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Joshua Novak had not even considered skipping this year after hearing about the shooting at an Orlando gay club that left 49 people dead on Sunday. But his mother did.

“She texted me today and said she was nervous about it and didn鈥檛 think that I should go,” said Novak, a singer-songwriter who leads the Denver band Oko Tygra. “I聽basically told her with the anniversary of Stonewall, which ignited the modern fight for LGBTQ rights, that抖阴ap what pride is really about. People fought and died and suffered so we can shut down the city聽(for PrideFest). It would make no sense not to go.”

In the wake of the 聽at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub 鈥� now considered the deadliest mass shooting in American history 鈥� PrideFest organizers are continuing to meet with the Denver Police Department, Office of Emergency Management and Office of Special Events to determine which security measures are necessary to ensure聽attendees’ safety.

Denver PrideFest, which is run by the 40-year-old聽Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of Colorado (a.k.a. The Center), is one of downtown Denver’s largest annual cultural events. Last year’s PrideFest drew more than 365,000 people to Civic Center park over two days, and The Center expects at least that many at this year’s June 18-19 events.

“It’s not only people from all over the state, but neighboring states,” said Rex Fuller, vice president of communications and corporate giving for The Center. “We’ve seen a聽really extraordinary outpouring of support from other jurisdictions, like聽the Aurora police department, which has been really fantastic in reaching out to us.”

In addition to the 18 police officers scheduled to patrol Civic Center June 18 and 19, at least 22 police officers will provide security for聽Saturday’s Big Gay 5K and Sunday’s PrideFest parade. Fuller noted the plan聽is still evolving and that changes may be made following meetings with city officials this week. Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper is scheduled to speak,聽while other officials such as Denver Mayor Michael Hancock (who spoke at an聽impromptu vigil聽at ) have yet to confirm an appearance.

“(Sunday night)聽at the rally probably 10 or 12 politicians had been invited to attend, and probably 30 showed up and were on stage,” Fuller said. Additional聽vigils have for this week.

PrideFest promises to be a聽much聽bigger event. The festival聽features various stages of聽live entertainment and more than 250 vendors and merchants offering arts, crafts, food and聽beverages, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. June 18 and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. June 19. As such, its organizers see it as an event that’s already in motion.

“Everything at PrideFest is moving forward as planned,” said聽Dave Montez, executive director of , the state’s largest LGBT advocacy group. “We absolutely will not allow this tragedy to silence our community and cannot let it send us back into the closet. We’ve worked too hard and for too long to get where we are.”

One Colorado provides programming and other help to The Center for聽PrideFest, but The Center is ultimately responsible for its security and logistics. This year’s PrideFest will include a fence around Civic Center and an appeal to聽attendees to leave their coolers (a popular accessory) at home. Contrary to , Fuller said PrideFest will not screen attendees with聽metal detectors.

“It抖阴ap a three-acre outdoor park and logistically pretty difficult,” he聽said. “As we haven鈥檛 been faced with the need for this in past, it is not something that is in our current budget. It may also be a matter of availability 鈥� we鈥檝e not had to learn if metal detectors are something we could even rent for the event. We have had no issues with the current system of bag searches. Keep in mind, we have not received any threats here in our community.”

Fuller noted not only has The Center’s staff received training in handling emergency situations, but an “extensive safety plan” is in place for Civic Center, including bag searches, a weapons ban, parade route and grounds inspections and “cops on every corner.”

Despite that, past PrideFest attendees say it’s up to individuals to decide what’s best for them.

“I鈥檝e gotten so many emails from people this year saying, ‘Is it safe to go to Pride?’ And I don鈥檛 have an answer for people. You have to decide what抖阴ap going to feel safest,” said Sara Connell, education and services manager for Out Boulder. “For me, being visible and showing up is it. I need聽for myself to feel that this act of terror hasn鈥檛 scared us into being unable to show who we are. But I also respect people鈥檚 choice if they decide not to come. It’s a reasonable fear.”

Out Boulder is running this year’s festival on June 25. Connell said she expects last year’s attendance to double to more than 1,000. Before Longmont Pride, Out Boulder will also open its first on the city’s main street on June 24, with Longmont’s mayor and other allies expected聽to show support.

“These events are about unifying the community,” said Jordan Weileba, a transgender comedian who is co-hosting the third annual Women’s Fest inside Denver PrideFest this weekend. “Our bonds are deeply rooted in the fact that everybody has to overcome some sort of adversity or bigotry or hate, and in light of recent events, this weekend will be even more of a celebration.”

The events in Florida could have happened anywhere, a chilling thought to some but a reminder that Denver is no more vulnerable than anywhere else, said Patrick Brown.

“I appreciate that they’re tightening up security, but there’s no question in my mind that I’ll be going,” said Brown, the general manager at Twist & Shout record store. “It just drives home the homophobia in our society, but we can’t let go of our safe spaces.”

COUNSELING RESOURCES

For people feeling anxious or traumatized by the Orlando shooting, there are a number of counseling and mental health options available in Denver and Boulder.

The GLBT Community Center of Colorado (“The Center”) is offering mental health counseling at its 1301 E. Colfax Ave. headquarters 3-6 p.m. June 13 and 5-7 p.m. on June 14. 303-733-7743 or聽.

PFLAG is the long-running support and education group for parents and friends of LGBT people, with a current emphasis on the Latino transgender community in Denver. They offer details for support groups, Google hangouts and other resources on their website and on . Director聽Esteban Lee-O鈥橬eal noted calls to PFLAG were up 30 percent on Monday following the Orlando shooting.聽303-573-5861 or .

Out Boulder runs transgender support groups that meet on a weekly and bi-weekly basis in Boulder and Longmont. 303-499-5777 or聽.

Mental Health Partners is a Boulder resource offering free or reduced-fee mental health care to Colorado residents.聽303-443-8500聽or .

Naropa University in Boulder also offers a community counseling center with sliding-scale fees. Call 303-546-3589, e-mail counselingclinic@naropa.edu or visit