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Arts+Culture

An Open Letter to America from a Queer, Mexican Immigrant

Posted on March 6, 2019

A photo of a welcome sign for immigrant.

Dear America, I arrived in this country when I was four years old. My mother had married a man, an American citizen, who would become my stepfather and we left behind our previous home in a small ranching community in Mexico. Even though I was young, I remember that period in my life like it was yesterday. I was nervous to arrive in this new place where the people looked different and spoke a different language than me. Even the houses…

Racing to the Top: How Arqueze Girdy is Transforming the World of Rodeo

Posted on March 4, 2019

A photo of transgender rodeo competitor Arqueze Girdy.

“I’m always on my way to a rodeo,” says Arqueze Girdy. “Today, it’s Liberty.” The 27-year-old barrel racer graciously made time to meet me while traveling to east Texas for the next stop on her jam-packed weekend rodeo circuit. We hoist ourselves into the front seat of her Dodge dually pickup truck—which, by the way, is hooked to a 20-foot aluminum trailer carrying her beloved competition horses—and quickly dive into conversation. Her delicate voice is grounded in a steady, welcoming…

OUTsider Fest to ‘Unlock the Cabinet of QUEERIOSITIES’ in Austin

Posted on February 15, 2019

A photo of Felix and the Future at OUTsider Fest.

Given the current state of our country, it is more important than ever that we embrace our queerness with ferocity. We must continue to challenge conformity and be as visible as possible. On February 20–24, OUTsider Fest, Austin’s annual queer transmedia festival, returns with this motive in mind. This year’s festival is appropriately themed “Unlock the Cabinet of QUEERIOSITIES,” and promises to be “a queer take on the cabinet of curiosities and its peculiar oddities.” Through this lens, OUTsider calls on…

Acts of Rebellion: Experimental Action Centers Queer Performance Artists

Posted on February 13, 2019

A photo of Antonius Bui at Experimental Action.

If you truly know Houston, you know there’s no denying our ranking as a national contender in the competitive visual arts dominion. The city is continuously abuzz with new and up-and-coming gallery openings, exhibitions, and alternative art collectives. What often gets left out of the picture, however, is the avant-garde, activist-inspired, trailblazing, and authentic performance art scene. This repertoire is the city’s best-kept secret—one that deserves to be exposed and given some long-overdue recognition. At the heart of this scene is…

Ending the HIV Epidemic by 2030: The Federal Government Has It All Wrong

Posted on February 8, 2019

A photo of red carnations representing the HIV epidemic.

After the nation’s longest government shutdown in history, the president of the United States was finally able to give his State of the Union address. The purpose of this address, as prescribed by the US Constitution, is to give the United States Congress information on the state of our nation and to “recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary.” Essentially, this is the president’s chance to state where we are currently as a country, as well as…

Growing Up Black and Queer: The Catastrophic Theatre Presents Robert O’Hara’s ‘Bootycandy’

Posted on February 5, 2019

Recent years have seen a rise in mainstream discussions centered on queer Black masculinity. Frank Ocean’s lyrics hinted at his queerness before the rapper opened up about the subject. Actress and writer Issa Rae’s Insecure questioned how women view Black men who have had sexual experiences with other men. Jaden Smith disrupted traditional notions of masculinity by playing with gender presentation before ultimately coming out as queer in 2018. And, perhaps the most landmark cultural production about the subject, director…

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

Posted on January 24, 2019

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.…

Eye for an Eye’s Jess Swaim Talks Tattoo Artistry, Non-binary Identity in Conroe

Posted on January 18, 2019

An illustration of Conroe based tattoo artist Jess Swaim.

Tattoos. From metropolises like New York and Los Angeles to small town Texas, this art form has always welcomed the most marginalized in society. Spectrum South recently caught up with Jess Swaim, a nonbinary tattoo artist based out of Conroe, Texas, to talk about their experience tattooing LGBTQ clients, navigating a male-dominated industry, and queer parenting in the small town about an hour north of Houston.…

#SpectrumScavenger: A Scavenger Hunt to Discover Houston’s Hidden Public Art

Posted on January 11, 2019

Attention adventurers, fortune hunters, and explorers! Let’s try something new together—and if it works out, we just may make it a regular thing. I want to help you uncover some of Houston’s most spectacular (but relatively hidden) public art. But naturally, there’s a price. Instead of just telling you where to go and what you’ll find, I thought I’d take you on a spirited scavenger hunt across the city. So carve out some time, follow the given clues, and go…

Spectrum South’s Best of Queer Music 2018

Posted on January 2, 2019

Innovators, advocates, and revelers in the weird—queer artists often create the work that impacts society the most. Eye-opening, thought provoking, and sometimes even unsettling, it’s often art that turns tides. This year, we asked our staff for their personal nominations for best song by a queer artist in 2018. We’re excited to share with you our top picks—and few runners up! We won’t judge if you’re suddenly compelled to dance around your apartment in your underwear to the Spotify playlist…

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