The City of Dallas raised an LGBTQ Pride flag at City Hall on Thursday and will fly similar flags at City buildings throughout June to commemorate LGBTQ Pride Month.
However, the flag is not a traditional Pride flag, as it features the official City of Dallas logo.
City leaders have been replacing the official City of Dallas flag with its version of a Pride flag every June since 2020, when the City Council passed a resolution in support of the gesture.
Several council members attended the flag-raising at City Hall, including Omar Narvaez, Chad West, Carolyn King Arnold, Paul Ridley, Jaynie Schultz, Adam Bazaldua, and Jesse Moreno.
Texas Reps. Victoria Neave Criado (D-Dallas) and Venton Jones (D-Dallas), and U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) were also present.
In her capacity as mayor pro tempore, Arnold read a proclamation from Mayor Eric Johnson’s office, which referred to the “Stonewall Rebellion” as the advent of the modern LGBTQ movement and celebrated subsequent judicial decisions such as Lawrence v. Texas, which overturned Texas’ sodomy law, and Obergefell v. Hodges, which mandated recognition of same-sex marriage in all 50 states.
“Whereas no one should be subjected to any type of bigotry, harassment, discrimination, or violence because of who they are … on this special occasion, we must continue to bear in mind that while together we have overcome difficult obstacles, acceptance is something we must all practice and teach to future generations,” Arnold said on behalf of the mayor.
Mayor Johnson was apparently not in attendance at the flag-raising. The Dallas Express reached out to his office to confirm his absence but did not receive a response by press time.
“Dallas has a diverse Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer or Questioning (LGBTQ+) community and is committed to supporting visibility, dignity, and equity for all people in the community,” said Council Member Narvaez in a statement. “June has become a symbolic month in which LGBTQ+ persons, and supporters, come together in various celebrations of pride.”
While speaking at the flag-raising ceremony, Narvaez also claimed that “marginalized members of our community are under attack” in Texas and across the nation.
“Drag queens do not hurt people,” he insisted. “Transgender people do not hurt people. As long as I am alive … I will continue to be in those trenches and continue to fight.”
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, drag shows attended by children have stirred controversy in North Texas in recent months.
Kelly Neidert, whose organization Protect Texas Kids documents and protests “kid-friendly” drag shows, told The Dallas Express it is inappropriate for the City of Dallas to advocate for LGBTQ Pride publicly.
“Pride Month is inherently sexual, and the City of Dallas shouldn’t be pushing it on everyone who lives there,” Neidert said. “They are clearly pandering to a small percentage of Dallas residents. Most people don’t celebrate this garbage.”
Hundreds of attendees showed up at City Hall on Thursday to support the flag-raising. They included representatives of the Dallas Mavericks, the Dallas Police Department LGBTQ+ Liaison, the Dallas Fire LGBTQ+ Liaison, the City of Dallas LGBTQ Employee Resource Group, and the Dallas Wings, per a City press release.
“For those of you who are like, ‘Who are the Dallas Wings?'” said Narvaez, “the Dallas Wings is our professional women’s national basketball [team].”
Throughout the month, the official City of Dallas Pride flags will also be flown at several City facilities, including J. Erik Jonsson Central Library, Fair Park, and the Dallas Fire-Rescue training facility.
In line with City leaders’ professed support of the LGBTQ community, the City has instituted an internal “gender transition” toolkit that requires public employees to use the preferred pronouns of a transitioning individual regardless of their personal beliefs on the matter, as exclusively reported by The Dallas Express.