Boulder Weekly 06.26.2025

As ybu are

ASK A THERAPIST: AM I QUEER ENOUGH?

P. 14

PRIDE STANDUP, GAY SKATE AND QUEER HISTORY

P. 20

CONTENTS 06.26.2025 20

ROCK CATS RESCUE PRESENTS:

The Amazing Am maz ma azing n ng

05 OPINION Protesting

14 ADVICE Ask Michele:

B Y M ICH A K . B E N

B Y M ICH E L E G O L D B E R G

Israeli policies is not antisemitism D A V ID

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ANALYSIS When does criticism of Israel cross a line?

B Y J O S H U A S H A N E S

Am I queer enough?

20 CALENDAR

Standup, skating and more Pride month sendoffs B Y B O U L D E R

W E E K L Y S T A FF

Acro-cats Ac A cr c ro r o -ca cat ca ats ts Dilly-Dally Di illy ly-Dall ly l y iin n

Credit: Justin K auffman

DEPARTMENTS

27

12 GOV’T WATCH

24 ASTROLOGY Whoopee!

Boulder looks to curb open comment

25 SAVAGE LOVE

13 BOCO, N AACP sues former BoCo members

18 MUSIC

Colorado Music Festival makes a statement BOULDER WEEKLY

THE BUG THEATRE JULY 3-20 2025 3654 NAVAJO ST DENVER, CO 80211

E xes and oh-no’s

BRIEFLY

27 NIBBLES

Better backpacking food awaits

19 FILM

Cliches and thin storylines crash F 1

30 ON DRUGS Longmont weed lounges in limbo

SSCAN CAN 4 TTIX IX

LOCAL RESCUE PARTNERS: JUNE 26, 2025

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COMMENTARY J U N E 2 6 , 2 0 2 5 V olume 32, N umber 45 P U BLI SHE R: Stewart Sallo

E D IT O R IA L E DI TO R- I N - CHI E F: Shay Castle ARTS E DI TO R: Jezy J. G ray ASSI STE N T E DI TO RS: K aylee Harter, Tyler Hickman CO N TRI BU TI N G WRI TE RS: R ob Brezsny, Michael J. Casey, Micha K . Ben David, Michele G oldberg, K elly Dean Hansen, John Lehndorff, Dan Savage, Joshua Shanes

S A L E S

A N D

M A R K E T IN G

DI RE CTO R O F ADV E RTI SI N G : K ell R obinson SE N I O R ACCO U N T E X E CU TI V E : Matthew Fischer ACCO U N T E X E CU TI V E : Austen Lopp SP E CI AL P RO J E CTS MAN AG E R: Carter Ferryman MRS. BO U LDE R WE E K LY : Mari N evar

PR O D U C T I O N CRE ATI V E DI RE CTO R: E rik Wogen G RAP HI C DE SI G N E R: Chris Sawyer

C IR C U L A T IO N CI RCU LATI O N MAN AG E R: Cal Winn CI RCU LATI O N TE AM: Sue Butcher, K en R ott, Chris Bauer

BU S I N E S S

O F F IC E

BO O K K E E P E R: Austen Lopp FO U N DE R / CE O : Stewart Sallo As Boulder County’s only independently owned newspaper, Boulder Weekly is dedicated to illuminating truth, advancing justice and protecting the First Amendment through ethical, no-holds-barred journalism and thought-provoking opinion writing. Free every Thursday since 1993, the Weekly also offers the county’s most comprehensive arts and entertainment coverage. R ead the print version, or visit boulderweekly.com. Boulder Weekly does not accept unsolicited editorial submissions. If you’re interested in writing for the paper, please send queries to: editorial@ boulderweekly.com. Any materials sent to Boulder Weekly become the property of the newspaper.

OPINION

WHEN VICTIMHOOD MASKS POWER

1495 Canyon Boulevard, Suite CO 1, Boulder, CO 8 0302 Phone: 303.494.5 5 11, FAX : 303.494.25 8 5 editorial@ boulderweekly.com www.boulderweekly.com

Protesting I sraeli policies is not antisem itism

Boulder Weekly is published every Thursday.

N o portion may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. © 2025 Boulder Weekly, Inc., all rights reserved.

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Boulder Weekly welcomes your correspondence via email ( letters@ boulderweekly.com) . Preference will be given to short letters ( under 300 words) that deal with recent stories or local issues, and letters may be edited for style, length and libel. Letters should include your name, address and telephone number for verification. We do not publish anonymous letters or those signed with pseudonyms. Letters become the property of Boulder Weekly and will be published on our website.

BOULDER WEEKLY

BY MICHA K. BEN DAVID t the Boulder Jewish Community Center ( JCC) vigil for the attack on the Israeli march, when the crowd sang H atikvah — the national anthem of Israel, a state razing G aza — I didn’t hear healing. I heard nationalism.

Some may see “Hatikvah,” written in the 18 00s and considered an unofficial Jewish anthem before Israel adopted it in 2004, as a simple expression of Jewish

pride. But it’s not. It’s the national anthem of a foreign country carrying out occupation, ethnic cleansing and genocide.

I was ashamed — not of grief, but of the pageantry, the self-congratulation, the refusal to acknowledge the blood being spilled in our name. This wasn’t an apolitical act of mourning. It was a pro-Israel rally in all but name, complete with the Israeli Consul G eneral and R abbis wear-

ing Israeli military dog-tags on stage.

Y ou can’t publicly celebrate a military campaign and then cry antisemitism when there’s backlash. That’s not how accountability ( or words) work.

As an Israeli veteran, I’ve stood at checkpoints, broken into homes and detained people who vanished into Israel’s military prison system without trial.

The occupation is not theoretical. It is daily, dehumanizing domination. And it is ugly.

The JCC was packed — to the point that Boulder County Commissioner Marta Loachamin and Senators Julie G onzales and Iman Jodeh, who showed exceptional courage in attending as a Palestinian woman offering her sympathies, were JUNE 26, 2025

5

OPINION herded into the gym like political footnotes. Clergy, G ov. Jared Polis, the state director of the Anti-Defamation League ( ADL) and every public official with a speechwriter took turns naming this violence “antisemitism.”

Antisemitism is real and terrifying. But calling every act of anti-Israel resistance, including violent ones, “antisemitism” flattens reality, distorts public discourse and blocks urgently needed accountability. We can’t afford to conflate identity with ideology, or use fear to silence debate. It erases the distinction between Jewish identity and Israeli state violence, and it’s designed to end the conversation before it starts.

Boulder City Council Member Taishya Adams, Boulder’s only current Black elected official — a consistent, courageous voice for peace and justice — was notably absent. K nowing her presence would distract from the vigil, Taishya walked Pearl Street checking in on business owners and their staff.

To me, her absence wasn’t incidental.

It was an exclusion. E ven here, those who refuse to toe the political line are pushed to the margins, their integrity treated as disruption. It’s yet another reminder that for all the talk of community, only some voices are ever truly welcome.

And then there was Linda Amin Badwan, a compassionate Palestinian woman from Jerusalem who lives here in Colorado. She sat beside me in solemn solidarity, holding in her heart the weight of upward of 7 0,000 Palestinians killed in G aza since October 2023, including over 15 ,000 children. More than 245 ,000 homes have been destroyed or damaged, leaving nearly 1.8 million people displaced. E ssential infrastructure — over 136 schools and universities, 8 23 mosques, three churches and more than 200 government facilities — flattened. The U nited N ations estimates that clearing the rubble alone could take over two decades.

Badwan and Senator Jodeh’s steady presence said more than any podium could. In the face of unimaginable grief, they showed up for ours.

Was the June 1 attack violent? Y es.

Do I condone it? Of course not. And I say that not as an armchair activist, but as someone who’s had several Molotov cocktails thrown at my head. I know 6

JUNE 26, 2025

what that fear feels like. I know the heat, the confusion, the adrenaline. I also know that the people who threw them at me weren’t monsters. They were people reacting — desperately, sometimes violently — to a system that brutalized them daily.

E xpressing sorrow for this attack while ignoring the far greater violence done in our name isn’t empathy — it’s complicity. That’s a hard truth, especially for those of us raised to see our identity as inherently righteous. But so long as we remain silent, the blood is on all our hands.

My heart aches for the Israeli hostages. E very one of them. E very family waiting in silence, rage, fear. They deserve to be free. Just as every Palestinian family deserves to live without occupation, without bombing, without checkpoints or midnight arrests.

One pain does not negate the other.

One truth does not cancel another.

What makes us human is being able to hold them together.

As we grieve for hostages, we must also reckon with the over 9,000 Palestinians who remain detained in Israeli prisons — many without charges or trial. Their families often don’t know where they are or if they’ll return.

Somehow, only one side’s grief gets amplified.

It’s wild to me that after all the violence I’ve committed in uniform, I still get a pass. I still get invited to speak, to mourn, to be seen as a person. But others who’ve lived under that violence for generations get reduced to “monsters” the moment they lash out.

I don’t say any of this to excuse harm. I say it because I think how we talk about harm matters. Accountability isn’t the same as erasure.

When G ov. Polis declared, “there is no room for hate in Colorado,” I wanted to believe him. But it didn’t sound like a promise. It sounded like a boundary.

Like some hate ( against Jews) is condemned, while other hate ( against Palestinians, Muslims or those who challenge Israeli policy) remains unchallenged. That kind of hate thrives, earning handshakes and standing ovations.

This selective outrage doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s fueled by a broader political climate shaped by Christian BOULDER WEEKLY

J O I N

U S

F O R

WEEKEND BRUNCH SATURDAY & SUNDAY 10 AM TO 2 PM TheDenOnEleventh.com

An attendee at the J une 8 Boulder J ewish Festival and March f or Their Lives demonstration wraps himsel in an merican Israel ag Credit: Sagan R andall

Z ionism, rising authoritarianism and farright alignment. There are more Christian Z ionists than Jews in the U .S., and their influence on U .S. policy toward Israel is massive yet rarely named.

After the attack, Boulder City Council suspended public comment.

Subsequent meetings in June and July were moved online. There isn’t an opportunity for general public comment until August, and even that may look radically different. On Thursday, council members will discuss further changes to one of the few venues members of the public have for speaking face-toface with their elected officials.

These may seem like small shifts, but this is how democracy erodes quietly, unless we stand up and defend it.

At the vigil, the ADL representative spoke of Jewish joy. But joy without humility isn’t healing — it’s indulgence.

If we want to be proud of our identity, we must also be honest about what’s being done in its name. Trauma doesn’t absolve power. Our history should sharpen our moral vision, not blur it.

Truth must come before comfort, BOULDER WEEKLY

especially if we claim to believe in justice.

If we’re truly students of Torah, let it show. N ot through pageantry, slogans or empty statements, but through courage. Courage to face the brokenness within our own community. Courage to stop using Jewish pain as cover for Jewish power. That’s what Torah demands. My parents raised me to follow it with humility and conviction.

As the prophet says: “What does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your G od.” Because anything less isn’t justice. It’s moral theater.

M icha K . Ben D avid is an I sraeli veteran and resident of Boulder.

T his opinion does not necessarily represent the views of Boulder Weekly.

Got another take? Send it to letters@boulderweekly.com.

Make sure to read our guidelines first: bit. ly/ O pinionRulesBW

JUNE 26, 2025

7

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ANALYSIS

WHEN DOES CRITICISM OF ISRAEL CROSS A LINE? A prim er on antisem itism and anti- Z ionism

BY JOSHUA SHANES THE CONVERSATION

Antisemitism or the definition offered by the N exus Task Force, a committee of experts led by the Bard Center for the Study of Hate. I am a member of the N exus group and also helped compose its 2024 “Campus G uide to Identifying Antisemitism.”

The controversy over this move indicates that many well-intentioned people still struggle to understand what exactly constitutes antisemitism and when antiIsrael rhetoric crosses the line.

As a scholar of modern Jewish history, I offer this primer that helps answer this question.

HISTORY OF ANTISEMITISM

There has been a sharp increase in antisemitism around the world since the Oct. 7 , 2023 massacre by Hamas and

that Jews ritually murdered Christian children for their blood. Other myths accused them of poisoning wells or desecrating the consecrated host of the E ucharist to reenact the murder of Christ; some even claimed that Jews had inhuman biology such as horns or that they suckled at the teats of pigs.

Such lies led to violent persecution of Jews over many centuries.

MODERN ANTISEMITISM

In the 19th century, these myths were supplanted by the additional element of race — the claim that Jewishness was immutable and could not be changed via conversion. Though this idea first appeared in 15 th-century Spain, it was deeply connected to the rise of modern nationalism.

E ditor’ s note: T his article was originally pub lished b y T he C onversation in J anuary 2 0 2 4 and later updated to reflect the shifting dialogue around anti- Z ionism and antisem itism . Boulder Weekly is repub lishing this ex plainer am id a sim ilar deb ate in Boulder over the actions and b eliefs of the J une 1 attacker.

Boulder C ity C ouncil m em b er T aishya A dam s was harshly criticiz ed for not signing a declaration condem ning the attack as antisem itic, req uesting instead that it b e describ ed as antisem itic and anti- Z ionist. O ther com m unity m em b ers have also pushed b ack against the b road lab eling of criticiz ing I sraeli m ilitary action in G az a as antisem itic.

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JUNE 26, 2025

THE MYTH OF A JEWISH CONSPIRACY

Modern antisemitism built on those premodern foundations, which never completely disappeared, but was fundamentally different. It emerged as part of the new politics of the democratic modern era.

Antisemitism became the core platform of new political parties, which used it to unite otherwise opposing groups, such as shopkeepers and farmers, anxious about the modernizing world. In other words, it was not merely prejudice; it was a worldview that explained the entire world to its believers by blaming all of its faults on this scapegoat.

U nlike earlier anti-Jewish hatred, this was less about religion and more about political and social issues. Antisemites believed the conspiracy theory that Jews all over the world controlled the levers of government, media and banking, and that defeating them would solve society’s problems.

Thus, one of the most important features of modern antisemitic mythology was the belief that Jews constituted a single, malevolent group, with one mind, organized for the purpose of conquering and destroying the world.

NEGATIVE TRAITS ATTRIBUTED TO JEWS

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s part of Harvard U niversity’s agreement in response to two federal lawsuits filed by Jewish students alleging antisemitic discrimination, it will adopt the International Holocaust R emembrance Alliance ( or IHR A) “working definition” of antisemitism.

This is a definition favored by many Jewish community leaders and politicians because its broad language can be applied to most anti-Israel rhetoric. This includes K enneth Marcus, who served as assistant secretary of education during the first Trump administration and represented the students as chairman of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human R ights U nder Law. In contrast, many scholars prefer either the competing Jerusalem Declaration on

race, referring to the language group that includes Hebrew. The term has since persisted to mean specifically anti-Jewish hostility or prejudice.

here are several accepted definitions o antisemitism eing used y organi ations today, ut they disagree over whether and to what e tent criticisms o Israel should e considered antisemitic, an issue complicated y the country s ongoing military action in a a Credit: Sagan R andall

Israel’s subsequent military attacks in the G aza Strip.

Anti-Jewish animosity dates to antiquity.

The early Christian church attacked Jews, whom it blamed for crucifying Christ, and claimed to replace them as G od’s chosen people. The G ospel of John in the N ew Testament accused Jews of being Satan’s children, while others called them demons intent on sacrificing the souls of men.

Medieval Christians added other myths, such as the blood libel — the lie

N ineteenth-century ethno-nationalists rejected the idea of a political nation united in a social contract with each other.

They began imagining the nation as a biological community linked by common descent in which Jews might be tolerated but could never truly belong.

Finally, in 18 7 9, the G erman journalist Wilhelm Marr pushed the term “antisemitism” to reflect that his anti-Jewish ideology was based on race, not religion. Marr imagined the Jews as a foreign, “semitic”

Antisemitic books and cartoons often used claws or tentacles to symbolize the “international Jew,” a shadowy figure they blamed for leading a global conspiracy, strangling and destroying society. Others depicted him as a puppet master running the world.

In the late 19th century, E dmond R othschild, head of the most famous Jewish banking family, was villainized as the symbol of international Jewish wealth and nefarious power. Today, the billionaire liberal philanthropist G eorge Soros is often portrayed in similar ways.

This myth that Jews constitute an international creature plotting to harm the nation has inspired massacres of Jews since the 19th century, beginning with the R ussian pogroms of 18 8 1 and leading up to the Holocaust.

BOULDER WEEKLY

NEWS nation. Anti-Z ionism opposes this, and critics argue that it should not be labeled antisemitic unless it taps into those antisemitic myths or otherwise calls for violence or inequality for Jews.

This debate is evident in these competing definitions of antisemitism.

R emarkably, the three main definitions tend to agree on the nature of antisemitism except regarding the relationship of anti-Israel rhetoric to antisemitism. The

In other words, the key to identifying whether anti-Israel discourse has masked antisemitism is to see evidence of antisemitic mythology. For example, if Israel is described as leading an international conspiracy, or if it holds the key to solving global problems, all three definitions agree this is antisemitic.

E qually, if Jews or Jewish institutions are held responsible for Israeli actions or are expected to take a stand one way or

semitic. On the other hand, Jews sometimes take protests against Israel in defense of Palestinian rights to be attacks on their Z ionist identity and thus antisemitic, when they are not. There are certainly gray areas, but in general, calls for Palestinian equality, I believe, are legitimate even when they upset people with Z ionist identities.

Harvard’s statement captures this distinction. It posted a statement that, “For many Jewish people, Z ionism is a part of their Jewish identity,” and added that Jews who subscribe to this identity must not be excluded from campus events on that basis.

This does not mean that Jews are protected from hearing contrary views, any more than they are protected from hearing Christian preachers on campus or professors who teach secular views of the ANTISEMITISM Bible. It means that they AND ANTI-ZIONISM cannot be excluded based In recent years, the relationonly on those beliefs. ship between antisemitism This does not, however, and anti-Z ionism has taken on require an adoption of the renewed importance. Z ionism IHR A definition of antisemhas many factions but roughly itism, which goes much refers to the modern political further. Many advocates of movement that argues Jews the IHR A definition use it constitute a nation and have a to label political calls for right to self-determination in Palestinian equality as that land.

P ro- P alestinian demonstrators hold signs at the J une 8 Boulder J ewish Festival, held in downtown Boulder j ust one week af ter the antisemitic, as well as Some activists claim that J une 1 attack on demonstrators advocating f or the release of I sraeli hostages taken by Hamas on O ct. 7 , 2 0 2 3 . Credit: Sagan R andall accusations against Israel anti-Z ionism — ideological another regarding them, again all three that they consider wrong or unfair. opposition to Z ionism — is inherently anti- IHR A definition, which is by design vague definitions agree that this crosses the line Harvard’s adoption of the IHR A definiand open to interpretation, allows for a semitic because they equate it with denybecause it is based on the myth of a glob- tion, accordingly, would mean that any wider swath of anti-Israel activism to be ing Jews the right to self-determination al Jewish conspiracy. speech that calls for full equality for labeled antisemitic than the others. and therefore equality.

Palestinians risks academic and legal The Jerusalem Declaration, in contrast, Others feel that there needs to be a sanction, even without any material disunderstands rhetoric to have “crossed the clearer separation between anti-Z ionism IDENTITY AND PRIDE crimination against Jewish students. It is line” only when it engages in antisemitic and antisemitism. They argue that equatCritically, for many Jews living in other thus opposed by students who advocate mythology, blames diaspora Jews for the ing anti-Z ionism with antisemitism leads countries, Z ionism is not primarily a politifor Palestinian rights as well as supportactions of the Israeli state, or calls for the to silencing criticism of Israel’s structural cal argument about the state of Israel. It ers of free speech more generally. oppression of Jews in Israel. IHR A mistreatment of Palestinians. instead constitutes a sense of Jewish defenders use that definition to label a call identity and pride, even a religious identiZ ionism in practice has meant the for binational democracy — meaning citiachievement of a flourishing safe haven ty. In contrast, many protests against J oshua S hanes is a professor of J ewish zenship for West Bank Palestinians — to for Jews, but it has also led to dislocation Israel and Z ionism are focused not on S tudies at C ollege of C harleston. T his artibe antisemitic. Likewise, they label boyor inequality for millions of Palestinians, ideology but on the Israeli government cle is repub lished from T he C onversation, cotts, even of West Bank settlements that including refugees, West Bank and its real or alleged actions. an independent nonprofit m edia outlet feamost of the world considers illegal, to be Palestinians who still live under military This disconnect can lead to confusion turing the work of academ ic ex perts, under antisemitic. The Jerusalem Declaration rule, and even Palestinian citizens of if protests conflate Jews with Israel just a C reative C om m ons license. R ead the does not.

Israel who face legal and social discrimibecause they are Z ionist, which is antioriginal article: b it.ly/ A ntisem itism E x plainer.

More recently, in 2018 , R obert Bowers murdered 11 Jews at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh because he was convinced that Jews, collectively under the guidance of Soros, were working to destroy America by facilitating the mass migration of nonwhite people into the country.

Modern antisemites ascribe many immutable negative traits to Jews, but two are particularly widespread. First, Jews are said to be ruthless misers who care more about their allegedly ill-gotten wealth than the interests of their countries.

Second, Jews’ loyalty to their countries is considered suspect because they are said to constitute a foreign element.

Since Israel’s establishment in 1948 , this hatred has focused on the accusation that Jews’ primary loyalty is to Israel, not the countries they live in.

BOULDER WEEKLY

JUNE 26, 2025

11

NEWS

GOV’T WATCH What your local officials are up to this week Courtesy: City of Boulder

BY BOULDER WEEKLY STAFF BOULDER CITY COUNCIL

O n J une 2 6 , council will: • Discuss further changes to open comment, the period preceding regular business meetings in which members of the public can speak for two minutes on a topic of their choosing.

Council has faced disruption over the past several months as participants use open comment to speak on Israel’s ongoing military action in G aza that has resulted in more than 5 4,000 Palestinian deaths. Meetings have been forced to pause several times, and council suspended open comment at its June 5 meeting, the first to follow the June 1 attack on a Boulder group

12

JUNE 26, 2025

advocating for the release of Israeli hostages.

Council last year passed limits on the size and display of signs in response to the upheaval. Since then, at least three speakers have been temporarily suspended from speaking at council meetings for violations. Council also instituted time limits on their own members’ response to open comment, offered at the end of meetings.

In May of this year, councilman Matt Benjamin suggested moving open comment to the end of meetings. Other suggestions, emailed by various council members this week, include shortening the length of open comment; prioritizing speakers who have not participated in recent meetings; limiting what topics

can be addressed; restricting open comment to only City of Boulder residents; further reducing the amount of time council members have to respond; and longer bans for speakers who violate rules ( currently, council is issuing 30-day bans) .

The discussion will be held after public hearings on the historic landmark of 337 5 16 th St. and updates to neighborhood parking permit programs and discussion of polling results for potential tax-related ballot measures, according to a meeting agenda.

LAFAYETTE CITY COUNCIL

A t its J une 2 4 work session, council: • Discussed a N ovember ballot issue to raise property taxes for a 20-year bond to fund a renovation and expansion of the Bob Burger R ecreation Center and the Parks and Public Works Service Center, and to build a new Civic Center on city-owned land on S. Public R oad.

Council agreed to ask the voters for funding for the BBR C and Service Center, but were split on including the

Civic Center, with some expressing concern over the uncertain economy and others not wanting to “kick the can down the road” for future councils.

Council will vote on the ballot language at a June 30 council meeting.

• R eceived a financial update in prepara-

tion for the beginning of the 2026 budget discussion in August. Due to uncertain economic conditions and slower revenue growth, staff plan to take a conservative approach to 2026 revenue projections.

Sales and use tax, the city’s largest source of discretionary revenue at $ 21.7 million, was flat in 2024. Staff indicated that K ing Soopers’ move to E rie, despite a revenue-sharing agreement, had an impact on tax collection.

Property tax was $ 15 .2 million in 2024, up 25 % from 2023 due to reassessed property values. Assessment of additional city fees is also underway.

A ll agenda item s sub j ect to change. K aren N orb ack contrib uted reporting.

BOULDER WEEKLY

NEWS

BOCO, BRIEFLY L ocal news at a glance

BY KAYLEE HARTER NAACP SUES FORMER LOCAL BRANCH MEMBERS

The national N AACP has sued former directors and executive members of the organization’s Boulder County branch in the latest development in the conflict between the national and local organizations.

E xecutive members of the Boulder branch voted to dissolve the branch in March — something the national org says the local branch lacks the authority to do.

The suit asks for a declaratory judgement that the branch has not been legally dissolved and for all the branch’s assets to remain with the national N AACP. Those assets include a checking account with $ 7 7 ,000 and $ 25 ,000 in G oogle stock, according to the suit.

Defendant and former Boulder County

BOULDER WEEKLY

N AACP Treasurer V eronica Sommers “ignored multiple requests from the Administrator and/ or N AACP to turn over the accounts,” according to the suit.

According to the Colorado Secretary of State’s website, the branch has been legally dissolved since April 25 .

“As far as we know, it’s done,” former V ice President Judith Landsman, who is a defendant in the suit, told Boulder Weekly in April. “And if N AACP national wants to push it, then they’ll have to challenge it legally.”

The 13 defendants named in the suit filed June 16 in U .S District Court also include former N AACP of Boulder County President Annett James and former Criminal Justice Chair Darren O’Connor, who said in an email to Boulder Weekly they are not making any statements at this time.

The conflict began in 2021, according to the suit, when members of the Boulder branch “engaged in conduct which was inimical to the best interests of the N AACP” and leadership showed a “continued pattern of refusal to abide

by the N AACP Constitution and Bylaws.”

The Boulder branch has previously said the decision to disband stemmed from its ongoing dispute with the City of Boulder.

The group opposed Stephen R edfearn’s 2024 appointment as police chief and had repeatedly called for his resignation. The messy conflict included the branch releasing a partial transcript of a meeting with the police chief and city officials, and the city previously filing a complaint about executive members of the Boulder branch with the national N AACP for secretly recording the meeting and “threatening” to release it if R edfearn was appointed. The group accused the city of a “relentless campaign… to discredit and undermine and ultimately destroy our branch.”

According to the suit, all defendants have been suspended by the national org and “have been divested of all authority to act on behalf of the Branch or N AACP.” The national branch also claims that the Boulder branch’s actions effectively halted donations through the website and stopped new members from joining.

The complaint accuses the defendants

of breaching fiduciary duty, conversion, civil theft and civil conspiracy.

IN OTHER NEWS…

• The Boulder Safeway at 3325 28 th St.

has joined at least 20 other Colorado stores in an ongoing unfair labor practices strike. The strike began June 15 .

• A federal judge ruled last week that the hate crime charge in the June 1 Pearl Street attack can move forward. The attacker now faces nine hate crime charges, with prosecutors arguing he targeted his victims based on “actual or perceived national origin.”

• T he L ongm ont H erald, an independent community newsletter and Substack covering Longmont, is taking a pause, its founder Adam Steininger announced June 21. “[ I] t’s been a bumpy road. Financially and emotionally,” he wrote in the announcement. “I’ve sacrificed a lot, probably too much, to try to make this work. And despite my best efforts, the Herald hasn’t yet reached the point where it can support me in return.”

JUNE 26, 2025

13

ADVICE

AM I QUEER ENOUGH? ‘ Q ueerness is not a test; it’ s a truth’

BY MICHELE GOLDBERG FIND YOUR CENTER, A THERAPY COLLECTIVE Q: Can I call myself q ueer? I’m not into P D A . I don’t wear pride gear.

S ometimes I’m in relationships that don’t look q ueer from the outside.

A: I’m so sorry the world has made you question yourself. E ven within our community, peers can other us, leading us to question if we fit in or know ourselves at all. Let’s tease this apart.

Queer people don’t express or hide arbitrarily, but as survival strategies based on our perception of danger. Sometimes we reduce visibility for immediate protection. Or we get loud to show we will not shrink or be silenced by systemic intimidation. We “fight” to maintain our ground and our long-term right to exist.

WHAT DOES QUEER EVEN MEAN?

Y ou’re not into PDA. Y ou’re bi or pan but currently in a hetero-looking relationship.

I’ve been there, and pan erasure is real.

Bicultural exclusion can lead us to question our validity if who we happen to like right now doesn’t represent every single thing we’re open to liking. What if you don’t wear pronoun pins? Y ou’re shy at

Queer is a broad, inclusive term for people whose gender identity, romantic orientation or sexuality falls outside heterosexual and cisgender norms. For many, it feels more open-ended or flexible than specific labels. It allows space for fluidity, questioning, evolving identity and solidarity across LG BTQIA+ communities.

Queerness is not just about who you’re attracted to. It’s also about resisting conformity and disrupting binaries.

And it’s the capacity for attraction, connection or self-identification, not a mandate to feel or pursue something continuously.

The term was widely used as a slur, but reclaiming it has become a way of challenging systems that marginalize us.

ARE YOU STILL QUEER IF…?

Pride. Y ou don’t announce your identity.

Does that mean you’re not queer enough?

Of course not. Y ou belong. As you are.

E ven when you’re uncertain — especially when you’re uncertain.

Y our queerness isn’t just who you’re attracted to or your gender. It’s the way you challenge norms and resist systems of oppression, conformity and binaries. It’s the lens you move through life with, even if no one else can see it.

Y ou may not have experienced the greatest visibility or hardship relative to others in the queer community. That does not invalidate your identity or your right to claim it. But some who endured greater risk, pain or rejection, or lack the option to blend in, may feel hurt and protective of queer spaces. We can hold both: Acknowledge your privilege with humility and support those with greater challenges as a mark of solidarity.

While adapting our presentation in a hostile climate is natural and all expressions of queerness are welcome, it’s complicated when we feel pressure to present a certain way as a form of social advocacy. If our outward choices don’t align with our genuine preferences, styles, partner interests or senses of self, we can lose touch with our own authenticity. A queer woman might hesitate to date a cis man because it feels threaten-

ing to her identity or fails to promote our idea of queer community.

N avigating the tension between personal truths and public expressions of queerness is part of the work. How do we stay true to ourselves?

THE PHASES OF BEING SEEN

Some of us go through a militant phase when we come out wearing every flag.

We need the world to know. Later, that urgency can soften. We integrate. Our queerness feels like just one part, not the center of our identities. We no longer feel the need to explain, perform or justify. We exist, and that’s enough.

For others, it’s the reverse: starting quietly, becoming louder over time as we feel safe, as we advocate and as we embrace our individual temperaments.

Quiet expression is not “graduated” queerness, and loudness isn’t immaturity.

The evolution of visibility is personal, not hierarchical. We can go from exploratory to militant, disillusioned, integrated and quiet in repeat, non-sequential patterns.

We shift depending on our safety, our surroundings or what the moment demands of us. We’re still queer through all of it.

If you’re a trans man who simply says, ‘ I’m a man,’ that’s not hiding: That’s truth.

Y ou don’t owe anyone your history. But maybe your past matters to you — not as

NAVIGATING VISIBILITY IN A HOSTILE CLIMATE

Our existence is political, whether we want it to be or not.

The rise in anti-trans legislation, renewed policing of identity and erosion of bodily autonomy aren’t abstract politics — they’re lived realities. When humans perceive threat, our nervous systems adapt: We fight, we flee, we freeze, we fawn.

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JUNE 26, 2025

BOULDER WEEKLY

TITLE a confession or seeking validation, but as a lens and a way to connect. Maybe being AFAB ( assigned female at birth) shaped how you experience power, empathy or connection. Perhaps saying ‘ I’m trans’ isn’t about being visible, but whole.

There’s no right way to disclose. Just the way that feels right to you.

THE POWER AND LIMITS OF LANGUAGE AND LABELS

Language creates a paradox: Identity labels can free us or confine us, depending on how they’re used. When we choose them for ourselves, they can offer self-knowledge, connection and community. But when demanded or misused by others, they reduce us to something smaller than our full selves.

There’s a strange tension in naming who we are. Who wants to be boxed in?

As if choosing a word is signing a contract with the world about who we’re allowed to be forever. Often, it’s less about understanding ourselves and more about making others comfortable.

Labels can become shortcuts for other people to file us away, to feel like they “get” us.

Language also opens doors. For many of us, stumbling across a word like “queer,” “nonbinary” or “genderfluid” changes everything. Suddenly we see ourselves. Language can give shape to experiences we didn’t know anyone else had. It offers a shared code, a way to say, “Y ou, too! ” Maybe the trick is to hold language lightly, to keep it only if it serves.

Freedom is the space to choose what aligns with our authentic in-the-moment selves.

Our identities evolve. It’s completely valid for desires to change over time and for something that once felt right to no longer fit. In other words, there is no pressure to stay queer forever, nor is there a value judgment that you are superior or a more open, progressive person based on the nature of your desire.

WHAT COMMUNITY SHOULD FEEL LIKE

N ot every space that calls itself inclusive actually is. Here’s how you know a social context is good for you: Y ou’re not masking. Y ou have access to your real tone, humor and opinions.

People are curious about you. Y ou feel seen. Y ou don’t have to dim yourself.

Y ou don’t have to explain your identity.

Y ou’re not on the defensive. Y our presence matters.

These aren’t luxuries. When we feel safe, we blossom. We should foster this in every space.

BELONGING WITHOUT PROVING

Y ou don’t have to perform queerness to claim it. But we also have a responsibility to one another. Our queerness is personal, but our liberation is collective. We should support our shared mission of equality and acceptance.

Whether that means attending a rally, calling out homophobia at work or checking in on a friend who’s struggling, we each get to decide what solidarity looks like in real time. And sometimes we face messy tensions, like realizing a certain political value aligns with a party that doesn’t affirm your right to exist.

How do you hold that contradiction?

How do you show up, even when you’re unsure?

There are no easy answers. Just honest questions and the willingness to keep asking.

1300 BLOCK OF THE PEARL STREET MALL BEER GARDEN OPENS AT 5:30 PM

Performance Lineup

SO ARE YOU QUEER ENOUGH?

Y es. E ven if you’re quiet. E ven if you don’t fit the mold. E ven if other queer people have made you feel like you don’t belong. Y ou do.

Because queerness is not a test; it’s a truth. Y ou are already enough — exactly as you are.

Write in with your questions: bit.ly/ AskaTherapistBW. And check Find Y our Center Therapy’s blog for a deeper dive: findyourcentertherapy.com/ blog.

T his colum n provides general m ental health insights. T his advice is for inform ational/ entertainm ent purposes only and does not constitute professional, personaliz ed m edical, psychological or therapeutic treatm ent. While we strive for accuracy and inclusion, our feedb ack m ay not account for all com peting theories and research in the field.

BOULDER WEEKLY

Presented by:

Produced by:

Supported by:

BandsOnTheBricks.com JUNE 26, 2025

15

MUSIC

‘A BIG STATEMENT’ C olorado M usic F estival approaches half a century with rob ust program of contrasts

BY KELLY DEAN HANSEN

N

NOT ‘A NORMAL CONCERT’

Oundjian likes to open the festival with a major guest artist playing a major concerto, a role filled this year by French pianist Hé lè ne G rimaud. Considered “an extraordinary pianist and person” by Oundjian, she has been on the world’s biggest stages for more than 30 years. She plays the tremendous and dramatic First Piano Concerto by Johannes Brahms, whose first movement alone is of titanic scope.

The concert also celebrates the 15 0th birthday of French composer Maurice R avel, with Oundjian directing the second

written much later than the concerto.

“Hearing them in consecutive weeks will be fascinating,” Oundjian says.

The program includes another world premiere, a saxophone concerto by renowned composer Joan Tower. “Joan is becoming a face of the festival at this point, and seems almost like my older sister,” Oundjian says. An entire program of her music including a world premiere — an unusual feat for a living composer — was presented by the festival in 2021.

Saxophonist Steven Banks also amazed the audience in 2021, so

ext year is set to be a big one for milestones. During the Colorado Music Festival’s 5 0th anniversary at Chautauqua Auditorium in the summer of 2026 , the U .S. will celebrate its 25 0th birthday and Colorado its 15 0th. Music director Peter Oundjian says the landmark season of the annual five-week classical music concert series at Chautauqua Auditorium is mostly planned out — and the path leading there begins this summer.

He sees the upcoming festival beginning July 3 as a launching point.

That’s particularly true when it comes to the conclusion the first weekend of August with two immortal ninth symphonies, both the last completed by their composers Ludwig van Beethoven and G ustav Mahler.

“K nowing the 5 0th anniversary was coming up, I wanted to make the 49th seem significant,” Oundjian says. “Doing these two symphonies on the closing weekend felt like a massive celebration and a big statement, and the contrast is fantastic.”

Beethoven’s N inth ends with a “Knowing the 50th anniversary was coming up, I wanted to make the 49th seem significant,” says Colorado grand choral finale, the first in the Music Festival Director P eter O undj ian. Credit: G eremy K ornreich symphonic literature, and Mahler’s fades into eternity, an illustration of death ballet suite from D aphnis et C hloé and the Oundjian brought them together. “They hit it off so well, and I asked her to compose in music. “The symphonies are both fareextremely familiar Bolé ro. a concerto for his instrument,” Oundjian wells to many things,” Oundjian says.

“Y ou don’t really program Bolé ro in a says.

The Beethoven piece will be heard July normal concert,” Oundjian says, noting its The new work is titled L ove R eturns.

31 and Aug. 1, with Mahler following Aug. place in popular culture ranging from The The concert opens with A n O utdoor 3. Mahler’s work stands on its own, but Three Stooges to F uturam a. “With the O verture by Aaron Copland, another comthe Beethoven concerts will have a brief anniversary, it is appropriate, and the poser with a significant birth anniversary, opening half. With Denver’s St. Martin’s Brahms gives the concert its substance.” his 125 th.

Festival Singers on hand, Oundjian is Stravinsky’s orchestral fantasy F eu having them present Beethoven’s short d’ artifice ( F ireworks) opens the program E legiac S ong, and the orchestra will play and the festival. Another Brahms First ‘PART OF THE COMMUNITY’ a commissioned world premiere, A m plify anchors the following orchestral program R avel appears again on the program for by composer Michael Abels.

July 10 and 11. The First Symphony was July 17 and 18 , with guest violinist Anne

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JUNE 26, 2025

Akiko Meyers playing his virtuoso work T z igane.

“She plays one of the greatest violins ever made,” Oundjian says of Meyers, who also plays the second performance of E ric Whitacre’s M urm ur, which he wrote for her. “The piece became a memorial to the January fires in Los Angeles, where Whitacre has spent much of his life.”

This concert opens with Copland’s ubiquitous A ppalachian S pring. For the second half, Oundjian conducts two overtures with a Shakespeare theme, Tchaikovsky’s very well known R om eo and J uliet Fantasy Overture and Berlioz’s lesser known overture to his opera Bé atrice et Bé né dict.

Besides the closing Mahler concert, Oundjian directs one other Sunday event July 27 featuring guitarist X uefei Y ang playing R odrigo’s C oncierto de A ranj uez .

“We don’t do guitar concertos very often, and that’s kind of a shame,” Oundjian says. The R odrigo piece works well with Z oltá n K odá ly’s D ances of G alá nta, which opens the program, he says. “They both have a rustic quality and come from different parts of E urope, Hungary and Spain.”

The program closes with Franz Schubert’s delightful Fifth Symphony, which Oundjian calls “one of the most perfect pieces ever written.”

With this program on the near horizon and a major milestone around the corner, Oundjian is now a solid fixture in Colorado. This year he was officially named music director of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra in Denver after serving as principal conductor.

“I really feel part of the community now,” he says. “I’m extremely excited for this summer, and I have all the scores spread out on my floor. I really want every festival to seem like my favorite.”

ON THE BILL: The Colorado Music Festival 2 0 2 5 season opener f eat. pianist Hé lè ne G rimaud.

7 :30 p.m. Thursday, July 3 and 6 :30 p.m. Sunday, July 6 , Chautauqua Auditorium, 900 Baseline R oad, Boulder. $ 23-$ 100.5 0 BOULDER WEEKLY

FILM

VROOM VROOM C liché s and thin storylines crash ‘ F 1 ’

Sonny Hayes ( Brad P itt) suits up f or one more lap in F1 : T he M ovie.

Courtesy: Warner Bros

BY MICHAEL J. CASEY

S

ure, he’s handsome, but can he drive? Y ou bet. His name is Sonny Hayes ( Brad Pitt) , and he can drop behind the wheel of a Formula One racecar, take it for a spin and tell you exactly what’s wrong with it. After he crashes it, that is. It only cost, what, $ 15 0,000? What’s 15 0 among friends?

Sonny’s old racing pal, R uben ( Javier Bardem) , is hemorrhaging money to the tune of $ 35 0 million, and his team hasn’t won a race or even scored a point all season. If R uben can’t turn it around, it’s the ax. That’s why he needs Sonny, a washed-up driver 30 years past his prime, to turn his team of misfit toys around.

If this were a mid-century French novel, Sonny would be an existential hero. We would know nothing of his backstory and his demons, nada of his hopes and dreams. His actions would explain his character, and we would ask for nothing more. But this isn’t a French existential novel; this is F 1 : T he M ovie — a Hollywood blockbuster from Warner BOULDER WEEKLY

Bros. engineered to make a boatload of money on the backs of stale formulas and the lowest common denominator.

Instead of a mysterious figure wandering out of the past to perfect the present, we know more than we want, including a dreadfully written scene where Sonny explains how it feels to go fast. I’m speculating here, but Pitt delivers this monologue with so little conviction he probably thought they would cut it out. N o such luck, Brad.

Written by E hren K ruger and directed

by Joseph K osinski, F 1 isn’t a movie; it’s a product placement bonanza. If you’ve seen a race you know these drivers are covered head to toe with sponsors — as is Sonny and teammate Joshua Pearce ( Damson Idris) , so points for realism.

But must they constantly stand in front of banners for Heineken 0.0, Crypto.com and all the other companies that ponied up for this globetrotting advert?

What did all that money buy? Cliché s and little else. K ruger and K osinski contrive R uben’s outfit to be the li’l team

that could with the pit crew haphazardly dropping their tools, the car’s designer, K ate ( K erry Condon) , flummoxed by the “dirty air” in the turns and Pearce’s inability to become the driver everyone thinks he is. E nter Sonny and his bag of old-school tricks. Watch as he jogs around the track! Marvel as he juggles tennis balls and flicks playing cards into a hat!

G ive me a break. R uben’s facility is state-of-the-art, K ate is a former Lockheed Martin rocket scientist and Pearce is clearly a Top 10 driver. Their only shortcoming is a formulaic screenplay. At one point, my seat neighbor left to replenish snacks for himself and his dad. He was gone for a solid 10 minutes and missed a significant plot point. But when he returned, he sat in rapt attention and gave no indication that he was confused where the story had gone in his absence.

Sure, he missed one of the movie’s spectacular car crashes and Hans Z immer’s oppressive score that

demands you surrender or else. Then again, maybe he didn’t. E ven if he had gone to get his popcorn during Sonny’s monologue, he wouldn’t have missed the words because the filmmakers make another character repeat them in the movie’s climax just in case. Be a shame if you couldn’t connect those dots on your own.

But what am I getting all huffy about?

Did I really come to F 1 expecting something other than this? N o. ( But wouldn’t it be nice? ) Y es, the cinematography from Claudio Miranda is thrilling — especially the cameras mounted on the cars that whip around to show you Pitt and Idris are doing at least some of their own driving. Y es, Pitt is still charming even when he’s in full-blown paycheck mode.

And yes, it looks great in IMAX . But why does it all have to feel so flat ?

ON SCREEN: F1 : T he M ovie opens in theaters June 27 .

JUNE 26, 2025

19

EVENTS

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28

FEES INCL

sunday, june 29

wednesday, july

UDED

$12

FEES INCL

2

UDED

FREE

velvet vinyl X Bands on the bricks after parties: vinyls by phish

thursday, july

UDED

$18

The galentines with theoretical blonde

Boulder q+ tea dance party

3

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26

7-9 p.m. Thursday, June 26, Skate City Westminster, 200 W. 121st Ave. $7 entry / $5 skate rental

5-6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 26, Carnegie Library for Local History, 1125 Pine St., Boulder. Free

PRIDE RAINBOW ROLL

Strap on your rainbow wheels and roll down to Skate City in Westminster for a night of Pride. Bring your own skates if you’re a pro, or rent on location if you’re just rink-curious for this community event brought to you by R ocky Mountain E quality.

FREE

Phish pre-show

w/ studemann cunnane p.i.

BOULDER HISTORY IS LGBTQ+ HISTORY

Send Pride month off in style during this Carnegie Library event exploring local LG BTQ+ history. A short presentation covers the ins-and-outs of historical documentation, followed by a diverse panel of experts who will discuss the importance of preservation and research in an illuminating discussion “recognizing that LG BTQ+ history is and has always been part of the history of Boulder and Boulder County.”

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YOGA PEARL X BOULDER SYMPHONY

6-7 p.m. Thursday, June 26, Sunrise Amphitheater, 1198 Flagstaff Drive, Boulder. $20-$30 Picture yourself on your yoga mat, high atop a Boulder mountain, the gentle breeze on your skin as you flow slowly through gentle movements, the buzz of bees, chirps of bird and the soft strings of a Boulder Symphony quartet as your soundtrack. Stay after class for some socializing with snacks and mocktails — the perfect way to wind down your week.

FREE

friday, july 4

Phish pre-show w/ River Spell

saturday, july

Pride M onth E vents

5

FREE

Phish pre-show

w/ luKE hahn-zollo and Brian Adams & Paul Murin

wednesday, july

9

FREE

velvet vinyl X Bands on the bricks after parties: 90s country vinyls

$20

Friday, july 11

The Sweet lillies with elle michelle & brandywine

FEES INCL

velvet vinyl X Bands on the bricks after parties: Vinyls by stick figure and pepper

JUNE 26, 2025

$20

FEES INCL

16 wednesday, july

20

26 50+ LGBTQ+ MIXER

12 saturday, july

Griffin william sherry with Starlight Pine

UDED

UDED

FREE

4-7 p.m. Friday, June 26, Equality Center of the Rocky Mountains, 3340 Mitchell Lane, Boulder.

Free

BOULDER COMEDY FESTIVAL

Dance, mingle and enjoy some light refreshments during this 5 0-and-up LG BTQ+ mixer co-hosted by R ainbow E lders and the Boulder County Area Agency on Aging. Whether you’re looking for a love connection or new friends, this social event is a great way to put yourself out there and meet others in the community.

BoCo’s flagship standup fest returns for another year of laughs. N ow in its fifth year of celebrating women and diversity in comedy, this year’s bill includes Janae Burris, R icky R amos, N eeraj Srinivasan and more at Dairy Arts Center, The E nd Lafayette, Junkyard Social and Louisville U nderground. Schedule and pricing at bouldercomedyfestival.com.

Various times and locations throughout Boulder County. Prices vary

27

SUPERIOR PRIDE STAND-UP SHOW

7-8:30 p.m. Friday, June 27, Flipside Theatre at Superior Improv Co., 502 Center Drive, Unit M, Superior. $18 There’s nothing funny about queer equality, but there will be plenty of laughs at this Pride-themed comedy show at Superior Improv Co. Hosted by Jake L, this night of LG BTQ stand-up features Britt Boyd, R yan Bonnell, E rin Lewis and headliner K ate McLachlan.

BOULDER WEEKLY

EVENTS

28

HYGIENE MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL

9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, June 28, 7510 Hygiene Road, Longmont. Free

28 – 29 DENVER PRIDE

28

WILDFLOWER HIKE

1 p.m. Saturday, June 28, Colorado Chautauqua Academic Hall, 298 Morning Glory Rd. Boulder. Free

Hygiene is turning up the heat with this inaugural summer fest to benefit the town’s volunteer fire department. The event kicks off with a classic pancake breakfast followed by a full day of live music, food, a walking market and fire station tours. Stop by the dunk tank and hit the bullseye to drop a volunteer firefighter in the splash zone.

Mother E arth is putting on her annual show at Chautauqua, and you don’t want to miss it. Take in the beauty of the blooms and the grandeur of the Flatirons on this 2-mile, all-levels hike. Prepare for 5 00 feet of elevation gain and bring layers, sturdy shoes and water.

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10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 28, Old Town Lafayette. Free

5–7 p.m. Saturday, June 28, Medicine Horse, 7663 E. County Line Road, Longmont. $30 (children 16 and under free)

LAUGH SUMMER ART CRAWL

Looking for your next art purchase? Let this flock of flamboyant flamingos be your guide to the best local works in town, displayed outside homes, studios, alleys, garages, vehicles, yards and driveways. The retro pink yard birds will be posted outside 11 participating locations; visiting them all ( with the passport stamps to prove it) could help you nab a $ 100 gift card to The Post.

BOULDER WEEKLY

UNICORN FESTIVAL

U nicorns are on parade at this whimsical evening celebrating the special connection between humans and horses. There will be plenty of photo ops with the magical creatures, plus a scavenger hunt, oracle readers, face painting, snacks and drinks. Proceeds help care for the horses and keep therapy programs free to participants.

P ridefest: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, June 28 and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, June 29, Civic Center Park. Free; P ride 5 K : 9:30 a.m. Saturday, June 28, Lincoln Street between Colfax and 14th. $54 P ride P arade: 9:30 a.m. Sunday, June 29, 17th Avenue and Franklin Street to 17th Avenue and Lincoln Street. Free.

The month may be coming to an end, but Pride festivities are far from over in the capital city. This weekend boasts the city’s largest Pride event, drawing over half a million for the two-day celebration of all things gay. Saturday’s festivities kick off with a 5 K before the free fest at Civic Center complete with fierce performances, lots of queer joy and a “gayborhood market,” where you can support local LG BTQ+ small businesses and artisans. Sunday starts with a big, colorful parade of floats, marchers and music along 17 th Avenue.

29

QUEER ART ORGANICS OPEN MIC

4:30-8:30 p.m. Sunday, June 29, Junkyard Social Club, 2525 Frontier Ave., Unit A, Boulder, Free Bare your soul or bust a gut with fellow LG BTQ+ writers, performers and creatives of all strokes at this open mic night co-hosted by R ocky Mountain E quality on the last Sunday of every month. The open mic begins at 6 , but come early for a writing workshop with Queer Creatives.

JUNE 26, 2025

21

LIVE MUSIC TH URSDAY, JU N E 26 TONY CRANK. 6 p.m. Bootstrap Brewing Company, 142 Pratt St., Longmont. Free IZCALLI. 7 p.m. Longmont Museum, 400 Quail R oad, Longmont. Free

DANIEL ALLAN WITH ARLO, HAASY AND LEVI DOUBLE U. 9 p.m. Bluebird Theater, 3317 E . Colfax Ave., Denver. $ 37

VAL CHILLMER. 7 :30 p.m. N issi’s, 145 5 Coal Creek Drive, U nit T, Lafayette. Free

S ATURDAY, J UN E 28

2MX2 WITH ELDER GROWN. 8 p.m.

R oots Music Project, 47 47 Pearl St., Suite V 3A, Boulder. $ 17 SALOMÉ SONGBIRD. 8 p.m. V elvet E lk Lounge, 2037 13th St., Boulder. $ 22 THE FAMILY CREST WITH BABES IN CANYON. 8 p.m. G lobe Hall, 448 3 Logan St., Denver. $ 19

FRID AY, JU N E 27 THE ATOM COLLECTIVE. 6 p.m.

Left Hand Brewing, 126 5 Boston Ave., Longmont. Free LAUREN MICHAELS WITH TUMBLEWEED ROAD. 6 p.m.

Bootstrap Brewing Company, 142 Pratt St., Longmont. Free TIM OSTDIEK WITH JENNY BALAGNA. 7 p.m. Butterscotch Studios, 6 20 K imbark St., Longmont. $ 15 NINE WIDE SKY WITH MR. KNOBS. 7 :30 p.m. R oots Music Project, 47 47 Pearl St., Suite V 3A, Boulder. $ 21 WOOD BELLY. 8 p.m. G old Hill Inn, 401 Main St., Boulder. $ 20 OPIUM WITH THE CATTLEDOGS, SEMPAR AN ATOM SON OF MAN. 8 p.m. Fox Theatre, 1135 13th St., Boulder. $ 20 THE WILDER BLUE WITH BISON BONE. 8 p.m. G lobe Hall, 448 3 Logan St., Denver. $ 27 RUBEDO WITH RAREBYRD$ AND REDAMANCY. 8 p.m. Hi-Dive, 7 S. Broadway, Denver. $ 15 22

JUNE 26, 2025

OSO OSO WITH JORDAN KRIMSTON. 7 p.m. Marquis Theater, 2009 Larimer St., Denver. $ 14 BW PICK OF THE WEEK

JEN BLACK. 4 p.m. Broomfield Library and Auditorium, 3 Community Park R oad. Free JOE C. WAILS GANG. 6 p.m. Bootstrap Brewing Company, 142 Pratt St., Longmont. Free KIRK MARGOLES WITH JACK & EMILY CAMPBELL AND BECCA HASSELBROOK. 6 p.m. Trident Cafe, 940 Pearl St., Boulder. Free THE INTEGRATION ENSEMBLE. 7 :30 p.m. Salina Schoolhouse, 6 04 G old R un R oad, Boulder. $ 30 FOGGY MOUNTAIN SPACESHIP DUO. 8 p.m. Longs Peak Pub, 6 00 Longs Peak Ave., Longmont. Free ANTHONY RUPTAK WITH PORLOLO AND THE TRUJILLO COMPANY. 8 p.m. Hi-Dive, 7 S. Broadway, Denver. $ 15 BODEANS. 8 p.m. Boulder Theater, 2032 14th St., Boulder. $ 25 JACK SYMS WITH JACKSONPORT. 8 p.m. G lobe Hall, 448 3 Logan St., Denver. $ 25 JAMES MCMURTRY. 9 p.m. Bluebird Theater, 3317 E . Colfax Ave., Denver. $ 42

S UN DAY, J UN E 29 LOCO UKULELE JAM. 2 p.m. Bootstrap Brewing Company, 142 Pratt St., Longmont. Free SCOTT VON. 4 p.m. Left Hand Brewing, 126 5 Boston Ave., Longmont. Free

BOULDER WEEKLY

LIVE MUSIC Long Beach emo powerhouse O so O so celebrate 10 years with their budget-conscious $ 1 0 Bill Tour, stopping by Denver’s Marq uis Theater on June 27 with support from J ordan K rimston. ( Heads up: It’s actually $ 14 with fees — thanks, Live N ation! ) The beloved powerpop outfit performs on the heels of their critically lauded fifth LP, life till bones, out now via Y unahon E ntertainment.

S ee listing for details.

MORPHEUS DREAMING. 4 p.m.

Bootstrap Brewing Company, 142 Pratt St., Longmont. Free LAURIE & LORRIE. 5 p.m. G old Hill Inn, 401 Main St., G old Hill. Free FUZZ FACE WITH COLDRIDGE, PSEUDOCRUSH AND INTERPRETIVE TYRANNY. 5 p.m. G lobe Hall, 448 3 Logan St., Denver. $ 19

MON D AY, J U N E 3 0

ON THE BILL

MIKAELA DAVIS WITH LILY SEABIRD. 8 p.m. G lobe Hall, 448 3 Logan St., Denver. $ 25

WE DNE SD AY, JU LY 2 OPEN BLUEGRASS PICK. 6 p.m.

The G arden at Left Hand, 1245 Boston Ave., Longmont. Free MANY MOUNTAINS. 6 p.m. R osalee’s Pizzeria, 46 1 Main St., Longmont. Free

JEFF & PAIGE. 5 :30 p.m. Chautauqua Park, 900 Baseline R oad, Boulder. Free

VIC DILLAHAY WITH DOUG CARMICHAEL. 7 p.m. Dry Land Distillers, 5 19 Main St., Longmont. Free

CASPER ALLEN & THE NATURALS WITH JUNE SWOON AND SHAWN HESS. 7 p.m. Hi-Dive, 7 S. Broadway, Denver. $ 12

KNUMEARS WITH OTHIEL, STRAINER AND ATHOUSANDANGELANDSEVEN. 7 p.m. Hi-Dive, 7 S. Broadway, Denver. $ 15

TAKUYA KURODA. 8 p.m. Fox Theatre, 1135 13th St., Boulder. $ 30

PINK TALKING FISH. 8 p.m. Boulder Theater, 2032 14th St. $ 25

T U E S D AY, J U LY 1 ELISA GARCIA. 10:15 a.m. Boulder Public Library, 1001 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder. Free DR. DOG WITH CRUMB. 7 :30 p.m.

R ed R ocks Amphitheatre, 18 300 W. Alameda Pkwy., Morrison. $ 6 1

BOULDER WEEKLY

TAPER’S CHOICE WITH TAD CAUTIOUS AND BREADBOX. 8 p.m. Fox Theatre, 1135 13th St., Boulder. $ 20 Want more Boulder County events? Check out the complete listings online by scanning this QR code.

JUNE 26, 2025

23

ASTROLOGY

BY ROB BREZSNY ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19): The Hawaiian word pō refers to a primal darkness from which all life flows. It’s not a fearsome void, but a fertile mystery, rich with future possibilities and the ancestors’ hopes. In the coming weeks, I invite you to treat your inner life as pō. Be as calm and patient and watchful as an Aries can be as you monitor the inklings that rise up out of the deep shadows. Have faith that the cloudy uncertainty will ultimately evolve into clarity, revealing the precise directions you need.

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): In the 17 th century, the Taurus polymath Athanasius K ircher constructed a fantastical machine called the Aeolian harp. It wasn’t designed to be played by human fingers, but by the wind. It conjured music with currents invisible to the eye. I nominate this sublime contraption as your power object for the coming weeks, Taurus. The most beautiful and healing melodies may come from positioning yourself so that inspiration can blow through. How might you attune yourself to the arrival of unexpected help and gifts? Set aside any tendency you might have to try too hard.

Instead, allow life to sing through you.

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): The painter V incent van G ogh wrote, “G reat things are done by a series of small things brought together.” That’s good advice for you right now.

Y our ambitions may feel daunting if you imagine them as monumental and monolithic. But if you simply focus on what needs to be done next — the daily efforts, the incremental improvements — you will be as relaxed as you need to be to accomplish wonders. R emember that masterpieces are rarely completed in a jiffy. The cumulative power of steady work is potentially your superpower. Here’s another crucial tip: U se your imagination to have fun as you attend to the details.

Go wild for Front Range air quality.

Turn off the engine when you’re parked to reduce ground-level ozone.

Created from pollutants like car exhaust, ozone is the Front Range’s biggest air quality issue and a leading cause of respiratory problems.

Know when it matters most: text “BETTERAIRCO” to 21000 to sign up for summer ozone alerts.

24

JUNE 26, 2025

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22): Welcome to a special edition of “What’s My Strongest Y earning? ” I’m your host, R ob Brezsny, and I’m delighted you have decided to identify the single desire that motivates you more than any other. Y es, you have many wishes and hopes and dreams, but one is more crucial than all the rest! R ight? To begin the exercise, take three deep breaths and allow every knot of tension to dissolve and exit your beautiful body.

Then drop down into the primal depths of your miraculous soul and wander around until you detect the shimmering presence of the beloved reason you came here to this planet. Immerse yourself in this glory for as long as you need to.

E xult in its mysterious power to give meaning to everything you do. Ask it to nurture you, console you and inspire you.

LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22): Here’s one of my unruly rules about human competence: In every professional field, from physicians to lawyers to psychics to teachers, about 15 % of all the practitioners are downright mediocre, even deficient. Seventy-five percent are at least satisfactory and sometimes good.

And 10% of the total are surpassingly excellent, providing an extraordinary service. With this in mind, I’m happy to say that you now have a knack for gravitating toward that exceptional 10% in every domain you are drawn to. I predict that your intuition will consistently guide you toward premium sources.

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21): The Japanese concept of shinrin- yoku means “forest bathing.” It invites people to immerse themselves in the natural world, drawing on its restorative power. In accordance with astrological portents, I urge you Scorpios to maximize your forest bathing. To amplify the enrichment further, gravitate toward other environments that nourish your soul’s need for solace and uplift. The naked fact is that you need places and influences that offer you comfort, safety and tender inspiration. Don’t apologize for making your life a bit less heroic as you tend to your inner world with gentle reverence.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21): The cam era ob scura was a precursor to modern cameras. It projected the outside world upside down onto interior walls. Artists loved it because it helped them see reality from new angles. I hereby proclaim that you, Sagittarius, will be like both the artist and the cam era ob scura lens in the coming weeks. Y our perceptions may feel inverted, strange, even disorienting, but that’s a gift! So let unfamiliarity be your muse. Flip your assumptions. Sketch from shadow instead of light. Have faith that the truth isn’t vanishing or hiding; it’s simply appearing in unfamiliar guises. Don’t rush to turn rightside-up things. R elish and learn from the tilt.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19): I’m sure you enjoy gazing into some mirrors more than others. It’s amazing how different you might look in your bathroom mirror and the mirror in the restroom at work. Some store windows may reflect an elegant, attractive version of you, while others distort your image.

A similar principle is at work in the people with whom you associate. Some seem to accentuate your finest attributes, while others bring out less flattering aspects. I bring this to your attention, dear Capricorn, because I believe it will be extra important in the coming weeks for you to surround yourself with your favorite mirrors.

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22): In certain medieval maps, unexplored territories were marked with the Latin phrase hic sunt dracones —“here be dragons.” It was a warning and a dare, a declaration that no one knew what lay beyond. In the coming weeks, Leo, you may find yourself traveling into one of those unlabeled regions. R ather than flinching or dodging, I invite you to press forward with respectful curiosity.

Some of the so-called dragons will be figments.

Others are protectors of treasure and might be receptive to sharing with a bright light like you.

E ither way, productive adventures are awaiting you in that unmapped territory. G o carefully — but go.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): Leonardo da V inci filled thousands of pages with sketches, notes and experiments. He never finished many of them. He called this compilation his “codex of wonder.” It wasn’t a record of failures. It was an appreciation of his complex process and a way to honor his creative wellspring. Taking a cue from da V inci’s love of marvelous enigmas, I invite you to be in love with the unfinished in the coming weeks. Make inquisitiveness your default position. R econsider abandoned ideas. Be a steward of fertile fragments. Some of your best work may arise from revisiting composted dreams or incomplete sketches. Here’s your motto: Magic brews in the margins.

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22): In traditional Japanese carpentry, joints are made so skillfully that they need no nails, screws or adhesives. Carpenters use intricate joinery techniques to connect pieces of wood so tightly that the structures are strong and durable. They often require a mallet for assembly and disassembly. In metaphorical terms, you are capable of that kind of craftsmanship these days, V irgo. I hope you will take advantage of this by building lasting beauty and truth that will serve you well into the future. Don’t rush the joinery. If it’s not working, don’t force it. R e-cut, re-measure, breathe deeply and try again.

PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): In the remote Atacama Desert of Chile, certain flowers lie dormant for years, awaiting just the right conditions to burst into blossom in a sudden, riotous explosion of color and vitality.

Scientists call it a superbloom. Metaphorically speaking, Pisces, you are on the verge of such a threshold. I’m sure you can already feel the inner ripening as it gathers momentum. Any day now, your full flowering will erupt — softly but dramatically. Y ou won’t need to push. Y ou will simply open. To prepare yourself emotionally, start rehearsing lively shouts of “HALLE LU JAH! HOOR AY ! WHOOPE E ! ”

BOULDER WEEKLY

SAVAGE LOVE

BY DAN SAVAGE I’m going through a divorce and connected with a long-ago boyfriend in a similar boat. We started a long- distance relationship and were fairly serious.

H is particular kink is he wants his partner to have other lovers. A nd as long as everyone involved is consenting, I ’ m fine with that. H ere’ s the prob lem . M y longdistance partner longs for a throuple type of relationship. H e decided, without m y consent, to create a profile on a popular m ainstream dating app with photos of m e seeking a playm ate for us.

When I found out, I b roke up with him im m ediately and deleted the account from his phone. H e sees no harm in what he’ s done and is trying to get m e b ack. T o reassure m e ( or not! ) and to educate him and anyone else who m ight ever consider creating a “ couples” profile without the consent of half of the couple: I s this as b ad as I think it is?

— O afish V iolation E nds R elationship This is j ust as bad as you think it is.

Y ou can’t trust a guy who would pimp you out on a dating app without your consent. R ed flags don’t come any redder.

P.S. To the long-ago/ far-away boyfriend: Hotwifing and cuckolding forums are filled with guys whining about how hard it is to find a woman willing to explore these dynamics with them… and you found one, dude, and you blew it. So dumb.

I met a guy on Facebook dating, and we texted nearly every day for a year before meeting this past Christmas.

I t’ s b een great, we’ re b oth happy and in love. I see him in m y life forever.

H e is still close with his ex and considers him his b est friend. I ’ m actually fine with this. T he one thing that b others m e though is he’ ll com pare us to when he dated him or will say things like, “ M y dog hasn’ t seen m e having sex with a guy other than A lex ,” or, “ A lex said if I didn’ t fool around with him the first tim e, he wouldn’ t have started a relationship.”

I ’ m not sure how to b ring it up to him .

I know one day he’ ll want m e to m eet A lex cause he’ s his b est friend, b ut how do I tell him I don’ t want to hear ab out the things he used to do with him ?

— N ot E nthralled With Boyfriend’ s I m portant E x BOULDER WEEKLY

Y our f eelings are valid, N E WBIE , and it’s possible your boyfriend has been hitting Alex a little too hard. Here’s what you can say to your new boyfriend that should cut down on the Alex talk without scaring him off: “Hey, I really like you and I’m excited about where this is going. I know it’s common for gay men to be friends with their exes and it’s a good sign about a guy — your friendship with Alex is totally a green flag — but hearing so much about Alex is making me feel insecure. I promise I’ll feel more comfortable hearing about Alex once the two of us have built up some history of our own.”

Whatever you do, N E WBIE , don’t make the mistake of ordering your new boyfriend to choose between you and his best friend. And who knows? Y ou might like Alex once you meet him in person.

P.S. Hot exes make great thirds, because your boyfriend is less likely to leave you for someone he’s already left.

E m ail your q uestion for the colum n to m ailb ox@ savage.love or record your q uestion for the S avage L ovecast at savage.love/ askdan. Podcasts, colum ns and m ore at S avage.L ove JUNE 26, 2025

25

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NIBBLES

COLORADO CAMPING CUISINE I cky b eef stroganoff helped inspire local b rands to m ake tastier, b etter- for- you b ackpacking m eals

BY JOHN LEHNDORFF

L

ouise Barton remembers the exact backpacking moment when her career path changed.

“I’m a botanist by training. I started working for the Forest Service and we were in Y ellowstone doing huge off-trail miles, so I brought some packaged meals,” she says. “I ate a beef stroganoff dinner. I was so hungry I would have eaten anything, but it was soupy and just gross. It had this off flavor, and I was nauseous eating it. I trashed the rest of my meals when we went back into town for resupply.”

“It got me scheming: What if I just made my own dehydrated meals for the next time? ” Barton and her then-wife launched Farm to Summit, a better-for-you backpacking meals company in Durango.

Their debut meals included green chile mac and cheese, Thai red curry and Thai carrot slaw.

A similar mountain encounter with beef stroganoff also inspired Felipe V ieyra,

founder of Aurora’s Oso Adventure Meals.

“I took a friend on his first backpacking trip near Leadville. We were both very hungry and started eating a freeze-dried beef stroganoff meal. My friend said: ‘ Is this all we have to eat out here? This is so bland and tasteless.’ We’re both Mexican, so we talked about the food that we grew up with,” V ieyra says. “We decided to bring authentic Mexican spicy food to the outdoors. Our first Oso flavors were huevos rancheros, a veggie enchilada bowl and a carnitas enchilada bowl.”

Soraya Smith readily admits she had never tasted other backpacking meals before launching Boulder’s Backpacker’s Pantry. Her inspiration was the literal weight of fresh ingredients.

“When my family was younger, we did a lot of backpacking, camping and rafting, but we always took fresh food with us. It was a lot of weight to haul. We thought that almost anything you like to eat at home and at restaurants could be turned into a backpacking meal,” Smith says.

Credit: Jade Downing

A PRACTICAL IMPACT

G enerations of Colorado backpackers have endured some truly revolting prepackaged meals on the trails, only salvaged by the liberal application of hot sauce. But these days, the options are far more appetizing, nutritious and ecofriendly.

“We don’t want any crap ingredients, food coloring or preservatives,” says Farm to Summit’s Barton. “We source the majority of our produce from farms that are near Durango and we dehydrate everything in house. In our cooler right now, we have 400 pounds of kale that a farmer couldn’t sell. We get haildamaged cabbage and crooked — but really sweet — carrots.”

“I was a climate change biologist by training, but I left it because I was like, ‘ I’m not making a difference.’ Owning this business I can have a practical impact.”

mountain biking and tapping into the outdoors,” says Oso’s V ieyra. “We wanted to make food they would enjoy, but we really found that Mexican food is really American food that all campers want to be able to eat.”

N ext on the menu at Oso Meals will be locally sourced pozole with bison.

According to Smith, Backpacker’s Pantry top sellers in 2025 are pad Thai, pad Thai with chicken, and drunken noodles.

Backpacker’s Pantry offers the widest selection of breakfast, snack and beverage options among the Colorado companies, including desserts like creme brulee and mango sticky rice.

BUILDING IN BIG FLAVORS

Credit: Justin K auffman

BOULDER WEEKLY

The backpacking meals available today also reflect the shifting demographics of outdoor enthusiasts.

“I saw more folks of color, more Latinos and more Mexicans backpacking,

Courtesy: Oso Meals

JUNE 26, 2025

27

NIBBLES MORE THAN CALORIES

Smith believes eating together is a fundamental part of getting outdoors for friends and family.

The food should be a memorable part of that — and not in a bad way.

“After a day of hiking or backpacking or rafting, you settle together around a meal,” Smith says. “It should satiate your taste buds as much as it satiates your soul. I love doing spice blends to actually make the food taste yummy and not just something to put in your body for calories.”

“I want the food to look like and taste like what it says it’s going to look like and taste like.”

Credit: R obert Hill

LOCAL FOOD NEWS: FRASCA NAMED TOP U.S. EATERY Boulder’s Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder won the 2025 James Beard Outstanding R estaurant Award on June 17 . The James Beard Awards are the Oscars for chefs and restaurateurs in the U nited States.

Hacienda San Raphael Cocina Latina is open at 1935 Main St. in Longmont.

CULINARY CALENDAR: SMØRREBRØD AND GLÖGG

N orthern E uropean fare including smø rrebrø d, lefse, glö gg and mead are on the menu at the Colorado Scandinavian Midsummer Festival, June 28 -29 in Highlands R anch. Details: scandinavianmidsummer.com The Lyons Farmette teams notable local chefs with local nonprofits for on-the-farm feasts including: Aug. 6 : Daniel Asher for Slow Food Boulder; Aug. 13: Corrida for MAD Agriculture; September 24: Blackbelly for The Watershed Center. Tickets: lyonsfarmette.com

WORDS TO CHEW ON: WORTH CRYING OVER

“ H ow easily happiness b egins b y dicing onions. A lum p of sweet b utter slithers and swirls across the floor of the sauté pan, especially if its errant path crosses a tiny slick of olive oil. T hen a tum b le of onions.”

— “Onions” by William Matthews

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JUNE 26, 2025

BOULDER WEEKLY

ON DRUGS

LONGMONT WEED LOUNGES, SPAS IN LIMBO Policy hits snag with council vote, leaving gray area for proprietors

BY TYLER HICKMAN

L

ongmont has a vacancy sign posted for cannabis hospitality businesses looking to open up shop.

After a year of council discussions, there are four licenses available for these establishments, much like Denver’s new Cirrus Social Club that opened earlier this year.

There’s only one problem: Operating one of these businesses is still illegal.

At a June 3 meeting, council members voted against allowing public consumption of cannabis products at licensed businesses — an essential function for establishments like smoking lounges, weedfriendly comedy clubs and, due to an unclear definition of consumption, potentially even pot spas.

What seemed like a done deal after council approved the licensing structure earlier this year was stopped dead in its tracks, leaving a hazy future for cannabis hospitality businesses in the city.

“Public consumption is still prohibited” by city laws, said assistant city manager Sandra Seader. “It’s in a weird space.”

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JUNE 26, 2025

FAILURE TO LAUNCH

In 2019, the state opened the door to marijuana hospitality licenses, authorizing onsite sale and consumption of cannabis for licensed businesses. It also made smoking cannabis inside a licensed operation exempt from the Colorado Clean Indoor Air Act, which bans smoking indoors statewide.

Since then, few cities have taken the necessary steps to allow these businesses to move in.

Denver approved cannabis hospitality licenses in 2022, allowing on-site consumption for businesses with a permit.

The Mile High City became the model for Longmont’s own approach to implementation.

“We absolutely took information from Denver’s structure,” Seader said, “because they were the only ones that we knew had done anything like this.”

In order to make hospitality businesses a reality, Longmont has to change its city code to allow public consumption. For smoking lounges particularly, they also needed to create an exemption for cannabis smoke in the city’s own clean indoor air law.

“That’s the piece that needed to be amended, because apparently the state already allows for it,” Seader said.

Longmont drafted two separate pieces of legislation — the first creating the license and the second allowing for public consumption and exemption of cannabis for licensed businesses to the city’s indoor smoking law. Council had to pass both to allow for smoking lounges.

“There were so many other pieces of code cleanup that they decided to split that in two,” Seader said.

“The theory was, we should not go and make those changes, until we know if this is going to pass or not,” City Clerk Dawn Quintana added.

Council narrowly approved the licensing structure with a 4-3 vote at a January meeting, but the consumption piece of the legislation failed with a tied vote June 3.

SECONDHAND CONSEQUENCES

Council member Matthew Popkin has been skeptical of allowing cannabis hospitality establishments in the city since his appointment in January. In the first vote he cast on council, Popkin voted against the licensing ordinance along with Mayor Joan Peck and Council Member Diane Crist. On June 3, he pushed an amendment that would have kept indoor cannabis smoking illegal even if the larger bill to allow consumption passed.

“I’m not against consumption of marijuana,” he said in an interview with Boulder Weekly. “But I do think when we are thinking about extending where people can consume marijuana in various forms, we have to think about who else does this impact.”

During several council discussions, he’s raised concerns about the adverse health and safety impacts of secondhand cannabis smoke.

According to the Center for Disease Control, secondhand cannabis smoke contains some of the same carcinogens as tobacco smoke, as well as the drug’s high-inducing chemical THC, though the center notes that more research is still needed on the effects. While the city already allows indoor smoking for places like cigar lounges, this didn’t sway Popkin.

“Just because we currently allow something doesn’t mean we should allow more,” he said.

As the law currently stands, smoking lounges and other forms of consumption, such as edibles and THC-infused drinks, are strictly prohibited. But for entrepreneurs looking to open up cannabis spas that use THC-infused topical oils and ointments, the answer is still muddy.

“Public consumption is not particularly well defined when you’re talking about a particular treatment in a private session” using topical cannabis products, Seader said. “That one’s a little bit of a gray area.”

“There are certainly fewer concerns and unintended consequences with establishments that aren’t smoking on site,” Popkin said. “But I don’t think there are none, and I don’t think we have addressed some of the other potential risks there yet.”

“I’m not willing to come around on that yet, but I’m open to folks proving me wrong.”

A previous study showed topical application of THC infused products was undetectable in blood and urine tests, and that typical concentration levels are too low to cause any psychoactive effects.

As it stands, people can still apply for a marijuana hospitality license in Longmont, Seader said, though they have yet to approve any applications. The issue is not a working item for council at the moment, so the city could not provide a timeline for next steps.

“From our perspective, we just want to better understand where they want to go with this and make sure that we’re implementing a clear program either way,” Seader said.

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