Browsing Tag

Houston

The Hot Towel: This QPOC-Owned Barber Shop is Cutting Out Homophobia

Posted on September 25, 2019
A photo of the Hot Towel staff.

Walk into the Hot Towel, an all-female-run, queer-owned, full-service barber shop (stylized as ‘Barb*Her’) located in Houston’s Uptown/Galleria area, and you’re immediately struck by the space’s comfortable and relaxing vibe. Even more so, you’re hit with the overwhelming sense of love among its team members. It’s clear that the Hot Towel isn’t a one-woman show centered around owner Tinisha Cox; it’s a place of genuine comradery. This feeling was confirmed when I reached out to Cox for an interview. She…

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The Houston Queer (Art) Agenda

Posted on September 18, 2019
A photo of queer art.

Well, here’s my gay agenda—surprise, it’s art-based. I’m here to disrupt your mundane arts and culture happenings to bring you the latest leading queer-lensed creative endeavors. Warning—there’s nothing subtle about the queerness of these events. It’s just not in our nature.…

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Hyphen Boutique: Empowering Community Through Gender-Inclusive Threads

Posted on September 11, 2019
A photo of clothes from Hyphen Boutique.

Boutiques around the world are full of sounds—of swiping credit cards, clacking cash registers, and excited murmurs of customers. This consumer concerto is more than transactional, however. Each exchange, each experience, contributes to the overall relationship being built between a shop and its patrons. “There’s no reason why we can’t connect with people through our clothing,” says Blake Mudd, founder of Hyphen Boutique, a Houston-based gender-inclusive and size-inclusive clothing brand. “I think a lot of people look at shopping as…

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Last Woman Standing: Where Have All The Lesbian Bars Gone? And Are They Coming Back?

Posted on August 23, 2019
A photo of Julie Mabry, owner of Pearl Bar in Houston.

There is an obvious lack of safe lesbian bars and queer nightlife spots for femmes and lesbians in Houston. This is not just a regional issue, but a ubiquitous, nationwide setback. After scouring the Internet, I could only confidently identify 10 bars in the entire United States (now don’t crucify me if I’ve missed one) that were demarcated as lesbian bars. You read me right: Su Ellen’s in Dallas; Henrietta Hudson in New York; League of Her Own in D.C.;…

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Important Intersections: Dr. Jess Waggoner Teaches First Transgender Studies Course at University of Houston

Posted on August 21, 2019
A photo of Dr. Jess Waggoner.

Growing up in rural Alabama was difficult for University of Houston professor Dr. Jess Waggoner. Yet, despite being surrounded by gendered expectations, they persevered and found ways to express themselves as a young, queer, non-binary person. In particular, singing in church and reading were ways they could be momentarily free. “As a fat, femme, disabled, non-binary scholar with a deep love for glitter, crop-tops, bolo ties, and camp, finding my place in the academy has not always been easy,” says…

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Photo Recap: QFest 2019 Opening Night Presented By Spectrum South

Posted on August 14, 2019

The Opening Night of QFest Houston 2019, presented by Spectrum South, was held on Wednesday, July 24 at Rice Cinema. The evening included a screening of Jennie Livingston’s revolutionary film Paris is Burning (1990), and an after party of drinks, dancing, mixing and mingling, and performances by Stoo (feat. Luis Cerda and Ricky Lethridge) and emcee Roxanne Collins.…

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The 2019 Houston Mayoral Race: Where Candidates Stand on LGBTQ Issues

Posted on August 2, 2019
A photo of the Pride Forum with Houston mayoral candidates.

On August 1, the Pride Forum, a non-partisan collaboration between several LGBTQ organizations in Houston, took the stage at Texas Southern University’s Jesse H. Jones School of Business. Though it was balmy outside, the heat of the mayoral race was nowhere to be found—yet. Seven hopefuls met with moderators Emmett Schelling and LaKeia Ferreira-Spady to discuss the issues most important to the LGBTQ community.…

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Coming Up to and Above The Surface: Finding Strength in My Non-Binary Identity

Posted on July 25, 2019
A photo of non-binary Houstonian Jayce Tyler.

The first time I “came out,” it was more of being pulled out. My parents had just discovered I was gay and the world turned upside down. My father was angry with me, but I couldn’t understand why because he has a lesbian sister and a gay brother. My mother simply ignored me. I spent the next few years silencing the things about myself that I knew my parents would never understand. …

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Coffee (and Cherries) with Jonathan Caouette, in Three Acts

Posted on July 22, 2019
A photo of Jonathan Caouette in Tarnation.

You send your partner a text: Tell me if this piece isn’t good enough. I need this to be as perfect as it can be. Your partner knows the significance of this piece because shortly after the two of you met, you fangirled out over its subject and maker, Jonathan Caouette’s indefinable, hybrid, crossgenre, tour-de-force film Tarnation—a capsule of a young queer artist’s relationship to himself, his childhood (and adulthood) in Houston (and New York), his sexuality, but most of all,…

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Genderqueer Artist Stoo’s New Album ‘Supersuit’ Is A Real Catch

Posted on July 19, 2019
A photo of genderqueer artist Stoo.

In 2018, Houston-based genderqueer artist Stoo was ruminating over their intentions as a solo artist. Stoo’s music career had jumpstated with Bling St., a musical duo collaboration between Stoo and Luis Cerda. The duo’s EP, Costume, was unanimously well received, but the band eventually split, leaving Stoo with the freedom to develop their own voice and aesthetic. …

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