We all know voting matters. Our elected officials have direct impacts on our lives, especially at the local level. But being transgender can often lead to anxiety when it is time to cast your vote. I’m lucky enough to have voted without incident for several years, but I know that many in our community can’t…
New Program Seeks to Improve Health of Trans Texans
A collaborative effort initiated between the Texas Health Institute and the Equality Texas Foundation will work to improve the health of transgender, gender non-binary, and intersex Texans. The new program, the Texas Transgender Health Program, aims to address the fact that when compared to the general population, transgender people disproportionately lack affordable health services and…
After Months of Controversy, Texas Bathroom Bill Dies Quietly
By Alexa Ura, The Texas Tribune August 16, 2017 In the end, the controversial bathroom bill went quietly. For more than a year, Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick led the crusade for a state law to regulate bathroom use for transgender Texans — an initiative that resonated with social conservatives, including many pastors, who backed…
Bathroom Bill Debate Highlights Barriers to Updating Birth Certificate in Texas
By Alexa Ura, The Texas Tribune July 31, 2017 Though he tries to avoid restrooms “at all costs,” high school student Jason Foster says they’re sometimes unavoidable at school. Leander Independent School District requires students to use bathrooms based on their birth certificates. For Foster, who is transgender, that means using a gender-neutral bathroom or…
Texas lawmakers, “bathroom bill” opponents prepare for round two
By Alexa Ura, The Texas Tribune June 6, 2017 Among the Elder family’s dinnertime conversations last year was nailing down which sports their son Ben wanted to try out over the summer. This summer, another conversation topic — whether their 11-year-old transgender son will lose the right to use the boys’ bathroom at school —…
SA Activists Set to Protest Reversal of Protections for Trans Students
A decision by the Trump administration to rescind protections for transgender students has hit home with San Antonio LGBT activists who are ready to take to the streets to protest the decision. The rescinded policy originated with the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice. It emphasized there is no “medical or mental health diagnosis or…
And the Genitalia Fixation Award Goes to . . . Dan Patrick!
What do you give someone who focuses like a laser beam on LGBT inequality? Well, the Stonewall Democrats of San Antonio have come up with the perfect honorarium: the Genitalia Fixation Award, which this year will be given to Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick at the group’s annual banquet on Saturday, September 24. Stonewall created…
Trans Activist Lou Weaver is Keynote Speaker for Stonewall Banquet
The Stonewall Democrats of San Antonio announced that transgender activist Lou Weaver will be the keynote speaker for their annual awards banquet on September 24. Weaver, who lives in Houston, is a transgender man who serves as Equality Texas’ first transgender programs coordinator. He is also active in his hometown’s LGBT community and is a…
TransVisible Project Introduced in Rio Grande Valley
A public awareness awareness campaign to introduce transgender Texans to communities all over the state was rolled-out on August 11 in the Rio Grande Valley. The campaign, the TransVisible Project, was introduced at a press conference by officials from Equality Texas, state Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa and Aqui Estamos, an LGBT activist group headquartered in…
Local Bartender’s Photo Suggests Trans Customers Pee in Bucket
A bartender at a local sports bar posted a picture on his Facebook page of a bucket with a sign thumbtacked above it that reads, “transgender bathroom.” Above the photo he suggested the bar is mindful of “social issues.” The photo, which started circulating on Facebook at around 11 p.m. on May 17, was posted by Brett…