Spectrum South - The Voice of the Queer South

Posted on January 24, 2020

At some point in time, somewhere in Guadalajara, Mexico, this picture was taken. My Abuelita Guadalupe, my mother’s mother, sits between her sons David and Moises. In 1973, she would take my mother, Patricia, and her son Carlos with her across the border here to Houston. Some of her other children were already in Texas, while some never crossed. Abuelita would be diagnosed with Leukemia just four years later and, as such, decided that she wanted to die in her…

Centering Change: On Queer Entrepreneurship As Activism

Posted on January 22, 2020

By Dr. Laura McGuire Activism: noun, /ˈaktəˌvizəm/ efforts to promote, impede, direct, or intervene in social, political, economic, or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society. I have been an activist since I was seven years old. I believe that some of us are born with a special gene that propels us to be active in changing the world we live in. It’s not something we have to work at; it’s something we can’t live without. We…

On Spiritual Teachers: Having Them and Being Them

Posted on January 17, 2020

By Kelly M. Marshall I never set out to walk the path of a teacher. When I committed to yoga as my primary spiritual discipline, I was an anxious, depressed, dumpster fire of a human being. My relationship with myself and any changes I made before that day were motivated by shame, fear, and perfectionism. I wore myself out trying to fit the mold of what I thought a worthy and good human being looked like. It was through the path of yoga that…

Free to Be: Navigating My Queer, Non-Binary Identity as a Child of the Southern Suburbs

Posted on January 14, 2020

A photo of Spectrum South writer Addie Tsai.

For the last month, I’ve been on tour for my first book, Dear Twin, a queer Asian young adult novel about twins and childhood trauma. The book centers a queer Asian romance between Poppy, a half-Chinese, half-Japanese queer teen and her girlfriend, Juniper, a self-identified butch Korean girl. When audiences ask me about the characters’ relationship, I say that, when writing this book, instead of envisioning a queer future, I instead envisioned a queer past—one in which I could have…

The Body Beautiful: New Photo Campaign Promotes Self-Love, Fights Stigma

Posted on January 9, 2020

The queer cult classic To Wong Fu, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar opens with Vida Boheme (Patrick Schwayze) and Noxeema Jackson (Wesley Snipes) fixing their hair and makeup to the nines while listening to a house mix of Salt-N-Pepa’s empowering anthem, “I Am The Body Beautiful.”…

A Decade in Review: Reflections on the Last 10 Years of LGBTQ Milestones

Posted on January 7, 2020

We’re less than a week into the new decade, but the LGBTQ community is already full steam ahead in our fight for equality. But as we move forward, it’s important to take time to reflect on just how far our movement has come in the past 10 years. The 2010s brought massive wins and milestones for the queer community, but plenty of setbacks as well. Below, we’ve compiled a 10-year review of some of the most powerful LGBTQ moments of…

Spectrum South’s 2019 Year in Review

Posted on January 1, 2020

Happy new decade, queers! We can’t believe this is Spectrum South’s third annual Year in Review. While it truly feels like 2019 flew by, we’re taking a moment to slow down, reflect, and give gratitude for all of the wonderful happenings over the past year.…

Asking For A Friend: How Do I Set Family Boundaries In The New Year?

Posted on December 30, 2019

A photo of Dr. Laura McGuire of Asking for a Friend #MeToo Movement.

By Dr. Laura McGuire The holidays can be a tough time for queer people: family members using the wrong pronouns, parters being excluded, and hurtful political opinions. In this month’s Asking for a Friend, Dr. Laura McGuire discusses how to set boundaries with family during the holidays and in the New Year. Like this video? Make sure to subscribe to get more Asking for a Friend each month. Sexually curious? Dr. Laura McGuire can help! Email your queer sex questions anonymously to [email protected]. Don’t worry, we…

Transcending Archetypes: Paving Way for the Divine Non-Binary

Posted on December 24, 2019

Yin and Yang. Shiva and Shakti. God and Goddess. Man and Woman. Modern spiritual practices go on ad nauseam about these concepts of the “divine masculine” and “divine feminine.” While these paradigms have infused our spiritual and religious ideologies and dogma for as long as we have been a cultured species, this attachment to binary gender archetypes is, in reality, a very new concept that stems from Western colonialism and modern Judeo-Christian ideas, rather than humanity’s religious, indigenous, and spiritual…

Gloria and Gloria: A Journey of Religion, Identity, and Love

Posted on December 19, 2019

Her name was Gloria. She always sat a few pews in front of me and my family at Sunday service. As the music from the church band swept across the congregation, her arms would rise, her eyes would close, and a peaceful smile would grace her face.…

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