Recent high-profile incidents and lawsuits have led some districts to make their dress code policies more gender- and race-neutral. By Allyson Waller, The Texas Tribune “Texas schools rethink gender-based dress code policies after discrimination claims raise new legal issues” was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans —…
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“Left out of the conversation”: Transgender Texans feel the impact of state’s restrictive abortion law
While Texas’ controversial abortion law strictly refers to women in its phrasing, it also limits access to the procedure for transgender and nonbinary people who are able to become pregnant. By Neelam Bohra, The Texas Tribune Samson Winsor moved across the country from Utah to Austin in 2019, hoping he would feel less out of…
Man struck by gunfire outside The Heat Nightclub on Main Avenue Strip
Gunfire on the Main Drag, San Antonio’s LGBTQ+ nightlife district, struck a worker overnight and left the man with a possible life-threatening injury, KSAT reports. Police believe the gunfire stemmed from an earlier fight at The Heat Nightclub since it erupted shortly after two groups who’d been involved left the building, according to the TV…
Rev. William H. Knight, pastor of MCC San Antonio, to retire at end of year
The Metropolitan Community Church of San Antonio announced this week that its pastor, the Rev. Doctor William H. Knight, will be retiring at the end of the year. Rev. Knight has been pastor of MCCSA since April 2017. He was the fifth pastor in the church’s 36-year history. He came to San Antonio from Pahoa,…
Greater Tuna’s Jaston Williams brings holiday-themed one-man show to Tobin Center
Actor, playwright and humorist Jaston Williams is bringing his holiday-inspired, one-man show, Blood & Holly, to San Antonio audiences for a series of performances in early December. Best known for writing the quartet of Greater Tuna plays, Williams describes his childhood Christmases as a “warped hybrid of Toyland and Franco’s Spain.” The idea of fascist nutcrackers…
San Antonio ‘American Idol’ drag performer Ada Vox will compete on new ‘Queen of the Universe’ series
After slaying her way into the top eight of American Idol a few years back, many predicted big things for San Antonio native Ada Vox, the long-running singing competition’s first drag queen contestant. And they were right. Vox has joined a cast of 14 international drag performers competing for a $250,000 prize on the new…
Citing LGBTQ-themed books, Gov. Greg Abbott demands removal of ‘pornography’ from Texas schools
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has fired off a letter asking Texas education agencies remove books from schools he described as “pornography,” specifically citing a pair of memoirs about LGBTQ+ characters that include frank descriptions of sex. Abbott’s letter to the Texas Education Agency, Texas State Library and Archives Commission and State Board of Education comes…
Transgender stand-up comedian Joan Riviera Simoncelli explains what Dave Chappelle got wrong
As a stand-up comedian, Joan Riviera Simoncelli wants fellow comics to have the freedom to entertain audiences however they see fit. To her mind, nothing should be off limits. People need to laugh. “The week after my mom died, I went on stage and made jokes about her death,” the San Antonio-area comedian told the…
City Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez seeks expansion of San Antonio’s non-discrimination ordinance
On Thursday, October 28, District 2 City Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez filed a Council Consideration Request that seeks to expand the reach of San Antonio’s non-discrimination ordinance to include private businesses with 15 or more employees and to establish a “uniform enforcement mechanism that will ensure fairness and opportunity for all people within San Antonio.” Despite…
How Texas Republicans moved beyond a bathroom bill to successfully ban transgender athletes from school sports
In 2017, conservative lawmakers failed to pass legislation targeting transgender Texans. Things were different this year. By Allyson Waller, The Texas Tribune For state Rep. Celia Israel, the priority issues for the Legislature this year seemed quite obvious as the legislative session got underway in January. She expected lawmakers to grapple over the state’s response…