CENTRAL SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — Pikes Peak Pride kicked off Saturday, and among its offerings is a dedicated space for young people — the Youth Square.
The area has bubble blowing fairies, mermaids, read-a-longs with drag queens and kings, and card making. Kids can also receive free books to get excited about reading.
A silent disco finished off the day Saturday. A foam party planned Sunday.
Miss Pride 2025 Leia Trillz said the space fills a need she wished had existed when she was growing up.
"I would have dreamed of having something like this, just feeling in place with myself," Trillz said.
Trillz has been attending Pikes Peak Pride since she was 12 years old. She said she was searching for acceptance during a difficult time in her life.
"I was looking for a place that would accept me without my parents noticing, but I ended up getting caught anyway. But out of it came like such a beautiful journey in drag and actually during that time I was actually getting sober as a youth," Trillz said.
The Youth Square has been a part of Pikes Peak Pride since 2020. Trillz said she has seen its impact on young attendees over the years.
"I have noticed that through these type of things we often see kids being more resilient, not wanting to close off into themselves. Instead they want to be allies, talk to the people who are not so strong," Trillz said.
Trillz said a dedicated youth space matters because young people can sometimes feel caught between inclusion and exclusion at larger pride events.
"A lot of times when you go to a pride and there's not a youth space, yes, we feel included, but there's also an exclusionary because there are things in the world that we do not understand," Trillz said.
This year, Trillz has the opportunity to read to children at the Youth Square. The book she chose is called "The Little Girl Who Could."
"It's a book about a transgender youth who is coming into herself and actually asking her mom if she could do ballet," Trillz said.
Alongside that story, Trillz is sharing her own. She said the arts played a critical role in her path to sobriety and wants young people to find that same outlet.
"Especially in the LGBT community, when you are not understood, when you are not accepted, when you are pushed out into the world, the first thing you're going to do is want to numb the pain," Trillz said, "Let's numb the pain through arts. I'm a dancer. I also sing. I play instruments. Those are all creative aspects in which let's be addicted to those things instead of drugs and alcohol."
She also said she wants to challenge the assumptions children are taught about gender and activities.
"Let children know whether you wanna dance, whether you wanna do karate, it is not something that is gendered," Trillz said.
She helps young people every day through Purple Mountain Recovery, another spot that has a safe space at Pikes Peak Pride.
