“Whereas, June is the recognized anniversary of the Stonewall uprising in New York as the beginning of the modern Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) equality movement,” Mayor Gerard Hudspeth read from his proclamation in June 2021 at a City Council meeting. “Whereas, during the month of June, LGBTQ Pride month is celebrated nationally and recognizes the tireless efforts of LGBTQ and allied groups who have pursued equality for all citizens in Texas and this country. ...
“Now, therefore, I, Gerard Hudspeth, mayor of the City of Denton, Texas, do hereby declare and proclaim the month of June 2021 as ‘Denton LGBTQ Pride Month’ in the city of Denton and ask for all citizens to celebrate the work of the LGBTQ community in promoting diversity and tolerance in our community and throughout our country.”
Those were words that members of Pridenton, a local LGBTQ+ advocacy group, were hoping to hear from Hudspeth again Tuesday night to kick off Pride Month. Hudspeth gave the proclamation for his first June as mayor in 2021, then gave a similar one in June 2022.
Pridenton has planned a slate of celebrations for June, including the Big Gay Swim Day this weekend, Night Out at the Civic Center and bingo at Harvest House in a couple of weeks, and a dance party at the end of the month at Rubber Gloves.
The group planned to kick off the celebrations with a rally on Tuesday night, only for it to turn into a protest and what they called ”the People’s Proclamation” after city staff sent an email May 28 about the group’s May 3 request for a mayoral proclamation: “Mayor [Hudspeth] has passed on this opportunity at this time.”
According to the city’s website, a mayoral proclamation is an official recognition that honors and celebrates individuals, groups and organizations to increase awareness. It is a formal declaration to the public about a notable event, achievement or cause that is worthy of community recognition.
“This denial was communicated mere days before the scheduled city council meeting, significantly limiting our ability to adjust plans and ensure the City of Denton formally recognizes Pride Month,” the board of Pridenton wrote in a Tuesday news release to the Denton Record-Chronicle. “In the current climate across Texas, 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, particularly trans, nonbinary and gender non-conforming individuals, are facing escalating threats, violence, legislative attacks, and public hostility. The Mayor’s decision to deny the proclamation is not just disappointing, it is harmful.
“Our community needs visible and vocal support from our elected leaders and we deserve nothing less.”
Council members Brian Beck, Vicki Byrd, Paul Meltzer and Brandon Chase McGee offered their support by attending the group’s rally outside City Hall before the Tuesday evening council meeting. Meltzer and Beck also acknowledged from the dais Pridenton members who spoke during the meeting’s public comment session, calling their acknowledgments “statement of fact” since council members aren’t allowed to discuss items that are not on the agenda.
Beck reiterated that “June is Pride Month.”
Meltzer said it took courage for those members to openly be who they are and love who they love, especially given today’s political climate, when Republican politicians have been openly attacking them.
Meltzer said they “see you, appreciate you and celebrate Pride Month with you.”
George Ferrie, a Pridenton board member, told council members that denying a proclamation contributes to the climate of fear and sends a message to the city — a place that many of them call home — “that it’s not a safe haven for all.”
“When a community is told that their identities are not worthy of recognition, that their struggles are invisible, it causes immeasurable harm, and this harm is not abstract, it is lived by real people,” Ferrie said.
“It is lived by the young person whose heart aches because they feel that their community do not see them for who they really are. It is lived by trans teenagers who fear [for] their lives as they watch the Legislature continue to threaten to take away their rights to exist in public. It is lived by the parent who feels helpless when their child’s future is being decided by people who don’t care about their safety, their mental health or their well-being.”
Why Hudspeth decided to deny the proclamation after giving it in the past was on people’s minds Tuesday night.
“What makes this especially troubling is that the Mayor has not communicated any reasoning for the denial, despite repeated outreach,” Pridenton leaders wrote in the release.
Hudspeth didn’t offer a reason via a statement of fact Tuesday night.
Deb Armintor, a former council member and one of the speakers at Pridenton’s rally Tuesday, figured Hudspeth’s reason was political.
Hudspeth, who is serving his final term as mayor, announced in March that he plans to run for Denton County Commissioners Court Precinct 4 seat as a Republican. He will be facing incumbent Dianne Edmondson in the GOP primary in 2026.
“These are official city values and policies,” Armintor said in an interview Sunday. “In the past, he has understood that this is who Denton is, that this is what Denton is and what Denton is supposed to be. The only thing that I see different now [is that he] is running as commissioner against the ‘woke agenda’ and currying the favor of those who want to erase trans lives. They have been under attack this legislative session, and it trickles down to violence and deprivation of human rights.”
In the Pridenton news release, board vice president Kamyon Conner says that “Pride was never about waiting for approval from those in power” and stressed that the community in Denton would not be erased.
“Pride was, and still is, a legacy of resistance, a response to systemic neglect and harm,” Conner wrote in the release. “We won’t be silenced or sidelined. When leadership fails to show up for us, we show up for each other.”
Those Pridenton members who spoke Tuesday night mentioned the attacks and dangers that the LGBTQ+ community faces when people refuse to accept them — such as higher rates of homelessness and suicide among youths. They also pointed out that council members such as the mayor represent and work for all the people of Denton and not for their own personal beliefs, and that in May, Denton voters approved inclusive language for the city charter.
As Pridenton wrote in its news release and reiterated Tuesday night: “The Mayor’s silence and refusal to stand with our community sends a loud and painful message: that our identities and contributions to this city are not worthy of public affirmation. More than ever, our community needs to feel seen, valued, and safe. ...
“The choice to remain silent, or to step back from previously held support, sends a clear and hurtful message: that those in power would rather further exclude 2SLGBTQIA+ people than stand with them in visible solidarity. This is not just a missed opportunity, it is a disheartening step backward in a time when courage and allyship are needed most.”