The stars and skates were aligned as Laura Pruett and Amie D. Sue rolled full force into their relationship. This dynamic duo, also known to their Houston Roller Derby Valkyries teammates as Captain Slayer Moon (Pruett) and Coach Dexter Moon (Sue), took their courtship beyond the rink in 2011.…
Rarely do theatres in Houston offer rich experimental plays that depart starkly from the theatrical canon. But The Catastrophic Theatre, building upon its tradition of producing work that “will destroy you,” is premiering a play that is experimental and queer. The company, housed in the MATCH through the facility’s residency program, has consistently produced harrowing works, from Sam Shepard’s Buried Child to Eugene Ionesco’s Rhinoceros. But Leap and the Net Will Appear, which premiered on February 9 and runs through…
All of this is done over web camera—the physical and legal protection of which I am grateful. On camera, there are no STDs, no vice squad, and a far lower risk of being followed home by fans. Online, my clients and I explore our common kinks and sexual tastes while preserving the delicate balance of our vanilla off-camera lives. For numerous reasons, many of my clients need to keep their desires to be dominated and sexually-controlled private. They have jobs…
Our queer hearts are swelling because OUTsider returns to Austin this Valentine’s Day weekend, February 14 to 18. The queer transmedia festival, known for pushing artistic boundaries, meshes all creative disciplines (film, performances, music, writing, and visual art) for a provocative, out-of-the-box experience.…
I identify as a queer, southern, Indigenous American woman. My father is Indigenous American and my mother is of European descent (my maternal grandmother would want you to know that she's Czech and makes an excellent stuffed cabbage). I am an enrolled member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, a tribe that is currently and actively fighting a 130-year-old battle for federal recognition.…
On November 4, 2017, I sat in the ballroom of the Houston Marriott North, surrounded by some of the city’s most prominent, eclectic, and diverse transgender leaders. Together, we had gathered for the 25th annual Houston Transgender Unity Banquet, to share a safe space and celebrate the Gulf Coast’s ever-growing trans community. The speaker lineup was jam-packed, each one voicing words of empowerment and hope. Then, Phyllis Frye, a trans woman, veteran, advocate, and the first openly transgender judge appointed…
In the words of Fleetwood Mac, sometimes, you just have to go your own way. Such was the case for Spectrum South. What started as a “what if” conversation over lunch one day quickly turned into a “well, why not?” Six months later, that pie-in-the-sky dream was a reality, and we couldn’t be happier…or busier. In the spirit of creating something from the ground up, we’ve curated a list of other queer southern entrepreneurs who have taken their passions, go-getter…
“It’s the last jam of the 2017 championship...two minutes left, your HRD Brawlers and undefeated Psych Ward Sirens are neck and neck...get on your feet, Houston!” veteran Houston Roller Derby announcer Scarlet O’Hurtya yells out with anxious enthusiasm. Wild cheers from fans vibrate Revention Music Center. My ears are ringing, my legs are throbbing from jumping up and down, and my homemade poster is ripped at each side from my clenched fists. Brawler jammer Arrak-Kiss and Siren jammer Black Lung…
Texas Latinx talent takes center stage this February 1 through 4 at Houston’s Stages Repertory Theatre during the inaugural Sin Muros Theatre Festival. Headlining this four-day event is the world premiere of the ancestral autobiography Purple Eyes, written and performed by queer Latino playwright Josh Inocéncio. Inocéncio, who is also a member of the Sin Muros task force committee, speaks on the festival’s intent. “We were looking to consciously represent diversity. A Latin theatre festival that pushes for female voices,…
After causing a stir in the Texas art scene with his participation in Mexic-Arte Museum’s annual Young Latino Artist exhibition (Young Latino Artists 22: ¡Ahora!) in Austin, Jose Villalobos is shifting his energies from the world of fine art to the creation of a brand new line of LGBTQ Pride-themed novelty items. For those of us who may not be able to afford museum-quality artworks, this line of merchandise allows the perfect opportunity to support the arts while showing a bit of pride. The…
