I believe in education more than anything on Earth. I believe that the answer to almost every problem facing us as individuals, communities, countries, and as a planet is based in education. I believe in it so much that I got my doctorate in education, with a focus on inclusive sex education.…
Boy Erased is based on the book of the same name by author Garrard Conley. Like his onscreen character, Conley grew up in Arkansas. “My parents were always pretty religious,” he says in an interview with British TV program This Morning. As a child, he and his parents attended church three times a week. “When I was 16, my dad decided to become a preacher,” Conley tells the hosts. “My mom and I were sitting in church at the time…
Ask Jason Davila if he’s a Houston Roller Derby (HRD) super fan, and he’ll respond “no.” “I don’t consider myself a super fan because all I think of when you say ‘fan’ is someone who just goes to games and cheers on their favorite team,” he says. “I would say I am more of a super friend of Houston Roller Derby. I think that is what differentiates me from everyone else. Not only do I attend every game ([with the…
We wouldn’t be the first, second, or even third to use the word “intrepid” when describing the work produced by Serenbe Playhouse. The small professional theatre company, located about 30 miles southwest of Atlanta, performs all of its productions on a large expanse of acreage attached to The Inn at Serenbe. Founded in 2009, the playhouse has made a name for itself within the Georgia theatre scene, garnering national attention and press for its bold new works and reimagined classics…
Sex, drugs, and the gays of Houston. Just a few characters in the zephyr of cynicism, sarcasm, and witty one-liners that makes up author Anthony Ramirez’s third book, Less Than Butterflies. Ramirez, editor-in-chief of About magazine, comes clean—as clean as he can—in the autobiography, exploring his life as it was dragged through the underbelly of Houston’s raunchy gay scene. The book jumps from Montrose to Washington Heights, Midtown to Third Ward, and never a dull moment between them.…
My best friend’s text comes through with a resonating bing. “So I need to know, are you getting laid?” I scrunch my eyes shut and rub my face. I tap back: “I am not, unless you count self-laid.” I sigh to myself and tap out an additional comment: “I am working on it.” I’m lying. I’m not. And I won’t.…
“I just can’t give up now, I’ve come too far from where I started from…” As Jasmine Branch, aka Jassyb, belts these words on stage, they come straight from her heart. She embodies them. “Can’t Give Up Now,” the song the Houston-based singer chose for her winning Pride Superstar 2018 performance, is definitive of both her journey during the competition, and within her life. No stranger to a challenge, Branch knows the importance of pursuing a goal until you emerge victorious.…
In December, my nearly two-year long journey balancing graduate school with building my career as an arts leader will come to an end as I walk across the stage with my fellow University of Houston grads. It has been a long and hard but rewarding journey, full of late nights attending class only to wake up early for my full-time job as an educator at the Children’s Museum of Houston. And while I’m proud of achieving this personal academic milestone,…
I went to college at UNC-Chapel Hill in the early 1990s. To my recollection, only one of the professors I knew was ever “out” in the classroom—we’ll call him “Cecil.” He and a woman colleague co-taught “Gender and Sexuality in the Ancient World,” and I confess, I enrolled mostly because it had “gender and sexuality” in the course title. I wasn’t alone, either. A clump of us queer kids sat in the front row of that auditorium, eager to learn…
I love to tell people that if it wasn’t for Texas and the Air Force, I wouldn’t exist. My parents were both service members stationed in San Antonio when they met, fell in love, and decided to make the coolest baby ever—me. On both sides of my family, I’ve had relatives serve in every branch of the armed forces dating back to the Civil War. My grandfather served as an American Legion Chaplain until his death, and my mom followed…
