Harris County Attorney Abbie Kamin’s office will host the fifth annual Families with Pride celebration at Discovery Green on Oct. 24.
How it started
Families with Pride started after a constituent reached out to Kamin’s office when she served as a Houston city council member for District C.
“Blake Ellis, who's now a friend, said, ‘We love celebrating Pride, but with little kids we would really love a place where we can go play with our kids and celebrate and teach them about Pride,’” Kamin said. “And I said, ‘Well, let's create it.’ So, we created this amazing event.”
The event is in partnership with the Greater Houston LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce.
Families with Pride is a free, family-friendly event that celebrates togetherness.
It’s an opportunity for LGBTQ families and allies to bring their children to Pride to learn, understand and appreciate diversity, Kamin said.
How it’s going
The event offers child-friendly activities including live entertainment, an indoor reading room with Pride storytime, art installations, hula hooping and face painting.
Families with Pride is always in October during LGBTQ+ History Month, when the weather is cooler than during Pride Month, which is in June, Kamin said. With this year’s celebration being close to Halloween, Kamin said they are leaning into the holiday by having a costume party and inviting children to dress in costumes for prizes.
The local impact
Kamin said she has seen this event be impactful for families.
“For the little ones, they know nothing different than pure joy and we want to keep it that way,” she said. “We've also seen some of our older kids come, and it's the first time that they've really felt accepted somewhere.”
