Denver’s PrideFest, one of the nation’s largest public celebrations of gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgender pride, was held this weekend at Civic Center Park. Prior to this year’s event, my experience with gay pride festivals was confined to the ones I attended in New York where they could be decidedly bawdy and bacchanalian. Thus, despite Saturday’s festivities being described as “family-oriented,” I was a bit anxious about dragging my oldest daughter along with me to check it out. It’s one thing to explain to a two-year old that some families have two mommies or two daddies, quite another to discuss the semiotics of leather chaps.

True to Denver’s intrinsic laidbackitude, however, PrideFest – at least in the daytime hours – was an eminently family-friendly affair. In fact, aside from the welcome sight of same-sex couples holding hands and the preponderance of rainbow flags, it was largely indistinguishable from other beer-and-funnel-cakes summer celebrations. All right, maybe there were more drag queens around and the dance music was a little louder, but this year’s PrideFest was only a slightly gayer version of Taste of Colorado.

And maybe that’s how it should be. In just 40 years, gay culture has gone from the underground to something quite ordinary. Even a few years ago, it would be hard to imagine such uptight brands as Chevy, Coors, and Wells Fargo actively courting the business of gays and lesbians. Yet here they are today, quite openly underwriting events such as PrideFest. I would be curious to see the reaction of the Colorado Springs “Focus on the Family” crowd if they wandered into PrideFest, you know, by accident. (“Is that Reverend Ted over there? Holding hands with that guy dressed like a pirate?”) It’s easier to see them being more bored than angry. After all, what’s more ordinary than mommies with strollers and couples eating cotton candy?