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Sometimes, I wonder if they are really interested in the groups, or just want to get the beads that are thrown. There are perhaps more straight people than gay people that attend these days. For one there is a lot less police “presence” along the parade route. Many things have changed about the parade have changed over the years. However, every year there are new participants. There were a large number of groups representing a wide variety of gay interests, many who have participated year after year.
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There was no lack of other politicians riding in the parade, including many of the current city council, and council wannabees, as well as state representatives and congresspeople. Jonathat Lovitz, of LogoTV's "Setup Squad", one of the honorary grand marshals. So into the car trunk the folding chairs will go. It is just too much to go early to find a not-too-far-in-the-boondocks parking place, walk to find a good spot on the parade route, and stand waiting and then stand watching. There is something new though this year: lawn chairs. And like last year, I’m picking up a friend and we’ll go down to Montrose to enjoy the pre-parade people-watching and then the actual event itself. However, that decision has already been made. After moving out to the suburbs, it’s always a decision whether it’s worth the drive back into the city and the struggle to find a parking place. I’ve missed some–but not very many along the way. I’m pretty sure that the first pride parade that I attended in Houston was in 1984. The year was either 1979 or 1980, but my memory leans toward the earlier year. I say “marched” but groups were not all that organized, so it was more like we “snaked” through the downtown streets of KCMO. Some friends and I from Kansas State University drove to Kansas City and marched in the parade there. I attended my first gay pride after I had returned to college. (But all of that has to be left for another post.) In fact, for me, at that time, isolated as I was, I had no idea about me, or anyone else, being gay it was a totally unknown concept.
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I might have heard something about Stonewall on the TV news, but if I did it just got mixed together with all the anti-Vietnam War protests that were happening in other places in the country, and were a rarity (I do remember at least a couple that happened near campus) in rural areas. At the time, I had just finished my sophomore year at Fort Hays State University out in western Kansas and had a summer job working for the Union Pacific Railroad (other posts about that here). I only know about this from reading about it a number of years later. It’s the 45th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in New York City, which in a way was the start of the concept of “Gay Pride” and the point (at least in the U.S.) in time when some gay people decided to “stop taking shit” from the cops and others for just being who they were. I seem to always get reflective this time of year. Get any info about these events and all other Houston Pride activities here.) The festival is today also and starts at 11:00 AM. Really, it’s all about the parade, which is going to happen today in Houston–8:15 down on what we used to call lower Westheimer (well, maybe lower Westheimer is really beyond Montrose Avenue). It’s that time of year again–LGBT pride month. The party will run from 4pm to 11pm at The Eagle.OK, so even out here in the suburbs, we can show our pride. Entry is $20, and the party will run until 3am.įor those who want to experience their pride all weekend, you'll be pleased to know there will be an After Pride Closing Tea Dance Party, on Sunday, June 23. Taking place at Rich's Houston, you can look forward to three different DJs, along with live drag performances from The Ladies of Rich's. If you still have plenty of party spirits, and you're not ready to call it a night, there will also be an afterparty to follow from 9pm. The Houston Pride Parade follows at 8:30pm, along a route through the western edge of Downtown. Admission is free, and you can expect a load of entertainment and new people to meet. The majority of festivities will transpire on Saturday, June 22, with the Pride Festival running from 12pm to 7pm at the crossroads of McKinney and Smith Streets. Happy Pride!įor 2019, the theme of Houston Pride is Summer of '69, which will honor 50 years since the Stonewall Uprising in Greenwich Village.
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For full details on Houston Pride 2022, be sure to check out the official event program.