On a recent Saturday morning, I had the opportunity to speak one-on-one with legendary trans Latina activist Bamby Salcedo after she led a workshop on community organizing at the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center. Salcedo was in town for a screening of the documentary Transvisible: The Bamby Salcedo Story, a film about her life and…
Celebrating Pride All Year Long
When the Pride San Antonio Festival opens its gates on July 2, it will mark the 13th anniversary of the observance, which its organizers have dubbed, “Pride Bigger Than Texas.” “The idea was to celebrate Pride while raising money for local charities and nonprofits and working to build the confidence and potential of the LGBT community,”…
Making Us Heard: Writer Anel Flores Finds Her Nicho
Like most kids, I used to daydream about what my life would look like in the future. I imagined myself driving a baby-blue pickup, a woman sitting beside me, down a long dirt road, listening to music and holding hands. The home I daydreamed about looked like the one I lived in, decorated in images…
Peace Market marks 26th year
The Esperanza Peace and Justice Center will once again kick off the holiday shopping season in San Antonio with the 26th annual Peace Market (Mercado de Paz) on November 27 and 28. Organizers of the Peace Market say it is one of the oldest holiday markets in the US, adding that it offers a community-centered…
LGBT LULAC Council to honor three at afternoon gala
The Orgullo de San Antonio LGBT LULAC Council 22198 will bestow three awards at its Tardeada de Orgullo (An Afternoon Celebration of Pride) on October 11 at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center. According to their press release, the LGBT LULAC Council “exists to establish open and positive communication between lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and…
‘Queer Brown Voices’ to speak out at Esperanza Center
In Queer Brown Voices: Personal Narratives of Latina/o LGBT Activism, the new anthology from the University of Texas Press, fourteen writers from around the country document the often forgotten contributions of LGBT Latina/o activists in the LGBT movement. On October 10, the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center will host six of the book’s contributors in a…
Support queer/trans artist’s studies at their first art show
San Antonio based queer and trans artist Saakred has been accepted to study at the Burren College of Art in Ireland for five months and record a new album, but unfortunately, their $18,000 scholarship award doesn’t cover housing, living expenses, or transportation. Saakred has earned some of the remaining costs through an online fundraiser, but…
Queer Tango v. the Dance World’s Gender Binary
Seven years ago, Dancing With the Stars aired its first ever same-sex dance routine. After the celebrity’s dance partner had been injured, a male dancer stepped in during rehearsals so that time wouldn’t be lost waiting on the celebrity’s original partner, and somehow it was decided that the men would perform the dance they practiced together on air. They…