PRIDE
GRAND MARSHAL
TORI
WILLIAMS
By
Maria E. Minicucci
 When
her community gets sick, we can know that Tori is thinking
about us...and our dogs and cats.
As a recently transplanted Yankee, I have been familiarizing
myself with Houston’s “queer” history
bit by bit. And, it seems that one name in particular
keeps coming up. Over the past two years, I have heard
the frequent and favorable comments people make about
Tori Williams. This year, our community is showing their
respect and admiration for Tori by electing her as the
female grand marshal for the Pride Parade. At the time
of this announcement, I still had not had the pleasure
of actually meeting Tori. So, I jumped at the chance
to meet with her so that OutSmart readers everywhere
can also be introduced to Tori and why she was elected.
When
I called her to set up a meeting time, she was eager,
pleasant, and responsive. We met for dinner and almost
immediately we both jumped in and began to exchange
information about each other in the natural, affable
way of two prospective friends. In fact, I had to remind
myself that I was there for a purpose and to garner
specific information.
I
was very forthcoming about having heard so much about
her since coming to Houston. She was both pleased and
curious about which community activities people associated
her with. We both exclaimed simultaneously, PET PATROL!
In l987, in response to the rapid-fire way AIDS was
bulldozing through our lives, Tori started the nonprofit
organization to help care for pets whose owners were
incapacitated from AIDS. She filled me in excitedly
about what an incredible experience this was for her,
the pleasure of working with the devoted animal lovers
(a.k.a. volunteers), and how successful the Pet Patrol
became. Her greatest joy was watching “hard-core”
homophobes break down their prejudices once they had
an opportunity to meet and relate, human to human, with
gay people.
Referring
back to the printed bio, Tori picked out one event in
her “lesbian career” of which she is particularly
proud. As a teenager, she attended Miss Porter’s
School in Farmington, Connecticut, the epitome of white-gloves
training for young ladies (and indeed, Tori was given
the same bedroom that Jackie Kennedy had occupied 10
years earlier). Years later, when Tori was nominated
for the school’s Promoting Pride Through Community
Volunteering, she submitted an update to her alumnae
newsletter. She courageously described herself as, “Sane
lesbian working in an insane social service world. My
partner...and I have two dogs and are happy living in
Houston, Texas.”
Tori’s
coming-out submission to Miss Porter’s School tells
us quite a bit about why she was elected grand marshal.
Good thing too, since every time I asked her, “Why
do you think you were elected grand marshal?,”
she could not give me a definite answer and seemed much
more bewildered than anyone else who knows anything
about Tori Williams. Yes, she has put in year after
year of worthy efforts in a range of volunteer organizations,
from An Uncommon Legacy to Body Positive. Her most recent
undertaking has been AssistHers. In three short years,
AssistHers has gained the respect, credibility, and
appreciation of Houston’s GLBT communities. And,
rightly so. Due to Tori’s initiative, humanitarianism,
and skills, AssistHers has recruited and trained 250
volunteers prepared to provide a range of care services
to critically ill lesbian women.
For
her “day job,” Tori is the council coordinator
for the Ryan White Council on HIV/AIDS Education. Her
after-hours involvement spans decades and focuses on
a range of issues significantly affecting gays and lesbians.
Her private hours are spent with a close circle of friends
she considers to be “family,” indulging her
pets, and indulging her love of grabbing an idea and
running with it.
What
will she run with next? Her passion continues to be
focused on improving “chronic care” services.
Why did Tori Williams get elected as this year’s
grand marshal? I suspect that it is not only for her
volunteer activities. After spending some “quality”
time with Tori, I could state, unequivocally, that it
is the quality of her passion, humility, intelligence,
her sense of calm and confidence that makes Tori Williams
a winner!
Maria E. Minicucci is president of the Houston Lesbian
and Gay Community Center and the director of the Center
for Creativity, Knowledge and Change.
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