Bill Text: TX HR2459 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Introduced
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Commemorating Dallas Pride 2023.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2023-05-30 - Reported enrolled [HR2459 Detail]
Download: Texas-2023-HR2459-Introduced.html
Bill Title: Commemorating Dallas Pride 2023.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2023-05-30 - Reported enrolled [HR2459 Detail]
Download: Texas-2023-HR2459-Introduced.html
88R33254 BK-D | ||
By: Neave Criado | H.R. No. 2459 |
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WHEREAS, Celebrating its 40th year, Dallas Pride is taking | ||
place on June 3 and 4, 2023, and this occasion provides a fitting | ||
opportunity to reflect on the central role the event has played in | ||
the rich history of the city's LGBTQ+ community; and | ||
WHEREAS, In 1972, just three years after the Stonewall Riots | ||
in New York City became the catalyst for the worldwide gay rights | ||
movement, Dallas's first gay pride parade took place in the city's | ||
downtown; around 300 participants marched through the streets, and | ||
the gathering drew approximately 3,000 attendees; and | ||
WHEREAS, The inaugural parade was a strong show of unity for | ||
the city's emerging LGBTQ+ community, but despite its success, a | ||
second event didn't take place until 1980, when ad hoc committees of | ||
local leaders and merchants began staging the parade in the Oak Lawn | ||
neighborhood; in 1982, the newly established Dallas Tavern Guild | ||
took charge of the event, naming it the Texas Freedom Parade; a key | ||
figure in the growth of the gathering was Alan Ross, the guild's | ||
longtime executive director, and the parade was first named in his | ||
honor in 1991; Mr. Ross passed away in 1995; and | ||
WHEREAS, Through the years, the event has maintained a | ||
joyful, high-spirited atmosphere where individuality is embraced | ||
and people from all walks of life are welcomed, though more somber | ||
reflections have been part of the experience as well; as the AIDS | ||
crisis deepened in the mid-1980s, the Tavern Guild began dedicating | ||
the parade to members of the organization who had died of the | ||
disease during the previous year, and the 2001 gathering included a | ||
tribute to the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks that had taken | ||
place less than two weeks before; and | ||
WHEREAS, The parade has frequently served as a means to | ||
commemorate important court rulings and other developments that | ||
have signaled progress in the quest for diversity and | ||
inclusiveness; moreover, an increasing number of elected officials | ||
and candidates have made appearances at Dallas Pride in recent | ||
decades, reflecting a growing awareness of the importance of the | ||
LGBTQ+ community in civic affairs; since 2019, Dallas Pride has | ||
taken place at Fair Park, and it now encompasses two days of | ||
activities, with a festival augmenting the parade; and | ||
WHEREAS, Dallas Pride has grown and evolved alongside the | ||
LGBTQ+ community's decades-long struggle for equality and | ||
acceptance, and the event is indeed deserving of special | ||
recognition as it marks this 40-year milestone in its history; now, | ||
therefore, be it | ||
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas | ||
Legislature hereby commemorate Dallas Pride 2023 and extend to all | ||
those in attendance sincere best wishes for a meaningful and | ||
memorable experience. |