Diverse attendees find 'tribe' at The Woodlands Pride Festival

Scenes from during The Woodlands Pride Festival on Saturday, September 28, 2019 at Town Green Park in The Woodlands. Scenes from during The Woodlands Pride Festival on Saturday, September 28, 2019 at Town Green Park in The Woodlands. Photo: Cody Bahn, Staff Photographer Photo: Cody Bahn, Staff Photographer Image 1 of / 32 Caption Close Diverse attendees find 'tribe' at The Woodlands Pride Festival 1 / 32 Back to Gallery

LGBTQ Activist, Robert Cross, never thought he would see the day that a Pride celebration would be held in the suburbs.

Yet he stood on the stage at the second annual Pride festival in The Woodlands at Town Green Park on Saturday surrounded by people of all ages and backgrounds, with their parents and their children, donned in rainbow and glitter.

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The family-friendly event, which focused on diversity and inclusion, once again saw over 5,000 people and 100 vendors throughout the day, CEO and President Jason Rocha and Chief Operating Officer Ryan Elkins said.

"My daughter is in high school and she is straight but she has a lot of friends that are of various identities," Spring resident Natasha Holly said. "Kids are just trying to find their way and they just need to know that it doesn't matter what their way is, as adults, we are here to love them and accept them."

It's a sharp contrast for Cross, who said he spent his entire life in Tyler perceived as a criminal in his home state for no other reason than being gay.

"Every person was a criminal in Texas because of the law until two very brave people from Houston Texas went all the way to the Supreme Court and Lawrence V Texas (in 2003) made myself legal for the first time at 41 years old," Cross said.

Cross, who moved to New York the day after he graduated with a class of 60 people, walked the attendees through a timeline. It included a hot June day in 1969 when police entered the Stonewall Inn in New York that was illegally serving alcohol in the underground bar to gay clientele who faced arrests during a time of "barbaric" psychiatric therapy and the risk of losing their homes and livelihood.

While he was not there, Cross said that night the patrons fought back. The Stonewall Riots would catalyze the movement for a gay equality half a century ago. Since then, he shared there have been annual marches, parades, openly gay candidates for public office, pharmaceutical advances to stop the transmission of the AIDS virus, and to his great surprise, he was legally allowed to marry his husband.

Several hands stretched into the air when Cross asked how many people were attending a Pride event for the first time in The Woodlands on Saturday. He recalled his first Pride event in 1981 in New York City where he became surrounded by people.

"You would look down the avenue in New York and you would just see this sea of people and I remember feeling the overwhelming sense of joy that I had really not been accustomed to feeling growing up in rural north east Texas where I did and who I was," Cross said. "I remember thinking 'I have finally found them, my tribe, my family.' I was not alone. So being here today, remember that, you are not alone. This is your tribe."

"Cross, who was also part of the Austin Babtist Women, reminded the attendees that they too have a history and a legacy with brave ancestors and courageous people, including designers, artists, writers, photographers, musicians, and more whose blood and strength is carried in their genes and whose work helped illuminate."

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"There are many people on whose backs we stand today—no longer with us and some still with us that helped alleviate the suffocating darkness that kept us all inside the closet," he said.

Ashlee Elliott, 20, of Porter attended for the first time. Her mother was grateful for the event and attended with Elliott in support and shared that there are family members who are not supportive. She described the event as welcoming and friendly and found the Cross's message to be meaningful.

"It made me feel like I belonged and I'm not like an outcast, and not weird," Elliott said.

But that has not always been the case growing up in Montgomery County.

"It was scary to be yourself because you don't know who to trust," Elliott said. "It means a lot."

She and her mother encouraged both parents and children to be patient and to not be afraid to ask questions. Describing the event as "progressive" for The Woodlands, Susan Glass, whose son is gay, traveled from Cypress with a poster offering free mom hugs with several other attendees. Some also offered free dad hugs.

"We are happy that we have this avenue to give free hugs. But it's sad to me that moms," said before pausing to hold back tears. "don't hug their kids because they are gay."

Licensed Aesthetician, Brittney Hufeld, 33, attended the event with The Waxing Bar and thinks its great that there is a Pride event in The Woodlands.

"A lot of times people are scared to go into businesses even like ours," Hufeld said. "We have people who call and ask if it is OK if we are transgender and the fact that they have to ask that is sad. I want to be here so that everybody knows that we support them no matter what, they can come into the salon and be themselves and we will not judge them."

Elkins, who chaired the event and grew up in Montgomery County, said there were no issues or protests as differences were set aside for the event. He was blown away by the turnout at the event, which had increased security this year. Rocha estimated at least a 15 percent increase in the turn out around 2 p.m.

"I think it shows that Montgomery County is not just necessarily a traditional, hardcore conservative community as it is known to be based on politics and who they vote for," Elkins said. "I think there is a much bigger picture and I think it says that they are more receptive for candidates that would support issues that would reflect those in the LGBTQ community."

mellsworth@hcnonline.com