First Keller-Southlake Pride event draws hundreds of residents, a few protesters
A bright-colored archway of balloons and flags in a rainbow of colors welcomed North Texas residents of all ages to the first Pride event for Keller and Southlake on Saturday afternoon.
An estimated 700 people had showed up by about 4 p.m., according to Pride Kel-So co-founder April Dreyson. She said the response they’d received from the community was “overwhelming positivity.”
Charter buses shuttling attendees from designated parking lots dropped off groups at the entrance and headed back for more.
Lannie Tucker from Celebration Community Church, a nondenominational congregation in Fort Worth, helped direct traffic in the parking lot. She said her church would be handing out buttons and bracelets at a booth inside, and members always show up to support LGBTQ events around North Texas.
“We want people to know there’s a place you’re loved,” Tucker said.
Dreyson told the Star-Telegram last week that she and her wife Shaina always wanted to have a Pride event in their hometown of Keller. Alan Bentrup, the rector of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church on the border between Southlake and Keller, offered to host the event on the church grounds.
“We want to be a good neighbor,” Bentrup told the Star-Telegram during an interview prior to the event. “We opened up our space just like we do for scout troops and HOA’s.”
Some Tarrant County Republican leaders pushed back against the event, specifically the plans for a song from transgender musical artist Madame Lexical. That performance was later canceled due to organizers’ desire to protect the artist “from the onslaught of misguided hatred,” but a drag show was left on the program.
Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare and Commissioner Matt Krause sent out a joint statement Friday imploring “all families to avoid any so-called child friendly drag shows.”
“Very rarely — if ever — do these shows depict anything but an exaggerated sexuality of female stereotypes, which is not in any capacity appropriate for children,” the statement reads.
The statement also refers to Senate Bill 12, which prohibits sexually oriented performances in areas where minors might be present. The bill was signed into law in 2023 but blocked after being declared unconstitutional by a federal court. It is currently pending before the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.
O’Hare and Krause said they are “confident the law will be upheld and that an event like this one will be in violation of that law.”
Dreyson emphasized that the organizers worked very hard to make sure all the events and performances would be age appropriate.
“This is truly a drag show for all,” she told the Star-Telegram on Saturday.
The Oak Lawn Band and The Bikini Whales, a Fort Worth-based B-52s/’80s cover band, also played for the crowd Saturday. According to The Bikini Whales’ social media, Pride Kel-So was the group’s first performance outside Fort Worth’s city limits.
Fort Worth activist and former Granbury ISD school board trustee Chris Tackett posted a photo of himself and his family near the balloon arch at the entrance.
“We brought our kid to Pride Kel-So and loved seeing The Bikini Whales,” Tackett posted on Facebook after the event. “Does that make us bad people Tim and Matt? Nope. It makes us great people who value all of our community.”
Around a dozen people stood beside the sidewalk in front of the church grounds. Kelly Neidert, the executive director of Texas Coalition for Kids, said they were there “to peacefully protest and pray.” Some of them carried hand-lettered signs that said “Protect the kids” and “Protect God’s children.” One man held up a crucifix, and another recited the Lord’s Prayer over a megaphone.
According to Neidert, several of the individuals were there on their own and not part of a specific organization. What drew them together, she said, was their concern over an event with a drag show being labeled OK for kids.
“Just leave the kids out of it,” Neidert said. “That’s the biggest thing.”
