October 30 2025, 08:15 
A wave of vandalism struck LGBTQ+ businesses in Denver over the last week, culminating in an attack early Saturday morning on the Center on Colfax, a community center and one of the largest LGBTQ+ organizations in Colorado.
Security cameras captured the Saturday assault, revealing a lone vandal smashing several of the center’s front windows with a rock.
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The Parasol Patrol, an organization that shields young people and their families from anti-LGBTQ+ attacks, shared news of the multiple vandalism incidents on Monday.
The businesses targeted include two salons, a queer gym, a boutique, and the Center.
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“These attacks do not resemble random
It’s unclear if the attacks are related. As of Monday, Denver Police were investigating two of the incidents, including the vandalism at the Center.
“At this point, it does not appear that the two are related, but investigators are still working to gather more information,” the Denver Police Department told FOX31.
John Taylor, The Center’s vice president of development and communication, told Denverite on Monday that a suspect has not been identified, though the investigation is ongoing. The nonprofit has hired temporary security.
“The building feels secure and that’s what’s important,” Taylor said. “The community is coming together.”
Not all of the business owners have spoken publicly about the vandalism.
Styler Ells, owner of the Joy of Movement Collective, discovered their business had been attacked when they arrived at the queer gym on Friday morning. The building’s garage windows had been smashed out, and glass littered the floor. Ells learned later of the other incidents.
“We’re very loud and proud,” Ells said. “We’re very out in the community. We do a lot of organizing. We do a lot of activism. And a lot of the businesses that did get hit are also the same.”
LGBTQ+ organizations, including The Center, were prominent in the news lately as Denver campaigned to host the Gay Games in 2030, Denverite reported. The city lost out to Perth, Australia, on Monday.
Saturday morning surveillance video from The Center shows a white man in his 30s wearing shorts, a light jacket, and a baseball cap walking up the building’s steps and slamming a rock several times against windows.
The attack triggered the building’s alarm system, and the person fled, according to a statement from The Center’s CEO, Kim Salvaggio.
“As a community, we know that these moments are not simply random acts of mischief,” Salvaggio wrote. “While we may never know the intent behind this vandalism, we understand it within a broader history of attacks and intimidation that our community has faced.”
Boarded-up windows on the building’s facade shared hopeful messages.
“You won’t break our souls,” read one. Another declared, “Broken windows never break community.”
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