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. …
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. …
I’ve lived in Texas my entire life—nearly 25 years, a quarter of a century. I love Texas. It’s in my blood and bones. I live for the margaritas and tacos, the inflated sense of ego, the trips to H-E-B, and the bright orange Whataburger cups. I even like the heat. The first day of spring, when the temperature creeps over 90 degrees, reminds me of being wrapped in a familiar blanket. The only problem is that I don’t know how…
I turn off the rumbling window air conditioning unit at my apartment. It hasn’t worked in weeks, and I’m finally ready to come to terms with it. I open up the windows to my apartment, a building I tell people is 100 years old, but if I’m being honest, I don’t know if that’s true or not. I feel a breeze—warm, of course. It sweeps through the middle of my studio apartment, making my unopened mail join my dirty laundry…
20-year-old Alex Yoon was shocked the first time they saw an elderly gay couple kiss in San Antonio, Texas. But their reaction didn’t stem from homophobia. Rather, this was the first time Yoon realized that “queer and trans people can grow up and get old. They’re out there existing and thriving. Queer and trans people can become successful adults.”…
Pride can take many forms. It can come from receiving a perfect score on an exam you’ve studied all night for; landing that dream job; or even from smaller victories, such as simply managing to make your bed in the morning. Yet, finding pride in ourselves, in our very being, identity, and personhood, doesn’t always come as easily—it is hard earned and often a long time coming. This sentiment rings true for Houstonian Kelly Sanders, who, like many queer people, did…
It was our spot—a small table for two, nestled right against the partition dividing the bar from the rest of the restaurant’s clientele. The order was always the same: two chicken Cobb salads, and an order of cheese fries with bacon to start. The waiters knew our names, and always asked us how we were doing with sincerity. It was our spot.…
In December 2018, Houston-based musician Hank Honey teased us with his first single, “Better Than This,” the precursor to his May 2019 EP release, Taste & Passion. The latter is a collection of earworms that offers the artist range, while insisting the listener get up and dance.…
For most of my life, the word “too” held great weight. It was the weapon used against me, the chain that held me down, the prison in which I felt trapped, and the sentence I believed I was given for my crimes, for being the person that I am. I’d hear the hushed whispers from the other boys in my class. My face felt flush and warm. The feelings of embarrassment and shame were pumped from every nervous heartbeat to the…
On Saturday May 4, the Denton, Texas–based musical group Spectrum Ensemble made their debut with their specially curated show, A New Light, at Denton’s Black Box Performing Arts Center. “The energy in the room was magnetic,” Jaime Esposito, co-founder of the group, says of the intimate show, which had about 60 people in attendance. “It was exhilarating and the most fun performing I had ever experienced.”…
