2019 Houston Pride Grand Marshal Nominee Finalists Named

Houston Pride revealed on Thursday night this year's class of 2019 Grand Marshal nominees at an event held at Guava Lamp that also revealed the theme for this year's parade.

The theme is 'Summer of 69', to reflect the fact this is the 50th anniversary year of the Stonewall rebellion that kicked off the modern TBLGQ rights movement.

Houston Pride Grand Marshal nominees are comprised of people who have made significant achievements and contributions to our local LGBTQ community. 

According to Lo Roberts (yep, we're related), the president of Houston Pride, 2019 was the best year ever for Grand Marshal nominations

This year's Houston Pride Grand Marshal nominees are:

Male identifying finalists:
Eric Edward Schell
Jason Black
Harrison Guy

Female identifying finalists:
Shannon Baldwin
Janie Lopez
Iris Rodriguez

Non-Binary finalists:
Becca Keo-Meier
Julien Gomez
Mike Webb

LGBTQ-Ally finalists: 
Erika Richie
Marian Luntz
Constable Alan Rosen

For a parade that had serious diversity problems under its previous president, .it is the most diverse Pride grand marshal class ever and nice to see.   It was past time that the Grand marshal nominees reflected the diversity of this city.

For the first time ever, Houston Pride has created a non binary Grand Marshal category.

Voting has already started for it.   The voting will run until April 7, with the winners being announced on April 25.  The honorary grand marshals will also be announced on that date.

Here's the link to vote....

I Find Out If I Make Houston Pride Parade History In A Few Hours

As y'all loyal TransGriot readers know, I'm 262 miles north on the other end of I-45 for the Black Trans Advocacy Conference handling my BTWI board and conference related business.

This was planned before I agreed to run for Houston Pride Parade female Grand Marshal.  What I didn't anticipate was all the subsequent political mess of this current 85th Texas Legislative session causing me to spend more time where I was needed in Austin.

Tonight at Pearl Bar is the 2017 Houston Pride Kickoff Party that starts at 7:30 PM, and the pride Grand marshals will be announced during it.

I'm poised to make a little Houston Pride parade history if they call my name for female Grand Marshal.  I would be only the third African American woman after the Rev. Carolyn Mobley (1993) and Fran Watson (2016), the third trans feminine one after Phyllis Frye (2006) and Jenifer Rene Pool (2012) and the first Black trans feminine one ever.

If they call Lou Weaver's name as the male grand marshal, he would not only become the first ever trans masculine grand marshal, we would make history together as the first out pair of trans grand marshals serving together at a pride parade in the same parade year.

If it happens, yay moi and yay Lou and y'all have some drinks for me.

TransGriot Update:  Lou made Houston Pride parade history, but I didn't