Texas Queer History: Fighting for Equal Rights

Links:

• Wagon Wheel Night Club
• Denied a marriage license
• Dallas Pride history
• Houston LGBT History on Anita Bryant protests
• Houstonia on Anita Bryant protests
• First official Houston Pride Parade
• KFF on HIV/AIDS deaths in the U.S.
• HAP Foundation Archives
• Gay Student Services v. Texas A&M University
• Texas ban on same-sex marriage
• Texas statute on non-recognition of same-sex marriages
• Littleton v. Prange
• President Biden proclaims LGBTQ Pride Month
• James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Act
• Lawrence v. Texas
• Lubbock PRIDE festival
• Beaumont Pride Parade
• Dallas Morning News on same-sex marriage licenses in Texas
• Texas bathroom bill fails
• Reuters on House Bill 3859
• Texas law on student-athletes
• Bans on gender-affirming care for minors
• Austin-Round Rock metro area LGBTQ+ population

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June is Pride Month, a time to celebrate and support the LGBTQ+ community. While queer people have always existed in Texas, they have had to fight for equal rights for decades and continue to do so.

Here's a look back at the history of queer activism in the state:

1970s: A Movement is Born

• Following the 1969 Stonewall riots in NYC, LGBTQ+ groups like the Gay Liberation Front organized Texas' first public Pride events.
• In 1972, an LGBTQ+ couple was denied a marriage license, and the state later deemed marriages to be only between "a man and a woman."
• Dallas' first Pride parade in 1972 turned into an impromptu march downtown, with 250-300 participants growing to a crowd of 3,000.
• Austin Mayor Jeff Friedman declared a Gay Pride Celebration Week in June 1976.

Late 1970s: Activism Grows

• In 1977, over 10,000 people gathered in Houston to protest singer and anti-gay rights activist Anita Bryant, shocking organizers who expected a few dozen.
• Houston held its first official Pride parade in 1979, with activist-turned-mayor Annise Parker marching.

1980s: A Challenging Decade

• The AIDS epidemic peaked in Houston, Dallas, and Austin in the '80s, proving deadly.
• San Antonio's first Pride Picnic was held in 1982 due to activism by Arthur "Hap" Veltman. Veltman, who died of AIDS complications in 1988, is honored by the Happy Foundation Archives documenting queer history.
• In 1984, a court decision ensured public universities uphold students' First Amendment rights after Texas A&M failed to acknowledge a queer student organization.
• The initial Baker v. Wade ruling in 1982 challenged Texas' sodomy law, but it was reversed in 1985.

Entering the 21st Century:

• In 1997, Texas outlawed same-sex marriage, and in 2003, passed a statute refusing to recognize such marriages or any other form of family status.
• The 1999 Supreme Court case Littleton v. Prange voided a marriage involving a trans woman as "same-sex."
• In 2001, Gov. Rick Perry signed the James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Act, including sexual orientation.
• Lawrence v. Texas (2003) decriminalized same-sex activity.
• The Lubbock PRIDE festival was founded in 2012 as the city's only annual pride event, and Beaumont hosted its first Pride Parade in 2014.

Recent Challenges and Victories:

• In 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled same-sex marriage bans unconstitutional, and 2,500 licenses were issued in Texas that year.
• Recent years have seen attacks on trans rights, with bills regulating bathroom use, allowing denial of services to same-sex couples, and restricting student-athletes' participation in sports.
• In 2019, Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, and El Paso passed non-discrimination ordinances based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
• Texas currently has no law protecting against LGBTQ+ discrimination, and it bans gender-affirming care for minors.
• A 2021 survey found the Austin-Round Rock metro area has one of the highest LGBTQ+ populations (5.9%) in the U.S.