Four years ago, Williamson County — a “big red sea” of a district, with a population just over half a million — held its first-ever Pride celebration in Taylor. Now, the annual celebration is facing jeopardy on its fifth anniversary: the mayor won’t issue a Pride proclamation.
These proclamations, issued by government officials, officially recognize cultural events or milestones. Even the right-leaning city has historically been supportive of Pride programming, organizers from Taylor Pride told KXAN. This is the first time since 2021 that such a proclamation has been rejected.
The mayor, Dwayne Ariola, is only a year into his tenure, and his rejection breaks his predecessor’s long-time tradition of recognizing Pride in Taylor. Ariola’s reasoning is, in true Texas lawmaker fashion, just a bit baffling.
“There’s a lot in June that reflects our shared values and history,” Ariola wrote in an email to a Taylor resident, according to an Instagram post from Taylor Pride. He then cites “more unifying observances” like Juneteenth (fair enough?) and the… birth month of Dan Moody, former Texas governor, and also a man who’s been dead for a half-century.
“There were tears streaming from my eyes … It was sort of like the rug got pulled out from under me,” said Jose Orta, the Taylor resident who emailed Ariola requesting the proclamation. Orta has written every city Pride proclamation since 2020, he told FOX 7 Austin.
Rain or shine, proclamation or not, Taylor’s annual Pride festival is still slated to happen at the end of the month. But Ariola’s refusal to recognize Pride month, while perhaps symbolic, still cuts deep, residents say.
“It sends not only a message to the LGBTQIA community but also to the community at large that this town has taken a step backward,” Ben Morgan, Taylor Pride president, told FOX 7 Austin.
“[Ariola] has created a wedge in this community that there may not be any healing,” Orta added. And, a petition demanding the mayor reverse the denial has already amassed 1,500 signatures.
Big shocker: this isn’t small-town Taylor’s first scuffle with Pride celebrations. A few years ago, the annual holiday parade, organized by a local ministry alliance, restricted participation to entries “consistent with traditional biblical and family values.”
