“I am your mother! I am your sister! I am whatever you want!” On a recent evening at Main Plaza, around 70 members of San Antonio’s LGBT community had gathered to speak out against the Trump administration which, just a day earlier, had rescinded Obama-era guidelines meant to accommodate transgender students in public schools. Organized…
Public Library Slates Pride Month Events
The San Antonio Public Library announced a list of events it is sponsoring in observance of Pride Month. This is the seventh year the library has presented such a series. A statement on the library’s web site explains the aim of the June observance: “The diversity of San Antonio goes beyond ethnic and racial lines,…
The Trans Teacher: Brandon Beck Educates Texas
When his kindergarten teacher asked the students to line up by gender, Brandon L. Beck was confused. Did he belong in the line for boys or girls? He was assigned female at birth, but preferred acting like the boys, despite the ridicule. It was the late 1970s, and very little was known about being transgender.…
Restroom Issue Prompts SA Trans Teen to Speak Out
A San Antonio trans teenager is sharing her story of being bullied by classmates when, because of school policy, she had to use the boy’s restroom. In an interview with KABB-TV, Catizia Izzy Farris said, “People would throw water bottles at me they would push me into the stall. They would cuss at me a…
LezRideSA Builds Community Through Fitness
“Our larger mission is to support physical activity and build community through fun outdoor activities among LGBT youth.” In the fall of 2014, a friend of mine’s son locked himself in his room and refused to get out of bed for several weeks. This good friend reached out to trusted family, to doctors, to her…