While lawmakers across the country continue attempts to legislate queerness out of classrooms, libraries and public life, Boulder is getting ready to throw those people one massive middle finger, in the form of a celebration so fabulous that even the Flatirons will look drab in comparison.

On Sunday, Boulder Pridefest returns with nearly 200 vendors and live performances by everyone from drag kings to queer comedians — a joyful reminder that visibility is still resistance and celebration can be its own kind of revolution.

Boulder’s relationship with Pride goes back more than three decades, to a handful of grassroots organizers who staged the city’s first celebration in 1994. Since then, it’s grown into a full-blown festival, complete with food trucks, drag sets, kids’ crafts, vendors and political booths. Through it all, Boulder has remained remarkably steadfast in its support of the LGBTQ+ community, local supporters said, even as national headlines seem to grow bleaker.

“In this political climate we’re in right now, nothing about the excitement in Boulder has changed,” said Davis Dunbar, events and activities manager at Rocky Mountain Equality, which organizes the festival. “Boulder remains really strong in their support of the LGBTQIA+ community.”

Nearly 200 vendors will line Central Park and the Civic Area, 1236 Canyon Boulevard, Boulder, on Sunday, from local nonprofits and queer-owned brands to food trucks and artists. Dunbar said that Rocky Mountain Equality expects a crowd of around 10,000 people to cycle through over the day, gathering for the music, merch and the feeling of community that Pridefest has come to represent.

“Pridefest has become a space where people can show up and truly feel seen. There’s a deep sense of connection and celebration that comes from being surrounded by community,” said Dunbar, who’s been working closely with the vendors and said the planning process has been full of energy and excitement. “Everybody’s just so excited to support the LGBTQIA+ cause.”

For first-time Pridefest-goers, Dunbar has one piece of advice: Expect to be fully entertained.

“I think the cool thing about Boulder Pridefest is it’s for everyone,” Dunbar said. “It’s for LGBTQIA+ folks, allies, families, kids and anybody who wants to spend the day in community. There’s something for everybody all day long at the park, and that’s what’s going to be cool about it. You won’t be bored for a second, no matter your age.”

The lineup is as eclectic as the crowd it draws: Boulder-based indie-rockers TransRomantics (with a tagline of “Break strings, not hearts. Make love, not war.”), drag king and trans rights advocate Weird Al Spankabitch, musical duo Laurie & Lorrie, community adult cheer squad CHEER Colorado, and the Boulder indie-rock genre-bending band Zenari and queer comedian Cara Leoni.

For Leoni, a nationally touring comedian and longtime fixture of Colorado’s comedy scene, this will be her first time performing at Boulder Pridefest. Though she’s played sold-out rooms from Chicago to West Virginia and got her start right here in Boulder, she admits she’s feeling a few nerves about taking this stage.

“I haven’t performed at Boulder Pridefest before, and honestly, I’m a little nervous,” Leoni said. “I was told I need to do a clean set, and it can be hard for me to make my queer material clean. So I’m excited to test the waters and do that for the first time.”

Leoni, who teaches public school by day and tells jokes by night, has built her act around two main themes: her queer identity and the everyday absurdity of her day job.

“I always start my set trying to win over the crowd by saying something like, ‘Listen, I’m a public servant. Your children abuse me. Also, I’m gay. And you need to listen to me,’” she said. “And then once they’ve warmed up to me, that’s when I can go into my favorite joke I’ve ever written.”

As for performing in Boulder, she’s learned that not all cities are created equal when it comes to queer comedy.

“Boulder is super encouraging and friendly, and audiences here digest queer jokes really well,” she said. “I think it’s because we have a very liberal crowd and people who are used to having queer folks in their lives.”

But she also finds value in performing for audiences who might not share her background.

“I did a show in Pueblo for the first time last year and I was terrified,” she said. “Everyone looked conservative and over 50, but it ended up being one of my favorite shows ever. A queer crowd is so special, and it only happens for me during Pride Month or queer fests. Most of the time, I’m explaining queer experiences to people who maybe haven’t talked to a queer person in depth before. But with a queer crowd, people look like me, understand my lifestyle and the jokes land faster. I love that.”

Comedy, for Leoni, is a tool for connection, subversion and survival.

“Comedy breaks down walls. It lets people from different walks of life connect, even for just a moment. When we’re laughing together, we’re breathing together, and there’s something really radical and healing about that.”

During Pride Month, she believes that joy becomes a form of protest.

“Pride is always evolving,” Leoni said. “In 2015, it was about celebrating marriage equality. Now, we’re back to this survival theme. But the throughline has always been joy and thriving.

“Having a show centered around laughter, and seeing queer people thrive and master their art forms — it’s beautiful. It’s important for young queer folks and for older queer people who maybe haven’t found community yet.

“It’s a way to show them they’re not alone, and that queerness is not the whole story. We’re multi-dimensional. That’s good for ev

eryone to see, whether they’re straight, gay, anyone.”

While Leoni uses laughter as her weapon of choice, the members of TransRomantics come armed with music. The Boulder-based indie folk-rock band returns to Pridefest this year with a new lineup, a new sound, but the same fire.

The current lineup includes rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist Carlisle Quinn, bassist Aspen McKinzie, lead guitarist and backing vocalist Tom Overmann, drummer Andy Masterpiece and guest performer Andy Overmann, who pops in sometimes to play the trumpet and trombone.

“We’ve gone through a loop of drummers, like Spinal Tap,” joked McKinzie. “One bassist, one rhythm guitarist, two tries at lead guitar, three drummers. Coming back to Pride is really exciting, because there’s a different kind of feeling when you play the same festival again a second year in a row. Even though our lineup has changed a bit, there’s still that sense of welcome and of belonging.”

TransRomantics write songs about identity, mental health, recovery, substance use and protest. They don’t shy away from tough topics, choosing instead to write material that addresses issues head-on. The group’s newest song, “Trigger,” takes direct aim at the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

“It’s a letter to the justices,” said Quinn. “One of my favorite lyrics from that song is ’Every death takes its toll/ What about those at fault?/ They can walk away and say they’ll think of you and pray.’ The messaging there is not subtle, and it’s not meant to be.”

The set at Pridefest will blend originals with covers, like Robyn’s “Dancing on My Own” and Foo Fighters’ “Everlong.” Highlights include “Venus in Aries,” a meditation on self-worth and love, and “Tides,” which Quinn calls “a letter to myself and others struggling with mental health.”

“Our band is really rooted in our friendships,” said Quinn. “Aspen and I have been playing together for about three years. Tom joined after I saw him wearing leggings and a ripped jean jacket at a show and thought, that’s my lead guitarist. And Andy’s brought a whole new level of depth as a professional musician and transmasc drummer.”

Their rehearsals, according to lead guitarist Overmann, often double as group therapy.

“Every time we get together, it feels like a cathartic release,” he said. “It’s a big sigh of relief to have that creative time together during the week.”

For Overmann, who is cis and straight, performing at Pride carries its own urgency.

“Given everything going on politically right now, I think it’s more important than ever to show up and be part of the community. I don’t use the term ‘ally’ in this band. I use ‘accomplice,’ because we’re in this together. I feel it’s really important to stand up and be there for my people.”

McKinzie added: “An ally

might be someone on the sidelines of a pride parade, cheering. An accomplice is someone who sees Stonewall happening and picks up a brick.”

That ethos of showing up, standing out and sticking around runs deep in the band’s identity.

“Even our name is a statement,” said Quinn. “Most of us are trans, and we want to be visible. We want to stand out and say, ‘We are here, we belong, and we’re not going anywhere.’”

The band is also preparing to record a live album later this month at The End in Lafayette.

“It’s one of the stops on our Pride tour,” said Quinn. “It’ll be a way to document our growth, to show the direction we’re heading.”

As for what they hope audiences experience from their Pridefest set, McKinzie put it best: “I hope people feel a sense of connection. Music means everything to me, and if someone hears something that resonates with them, that’s all I want.”

Quinn agreed. “I hope our performance ignites the passion to speak, to act, to get involved. Our music is meaningful, but so are our lived experiences. Now more than ever, it’s important for us to be visible and to show up.”

Boulder Pridefest runs from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at Boulder’s Central Park and Civic Area. The event is family-friendly and free to attend.

Find more information at rmequality.org.