By Alexa Ura, The Texas Tribune April 17, 2017 In the aftermath of one troubled study on the economic impact of a “bathroom bill” in Texas, San Antonio tourism officials are returning to the legislative debate with another dire financial outlook. Legislation viewed by many as discriminatory toward LGBT Texans — including proposals to regulate…
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LGBT Events Are Part of Fiesta Celebration
Now in its 126th year, Fiesta San Antonio is a annual festival featuring ten days of parties and parades which this year begin on April 20. The celebration started in 1891 as a parade to honor the memory of the heroes of the Alamo and the Battle of San Jacinto. It has evolved into one…
Corpus Christi’s First-Ever Pride Parade Scheduled for June
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. The first-ever Pride parade to be held in Corpus Christi will take place through the streets of Corpus’ downtown this year on June 3. After 10 months of planning and collaborating with the city of Corpus Christi, Pride Downtown, a community-focused organization that concentrates on equal rights, says it’s…
New Venue for Fiesta Youth’s Annual Masquerade Fundraiser
Event organizers at Fiesta Youth are making the final preparations for the third annual Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil party, a masquerade-themed fundraiser which this year will be held on Friday, April 21. The new venue for the event, The Veranda, was built in the 1920’s and sits on 35 acres of…
Senate Approves Recusals for County Clerks, Judges Objecting to Same-Sex Marriage
By Alexa Ura, The Texas Tribune April 11, 2017 The Texas Senate on Tuesday gave initial approval to a measure allowing county clerks to recuse themselves from signing marriage licenses for same-sex couples because of religious objections. On a 21-10 vote, senators approved Senate Bill 522 by Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, under which a county commissioners…
Texas Lawmakers Drop Anti-Trans Amendment in Exchange for Defunding Planned Parenthood
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. In the wee hours of last Friday morning, Texas House representatives decided it was finally time to vote on a state budget. But even after 15 hours of negotiations (and drama) on the House floor, there was still a long list of bill amendments they had yet to…
Is Manuel Medina’s Support of LGBT Issues Just a Smokescreen?
Since he became the Bexar County Democratic Party chairman in 2012, Manuel Media has emphasized his support of LGBT issues. He supported the nondiscrimination ordinance and went so far as to say the party would reject any candidate who did not support the measure. Now as a candidate for mayor, Medina continues to say he…
UT Dallas Initiates Study to Determine Needs of LGBT Texans
Sociologists at the University of Texas at Dallas are starting work on what will be the first comprehensive needs assessment of LGBT communities throughout the state. The in-depth study is being spearheaded by Dr. Richard Scotch, professor of sociology, and Dr. Kara Sutton, a sociology lecturer. Both are affiliated with UT Dallas’ School of Economic,…
Guess Whose Political Forums Mayor Taylor Has Been Skipping
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. Mayor Ivy Taylor has earned a tense relationship with San Antonio’s LGBTQ community. The rift dates back to the 2013 battle over an equal rights ordinance here, when homophobic and transphobic backlash from religious-right groups failed to stop City Council from passing protections against discrimination based on sexual…
‘San Antonio Four’ Documentary Named Finalist for Peabody Award
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. A documentary exploring the dramatic case of four San Antonio women wrongly convicted of gang-raping two children in the 1990s has been selected as a finalist for the prestigious Peabody Award. For years, Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four, by documentary filmmaker Deborah Esquenazi,…