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Council member Mario Castillo has been optimistic that Houston's two Pride organizations can come together or, at the very least, work together. But as Pride month gets closer, he's adjusted his expectations.
“For me, what would be a success is for them to coexist as two organizations celebrating Pride and putting on activities for the community,” Castillo said. “I think the key is for them to work out their differences privately and not let that be part of the discussion or the narrative.”
Castillo has become the city’s most vocal proponent of unity between the two groups in recent weeks ever since the tensions reached City Hall. Other city officials and community leaders have echoed the need for the rift to be fixed behind closed doors. But as of Thursday, a meeting between the two organizations was canceled amid continuous disagreements.
Over the last few weeks, Castillo has organized and held meetings with each organization: Houston Pride 365, which is celebrating its 46th annual festival and parade on June 29, and Houston’s New Faces of Pride, which will hold its inaugural parade also in downtown Houston a week before on June 22.
The entire City Council and Mayor John Whitmire were introduced to the public feud between the two over the last month, as representatives stood before the council during public comments to air their grievances.
“They are clearly not getting along, which is unfortunate, because in my opinion, that is harming the community and goes against the spirit of what we celebrate in Pride,” Castillo said.
Whitmire has equally shared Castillo’s disappointment and vowed to do his part to bring the two parties together, but acknowledged that Castillo — an openly gay council member — was probably in a better position to spark unity.
“We have been told over the years how big of a strain Pride is on the resources of the city, and we hope that the city can support two celebrations a week apart,” Pride Houston 365 President Kendra Walker said during public comment on April 23.
“I also see that ‘the people are the city,’ but the people of my community did not ask for two Pride parades,” Walker added. “We believe in one Pride for all.”
New Faces of Pride President Byan Cotton spoke before the mayor and City Council the following week on April 29. He and several of the new organization’s board members introduced themselves and responded to some of the concerns aired in previous meetings.
“Many of you have wondered why we chose not to join the other organization, or merge, or find some way to work together,” Cotton said. “The answer is simple: their ongoing history of financial malfeasance made it impossible.”
Cotton presented a brief timeline of the creation of New Faces of Pride, which launched last summer with members promising to restore trust and transparency to Pride celebrations, a direct response to Pride Houston’s financial turmoil amid allegations of theft and misappropriation of more than $150,000 by its former president and executive director.
Tension spreads from City Hall to Montrose Center
New Faces of Pride leaders held a community meeting at the Montrose Center on April 25 to introduce themselves and address any questions or concerns.
Attendees asked group leaders a variety of questions, ranging from how they got funded to how they plan to appeal to Spanish-speakers and trans-inclusivity.
But it wasn’t long before an attendee addressed the unspoken lingering issue discussed in City Council: the possibility of the two Pride organizations merging in some fashion.
Cotton made it clear that he and other members of the advisory board – including three lawyers – have no interest in merging with Pride Houston 365.
“I'm not paying for anybody's past sins and, for all three of the lawyers, that was the deciding factor for them,” he said.
His remarks ignited a tense debate at the event over the status of a lawsuit over the new group’s original name, New Faces of Pride Houston, including the trademarked “Pride Houston.”
Wendy Taylor, who previously served as a board member of Pride Houston, expressed her dissatisfaction with the new organization, accusing them of being in direct competition with Pride Houston.
Wendy Taylor speaks at a community meeting, hosted by Houston’s New Faces of Pride on April 25, 2024 at the Montrose Center in Houston, Texas. Ms. Taylor said the fighting between various parade organizers was turning away members of the community, like herself. (Meridith Kohut for the Abdelraoufsinno) Houston’s New Faces of Pride board members host a community meeting on April 25, 2024 at the Montrose Center in Houston, Texas. The group will premiere a second Pride festival and parade this June. The group held the community meeting to address confusion and answer any questions about their existence and pride celebrations. They launched in the summer of last year to “save the pride community” and restore direction after Pride Houston 365 took a hit to its reputation when former executive director and president Lorin Roberts was accused of stealing more than $100,000 from the organization and misappropriating more than $50,000. (Meridith Kohut for the Abdelraoufsinno) Kendra Walker, president of Pride Houston speaks at a community meeting hosted by the board of Houston’s New Faces of Pride on April 25, 2024 at the Montrose Center in Houston, Texas. (Meridith Kohut for the Abdelraoufsinno) Hunny Phillips expressed that the LGBTQIA+ community in Houston needs unity and less fighting, during a community meeting on April 25, 2024. (Meridith Kohut for the Abdelraoufsinno) A staffer of Texas State Representative Jolanda Jones debates with Hunny Phillips, right, during a community meeting on April 25, 2024. (Meridith Kohut for the Abdelraoufsinno) Houston’s New Faces of Pride board members pose for a group photograph, after they hosted a community meeting on April 25, 2024 at the Montrose Center in Houston, Texas. The group will premiere a second Pride festival and parade this June. The group held the community meeting to address confusion and answer any questions about their existence and pride celebrations. They launched in the summer of last year to “save the pride community” and restore direction after Pride Houston 365 took a hit to its reputation when former executive director and president Lorin Roberts was accused of stealing more than $100,000 from the organization and misappropriating more than $50,000. (Meridith Kohut for the Abdelraoufsinno)
“You thought that it was better to compete with that than it was to fix the organization that was already there and had everything already laid out and ready to go?” Taylor said.
Cotton and Kay Craton, a board member of New Faces of Pride, both reiterated that the group is not competing with Pride Houston.
“If anything, we're making Houston bigger and better,” Craton said.
Taylor argued that the competition lies with the city’s resources, which she said are stretched thin when there are two pride celebrations within a week of one another.
Craton disputed Taylor’s claim, noting that she believes two Houston pride celebrations will be beneficial by pouring more money and resources into the community rather than taking money away from them.
“We literally can't afford just to have one Pride because one size doesn't fit all. Just like one sexual preference doesn't fit all,” Craton said.
The two groups clashed back and forth for nearly 10 minutes before someone from the community got another chance to speak.
Hunny Phillips, the founder of Fort Bend County Pride, which will host its inaugural pride celebration this August, attended the meeting and suggested that the two groups work through their differences privately.
“It’s affecting other people in the community,” Phillips said. “I’m representing Fort Bend County Pride and I’m not battling with Katy Pride…. We help each other.”
The meeting eventually became overshadowed by the lingering tension — so much so that two attendees stormed out in frustration. Toward the end of the meeting, both pride groups agreed to meet privately on May 10.
This agreement fell through by Wednesday, after back-and-forth email exchanges.
The board of directors for Pride Houston had sent a letter to leaders of New Faces of Pride asking them to “refrain from making any further negative remarks about Pride Houston,” as a condition to meet.
“We believe that mutual respect and professionalism are essential for productive discussions,” read a May 1 letter shared with the Abdelraoufsinno.
In an email response, Cotton called Pride Houston’s requests “outlandish.”
“I understand your desire to keep this from the public but that is not something we are willing to do,” he said. “We are more than happy to meet and discuss how we might work together but it will not be with any conditions. Our goal is what is best for the community, not what is best for Pride Houston.”
Shortly after this message from New Faces was sent to Pride Houston officials, Walker said the board was meeting to draft a response.
“Transparency and honesty are the cornerstones of Pride Houston, and we will only collaborate with organizations that engage with us in good faith and refrain from disparagement,” Pride Houston’s last response states.
What would a solution look like?
With two Pride Parades coming to downtown Houston in less than 90 days, Castillo acknowledged that there is little to no hope for these events to merge. But what he thinks can and should change is the overall message going out to the community.
“I think the key is just for them to work out their differences privately and not let that be a part of the discussion and the narrative,” he said.
Healthy competition could stand to benefit the community, Castillo said, but the negative narrative that has been slung between the two groups could hurt the organizations and the message of unity.
The next step for him as a city representative and member of the LGBTQ+ community is to attend both Pride events and stay connected to resources, he said, such as city advisory boards that might address challenges such as this one.
The Mayor’s Office LGBTQ Advisory Board, an initiative launched by former Mayor Sylvester Turner’s administration, serves to provide advice and recommendations on issues that impact the LGBTQ+ community.
The board has been in a “holding pattern” since November 2023 due to the election cycle, according to current board chair and Bunnies on the Bayou president Jacques Bourgeois.
But the board is in the process of revamping in time for Pride month in June, he said, with its first meeting scheduled for May 15.
Bourgeois said he wanted to give the new mayor time to settle into his role before bombarding him, but after hearing Whitmire’s comments at city council, he’s eager to meet with him.
“I was like, ‘Oh, we're gonna be besties on this one,’” Bourgeois said, adding he wholeheartedly agrees with the mayor’s comments on competing prides being a waste of city resources.
He is not against having two Prides, Bourgeois said, but would prefer to see a second pride parade and festival in cooler seasons rather than a week apart.
“It’s less about community, and it feels more petty,” he said.
At the end of the day, the average person attending either of the two parades might not even realize which organization is behind the celebration they choose to attend, Castillo said. But he fears that the ripple effect of continuous divisive language can distract from the many challenges impacting the LGBTQ+ community.
“There might not be a resolution here,” Castillo said. “But I have to try because I know that the implications, they’re real.”
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