HISTORY

Stonewall Democrats of San Antonio (SDSA) began in February of 2000 at the Democratic Headquarters of Bexar County.  Seven LGBT individuals, the majority of whom were Precinct Chairs, saw a need for our community to come together to be heard and represented in the Democratic Party.  The first name of the group was Stonewall Democratic Club-San Antonio.  Later, in 2003 the organization changed its name to SDSA and elected a Board of Directors with Co-Chairs, Secretary, Treasurer and seven at-large members.  SDSA is a chapter of National Stonewall Democrats (NSD) and an affiliate of the Texas Stonewall Democratic Caucus (TSDC).

ACTIVITIES – in its first year of existence SDSA held a fund raiser and invited different candidates and office holders to address the group.  The event was a great success and Democrats knew that Stonewallers were alive and well in San Antonio.

In September of 2001 SDSA invited openly-gay Congressman Barney Frank (D-Mass) to a reception held at the Gunter Hotel.  NSD helped with the event and split the proceeds with our local organization.  The event again was a tremendous success and our organization received praise for bringing Rep. Frank to San Antonio.

In September of 2002 Presidential candidate Howard Dean came to San Antonio on his Texas tour.  Democrats from all over the state joined SDSA at the Menger Hotel to welcome Howard Dean to San Antonio.

In 2004, SDSA formed a general purpose political action committee (PAC) in order to conduct
endorsements of candidates, make campaign contributions and help elect fair-minded Democrats to
public office.  The PAC is officially registered with the Texas Ethics Commission.  Today, SDSA is the only LGBT organization in San Antonio that screens and endorses candidates for public office.  SDSA has sponsored candidate forums for the purpose of inviting candidates to speak to SDSA members about where they stand on LGBT issues prior to the members voting on endorsements.

Since its inception, SDSA has grown to over 150 members and has a distribution list of over 4,000 LGBT
individuals and supporters.

In September of 2006 SDSA sponsored its First Annual Awards Dinner and honored a Political Supporter Award, a Community Supporter Award and a Volunteer Honoree Award.  The banquet took place at the Radisson Hotel Market Square and was filled to capacity.  Sheriff Ralph Lopez of Bexar County introduced the honored speaker Sheriff Lupe Valdez of Dallas County.  She holds the distinction of being the first lesbian in the country elected to that position.

Stonewall members become very active during election cycles and give of their volunteer time and money to support candidates who stand with our community.