History

On November 2, 1969, Craig Rodwell, his partner Fred Sargeant, Ellen Broidy, and Linda Rhodes proposed the first pride march to be held in New York City by way of a resolution at the Eastern Regional Conference of Homophile Organizations (ERCHO) meeting in Philadelphia.  In just three years, in 1972, Texas hosted their PRIDE celebration in Dallas.  Soon thereafter in 1979 Houston hosted PRIDE celebrations.  Austin followed with hosting in 1990.  San Antonio’s “Gay PRIDE SA” began in 2004. For Lubbock, several groups and organizations have hosted PRIDE celebrations over the years since the 1970’s. PFLAG Lubbock's PRIDE Picnic, South Plains College, and Texas Tech University students, staff, and faculty host multiple PRIDE events on campus, and Lubbock PRIDE (founded 2012-present) formed as an organization dedicated to hosting a public PRIDE celebration annually.

You may ask yourself has the City of Lubbock made a proclamation of this kind?  The answer is no.  Last year Lubbock LGBTQ+ and Ally members petitioned by writing letters and requesting meetings with the City Mayor and Council.  For more information read the Texas Tribune article from June 27, 2023.

PRIDE is an acronym for an organization, established in 1966, means “Personal Rights in Defense and Education”.  Since then, PRIDE has come to be the shorthand version of “gay pride” and “gay liberation”. Simply put, PRIDE is the promotion of the self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and increased visibility. A PRIDE Proclamation by a sitting government, the federal government, was first recognized in 1999 declaring June as PRIDE month.  Since then, three presidents have released official declarations of June as PRIDE Month.  Donald Trump became the fourth president to acknowledge LGBT Pride Month in 2019, as a tweet rather than an official proclamation. The tweet was later released as an official “Statement from the President.”(*) 

*US Embassy in Guatemala, June 1, 2019

What is a proclamation?

A proclamation is an official document issued by the Mayor to commemorate a specific time period (ex. day, week, or month). It brings recognition or awareness to an issue, cause, milestone, or noteworthy event that is relevant and important to our city. Proclamations are strictly honorary and not legally binding.

Who can submit a proclamation?

Anyone may make a proclamation request; however, proclamations must have a direct relationship to the City/County residents, events, achievements, services, or noteworthy causes. The decision to issue a proclamation is made completely at the discretion of the Mayor.

What does the proclamation say?

Click on the "sample proclamation" button below.

How do we achieve this?

We are writing letters to our local representatives to inform them of the importance of such an action to residents of Lubbock and to request action.

Why writing a letter matters:

A letter-writing campaign makes it easy for you to get involved and advocate for yourself and your community.  A letter allows us to share our stories with elected representatives.  We hope to move representatives into action that benefits the LGBTQ+ communities and their allies.

Step 2: Find Your Representative

Once you know your district, address your letter to your specific City Council Representative. 

Step 3: Take Action | Send your letter to your representative.

a. Download the sample letter/email templates.

b. Edit your letter accordingly.

c. Include the sample PRIDE PROCLAMATION in your envelope or email

d. Mail your letter or send your email.

What if I want to send an email?

We have an email template you are welcome to use.  We ask that you use the email system as a follow-up rather than the main action for sending your letter.

Can I download a PDF with all information include in one document?

Yes, please feel free to use our PDF toolkit to share with others.

Have a question?

If you have a question that is not included in our FAQ's please email contact@outwestlubbock.org