Barbara Kosciewicz Builds LGBTQ Visibility in Katy

“I was always an ally, but then when our daughter came out to us, I took it up to the next level. Now I was the person who had action behind it,” says Barbara Kosciewicz. Her daughter, Aubrey, came out as transgender in 2020, when she was 18.

“We had conversations about this—if any of our children were LGBTQ, and we had talked specifically about if we had transgender children, that yes, we would certainly be supportive. But it still came as a surprise.”

Kosciewicz, 57, and her husband, Paul van Helmond, live in the Katy area and have three children, including Aubrey. The family moved from western New York to the Houston area 10 years ago after van Helmond was transferred for work. With two children still in high school, they were drawn to Katy by the area’s well-regarded school districts.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in special education and elementary education and a master’s degree in counseling. She works in a program for adults with disabilities and volunteers as a Special Olympics coach during swim season.

Kosciewicz acknowledges that the Katy community also presents challenges. “There’s a large community of not so supportive people. It can be tough. Generally, we are considered a conservative area. The schools have book bans. It’s very tough for kids in the Katy school district.”

The school district was among the first to adopt a policy barring teachers from using students’ preferred names or pronouns. If a student asked to use a preferred name or pronoun, the teacher was required to contact the parents, potentially outing the student.

“There had been gay/straight alliances, but not now. Some school board members are middle of the line, and there are others that are super conservative and harmful to the LGBTQ family,” explains Kosciewicz.

Now in her second year on the Katy Pride board, Kosciewicz has become a quiet but persistent force for advocacy. She serves as the organization’s director of community service.

“Last year we organized a Transgender Day of Remembrance at Mary Jo Peckham Park, and we invited the community. We asked several people to speak. We had a slideshow with pictures of the people who had been killed over the past year due to violence in the transgender community, and we had a candlelight ceremony.”

“So, it was a very special, sad and moving event, but it was important. We weren’t sure about meeting in a public park in Katy. But we had people who walked by and asked what we were doing and joined us. That was surprising and wonderful.”

“This year was our first year of hosting a Chase the Rainbow: Stride with Pride 5K Fun Run,” she continues. “We learned a lot of things along the way. And it ended up being this special event where we had members of the running community, LGBTQ people, friends, and allies there. It felt like a fun, safe and happy place. We’ve had a lot of support from Lesley Briones, Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner. We held it at a park called John Paul Landing, and it worked out perfectly.”

“We also did Trans Day of Visibility for the past two years, which turned out well. We asked people to meet at a certain intersection—kind of a busy intersection in Katy—and we had signs and flags to show support to the trans community. We got more waves and honks than middle fingers, so that’s always good.”

Kosciewicz also volunteers with The Transparent Closet, which is hosted by First Christian Church in Katy. “Trans people or any LGBT people can come in and shop in a safe, welcoming space, all free of charge. It’s nice because if you go into a store for the first time shopping, it can feel very uncomfortable or intimidating. You don’t know your size; you don’t know your style. This is a safe space for people to do that.”

For the past three years, Kosciewicz has offered free Pride flags through her neighborhood’s Facebook group, inviting residents to pick them up from her front porch. “For the most part, people have been supportive. For the first time this year, people came and took all the flags on two separate occasions. That was disappointing. But then somebody in the neighborhood mailed me new ones. So, in the end, it all worked out.”

Kosciewicz has also traveled to Austin for Equality Texas’ All In for Equality Days. “They organize an event where everybody shows up in a space somewhere around the Capitol,” she says. “They group people up and you go in and visit with a congressperson or senator, or their staff. You talk about whatever bills are being proposed and whether we think they need to support or oppose them.”

This year’s Katy Pride Festival is scheduled for Saturday, October 3, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Bear Creek Rodeo Arena. Its theme is “Stand Tall, Y’All.”

“Last year we were set to have our Pride Festival at Typhoon Texas, which is a water park in Katy,” remarks Kosciewicz. “Three or four days before the event, they canceled our contract and they claimed security reasons. So, we had to figure this all out and contact vendors and find a location, which was the Rodeo Arena.”

“Since it worked out so well last year, we asked to reserve the space again this year. This year we’ll have live music, which is new. It’s going to go along with that rodeo theme—folk and indie music. We have Sarah Golden, Sweet Petunia, and Olive Klug. We’ll have a stage and they will perform sets. We also have DJ Crazy V.”

The festival will feature family-friendly attractions, including a petting zoo, a kids’ zone, a bounce house, and a variety of food trucks. Organizers expect about 1,000 guests, including LGBTQ people, their families, allies and other community members.

Amanda Rose (they/them), president and co-founder of Katy Pride, says: “Katy Pride has become a powerful force for visibility and belonging in our community. It’s incredible to see people come together, feel celebrated, and know they are not alone.”

What: Katy Pride Festival
When: Saturday, October 3, 11 a.m.–4 p.m.
Where: Bear Creek Rodeo Arena, 3230 Highway 6
Info: pridekaty.org