The Mayor’s LGBTQ Advisory Committee is challenging the City of San Antonio’s “neutral” stance on Senate Bill 15, a measure currently under consideration in the Texas Senate which would prohibit the local regulation of private employers. On its face, SB 15 would prohibit cities from requiring that private companies offer paid sick leave and other…
Mayor Nirenberg and LGBTQ Advisory Committee to Hold Town Hall
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg announced today that he will be holding a town hall meeting on February 19 in conjunction with his LGBTQ Advisory Committee. According to the Facebook announcement, the Mayor and the Advisory Committee will be having “a discussion on the issues affecting the community.” The event, which is dubbed “Mayor Nirenberg’s…
Transgender Awareness Forum Scheduled in Advance of Premier of Opera ‘As One’
Since its New York premiere in 2014, Laura Kaminsky’s chamber opera As One has earned significant buzz while challenging the often-overstuffed confines of opera itself. Counted by Opera America as “the most produced new opera in North America” and dubbed by the Los Angeles Times as “the every(wo)man transgender opera,” it employs a minimalist cast…
DreamWeek Celebrates Seventh Anniversary With Over 200 Events
Now in its seventh year, the DreamWeek Summit, which this year takes place from January 11 to 26, is a series of events that focus on fostering “the free exchange of ideas on universal issues affecting the human race.” The ultimate goal of DreamWeek is to advance “the voices of tolerance, equality and diversity.” Over…
2018 In Review: A Year in the Life of LGBT SA
A select month-by-month recap of stories about our community reported here and elsewhere in 2018. JANUARY MCC SA Pastor Resigns From Denomination’s Board After Firing of Black Female Elder Rev. William of H. Knight, pastor of MCC SA, resigned from the governing board of the Universal Federation of Metropolitan Community Churches after the firing of…
Mayor Nirenberg Says He’s ‘Grateful’ for Proposition A’s Defeat
In a statement issued on November 7, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg says he is “proud and grateful” for the defeat of Proposition A, which was rejected by 54 percent of voters. If Proposition A had passed, it would have lengthened the amount of time needed to collect signatures for referenda, and reduce the number…
SA Trans Activist Petitions Tobin Center to Cancel Appearance by Anti-LGBT Lecturer
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. A San Antonio transgender activist has started a Change.org petition asking the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts to cancel the October 10 speaking appearance of Jordan B. Peterson, the conservative pop psychologist known for inflammatory statements about LGBT people and . . . well, just about everyone…
Study of Resiliency in San Antonio’s LGBTQ Community Enters Next Phase
Last September, three professionals from San Antonio were chosen to conduct a research project with the theme, “Building a Stronger Community: Resilience Among LGBTQ People in South Texas.” This week, that team announced their study was moving into the next phase, one that involves interviewing community members. The trio from San Antonio is one of…
Mayor’s LGBTQ Advisory Committee Set to Meet for First Time
Members of San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg’s newly-appointed LGBTQ Advisory Committee are set to have their first meeting on Thursday, May 31 at the Central Library Auditorium. The gathering marks the first time the mayor will have the opportunity to meet the 15 members of the committee face to face since they were chosen. Future…
Fifteen Named to Mayor Nirenberg’s LGBTQ Advisory Committee
Fifteen San Antonio citizens have been named to Mayor Ron Nirenberg’s LGBTQ Advisory Committee. The finalists were chosen from almost 200 applicants who were required to fill out an application that was widely distributed throughout the community in March. Applications were reviewed by the selection committee which was comprised of community members Gregory Casillas, Phillip…