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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…

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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.…

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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…

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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.…

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Finding Faith in the Democratic Party

Posted on February 28, 2018
A photo of James Lee, a gay man of faith.

For far too long, conservatives have claimed a monopoly on faith. And if the past few years are any indication, they aren’t letting up any time soon. Republican lawmakers are having a renewed romance with discrimination under the guise of religious freedom. From religious refusals in healthcare and discrimination in adoption procedures to the right to refuse service in business, there seems to be an unending assault on equality in the name of faith. I think it’s time Democrats push back…

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Muscle Panic: Interdisciplinary Artist Fuses Sports, Queerness at Art League Houston

Posted on February 23, 2018
A photo of Muscle Panic at Art League Houston.

Situated next to Inversion Coffee in Montrose, Art League Houston is now presenting Muscle Panic, an interdisciplinary piece developed by Toronto-based artist Hazel Meyer. “I make installations that performance happens in and, within these installations, there are sculptures that also function as tools and as props,” says Meyer, describing her work. “I’m interested in the slipperiness of these objects, and in the tools that extend us.”…

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Black Like Us: A Candid Conversation About the LGBTQ Experience Comes to University of Houston

Posted on February 21, 2018
A photo for Black Like Us.

For some in the Black community, the LGBTQ experience is a touchy subject—for others, it’s an untouched issue. Our silence and suppression has taken a toll on both of our communities, leaving many of our people struggling in uncomfortable gray spaces or even completely in the dark when it comes to questions of identity. “Black Like Us: A Candid Conversation About the LGBTQ Experience,” an upcoming facilitated community dialogue that will be held in collaboration with the University of Houston…

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Donate for a Date: Her Destination Unknown Hosts Annual AIDS Charity Auction

Posted on February 19, 2018
A photo of 2018 Her Destination Unknown auctionees.

Her Destination Unknown (HDU), a Houston-based queer women’s social club, is gearing up for their 8th annual AIDS charity auction on February 25 at Pearl Bar. The benefit will showcase 10 eligible queer ladies, who will donate their time in the form of a date to the highest bidder, with all proceeds going to a local LGBTQ organization that is walking in AIDS Walk Houston.…

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If I Were Texas Governor…

Posted on February 16, 2018
A photo of Monica Roberts as governor.

It's now been several weeks since that historic election, the one that made me the first Black female governor of the Lone Star State. It also makes me the first Democratic governor since Ann Richards held the office from 1991 to 1995. The shock of election night has since worn off. The election is certified, the interviews are done, and I spend the runup to Inauguration Day learning the nuts and bolts of the position. I must be prepared to…

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