San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg announced today that he will be holding a town hall meeting on February 19 in conjunction with his LGBTQ Advisory Committee. According to the Facebook announcement, the Mayor and the Advisory Committee will be having “a discussion on the issues affecting the community.” The event, which is dubbed “Mayor Nirenberg’s…
The QSA
Pride Center Hires Community Empowerment Coordinator
Pride Center San Antonio has hired it’s first-ever employee, a community empowerment coordinator who will help organize programming, services and outreach to the city’s LGBTQ community. The Center’s new hire, Lex Loro, has over six years experience of supporting LGBTQ and disabled youth through sexual health education, social justice advocacy, and training assistance. As a…
Republican State Rep. Files Bill Legalizing Discrimination Against Trans People and Married LGBT Couples
State Representative Bill Zedler (R-Arlington) has filed a bill, dubbed the “Free to Believe Act,” that would legalize discrimination against transgender people and married LGBT couples. In an email to its supporters, Equality Texas warns the bill, HB 1035, “would legally protect discrimination in healthcare, in social services, in the workplace, in access to housing,…
Justin Holley Officially Launches Campaign for City Council District 1
Justin Holley, an executive with a local hotel management company who is challenging District 1 City Councilman Roberto C. Treviño in this spring’s General Election, will officially launch his campaign on January 26 at the Casting Pond by Woodlawn Lake. Holley is one of five candidates (so far) who are seeking to oust Treviño. The…
State Rep. Eric Johnson Files Employment Nondiscrimination Bill With LGBTQ Protections
State Rep. Eric Johnson (D-Dallas) has filed a bill in the Texas House that would prohibit employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity and expression. HB 850, which was filed on January 16, would add LGBTQ protections to current state law that only covers race, color, disability, religion, sex, national origin or age.…
Azul Barrientos to be Joined by Aaron Prado for First ‘Noche Azul’ Concert of the Year
Azul Barrientos will present her first monthly Noche Azul concert of the year on January 26 at the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center where she will be joined by jazz pianist Aaron Prado. Barrientos, who is from Mexico City, has been artist-in-residence at the Esperanza Peace & Justice Center since 2007 where her monthly Noche…
San Antonio Trans Woman Finds Success With Career in Real Estate
A San Antonio transgender woman has just become the founding president of the San Antonio chapter of the National Association of Gay and Lesbian Real Estate Professionals (NAGLREP), making her the first trans person to be in a leadership position with the organization. For Jamie Zapata, helping establish NAGLREP’s local chapter is a career milestone.…
LGBTQ Groups Plan Show of Unity at San Antonio’s MLK March
The leaders of PFLAG San Antonio and Fiesta Youth are extending an invitation to other LGBTQ groups to join a unified effort to march together at the Martin Luther King, Jr. March on January 21. “The struggle for equal rights for all, is far from over. Together we are stronger,” the invitation exclaims. Participants are…
Man Shot by Security Guard at Club Essence
A man was shot as he and a friend scuffled with a security guard at around 1 a.m on Saturday, January 12 at Club Essence, located at 800 Lexington Avenue. According to a report on KSAT-TV, the security guard asked a highly intoxicated man to leave the club because he was bothering patrons. When the…
The Texas Legislature Now Has Its First LGBTQ Caucus
Five Democratic legislators serving in the Texas House of Representative have formed the State Legislature’s first-ever LGBTQ Caucus. The new caucus is composed of veteran lawmakers Rep. Mary Gonzalez of El Paso, Rep. Celia Israel of Austin and newly-elected members Jessica Gonzalez of Dallas, Julie Johnson of Carrollton and Erin Zwiener of Driftwood. The caucus…