On Thursday, Pride Houston 365, the nonprofit that runs Houston’s yearly Pride Parade, announced that Pride Flags will be returning to Montrose as part of the revival of the Lower Westheimer Banner District next week.
“This isn’t just a visual transformation—it’s a celebration of visibility, belonging, and the beautiful diversity that defines our city,” Pride Houston 365 wrote in a statement.
First announced earlier this summer, the Lower Westheimer Banner District will have LGBTQ+ Pride Flags hung from utility poles along Westheimer Road through Montrose. They will replace the rainbow crosswalk that previously marked Montrose as Houston’s historic gayborhood and memorialized Alex Hill, who was killed in a hit and run in the neighborhood in 2016. That crosswalk, along with a bevy of similar street art around the state, was removed after Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to withhold transportation funding from cities who did not scrape them up.
The new banners—which will bear the LGBTQ+ Progress Pride flag—will be raised on Thursday, Sept. 24. Pride Houston said the exact timing for next Thursday’s banner raising would be announced at a later date. A press conference will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 29 followed by a community reception at the new location of Pearl Bar that evening.
“Honored to play a part in bringing these important symbols of pride back to Montrose,” Joe Panzarella, who represents the area on Houston City Council, wrote on Instagram.
First formed in 2003, the Lower Westheimer Banner District allowed for the hanging of Pride flags throughout the Montrose area. However, when Houston’s annual Pride Parade moved downtown in 2015, the banner district was forgotten. LGBTQ+ advocates had previously hoped to have the new banners in place before Houston’s rescheduled Pride Parade in August, but the installation was delayed.