Jared Polis: Congressman, RuPaul's Drag Race Fan

Gay gazillionaire politicians -- they're just like us! 

Everybody loves RuPaul's Drag Race, including Colorado Congressman Jared Polis who recently tweeted in anticipation of the upcoming season -- which will feature an appearance by hunky former Denver resident, Ross Milam, btw.

Now, as a fellow Race fan, I just had to find out which queen was his all-time favorite contestant. And, drumroll please ... he chose Sharon Needles as his number one! Who knew she ever lived in Colorado? 

What do you think? Who is your all-time fave? For my money it's Willam Belli, hands down!

Nice To See StevieB: Boulder, My Boulder

By StevieB

My career path has taken me to a new position in scenic and perplexing Boulder, Colorado. Right at the base of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, it is the home to the University of Colorado, the JonBenet Ramsey murder house, and where Mindy McConnell harbored an illegal alien for five years, I admit this city has me scratching my head.

Now as college towns go, Boulder is pretty much the same as Austin, Texas. Sans the humidity, and the self-righteous inclination of being Texan that all Texas cities embrace.  Boulder possesses the same left-leaning green, outdoorsy, dare I say it “hippy” sensibilities. This is mixed with the extreme wealth of massive corporate headquarters, and the university with its drunk kids (wearing pajama pants at one in the afternoon) sprinkled with Prius driving university professors. 

This makes me want to experience the Prius section of the local Toyota showroom. A sea of tweed jackets adorned with elbow patches. 

“I’m sorry sir, city law mandates that all cars must be sold with bike racks, it’s what they come with.” The haggard salesperson would say. 

"Well. I see.” Says the tweed jacket. “I am from a place where this isn’t a requirement and we don’t end our sentences in prepositions.”

I will come right out and say that I love Austin, Texas. With my past interactions with Boulder, I am pretty much the right candidate for its unique quirkiness. The most expensive item of clothing I own are my Solomon trail running shoes, at any point in my life I’d rather be on my mountain bike, and I too spend my days wandering around the town in a red hunting hat.

What I’m scratching my head about this week is the empowered bicyclists and perderites. Sorry, not empowered. Jerkish.

As a bicyclist and pedestrian myself, I love the separated bike lanes and protected lights to help keep everyone safe, yet there seems to be a level of dogmatic hatred of cars that is embraced in this environment. Maybe it's due to the sadness of having to finally cut off their yellow wristband? I have not received so many dirty looks, fist shakes, or “fuck you’s” since my days in the Mormon Church. Bicyclists hate cars in Boulder. I just smile and nod, knowing that my Solomon trail running shoes are way more expensive then theirs, and I'll never have to cut off a cheap symbolic wristband of a fallen idol.

This post originally appeared on Steven Bennet's website Nice to See StevieB. Republished with permission.

Catch The Butch Factor on Saturday

Bent Lens Cinema, Boulder's GLBTQ film society, presents screenings of 'The Butch Factor' and 'Kavira' tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. at the Nomad Theater in Boulder.

'The Butch Factor' is Christopher Hines' smart and sexy documentary exploration of gay men and what it means to be masculine. From muscle bears to rugby players, rodeo cowboys to self-described "sissies", 'The Butch Factor's' insightful interviews - and eye-candy - make this fast-paced testosterone tour a must-watch film for gay men.









Preceding "The Butch Factor" is "Kavira", a short comedy from Finland. Boys will be boys when one's wife slips out to the market. He wants to try something new, and convinces his friend to give it a whirl on the kitchen floor.

Support scholarships for gay University of Colorado students

CU's  GLBT Alumni chapter invites you to contribute to their scholarship endowment. The group gives two scholarships a year to GLBT and allied students who maintain at least a 3.0 grade point average at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Go here to give to this important effort.

Boulder is the happiest city in the country

Cool Colorado Fact: Boulder is the happiest city in the country.

Boulder Pride organizes community forum to address preschooler refused enrollment because of gay parents

As first reported by 9News in Denver last week and now covered by news outlets internationally, Sacred Heart of Jesus School in Boulder has refused to re-enroll a preschooler because the preschooler has two moms.

Since the news broke, Boulder Pride, Boulder County's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and allied Community Center, has received many calls and emails from concerned community members and heard from many straight allied parents, who have also been angered and saddened by the school's decision.

Boulder Pride asks the gay community to join them on Monday, March 15 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the Boulder Public Libraryin the Boulder Creek Room for a Community Forum. The Forum will provide a respectful, peaceful space for concerned community members to connect, mobilize and organize further.

Boulder Pride also encourages the community to continue to write Letters to the Editor of the Daily Camera and to contact Sacred Heart School and the Denver Archdiocese directly at the contact information below:

Sacred Heart of Jesus School
1318 Mapleton Ave
Boulder, CO 80304
(303) 443-0684
breslinw@shjboulder.org

Archdiocese of Denver
1300 South Steele Street
Denver, CO 80210
303-722-4687
info@archden.org

Sounds like my kind of party: Carnival 2010 in Boulder

I'm just now hearing about this party but apparently it's been going on for a handful of years already. Bodypainting, nudity, and a benefit for BCAP?

Sounds right up my alley!

It's taking place this year on Saturday, February 20 at The Nomad Theater in Boulder. This is a 21-and-over private party so check out the Carnival 2010 website (site NSFW for partial nudity) and get on the guest list. 

 

Violent Soho come to Boulder

Masked behind an armor of flannel and denim, the Australian quartet Violent Soho bring their raging riffs, battering guitars, distorted angry vocals, and a rhythm section that threatens to flatten buildings. Hailing from Brisbane Australia's bible belt suburb of Mansfield, their music is a reaction against everyone and everything. The alternative noise-rockers will be in Boulder on October 29 at the Boulder Theatre with Dinosaur Jr.

Check out the video for 'Love is a Heavy Word' below.

In Boulder park, your bags and coolers are subject to search

Boing Boing's Mark Frauenfelder wondered if this sign at a park in Boulder really means that police are allowed to search your bags and coolers and such without a warrant and now I'm wondering the same thing.

Liberal vs. conservative: Boulder and the Springs

The Rocky Mountain News says that Boulder used to be as conservative as Colorado Springs, voting Republican until 1984. Luckily for Jared Polis, who stands to make history as the first openly gay male ever elected to a first term in Congress, that's all changed. How did granola-crunchin', gay-votin' Boulder get so liberal? And how did the Springs become ground zero for the evangelical anti-gay crowd? Check it out.