Candidate for U.S. Senate leads Colorado Springs Pride Parade

As a fifteen-year-old boy growing up in Littleton, Colorado, Daniel Baer had no idea how he would be able to live a happy and open life. The year was 1992 and Colorado voters had just approved Amendment 2 to the state’s constitution, which made it legal to discriminate against members of the LGBTQ community.

It would have been inconceivable for him to imagine marching as the grand marshall in a Pride Parade in Colorado Springs. So when he was offered to lead the 2019 parade — alongside his husband no less — he was thrilled.

“The fact that Brian and I could march in a city that is relatively conserative in some quarters speaks to the progress made in Colorado Springs and elsewhere,” says Baer.

Baer is campaigning for the U.S. Senate in preparation for the Democratic primaries in Colorado in June 2020. Should he receive the Democratic ticket, Baer would face off against incumbent Senator Cory Gardner and stand to become the first openly gay man elected to the Senate.

Baer sees his potential election as a testament to the progress we can make through politics. “My being gay is not a qualification for being elected,” he emphasizes. “My qualification is having served my country overseas and at home. Having grown up in a much more conservative time in Colorado and having felt like an outsider, what I can bring to the Senate is a sense of empathy, particularly for people who have been left out and left behind.”

He takes a moment to reflect on the significance of this year’s pride festivities, which mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots.

“As much as pride parades today are optimistic, it’s important to remember their origin — which is equal rights for all — and that remains important for us to do in Colorado Springs and Colorado and around our country,” he says.

Previously an ambassador during the Obama administration and a former executive director of the state Department of Higher Education, Baer says that his background in public service combined with a fresh face in politics may be the golden ticket to his nomination.