“Same-sex relationships were often framed as friendships so are sometimes hard for us to understand from our present time.”
“Most records are vague, and few exist that explicitly describe so-called sex crimes, harassment, or homophobia,” says Doyle. Doyle Jr., a history professor at Southern Methodist University, who teaches a class on the backstory of the local LGBTQ community and is writing a book on the subject. Scarce details are known about the city’s gay history prior to World War II, says David D. From the Shadowsĭuring the early 1900s, Dallas’ LGBTQ community existed in the shadows. But the history runs deeper - from pre-Stonewall-era gay bars that existed off the radar to today’s megawatt gay-pride parade. Some might know that Cedar Springs is the epicenter of the gay community, while others may recall Dallas appointing its first openly lesbian sheriff, Lupe Valdez, in 2005. Yet few know the history of its LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) community and culture.
Our city has been credited as one of the most gay-friendly in the country, alongside New York, San Francisco, and others on both coasts. In Dallas, a city smack in the center of what many would call the conservative South, gay culture thrives. In the five decades following the riot that sparked the gay community to stand up for equal rights, much has shifted.
