Houston Gay Pride Parade
Encyclopedia
The Houston Gay Pride Parade is a Gay Pride
festival held annually since 1979 in the Neartown
area of Houston. The festival takes place in June to celebrate the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people and their allies. The route of the parade is usually along Westheimer Road, from Dunlavy Street and ending at Crocker Street. It is currently the most attended and largest gay pride event in the Southwest region of the United States
.
This event commemorates the 1969 police raid of the Stonewall Inn
on Christopher Street in New York City
's Greenwich Village
neighborhood, which is generally considered to be the beginning of the modern Gay Rights Movement.
The festivities are held all day on the 4th Saturday of June. The highlight of the event is the parade which is held in the evening after sunset since 1997 (which was arranged by then-Houston City Councilmember Annise Parker
where a parade ordinance was revised). Because the event is held at night, the various floats and surroundings are creatively illuminated by the various participants.
Parade organizers (Pride Houston) estimate attendance of 200,000
Gay pride
LGBT pride or gay pride is the concept that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people should be proud of their sexual orientation and gender identity...
festival held annually since 1979 in the Neartown
Neartown Houston
Neartown is an area located in west-central Houston, Texas, United States and is one of the city's major cultural areas. Neartown is roughly bounded by U.S. Highway 59 to the south, Allen Parkway to the north, Bagby Street on the east, and Shepherd Drive to the west...
area of Houston. The festival takes place in June to celebrate the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people and their allies. The route of the parade is usually along Westheimer Road, from Dunlavy Street and ending at Crocker Street. It is currently the most attended and largest gay pride event in the Southwest region of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
This event commemorates the 1969 police raid of the Stonewall Inn
Stonewall Inn
The Stonewall Inn, often shortened to Stonewall is an American bar in New York City and the site of the Stonewall riots of 1969, which are widely considered to be the single most important event leading to the gay liberation movement and the modern fight for gay and lesbian rights in the United...
on Christopher Street in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
neighborhood, which is generally considered to be the beginning of the modern Gay Rights Movement.
The festivities are held all day on the 4th Saturday of June. The highlight of the event is the parade which is held in the evening after sunset since 1997 (which was arranged by then-Houston City Councilmember Annise Parker
Annise Parker
Annise Danette Parker is an American politician and the mayor of Houston since January 2, 2010. She served as an at-large member of the Houston City Council from 1998 to 2003 and city controller from 2004 to 2009...
where a parade ordinance was revised). Because the event is held at night, the various floats and surroundings are creatively illuminated by the various participants.
Parade organizers (Pride Houston) estimate attendance of 200,000
Awards
Entries in the parade are eligible for awards in categories with cultural references significant to LGBT history as well as a judges pick and categories with more localized focus:- Judges' Choice
- AriaAriaAn aria in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. The term is now used almost exclusively to describe a self-contained piece for one voice usually with orchestral accompaniment...
(best creative sound) - FabulousAbsolutely FabulousAbsolutely Fabulous, also known as Ab Fab, is a British sitcom created by Jennifer Saunders, based on an original idea by her and Dawn French, and written by Saunders, who plays the leading character. It also stars Joanna Lumley and Julia Sawalha, along with June Whitfield and Jane Horrocks...
(best costumes) - Rainbow (best lighting)
- Ruby SlipperRuby slippersThe ruby slippers are the shoes worn by Dorothy in the 1939 MGM movie The Wizard of Oz. Because of their iconic stature, they are now among the most treasured and valuable of film memorabilia. As was customary for important props, a number of pairs were made for the film, though no one knows...
(best walking) - Judy GarlandJudy GarlandJudy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
(best performance) - PinkPink triangleThe pink triangle was one of the Nazi concentration camp badges, used to identify male prisoners who were sent there because of their homosexuality. Every prisoner had to wear a downward-pointing triangle on his or her jacket, the colour of which was to categorise him or her by "kind"...
Diamond (best float by a for-profit company) - PriscillaThe Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the DesertThe Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is a 1994 Australian comedy-drama film written and directed by Stephan Elliott. The plot is based on the journey of three drag queens who travel across the Australian Outback from Sydney to Alice Springs in a tour bus that they have named...
(best float by a non-profit group) - Spirit of Montrose (best overall)
Houston Pride Themes & Parade Grand Marshals
| Year | Theme | Grand Marshal(s) | Honorary Grand Marshal(s) | Organizational Grand Marshal(s) | Community Grand Marshal(s) | Celebrity Grand Marshal(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | "United We Stand" | Thelma Hansel | ||||
| 1980 | "Proud to Be" | Jim Farmer & Ruth Ravas | ||||
| 1981 | "We the People" | Ray Hill & Rita Wanstrom | ||||
| 1982 | "A Part Of, Not Apart From" | Marion Coleman & Andy Mills | ||||
| 1983 | "Unity through Diversity" | Marion Pantzer & Walter Strickler | ||||
| 1984 | "Unity and More in '84" | Pokey Anderson & Rick Grossman | ||||
| 1985 | "Alive with Pride" | Terry Clark & Freda Jerrell | ||||
| 1986 | "Liberty Is In Our Grasp" | Tony Bicocchi & Dee Lamb | ||||
| 1987 | "Come Out and Celebrate Pride" | Persons Living With AIDS AIDS Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus... |
||||
| 1988 | "Rightfully Proud" | Bruce Cook & Eleanor Munger | Sharon Kowalski & Harvey Milk Harvey Milk Harvey Bernard Milk was an American politician who became the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California when he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors... |
|||
| 1989 | "Stonewall 20" | Charles Armstrong & Bettie Naylor | ||||
| 1990 | "Look to the Future" | Walter Carter & Annise Parker | Debra Danburg & Craig Washington | |||
| 1991 | "Take Pride" | Gene Harrington, Jack Jackson & Linda Morales | Katy Caldwell & Marvin Davis Marvin Davis Marvin H. Davis was an American industrialist and philanthropist... |
|||
| 1992 | "Pride = Power" | Sheri Cohen Darbonne & Brian Keever | Gay & Lesbian Switchboard Houston | |||
| 1993 | "Out & Proud" | Brian Bradley & Carolyn Mobley | Adan Rios | PFLAG Houston | ||
| 1994 | "HouStoneWall 25" | Jay Allen & Cicely Wynne | Claire Koepsel | Q-Patrol | ||
| 1995 | "Silence to Celebration" | Suzanne Anderson & Don Gill | Annella Harrison | H.A.T.C.H. | ||
| 1996 | "Pride Knows No Borders" | Bill Havard & Jeanette Vaughn | Jack Abercia | The Royal, Sovereign, and Imperial Court of the Single Star | ||
| 1997 | "Glowing with Pride" | Deborah Bell & Jimmy Carper | Krewe of Olympus | |||
| 1998 | "Unified, Diversified, Electrified" | Bob Bouton & Jackie Doval | Barbara Winston | Texas Gay Rodeo Association | ||
| 1999 | "Pride, Power & Pizzazz" | Sean Carter & Nancy Ford | Colt 45’s | |||
| 2000 | "Take Pride, Take Joy, Take Action" | Richard Weiderholt & Tori Williams | Don Sinclair | People With AIDS Coalition Houston | ||
| 2001 | "Embrace Diversity" | Mitchell Katine & Dalia Stokes | Blake & Gordon Weisser | PFLAG Houston | ||
| 2002 | "Pride Worldwide" | Mela Contreras & Rusty Mueller | Irv & Jane Smith | Gay & Lesbian Switchboard Houston | ||
| 2003 | "Silver Celebration" | All former Grand Marshals honored | ||||
| 2004 | "Pride As Big As Texas" | Sonna Alton & Jerry Simoneaux | Sue & Jim Null | Lesbian Gay Rights Lobby of Texas | ||
| 2005 | "Equal Rights! No More! No Less! | Weldon Hickey & Deb Murphy | Dennis and Evelyn Schave | Bayou City Boys Club | ||
| 2006 | "Say It Out Loud!" | Phyllis Randolph Frye & Ray Ramirez | Rev. Marilyn Meeker-Williams | Bunnies on the Bayou | ||
| 2007 | "Lone Star Pride" | Jack Valinski & Maria Gonzalez | Garnet Coleman Garnet Coleman Garnet F. Coleman is a U.S. politician and a member of the Texas House of Representatives for District 147 since 1991. He is the son of John B. Coleman, M.D... |
The Imperial Court of Houston | ||
| 2008 | "We are Family" | Dalton DeHart & Kelly McCann | Julie Eberly | AIDS Foundation Houston, Inc. | ||
| 2009 | "Out 4 Justice" | James Knapp & Fiona Dawson | Mike & Linda Bratsen | Legacy Community Healthcare | ||
| 2010 | "Pride NOT Prejudice" | Gary Wood & Carol Wyatt | Ann Robison | Montrose Counseling Center | Mayor Annise Parker Annise Parker Annise Danette Parker is an American politician and the mayor of Houston since January 2, 2010. She served as an at-large member of the Houston City Council from 1998 to 2003 and city controller from 2004 to 2009... |
Andy Cohen Andy Cohen (television personality) Andy Cohen is an American television executive and host. He is currently the Executive Vice-President Original Programming and Development at the Bravo cable television network, a subsidiary of NBC Universal... |
| 2011 | "Live. Love. Be." | Bryan Hlavinka & Tammi Wallace | Duane & Judy Roland | The GLBT Community Center | Jonathan D. Lovitz Jonathan D. Lovitz Jonathan D. Lovitz is an American actor, singer, dancer, and model.-Early life:In his final year of high school, he received the 2002 Silver Knight Award for Drama presented by The Miami Herald and American Airlines, recognizing him for his community service in creating after-school theatre... |
See also
- Houston Gay and Lesbian Film FestivalHouston gay and lesbian film festivalThe Houston Gay & Lesbian Film Festival is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the media arts as a powerful tool for communication and cooperation among diverse communities by presenting films, videos, and programs by, about, or of interest to the LGBT community.-History of the...
- Gulf Coast Archive and MuseumGulf Coast Archive and MuseumThe Gulf Coast Archive and Museum of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender History is an LGBT history organization located in Neartown, Houston, Texas ....
- Houston-based LGBT archive - LGBT rights in TexasLGBT rights in TexasFew rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender residents exist in Texas at the state level. LGBT persons in Texas face legal challenges and discrimination not experienced by non-LGBT residents.-Laws regarding same-sex sexual activity:...