YesterQueer’s Gay History Happy Hour to honor Raina Lea
dallasvoice.comRaina Lea, aka Gary Taylor, not only founded Tarrant County’s first Gay Pride celebration, she left a lasting impression on everyone she met through her kindness and generosity. (Photo courtesy of Glenda Gardner) As part of the ongoing Pride Month activities around DFW, YesterQueer, the Fort Worth Gay History Project, continues its series of Gay History Happy Hours on the topic “Remembering Raina, The Mother of Pride: Drag legend Raina Lea, aka Gary Taylor, left an indelible mark on our community and its history,” happening Wednesday, June 21, at 7 p.m.
at Liberty Lounge, 515 S. Jennings Ave. (at Pennsylvania Avenue). Local activist, community leader and beloved entertainer Gary Taylor — better known by his drag persona Raina Lea — was a key figure in the early creation and organization of Fort Worth’s LGBTQ community.
He played crucial roles in the formation and success of local organizations, including the Imperial Court de Fort Worth/Arlington, the Cowtown Leathermen and the Tarrant County Gay Alliance.
But in the 1970s, following the Stonewall Riots in June of 1969 — which jumpstarted the LGBTQ Civil Rights Movement — Taylor was dismayed at the lack of local Pride celebrations.
