…Sallie Wyatt-Woodell, Lou Weaver and Aimee Broadhurst
By Brandon Wolf
Pride Houston announced the results of community voting for its 2017 parade grand marshals on Thursday night, at a kickoff party on the packed patio of Pearl Bar.
The 2017 female grand marshal will be Sallie Wyatt-Woodell, who’s been involved with the Diana Foundation, the Kindred Spirits Foundation, Out for Education, the Houston HRC Gala, the Victory Fund, OutReach United, and an annual holiday charity party at her home. Sallie and her wife Carol Wyatt-Woodell will become the first Houston couple to both have served as Pride grand marshals (Carol in 2010). The other finalist for female grand marshal was transgender activist and blogger Monica Roberts.
The male grand marshal will be Lou Weaver, a queer trans man and leader in Houston’s LGBT community. Weaver, who works for Equality Texas, is also active in the Houston chapter of the Human Rights Campaign, and serves on HRC’s National Board of Governors. The other finalists for male grand marshal were Jack Berger and Bryan Cotton.
The Ally Grand Marshal will be Aimee Broadhurst. Broadhurst is passionate that everyone, including her three gay sisters and their wives/partners, be treated equally. She’s active at Plymouth United Church, a gay-affirming congregation, and is co-founder and leader of her company’s global Ally Program, which currently has over 18,000 members.
For the first time, Pride Houston also named three honorary grand marshals, who were chosen by a committee of past grand marshals: Marion Coleman, Arden Eversmeyer and Tony Carroll.
Eversmeyer founded Lesbians Over Age Fifty (LOAF) 30 years ago. She’s worked for the last 20 years to build the Old Lesbian Oral Histories Project, which has created more than 550 histories of lesbians over 70.
The late Carroll was involved in countless community projects for decades, giving of his time and money, and often opening his beautiful home for events. Carroll’s widower, Bruce Smith, will accept the honor in his name.
Coleman has been active in the community since the 1970s, helping then-fledgling organizations that eventually became Legacy Community Health and the Montrose Center, to name a few. Her 1980s bar Kindred Spirits is legendary, and a Kindred Spirits Reunion Dance is held each year.
Pride runs from June 18-25, with the parade set for Saturday, June 24.
Watch video of the announcement below. OutSmart will have full profiles of the grand marshals in our June Pride issue.
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