If you truly know Houston, you know there’s no denying our ranking as a national contender in the competitive visual arts dominion. The city is continuously abuzz with new and up-and-coming gallery openings, exhibitions, and alternative art collectives. What often gets left out of the picture, however, is the avant-garde, activist-inspired, trailblazing, and authentic performance art scene. This repertoire is the city’s best-kept secret—one that deserves to be exposed and given some long-overdue recognition. At the heart of this scene is…
Houston
Growing Up Black and Queer: The Catastrophic Theatre Presents Robert O’Hara’s ‘Bootycandy’
Posted on February 5, 2019Recent years have seen a rise in mainstream discussions centered on queer Black masculinity. Frank Ocean’s lyrics hinted at his queerness before the rapper opened up about the subject. Actress and writer Issa Rae’s Insecure questioned how women view Black men who have had sexual experiences with other men. Jaden Smith disrupted traditional notions of masculinity by playing with gender presentation before ultimately coming out as queer in 2018. And, perhaps the most landmark cultural production about the subject, director…
Photo Recap: Spectrum South’s Veer Queer Season 4 Kickoff
Posted on January 31, 2019Spectrum South and Veer Queer have officially joined forces to bring you more queer southern content each month! To celebrate, we hosted a live event to kick off the podcast’s brand-new season on January 24, 2019, at Sharespace Preston. Hosts Julien Gomez, Mai Ha, and Endesha Haynes sat down with special guest Jessica Zyrie for a conversation on her experience as a trans model, QTPOC activism, and southern roots.…
Figures in the Shadows: Finding Queer Representation in Film Noir with Artist Jade Yumang
Posted on January 24, 2019Jade Yumang grew up as free a spirit as they come. Bouncing around his mother’s beauty salon in the Philippines while his father worked overseas, Yumang was allowed to be as openly himself as he wanted. The majority of his mother’s friends and salon coworkers were queer and, for a young boy and budding artist discovering himself, this environment was more than favorable for his personal growth.…
#SpectrumScavenger: A Scavenger Hunt to Discover Houston’s Hidden Public Art
Posted on January 11, 2019Attention adventurers, fortune hunters, and explorers! Let’s try something new together—and if it works out, we just may make it a regular thing. I want to help you uncover some of Houston’s most spectacular (but relatively hidden) public art. But naturally, there’s a price. Instead of just telling you where to go and what you’ll find, I thought I’d take you on a spirited scavenger hunt across the city. So carve out some time, follow the given clues, and go…
Episode 20: And That’s a Wrap!
Posted on December 30, 2018Veer Queer welcomes Koomah of the Houston Intersex Society to discuss and deconstruct misconceptions about the intersex community.…
Finding Solutions: Gender-Nonconforming Artist Cassils Demands Reverence for Trans Bodies
Posted on December 26, 2018Well, I can now say that I’ve witnessed what an art installation of 200 gallons of swirling piss looks like. The epic, birthday-suited, gender-nonconforming, mid-career artist behind the installation, Cassils, is a modern-day Midas, transforming this once-ordinary vessel into a golden glory that cannot be missed.…
6 LGBTQIA Texans Who Stood up to the Trump Administration in 2018
Posted on December 19, 2018“Resist” has been the name of the game this year for LGBTQ Texans living under the Trump administration and statewide Republican leadership. But resisting isn’t just about protests and voting. Sure, those two forms of expression are crucial, but I’ve learned that there are countless other ways to resist and fight back.…
Finding God While Gay: ‘Bubbles’ Offers LGBTQ-Inclusive Bible Study in Houston
Posted on December 14, 2018This week, Bible study was held at a home on La Branch Street in Houston. In two weeks, when the next one is held, it will be elsewhere, hosted by another member of the group. The thread that weaves each event together is community effort—affirmation, your relationship with your Creator, and of course, champagne.…
Queer Dance Theory: On Smashing the Heteropatriarchy, Creating Body- and Sex-Positive Dances, and What it Means to be a Queer Artist
Posted on November 30, 2018I recently attended a Choreographers' Forum at Houston's 2018 Dance Salad Festival. The panel consisted of two gay male choreographers and one straight female choreographer. During the question and answer portion of the evening, I stood up and asked the artists if they had choreographed any work that explored queer experience and romantic relationships. Given how common love duets are in dance, I expected at least one or both of the gay choreographers to name queer-themed works they had created.…