Drag legend Raina Lea, aka Gary Taylor, left an indelible mark on our community and its history
Introduction by Todd Camp
Born on July 28, 1949, and raised in Fort Worth and Waxahachie, Gary Freeman Taylor showed an early proclivity as a performer while serving as a drum major at Waxahachie High School. He attended Navarro Junior College on a baton twirling scholarship, a skillset that strangely enough would serve him well later in life.
After college, Taylor returned to Fort Worth in 1975. On Halloween night of that same year, he first stepped onstage as his drag persona, Raina Lea, at the 500 Club on Magnolia Avenue. From that point on, a legend was born. His inspiration was actress Ruta Lee, a Fort Worth favorite. Ruta famously borrowed Taylor’s tiara for her performance as the title character in Casa Mañana’s production of The Unsinkable Molly Brown in 1980.
Dismayed by the lack of local celebrations around the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in 1969 which kicked off the gay civil rights movement nationally, Taylor began hosting gatherings at his home in the late ’70s. The first public gatherings were held in 1980 at Forest Park’s Shelter House, which provided a place to meet, in public, and allow attendees to be themselves – without discrimination, without judgment, and without fear. These gatherings eventually evolved into the “Pride Picnic.”
The first “official” Pride Picnic was held on June 19, 1982, at Forest Park, at the Shelter House, and on a large, grassy slope nearby dubbed “Raina Lea Hill,” after the event’s founder. It was followed by a week of activities at area bars and other LGBTQ organizations. This led to the formation of the Fort Worth Gay Pride Week Association, which has hosted an annual parade and picnic for more than 40 years.
Pride 1982
Taylor was involved in the formation and leadership of a number of local organizations. In 1983, Raina Lea was voted Empress 5 in the Imperial Court de Fort Worth/Arlington, a title she maintained into Reign 6 as the first back-to-back Empress in the organization alongside Emperor Dale Glenn. The two also served over the largest Court with approximately 300 members.
Also in 1983, Taylor helped found the Cowtown Leathermen and was one of the 12 original charter members when the club was chartered the following year.
Taylor was an early advocate for Tarrant County’s gay church movement as well as the formation of the Tarrant County Gay Alliance. He was also involved with the Fort Worth Counseling Center in 1985 and Fort Worth’s first "Safe House" for persons living with AIDS in 1987.
But aside from his community work, he was also a constant performer, with Raina Lea leading a Broadway-style dance troupe of 15 drag queens touring the queer bar circuit from South Texas to Denver. Throughout the decade, Raina earned a number of titles, including Miss Gay Fort Worth and Miss Gay Arlington, along with Miss Pretty Much Every Gay Bar in town, from Aub’s to the Split Image. Raina Lea was also a three-time winner of the This Week in Texas Entertainer of the Year.
In 1988, Taylor was diagnosed with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), but he remained a tireless public figure and activist working for people living with the disease, hosting fund-raising efforts and making appearances, including serving as one of the Grand Marshalls of the 1990 Tarrant County Gay Pride Week Parade, the second event of its kind.
Taylor spent much of the last year of his life in a Denver convalescent center, conducting weekly makeup classes for geriatric patients, consoling other AIDS patients, and continuing to perform and raise funds for others struggling with the disease. He returned to his hometown in May of 1991 to spend his last days in Fort Worth. Though Taylor and his namesake, Ruta Lee, weren’t personally acquainted, when Lee heard of his illness, she sent him a note and told the Star-Telegram, “I’ve always wanted to be a queen. Somebody did it for me.”
Gary Taylor passed away from complications of the disease on Aug. 28 of that year.
Following his death, there were a number of memorials and tribute shows across the Metroplex for several weeks which served as a testament to the impact he and his alter-ego Raina Lea had made on local residents.
Members of the Cowtown Leathermen, including artist and designer Jim Strong, created a section for Taylor as part of a larger panel devoted to lost Leathermen for the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt. The panel was displayed at several venues around town and was included when large portions of the Quilt were shown at the Amon G. Carter Exhibits Hall in 1993 and most recently outside of UTA Special Collections in October of 2022.
On June 25, 1994, Trinity Metropolitan Community Church hosted a Trinity Gay Pride Review called “Stonewall Reenacted: A Tribute to Raina Lea” with the tagline “Celebrating Our Lesbigay Pride and Heritage.” One of the show’s opening lines was “The best way to silence a people is to rob them of their history,” and the presentation endeavored to do just the opposite, providing speakers on a variety of topics including the community’s political, religious and organizational history followed by a re-enactment of the Stonewall Riots.
Also in June of 1994, Glenda Gardner, a local community leader, activist, archivist, and longtime friend of Taylor, interviewed a number of community leaders and friends of Raina for an article in Alliance News, a local LGBTQ newspaper. Below are Glenda’s personal recollections along with memories from the community.
When it Raina’d … it shined
Gary Taylor, the captivating Raina Lea, embedded his mark on Tarrant County on stage, in fledgling community organizations, and in the making of Gay Pride events. His friends and his associates keep his memory alive…
By Glenda Gardner
Forever etched in my mind is my first memory of Raina Lea: Sequined gown, glittered lips, and ruby red slippers commanding the attention of hundreds of adoring fans at the Split Image Club in the mid-1970s. Captivated by her power as she performed, we sat spellbound. Somehow, I knew I would never be the same … I was home in her presence. Raina had the ability to make each of her gay brothers and sisters feel special, and although I know they existed, I never saw her flaws.
Raina changed my life forever. I feel honored to have served her as Empress, to have
performed with her in more than 200 benefit shows, and to have participated in Gay Pride events with her. Throughout her entertainment career, I feel Raina must have donated tens of thousands of dollars to charity, including many AIDS-related organizations. And to this day, I’ve never ceased to be awed by the power of Gary Taylor, the man, and Raina Lea, the entertainer, as her power still touches the lives of every person in Tarrant County.
Each year as we near Gay Pride Week, thousands of memories of Raina Lea return. Recently, I shared some of these thoughts with a new acquaintance who asked,
“What is a Raina Lea?” After the shock subsided (and I picked myself up from the ground), I realized that there is a whole new generation who doesn't know who Raina Lea was and what her contributions meant to Tarrant County.
All of a sudden, I found myself with a mission, almost a crusade, to not let our history go untold. Too often, it seems that when a culture is destroyed, the historians failed in preserving the legacy. I combed through old issues of This Week in Texas, Metro Times, Lambda News, and TCGA News to gather information, but there was still so much missing. Finally, in a desperate search for real insight into the essence of Raina, I interviewed community members so they could share their personal memories and thoughts about Raina Lea with those who weren’t fortunate enough to have known her personally.
From the TCGA News, Vol. 6, No. 15, September 1986
“In April 1982, Gary Taylor, a.k.a. Raina Lea, contacted Amy Coleman, president of the Tarrant
County Gay Alliance (TCGA). Gary asked why many cities smaller than Fort Worth had their own Gay Pride Weeks. Gary helped provide the entertainment and the direction for the Mr. and Ms. Gay Pride of Fort Worth Contest. TCGA and Gary rounded up beer, food, insurance, permits, and security for the Fort Worth Gay Pride Picnic in Forest Park. Both events were in June 1982. In July, the South Jennings bars had a week of special activities.”
Keith Maness, Corral Club, working member of Raina's courts
“The two most significant things I remember about Raina Lea are her smile and her kind words. She was always very supportive of everyone. I feel that the picnic should be named the "Raina Lea Gay Pride Picnic" in her honor for her years of dedication to the community.
Raina implemented the Halloween Candy Drive (benefiting the Fort Worth State School) and the Toys for Tots Christmas Benefits (for children) during her reigns. Glenda Gardner and I were deeply honored to coordinate these shows for Raina Lea.”
The Rev. Brenda Hunt, Agape Metropolitan Church
“Of course, I had heard the name. Anyone who spends more than an hour in our community would have heard the name. But he was just checking, and said, ‘Gary Taylor calling from Colorado ... do you know the name, Raina Lea?’
I hadn't been in Fort Worth long, but long enough to have heard some of “The Names,” and that was certainly one of them.
It was sometime before the long trek to serve in leading our Pride Parade that last year, and Gary Taylor was not really sure that anyone would remember who he was, or remember Raina Lea and who she was.
We spoke often that summer, mostly on the phone and at a great distance. A central concern was that our folks would be alright and there would always be a community here in Fort Worth.
Raina was a very gracious person, more than I could describe. Not a saint but a very gracious and authentic picture of who we really are. It wasn't the sophisticated, highly educated, economically comfortable gay men or lesbian women who started us out on this journey toward freedom, it was a small and probably gracious graceful little drag queen.
Thank God for Gary Taylor and his vision that gave us Raina Lea.”
The Rev. Jo Crisco, Trinity Metropolitan Community Church
“Raina and I had been friends since 1981. I laughed with Raina, had been amazed at her skill as a performer, and had been called in the dead of night to her hospital bed during one of those times when life seemed too much to handle.
I helped Raina plan her own memorial service at Christmas before she died the next summer. Raina told me she wanted 1,500 pink/blue balloons released as they would represent her spirit, both male and female, soaring to God.
Raina's faith in God was firm and sure. She spoke often of her relationship with Christ. Consequently, especially in the late months of her life, she had no doubts that God knew her and loved her and that Jesus would welcome her home.
Raina departed this life much as she lived this life - without regret, without remorse. In fact, with a kind of anticipation of planning as if it were the “Big Drag Show in Heaven.”
Gary is symbolic. Gary told us we could do it before we knew it – he was a visionary. Raina had an undying faith in our community and what we could achieve if we stand together. I am honored to have known and loved this wild, wonderful, free-spirited man. His legacy will never leave us.
The entertainers have always been on the cutting edge of discrimination, putting their lives on the line and no one has ever thanked them. That's what the ‘Gay Pride Review – A Tribute To Raina Lea’ held on Saturday, June 25, 1994, at Trinity MCC was all about. We all need to take time out of our busy schedules to love each other and publicly thank people who have done so much for us for so long.”
Ricky Martinez, Corral Club
“When I was first trying to come out, Raina told me to be proud and not be ashamed of what I was or who I was. A friendship began that would last forever.
I was fortunate to have been able to assist Raina at the very first picnic in 1982 at Forest Park (also known as Raina Lea Hill). There was a lot of excitement as about 100 people from the community gathered for the very first gay pride event. People ate hot dogs and drank beer (many brought their own as money was limited). What Raina accomplished is something that Fort Worth can truly be proud of.
Raina's love of the gay community would not end with the Gay Pride Organization. Raina would ultimately reign as Empress V & VI of the Imperial Court de Fort Worth/Arlington and did so much to help the community during her reign! Her dedication was endless. One year she put together a dance group and did the production of A Chorus Line from Texas to Colorado.”
Gary Taylor, AKA Raina Lea, enriched the lives of everyone she knew. Her love for people had no end. I wish everyone had had the opportunity of meeting her because my memories of Raina, I will cherish forever.”
END OF PART ONE
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