Organizers expected about 800 people at the most to attend the inaugural Pride Kel-So event, but the event drew 1,600 people
DAVID TAFFET | Senior Staff Writer
Taffet@DallasVoice.com
A scaled down version of Pride Kel-so will take place Oct. 3, while the larger event originally planned for next month has been tentatively rescheduled for April — a change necessitated by a city council’s anti-Pride vote.
Planning for the second Pride Kel-So celebration went awry when the Southlake City Council voted unanimously and without comment or questions to deny the group and its host sponsor, St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church, a permit.
Last year the event was also held at the church. About 1,600 people attended that event, at least double the number expected, according to organizer April Dreyson. An event only needs a permit from the city if more than 1,000 attend.
Dreyson said she didn’t expect any controversy over the event held at a local church, since last year’s initial Pride celebration went off with incident.
At the city council meeting, only two people spoke about the event — one from the church in favor and one from the community who opposed. The reasoning for the opposition was that there would be protesters. That reasoning boils down to “Since I don’t like you and I’m planning to protest, you shouldn’t be allowed to have an event at your church that I don’t have to attend.”
Dreyson said this year organizers had planned for as many as 2,500 participants. Arrangements had already been made for plenty of off-site parking, security and traffic control. She simply didn’t expect the opposition.
But the opposition had apparently organized, too, and Southlake’s city council didn’t want “those kind of people” invading their city. Dreyson noted that both she and her wife grew up in Keller. She also explained that the church is on the border between Southlake and Keller but actually sits on the Southlake side of the line, which is why they sought the permit from that city.
Dreyson said leading up to the meeting, she had met with the city’s police, planning and zoning offices. “We expected it to go OK,” she said. “I was told everything the council would look at looked good, and they should vote for us.”
Then — without a single word from the city, not a question or a comment — Dreyson said she was hit broadside with a unanimous no vote. She said the message was clear: “We don’t want an LGBT event here.”
Over the next week, the message became more clear.
The Fort Worth Report quoted former Keller Mayor Armin Mizani who said that “the agenda” was “aimed at exposing children to inappropriate, highly sexualized content.”
A look at the variety of booths clearly shows just how “sexualized” the event would be: Four churches were among the groups that would be represented at Pride Kelso. Among the commercial participants were an Edward Jones representative, along with representatives from at least three other financial companies, an insurance agency and a travel company. Retail companies included at least two bridal companies, jewelry designers, soap makers and a variety of other craft makers.
Maybe it was the array of mental and physical health providers scheduled to be in attendance that was what was so objectionable.
Or could it have been the non-profit agencies that would be in attendance offering their services that offended the Southlake City Council? Agencies like Dallas Hope Charities, which offers housing to young adults who’ve been thrown out of their homes by their loving parents.
Or maybe Real Mama Bears or PFLAG that love their kids.
Or maybe it’s that highly sexualized offered by the scouting group that was scheduled to participate in the event. Or maybe it was simply the variety of more than a dozen food and snack vendors they objected to. There’s nothing more offensive than a gay hamburger.
The only thing missing from the lineup was anything remotely “sexualized.”
Dreyson said that, from the beginning, the event was designed to be family friendly.
The long list of vendors and location in a mainstream Episcopal church attests to her claim.
According to Dreyson, St, Martin In-The-Fields pastor the Rev. Alan D. Bentrup is very upset about what has happened.
“He’s a huge supporter,” she said, “And he is very aware that it is not a sexual event. I’m fascinated every day how he supports us despite all the backlash he’s gotten.”
So, for now, the vendors who have been signed up are welcome at both the Oct. 5 and the tentative April event. For October, organizers are limiting attendance to 1,000 people.
For April, Dreyson said, she’s still putting her plan together. She said the permit ordinance as written refers mostly to events held on public property. She’s not sure it even applies to an event held at a church.
But she’s not trying to skirt the law, and she is doing everything she can to adhere to the spirit of the ordinance as well as what the ordinance actually says.
Moving the event to another venue isn’t much of an option; Dreyson said organizers haven’t gotten a big welcome from anywhere in Keller.
So for right now she’s planning for what she’s dubbed the Block Party on Oct. 3 — scaled down vendors and food trucks and some music that will stay within the required decibel level.
Dyson pointed out, however, that she did lose some of her sponsors who pulled out because they didn’t want to risk any retaliation from the city.
More information on Pride Kel-so is available at PrideKelso.com.