LGBTQ youth, allies and their parents event and the return of ‘Outrageous Oral’ highlight close of DHHRM exhibit

DAVID TAFFET | Senior Staff Writer
taffet@dallasvoice.com

ASn event for LGBTQ youth, their allies and their parents comes to the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum, followed by the return of Outrageous Oral — all before the end of the run of the Rise Up.

Rise Up: Stonewall and the LGBTQ Rights Movement, an exhibit organized by the Newseum in Washington, D.C., traces the history of the LGBTQ rights movement in the U.S. With the Stonewall Rebellion as a centerpiece, the exhibit explores the place of LGBTQ people in American society both before and after that pivotal event.

The youth event takes place on June 6. Outrageous Oral returns on June 7 and Rise Up ends its run on June 18.

Youth and their parents
LGBTQ youth and allies ages 12-18 and their parents will be welcomed to the DHHRM on Tuesday, a day the museum is otherwise closed to the public.

Their tour of the exhibit will also include a visit to the museum’s Pivot to America section, which highlights several local LGBTQ heroes, including Mica England, John Thomas and Bill Nelson.

Museum Educator Ellie Lawson said they will explore unconscious bias as they tour Rise Up and parts of the permanent exhibit.

“If we’re not practicing safeguarding our rights, they can be taken away,” she said.

“At the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum, we highlight Upstanders throughout history who work to combat prejudice, hatred and indifference in their communities,” said museum President and CEO Mary Pat Higgins. “It is an honor to host this event to teach youth in North Texas about how the LGBTQ+ community and their allies fought for equality in American history.

“The Rise Up Youth Event is offered in conjunction with our current special exhibition, Rise Up: Stonewall and the LGBTQ Rights Movement, which explores the LGBTQ+ rights movement through powerful artifacts, images, and historic publications starting from the 1969 police raid at the Stonewall Inn to popular culture’s role in influencing attitudes.”

Youth will be grouped by age for the tours and up to 80 will be included in the day-long event. Small groups will tour the exhibits with trained museum staff. During lunch, there will be two panels — one for youth and one for parents — dealing with the struggles they’re going through.

The museum has been working with Resource Center to create a meaningful and educational experience.
The second part of the day will be fun and interactive and include art and slam poetry.

Lawson said for some of the parents involved, it will be their first time interacting with members of the LGBTQ community other than their own child.

Lunch is included and parking is free. Parents can sign themselves and their child up for the event at DHHRM.org.

Outrageous!
Outrageous Oral is a history project of The Dallas Way. At each program, between three and five members of the LGBTQ community tell their stories which are recorded and made available online.

Most Outrageous Oral presentations have been done in The Rose Room or one of the other Cedar Springs bars. Several have taken place at University of North Texas, which houses The Dallas Way’s archives and has made much of that collection available online.
On Wednesday, June 7, five community members will tell their stories.

Naomi Green, a Black trans woman, began her professional advocacy with Abounding Prosperity and now works with organizations that provide funding to help to ensure that the most marginalized and resource-deprived communities, including trans communities of color, are represented and receive prioritization in funding allocations.

Chris Luna, an attorney, served three terms on the Dallas City Council as one of the first out council members. He’s served on numerous boards in the LGBTQ community.

Candy Marcum has more than 40 years of experience as an LGBTQ community counselor.

Leza Mesiah was one of the creators of NPR’s All Things Considered. Her dad was president of the NAACP chapter in Buffalo. She’s also a musical bard at Scarborough Renaissance Festival.

Lee Taft was the founding director of Lambda Legal’s South Central Regional Office in Dallas and was the spokesperson for Lawrence v. Texas.

To register to attend Outrageous Oral, listed on the museum site as “Voices of LGBTQ+ Dallas,” visit DHHRM.org and scroll to events.