Tag Archives: LGBTQ
‘Even the Police Officers Were Laughing at Me’: Transgender Immigrants Share Their Experiences of Abuse and Neglect in Detention
Transgender migrants endure violence and abuse in their home countries. For some, life in detention is even tougher.
In her country of El Salvador, where she worked as a health promoter, Victoria Castro faced regular harassment, verbal abuse, and threats of rape and murder. &#...Read More
In San Antonio, a Landmark Art Exhibit Celebrates Gender Identity and Community
One of the United States’ first major exhibits focused on gender identity, Transamerica/n includes the work of more than 50 LGBTQ artists and allies.
There’s a painting in Transamerica/n: Gender, Identity, Appearance Today that sums up the exhibit’s quietly subversive mood. Titled “Robert,” the acryli...Read More
Fort Worth Professors Fight to End Taxpayer-Funded Discrimination Against LGBTQ Couples
Fatma Marouf and Bryn Esplin sued after a government-funded Catholic group blocked them from fostering refugee children. A court ruling this month allows their case to go forward.
In 2017, Catholic Charities of Fort Worth reached out to Fatma Marouf, a law school professor at Texas A&M University. Marouf, who directs the school’s im...Read More
The Clothes that Make the Man
Jose Villalobos’ art redresses the macho traditions of norteño culture.
Jose Villalobos’ art redresses the macho traditions of norteño culture. – by Michael Agresta June 24, 2019 On a June evening in 2018, artist Jose Villa...Read More
‘We Got Nothing:’ Few Wins for the Christian Right in the 86th Texas Legislature
Though Christian conservatives chalked up a few narrow victories in this year’s session, they may have run up against the limits of their legislative power.
A quiet surprise of the 86th Legislature was the failure of many of the Christian right’s priorities. While lawmakers closely aligned with religious conservat...Read More
I’m a Teen Activist in Texas, and I’m Tired of Being Ignored by Politicians
It is no longer acceptable for youth, especially people of color and those in the LGBTQ community, to be dismissed by our elected officials.
In an expression of dissent earlier this year, I got one of the state’s most powerful Republicans to show off an “Abolish ICE” / “Impeach Tr...Read More
Swamp City Serenade
Bryan Washington’s remarkable debut book, "Lot," captures Houston in meticulous, tenderhearted detail.
The wonder of Houston can sometimes be difficult to explain to those not born and bred in the Bayou City. Yes, it is indeed sprawling, as so many have said pejo...Read More
What I Learned from Ray Hill, Houston’s Citizen Provocateur
On Saturday, Uncle Ray, as he was known to many, died in hospice at age 78. His legacy of unrepentant rabble-rousing made Texas a more welcome place for the underdog.
The story goes that Texas singer-songwriter Gerald Bates was driving in Houston one night and tuned his radio to KPFT, a listener-sponsored community station, w...Read More
A New Pray-the-Gay-Away Drama Suggests Conversion is Possible (Just Not the Kind You Think)
Poignant awards-season fare, Boy Erased makes the case against the Christian “cure” for homosexuality.
What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? That, more or less, is the question asked by the new Joel Edgerton-directed film Boy Erased, w...Read More
