Colorado Stonewall 1973: The Denver City Council Protests

Colorado Stonewall 1973 is the October 23, 1973 protest at a Denver City Council meeting, and three sources name it three different ways. This page sets those names side by side, each tied to the source that uses it. It suits readers researching LGBTQ+ history in Denver who want the record behind the event. The reason to read it is precision: one night, one meeting, and three titles that can each be cited correctly.

The Gay Coalition of Denver is the group that Denver7 reports as protesting the Denver City Council meeting held on October 23, 1973. The protest was aimed at a single council session, so the date anchors everything else on this page. Anyone tracing the group should begin with the Denver7 report, which ties the Gay Coalition of Denver directly to that meeting and to the name "Gay Revolt."

The Denver City Council held a meeting on October 23, 1973, and the Gay Coalition of Denver protested it, according to Denver7. The Denver7 report on the Gay Revolt at that council meeting is the source for the date and for the group behind the protest. Each of the three names below points back to this one meeting, which makes the date the fixed reference for any citation of the event. A reader who keeps the date and the council meeting in mind can match any of the three labels to the same night.

History Colorado titles its story "Denver's Stonewall," which places the 1973 Denver events in the frame of the Stonewall name.

Denver7 uses "Gay Revolt" for the council action.

The City and County of Denver video is titled "Denver's Gay Revolt," which gives the city government's own name for the event.

A reader searching any of the three names reaches the same night. A state history body, a local news outlet and the city government each label the same protest, and that is what makes this page worth opening: it shows all three labels together, with the page that uses each one.

The record gives a date and a body: October 23, 1973, and a Denver City Council meeting that the Gay Coalition of Denver protested. Start with the Denver7 report for the meeting, then read the History Colorado story for the "Denver's Stonewall" framing. The City and County of Denver video, linked above, is the third stop. Reading all three gives a citable date, group and name set, and the next step is to open the Denver7 report first.

Read Denver LGBTQ+ History Before Stonewall: Early Queer Venues for the years before the October 1973 meeting. Amendment Two Colorado: When the State Became the 'Hate State' is the second page to open next.

Updated 2026-10-11: Fixed the two related links, removed unsourced figures, the Capitol Hill claim and the duplicated intro; tied each event name to its source.