By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
In one of his last formal acts in office, then-Mayor Bruno “Ralphy” Lozano earlier this month attended a reception at the White House held in celebration of Pride Month.
Lozano, the first openly gay elected official in Del Rio’s history, was invited to the reception following President Joe Biden’s signing of an executive order “advancing equality for LBGTQI+ individuals.”
Lozano spoke to the 830 Times about the event just before he left office June 27.
“It was a little bit humorous how this came about. I’ve had emails from the White House before and from different agencies in D.C., and to be honest, they tend to go to our spam folder. I had committed to go to the consulate of Mexico in Miami on June 14, and a staff member, Mr. Michael Garcia, who is the assistant to the city manager, was sending me all this information. I was looking through my emails as I was taking off from San Antonio to Miami, and I see this email from the White House,” Lozano said.
“The premise was, I was invited to the White House as Mayor Lozano, an openly gay elected official, to witness the executive order for the extension of LGBTQI+ rights that President Biden was going to be signing on Wednesday evening. So I’m literally reading the email at 5 o’clock in the evening the day before I’m supposed to be there in Washington, D.C.,” Lozano added.
Lozano quickly adjusted his travel plans to make the trip to the nation’s capital.
He said he felt it was important to attend the event “because representation matters.”
“I felt amazing just to be there in the presence of other leaders from all different walks of life, all different ages. There were over 200 people there, and because I was an elected official, because I’m the mayor of Del Rio, I was given an opportunity, before the reception, before the executive order was to be signed, to meet with six other mayors from across the country. We were pulled aside, and we were able to meet early and talk about city business and the things that matter in our communities,” Lozano said.
The mayors included the leaders of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; San Diego and Palm Springs, Calif.; Chapel Hill, N.C.; New London, Conn.; and others.
“It was really amazing to hear their concerns, big city and small city,” Lozano said.
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” he added.
In the four years that Lozano has been mayor, LGBTQI+ issues have moved further toward the mainstream of the public consciousness.
“I don’t think the community really recognizes or is aware of the impact that my election, that my term, has had on the entire area, state, country and world, as far as visibility is concerned, because it was a profound moment in LGBTQI+ history when I won the election . . . I believe visibility is everything. Yes, I am LBGTQI+, and I am visible and I am active, but I am also protecting and advocating for the community of Del Rio as a whole, for all of its citizens, and I think that’s where the impact is even that much greater, because I’m able to carry my weight when I’m with the governor’s office, with the president’s office on specific LGBTQI+ issues, but also beyond that,” Lozano said.
“I would hope that the community understands that impact. We’ve shown people over the past four years that we’re not backward, we’re not ignorant. We’re very accepting and open-minded to change and we embrace all people, even those who are different, and I think that is truly a testament to the diversity here in the community,” Lozano added.
Lozano said attending the reception is an honor he’ll never forget.
“It was a complete honor to represent the LGBTQI+ community, to represent the community of Del Rio and when I was there, I kept thinking about my dad and my mom, and I know my dad was looking down and I know he was proud to see his son walking the halls of the White House. It was an amazing opportunity to just be there, a wonderful experience,” he said.
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