Taylor Pride says mayor rejected annual pride proclamation

Taylor mayor denies pride proclamation

During the first week of Pride Month, Taylor Pride said the mayor denied its pride proclamation. Tensions regarding pride are nothing new in Taylor.

TAYLOR, Texas - During the first week of Pride Month, Taylor Pride said the mayor denied its pride proclamation.

Tensions regarding pride are nothing new in Taylor.

In 2022, the Taylor Area Ministerial Alliance asked Taylor Pride not to march in the Christmas parade.

But this is the first time they've had issues with a pride proclamation, which is up to the mayor to decide, according to city policy.

Taylor mayor declines pride proclamation

What they're saying:

"There were tears streaming from my eyes because I grew up here," said Jose Orta, who writes each Taylor Pride proclamation for the city.

He wrote the first one in 2020. Hearing it out loud was nothing short of monumental for him.

"I saw that Taylor was changing, and I never thought that Taylor would change," said Orta. "Not in my lifetime."

But this June, he says, Mayor Dwayne Ariola rejected the proclamation.

"It was sort of like the rug got pulled out from under me because I couldn’t figure out why," said Orta.

Orta said he received a letter from the mayor pointing to other events happening in the city, like Juneteenth and Dan Moody Day.

"He doesn’t think that Taylor Pride is a unifying event for the city," said Orta.

Pride Party is happening June 8

Justin Galicz from the Little Gay Shop stops by to preview Pride Party coming up on June 8.

President of Taylor Pride, Ben Morgan, said this sends the wrong message.

"I think by denying this proclamation 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," said Morgan.

It’s the first time in five years the mayor has turned down the proclamation, which coincides with Taylor’s fifth anniversary of Pride Fest.

"We recognize every other heritage month and activity and event that happens in this town, so there’s no reason to exclude pride month or the pride festival or this community," said Denise Rogers, an organizer of Pride Fest.

Proclamation or not, the festival is still on at the end of the month, and they plan to celebrate it as proudly as ever.

But until then, they’re asking Mayor Ariola to reconsider.

"He has created a wedge in this community that there may not be any healing," said Orta. "He can fix it. All he’s got to do is issue the proclamation. We’re not asking him to read it. We’re not asking him to come to our event. We’re just asking him to proclaim it as mayor."

Mayor Ariola declined to comment for this story.

Dig deeper:

Pride Fest is the last Saturday of June from 4 to 10 p.m.

Supporters plan to be at both city council meetings this month to speak to the mayor about issuing the pride proclamation.

They also have a petition going with more than 1,400 signatures.