OutInform: Houston Pride Guide 2015 Issue | Page 27

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&A
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What is your favorite part about Houston Pride Week or the
Houston LGBT Pride Celebration and why?
I love the parade. I love the energy and diversity of the
participants and the crowds.
What advice would you give someone who wants to find a
way to contribute to the LGBT community in some way?
Don’t hold back or underestimate your potential contribution.
For a long time, I would apologize for not being able to fully
understand because this wasn’t “my walk.” And then I was on
a panel for families with transgender kids and a wise woman,
Deb Murphy, told me to stop that kind of talk. That without
my advocacy we wouldn’t have made the progress we’ve
made. Don’t under estimate the power of simply standing up
for others in a conversation where folks are throwing around
off color jokes. Find an organization, one of my favorites is
“Out for Education,” and participate in their events. If you’re
drawn to contribute, you might make a difference in someone
else’s life who you didn’t even know needed your support.
Coming out is always a tough decision. What advice would
you give the youth of today on coming out?
I think it’s important to find a network of support that you
can trust first, hopefully that network includes your parents,
but if not would include another adult. If you find yourself in
an unsupportive environment, seek out the many resources
available to today’s youth.
What is the one (1) thing that you’d like readers to know
about you that’s not in your biography? Do you have a quirk?
I love baking - bread, pizza, pies, cakes and I have Benjamin
Button’s disease.
Also, Pride Houston has a campaign called My First Pride. If
you could tell me about your first pride that we could include
in OutInform I would appreciate it
About her first pride story including:
1.City, State
Houston, TX
2.Year (estimated)
2008
3.The size of the crowd
Huge
4.Why they went
I was volunteering for the Obama campaign and
we went to register voters.
5.How it felt when they go there
HOT!
6.Describe their full experience that day/weekend
Great to be a part of the lively crowd. I felt energized by
the crowd and hopeful for the future.
7.How much fun they had
I had a blast.

By becoming a Celebration
Underwriter you can support the
hundreds of organizations offering
LGBT-related resources to promote
their cause, recruit volunteers and
raise awareness around issues
facing the community.
Pride Houston relies on funding from
corporate sponsorships, grants, entry
fees and the Friends of Pride
program in order to ensure
accessibility to organizations in our
community. Without assistance, the
entry fees for the parade and festival
would rise to high for nonprofits and
other parti