Three mayoral candidates attending a town hall sponsored by the Rivard Report on February 7 at the Pearl Stable were asked to comment on Senate Bill 6, the anti-trans bathroom bill under consideration by the Texas Legislature. SB6 bars transgender people from using the bathroom that matches their gender identity and would prohibit local ordinances…
SA Politicians Speak Out Against Proposed Anti-Trans Bill
Updated on Jan. 7 at 10:00 a.m. to include a statement by District 1 City Councilman Roberto Treviño. Four San Antonio politicians issued statements on January 6 opposing a bill (SB6) introduced by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and state Sen. Lois Kolkhorst that would require Texas transgender citizens to use public bathrooms that correspond with…
Lt. Gov. Patrick Unleashes Anti-Transgender Bill
Originally published in the San Antonio Current Texas Lieutenant Gov. Dan Patrick began his Thursday press conference introducing a bill that would segregate transgender people from the general public by quoting Martin Luther King, Jr.: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent on things that matter.” But not once during his press…
Trans Prisoner Granted Parole After Years of Violent Abuse
Originally published in the San Antonio Current Passion Star, formally known as Joshua Zollicoffer, has filed more than 30 grievances for the chronic sexual and physical abuse she’s endured as a transgender women within the Texas prison system. For her past 14 years behind bars, Star’s grievances have largely been ignored by prison officials. Only…
Trans Woman Released on Parole from Texas Men’s Prison
A transgender woman named Passion Star was granted parole on December 6 after serving 14 years of a 20 year sentence at all-male detention facilities, most recently at the Telford State Prison in Bowie County, Texas. “Passion’s experience in custody has been punctuated by acts of interpersonal and institutional violence,” Demoya Gordon, an attorney with…
Preparing Our Community for the Trump Years
By Justin P. Nichols, Guest Contributor This election didn’t end the way many people wanted, and even more didn’t expect. I’m not one to scream “the sky is falling,” but for the LGBT community, particularly the trans community, I’m saddened to predict cloudy skies with a strong chance of thunderstorms come 2017. We don’t know…
Trans Panic: Coping with a Trump Presidency and the Shifting Political Climate
Originally published in the San Antonio Current The first thing I did when I woke up this morning was check the results of the presidential election on my phone. I had fallen asleep fairly early, before all was decided, because the way the race was leaning was making me far too anxious. Despite the efforts…
Transgender Day of Remembrance to be Observed at MCC
The Metropolitan Community Church of San Antonio will once again play host to the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance observance on November 17. The day honors the memory of those who have died as a result of anti-transgender prejudice. According to GLAAD, “Transgender Day of Remembrance is observed in late November in recognition of the…
Metamorphoses: Medical Transition and Where Gatekeeping Is Headed
Like a large portion of transgender women, I have experienced immense difficulty accessing the proper care that I’ve required to medically transition. When I first came out publicly as a trans woman, one of my goals was to start hormone replacement therapy (HRT) as soon as possible, but I quickly learned that it isn’t as…
Trans Woman Complains of Poor Treatment at Walmart Pharmacy in San Marcos
A transgender woman says she was left wondering if the pharmacist at the Walmart store in San Marcos, Texas is transphobic after she experienced delays getting her prescription for hormones filled and then was told by the pharmacist that she could not buy the syringes needed to administer the treatments. Rikki Buffalino says she took…