Photo Recap: Afterglow Fashion Show and Gala

Last month, we were honored to participate in the Afterglow Fundraiser for the Center on Colfax. We've been collaborating with a great many queer non-profits this year and walking in this fashion show felt like the icing on a very delicious cake.

The show happened to fall on the night before the 8th anniversary of my mom's death, so I walked the runway in her honor, knowing full-well that the one thing she would want me to do on that day is live as out, loud, and proud as I could.

Haus of Other created and modeled their own looks, and I personally showed a collection of winged costumes that I have created since I moved to Denver. What I realized in putting them together is that they told an interesting story.

The Phoenix representing me rising from the ashes of my mom's death and making a new home in Denver. The dragon represented my mourning period over my mom, and the act of 'slaying the dragon' by reaching a turning point in my healing process. The caterpillar/butterfly represented my cocooning process during Covid, and emerging as a butterfly ready to take on the world through Haus of Other.

And to me, the lion fish represents a warrior. The person I will have to become in order to do what I'm meant to do on this Earth.

Seeing that story play out on the runway for such a good cause was a highlight of the year. And I can't wait to see what Haus of Other holds for us in 2026.

Photos by Ty Reddick Photography