The end of summer marks the beginning of fundraising season for organizations in San Antonio’s LGBT community. While events are held year-round, the fall and winter are when many local nonprofits schedule fundraisers and signature events. The first weekend of autumn will feature the BEAT AIDS Annual Banquet marking its 30th anniversary on September 22…
Anti-LGBT Group Texas Values Protests SAISD’s Nondiscrimination Policy Changes
The anti-LGBT group Texas Values is protesting changes made on August 21 to the nondiscrimination policy of the San Antonio Independent School District which now includes protections for sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. Jonathan Saenz, the president of Texas Values, was the featured speaker at a protest rally with about 15 people in…
Queer Comedy Queens in SA for One-Night-Only Gig
Comedienne Poppy Champlin is coming back to San Antonio on September 20 with her unique comedy revue, The Queer Queens of Qomedy, and she’s bringing with two funny women — Jen Kober and Sandra Valls — with her. The show will be on stage at the Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club. Headlining the Queen‘s tour…
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…
Mayor Nirenberg Appoints Liaison to LGBT Community
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg announced on September 6 that he is appointing a liaison to the LGBT community. Juany Torres, who currently serves as senior policy advisor and director of community engagement in the Office of the Mayor, will serve as the point of contact between Nirenberg and the LGBT community. “Our entire city…
Thousands of Young LGBT Immigrants in Texas DACA Program Face Deportation
There are approximately 6,000 LGBT immigrants among the 134,000 individuals in Texas who enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, according to a study by the Williams Institute. All of these people now face deportation after U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced on Tuesday that the DACA program is being terminated. The…
Right Wing Homophobes Line Up to Declare Harvey is Houston’s Punishment
It seems that whenever there’s a natural disaster there is no shortage of right wing zealots who come out of the woodwork to declare that LGBT people are the cause God’s wrath. Hurricane Harvey has been no exception. Kevin Swanson Kevin Swanson is a pastor in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and broadcaster from Colorado who…
A New Adobe Studio for MujerArtes
The women of the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center’s MujerArtes clay cooperative have reason to celebrate with the opening of their new studio — a building made entirely compressed earth blocks, otherwise known as adobe. The new building, which opens on September 9, is located at 816 S. Colorado and will take it’s place alongside…
LGBT Groups Seek Support for Harvey Victims
Even as rain continues to pummel East Texas, LGBT organizations are mobilizing to help the victims of Hurricane Harvey with a focus on members of our community. In Houston, a city of over 2.5 million people, flooding has been pervasive and displaced thousands. Following is a list of groups seeking help in raising funds and…
San Antonio: Are You Ready for Harvey?
Rumor has it that upon learning of the approach of Hurricane Harvey, San Antonians descended upon local H-E-B grocery stores and completely depleted their supply of water, beer and tortillas. Joking aside, the National Hurricane Center has warned that those in the storm’s path should not underestimate the severity of the situation. The National Weather…