Houston Gay Pride Parade

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The Houston Gay Pride Parade is a Gay Pride event held annually in Houston, Texas (USA) in the Montrose neighborhood in June. This event commemorates The Stonewall Riots. It is currently the most attended Gay Pride event in the American state of Texas.

The Stonewall riots are generally considered to be the beginning of the modern gay movement. For example, activist L. Craig Schoonmaker claims to have coined the term "gay pride" in description of the 1969 Stonewall riots.

The festivities are held all day on the 4th Saturday of the month. The highlight of the event is the parade which is held in the evening after sunset since 1997 (which was arranged by then-Houston City Councilmember Annise Parker where a parade ordinance was revised). Because the event is held at night, the various floats and surroundings are creatively illuminated by the various participants.

Parade organizers (Pride Houston) estimate attendance at over 150,000.^[1]

1 Awards
2 Houston Pride Themes & Parade Grand Marshals
3 References
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Awards

Entries in the parade are eligible for awards in categories with cultural references significant to LGBT history as well as a judges pick and categories with more localized focus:

Judges' Choice
Stonewall (best social commentary)
Aria (best creative sound)
Fabulous (best costumes)
Rainbow (best lighting)
Ruby Slipper (best walking)
Judy Garland (best performance)
Lone Star Pride (best interpretation of the 2007 theme)
Pink Diamond (best float by a for-profit company)
Priscilla (best float by a non-profit group)
Spirit of Montrose (best overall)

[edit] Houston Pride Themes & Parade Grand Marshals

Year	Theme	Grand Marshall(s)	Honorary Grand Marshall(s)	Group Grand Marshall(s)
1979	"United We Stand"	Thelma Hansel
1980	"Proud to Be"	Jim Farmer & Ruth Ravas
1981	"We the People"	Ray Hill & Rita Wanstrom
1982	"A Part Of, Not Apart From"	Marion Coleman & Andy Mills
1983	"Unity through Diversity"	Marion Pantzer & Walter Strickler
1984	"Unity and More in '84"	Pokey Anderson & Rick Grossman
1985	"Alive with Pride"	Terry Clark & Freda Jerrell
1986	"Liberty Is In Our Grasp"	Tony Bicocchi & Dee Lamb
1987	"Come Out and Celebrate Pride"	Persons Living With AIDS
1988	"Rightfully Proud"	Bruce Cook & Eleanor Munger	Sharon Kowalski & Harvey Milk
1989	"Stonewall 20"	Charles Armstrong & Bettie Naylor
1990	"Look to the Future"	Walter Carter & Annise Parker	Debra Danburg & Craig Washington
1991	"Take Pride"	Gene Harrington, Jack Jackson & Linda Morales	Katy Caldwell & Marvin Davis
1992	"Pride = Power"	Sheri Cohen Darbonne & Brian Keever		Gay & Lesbian Switchboard Houston
1993	"Out & Proud"	Brian Bradley & Carolyn Mobley	Adan Rios	PFLAG Houston
1994	"HouStoneWall 25"	Jay Allen & Cicely Wynne	Claire Koepsel	Q-Patrol
1995	"Silence to Celebration"	Suzanne Anderson & Don Gill	Annella Harrison	H.A.T.C.H.
1996	"Pride Knows No Borders"	Bill Havard & Jeanette Vaughn	Jack Abercia	The Royal, Sovereign, and Imperial Court of the Single Star
1997	"Glowing with Pride"	Deborah Bell & Jimmy Carper		Krewe of Olympus
1998	"Unified, Diversified, Electrified"	Bob Bouton & Jackie Doval	Barbara Winston	Texas Gay Rodeo Association
1999	"Pride, Power & Pizzazz"	Sean Carter & Nancy Ford		Colt 45’s
2000	"Take Pride, Take Joy, Take Action"	Richard Weiderholt & Tori Williams	Don Sinclair	People With AIDS Coalition Houston
2001	"Embrace Diversity"	Mitchell Katine & Dalia Stokes	Blake & Gordon Weisser	PFLAG Houston
2002	"Pride Worldwide"	Mela Contreras & Rusty Mueller	Irv & Jane Smith	Gay & Lesbian Switchboard Houston
2003	"Silver Celebration"	All former Grand Marshals honored
2004	"Pride As Big As Texas"	Sonna Alton & Jerry Simoneaux	Sue & Jim Null	Lesbian Gay Rights Lobby of Texas
2005	"Equal Rights! No More! No Less!	Weldon Hickey & Deb Murphy	Dennis and Evelyn Schave	Bayou City Boys Club
2006	"Say It Out Loud!"	Phyllis Randolph Frye & Ray Ramirez	Rev. Marilyn Meeker-Williams	Bunnies on the Bayou
2007	"Lone Star Pride"	Jack Valinski & Maria Gonzalez	Garnet Coleman	The Imperial Court of Houston