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Arts+Culture

‘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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‘I’ Will Not Be Erased: Activist Alicia Roth Weigel Gets Intersexy in the Lone Star State

Posted on October 26, 2018
A photo of intersex activist Alicia Roth Weigel.

What is intersex? It’s the ‘I’ in LGBTQIA, but it’s still something that not many folks know about. Intersex is a condition in which individuals are born with reproductive and sexual anatomy that does not fit into the institutionalized “male” or “female” boxes. In honor of Intersex Awareness Day (October 26), we caught up with Alicia Roth Weigel, an “intersexy” “policy, advocacy, and campaign strategist for the progressive movement.”…

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Hitorijime My Hero: English Dub Explores Complexities of Being Young, Queer, and in Love

Posted on October 20, 2018
A photo from Hitorijime My Hero.

Over the past few decades, anime—a medium of Japanese animation for film and television—has gained a growing popularity here in the United States. The art form’s stories are larger than life. Tales of spikey-haired protagonists collecting mystical balls to save the universe, rivaling ninja villages, pocket-sized monster battles, space pirates, regular pirates, and countless other adventures have set the mainstream standard for American audiences ever since Speed Racer debuted in the late 1960s. But today’s anime isn’t your dad’s anime.…

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Let’s Get Kinky, Houston: Halloween Magic’s Queer Political Satire Returns

Posted on October 17, 2018
A photo of Halloween Magic 2018.

It was 1988 and the AIDS crisis had not yet peaked. The future was uncertain and frankly, terrifying. While some might freeze when faced with such unimaginable adversity, others organize. Houston owes it to the minds of those like Tori Williams, who, in 1988, helped conceptualize Halloween Magic. What began as a dinner party in the late 1980s would grow into a large theatrical production in the early 1990s—an endeavor that has since raised over $1 million toward fighting HIV/AIDS…

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The Wordmatician: Tiffany Scales and the Power of Poetry

Posted on October 15, 2018
A photo of Houston poet Tiffany Scales.

The way Houston freestyle poet Tiffany Scales, a.k.a The Wordmatician, lights up when she talks about the power of poetry can only be compared to the way a hopeless romantic glows when they gush about the love of their life. Poetry is the way she learned how to read, the space she feels safest in, and the tool she uses to build a brighter tomorrow. On October 19, Scales’ first album, WRDMTCN, will be released into the world. This project is…

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Femme Fashionista: Stylist Miramar Dichoso On Body Positivity, QPOC Representation

Posted on September 30, 2018
A photo of fashion stylist Miramar Dichoso.

There’s a certain glow that surrounds Miramar Dichoso when she talks about fashion. Sporting velvet sandals and socks adorned with pearls, the Austin-based stylist and speaker excitedly contemplates what new shade (if any) will replace the millennial pink phenomenon. “People might find forward fashion a little odd because it hasn’t quite been embraced by the mainstream yet. I love wearing socks with open-toed sandals because I love whimsy in fashion,” she comments on her outfit choice. “I get a myriad…

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Bitter, Brown, and Femme: Meet the Founder of Popular Feminist Page Xicanisma

Posted on September 25, 2018
A photo of Cassandra Alicia, founder of Xicanisma

Cassandra Alicia, the 29-year-old founder of the popular Chicana feminist social media page Xicanisma, isn’t afraid of making her 106,000 Instagram followers uncomfortable. In fact, her tagline is “dismantling oppressive isms through tears.” Her Instagram posts highlight an array of social justice issues through photos, art, memes, and screenshots. One post, for example, is in the popular bingo meme format that points out how violent anti-sex work rhetoric can be, especially in light of recent events where a border patrol…

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