Dallas Pride 2023 Grand Marshals

Grand Marshals

Dallas Pride 2023

Dallas Pride 2023 Grand Marshals

Dallas Pride is honored to have 4 distinguished Grand Marshals this year to represent our community at the 2023 festivities. The well-deserved honorees are Liz Dyer (LGBTQ Ally Heterosexual Non-Transgender), Ronnie Shue (LGBTQ Female Identifying), Timothy Sherwood aka Kylee O’Hara Fatale (LGBTQ Gender Non-Binary, Non-Conforming) and Ashton Hammer (LGBTQ Male Identifying).

Meet all honorees and view their bios below.

The Dallas Pride Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade will step off at 2:00 pm on Sunday, June 4 in Fair Park, where we will spotlight our great 2023 Grand Marshals. Complete parade information can be found on our Parade Info page.

LGBTQ Ally Heterosexual non-Transgender Male or Female

Liz Dyer

Liz Dyer (she/her) is a writer, speaker, activist and founder of the Mama Bears organization. In 2014 Liz had a dream that she could start a private Facebook group for moms of LGBTQ+ kids and the moms who joined the group would not only find connections, support and resources, but also be inspired to work together to change the world and make it a kinder, safer, more loving place for all LGBTQ+ people to live and thrive. Today that dream is coming true. Liz started the Facebook group “Serendipitydodah - Home of the Mama Bears” with about 150 moms and now the group has more than 37,000 members. And, that one group has grown into an organization with more than 60 local chapters, 8 more private groups and 7 programs serving the LGBTQ+ community. In addition to being featured in numerous news articles and podcasts, the Mama Bears organization was featured in the Schitt's Creek Documentary "Best Wishes, Warmest Regards: A Schitt's Creek Farewell," in the Radiolab podcast "UnErased" that promoted the award winning Movie "Boy Erased" starring Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe, and as the subject of the full length, award winning "Mama Bears Documentary."

Liz is married, has two sons and lives in Fort Worth, Texas.

For more info about the Mama Bears organization visit realmamabears.org

LGBTQ Female Identifying

Ronnie Shue

Ronnie Shue has been a treasured volunteer at Resource Center Dallas since the center re-opened after the COVID shutdown. She is the front desk receptionist and volunteers at many special events when needed. Ronnie is also an employee of the Round-Up Saloon and Dance Hall where she is the "Coat Check Gurl" from November through March and the Patio Monitor from April through October.

Ronnie has been a member and supporter of the Dallas LGBTQIA+ community for the past 15+ years and considers the LGBTQIA+ community her family. She is always willing to step in and contribute to whatever aspect of the community that needs help. “They have given me so much...so I want to give back as much as I can...”

Ronnie’s goal is to help bring unity within our community...and says, “while we face resistance and negative energy from the outside world, if we stand together as a family, we can project a positive influence on society.”

Ronnie expresses that it is so important as a community that we focus on building each other up instead of tearing each other down... “By standing together in unity, we can accomplish anything.”

LGBTQ Gender Non-Binary, Non-Conforming

Timothy Sherwood aka Kylee O'Hara Fatale

Kylee O'Hara Fatale is a Dallas drag entertainer and producer and is known as the POC, the Pop of Color, of Texas. Kylee is a former educator with 10 years of experience working in the classroom and early childhood development. Moving to Texas in 2014, Kylee soon found the art of female impression and has made a full time career of it. Kylee can be found working all over Texas and in Dallas is a cast member of JRS, Sue Ellen’s, S4, and TMC. They are the founder of “The Queer Off” one of the largest queer elimination competition show in the state, the Co Owner of A Side of Drag, LLC a Drag queen staffing company, and is the current Miss Gay Texas America.

LGBTQ Male Identifying

Ashton Hammer

Trailblazer and activist, Ashton Hammer (he/him), is nothing short of tenacious, bold, and brave. His determination for equality within the LGBTQ+ community has been the primary focus behind his creation of Smile Big Texas, a grassroots nonprofit organization founded in Amarillo, Texas. Amarillo is nestled in the epicenter of the Texas Panhandle, which remains a highly conservative area that remains under red rule. Ashton hails from the small town of Dumas, Texas, where he experienced first hand encounters of a myriad of injustices within his own life and the lives of other members of the LGBTQ+ community. Ashton's personal experiences, and those of his fellow community members, inspired him to create an organization that addresses all of the unique issues that face LGBTQ+ individuals within the Texas Panhandle. Ashton's driving force behind the creation of Smile Big Texas is to provide his community with resources that are lacking within the area such as: healthcare, civil rights, educational assistance, housing assistance, gender affirming care, and autonomy for youth and young adults. Growing up as an openly gay person in the Texas Panhandle was difficult for Ashton as he explains, "As I got older and reflected on my youth, I began to wish that I had a support system growing up. I wished I had someone to lead and guide me through my difficult journey of the coming out process. Unfortunately, I did not have this person or support system and I was terrified. I made decisions based on fear and the unknowns of being a young gay person, in such a conservative area." Ashton's epiphany made him realize what his community needed. Ashton explains his decision to form Smile Big Texas as follows, "Hey, I needed a mentor and a guide, and I decided that I wanted to be the person I needed when I was young. I wanted to show young people that there was a way to live a healthy and whole life as their true, authentic self. I wanted to help those that are experiencing pain or isolation and let them know that they are supported, valued, loved, and celebrated!" Ashton's refuses to sit back idly and watch his community being bullied back into the closet and to suffer in silence. Therefore, Ashton has expanded Smile Big Texas into the Northwestern areas of rural Texas. Research has shown that rural areas are more impacted by anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric than larger cities, and Ashton has personal experience with the cultural of the rural areas that surround Amarillo. Although Ashton and the organization have been met with adversity, and has operated without major funding, Smile Big Texas has been able to expand to the Lubbock, Texas area. Ultimately, Smile Big intends to reach all 50 states within the next few years. As Ashton explains, "We have a lot more work to do. We will not stop until we are all safe from prejudice, discrimination, and injustice. We will not stop until we are safe as a community and are free from threats of harm and violence. We will not stop until we are afforded the same privileges as our non-LGBTQ+ peers." For those that know Ashton, it has been an honor to watch his vision come to fruition, and it is best to close his introduction with his favorite motto, "Remember to always SMILE BIG!"