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Exploring Identity: How Spectrum South Inspired College Students to Embrace Their Truths

Posted on August 4, 2017
Illustration of diverse people exploring identity.

Shortly after my summer class began, Spectrum South launched with its series of narrative pieces in which the publication’s core group of writers explored their own queer and southern identities. While each piece was unique to the writer, all of them spoke to the intersections of identity and journeys of queer self-discovery. This inspired me to use these pieces—written by queer millennials—to get my students thinking about their own identities (queer and not) on a deeper level. Each student was…

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Classroom Coming Out: A Queer Teacher Shares Her Identity with Students

Posted on August 2, 2017
Photo of queer teacher, Dr. Laura McGuire at Axelrad Beer Garden in Houston, Texas.

As a brand new teacher, my students bombarded me with question after question. At first, I was scared—teachers are warned against sharing too much information about themselves at school, as it breaks down the student/teacher relationship and gives students ammunition to taunt and tease. Plus, I was young—only 25—and still coming to terms with my queerness. On one hand, I yearned to be a role model for my students and to reveal my authenticity. On the other hand, I wanted…

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Out of the Closet, Into the Cinema: A Curated List of Queer Films for Our Community

Posted on July 26, 2017
A photo from Weekend, one of our 100 queer films.

Five years and over 100 films later, I’m publishing this list online for others to peruse, enjoy, and add to as well. Consistently, I run into fellow queer people who aren’t familiar with our rich cinematic history that dates back to at least 1930s Germany with Mädchen in Uniform. Local teachers and professors have even started requesting recommendations for their classes. And while my list isn’t perfect, it’s a place to begin a conversation about queer representation in cinema.…

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Think Globally, Act Hillbilly: A Road Trip through Kentucky on Grindr, Tinder

Posted on July 21, 2017
An illustration of a road trip through Kentucky.

A huge part of me grew up closeted in Kentucky, and I know that—in a state of roughly four million folks—lots of other boys did, too. And while the cities of Louisville and Lexington brim with gay bars and rainbow crosswalks, there are plenty of guys living out and proud in smaller towns, too. I wanted to meet and connect with fellow gay men across Kentucky, so I rebooted Tinder and Grindr.…

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QFest 2017: Houston’s LGBTQ Film Festival Premieres July 27-31

Posted on July 17, 2017
Houston's LGBTQ film festival, QFest runs from July 27-31, 2017.

There are infinite ways to describe resistance. But for queer folks—especially for those of us in the South—our visibility is a radical and defiant form of resistance. Now, more than ever, it’s important for us to be seen, heard, and have our stories shared. That notion has been the driving force of QFest—Houston’s annual LGBTQ film festival—for over two decades. On July 27 through 31, the festival celebrates its 21st year by bringing queer intersectional documentaries, shorts, comedies, and biopics…

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Queer Online Activism: Pansexual YouTuber Talks Identity in the Digital Age

Posted on July 14, 2017
A photo of pansexual writer and YouTuber Sydney Turner promotes queer online activism.

In the digital age, a great deal of queer identity and community is built on the Internet. From memes on Tumblr to watching the HRT journeys of trans YouTubers, the online world presents a whole new way to express queerness. Spectrum South recently caught up with Sydney Turner—writer, comedian, and YouTuber—to discuss the possibilities and repercussions of being queer online.…

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Sacred Steps: A Pilgrimage to Mexico City

Posted on July 10, 2017
Spectrum South writer Josh Inocencio overlooking the Teotihuacan pyramids in Mexico City, Mexico.

The history of my family (and an outrageously cheap Expedia deal) is why I ventured to Mexico City in May, to finally look upon the sites that compose a whole third of my ancestors. And though Montezuma’s Revenge confined me to an entire day of gulping peach Pedialite and binging 'Master of None,' I still paid pilgrimage to everything I wanted to see. From the Catholic cathedrals to the Teotihuacan pyramids to Frida Kahlo’s studio, my three friends and I…

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