Governor Greg Abbott rolled into San Antonio on February 11 to offer his endorsement of Nunzio Previtera, the Republican anti-LGBT candidate who’s running against Democrat Diego Bernal in the race for Texas House District 123. The governor spoke to a group of about 150 people who gathered at a local pizzeria off Blanco Road saying,…
News
Chris Hill named 50th King Anchovy
Christopher Hill, architect, developer and owner of the Esquire Tavern, has been chosen as San Antonio’s 50th King Anchovy. Hill will reign over this year’s edition of Fiesta Cornyation on April 21 through 23 at the Charlene McCombs Empire Theater. Hill was recently in the headlines after he announced he is seeking approval from the…
Uber San Antonio says it’s leaving if new regs remain
After the San Antonio City Council passed what many consider one of the worst regulatory frameworks in the country for TNCs last year, Uber announced this past week it would be suspending operations in the city unless favorable changes are made to the regulations. The regulations are scheduled to go into effect starting March 1,…
Ex-stripper throws his hat into S.A. mayoral contest
San Antonio Express-News columnist Gilbert Garcia reports that a former male stripper has thrown his hat into the mayoral race. Pogo Mochello Allen-Reese told Garcia that he worked as an exotic dancer in Louisiana after serving in the Army during the Persian Gulf War. Allen-Reese’s web page proclaims that he is now a “Slave of…
Thrive Youth Center readies opening at Haven for Hope
It looks like the efforts aimed at finding a space for the Thrive Youth Center for homeless LGBT youth may soon come to fruition thanks to a partnership with Haven for Hope, the city’s homeless services campus. Looking ahead, Thrive could open as soon as mid-February. Things have changed since last December when the Travis…
BEAT AIDS observes National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
The BEAT AIDS Coalition has organized a week of events in advance of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day which is observed this year on February 7. The national website for the observance explains, “February 7, 2015 marks the 15th year for National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, a national HIV testing and treatment community mobilization initiative…
MCC’s Love’s Day banquet a tribute to Jim Isaman
When the Metropolitan Community Church of San Antonio holds the annual Love’s Day Dinner and Dance this year, it will be following a tradition started years ago by now-deceased activist Jim Isaman. Isaman, who died in 2009, was the originator of the Love’s Day tradition, which in years past included a Valentine’s Day commitment ceremony…
Local activist reminds Express-News that Chief McManus was an ally
On December 27, 2014, the San Antonio Express-News ran an in-depth article by Michelle Casady chronicling the tenure of former Police Chief William McManus, who retired at the end of the year to take a job with CPS Energy. The comprehensive write-up included many of the chief’s accomplishments. However, it neglected to mention anything about…
Trans dad misses his kids
It’s been over a year since Dino Villarreal has seen the two boys he helped bring up since birth. The boys he took care of when they were sick. The boys with whom he played basketball and rode bikes to the park. The boys who for their entire lives have called him dad. In 2011,…
UltraViolet and GetEqual protest rapes at Karnes detention center
Two groups are staging a vigil on Thursday, January 22 at the Karnes County Civil Detention Center, where undocumented immigrant families are housed and where evidence has emerged of ongoing sexual assaults of women detained in the facility. UltraViolet, a national group that is “mobilized to fight sexism and expand women’s rights, from politics and…