The third time was the charm for Houston’s Pride Parade on Saturday, as thousands of revelers, decked out in rainbows and beads, filled downtown with floats and flags to celebrate the city’s LGBTQ+ community.
The event – which included drag shows and a DJ set before the 48th annual Pride Parade kicked off at 7 p.m. – was moved twice from its customary place at the end of June. Houston has celebrated Pride since 1979, marking the anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York City’s Greenwich Village that launched the modern gay rights movement.
To accommodate World Cup festivities, the parade was initially shifted forward in the calendar to June 6. But while a pre-parade Pride Festival was held on that date, the parade itself was postponed until mid-August amid severe weather.
“It was a little bit difficult to cancel it on the day, because there were so many that traveled and that were out here looking for the ability to walk in the street and show their colors,” Kerry-Ann Morrison, president of Pride Houston, said. “But people are receptive, people are happy, even though it’s hot.”
Morrison said 86 groups would be marching the 12-block parade route, and that she was expecting 200,000 people to attend.
Houston Pride Parade map. (Staff graphic)
Crowds outside City Hall were significantly more sparse than Morrison’s projection less than a half-hour before the scheduled start, but thousands did brave the heat to march and dance, even as many onlookers said they expected a lower-key event than in August.
Many participants also framed the importance of the march against what they described as rising hate and animus toward the LGBTQ+ community nationwide.
Those in attendance included Jason Svatedk, who came with his trombone in tow. Svatedk, president of the Houston Pride Band, said the group was prepared to play “diva classics,” including Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” and Cher’s “Believe.” Other members carried saxophones, drums and even a towering sousaphone.
“We’re just out here trying to live our lives and live our truths,” Svatedk said. “I think Pride is still very important to be visible.”
Watching from the sidewalk were sisters Maria Tyrell and Anne Marie Comeaux, both decked out in rainbow attire. Tyrell was toting a sign offering “FREE MOM HUGS,” and she was approached five times in as many minutes by younger attendees seeking her embrace.
“The level of hatred right now is just dumb. It takes more insane energy to be hateful than to just love, to be accepting for who they are,” Comeaux said.
The pair said Saturday marked only their second time attending Pride in Houston, as they had been unsure if there was a place for them as allies. But the reception to the hug sign had made it clear to them there was.
“We want to spread the love,” Tyrell said. “We’re just saying you are loved, you are supported, we’re so proud of you, don’t change a thing.”
Subscribe
There’s more to Houston with the Chronicle. Subscribe today for just 25¢.
This article originally published at Houston Pride finally rolls through downtown, two months later than planned.