“Pride is important every year. Pride is important every day. It's important that we show up for each other, that we show our pride, and that we show who we are,” said Kendra Walker, interim president of Pride Houston 365.
“However, it is also important that we actually make a stand because of all this recent legislation and rhetoric. I think the reason why the rhetoric has gotten so high is because [politicians] are trying to take us backwards. Now, more than ever, we need to show up to make the point that we're not going backwards,” she continued.
In her call to action, Walker taps into the fierce conviction about the progression of LGBTQ and civil rights, which seem to have been on a “one step forward, two steps back” pace in recent years.
Let's break it down.
The question inevitably pops up this time of year, “Why do we need to have a pride parade? There’s no straight pride parade.” The answer is quite simple. Every single day is an unending parade of straight pride.
No countries outlaw heterosexual relationships. No states avoid the word “straight” or decry the moral decay when school libraries contain books depicting heterosexual relationships. People involved in heterosexual relationships don’t have to worry if their marriage rights are up for debate each voting season.
On the other side, though, discrimination against the LGBTQ community is rampant. Suicide rates for LGBTQ teens are exponentially higher than their straight counterparts. Hate crimes amongst transgender people, especially transgender people of color, are abruptly sobering compared to their straight counterparts. And that isn’t even dipping into the morass of policymaking geared toward transgender lives and drag performers, the latest lightning rod for hatred.
Thought times aren’t looking as rosy for the LGBTQ community, not all is lost. The antidote to fear is love, which gives way to this year’s parade theme: All You Need Is Love.
“We were looking at the legislation being passed, and in our lifetime, there’s always been rhetoric, but we’ve never seen it quite this bad,” Walker said. “Someone joked, ‘the haters just need a hug,’ which inspired our theme because love is the opposite of what we feel in the climate – especially the political climate. All you need is love to be proud of yourself and live in your truth. All you need is love to live your best life.”
People from all backgrounds will join for one of the country's largest Pride celebrations.
Photo by Dalton DeHart
This year’s Grand Marshals include Margarita Perez Frinsco (2023 Female Identifying), Jeffrey Campbell (2023 Male Identifying), Ethan Ganz (2023 Gender Nonbinary/Gender Nonconforming), Christian Menefee (2023 LGBTQIA+ Ally), David Andrew Edmonson (2023 Honorary Grand Marshal), The Normal Anomaly Initiative (2023 Honorary Grand Marshal) and Cameron Samuels (2023 Honorary Grand Marshal Trendsetter).
Interestingly, the grand marshals won’t lead the parade, bucking the trend from previous festivities. The first group leading the parade will be composed of transgender, gender non-binary or gender non-conforming individuals, as well as allies, in a march for transgender autonomy.
“In history, the Stonewall riots were started by a Black transgender woman. It's time that we make it known very publicly that we stand behind our transgender brothers and sisters. They're our family too, and so they are going to lead the parade,” Walker said.
Another distinct difference this year will be the absence of the Pride Festival, traditionally held in the afternoon in lead up to the parade. The reason for the cancellation, in short, is heat related illness.
“Last year’s festival brought record numbers of attendees, but it also brought record numbers of illnesses and record heat. Our board feels like this festival is no longer safe in the daytime,” Walker said. “We want you to be able to come out and enjoy yourself, and we want you to go home safe and happy.”
Her advice to stay healthy? Celebrate...and hydrate. The organization and its sponsors have worked steadfastly to ensure easy access to water and encourages friends to look out for one another for signs of heat fatigue.
Walker reports that the board aims to schedule the festival next year on the Friday evening preceding the Saturday parade.
“We've been working with the City of Houston on our plans. Personally, I can't wait to try it and see if it works better,” she said. “There have been lots of things on the table that we been developing, and we will have something to present very soon.”
The 2023 Houston LGBT+ Pride Parade starts at 7 p.m. Saturday in Downtown Houston. For information, visit pridehouston365.org. Free.
