"Safe space" stickers welcome visitors in downtown Lockhart, Texas. (Photo by Madeline de Figueiredo)
This story by Madeline de Figueiredo was originally published in the Daily Yonder. For more rural reporting and small-town stories, visit dailyyonder.com.
The sound of Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” and the stomping of boots on hardwood echoed against the neon-bathed walls of O’Donnell’s in Lockhart’s town square. This Pride of Caldwell County dance night was one of eight events that the organization hosted over the last week of June, and with the bar packed from end to end with line dancers, onlookers singing along, and laughter, there was no shortage of celebration in this small Texas town.
Nestled in the heart of Central Texas, Caldwell County is better known as the barbecue capital of the state. But over the past few years, it’s also become home to a growing and visible LGBTQ+ community, a transformation sparked, in part, by a conversation among friends in 2021.
That year, a group gathered in Lockhart Arts and Craft, a bar just around the corner from O’Donnell’s, and laid the foundation for what would become Pride of Caldwell County, a grassroots nonprofit organization committed to building LGBTQ+ community and visibility in the region.
“Even just a few years earlier, there was so much more hesitation about starting something like this,” said Haley Fort, one of Pride of Caldwell County’s board members. “Pride did not have the same presence back then and we didn’t have stickers showing safe spaces or anything.”
But as the organization took root in 2021, there was a tangible shift.
“We are invested in building a sense of community around these events,” said Jessica Rutland, another one of Pride of Caldwell County’s board members. “We want them to be free, open to the public, and welcoming. This is how we’ve fostered an amazing community.”
Over time, their presence grew, and so did the town’s response. Events began to draw large crowds. Inspired by the movement, local businesses started showing their support, and ongoing collaborations with hair studios, queer artists, and local bars and restaurants demonstrated care and solidarity year-round.
“Because Pride happened, there is a year-round community that shows up for each other,” Fort said.
“It has evolved in an amazing way. Open-minded people have opened businesses and have totally changed the face of the town’s center,” said Sandy Jones, founder of Pride of Caldwell County. Jones, who has lived in Caldwell county for 20 years, said that the support has been transformational for queer people in town. “It really opens the community up to being more authentic.”
Now, storefronts across the town square display bright stickers identifying their businesses as safe spaces for all.
Despite occasional pushback, Rutland said the spirit of in-person celebration has helped the community drown out negativity.
“The in-person events really shine a light on the reality that the bravery of hate really only persists in online spaces,” said Rutland.
While some board members have felt uncomfortable or unsafe in other Texas towns, Lockhart has stood out as a place where they’ve been able to put down roots.
“Lockhart has a pretty big gay population,” said Lisa Hause, another Pride of Caldwell County board member. “We feel safe here. We feel good here.”
“It’s still a small town in Texas, but when it comes to Pride, we have so many allies,” Fort said.
What started as a community among friends has grown into a movement that brings people together and redefines what small-town Pride can look like.
“Lockhart is open and welcoming,” Fort said. “I can’t imagine being anywhere else.”
This article first appeared on The Daily Yonder and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
