We’ve made it to June, and 2018 has proven to be a promising year in queer music. Still reeling from the late 2017 releases of Kelela’s Take Me Apart, St. Vincent’s Masseduction, and SOPHIE’s It’s OK to Cry, we were met this year with new bops by queer faves Janelle Monáe and Hayley Kiyoko.…
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! We’re a week into Pride Month, and while cities across the globe prepare for their festivals and parades, Pride Houston is looking back on the last 40 years, gearing up for their Ruby Anniversary.…
Downstairs from street level, I sit in a quaint Manhattan coffee shop, nestled in the bustling hubbub of the Flatiron District. I recognize Bethany C. Meyers’ energy the moment they walk in, despite the heavy coat enveloping their petite frame, the bulky headphones, and celebrity sunglasses.…
There’s just something about a bold geometric windbreaker that attracts the eye of Trent Lira, one half of Houston’s New Wave duo the Space Kiddettes. Devin Will, the equally eclectic other half, is like a Marie Fredriksson dream circa Roxette 1992. The pair just celebrated the release of “Process Ü,” the first single since their freshman EP Livingspace // Headspace dropped last year.…
Shortly after the Orlando Pulse shooting, a symbol of Pride and resiliency appeared in Houston—the Pride Wall HTX. The rainbow-striped wall spanned the exterior of the Select Skate Shop in the Montrose District and quickly became a favorite backdrop for LGBTQ and allied Houstonians. Unfortunately, graffiti began to pile up, and soon the wall began to look less like a symbol of Pride, and more like a free-for-all canvas. As a result, the owners of Select made the decision to…
“You just don’t have the look.” This was the argument that queer Latino actor and playwright Emilio Rodriguez continuously faced from casting directors. After receiving his Bachelor of Fine Arts in theatre studies from the University of California at Irvine, Rodriguez eagerly entered the industry only to have one audition inquiry after another declined. “So, I began writing roles for characters that look like me,” Rodriguez explains. “To represent characters who were experiencing what I went through, no matter what…
A beauty mark beard dances along K Garner’s chin; the lengthy shadow, an external reminder of the unique balance of masculinity and femininity that resides within the queer spoken word artist. It’s a balance Garner has been exploring since her early adulthood as she sought answers to questions like: What does it mean to be a woman? To be a man? To balance one or the other while weighing the terms “femme” and “butch”?…
It’s the last Friday night of the month, and a burlesque troupe dressed in pirate-themed garb takes the stage at Numbers night club in Houston. The dancers of Dem Damn Dames slink their way through tantalizing choreography, peeling off layers of costume jewelry, dresses, and hats. During an interlude, dancers swing to a piano- and drum-heavy tune about pirate code.…
Texas Latinx talent takes center stage this February 1 through 4 at Houston’s Stages Repertory Theatre during the inaugural Sin Muros Theatre Festival. Headlining this four-day event is the world premiere of the ancestral autobiography Purple Eyes, written and performed by queer Latino playwright Josh Inocéncio. Inocéncio, who is also a member of the Sin Muros task force committee, speaks on the festival’s intent. “We were looking to consciously represent diversity. A Latin theatre festival that pushes for female voices,…
As 20-something Dominique Crisden speaks, his voice carries a tone of youthful optimism. Across from him sits David Gable, his face and voice hardened with age, wisdom, and experience. Though generations apart, both are gay men. Both are HIV-positive. The elder looks into the younger’s eyes before asking the question that has brought them together: “Did we go through a plague for nothing? Did we learn anything?” This is the caliber of storytelling presented on Nancy, a new radically-inclusive, surprisingly deep…
