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Pride History

Looking back on 30 years of Pride Grand Marshals and Pride themes.

ProudtoBePride Houston has been an active organization since 1978, lending an active hand in the fight for equality in a time when basic rights were virtually unheard of. Since the first Pride parade in 1979 with the brazen theme “United We Stand,” Pride Houston has been at the core of the LGBT movement for united equality.

Over the past decades, the local LGBT community has ultimately thrived as the parades get larger and more colorful, and more and more events are added to the list of annual activities. But let us not forget our roots and the history that has brought us to where we are today.The following is a list of each year’s theme and its grand marshals.

1979 United We Stand                  
Thelma Hansel

1980 Proud to Be
Jim Farmer, Ruth Ravas

1981 We the People
Ray Hill, Rita Wanstrom

1982 A Part Of, Not Apart From
Marion Coleman, Andy Mills

1983 Unity Through Diversity
Marion Pantzer, Walter Strickler

1984 Unity and More in ’84
Pokey Anderson, Rick Grossman

1985 Alive with Pride
Terry Clark, Freda Jerrell

1986 Liberty Is in Our Grasp
Tony Bicocchi, Dee Lamb

1987 Come Out & Celebrate Pride
Persons Living With AIDS

1988 Rightfully Proud
Bruce Cook, Eleanor Munger
Sharon Kowalski, Harvey Milk (Hon.)

1989 Stonewall 20
Charles Armstrong, Bettie Naylor

1990 Look to the Future
GM: Walter Carter, Annise Parker
Debra Danburg, Craig Washington (Hon.)

1991 Take Pride
Gene Harrington, Jack Jackson, Linda Morales, Katy Caldwell, Marvin Davis (Hon.)

1992 Pride = Power
Sheri Cohen Darbonne, Brian Keever, Gay & Lesbian Switchboard Houston (Hon.)

1993 Out & Proud
Brian Bradley, Carolyn Mobley, Adan Rios (Hon.), PFLAG Houston (Org.)

1994 HouStonewall 25
Jay Allen, Cicely Wynne, Claire Koepsel (Hon.), Q-Patrol (Org.)

1995 Silence to Celebration
Suzanne Anderson, Don Gill, Annella Harrison (Hon.), H.A.T.C.H (Org.)

1996 Pride Knows
No Borders
Bill Havard, Jeanette Vaughn, Jack Abercia (Hon.), The Royal, Sovereign, and Imperial Court of the Single Star (Org.)

1997 Glowing with Pride
Deborah Bell, Jimmy Carper, Krewe of Olympus (Org.)

1998 Unified, Diversified, Electrified
Bob Bouton, Jackie Doval, Barbara Winston (Hon.), Texas Gay Rodeo Association (Org.)

1999 Pride, Power, & Pizzazz
Sean Carter, Nancy Ford, Colt 45’s (Org.)

2000 Take Pride, Take Joy, Take Action
Richard Weiderholt, Tori Williams, Don Sinclair (Hon.), People With AIDS Coalition Houston (Org.)

2001 Embrace Diversity
Mitchell Katine, Dalia Stokes, Blake and Gordon Weisser (Hon.), PFLAG Houston (Org.)

2002 Pride Worldwide
Mela Contreras, Rusty Mueller, Irv & Jane Smith (Hon.), Gay & Lesbian Switchboard Houston (Org.)

2003 Silver Celebration
All former grand marshals honored

2004 Pride as
Big as Texas

Sonna Alton, Jerry Simoneaux, Sue and Jim Null (Hon.), Lesbian Gay Right Lobby of Texas (Org.)

PFLAGFlag05
PFLAG in the 2005 Pride Parade.

2005 Equal Rights! No More! No Less!
Weldon Hickey, Deb Murphy, Dennis and Evelyn Schave (Hon.), Bayou City Boys       Club (Org.)

2006 Say It Out Loud!
Phyllis Randolph Frye, Ray Ramirez, Rev. Marilyn Meeker-Williams (Hon.), Bunnies on the Bayou (Org.)

2007 Lone Star Pride
Jack Valinski, Maria Gonzalez, Garnet Coleman (Hon.), Imperial Court of Houston (Org.)

2008 30 Year Celebration: We Are Family
Kelly McCann, Dalton DeHart, Julie Eberly (Hon.), AIDS Foundation Houston (Org.)

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