María Salazar, president of Orgüllo de San Antonio, LGBTQ LULAC Council #2219, issued the following statement on June 29. Orgüllo de San Antonio, LGBTQ LULAC Council #22198 provided emergency food assistance to families and individuals in response to the COVID-19 health crisis. “We know COVID19 is affecting all of us, but in these trying times,…
Something for Everyone Slated for San Antonio’s Pride Bigger Than Texas Virtual Celebration
Last May, organizers of the Pride Bigger Than Texas Festival and Parade announced that both events would be replaced by a virtual celebration to be aired on the Pride San Antonio Facebook page and YouTube channel on Saturday, June 27. “In an effort to maximize the safety and well-being of our community and to continue…
Pegasus Bar to Close Temporarily After Several Patrons Test Positive for Coronavirus
The management of the Pegasus nightclub, which is located on the Main Avenue Strip, announced on Monday, June 22 that it will close for a few days to sanitize the bar after several patrons tested positive for the coronavirus. The announcement claims that the virus “. . . not only affects us but has been…
University of Texas Researchers Seek Participants for Statewide LGBTQ Covid-19 Survey
Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin, with the local participation of Pride Center San Antonio and Texas Pride Impact Funds, are seeking participants for a statewide survey to ascertain the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the LGBTQ community. The survey, which was initiated on May 4, seeks to understand the concerns and…
Progressive Religious Organizations of San Antonio to Host Virtual Pride Interfaith Service
On June 14, Progressive Religious Organizations of San Antonio (PRO SA) will host an interfaith service, Pride: Claiming our Faiths, a virtual celebration where LGBTQ worshipers of different faiths will come together for music, history, reflections, and a virtual social gathering on Zoom afterwards. PRO SA is a network of clergy and lay people concerned…
Texas Attorney Gen. Ken Paxton’s Letter to City of Austin Supersedes Local LGBTQ Hiring Law
On May 12, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton wrote a letter of warning to the mayors and county judges of the Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio metropolitan areas saying that local officials could not impose stricter Covid-19 restrictions than those mandated by Governor Greg Abbott. However, in a letter to the City of Austin and…
Gina Ortiz Jones Listens to the Experts – and Voters – on COVID-19
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. Democratic nominee Gina Ortiz Jones hasn’t been elected to serve the people of Texas’ 23rd Congressional District. Even so, the COVID-19 crisis has inspired her to open a virtual field office to help residents connect to health care and financial resources. “We are stepping up and, in many…
San Antonio Florist David Garcia’s No. 9 Shop Joins the Jigsaw Game
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. Googling the words “puzzle” and “pandemic” these days returns headlines such as “People are Curbing Their Stay-at-Home Anxiety the Analog Way: With Puzzles” from CNN. Meanwhile the Wall Street Journal posted “Coronavirus Means Everyone Wants Jigsaw Puzzles. Good Luck Buying One.” An odd example of collective consciousness in…
Organizers Replace Pride Bigger Than Texas Festival and Parade With Virtual Celebration
Pride San Antonio, organizers of the Pride Bigger Than Texas Festival and Parade, announced on May 1 that both events, slated for June 27, will be replaced by a virtual celebration instead. A statement sent to Out In SA from James Poindexter, board secretary of Pride S.A. says, “The Board of Directors of Pride San…
Live Oak City Councilman and Husband Die Two Days Apart from Coronavirus
Anthony Brooks, a three-term city councilman in the San Antonio suburb of Live Oak, and Phillip Tsai-Brooks, his husband, died two days apart after contracting the coronavirus. The couple had been married since March of 2014. Brooks, 42, died on April 12 and Tsai-Brooks, 52, died on April 14. Both men were treated at Northeast Methodist…