Houston Pride Parade Today!

Well people, today is the big day!

I was named back in April as one of the four honorary grand marshals for the Houston Pride pride taking place later tonight. 

I'm part of historic group of grand marshals for the Houston event.   Harrison Homer Guy was elected as our first ever Black male grand marshal.   Judge Shannon Baldwin, one of the 17 sisters elected to Harris County judicial benches last year, became the third Black woman elected as a grand marshal.

Houston GLBT Caucus president Mike Webb was elected as our first ever non-binary grand marshal, and Precinct 1 Constable Alan Rosen, a longtime friend and supporter of the Houston TBLGQ community,  was elected as our ally grand marshal. 

The four honorary grand marshal spots are all Houston trans women to commemorate the fact this is the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion that kicked off the TBLGQ rights movement.

The four honorary marshals have also been actively involved in the community and the trans rights struggle on multiple levels for years.

In addition to a certain blogger y'all know, the other trans Houstonians named as honorary marshals are Atlantis Narcisse, the founder of Save Our Sisters United, Black Transwomen Inc, President and entrepreneur Dee Dee Watters and OLTT executive director Ana Andrea Molina.

The parade once again will be downtown and televised, , so looking forward to waving at y'all from the front this year.

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....

Dallas' Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade Names First Ever Trans Grand Marshal

During our pride parade here in Houston history was made when Lou Weaver was elected to become our first ever trans masculine parade grand marshal.  

Trans history is also being made on the other end of I-45 in Dallas for their Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade.   While most cities in the Lone Star State celebrate TBLGQ pride near the traditional historic late June date that can get a tad warm down here, Dallas celebrates it in September.

When Dallas' pride parade takes place on September 17, it will have its first ever trans grand marshal of any gender in Nicole O'Hara Munro.  She's also making history as the first ever African American ever named Dallas parade grand marshal.

Born in NOLA, Nicole now lives in Dallas, and is a trans rights advocate who works with an TBLGQ youth group and A Nu Trans Movement in addition to being the show hostess at Marty's Live.

And it's so apropos that it happened for this year's parade.   Texas trans people are under GOP legislative attack, and 14 of the 16 people we've lost in 2017 have been Black trans women.

It's gratifying to see that Dallas has elected a Black trans woman as their grand marshal.

She will be joined by the parade's masculine grand marshal in newly elected District 6 Councilmember Omar Narvaez .  He is the first openly gay candidate elected to the Dallas City Council in over a decade.

I've already commented on Omar's awesomeness on this blog, and glad to see he's being recognized for the trailblazing work he has done in the DFW area

 Congrats to both of the 2017 parade grand marshals.   May need to check my schedule and see if I can be up there for this piece of modern Texas trans history.

I'll Be At The 2017 Houston Pride Parade, But...

It wasn't quite was I was hoping for when I decided to run for the Houston Pride Parade female Grand Marshal.   When our nighttime Pride parade kicks off on Saturday I'll be in it at the start of it as one of the pride parade flag bearers.

As to why we have our parade at night?   It does get a little warm here in late June.

Been asked by a few people since we are now in the middle of Pride Week in H-town am I disappointed I wasn't elected grand marshal this year?  

Do the Astros have the best record in the major leagues?  

And let's be real, I've been blessed with a nice run lately in scooping up awards and honors, and BTAC gives out an award named for me.  Can't win them all.  

And not making that Houston Pride history this year means I have something to shoot for later.

But back to talking about the parade.  I marched with the Organization Latinas de Trans en Texas last year  and when the call came on Sunday I was mulling over offers from three different groups to march with them in the upcoming parade.

So in this year's parade I;m one of the flag bearers.   As for next year, we'll see.

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  

2017 Pride Houston Grand Marshal Candidate Meet and Greet On Sunday

As many of you loyal TransGriot readers are aware of, I have been nominated as a finalist for Pride Houston's female Grand Marshal   along with Lou Weaver, for whom this is his second nomination for the honor of being male Grand Marshal at the Pride Houston parade.

As you probably guessed, if I win I get to make a little history as the first Black trans feminine Pride Houston parade female Grand Marshal and only the third Black female in the history of the event to ever become Grand Marshal.  

Lou would also make some history if he wins.  He would become the first ever transmasculine Houston Pride Male Grand Marshal.

Just in case you're wondering who the other trans feminine Grand Marshals were, Judge Phyllis Frye was the first trans feminine Parade Grand Marshal back in 2006, followed by Jenifer Rene Pool in 2012.

Last year I marched in the parade with the Organizacion Latinas De Trans en Texas along with Dee Dee Watters in front of their amazing color guard carrying trans pride flags.   If I successfully get enough votes to do so, I'll have the honor of riding in one of those nice Grand Marshal cars at the start of the parade in addition to being present for the Pride Week events in the runup to Saturday's parade.

Pride Week this year will run from June 18-25, and here are the  the events scheduled for it..

We'll see if that happens for me since the online voting just went live and runs through April 9 at 5:00 PM CDT for the honor.   Here's the link for the Pride Grand Marshal voting to do so.  

For those of you who don't live in the Houston area, I'll keep you updated on what's happening in the process all the way to the Pride Kickoff event in .April in which the winners will be announced.

On February 19 I get to attend a meet and greet from 5-8 PM CST at Guava Lamp in which I get to meet not only my fellow Grand Marshal nominees, but also people in the community.

It's located at 570 Waugh Drive on the edge of the gayborhood near Allen Parkway, and hope that you'll spend part of your Sunday with me and my fellow Grand Marshal candidates. ,

Been Nominated For 2017 Houston Pride Parade Grand Marshal!

During the unveiling event for this year's Houston Pride logo and the theme for this year's parade,they also announced the names of the people who are the finalists for the Male,, Female and Ally parade Grand Marshals.

Being named as a Grand Marshal of the Houston LGBT Pride Celebration is among one of the highest honors bestowed by the Houston’s LGBT community. Individuals and organizations nominated for Grand Marshal have made significant achievements for LGBT rights and have made considerable contributions to the LGBT community at large.

They also once they are officially voted in, get to ride in the nice cars at the start of the parade and wave to the crowds along the now downtown parade route.  Our parade is also a nighttime parade because it happens in late June and it can be rather warm here at that time of year..

Last year I marched in the Houston Pride Parade for the first time ever with the OLTT trans Latinas, and this year, I was nominated as a Female Grand Marshal finalist. for the first time.  Lou Weaver has been nominated for the second time for Male Grand Marshal finalist with the voting to start in two weeks .

Both of us have a shot at making some Houston TBLGQ community history.    If Lou wins he would become the first ever trans masculine Houston Pride Parade Grand Marshal  

In my case, if elected, I'd become the first ever Black trans feminine Grand Marshal, the third trans feminine one after Phyllis Frye (2006) and Jenifer Rene Pool, (2012) and the third Black female one after Carolyn Mobley (1993) and Fran Watson (2016)

Congrats to everyone who was nominated for Houston Pride Grand Marshal this year.   Will keep you TransGriot readers updated on whether or not I make that history and when the voting starts for it.