Dueling Prides create a house divided 

By Johnny Trlica 

Commentary: A house divided against itself cannot stand.  

At first glance, one would think that Houston’s LGBTQ+ community has so much pride that one day of parades and festivals simply isn’t enough so it is having two of them. That is far from the case.  

What there is, is such an abundance of is egotism, fraud, mismanagement, corruption and pettiness from Pride Houston 365, the longtime organizer of Houston’s annual Pride parade and festival, that a new organization saw an opportunity, if not a need, to try something new. 

Mismanagement from Pride Houston 365 has been an ongoing issue. One need only look at last year’s lack of Port-a-Potties, which found attendees going to the bathroom in bushes and on city streets, to get an idea of the gross incompetence of how the organization is being run. 

But an insufficient number of restroom facilities is not the only shit show going on at Pride Houston 365. The organization did not hold a festival in 2023, citing financial constraints related to its ongoing lawsuit against Lorin “Lo” Roberts, who served as its president from 2017 through 2020 before being hired as its first executive director. Read another way: no festival because of lack of funds due to a lawsuit against its own executive director.  

Roberts was being sued for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, embezzlement, theft, fraud and fraud inducement. Judge Tamika Craft in Harris County granted partial summary judgment in December of 2023 to Pride Houston 365 and ordered Roberts to pay $1.2 million in compensatory and punitive damages. Roberts also must pay more than $7,000 in attorney’s fees as part of the judgment, and she and her defense attorney, Debra Jennings, have been ordered to pay a total of nearly $3,000 in additional fees and sanctions. Neither has paid a dime, last we checked. 

Houston Public Media reported in April that “Craft also set an April 16 trial date in the case to hear arguments on five additional claims made by Pride Houston: conversion, misappropriation of trade secrets, tortious interference, civil conspiracy, and negligent misrepresentation. But Pride Houston president Kendra Walker said in May the organization’s board of directors is considering dropping the remaining claims.” 

“We just want to bring this to a close,” Walker said. “This trial was initially scheduled to happen a year-and-a-half ago. Going into year number three, I think the community needs to move past it. We are considering, in the interest of community and just moving forward, dismissing those claims.” 

So, they are willing to just forget about the $1.2 million? Nice! Or is it that Pride Houston 365 wants to focus its attention and legal maneuverings on squashing a challenger? One need only look at their website to see they are feeling the heat from the new kid on the block, the “New Faces of Houston Pride.” 

“Choose Authenticity, Celebrate with Confidence!” blasts the caption on the website for Pride Houston 365. “Unofficial entities may try to capitalize on our legacy. Choose with caution. We’re the official force behind Houston Pride, serving the LGBTQ+ community for 46 years. Join us for safe, authentic, and inclusive celebrations,” it continues. 

Adam Zuvanich, reporting for Houston Public Media, wrote, “You could look at it as competing,” said Bryan Cotton, the founder and president of New Faces of Pride Houston.

The post continues, “Cotton said he and fellow board member Jill Maxwell, a former board member for Pride Houston, led the launch of the new group because of turmoil associated with Pride Houston. That organization scrapped last year’s Pride festival after the 2022 event was marred by high heat and capacity issues, and for the last two years has been embroiled in a lawsuit against former executive director Lorin Roberts, who Pride Houston accused of fraud, embezzlement, and breach of fiduciary duty, among other claims.” 

Kendra Walker said Pride Houston sent a cease-and-desist letter to New Faces of Pride Houston, alleging that its logo and use of the phrase “Pride Houston” in its name amount to trademark infringement. Pride Houston is “considering all legal options available to us,” according to Walker.  

To paraphrase the opening narration of The Odd Couple television series, “Can two Pride organizations share a city without driving each other crazy?” Possibly but should not. Houston had competing Martin Luther King Jr. parades for years and most people thought it was childish and petty that the two groups could not unite for a worthy cause. That same narrative fits here.  

Pride Houston 365 has been poorly managed and corrupt for years, which directly led to the formation of New Faces of Pride Houston, out of necessity. At some point in the future the dueling Pride organizations should unite, merge, get married or just co-habitat. Or one should go away.  

A house divided against itself cannot stand. 

Johnny Trlica is editor of Houston Rainbow Herald, an LGBTQ+ Facebook page. He has been published in the Fort Bend Herald, Montrose Gem and OutSmart, and has been a writer for MONTROSE STAR for more than 10 years. A lifelong Texas resident, he lived in Montrose for over 30 years and currently resides in Galveston. He may be reached at: [email protected].  

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