Pride parade trophy winners are named; Steering Committee members, others recognized at reception
From Staff Reports
Dallas police have estimated that approximately 10,000 people attended the Miller Lite Music Festival in the Park on Saturday, Sept. 15, the first day of the Dallas Pride Weekend. And, police said, between 40,000 and 50,000 packed Cedar Springs Road on Sunday, Sept. 16, for the 35th annual Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade.
Jeremy Liebbe, a Pride Steering Committee member, 18 Dallas police officers worked the festival Saturday, while 66 worked the parade on Sunday. Liebbe said that there were no arrests in the park during the festival, and officers made only one arrest at the parade.
This year’s Pride theme was “Vote NOH8 in the Lone Star State,” a nod to honorary grand marshals Adam Buska and Jeff Parshley, founders of the NOH8 Campaign. A total of 90 organizations and businesses — not including the VIP entries — participated in the parade, and nine parade entries were recognized with awards. They are:
• Best Performance — Oak Lawn Band
• Best Walking Group — PFLAG Dallas
• Best Costumes — Caven Enterprises
• Best Social Commentary — OUT@NBCUniversal:
• Best Theme Presentation — Kaliente Dallas
• Best Overall Entry — Rieles Dallas
• Best For-Profit Entry — American Airlines
• Best Non-Profit Entry — Resource Center
• Judges Choice — JJ’s Out & About.
Dallas Pride organizers honored their colleagues and recognized outstanding community members at a reception Thursday evening, Sept. 13, at the Hilton Anatole Hotel.
Michael Doughman, retiring after 18 years as Dallas Tavern Guild executive director and Pride coordinator, was also honored at the event. Tavern Guild officials have established a scholarship for LGBT students in Doughman’s name.
Doughman recognized the 2018 parade grand marshals, Wayne Davis and the Rev. Neil Cazares-Thomas, and the honorary grand marshals, Bouska and Parshley. Davis is known as a fundraiser for a number of organizations including Dallas Bears. Cazares-Thomas is senior pastor at Cathedral of Hope. Parshley and Bouska created the NOH8 campaign after Proposition 8 repealed marriage equality in California in 2008.
Doughman presented longtime Steering Committee member and community activist Betty Neal with the Executive Director’s Award for all of her assistance in staging Pride through his 18 years as head of the organization.
Mark Cuban was given the Humanitarian Award. The Dallas Mavericks were a new sponsor of Pride this year and had a float in the parade for the first time. But Doughman also recognized Cuban for standing up for equality, including his $1 million donation to pay for increased police protection after a series of attacks against gay men in Oak Lawn.
Jimmy Bartlett received the Exemplary Community Service Award. Among other things, Bartlett has helped preserve Dallas’ LGBT history by recording each of The Dallas Way’s Outrageous Oral events.
The Outstanding Community Support award went to longtime sponsor Andrews Distributing, and Outstanding Corporate Sponsor was awarded to new sponsor Walmart.
