Vote delayed on Pride Parade move

As Houstonist's Dilettante mentioned yesterday, there's a movement afoot to make changes in Houston's Pride Parade and festival — among them expanding the festival to a two-day event and moving it from Montrose to downtown. But those who support the event in its traditional location are fighting the proposed changes, and this weekend, the Montrose supporters won ... at least temporarily.

The proposed changes came up last week when Pride Houston announced a 22-person task force was considering expanding the festival, moving it from the traditional late June date to a month when the weather's cooler and having the festival and parade take place around City Hall downtown, where a variety of other city festivals are held. There were two feedback sessions and an online survey about the proposals, but a pair or articles in the Chronicle, one focusing on the move downtown, apparently ruffled some feathers: At the final feedback session Saturday, about 50 opponents of the changes in location and date showed up. They argued that moving the festival downtown would take it out of its "home" — which Houstonist can't argue with — and that the June date is significant because it commemorates the 1969 Stonewall riots, considered the beginning of the gay pride movement. What's more, several people at the meeting active in gay and lesbian organizations said they were never contacted about the proposals. "Apparently, there has been a lack of outreach to the community, so I think the board needs to postpone the vote and go back to the drawing board," Jack Valinski, who has been involved in the Pride Parade, said. "For this to work, the board needs to make a decision that is best for this community."

Saturday's meeting led Houston Pride President Carol Wyatt to announce a delay in the decision about any changes to the event. The Pride Houston board is set to meet today, but Wyatt said it won't make any changes: "I am going to make a pledge to all of you here that we will not conduct a vote at the meeting," Wyatt said. "We will seriously consider the feedback we've heard here today, we will especially take a fresh look at the idea of renewing the way we've been looking at this."

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Photo: flickr user knittaplease