A collaborative effort initiated between the Texas Health Institute and the Equality Texas Foundation will work to improve the health of transgender, gender non-binary, and intersex Texans. The new program, the Texas Transgender Health Program, aims to address the fact that when compared to the general population, transgender people disproportionately lack affordable health services and…
News
‘Drag Race’ Stars to Share the Fiesta Texas Stage with Local Queens at Out in the Park
Based on the success of the first two years of Out in the Park, nightlife empresario Rey Lopez has struck a local chord with his wild and wonderful combination of thrill rides and drag queens. Serving up something in the vein of Orlando’s Gay Days at Walt Disney World (which annually attracts an estimated 50,000…
Mayor Nirenberg Appoints Liaison to LGBT Community
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg announced on September 6 that he is appointing a liaison to the LGBT community. Juany Torres, who currently serves as senior policy advisor and director of community engagement in the Office of the Mayor, will serve as the point of contact between Nirenberg and the LGBT community. “Our entire city…
Thousands of Young LGBT Immigrants in Texas DACA Program Face Deportation
There are approximately 6,000 LGBT immigrants among the 134,000 individuals in Texas who enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, according to a study by the Williams Institute. All of these people now face deportation after U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced on Tuesday that the DACA program is being terminated. The…
Right Wing Homophobes Line Up to Declare Harvey is Houston’s Punishment
It seems that whenever there’s a natural disaster there is no shortage of right wing zealots who come out of the woodwork to declare that LGBT people are the cause God’s wrath. Hurricane Harvey has been no exception. Kevin Swanson Kevin Swanson is a pastor in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and broadcaster from Colorado who…
A New Adobe Studio for MujerArtes
The women of the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center’s MujerArtes clay cooperative have reason to celebrate with the opening of their new studio — a building made entirely compressed earth blocks, otherwise known as adobe. The new building, which opens on September 9, is located at 816 S. Colorado and will take it’s place alongside…
LGBT Groups Seek Support for Harvey Victims
Even as rain continues to pummel East Texas, LGBT organizations are mobilizing to help the victims of Hurricane Harvey with a focus on members of our community. In Houston, a city of over 2.5 million people, flooding has been pervasive and displaced thousands. Following is a list of groups seeking help in raising funds and…
San Antonio: Are You Ready for Harvey?
Rumor has it that upon learning of the approach of Hurricane Harvey, San Antonians descended upon local H-E-B grocery stores and completely depleted their supply of water, beer and tortillas. Joking aside, the National Hurricane Center has warned that those in the storm’s path should not underestimate the severity of the situation. The National Weather…
SA Student Filmmaker Seeks Interviews with ‘Hispano Queers’
A graduate student from the University of the Incarnate Word is seeking to interview people in South Texas who identify as Hispanic and queer for a documentary entitled Hispano y Queer. On the website for her documentary, student filmmaker Melissa Rodriguez writes, “Identifying as both Hispanic and Queer means something different to different people. Both…
SAISD Adds Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity to Non-Discrimination Policy
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. The San Antonio Independent School District board voted unanimously Monday evening to add new protections to the district’s non-discrimination ordinance. Now, students and employees will be protected from discrimination based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. “SAISD has to advance with the times and lead…