military.
Luiza Fritz, the color guard’s sergeant, is in the the process of re-enlisting in the Army National Guard after being dismissed during her second tour of duty in Iraq after it was discovered that she had a same-sex domestic partner.
Not all color guard participants were victims of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” according to 70-year-old color guard organizer John Kelley, but it didn’t make Saturday any less significant.
“Obviously this day means a lot,” said Kelley, who spent eight years in the Air Force. “We want this color guard to be a national image.”
Kelly said that the vast majority of the group’s membership served in either Iraq or Afghanistan, but they do have members who date back to the Korean War.
This is the second major public event in which the group has appeared this year. They served as grand marshals of Denver’s PrideFest held June 18.
Weston Gentry: 303-954-1054, wgentry@denverpost.com or
