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San Antonio HDRC approves, endorses new Pride Cultural Heritage District

San Antonio’s new cultural district celebrates LGBTQ heritage, sparking discussion on inclusivity

SAN ANTONIO – The City of San Antonio has officially designated a new cultural district, the Pride Cultural Heritage District, in the Tobin Hill community near North Main Avenue.

The Historic and Design Review Commission (HDRC) voted to endorse the district on June 4 after pushback from Commissioner Jimmy Cervantes.

“I don’t think it’s in the right step,” Cervantes said. “I think the intent is in the right, but I think what you laid out here is just a step toward separate but equal, and I don’t think that’s good.”

Eight commissioners voted in favor of the district, and Cervantes abstained from voting. This was the final vote to officially declare the North Main Avenue area, between Elmira Street and Mistletoe Avenue, as the Pride Cultural Heritage District.

“Being a gay man, it’s a lot to celebrate who we are as individuals, but it means even more when we can celebrate that as a community,” Phillip Barcena said. “I think it’s really good that San Antonio continues to recognize the cultural historic district of our various communities.”

“We need to have spaces that are safe,” Antonio Gonzalez-Martinez with the LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce said. “When we have districts that are identified and that represent people, and where people can go and feel safe, I think it’s extremely important.”

While everyone attending the vote for this district agreed on its importance, the biggest concern came from Cervantes.

“I just think there’s a better way of raising awareness and significance from the contributions of people in the city,” Cervantes said.

However, advocates from the city and the community disagree.

“It’s really to recognize, not to exclude other portions of the city, but to highlight the contributions of this geographical area,” Cory Edwards, with the Office of Historic Preservation, said.

“All are welcome, but again, it gives us a space where we feel safe,” Gonzalez-Martinez said. “I think it’s more about the security and safety component of it.”


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