Councilman David Blewett, in white shirt, had breakfast with members of the LGBT community. (David Taffet/Dallas Voice)
Newly-elected District 14 Dallas City Councilman David Blewett met with members of the LGBT community this morning (Tuesday, July 2), after former state Rep. Harryette Ehrhardt arranged the meeting in her home and invited about a dozen members of the LGBT community to get to know the new councilman.
After each of the participants introduced themselves, Blewett gave a brief introduction. He said he was bullied as a kid, and although he became a football player, “I never forgot where I came from.”
Several members of the group provided resources for Blewett. Dallas Gay and Lesbian Alliance President Patti Fink offered a vocabulary list with do’s and don’ts such as “use transgender and not transsexual” or “use gay, bisexual or LGBT as adjectives as in gay man or LGBT community.”
Louise Young offered a brief history of the LGBT community in Dallas, and Brandon Vance, president of Stonewall Democrats, invited Blewett to attend and said he hoped he would seek the organization’s endorsement in the next election.
Blewett said, “I’m new to this,” and added that he hopes the community would be forgiving as he gets to know more people in his district and attend more events.
Young called the meeting “productive” and said she looked forward to working with him.
Josh Cogan, president and CEO of Outlast Youth, called the meeting a “Great opportunity for a few of us to talk with David Blewett … about the LGBTQ community and related issues this morning.”
— David Taffet
