Attacks on transgender and gender expansive individuals stem directly from a lack of knowledge and understanding. This ignorance has found its way into places like state capitol buildings and schools, where it affects the most vulnerable individuals—children. Education is the key to combating this issue, and—with the release of their groundbreaking book, The Gender Affirmative Model: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Supporting Transgender and Gender Expansive Children—Dr. Colt Keo-Meier and Dr. Diane Ehrensaft aim to provide such education in a way…
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At first glance, my upbringing was unremarkable. I grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas, a Padre Island beach baby. I was firmly white upper-middle class. My mother was white collar, a second-wave feminist trial attorney who carried me in her womb during her last nine months of law school. My father was blue collar, a master electrician and a newly-recovering alcoholic who likes to constantly remind me that I am an eighth-generation Texan. Our ancestors settled here from the Czech…
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Twenty-year-old Spencer Ray is rooted deep in the heart of East Texas. While he’s entering his senior year as a business management student at Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches, Ray has found more than a career path in the Piney Woods—he’s found pride and strength in his identity as a bisexual, transgender man.…
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The crew sits down with their pal Naushaba Patel, Women's and Trans Health Education and Outreach Specialist at The Montrose Center, to talk sex, sexuality, and accepting yourself.…
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I first heard about On Being in Your Body (OBIYB) while I was working with a client of mine who identifies as a gender non-conforming queer. We were talking about our positive experiences and connections via Instagram and she couldn’t stop singing the praises of this project to help womxn, queer, and non-binary humans to reclaim their bodies through art, writing, and human connection.…
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High school sophomore Niko Gonzalez is a one-man revolution. At age 16, this openly trans and gay teenager is sending ripples through his Catholic school and diocese, challenging restroom regulation, and simultaneously paving the way for future generations of queer students.…
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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…
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Rarely do theatres in Houston offer rich experimental plays that depart starkly from the theatrical canon. But The Catastrophic Theatre, building upon its tradition of producing work that “will destroy you,” is premiering a play that is experimental and queer. The company, housed in the MATCH through the facility’s residency program, has consistently produced harrowing works, from Sam Shepard’s Buried Child to Eugene Ionesco’s Rhinoceros. But Leap and the Net Will Appear, which premiered on February 9 and runs through…
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Our queer hearts are swelling because OUTsider returns to Austin this Valentine’s Day weekend, February 14 to 18. The queer transmedia festival, known for pushing artistic boundaries, meshes all creative disciplines (film, performances, music, writing, and visual art) for a provocative, out-of-the-box experience.…
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“It’s the last jam of the 2017 championship...two minutes left, your HRD Brawlers and undefeated Psych Ward Sirens are neck and neck...get on your feet, Houston!” veteran Houston Roller Derby announcer Scarlet O’Hurtya yells out with anxious enthusiasm. Wild cheers from fans vibrate Revention Music Center. My ears are ringing, my legs are throbbing from jumping up and down, and my homemade poster is ripped at each side from my clenched fists. Brawler jammer Arrak-Kiss and Siren jammer Black Lung…
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