Lopez is the owner and creator of Rey Lopez Entertainment, which brings special attractions to SA, including a cavalcade of contestants from RuPaul’s Drag Race, and he’s expanding his glitter-fueled empire across Texas. September 18 he’ll present 30 drag performers on five stages for OUT In the Park at Six Flags Fiesta Texas. Manila…
News
Most Influential 2015: Lauryn Farris
You may have seen Lauryn Farris and her family in a recent interview that appeared in the Huffington Post as part of their Let Love Define Family series. The occasion for the interview was the final adoption of a 17-year-old transgender girl by Farris and Kerry, her wife of more than 40 years. Farris and her family…
Most Influential 2015: Henry Munoz
In 2013, Henry Muñoz was elected Finance Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, the first Latino to serve in the position, and, he notes, the first openly gay man to do so. But that’s old news in today’s voracious ouroborus news cycles, even if we are already deep in the maw of a presidential campaign.…
EL Paso LGBT youth center named for state Rep. Mary González
A new transitional center for LGBT youth set to open in October in El Paso, Texas will be named for state Rep. Mary E. González (D-El Paso), the first pansexual legislator in the country. “Every young person should have access to not only a safe environment, but a place that can set them up for…
Grand opening for SAAF testing center
Although the San Antonio AIDS opened their new testing center last July, the official grand opening will be observed on Saturday, September 12 with an open house. “We want everyone to come out, have fun and see what we have to offer,” says Regina Villalobos-Perez, vice president of marketing at SAAF. “We encourage people to…
Most Influential 2015: David Crabb
Bad Kid, David Crabb’s memoir of growing up gay in San Antonio during the 1990s is a hoot and a holler as we say in Texas. But it is so much more. Early on, he and his best friend Greg came out to each other. They hit the teen club circuit—Changez, Phazez, and Club FX.…
Most Influential 2015: Melissa Gohlke
As a UTSA Special Collections library assistant, Melissa Gohlke has been building local LGBTQ archives for the past five years. Her master’s thesis was on the history of San Antonio’s queer community, and she “caught the bug” for conserving LGBT records after interning at the Happy Foundation Archives. Gohlke says working with special collections is…
Most Influential 2015: Dawn Lafreeda and Lupita Corbeil
Dawn Lafreeda, CEO of Den-Tex Central Inc., started her business career as a Denny’s waitress without a college education. Now the owner of 75 Denny’s locations, her hard work has paid off. She cites her humble beginnings as part of her inspiration for giving back. “Coming from nothing, I understand how hard it is to…
Most Influential 2015: Jesse Mata
Fans (read: short for fanatics) of Fiesta Cornyation, know Jesse Mata as the mercilessly acerbic pen behind the emcees’ script, and the pleasant papa-bear voice that reminds audience members to, “sit back, relax, and return your date to their full, upright position” before the show begins. That’s the icing; he also bakes the Corny cake…
Most Influential 2015: Gerard Rickhoff
Bexar County Clerk Gerry Rickhoff could have just said he was prepared to follow the Supreme Court’s ruling. He’s a Republican after all, and an elected one at that. In fact, elected to a position where he’s not had much competition in his two-decade career, in part because it’s the sort of job no one…