Riverside Pride event

Spoke for the eighth time in opposition to the upcoming Riverside Pride event at a city facility, urging the council to withdraw the invitation.

Read aloud a children's book she said portrays a six-color rainbow as deceptive, framing the Pride event as contrary to biblical teaching.

Spoke against the Pride Fest drag show, citing concern for children's moral and psychological development.

Spoke in support of the Pride event, describing the kindness of her LGBTQ friends and encouraging opponents to mind their own business.

A mother speaking in support, saying queer kids and adults hearing scripture used against them feel unwelcome, and that visible joy helps everyone.

Compared drag to Shakespeare and Mrs. Doubtfire, urged the council to see drag as entertainment and warned against suppressing diverse voices.

A former downtown business owner arguing welcoming events bring visitors who spend at local restaurants and shops, and that the council represents everyone.

A gay trans man and UT student with deep family roots in Seguin recounted past harassment and asked the council to remember the welcoming Seguin that supported his family.

Read the Texas penal code statute on child grooming and urged the council to consider how easily its elements could be alleged in connection with a public event involving children.

A retired nurse who cared for AIDS patients said the Halloween-date Pride event is appropriate, safeguards exist, and Jesus commanded loving neighbors without qualification.

A seventh-generation Seguin resident who said the town should welcome its growing LGBTQ population, noted the drag show is 18-and-up, and urged focus on other issues.

Cited online harassment she says her family received and urged Christian councilmembers to oppose the event as a matter of faith.

A healthcare worker who said taxpayer-funded public buildings should be available for public events and that others' religious beliefs should not dictate facility use.

Argued the dispute is about keeping government secular, analyzed SB 12's 'may versus must' language, and said the council is under no obligation to cancel the event.

Founder of We the People Central Texas urged the council to reject manufactured fears, respect signed contracts, and protect equal liberties for all.

Opposed the Pride Fest, saying he would struggle to explain the event to his young grandsons and calling it contrary to his faith.

A gay Caterpillar engineer who grew up without representation in a conservative Mexican town, saying the Pride event shows queer residents they have a community here.

A Christian with gay family members who said she opposes the event out of a desire to protect children, not out of hate.

A New Braunfels visitor who said his community suppressed the same organization last year and warned Seguin officials they could be voted out.

A United Methodist pastor serving in Seguin who urged the council to celebrate a diverse community, saying such spaces save lives.

Opposed the Pride event on religious grounds while saying she does not hate anyone, and complained about downtown bars and the lack of another H-E-B.

Praised the community but warned that hosting the event opens the door to it spreading to City Park and drawing visitors from major cities.

Briefly opposed the event, asking why the city would host something that has already generated fear and anger.

A 53-year resident and veteran who thanked the council for the opening prayer and urged them to keep the Pride event out of the community.

A California transplant who said the nation was founded on Christian principles and recounted his family's painful experience with gender-affirming care, urging the council to act.

Cited AIDS statistics and Gallup polling on LGBTQ identification among young adults while opposing the event on biblical grounds.

Said opposition arguments have collapsed one by one — safety, age checks, drag laws — and that what remains is open prejudice against LGBTQ families like his.

A 14-year-old queer resident who said canceling the event would tell queer kids they aren't welcome in their own community.

Proud mother of the previous speaker, saying Riverside followed all rules and canceling would tell her son he isn't welcome in his community.

Argued the ID-checked, age-restricted event is effectively a commercial venue, cited SB 12 and potential fines, and said the Coliseum should host events uniting the whole community.

A Washington State transplant who said he fled Portland's trajectory, urged councilmembers to vote their convictions, and opposed the event.

Framed the issue through Maslow's hierarchy — safety and belonging — arguing that shutting down the event tells residents not everyone is safe or welcome.

Shared a personal story of estrangement from her gay daughter after enforcing religious teaching, and warned against creating division.

A trans Christian who described being denied affirmation as a child and a suicide attempt at 13, arguing the real question is whether queer kids see that it is safe to exist here.

A retired Pentecostal pastor of 30 years from Luling who argued the Greek and Hebrew scriptures do not condemn homosexuality as taught, and recounted a bullied teen's suicide.

A veteran who said he nearly died for the Constitution and argued citizens have a First Amendment right to use public property regardless of religion, quoting Galatians 6.

A New Braunfels pastor and Seguin resident who apologized on behalf of the community to LGBTQ listeners who heard demeaning names invoked in God's name.

A pastor and father who opened in prayer, described walking with families of LGBTQ youth lost to suicide, and urged the council to vote in a spirit of peace.

Renewed his opposition from the prior meeting, accusing supporters of false-equivalence arguments and warning that 'just one event' becomes a slippery slope.

A longtime Christian who said the community is not hateful for opposing the Pride Fest, affirmed traditional biblical teaching, and said he loves his homosexual sister.

Pastor of One Hope Church who argued the Pride event with drag show should not be allowed and criticized pastors who affirm LGBTQ identities.

A One Hope Church member from Washington who presented what he said were hundreds of signatures opposing use of the facility for the Pride event.