Tammy Fountain Leads TGRA’s Galveston Chapter

Licensed therapist and longtime LGBTQIA+ advocate Tammy Fountain is bringing decades of mental health experience and community service to her new role as president of the Texas Gay Rodeo Association’s Galveston chapter. Fountain says her commitment to helping marginalized communities began long before her involvement with TGRA.

“My grandparents, uncle, and great-grandmother were strong community leaders,” Fountain says. “They valued education, being kind and caring for one another. They did what was necessary and provided support to others in need.”

Originally from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Fountain moved to Galveston with her family as a child and has spent most of her life on the island. Professionally, she has worked in mental health and therapeutic art services across the Galveston-Houston area since the early 1990s.

Her career has included positions at the Menninger Clinic and the former Mental Health and Mental Retardation Authority of Harris County, now known as The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD. She later established a private practice focused on serving marginalized populations and individuals experiencing mental health challenges.

Fountain’s educational background includes studies in visual art, feminist studies, Latin American studies, clinical psychology, and art therapy. Throughout her career, she has also held leadership positions with organizations focused on human rights, women’s rights, anti-racism efforts, and LGBTQIA+ advocacy.

Fountain says she identified as a lesbian at age 13 during the height of the AIDS epidemic, a time she describes as marked by fear, misinformation, and a lack of visible LGBTQ role models.

“We lacked out LGBTQ mentors and sensible information regarding AIDS and what it meant to be a human who belonged under the LGBTQ umbrella,” she explains.

Today, Fountain describes herself as a “fierce, hands-on advocate” for the queer community, supporting causes ranging from political advocacy and religious trauma recovery to programs for transgender youth and LGBTQ families. Her advocacy work has taken on additional significance as the parent of a gay son.

“As the parent of a queer child, the stakes seem to have risen higher,” Fountain confides. “It is important that we grow Galveston into a healthier, more inclusive and respectful community.”

That commitment to inclusion ultimately led Fountain to the Texas Gay Rodeo Association (TGRA), one of the founding member associations of the International Gay Rodeo Association. Established in the early 1980s, TGRA promotes Western heritage, inclusive rodeo competition and charitable fundraising, and has raised millions of dollars for HIV/AIDS organizations, LGBTQ nonprofits, and other community causes over the past four decades.

Fountain joined TGRA earlier this year after encouragement from friends, including former Galveston chapter president Craig Sanford. When Sanford stepped down due to health concerns, several community members encouraged Fountain to consider taking on the leadership role. Before accepting the nomination, she researched the organization’s history and mission.

“The origins of TGRA’s fundraising for HIV/AIDS care in the 1980s caught my attention,” she says. “I was ultimately sold on how it has expanded to raise funds for LGBTQ youth to attend a safe, affirming summer camp, an unwavering commitment to inclusivity, and a solid, professional history as a state organization.”

While TGRA’s annual rodeo remains its signature event, members also participate in social gatherings, volunteer projects and fundraisers throughout the year. The Galveston chapter supports organizations including Access Care of Coastal Texas and Galveston Central Church while partnering with other nonprofits on community service and charitable initiatives.

“The importance of connection, cohesion and care in the LGBTQ community simply saves lives,” Fountain says. “TGRA started to do this in the ‘80s, and it is more important than ever.”

Going forward, Fountain hopes to expand the Galveston chapter’s membership and create additional opportunities for community involvement. Among her goals are increasing volunteer engagement, strengthening partnerships with local organizations, and developing programs that serve LGBTQ youth, families and allies.

The chapter also plans to continue community service projects, including efforts to support unsheltered residents and fundraising initiatives benefiting organizations such as ACCT.

“We will dream big,” Fountain says. “There is quite a bit of good work to do with good people here in Galveston.”

For Fountain, TGRA represents another opportunity to continue the work that has defined much of her life: creating safe, welcoming spaces where people feel supported and valued.

“As far back as I can remember, I picked up on differences, inequalities, and people treating one another in ways that just did not make sense,” Fountain says. “The idea of making this planet a kinder place with less suffering motivates me.”

Learn more about TGRA on Facebook at Facebook.com/groups/tgra.org