Browsing Tag

Texas

Finding Faith in the Democratic Party

Posted on February 28, 2018

A photo of James Lee, a gay man of faith.

For far too long, conservatives have claimed a monopoly on faith. And if the past few years are any indication, they aren’t letting up any time soon. Republican lawmakers are having a renewed romance with discrimination under the guise of religious freedom. From religious refusals in healthcare and discrimination in adoption procedures to the right to refuse service in business, there seems to be an unending assault on equality in the name of faith. I think it’s time Democrats push back…

If I Were Texas Governor…

Posted on February 16, 2018

It's now been several weeks since that historic election, the one that made me the first Black female governor of the Lone Star State. It also makes me the first Democratic governor since Ann Richards held the office from 1991 to 1995. The shock of election night has since worn off. The election is certified, the interviews are done, and I spend the runup to Inauguration Day learning the nuts and bolts of the position. I must be prepared to…

Spectrum South Snapshot #4: Laura Bullard and Kayla E.

Posted on February 5, 2018

I identify as a queer, southern, Indigenous American woman. My father is Indigenous American and my mother is of European descent (my maternal grandmother would want you to know that she's Czech and makes an excellent stuffed cabbage). I am an enrolled member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, a tribe that is currently and actively fighting a 130-year-old battle for federal recognition.…

Reclaiming Roots: Sin Muros Theatre Festival Puts Queer Latinx Talent Center Stage

Posted on January 29, 2018

A photo of Josh Inocéncio performing Purple Eyes at Sin Muros Latino Theatre Festival.

Texas Latinx talent takes center stage this February 1 through 4 at Houston’s Stages Repertory Theatre during the inaugural Sin Muros Theatre Festival. Headlining this four-day event is the world premiere of the ancestral autobiography Purple Eyes, written and performed by queer Latino playwright Josh Inocéncio. Inocéncio, who is also a member of the Sin Muros task force committee, speaks on the festival’s intent. “We were looking to consciously represent diversity. A Latin theatre festival that pushes for female voices,…

The Queer Southern Wedding I Didn’t Need to Throw

Posted on January 8, 2018

A photo of Sasha Lamprea and Natalie Arrevalo's queer southern wedding.

I spent most of 2017 planning (and secretly dreading) a queer southern wedding. My partner and I were together for nearly seven years before getting engaged, and a full eight before the actual wedding. We went through undergrad, grad school, four apartments, three cats, two dogs, countless trips together, an infinite number of laughs and tears, and more than a handful of awkward family moments before getting to the alter. …

Transouthern Youth: Meet Gwen Lambert

Posted on January 3, 2018

A photo of non-binary transouthern youth Gwen Lambert.

Gwen Lambert believes in trying on labels. As part of their gender exploration, they’ve adopted several labels, only to find most didn’t fit quite right. Now, at age 18, the high school senior has finally found comfort and confidence in their identity as a non-binary, bisexual person.…

A Long and Winding Road: Finding The Way As A Queer Christian

Posted on December 24, 2017

Like water and oil, Christianity and LGBTQ identity are often seen as separate and impossible to mix. But for southerner Sam Fagan, her faith and queerness are both equal, essential parts to her holistic identity. While she admits the process is ongoing and has not been easy, Fagan has found a way to reconcile the two and finds peace in the balance.…

All This and Heaven Too: San Antonio Retrospective Celebrates Gay, HIV-Positive Artist Chuck Ramirez

Posted on December 14, 2017

A photo of gay artist Chuck Ramirez, whose retrospective, All This and Heaven Too, is at the McNay Art Museum.

Sometimes, less is more. That can certainly be said about the life and creations of openly gay artist Chuck Ramirez. His work has been described as a form of photographic minimalism created in the span of a relatively brief but productive period (1995-2010). Ramirez’s death following a cycling accident at age 48 shook the arts community, but seven years later, his artistic stock continues to rise as collectors and museums around the country become privy to his many accomplishments.…

A Place to Call Home: Finding Peace in My Queer Jewish Identity

Posted on December 12, 2017

A photo of queer Jewish Houstonian Brittany Weinstein

When my family celebrates Hanukkah, I know two things to be true every year: I will eat entirely too much and I will be interrogated like a criminal suspect. I don’t have a single family member or Jewish friend who hasn’t been asked, “So when are you going to marry a nice Jewish boy?” What am I supposed to say to that? “Well bubbe, I actually have a live-in girlfriend. We’ve been together for five years. We sleep in the…

If Only We Could Remember: Being Queer and Indigenous in the South

Posted on November 15, 2017

A photo of queer indigenous activist Eydka Chilomé.

I am an unapologetic queer indigenous femme woman, activist, artist, and educator with hair on my legs and under my armpits. I currently live in a place called Texas where I bear witness to police killings, klan/neo-nazi rallies, confederate flags, and trump propaganda—essentially white supremacy wrapped in the violently-appropriated indigenous Mexican aesthetic of the “cowboy.” Today, the u.s. South yells the same war cry that my ancestors have heard over and over again—a proud declaration of settler colonialism. …

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