All Posts By

Barrett White

2020 Democratic Presidential Contender Pete Buttigieg Meets with Communities of Color in Houston

Posted on May 7, 2019
A photo of Mayor Pete Buttigieg in Houston.

On May 4, South Bend, Indiana mayor and 2020 presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg gave an impassioned speech and posed for photos at a campaign fundraiser at Chapman & Kirby in Houston’s East Downtown. But before shaking hands with eager fans and donors at the public event, the openly gay Democratic contender sat down for an intimate, transparent conversation with some of the city’s most notable Black spiritual leaders at the private residence of Houston community leaders Vince Pryor and Alan…

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The Broad’s Way: Houston’s Drag Queen Broadway Revue

Posted on April 30, 2019
A photo of Regina Blake-Dubois at The Broad's Way.

“Four numbers in and we’ve already had a dildo and a 9/11 joke,” quips host and star entertainer Regina Blake-Dubois during the second-anniversary performance of The Broad’s Way, Houston’s only Broadway drag revue. At the Broad’s Way, the mood is always tongue-in-cheek and campy, like you hope to see at any drag show. But at Michael’s Outpost, the revue’s home stage, the performers bring more than kitsch comedy and silliness.…

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‘Shenandoah’ at Serenbe: Out Theatre Director Brian Clowdus’ Civil War-Era Drama is a Triumph

Posted on April 4, 2019

Out theatre director and immersive experience extraordinaire Brian Clowdus doesn’t ask how before laying down a grand plan. The Atlanta-area theatrical pioneer first entered the national spotlight for using an actual helicopter in Serenbe Playhouse’s production of Miss Saigon; he then graced Spectrum South in August 2018 when he sank the set and sent actors plummeting beneath the waves in Serenbe’s Titanic.…

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SB17 Threatens Texans With License to Discriminate—and It’s Happening Now

Posted on March 28, 2019
A photo of Texas SB17.

SB17 would provide any professional licensed by the state of Texas a license to discriminate based on “sincerely held religious beliefs.” The religious exemption bill is being called the latest aggression against LGBTQ Texans—as well as other individuals not protected at the federal level, such as single parents or people who practice a religion that differs from that of the service provider.…

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Shifting the Medical Paradigm: Intersex Activist Pidgeon Pagonis Headlines LGBTQI+ Health Week at UTMB

Posted on March 18, 2019
A photo of intersex activist Pidgeon Pagonis.

“There are alternatives to what society tells you that you have to be,” muses Chicago-based intersex activist Pidgeon Pagonis as we discuss their upcoming speaking engagements at LGBTQI+ Health Week at The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, Texas. The mantra was passed onto them by their aunt—a rebellious woman who defied gender norms long before Pagonis discovered and embraced their own identity. Pagonis’ father, unapologetic in his own right, also taught them that you don’t always have…

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Figures in the Shadows: Finding Queer Representation in Film Noir with Artist Jade Yumang

Posted on January 24, 2019
A photo of queer artist Jade Yumang.

Jade Yumang grew up as free a spirit as they come. Bouncing around his mother’s beauty salon in the Philippines while his father worked overseas, Yumang was allowed to be as openly himself as he wanted. The majority of his mother’s friends and salon coworkers were queer and, for a young boy and budding artist discovering himself, this environment was more than favorable for his personal growth.…

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I AM LIFE: The T.R.U.T.H. Project Centers Female Voices for World AIDS Day

Posted on November 26, 2018
A photo from The T.R.U.T.H. Project's I AM LIFE.

As a young artist, Kevin Anderson regularly poured out his soul in the spoken word scene. He soon realized, however, that the vulnerability and lived truth he was sharing with the artistic community was not being returned. When at the mic, poets would often code-switch, changing the pronouns of their same-sex lovers to that of the opposite sex—until one day, a colleague didn’t. Rather than offering support, the poet who followed the act used his platform to belittle this fellow…

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‘Queerskins’ Virtual Reality Film Evokes Feels in 360 Degrees at Houston Cinema Arts Festival

Posted on November 8, 2018
A photo from the Queerskins installation as part of Houston Cinema Arts Festival.

The opening salvo of Queerskins: A Love Story plays out over the backdrop of AIDS Crisis America. Ed (Drew Moore) and Mary-Helen (Hadley Boyd) are driving down a country road filled with memories of their son, Sebastian (Michael DeBartolo), who has recently passed away—a victim of the crisis. Using photorealistic virtual reality (VR), the viewer is thrust into the middle of this scene, witnessing the couple’s heart-wrenching conversation firsthand from the back seat of their Cadillac. On the seat next…

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Why Are Straight Folks Obsessed with LGBTQ Folks’ Bodies and Sex Lives?

Posted on November 5, 2018
A photo of LGBTQ bodies.

So, who is the man and who is the woman? We’re both males. We’re partners. We share duties and don’t subscribe to traditional gender roles. At least, that’s how it is in my own relationship. And here we are, six years together, and people still believe it’s okay to ask me if my partner or I shapeshift into a lady behind closed doors, as if the notion that two people of the same gender can live together and share their lives,…

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