Fairness Fort Worth leader who died in August among grand marshals of 31st annual parade, which travels through downtown again this year
DRIVING PRICE HI | Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price served as grand marshal of last year’s Tarrant Pride parade, which was held downtown for the first time. (Dallas Voice file photo)
DAVID TAFFET | Staff Writer
FORT WORTH — The late Tom Anable and a lesbian couple from Arlington who recently were victims of a hate crime will be among the grand marshals for the Tarrant County gay Pride parade.
Anable, the former president of Fairness Fort Worth who died Aug. 18, will remain a grand marshal of the parade posthumously. Randy Moore and William Dotson will be the other grand marshals.
Moore, better known as “Candi Carroll,” has raised a great deal of money for LGBT and AIDS organizations in Tarrant County from shows at bars over the years. And Dotson is “a longtime behind-the-scenes volunteer,” according to parade organizer Tony Coronado.
In addition to the three grand marshals, Fort Worth police Sgt. Kathi Jones, Arlington lesbian couple Kim and Mandy Loverling, and Tim Smith will serve as honorary grand marshals.
“I’ve been working with Fort Worth groups, doing all of their activities for the past three years,” Jones said.
After the Rainbow Lounge raid, an LGBT liaison officer was named, but other officers jumped in to make sure relationships between the community and Police Department improved. Jones was among them.
She was instrumental in helping with logistics when the parade and festival moved downtown last year for the 30th anniversary.
Before then, the parade was held in the southeast neighborhood where the Rainbow Lounge and other gay bars are situated.
Jones said they dealt with a few protesters downtown last year but everything went smoothly.
“I’ve had a close relationship with them,” she said. “Any activities where they needed officers, I’ve helped.”
Smith, better known as “Tessy,” lives in Garland but does much of her fundraising for Tarrant County’s LGBT community.
The Loverlings are the lesbian mothers who found the words “queer” and “faggot” spray-painted on their car in June. The suspects did damage to about 10 cars in the neighborhood that night, and police investigated the incident involving the Loverlings as a hate crime.
WHO’S YOUR DADDY? | At 31, Tarrant’s parade is two years older than Dallas’. (Dallas Voice file photo)
The couple never expected the incident would turn into an honor by the Tarrant County parade committee.
“We were surprised,” Kim Loverling said.
She said it’s a great example of how the community rallies around and supports its members when things like that happen.
Three people have been nominated for the Raina Lea Award, for service to the community.
Lea, also known as Gary Taylor, founded the Fort Worth Pride Picnic in the 1970s, several years before the parade began. Coronado said the idea then was for the LGBT community to get together in a family-friendly environment once a year.
The nominees for the award are Todd Camp, Mari Taylor and Kelly O’Neil. Camp founded and runs Q Cinema. Taylor participates in TGRA and is recognized for her community service. O’Neil, also known as Kevin Springer, is a former Miss
Charity America and is also a current Miss TGRA candidate.
The winner will be named at the Pride picnic.
The parade and picnic used to take place on separate weekends that bookended a week of events.
Now, events take place leading up to Pride weekend.
The parade, which is two years older than Dallas’ Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade, begins at noon on Saturday, Oct. 6 down Main Street from Weatherford Street south to 7th Street.
A street festival will follow the parade until 6 p.m. in General Worth Square, on Main Street between 8th Street and 9th Street.
On Sunday, Oct. 7, the Pride Picnic takes place in Trinity Park near the Museum District from noon to 6 p.m.
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31st Tarrant Pride
Parade begins at noon Oct. 6 and travels down Main Street from Weatherford Street to 7th Street. A festival will follow the parade until 6 p.m. in General Worth Square.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition September 14, 2012.