I may have only come out two years ago, but I’ve known myself forever. I knew that I didn’t care how love manifested in my life, just that it would be abundant and diverse. My parents attended Texas Christian University (TCU) in Fort Worth, Texas, and I spent a large portion of my childhood near the campus. Situated on winding roads with crunching leaves, the campus was conveniently located near the home of my grandmother, who took care of me after…
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Remember when Donald Trump and Ted Cruz were bitter enemies? When Trump suggested that Cruz’s father played a role in the Kennedy assassination, or when Trump poked fun at Heidi Cruz’s appearance? How about when Trump coined the term “Lyin’ Ted”? Well, out political activist Antonio Arellano remembers.…
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National Coming Out Day gives the Veer Queer team some feelings, so they dish it out with their very first Portland guest, Kris.…
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For those who don’t know, October is LGBTQ History Month—a win for the Gay Agenda as we attempt to take over the year one month at a time. To honor this auspicious observance, which includes National Coming Out Day (October 11), Spectrum South is taking a moment to look at some of the organizations that help our community thrive.…
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It was 1988 and the AIDS crisis had not yet peaked. The future was uncertain and frankly, terrifying. While some might freeze when faced with such unimaginable adversity, others organize. Houston owes it to the minds of those like Tori Williams, who, in 1988, helped conceptualize Halloween Magic. What began as a dinner party in the late 1980s would grow into a large theatrical production in the early 1990s—an endeavor that has since raised over $1 million toward fighting HIV/AIDS…
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The way Houston freestyle poet Tiffany Scales, a.k.a The Wordmatician, lights up when she talks about the power of poetry can only be compared to the way a hopeless romantic glows when they gush about the love of their life. Poetry is the way she learned how to read, the space she feels safest in, and the tool she uses to build a brighter tomorrow. On October 19, Scales’ first album, WRDMTCN, will be released into the world. This project is…
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When large activist movements take the national stage, we tend to think of places like Washington, D.C., Berkeley, California, or, in terms of the LGBTQ equality movement, Stonewall in New York. More than likely, Houston, Texas isn’t the first city you think of as being on the front lines of activism. While a healthy 22,000 protesters took to the streets of Space City during the 2017 Women’s March following Donald Trump’s election, this number paled in comparison to New York…
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From the moment you step into artist Stephanie Gonzalez’s Houston studio, your eyes are drawn in every direction: from her in-progress project made from thrown-away papers, to her latest sculpture, “The Scissor Sisters,” a statement on how men often view lesbian sex as exaggerated entertainment for their own pleasure.…
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Gender Infinity is a transgender- and gender-variant-focused conference that takes place annually in Houston, Texas. This year, it spans the weekend of October 5-6, with both days crammed full of programming that caters to the specific needs of the trans and gender-diverse population. Now in their eighth year, the conference offers workshops, discussions, community and health education, and keynote speakers on hot topics that are affecting the gender-diverse population, and specifically has included many spaces for the queer Black, indigenous, Latinx,…
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When I was a kid, I wanted to be a veterinarian. After that, I wanted to be a teacher. I even thought I might be a theatre dramaturg or production assistant for a while. But life didn’t pan out that way for me—I didn’t find my true passion of writing until adulthood. Others, like out fashion designer Nicholas Nguyen, have had their eyes on the prize from day one. “When I was a kid, I used to go into my…
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