“I think there’s a renewed energy,” he says. “More people are standing up for what’s right, and with some of the recent rhetoric and laws, I think Pride will resonate more than ever this year.”
He is referring to legislation like Senate Bill 12, which aims to prohibit "sexually oriented performances," as well as the onslaught of bigotry faced by drag shows all year. There’s also the recent backlash against brands like Bud Light, Target and Chick-fil-A.
While he finds some humor in conservatives who are mad that the chain restaurant hired a diversity, equity and inclusion leader — “Conservatives are going after Chick-fil-A! I love this timeline?” — he is ultimately “excited, but hesitant” about hosting Pride celebrations at his famed establishment.
Excited because of the great energy he’s seeing from friends old and new; hesitant because Pride protesters reportedly already have plans to camp out roughly 100 feet from his bar.
Amid a rise in anti-LGBTQ+ actions and legislation, restaurateurs and business owners like Daugherty are busy making plans to both celebrate Pride and keep their staff safe.
“Some of my people have been with me 12 to 15 years, and I warn them, ‘Fascists and Christian nationalists are going to show up,'” he says. “We have internal discussions about what’s going on and how to stay safe; we track the bills.”
His goal is to strike a balance between staff comfort and a joyful celebration.
“If you drastically change your behavior, that's how terrorism wins. You can’t uproot your life in fear. That's counter to Pride. That's counterrevolutionary," Daugherty says.
Reports from the Department of Homeland Security and the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) show threats and hate crimes against the LGBTQ community are on the rise both nationally and in Texas. So are demonstrations.
In fact, ACLED data show only one state, California, with more anti-LGBTQ protests than Texas thus far this year. The number of protests is likely to increase as Dallas formally celebrates Pride the first weekend of June and businesses host their own festivities throughout the month.
Hamburger Mary's Opens with Possible Protests
The revered national chain Hamburger Mary’s, a favorite for drag fans, opens the doors of its new Oak Lawn location at 4 p.m. on Thursday, June 1. The restaurant and bar has several drag shows and brunches planned for the first weekend. Additionally, every Sunday the Dallas location will host drag bingo, with proceeds benefiting a different charity each week. (This week’s charity is the Human Rights Campaign.) Tanner Roberts is the food and beverage director of the Dallas Hamburger Mary’s. After the Houston location experienced hundreds of protesters and counter-protesters at its opening, he and his team are preparing for a similar possibility. Protect Texas Kids, a nonprofit dedicated to taking "a stand in protecting kids from the toxic, indoctrinating agenda of the left," has posted plans for a protest via social media, even though the venue is restricted to ages 21 and older.
Roberts’ approach to Pride Month is similar to Daugherty’s.
“We’re really excited about this location, and we’re also taking plenty of precautions,” he says. “We just want everyone to be safe.”
Those precautions include contact with the Dallas Police Department and a private security company. While Roberts wants to keep the details of his security plan close to his vest, he says that Hamburger Mary’s will have two armed security guards in attendance on both Thursday and Friday.
After that, he says they'll "see what happens," referring to ongoing security needs.
Still Baking with Pride
Meanwhile, in the suburbs, Haley Popp continues to manage the hatred that has become a daily occurrence for her team at Hive Bakery. The award-winning Flower Mound bakery is often the object of vitriol thanks to Popp's outspoken social media stance on matters of civil and trans rights, such as a photo of cake with My Body, My Choice written in pink fondant across the top. "Transgender people are on our mind here at Hive Bakery,” she says. “I have people who ask all the time, ‘What is posting on your social gonna do?’ The reality is we’re sticking up for the people who don't have the platform.”
Popp will sell Pride-themed cookies throughout June, with half of all proceeds going to organizations supporting transgender rights. The baker and her team will also be ready for any hate that comes their way during the month.
Hive Bakery posted a photo of this cake to social media last year, causing a lot of positive and negative reactions.
Hive Bakery
“People tell us some variation of, ‘You go woke, you’ll go broke,’” Popp says. “We usually just say, 'Have a good day, stop in for cinnamon rolls whenever you feel like!’
“They do come back,” she continues, “because they can’t stay away from the product. We literally have people say the shittiest stuff imaginable and come back three weeks later to buy a cake for their kid."
Popp is proud of her staff, including a manager she calls “fiery as fuck” and a team she calls “fearless.” Still, she emphasizes that she is always there to handle the more prickly interactions.
“I live and die in that fucking bakery,” she says. “I'm in that place 365 days a year. If anyone has anything going on with a customer, they're always instructed to come back and get me. I don’t want them taking the brunt. I'm the one putting it out there, so I should deal with it.”
On one occasion, she went toe-to-toe with a customer who started recording Popp, seemingly in an attempt to embarrass the baker and goad her into a fight about the bakery’s values.
“I pulled out my phone, too, and I told her, ‘I have 80,000 followers. How many do you have?’”
Like Daugherty, Popp sees the support. She knows there are many people out there who share her love for the LGBTQ community, and this month — and every month — she wants them to spread that love as much as they can.
“I could live in Colorado or Oregon, but we're living in the thick of it,” she says. “There are so many LGBTQ people here in Dallas, and not everyone can leave. They come into our bakery in tears and thank us for being a safe haven.”
“That’s why we do it,” she adds. “To let you know you’re not fucking alone.”
