History in Houston, 40 Years after Stonewall
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How did we get here? A major building block in the GLBT History of Houston began in response to the "singing orange juice lady", Anita Bryant.
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In 1977 Anita Bryant was to appear in Houston, Texas for a singing engagement. Having previously demonstrated her disapproval of homosexuals, thousands of protestors took to the streets and began a march which has grown into what is now Houston's Pride Parade. This momentum started in 1977 led to one of our most signifant GLBT movements, Town Hall Meeting 1.
Another similarly powerful moment is captured in records from the 1977 National Organization of Women convention, when lesbians campaigned for visibility in the organization through a dramatic release of colored balloons during the meeting in the Astrodome.
Fueled by the power of Stonewall, Houston's GLBT community could no longer be silent!
In 1985, Mayor Louis Welch, who while running for re-election, made a famous gaffe by saying inadvertently on microphone that his solution to HIV would be to “shoot the queers.” Once again the GLBT community of Houston spoke out. T-shirt were made with the caption' "Don't shoot me Louy!"
