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Act Concerning Offenses Against Public Morality added to the Colorado Criminal Code (1885)
The full text of the first obscenity law passed in Colorado in 1885. The law became a powerful tool for restricting the distribution of information about obscene subjects (like homosexuality), in addition to placing strict limits on objects with a…
Greeley Tribune: Laramie a "gem of the Rockies" or Sodom? (1887)
An article on the boomtown of Laramie, Wyoming in 1887, highlighting the city's many opportunities, but also its failure to confront its rising moral challenges, particularly prostitution, drinking, and gambling. The metaphorical comparison to Sodom…
Photographs: NoCO LGBTQ Pride March in Fort Collins (2021)
A series of photographs of the NoCo LGBTQ+ Pride March in 2021. The march began at Old Town Square in Fort Collins. The event took place at 5:30pm on July 16, 2021. Several hundred people participated in the march.
Cross-dressing at a cowboy dance in Estes Park (1920)
An account in Estes Park Trail Talk describing a "cowboy dance" in Estes Park where at least some of the men dressed as women and the women dressed as men. The men were presented with onion "corsages."
A prize for a man who can "pass" as a woman at Loveland masquerade ball (1905)
An article form the Loveland Register describing the upcoming masquerade ball hosted by the "Woodmen of the World" at the Armory Hall. As per usual, men in masks would need to buy tickets while all women attendees could enter for free. However, in…
"Male harlots" harass Peterson Street in Fort Collins (1884)
An account form the Fort Collins Courier in 1884 describing a known "lewd house" on Peterson Street in Fort Collins and a group of "male harlots" who disrupted city residents in their search for it. Based on the context of the article, the meaning of…
Section 46 of the Criminal Code of the Colorado Territory establishing "crimes against nature" (1861)
Section 46 of the Criminal Code of Colorado, established in 1861. It made "crimes against nature" (which typically included sodomy) a crime in the newly established Colorado Territory. The law would be revised several times, until it was revised out…
James Kennelly charged with "crime against nature" in Fort Collins (1890)
The Fort Collins Courier reports on the events of the local grand jury, including charging a man named James Kennelly with a "crime against nature." The details of the crime are vague, but may have included homosexual acts. If so, Kennelly may have…
Bemoaning the votes of the "Sodomites of the capital city" (1908)
In an editorial comments, the Fort Collins Courier lambasts the numerous residents of City of Denver, who it calls "Sodomites of the capital city" for their overwhelming votes in the U.S. presidential contest for William Jennings Bryan over William…
Fort Collins Courier: Denver man in women's "habiliments" disappears (1882)
The Fort Collins Courier shares a brief from Denver about a local man that went missing. The man was known for wearing "female habiliments" (i.e. women's clothing). We can speculate that the man may have simply left town; however, even today, rates…