For fourth year, a proclamation will be issued by city, and for third year in a row city, library partners for events all month long
LIT UP | The Davis Building in Downtown Dallas was lit in rainbow colors last June for Pride Month. The building will again be aglow this year. (Chuck Marcelo/Dallas Voice)
For LGBT Dallasites, the options for social outings during National Pride Month in June only continue to grow.
BIG BUCKS | Thelma Houston helped raise money for the Greg Dollgener Memorial AIDS Fund at last year’s Metro Ball. (Chuck Marcelo/Dallas Voice)
The city’s LGBT Task Force has planned events over the month for the past two years. Last year the events focused more on social than educational as the year prior. A family zoo day was added, and will return this year, and more library gatherings for LGBT families made the calendar. Events are still being finalized
The month kicks off at City Hall Wednesday, June 4, in the Flag Room for a city proclamation declaring it Pride Month and honoring individuals during a Spirit of Equality Award ceremony. Recipients will be selected in categories of leadership, ally and community.
An award ceremony was slated for last year but was derailed when former Councilwoman Delia Jasso removed her signature from the equality resolution memo, preventing a vote on the measure. Instead, the Task Force gave one award to former City Manager Mary Suhm before she retied to honor her longtime commitment to helping the group.
Another new thing in the works for the month is a day at Bahama Beach for LGBT families with reduced rates, like the zoo day. The group also plans to help assist Youth First with a prom at Cathedral of Hope. And to round out the month, the return of a volunteer day at a nearby venue will likely be scheduled. Nell Gaither, Task Force member, planned the Give Back Day last year at The Stewpot. She said about 30 people attended to help clean and distribute food.
Library events also are planned throughout the month, including an LGBT family day, an inspirational talk and a social media distribution of a different LGBT-themed books each day with links to request the books.
Events can be viewed on the city’s online calendar at DallasCityHall.com/calendar or at DallasLibrary.org.
Dallas Pride Month schedule:
June 11: Pride Month reception and award ceremony, Dallas City Hall at noon
June 12: SOLID Talk: Building Confidence in You, Oak Lawn Branch Library
June 19: LGBT Book Club, North Oak Cliff Branch Library
June 20: Youth First prom at Cathedral of Hope
June 21: Bahama Beach family day
June 21: Rainbow Gardening Club of Dallas,, Skyline Branch Library
June 21: Rainbow Family Day at the Dallas Public Library, J. Erik Jonsson Central Library
June 25: Dallas Zoo family day
June 28: Give Back Day
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Dallasites plan alternative Pride celebration
Dallas’ LGBT community will have a new pride party to add to their calendar this June: QueerBomb Dallas.
The alternative Pride march and festival was born out of a need to represent a more diverse celebration of the queer community, one of the organizers, Daniel Villarreal, said.
“We’re looking for a Pride event that celebrates the true creativity, political expression and our diverse Dallas queer community,” he said.
QueerBomb has been successful in Austin, which is now in its fifth year as a June event, Villarreal said. This marks the first time the event will hit North Texas.
He said the Dallas Pride parade in September isn’t diverse enough. And a Dallas Black Pride has followed that celebration in October for years, something local leaders have said represents a need for a revamped, more inclusive Pride event.
QueerBomb Dallas starts at 8 p.m. June 28 with a march followed by a rally in Deep Ellum. The venue is still being finalized, he said. An event with dancers and performers will take place afterward at Quixotic World following the rally.
Villarreal said the QueerBomb organizers plan to participate in Dallas Pride this fall by marching in the parade and having a few events up until the Pride weekend.
“We do feel like there’s a place for [Dallas’ Pride parade], and it does represent people in the gay community,” Villarreal said, adding that organizers have said their event is just another queer party.” We’re way too fabulous to be contained by just one parade.”
Organizers are holding a town hall meeting to gain input about QueerBomb from 1-3 p.m. Saturday, May 31, at Resource Center.
For more info, visit TinyURL.com/QueerBombDallas or QueerbombDallas.org.
Other events planned across the state in June include:
Dallas. Fears for Queers kicks off its fourth annual LGBT horror film festival June 7. Proceeds from the film festival benefit the Gay and Lesbian Alliance of North Texas’ GALA Youth program.
Doors open at noon with screenings beginning at 1 p.m. Films include: Playing in Darkness by Alexander Roman, Zombie by Tony E. Valenzuela, Plug & Play by Davy Sihali, The Secret Path by Richard Mansfield and Sacrament by Shawn Ewert. Texas Theater, 231 West Jefferson Blvd, Dallas. For more info, visit www.GalaNtx.org.
McKinney. North Texas Pride, Collin County’s Pride celebration, is returning to its roots for its fourth year.
The event was first held in McKinney in 2011, followed by growing attendance the past two years in Lewisville and Plano. Last year, the outgoing Plano mayor was an honorary chair of the event, which raised more than $15,000.
This year McKinney Councilman Ray Ricchi and his wife Stephanie will co-chair the event.
The event takes place in downtown McKinney from 1-6 p.m. June 8. The family-friendly event features music, food, face painting and bounce houses. For more info, visit NorthTexasPride.com.
Beaumont. The LGBT community will celebrate Pride Month with a first-ever Pride walk and street festival on June 21.
The LGBTQIA walk will start at 11 a.m., beginning at the corner of Broadway and MLK. Participants will continue through downtown and end at Orleans and Forsythe streets.
The 600 block of Orleans will be blocked off for a family-friendly street festival. Free events are also scheduled at several different venues.
For more info, visit TinyURL.com/BeaumontPride.
Longview. Beaumont isn’t the only city planning its first-ever Pride event this year. Longview’s LGBT community will come out for a Pride festival on June 21.
Sponsored by PFLAG Longview, the event takes place from 5 p.m.-9 p.m. at Heritage Plaza in downtown Longview.
The event will have music, food and local organizations and businesses from Longview, Tyler, the Shreveport area and Dallas.
For more info, visit TinyURL.com/LongviewPride.