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…
News
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…
Live Oak City Councilman and Husband Die Two Days Apart from Coronavirus
Anthony Brooks, a three-term city councilman in the San Antonio suburb of Live Oak, and Phillip Tsai-Brooks, his husband, died two days apart after contracting the coronavirus. The couple had been married since March of 2014. Brooks, 42, died on April 12 and Tsai-Brooks, 52, died on April 14. Both men were treated at Northeast Methodist…
San Antonio Fashion Designer Leighton Whittington Selling Couture Face Masks for a Cause
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. With the pandemic making masks this season’s must-have accessory, it was inevitable that high-end versions of face coverings would enter the market. But local designer Leighton Whittington is putting a twist on the concept. Whittington’s Leighton W. Couture is now selling masks for $15-$20 online, as well as…