This commentary was originally published in the San Antonio Express-News. It is being republished here with the permission of the author. Courtrooms are filled with symbols designed to send a message to all who enter. The most common is Lady Justice, blindfolded and holding scales, to signify that justice should be blind and balanced. The…
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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…
Texas-Born Playwright Del Shores to Stream Benefit Reading of ‘Sordid Lives’ with Leslie Jordan
Playwright Del Shores, executive director of the Del Shores Foundation, and the organization’s program director, Emerson Collins, are co-hosting a one-night only benefit reading of Shores’ play, “Sordid Lives” on May 31. The reading will feature much of the original cast including Leslie Jordan. The free live stream reading and an accompanying auction of “Sordid…
Pulse Memorial Mural at Orlando’s LGBT+ Center Defaced, Phone Lines Cut
Originally published in the Orlando Weekly. Vandals have defaced a Pulse memorial mural on the walls of local LGBTQ+ aid organization The Center on Mills Avenue in Orlando, Florida, likely the work of white supremacists. A poster on Reddit’s r/Orlando forum noticed the sticker had been placed recently right in the center of the mural,…
Pete Buttigieg Endorses Gina Ortiz Jones for the Texas 23rd Congressional District Seat
Gina Ortiz Jones, who’s running for the Texas 23rd Congressional District Seat, was among 22 candidates endorsed by former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg on May 13. The endorsements were made under the aegis of Buttigieg’s Win the Era PAC which was established “to support candidates who embody and lift up the values that bring Americans…
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…
Transgender Woman Identified as Victim in San Antonio Barbershop Killing
San Antonio Police have identified 20-year-old Helle Jae O’Regan as the victim of a fatal attack at the Diesel Barbershop on Bandera Road near Loop 1604 on May 6. O’Regan and two other barbershop employees were inside the business preparing for their reopening on May 8. Police arrested 42-year-old Damion Campbell on May 7 accusing…
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…
Not All Community-Owned Restaurants Will Open Under Governor’s 25% Rule
At a news conference earlier this week, Governor Greg Abbott said he was letting the state’s stay-at-home order expire on April 30 at 11:59 p.m. and paved the way for the opening of stores, restaurants, movie theaters and malls on May 1. The only proviso is that these businesses can only operate at 25 percent…