You can tell that Jaime Harker loves her job. I first learned about this scholar of the queer South through her brilliant 2018 study, The Lesbian South: Southern Feminists, the Women in Print Movement, and the Queer Literary Canon. When she’s recounting a tale from the adventurous, unapologetic southern lesbian literary cultures of the 1970s to 1990s that her book documents, her whole face lights up. Her buoyant enthusiasm shines through as she gestures avidly, grinning ear to ear, pumping…
Continue Reading
On the season one finale of the Asking for a Friend podcast, host Dr. Laura McGuire sits down with Agnes Jimenez, sexuality educator, doula, and Marine Corps veteran, to discuss her experiences growing up as a Puerto Rican lesbian in the military, how she found her calling as a sex educator, and how she’s actively fighting the generational stigma around sex and sexuality within Hispanic and Latinx communities. Agnes Jimenez (she/her) is a sexuality educator, is of Taina Afro-Caribbean descent,…
Continue Reading
Jennifer Jeffries, along with her wife and business partner, Ashley Jeffries, recently launched Jen and Juice Juicery in Houston. Jen and Juice Juicery, a name inspired by the catchy hook in Snoop Dogg’s 1994 song “Gin and Juice,” promotes health and wellness with their made-to-order cold-pressed juices filled with fresh vegetables and fruits. From apples and celery to beets and carrots, Jennifer hopes the nutrients from the juices also heal her community. “[We aren’t juicing] for people to lose weight,”…
Continue Reading
The article describes two women, Adele Densmore, 21, and Ruth Latham, 18, the former of whom presented masculine (in her brother’s clothing). The two of them lived in nearby St. Joseph, Missouri and, per the article, were a romantic couple for all intents and purposes. There is some confusion, though. For example, the piece describes Densmore as the one who preferred to dress in men’s clothing, while the accompanying sketches label Latham as the one wearing a top hat with…
Continue Reading
I have always loved God. Yes, at times, I couldn’t stand to be around organized religion. And yes, at times, I even wanted to embrace Agnosticism or Atheism, simply because of the pain I felt from having religion weaponized against me. But even still, I could not escape the joy and validity of my relationship with the divine. As I have made peace with my queerness, I have also begun to re-embrace those aspects of religion and the church that…
Continue Reading
In late January, InPrint Houston, an Houston-based, non-profit organization that supports writers and readers of fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction, hosted a dual memoir event with Carmen Maria Machado, author of In the Dream House, and Carolyn Forché, author of What You Have Heard is True. The event was moderated by Daniel Pena, a faculty member at the University of Houston Downtown, as a part of InPrint’s Root Brown Reading Series. Machado and Forché discussed creating memoirs through traumatic events—Machado…
Continue Reading
On this Valentine’s Day, many of us find ourselves dreaming of finding that special someone who will make life that much sweeter. Five years ago, I had the honor of meeting two amazing women who found and have sustained that sweetness in one another—both as a couple, and as the founders of the South Daytona–based chocolaterie, Sappho Chocolates.…
Continue Reading
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…
Continue Reading
Singer and songwriter Eli Prier sees themself and their music as an instrument of change. “My message is that you can be powerful and change the world,” Prier says. “To do that, you must find the power inside yourself, focus it, and use it to create change. I see music and performance as a platform for change and I try to get my messages across through the songs I write and the performances I give.” …
Continue Reading
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.;…
Continue Reading
