The livelihoods of LGBTQ Texans are on the line at the Texas Capitol this week. A slew of anti-LGBTQ bills are scheduled to be heard at the Texas legislature starting on Wednesday, April 17, 2019, each posing a dire threat to the day-to-day existence of LGBTQ residents in the state—but it’s not too late to fight for justice.…
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.…
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…
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…
Well, I can now say that I’ve witnessed what an art installation of 200 gallons of swirling piss looks like. The epic, birthday-suited, gender-nonconforming, mid-career artist behind the installation, Cassils, is a modern-day Midas, transforming this once-ordinary vessel into a golden glory that cannot be missed.…
“Resist” has been the name of the game this year for LGBTQ Texans living under the Trump administration and statewide Republican leadership. But resisting isn’t just about protests and voting. Sure, those two forms of expression are crucial, but I’ve learned that there are countless other ways to resist and fight back.…
Remember when Donald Trump and Ted Cruz were bitter enemies? When Trump suggested that Cruz’s father played a role in the Kennedy assassination, or when Trump poked fun at Heidi Cruz’s appearance? How about when Trump coined the term “Lyin’ Ted”? Well, out political activist Antonio Arellano remembers.…
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.”…
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…
Senior police officer Jackie Boniaby is a staple within the Houston Police Department. For the past 26 years, she’s dedicated her life to service, holding various positions throughout the department. The last few months, however, have been a transition—Boniaby recently came out as a transgender woman and is taking steps to live publicly as her authentic self. “I just recently transitioned,” Boniaby tells Spectrum South. “I had to conceal who I was for years. It’s a journey, but I’m simply…
