Mayor Pro Tem Pauline Medrano, left, holds the Pride proclamation with LGBT Task Force members Pam Gerber and Omar Narvaez. (David Taffet/DallasVoice)
Dallas officials and LGBT leaders gathered in the Flag Room at City Hall on Wednesday to declare June LGBT Pride Month in the city and celebrate the first of many related events this month.
Pam Gerber, member of Councilwoman Delia Jasso’s LGBT Task Force, spoke briefly about the history of Dallas city Pride events. Two years ago was the first time the city held a reception marking Pride Month, followed by last year’s series of events. More events are planned this month to continue to educate and celebrate the city’s LGBT community.
“Thanks to the leadership of the Task Force and Delia Jasso, we now have a very high profile June Pride month,” Gerber said. “It certainly has become a big thing that we’re very, very proud of.”
Jasso was not among the roughly 40 people who attended, but several council members did, including Mayor ProTem Pauline Medrano, Angela Hunt, Ann Margolin, Scott Griggs, Monica Alonzo, Sheffie Kadane, Linda Koop and Councilman-elect Adam Medrano. Gay former Councilman John Loza and District 14 candidate Philip Kingston were also in attendance. Mayor Mike Rawlings was out of town and did not record a video message like last year.
Task Force member Omar Narvaez spoke about Pride’s history and the important milestones in LGBT history from the Stonewall Riots to the Lawrence v. Texas ruling 10 years ago.
“That case was the first time that the U.S. Supreme Court legitimized same-sex relationships. They struck down all the sodomy laws across the entire United States,” he said. “Our history has moved so fast and so furious. … We honor our past because those brave men and women at the Stonewall riots, they stood up and said enough was enough.”
He said he was proud to move forward with the LGBT Task Force and supportive council members and Dallas leaders to continue to make more strides locally.
“We are going to go forward and we are going to achieve that full equality one day and that is why we stand here, full of pride, and we celebrate who we are and we celebrate our differences,” he said.
City Manager Mary Suhm was given an award by the Task Force, recognizing her work and support for the LGBT community.
Task Force member Patti Fink said Suhm was supportive from the first time she met her, helping accomplish big and little things from the wording of the city’s employment nondiscrimination policy to changing forms to be LGBT-friendly.
“When the Task Force came around, Mary was right there with us. Thanks to her we were able to get a lot of things done that were really important to our community,” Fink said. “When we make it real in the city of Dallas that LGBT people are here, and they’re welcome and they’re embraced as employees of this city and citizens of this great city, then we know that we’ve done our job. And Mary has lept us forward in so many ways.”
In accepting the award, Suhm said she was grateful for the leadership that’s grown in their support for the LGBT community over the years. She said many years ago when she briefed the council on domestic partner benefits, the “reception was not what it would be today.”
“We are able to do things that we can do as city staff because we have leadership that understands and supports what we do,” Suhm said. “And it hasn’t always been that way.”
Pauline Medrano then read the proclamation declaring June Pride Month in Dallas.
