Timothy Wayne Leads Brazoria County Pride with Heart, Grit, and Glitter

Although the LGBTQ community is under fire in many parts of the country, that hasn’t stopped the brave people who make up the Brazoria County Pride organization. They recently elected Timothy Wayne, a Brazoria County native, as their new president. As a young gay man who was no stranger to school bullies, Wayne is determined that current and future generations of LGBTQ youth don’t experience the isolation and torment that was his reality.   

Growing Up in Brazoria County

Brazoria County, located south of Houston, includes Pearland, Alvin, Angleton, Lake Jackson, Quintana, and the small, historic town of West Columbia, where the 39-year-old Wayne grew up and presently lives.

Wayne grew up in a very conservative area and remembers the school bullies of his youth. “They would beat me up in the woods near the school. They pushed me into lockers and wouldn’t let me out until I said I was a faggot.”

While in high school, Wayne lost his father to cancer. The youngest of three children, Wayne has two older sisters. “It is a small family, but rich in love,” he says.

He recalls reading a Texas gay magazine titled XY and seeing “all these circuit twinks.” He always came to Houston for the Pride parade.

When he was in high school, he would slip up to Houston with a friend. They knew older gay men who would get an entry stamp on their wrists, and Wayne found a way to transfer it to their wrists and get into clubs. 

He also attended many meetings of Houston’s Hatch Youth program for teenagers. “It opened my eyes to our community as a whole. I got to see other people like me, and I didn’t feel so alone.”

As soon as he graduated from high school, Wayne moved to Dallas and lived in the Oak Lawn area. “It was a great way to come out of the closet,” he recalls.

For nearly a decade, beginning with his college years, Wayne was a special-events and catering director. He now works in the biotech industry. 

Wayne built a house on a lake in the country. He moved his mother in because he had promised his dying father that he would always take care of her. 

A Friend of Dolly

As a child, Wayne would tell people he was going to work with Dolly Parton one day. His brother-in-law played steel guitar for Reba McEntire, so Wayne was used to being backstage and thought of the singer as “Aunt Reba.” 

By the time he was in college, he was acting in film and television roles. He eventually met people who were in Parton’s crew, and they invited him to be an extra in a movie she was filming, Joyful Noise. Her crew invited Wayne to join the entourage, and over the last 15 years, he was backstage for all of her tours and other special shows.   

“Talking to Dolly is just like sitting down with somebody in your own family. She is humble and wholesome, and she’s interested in everything you have to say. She is very easy to talk with. You can tell she is coming because you smell her perfume first. She wears lots of perfume,” Wayne says.

Wayne visits Parton once a year when she invites him to come to Dollywood. His friend Scott McLelland (who performs in drag as Cloe Richards) accompanies Wayne on his annual trip. Next month, they will attend the 40th anniversary of Dollywood.

“One time she wrote on a Post-it note: ‘Don’t surrender ’til you find your Rainbow.’ 
“I still have that note, and I made a huge neon sign out of it, which hangs in the entryway to my home.” 

LGBTQ Youth Resources

Eventually, Wayne started a gay/straight alliance at Brazosport College in Lake Jackson. It now has a volunteer-based board. Wayne continues to work with the organization, in addition to his paying job. 

“Dow Chemical had given a grant to a group of activists to start Brazoria County Pride for youth, but it didn’t get much traction,” he says.

One of the women in the group came to Wayne asking for help. He met with the group and found them to be very passionate about trying to help LGBTQ kids. Wayne suggested forming a Brazoria County Pride organization, which would have a youth division. The restructuring went quickly.  A board was formed, and Wayne was named the director of social media. In January of this year, Wayne was unanimously voted in as the new board president.

“I’m really excited to take this to a new level,” he says. “I can’t fathom another kid having to endure what I did. It would break my heart. There are no local support systems, no groups for LGBTQ kids in the schools. There is nothing for kids down here. So it’s very, very much a part of our mission to create a space for people like us and celebrate them and support them. This is also why we have developed our scholarship program.”

Students can apply for a scholarship on the group’s website.

Recently, the organization began partnering with the Brazoria County chapter of PFLAG.

“Trans youth are often afraid to come out to support groups, but PFLAG offers virtual groups for them,” Wayne says. “We’re marginalized and we’re a minority down in Brazoria County. It’s very red. I have a progress flag flying above my garage door, and it’s been ripped down and thrown at my front door several times. But I hang it back up because we cannot stop.”

The group doesn’t have a physical location yet, although that is a goal. Every year, the group sponsors a family-friendly Pride festival on the first Saturday in June. The festival is held at MacLean Park in Lake Jackson. “There is a wonderful, covered pavilion there, and we rent the whole park from the city. The police keep us real safe. They are big fans of our group,” Wayne says. 

At the festival, health allies do free screenings and sign up gay men for PrEP, the HIV-prevention drug. The group partners with H-E-B and Kroger and all the major chemical plants who have tables or booths at the festival. A youth area is set up where families can make crafts. The festival is pet-friendly, and a dog parade is held with each dog getting a special bandana. There are also bounce houses for children. 

Entertainment is provided by several drag queens, and the music and outfits are curated so as not to offend anyone. “The crowd grows bigger every year,” Wayne notes. “We’ve had years when the weather was a bit wonky, but it never stopped people from attending. Nearly a thousand guests show up.” 

Although the group does not have a Pride parade, they are considering participating in the annual Festival of Lights parade at Christmas time in downtown Lake Jackson. They currently participate in the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade in Surfside Beach. 

Brazoria County Pride offers two monthly meetings. The first Saturday of every month is a coffee social, and the third Wednesday of each month is a wine social. 

Dedicated Board Members

David Edwards is a founding member of Brazoria County Pride and was their first treasurer. He is now serving on the board as the organization’s secretary. “This is my way to give back to the community,” he says.

“There are things going on that ultimately affect me but that I have no control over,” Edwards adds, reflecting on the current political environment. “What I can do is help the Pride organization here. I can be a source for change and advocacy.”

Edwards’ dream is that when he steps down in a few years, there will be a new board that is energized and engaged. “I would love to have been part of the legacy,” he says. 

Many people have thanked Edwards for what the organization is doing. He remembers the parents of a trans child who attended the Pride festival one year. Happy to see that it was kid-friendly, the next year they brought their child. He also enjoys watching the youth at the festival feeling free to be their genuine selves. 

Shawna Damani is a new member of the board. “This is the first time that I’ve been on a board,” she says, “and I feel very, very honored.”

Taking on this responsibility is personal for Damani because she has three biological children who all identify as queer. She also recently came out, and her children weren’t surprised, reminding her of all the flannel shirts in her wardrobe.   

“It’s been interesting. My kids know more about this space and how to be queer in it, but I’m meeting fabulous people and getting their wisdom, support, and encouragement.” Damani’s dream for Brazoria County Pride is to expand both the number and the size of the scholarships that they give. 

Project Love

On February 15, 2025, Brazoria County Pride held their first major fundraiser, a Valentine gala titled Project Love. “At first, we were worried we weren’t going to sell enough tickets. But we sold out 100 tickets, increased it to 200, and finally sold out 300 tickets,” Wayne says. Next year, the board is considering increasing ticket sales to 500.

The gala was held in the Dow Academic Center at Brazosport College in Lake Jackson. As guests entered the party, they saw a chronological timeline of how Brazoria County Pride started and their journey forward. Then there was a red-carpet walk where guests could have their photos taken. 

The evening began with a cocktail hour with appetizers. The signature punch was vodka mixed with real vanilla beans. 

Wayne moved his Dolly Parton neon sign to the VIP area of the gala, and a photo wall was provided as a backdrop for guests to have their pictures taken.   

As guests dined, Wayne delivered a keynote speech. The panel discussion after the meal was moderated by the former president of Brazoria County Pride, Dr. Jessica Truscott. Panel members included Wayne, Tammi Wallace from the Greater Houston LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce, and Dr. Joy Kennedy O’Neill, a professor at Brazosport College. They talked about the past, present, and future of Pride.

A local theater group entertained with songs from the film 9 to 5. This was followed by a drag show featuring a Dolly Parton tribute. Cloe Richards, Chole Crawford Ross, and Mistress Isabelle Brooks performed, and Wayne joined one montage number by impersonating Kenny Rogers. The evening ended as guests danced the night away to a DJ’s music.

Money raised from the gala’s silent auction will fund the group’s scholarship program and festival operations. One of the items in the silent auction was a bottle of Dolly Parton perfume (limited to 1,946 bottles in honor of the year she was born), along with an autographed photo of Parton.

Damani remembers working on Project Love. “Every step of the way, it was a reminder that we were doing the right thing, doing something that matters. It was like a gay prom—just fabulous!”

The event’s sponsors included most of the chemical plants in the area, plus a number of local businesses. They even received a $2,500 donation through his TikTok account. (Wayne was a “Favorite TikToker” finalist in OutSmart’s Gayest & Greatest Readers’ Choice Awards.) 

Resilience in Uncertain Times

Wayne believes the Brazoria County Pride group is coping well, considering the bigotry found in rural Texas. The group stays constantly aware of their surroundings. Pride board members realize that it’s not going to be easy in the new political environment, but they feel they must continue to be a beacon of light for the local LGBTQ community.

Among the several bright spots for the group was the mayor of Lake Jackson reaching out to board members about the recent Project Love gala. “He said he’s very honored to have people like us in the community who are willing to do the work we do,” Wayne says.

Wayne’s mother recently told him, “You get your optimism from your mother and Dolly Parton combined. You should keep working to do as much as you can, and stand strong.”

Resilience and optimism are indeed what keeps Wayne moving forward. “I’ve had two different bucket lists and crossed everything off of them,” he says. Though some have warned him that he’d never accomplish some of those things, he confides, “I don’t take that as a No. I take it as an opportunity. I’ve had some valleys in the past—some horrible relationships. But my priorities are right, and I’ve re-centered myself. I thrive on progress. The thing that keeps me going is focusing on the kind of positive impact I can make in the world.” 

This year’s festival is a family-friendly and pet-friendly event for all ages with the theme “Love Without Limits.” 

WHAT: Brazoria County Pride Festival
WHEN: Saturday, June 7, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
WHERE: Large Pavilion, MacLean Park, 93 Lake Road, Lake Jackson
INFO: brazoriacountypride.org