‘Rainbow Coalition’ Seeks to Help Re-Elect Mayor Ron Nirenberg

(Photo: Alex Zielinski/San Antonio Current)

An ad hoc LGBTQ group calling themselves the Rainbow Coalition to Re-Elect Mayor Ron Nirenberg will meet on February 17 to develop strategies to support his re-election.

“Please join in on a community effort to discuss our strategy to support and re-elect our Mayor [who] has been very public about his support of equality and fairness for all San Antonians,” says the invitation to the group’s upcoming meeting.

The announcement says the mayor is being targeted by the “still-active opponents of the 2013 non-discrimination ordinance. We cannot stand by silently.”

Rainbow Coalition meeting co-hosts Darrell Garcia Parsons, Ann Marie Schroeder and DeeDee Belmares. (Photo via Facebook)

The main organizer for the February 17 meeting is Darrell Garcia Parsons, board president of Fiesta Youth. Co-facilitators for the meeting are Ann Marie Schroeder and DeeDee Belmares. In a Facebook post, Garcia Parsons explains the need to support the mayor’s re-election:

To our LGBT and allied community; the number of anti-equality trolls on our Mayor’s Facebook page, has caused concern within our community. There have been numerous “negative” posts regarding the Mayor’s positive stance on supporting equality in our great city. The LGBT and allied community, cannot be complacent and ignore those forces, who are still trying to make it ok to discriminate in SA. We need to come together as a community to discuss this, and how we are going to mobilize and unite around the re-election of our Mayor. This is not being organized by the campaign; this is a grass-roots effort from our community. Who’s in? We have to be concerned and active. This is important.

An ally from the start

On June 10, 2017, Ron Nirenberg defeated Ivy R. Taylor to become Mayor of San Antonio. On June 21, his first day in office, he added his name to the list of Mayors Against LGBT Discrimination and ten days later was Grand Marshal of the Pride San Antonio parade. Not long after, he appointed an LGBTQ liaison to the community.

“I hope the LGBTQ community sees the election as a turning of the page,” Nirenberg told the San Antonio Current on his first day in office. “There’s no relationship to repair here, I’m already an ally.”

Last April, Nirenberg named 15 San Antonio citizens to his LGBTQ Advisory Committee. On February 19, the mayor and the committee will host a town hall at the Central Library.

The creation of the Advisory Committee made good on Nirenberg’s promise to “be a mayor for all of San Antonio.” He told committee members, “I am excited about the work that we will be able to get done together, and thank you for throwing your hat in the ring to help make it possible.”

The Rainbow Coalition to Re-Elect Mayor Ron Nirenberg, hosted by Darrell Garcia Parsons, Ann Marie Schroeder and DeeDee Belmares on February 17 from 3 to 5 p.m. at Sparky’s Pub, 1416 N. Main Ave.

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