Browsing Category

Arts+Culture

New Pride Wall Mural Encourages LGBTQ Houstonians to #BeVisible

Posted on April 2, 2018
A photo of the new Pride Wall creators in Houston.

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…

Continue Reading

Providing Platforms: Emilio Rodriguez Brings Queer Latino Play ‘Swimming While Drowning’ to UH

Posted on March 30, 2018
A photo of Emilio Rodriguez, playwright of Swimming While Drowning.

“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…

Continue Reading

Talk Derby To Me: Meet Houston Roller Derby Production Manager Sweetie Todd

Posted on March 28, 2018
A photo of Houston Roller Derby's Sweetie Todd

“I wish I would’ve found it when I was a little younger,” laughs Belinda Pedraza, AKA Sweetie Todd. At age 55, she’s one of the oldest members of Houston Roller Derby (HRD), but arguably one of the most versatile. Sweetie joined the league over a decade ago and has been happily ingrained in the female-dominated sport ever since, volunteering her time first as a medic, then skater, official, coach, and now production manager.…

Continue Reading

Living Out Loud: Trans Activist Dee Dee Watters Rediscovers Passion for Poetry

Posted on March 19, 2018
A photo of Dee Dee Watters.

On a warm summer night in 2013, I walk by myself across the parking lot of the Montrose Center. My youth group peers have left me behind, chatting amongst themselves. Dee Dee Watters notices me walking alone, smiles, and waves a hand with long decorated nails. “I don’t know you, but I love you,” she says. “Have a good night. I’ll see you around.”…

Continue Reading

Stoo Gogo: Part-Time Rockstar, Full-Time Fierce Femme

Posted on March 16, 2018
A photo of femme Stoo Gogo of BLING ST.

Self-described “part-time rockstar” Stoo Gogo stands at the intersection of gender, identity, and femininity. A queer, Black, femme man, Gogo explores the depths of his identities through musical creation as one half of the queer pop duo, BLING ST., as well as a solo musician. “By day, I’m a barista,” Gogo explains. “By night, I’m like this mad scientist that makes music. I take on this [superhero] form when I’m performing or singing or writing.”…

Continue Reading

This Ain’t My First Rodeo: The Problem With Your Cowboy Drag

Posted on March 15, 2018
A photo from Rodeo Houston.

It’s March, and in Houston, that means three things: annoyingly ambivalent weather, springing our clocks ahead for the dreaded tradition of daylight saving time, and the most popular of the three by a long shot, Houston’s Livestock Show and Rodeo. Talk about tradition, this three-week-long event (celebrating 86 years this month) brings in over two million attendees every year and has committed more than $430 million to youth since its inception. No wonder it’s known far and wide as the…

Continue Reading

Hear Me: The T.R.U.T.H. Project Puts LGBTQ Youth of Color and Ally Voices Center Stage

Posted on March 13, 2018
A photo of LGBTQ youth from Hear Me of The T.R.U.T.H. Project.

On February 24, LGBTQ and allied youth artists stood side-by-side, center stage at Houston’s MATCH with one declaration: “HEAR ME.” Their voices were shared as part of The T.R.U.T.H. Project’s first-ever installment that incorporated storytelling by LGBTQ youth and allies. Through intimate spoken word, movement, song, and visual art, this next generation of voices addressed and challenged stigma, rose above adversity, and united themselves with the audience for an incredible journey.…

Continue Reading

Josh Inocéncio’s ‘The Little Edelweiss’ Brings Queer Theatre to Houston

Posted on March 12, 2018
A photo of the puppets used in The Little Edelweiss.

While queer theatre certainly hasn’t breached mainstream Houston culture, one local playwright is trying to change that. On March 24, Houston-native, playwright, and performer Josh Inocéncio brings audiences a developmental production of The Little Edelweiss; or, An Immigrant’s Fairytale, the second installment in Splintered in Three: An American Trilogy, a trilogy that shines light on each of his three cultural backgrounds—Latino, Austrian, and Appalachian. The first play, Purple Eyes, which dramatizes the intersections of Latinidad and queerness, recently had its…

Continue Reading

That Damn Dame: Mars Capone Promotes Body Positivity Through Burlesque

Posted on March 9, 2018
A photo of Houston burlesque performer, Mars Capone.

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.…

Continue Reading