As a Chicana lesbiana dyke, my full sense of self was shaped by institutions that embraced all of me as big, brown, queer and gender-nonconforming. My self-awareness was nurtured by powerful organizations like LLEGÓ in Houston and Allgo in Austin. In San Francisco, there was AGUILAS, and Ellas en Acción, two active Latino queer organizations.…
Arts & Culture
Two Lesbian Films on Tap at CineFestival
This year, San Antonio’s CineFestival, the nation’s longest running Latino film festival, will include two feature films by lesbian filmmakers. CineFestival, which runs from February 24 to March 4 at the Guadalupe Theater, will present Brusing for Besos (2016), written and directed by Adelina Anthony, on February 25 and Go Fish (1994), directed by Rose…
Retrospective Celebrates the Work of Latino Artist Ángel Rodríguez-Díaz
At the turn of the 21 century, San Antonio could boast of immensely talented artists whose bodies of work illustrated the Latino American experience. Most of these artists, however, have gone largely unrecognized by national institutions. Aside from artists César Martinez and Kathy Vargas, few had been treated to career-spanning retrospectives. In 2015, art historian…
Fl!ght Gallery Presents Early Work by Angel Rodríguez-Díaz
On Thursday, February 2, Fl!ight Gallery opens two exhibitions curated by art historian Ruben Cordova of rediscovered early work by artist Angel Rodríguez-Díaz. The main gallery exhibition, billed as Angel Rodríguez-Díaz: Nueva York to San Antonio, will shed light on the development of the artist’s technique before his arrival in San Antonio. Rodríguez-Díaz is Puerto Rican and…
Meet The Juniors: Rising Drag Stars Harness the Power of Teamwork
I meet them as boys on an evening a week before Christmas, at Bakery Lorraine. Louie Canales, who performs as Chyna Cravens, and Christian Paolo, aka Sephwhora (pronounced Sef-whore-ah) 51, are waiting for me at a table near the entrance. The third member of the drag queen girl group known as The Juniors is running…
Esperanza Center Celebrates 30 Years of Community Empowerment
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. Imelda Arismendez sits on a ladder, molding adobe with her bare hands. Her long, brown braid hangs behind her as she sculpts details onto the front of her new home, or so it’s beginning to feel like. This building will house MujerArtes’ new studio — the Esperanza Peace…
Fiesta Cornyation’s King Anchovy LII is Jeffrey James
The board of directors of Fiesta Cornyation, billed as “the raunchiest, cheapest event of Fiesta,” have announced this year’s King Anchovy LII will be Jeffrey James, the proprietor of James Lawnmower Sales and Service. James will preside over the Court of Insane Privilege during Cornyation performances slated for April 25 through 27 at the Charlene…
Young SA Designers Introduce Inclusive Video Game at PAX South
A group of 14-to-18-year-old designers from San Antonio have created a role-playing video game whose superhuman characters represent people of all body types, gender identities and sexual orientations. The game, Date Me Super Senpai, which will be showcased this weekend at the PAX South conference in San Antonio, was created by 12 high school students…
Out Country Singer Ty Herndon Coming to SA
In the 1990’s Ty Herndon was country music royalty. After signing with Epic Records in 1995, his accomplishments included the number one country hits What Mattered Most, In This Moment, and It Must be Love. Having survived a series of controversies including an indecent exposure charge and drug rehabilitation, Herndon re-launched his career in 2010…
‘Mamma Mia’ Farewell Tour at Tobin Center
In the 1970’s, the Swedish pop/dance group ABBA were riding high on the international pop charts. In 1999, British playwright Kathrine Johnson, along with former members Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus transformed the group’s songs into one of the most successful Broadway musicals of all time. Based on songs like Dancing Queen, and taking its…