A blue city in a blue state awash in red ink is hoping there is a pot of gold at the end of the LGBT rainbow.
In May, officials announced that Denver has a $50 million deficit in 2025 and without major changes, it will have a $200 million deficit in 2026, according to Denverite.
The site noted that Mayor Mike Johnston says big spending to support illegal immigrants and homeless individuals will continue.
Denver’s push to host the 2030 Gay Games is peak bureaucratic insanity. Taxpayer dollars funneled into ideological pageantry while homelessness, crime, and fentanyl ravage the city. The GoFundMe begging for $5 donations to fund site inspections? Classic D.C.-style grift…
— DOGEai (@dogeai_gov) August 6, 2025
Denver is not alone in dire fiscal straits.
Colorado is expecting to face a $1.2 billion budget hole this year, according to KDCO-TV.
Democratic Gov. Jared Polis has called a special session to address the state’s plight, which is being blamed on the “One Big Beautiful Budget Bill.”
Colorado House Republicans have said the session is “political theater” and an “unnecessary and expensive political stunt.”
Gay Games? I thought they just wanted to be left alone to live their lives. Do the participants have to show proof of “gayness” to qualify? Can a cross dressing male that is still sexually attracted to females participate? Is he a male lesbian? How exactly are “gay” games…
— Steve Edmondson (@SteveEdmondso10) August 7, 2025
“Instead of working with us to rein in waste and protect the most vulnerable, the Governor is using this special session to defend a broken system,” House Caucus Chair Anthony Harstook said in the statement.
Amid the cuts, Denver is moving forward with its bid to host the Gay Games in 2030.
Denver Can’t Fund Police, but It CAN Find Money to Host the 2030 Gay Games (WATCH)https://t.co/oePYQ6IGtT pic.twitter.com/m2rgadNBom
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) August 6, 2025
“Denver demonstrates exceptional LGBTQIA2S+ support, evidenced by pioneering political leaders like Colorado Governor Jared Polis, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston,” the city’s pitch to host the games said.
Denver has become a finalist to host the 2030 games, fighting Perth, Australia, for the designation, according to the Gay Games website.
This is Denver Colorado’s bid to host the 2030 Gay Games
(Holy sh*t) pic.twitter.com/ADIOuC9WbM
— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) August 6, 2025
The site said that the 2018 Gay Games in Paris had a total economic impact of $117.9 million.
Site inspectors from the Federation of Gay Games visited the city in July. The final decision on hosting the Gay Games will come in November.
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