Top Row, Left to Right: Christine Bengston, David Hearn, Dr. Rev. Neil Cazares-Thomas,
Bottom Row, Left to Right: Jalenski Brown, Rebecca Covell, Wayne Davis
VOTE HERE
The Dallas Tavern Guild last week announced the six people nominated by community members as potential grand marshals of the 2018 Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade, set for Sunday, Sept. 16.
Voting to narrow the field down to two grand marshals continues through midnight, Aug. 3, online at DallasPride.org. Winners will be announced Friday, Aug. 10, in Dallas Voice in print and online, at Dallas Pride.org, and through social media.
The nominees are Chris Bengston, David Hearn, Jalenzski Brown, the Rev. Neil Cazares-Thomas, Rebecca Covell and Wayne Davis.
“It was a very interesting year for nominations,” Tavern Guild Executive Director Michael Doughman said this year. “We had some bizarre suggestions; some that were meant to be sarcastic, I guess, and some that were just silly. And then there were the people who got all their friends to go to the site and nominate them.
“We had to go through all of those nominations and make sure that the nominees actually fit the criteria, that they were people whose contributions to and visibility in the community are truly outstanding,” he continued. “Each of these six nominees most definitely have significant credibility. They are leaders in their field. We are very pleased with the six nominees we have.”
Chris Bengston has been with Caven Enterprises for 33 years and is no on site events coordinator. She works with local and national drag pageants that are held in Caven clubs, usually in The Rose Room at S4, and with other organizations holding events at the clubs, including GDMAF ad MetroBall, Prism Health North Texas and LifeWalk, Bear Dance, Purple Foundation and more. She has received the Dru Howlett Award from OLCS and the Open Heart Award from C.U.R.E., and has been one of Resource Center’s 5 Factor honorees. She is especially proud of her volunteer work at Sam Houston Elementary School and with the Secret Santa Project benefitting the children there. She has one son, Alex Bengston.
David Hearn founded the Greg Dollgener Memorial AIDS Fund, with a group of friends, in memory of his later partner in 1996 and has been on the board of directors since its inception, also serving as president and treasurer. In 2005, the group started MetroBall, which has become GDMAF’s largest fundraiser of the year. Hearn has also served on the boards of AIDS ARMS and AIDS Services of McKinney and has received numerous awards, including AIDS ARMS Heart and Hands Award, Dallas Voice LGBT Role Model Award, Miss Gay Texas State Pageant “Around the World” Memorial Legends Award, Health Services of North Texas Hearts and Heroes Spirit Award, Dallas Bears Randy Franklin Memorial “I Care” Community Service Award and many more.
Jalenzski Brown works with Resource Center, which is North Texas’ primary LGBT and AIDS service organization, as the MPowerment Programs manager and co-manager of the HIV and STD prevention and treatment services. He also serves on the Mayor of Dallas’ LGBT Task Force and worked with the Human Rights Campaign as a 2017 HIV360 Fellow. He volunteers with a variety of organizations in the community, and as an avid lover of humanity, he believes all people deserve respect and the opportunity to reach their greatest potential for good.
The Rev. Neil G. Cazares-Thomas is senior pastor of Cathedral of Hope, having begun his tenure there on June 3, 2015, after serving for 13 years as the senior pastor of the Founders Metropolitan Community Church, Los Angeles, the founding church of Metropolitan Community Churches. Cazares-Thomas has been a member of Metropolitan Community Churches since 1981, having joined the church on his 15th birthday. He has served in numerous denominational positions including chair of the Board of Ordained Ministries (European District), member of the Elder’s Task Force on Education and more. He also works with Dallas Hope Charities, a outreach of Cathedral of Hope, to bring a LGBT homeless youth shelter to Dallas. He is married to Isaiah Thomas-Cazares, and they have a daughter.
Rebecca Covell is a Dallas attorney concentrating her practice in the areas of estate planning, probate and business transactions. She served as a briefing attorney to the chief judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri before relocating to Dallas and establishing her own firm in 1990. She is a former member of the national board of directors for the Human Rights Campaign and is active in the local HRC community. She is an advisor to the DFW Federal Club and a member of the North Texas GLBT Chamber of Commerce, as well as a former chair of the Women’s Business Network and a mentor to young lawyers. Covell also provides volunteer legal services for the Legal Hospice of Texas. Her recognitions include DV Readers Best Civil Lawyer, Black Tie Dinner Kuchling Award, North Texas GLBT Chamber Business Person of the Year, Legal Hospice of Texas Volunteer Award and more.
Wayne Davis is president of the Dallas Bears and has previously served as treasurer, vice president and secretary. He is a member of the Worship Team at Metropolitan Community Church and has helps with coordination of participants and volunteers at the General Conference in Victoria, B.C. He is currently the secretary/treasurer for International LeatherSIR and a member of the board of directors. Since April 2001, He has been events director at the Dallas Eagle, and is proud to have been placed in Sainthood by the DFW Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence as Saint B. Tim Harder.
