New Pride Wall Mural Encourages LGBTQ Houstonians to #BeVisible

By Barrett White

Shortly after the Orlando Pulse shooting, a symbol of Pride and resiliency appeared in Houston—the Pride Wall HTX. The rainbow-striped wall spanned the exterior of the Select Skate Shop in the Montrose District and quickly became a favorite backdrop for LGBTQ and allied Houstonians. Unfortunately, graffiti began to pile up, and soon the wall began to look less like a symbol of Pride, and more like a free-for-all canvas. As a result, the owners of Select made the decision to paint over the wall, opting for a matte black coat of paint with an overlay of letters that read “Select.”

Refusing to let Houston’s Pride fade, local LGBTQ activist Eric Edward Schell, founder of the Pride Portraits campaign, decided to take things into his own hands. Schell reached out to Jenni Tranweaver, a personal friend and the owner and operator of Jenni’s Noodle House, who immediately offered the exterior of her restaurant’s Heights location for a new Pride Wall. “She’s an ally who talks about being an ally, but she puts those words into actions constantly,” Schell says of Transweaver’s support for the LGBTQ community.

The pair recruited local artist and longstanding member of the LGBTQ community Hugo Perez to help bring the new Pride Wall mural to life. Perez is not only a board member of Pride Portraits, but is the artist responsible for creating the campaign’s iconic backdrop. On the side, Perez also works as a social media coordinator for Harris County Public Health in HIV prevention.

While Perez’s artistic works are traditionally figurative, focusing on faces, he will step outside of this style to create the new Pride Wall, which will feature Rothko-inspired color blocks and shading. “I like the idea of having a permanent place where there can be a mural that reminds people that it’s okay to be different, it’s okay to be gay,” Perez shares. “I also like that it’s an extension of [Pride Portraits]. The mural is not in Montrose, it’s in The Heights. I think that’s great. I love the idea of branching out and working outside of my comfort zone.”

As an extension of Pride Portraits, the mural will include the organization’s hashtag and URL, which Schell and Perez hope will bring more attention to the campaign’s mission of visibility and advocacy, especially for the trans community. Unlike the former Pride Wall, the Jenni’s Noodle House mural will feature elements from both the rainbow flag and the Transgender Pride flag.

Schell’s motive behind the mural is simple: Give people a place to be visible and take a selfie. “The Pride Portraits mission is about visibility, representation, and advocacy,” he says. “To step up to be photographed [in the Pride Portraits studio] is difficult. Being visible in our community isn’t always easy—or allowed—for some people. Some people still want LGBTQ people dead. For a trans woman of color to come out is a big deal. This gives the opportunity for someone to go and take a selfie on their phone and be visible.”

At 36’ by 15’, the new wall is shaping up to be one of the largest Pride Wall murals that also features trans affirmation in the South, and is certainly the largest of its kind in Texas.

A grand unveiling of the new Pride Wall will be held on Thursday, April 5, at the Jenni’s Noodle House Heights, located at 602 E. 20th St. Jim Obergefell, the named plaintiff in the historic Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court case that legalized nationwide marriage equality, will be in attendance to speak on the importance of LGBTQ visibility.

After the mural debuts, Perez says he will continue to develop his figurative work, focusing on a new series of works related to the human condition in relation to technology dependence and the effects of environmental neglect. When asked about his future plans to combine activism and art, Perez doesn’t hesitate: “The next step is the [City of Houston’s] Office of Cultural Affairs.”

For more details on the Pride Wall unveiling, visit the Facebook event. Follow the Pride Wall on Instagram at @BeVisibleHTX.