Pride Month exhibit on display at Dallas City Hall

City Hall kicked off Pride Month with an unveiling of the Pride flag and the exhibit “Threads of Remembrance,” which tells the history of the LGBT struggle in Dallas through the HIV/AIDS crisis. The exhibit was put together through a partnership between the LGBT Employee Association, Dallas Way, and the LGBT archive from the University of North Texas Libraries’ Special Collections.

“It is a harrowing tale of courage and selflessness, despite the lack of assistance from government entities, especially during the early days,” said Brian Price, LGBT Employee Association President. “HIV and AIDS continues to impact the North Texas region, and this exhibit provides current information on HIV and AIDS issues in Dallas.”

This year’s Pride in City Hall exhibit is only a surface level display of Dallas’ commitment to its LGBT community.

“LGBT individuals face particular challenges of silence and assumptions within workplace and institutional environments,” Price said. “The LGBT Employee Association focuses on breaking this silence and ensuring that employees know that this is a safe environment for them to be themselves.”

Dallas’ efforts in ensuring the safety and inclusion of the LGBT community have even been recognized by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). The City earned a score of 100 last fall for the third year in a row in the HRC’s Municipality Equality Index; a score that only 68 out of 506 evaluated cities were awarded.