Organizers at Pride Center San Antonio are busy readying two fundraising events, the Emerald Ball on May 25 and the Icon Awards Brunch on June 2. The eighth annual Emerald Ball will be held this year at Woodlawn Pointe. The variety show, which is organized by photographer Julián P. Ledezma, who is on the Pride…
San Antonio Research Facility to Collaborate on Developing HIV Vaccine
The National Institutes of Health has awarded $8.67 million to Texas Biomedical Research Institute in San Antonio and Mymetics Corporation of Switzerland to collaborate on the development of an HIV vaccine. Mymetics, a Swiss-based biotechnology company which has a research lab in the Netherlands, focuses on the development of next-generation preventative vaccines for infectious and…
San Antonio Opera Impressario Mark Richter has Died
Mark Richter, the founding artistic director of the Alamo City Opera, died on April 28 at the age of 51. Over the course of his career, Richter produced over 100 operatic productions in San Antonio. During his life he led the Pocket Opera, the Lyric Opera of San Antonio, the Opera Piccola and the Alamo…
Rep. Garnet Coleman Seeks to Add Gender Identity to Texas Hate Crimes Law
State Rep. Garnet Coleman (D-Houston) held a press conference at the State Capitol on April 29 to announce he is introducing a bill to add gender identity to the list of protected classes in the state’s hate crimes law. The James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Act was passed by the State Legislature in 2001. The…
Gene Elder, San Antonio Artist, Writer and Activist, is Dead at 69
San Antonio artist Gene Elder who had a long career as an artist, writer, activist and most recently as the archivist at the Happy Foundation, died on April 28 at the age of 69 after a months-long battle with cancer. Elder revealed his cancer diagnosis to his friends in an email last September and kept…
Three Republican Bills Which Threaten Local NDO’s to Receive Hearings in Texas House
Three bills that prohibit cities from regulating how an employer distributes benefits, healthcare, and paid leave, and which also contain provisions that could threaten the enforcement of local nondiscrimination ordinances, are slated to be heard by the Texas House State Affairs Committee on Wednesday, May 1. The three bills (SB 2485, SB 2486, and SB…
Victory Fund Endorses Trans Candidate Frankie Gonzales-Wolfe for City Council District 8
The LGBTQ Victory Fund, the only national organization dedicated to “electing LGBTQ leaders to public office,” has endorsed trans candidate, Frankie Gonzales-Wolfe for the San Antonio City Council’s District 8 seat. Gonzales-Wolfe was one of 17 openly LGBTQ candidates who the Victory Fund endorsed during this election cycle. The endorsements represent the Victory Fund’s commitment…
Councilwoman Ana Sandoval Wants to Change the Climate at City Hall
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. Around 2002, Ana Sandoval was on the cusp of a life-changing decision. She was living what might appear to be a perfect life in San Francisco, complete with a postcard view of the Golden Gate Bridge from outside her apartment building. Opposite, she could see cable cars coasting…
Screenwriter Dustin Lance Black will be in San Antonio for Screening of ‘Milk’
Dustin Lance Black, the Academy Award winning screenwriter of Milk, will be in San Antonio on May 6 for a special showing of the movie and the launch of his new book, Mama’s Boy. Milk chronicles the story of of San Francisco gay rights activist and politician Harvey Milk, the first openly LGBTQ person to…
Early Voting Starts Today — Are You Ready?
Early voting for the May 4 municipal election begins on Monday, April 2 and ends Tuesday, April 30. This year’s election includes races for mayor and all ten City Council districts. There are nine candidates running in District 1; eight in District 2; seven in District 3; two in District 4; four in District 5;…