Pride celebrations not a small-town thing

Limestone County’s LGBTQ community won’t be celebrating Pride in a public demonstration in June, but it isn’t invisible, according to Sunday Crider, who is a straight ally of the community.
“I don’t know that anyone would be outspoken enough to say anything publicly,” said Crider, who is a member of the First United Methodist Church, which is open and affirming of LGBTQ people. “Most gay folks in this area lead a low-key regular life like everyone else and don’t necessarily want to draw attention to themselves.”
Pride is celebrated every June because it is the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Inn riots in New York City. Patrons of the gay bar resisted a police raid that led to several nights of violence to protest oppression by law enforcement in the 1950s and 1960s that occurred nationwide. In Dallas at the behest of the district attorney, police raided private homes, arresting gay men and lesbians for socializing at private parties where there was dancing.
The last half-century has seen vast strides by the LGBTQ community but living openly in a big city appears to be easier than in a small town.
“I think for some, they couldn’t get out of (this) small town quick enough,” Crider said.
A gay man from Limestone County who now lives openly in a large Texas city declined to be interviewed about what life was like growing up gay in Mexia, even though he could have done so anonymously.
“Thank you for reaching out; however, I’m going to opt out on this,” he said.
The 2020 U.S. Census documented 29 same-sex couple households in Limestone County, but that figure is way low, said Crider, who is a surrogacy consultant and the publisher of the Facebook page “What’s Happening in Limestone County.” The census included a question in the living arrangements section that allowed same-sex couples to identify themselves.
“There are more gay people here than that,” Crider said.
The census also noted that 46,400 Texan couples identified as same sex with 45 percent male and 55 percent female. In Dallas, there were 7,528 same-sex couples with 73 percent male and 27 percent female. The U.S. total was 1.3 million couples. The actual number of LGBTQ people would be higher because many people would be expected not to answer the question.
The public consensus seems to be that the local LGBTQ population is so small that it really does not merit significant concern.
A Mexia Independent School District administrator said recently in a school board meeting that references to LGBTQ issues might be eliminated from new curriculum.
“Like we don’t have a huge LGBTQ community so is that something we want to push on our students,” Executive Director of Human Resources LaKechia Johnson asked. “Most likely not.”
Crider said she knows for a fact there are LGBT students in the county in addition to adults because she is a former teacher and college professor. She meets many gay and lesbian couples who represent about half of her clients in her work as a surrogacy counselor.
There is also a 700-acre LGBTQ campground on Lake Limestone near Groesbeck called Rainbow Ranch that has been in operation for several years. It features cabins, RV spaces and camping spaces for tents, and it has a swimming pool. It is advertised as family-friendly and attracts vacationers to hike, fish and swim from all over Texas and the rest of the country, and it has long-term RV spaces as well.
Acceptance of LGBTQ people is easier for younger people, Crider said.
“I feel like the younger generations are certainly more open to that sort of thing,” she said. “Older conservatives certainly are not.”
Organizations, such as the Texas Family Project, target Pride events. Executive Director Sara Gonzalez attended the Dallas event June 1-2 to film participants, sending out an email blast to its members with video footage claiming the parade and other activities were harmful to the public and not family-friendly as promoted.
“The people of Texas do not stand with these events and do not want them held in their communities,” she said. “Not a single Pride event can be considered family-friendly, yet they have essentially become zones for child indoctrination.”
Gonzalez objected to the scantily clad men often featured in Pride parades and merchandise featured for sale like T-shirts that have risqué wording.
Crider, who has an adult lesbian daughter, has attended Pride events, including one in Dallas several years ago and one in Barcelona, Spain.
“I knew that not only did I need to be an ally, but I needed to be open and supportive and be a positive example to others,” she said. “How else could I support my child?”
Crider’s view of Pride is the exact opposite of Texas Family Project’s Gonzalez.
“It’s not about shoving anything down anyone’s throat – at all,” she said. “It’s about opening hearts and minds and giving grace.”
Pride is a global event, and it was celebrated in 101 countries in 2023, according to Outright International. In New York City the Pride parade now attracts 2 million participants and spectators.