Pride Center San Antonio and Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Texas are seeking mentors for a new, site-based joint mentoring group for LGBT youth. The program is looking for individuals who “live successful ‘out’ and ‘proud’ LGBTQ lives.” In an announcement, Pride Center officials say the joint program with Big Brothers Big Sisters is…
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Moving Forward: Cynthia Nelson’s Vision for SAAF
“I’m happy to be out there and say that SAAF is alive and well.” As the San Antonio AIDS Foundation prepares for its 30th anniversary in 2016, the organization announced in October the appointment of its new president, Cynthia Nelson. Founded in the back of a gay bar by Robert “Papa Bear” Edwards in 1986,…
San Antonio AIDS Foundation at a Crossroads
Nearly 30 years ago, Robert “Papa Bear” Edwards started the San Antonio AIDS Foundation (SAAF) in the back of a gay bar. From those humble beginnings, the organization has flourished, and now appears to be ready for another growth spurt under newly hired president Cynthia Nelson. However, for Edwards and some supporters, that growth has…
Psychotherapist helps school district address needs of LGBT students
A San Antonio psychotherapist is working with counselors at a local school district to help address the needs of its LGBT students. Darrell Garcia Parsons confirmed to Out In SA that he has been retained by the Alamo Heights Independent School District to present a two-hour training on January 6 to the district’s counselors. Among…
2015 in Review: Honorable & Dishonorable Mentions
HONORABLE MENTIONS Julian Castro’s continuing support of LGBT equality When he was mayor, Julian Castro championed changes to the city’s nondiscrimination ordinance to include LGBT protections. Now that he’s Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Castro has continued to voice his support for LGBT issues. In October, Castro addressed the HRC Foundation board of directors…
2015 in Review: Top ten local news stories
1) San Antonio celebrates marriage equality There was joyous celebration in the Alamo City on June 26, the day the Supreme Court made marriage equality a reality. There were church nuptuals and downtown wedding parties jammed the halls of the Bexar County Courthouse. There was a rally in Main Plaza and a block party on…
2015 in Review: A year in the life of LGBT SA
A select month-by-month recap of stories about our community reported here and elsewhere in 2015. JANUARY Cornyation’s Robert Rehm dies There is no adequate way to document the contributions that Robert Rehm made to the San Antonio theater community, his former students at Jefferson High School’s Fine Arts Magnet Academy, and Cornyation, where he was…
FDA’s new policy on blood donations still discriminatory
After a year-long discussion, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced last week it would lift the 32-year-old lifetime ban on gay and bisexual men donating blood. The new regulations allow men who have sex with men (MSM) to donate blood as long as they have abstained from sex for a period of 12…
The Power of Language: Discussing Trans Identity
As a trans woman, I would rather someone inquire politely than assume anything about me. Like most users of popular dating apps, I’ve had some fairly dodgy experiences while trying to put myself out there in the digital dating world. Unfortunately, these experiences have been shaped by how others receive my trans-ness. Unless I want…
Hometown Hero: Judge Genie Wright
“In her court, she treats all individuals fairly, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.” Bexar County Judge Genie Wright of County Court No. 7 was sitting at home early in the morning of June 26, 2015, anxiously awaiting the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling regarding same-sex marriage. After the now-infamous ruling was announced, her phone…