TAYLOR, Texas (KXAN) — The mayor of Taylor, Texas, has doubled down on a decision to deny signing an official proclamation acknowledging June as Pride Month, just weeks ahead of an annual Pride festival in the city.
Mayor Dwayne Ariola made a Facebook post about it on Wednesday, saying he wanted to “address recent concerns regarding the Pride Proclamation and clarify the position of my office and the City Council.”
The City Council is a nonpartisan body, and it is my strong belief that we should remain focused on representing all residents, without stepping into issues that are clearly divisive along partisan lines. The recent uproar—on both sides—regarding this proclamation request makes it clear that this has become a partisan issue, and as such, I do not believe it would be appropriate for a nonpartisan council.
Dwayne Ariola, Mayor of the City of Taylor, Texas, via Facebook
Earlier this month, non-profit organization Taylor Pride posted on social media about Ariola’s decision to deny a request from a resident for an official Pride Month proclamation. The group also created a Change.org petition online pushing for Ariola to reverse the denial. As of Thursday morning, the petition had more than 1,600 signatures.
Taylor Pride is the group behind organizing the city’s annual Pride celebration. This year, the Taylor Pride Music and Arts Festival will be held Saturday, June 28, at Heritage Square Park, marking its fifth anniversary.
Ariola also said in the Facebook post that the permits for the annual Pride celebration were approved, saying, “I fully support the right of individuals to celebrate and express themselves freely,” and that the only difference this year is that there will not be a signed mayoral proclamation.
History of Pride celebrations in Taylor
Taylor was the first Williamson County city to host an official Pride celebration back in 2021. Other area cities, like Georgetown, Leander, and Cedar Park, followed suit. Since the first Taylor Pride celebration, the city has received a Pride Proclamation yearly, signed by former Mayor Brandt Rydell.
This is the first year in the last four that an official Pride Proclamation has been denied for the city of Taylor.
The city of Taylor earlier this month sent KXAN the email correspondence between Mayor Ariola and the person who submitted the proclamation application this year. An email from Ariola stated his initial reasoning for denying the application was that there are other “unifying observances” during the month, such as Juneteenth and the birthday of former Texas Gov. Dan Moody, who is a Taylor native.
Taylor Pride organizers and other community members are planning to show up to the city’s council meeting Thursday evening to voice concerns over the mayor’s decision.
Neighboring Williamson County cities Cedar Park and Georgetown are set to issue proclamations recognizing Pride month.
Cedar Park will issue a proclamation recognizing June as Pride Month at its city council meeting Thursday evening, according to the council’s agenda. Georgetown is set to proclaim June as Pride Month on Friday, June 20.