Just a few days shy of the end of Pride Month, San Antonio LGBTQ+ leaders from all walks of life gathered at the Centre Club Thursday to celebrate living authentically and to call for visibility and pride to extend beyond this month. 

The San Antonio LGBT Chamber of Commerce hosted the event, in which they welcomed many of the leaders that have brought LGBTQ+ visibility to all levels of San Antonio’s leadership.

“It’s a true honor to address this inspiring community of leaders, change makers, and entrepreneurs. People who understand not only what it means to succeed, but what it means to do so while standing fully and unapologetically in your own truth,” said keynote speaker and San Antonio College President Fransisco Solis, who in May became the first out gay president in the college’s 100 years of history.

In attendance were the likes of Elena Guajardo, the city’s first lesbian councilwoman who served District 7 from 2005 to 2007, and Leo Castillo, who recently became the city’s first transgender man to serve as interim councilman for District 2. Castillo is filling in for Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez while he’s out on parental leave.

“I have flashbacks about how the city has progressed,” Guajardo said. “I was the first lesbian to run and win, and then 13 years later Judge Rosie (Speedlin) Gonzalez was sworn in, and then from Judge Gonzalez to Jalen, that was three more years… Now we have (Gina Ortiz Jones) the first Filipina lesbian mayor. The only thing we’re missing is a Hispanic gay man and then we have the Loteria!”

Luis Vazquez, executive director of the San Antonio LGBT Chamber of Commerce, said creating space for these conversations and celebrations is needed, not only to acknowledge how far the city has come, but to assess what else needs to be done. 

“So it’s just a reminder that you know progress might be slow, but nevertheless we are moving forward to equality,” Vazquez said.  “And what a great way and reminder to get together today on marriage equality’s anniversary to remember that the fight continues.”

SAC President Francisco Solis delivers remarks as the keynote speaker at a luncheon hosted by the LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce celebrating Pride Week at the Centre Club on Thursday. Credit: Brenda Bazán / San Antonio Report

On June 26, 2015, the U.S Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples had the fundamental right to marry when it passed its landmark decision in the case of Obergefell v. Hodges.

The fight referenced by Vazquez includes the recent passing of bills that largely target LGBTQ+ and transgender individuals in Texas, and on the national level, there’s a renewed fear that marriage equality could once again be at risk. 

It’s not easy to show up as your truest self to every space, but it’s necessary for progress, Solis told 90 attendees at the club inside of a downtown high-rise.

Progress is part of why he continues serving as his truest self, he said, and to continue advocating for an inclusive San Antonio.

“Ultimately, my leadership is driven by the belief that our students are not only our future workforce, but also our future civic leaders, entrepreneurs, and most importantly, our change makers,” Solis said in his remarks. “By advocating on their behalf, I aim to ensure that San Antonio College remains a place where possibility becomes progress for every student we serve.”

After his remarks and a standing ovation, Solis acknowledged he never thought of himself as being “loud.” But creating change requires having a seat at the table, and he realized that being his authentic self has earned him more seats at more tables. 

“Living authentically is not a liability, in fact, it’s my strength,” Solis said. 

Throughout his life, Solis said he has lived through the highs and lows of progress, from serving in the U.S. Navy under “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” and having to hide who he was, to being able to marry his husband Gerry Solis in 2016, once gay marriage was legalized by the Supreme Court. And more recently, being able to be celebrated as the first out president of San Antonio College. 

Solis, who was recognized by the chamber with the Visibility in Leadership Award that day, said the fight is not over.

“On this anniversary of the Obergefell v. Hodges, let me not only celebrate what we’ve won, but let us all stand and recommit to what we still must build,” Solis said. “We need more out leaders in business, in education, in policy, and in every room where decisions are being made.

Your voice, your visibility, your leadership matters now more than ever.”