Texas Freedom Parade steps off Sunday
Special guests
The honorary grand marshal is LGBT activist and writer Larry Kramer.
Kramer co-founded the first AIDS organization Gay Men’s Health Crisis in New York and, in 1987, ACT UP to fight the Reagan’s administration’s failure to address the AIDS crisis.
He is also a writer known for the play "The Normal Heart," the novel "Faggots" and the screenplay for "Women in Love."
Kramer will be at a meet and greet on Sept. 18 at 9 p.m. at the Dallas Eagle. His partner, David Webster, is one of the bar’s owners.
Dallas Tavern Guild Executive Director Michael Doughman said, "We have a huge amount of gay history in the city for this weekend. Even in a recession year, we were able to bring them to Dallas thanks to our partners, particularly American Airlines."
The Tavern Guild is the group that organizes the parade each year.
In addition to Kramer, Cleve Jones will be honored at the Festival in Lee Park. Jones founded the AIDS Memorial Quilt in San Francisco. Now housed in Atlanta, the quilt has about 50,000 panels.
Fashion photographer Adam Bouska, known for his NOH8 campaign in response to Proposition 8 in California, and his partner Jeff Parshley are also special guests of the parade.
Bouska has taken most of his photographs in San Francisco and West Hollywood.
While in Dallas, he plans to add about 75 portraits to the 1,400 already in the collection.
