Vee Hernandez’s studio space in the Salons by JC is decorated with San Antonio Spurs and New England Patriots collectibles. A mini fridge in the corner is stocked with cold water and soda. In many ways, Vee’s Chop Shop is a typical stylist’s station, but to watch the petite, curly-haired Vee cut hair is to…
Dancing to enrich the earth
“When people hear belly dance, they have one picture in mind, but we’re doing something different.” Queer-based dance troupe Zombie Bazaar was founded in 2008 by Giomara Bazaldua and Cristal Munoz, who met in a dance class and found they shared a desire to pursue a less-conventional path. “I had danced before, so I had…
Alyson Alonzo sings her way onto the mainstage
Editor’s note: Alyson Alonzo will be opening for the local rock band Buttercup on Friday, Sept. 18 at the Charline McCombs Empire Theatre. Doors open at 8 p.m. and the show begins at 9 p.m. Tickets for the show are $10 and may be purchased at this link. “That’s a really crazy example of manifesting…
Most Influential 2015: Rosie Gonzalez
Gonzalez was hired as Von Ormy City Attorney in March (she has since completed her contract) and was recently appointed to the State Bar of Texas Commission on Child Abuse and Neglect. Gonzalez is Bexar County’s only attorney certified in child-welfare law, and one of approximately 50 in the state. She is a solo practitioner…
Most Influential 2015: Dawn Lafreeda and Lupita Corbeil
Dawn Lafreeda, CEO of Den-Tex Central Inc., started her business career as a Denny’s waitress without a college education. Now the owner of 75 Denny’s locations, her hard work has paid off. She cites her humble beginnings as part of her inspiration for giving back. “Coming from nothing, I understand how hard it is to…
My kid came out to me…and now to you
I talk about my children quite often in my writing and my speaking engagements. But I only talk about what they are comfortable with me saying, and at the level they are comfortable with. They tend to be pretty open, but this particular bit of information isn’t something I have shared in the past. Why…
Vet Erika Land pulls poetry from her PTSD
“I had to shut off my emotions. The only emotion was anger.” Erika Land’s memories of her deployment at a military hospital in Iraq include a military pilot’s brain fragments spilling out over her hands. She began obsessively washing them. She’s since recovered from that compulsion, but other symptoms of her PTSD are not as…
Boylesque legend Tigger! is stripping to change the world
“It makes sense that you want to hear from all genders. There are more than two.” Tigger!, the 50-year-old burlesque godfather who’s making his Texas debut as tonight’s headliner for the 4th Annual San Antonio Burlesque Festival, has always been wary of confining himself to gay audiences, so his crowds have often been a mixed bag.…
The Real Drag Husbands of SA
Meet the men who tease the wigs and get the lipstick off the couch From the time I saw my first drag show at the Saint Showbar back when it was still on Main Street, I knew there was something very special about the San Antonio drag scene. Whether they are working to achieve the…
Jenn Alva and Kia Geronimo on fame and marriage
“She took me to meet Nina and Phanie the very first time we went out.” Jenn Alva and Kia Geronimo locked eyes one night at the Korova, and they knew instantly romance was in bloom. “I saw her dancing and I just knew that I had to talk to her,” Alva recalled. “I gave her…