This weekend, Blackness and queerness will be at the center of Houston’s music scene. On Saturday, April 30, Black and queer people from all over the nation will gather in Space City for the Black Queer AF Music Festival, an unforgettable night of celebration, empowerment, and community. …
Did you know that Houston’s Third Ward is home to a queer-owned, Black-owned comic book shop? From now until July 31, Gulf Coast Cosmos Comicbook Co. is operating as a pop-up, with plans to soon be a permanent fixture in the community. The store is creating new comic fans and providing a safe haven for current aficionados.…
When Harrison Guy assumed the role of co-chair of Mayor Turner’s LGBTQ Advisory Board in the summer of 2017, many of Houston’s LGBTQ community members saw him as the new kid on the block. Little did they know, he’d been on that same block for well over a decade—they’d just never walked on his side of the street.…
The queer cult classic To Wong Fu, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar opens with Vida Boheme (Patrick Schwayze) and Noxeema Jackson (Wesley Snipes) fixing their hair and makeup to the nines while listening to a house mix of Salt-N-Pepa’s empowering anthem, “I Am The Body Beautiful.”…
Imagine an artistic experience that instantly evokes a feeling of community. Imagine a stage on which no subject is too taboo, where no performer hides behind insecurities. Imagine an event that encourages true genuineness—free of shame, judgement, or expectation. Imagine a space where there are no demands to conform artistically, socially, or sexually; performers are fully allowed to own their individual truths. Yet, this space is not a figment of our imagination—it existed for 10 years as a monthly performance…
Black History Month has always been about telling the stories that have gone untold—the triumphant stories of the societal impact and progress made by those who were not always accepted as members of society themselves. In school, we often learn of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., George Washington Carver, Malcolm X, and Madame CJ Walker. As the years go on, we hear these same stories over, and over, and over again. And while these stories are important to celebrate and…
Over the past few decades, anime—a medium of Japanese animation for film and television—has gained a growing popularity here in the United States. The art form’s stories are larger than life. Tales of spikey-haired protagonists collecting mystical balls to save the universe, rivaling ninja villages, pocket-sized monster battles, space pirates, regular pirates, and countless other adventures have set the mainstream standard for American audiences ever since Speed Racer debuted in the late 1960s. But today’s anime isn’t your dad’s anime.…
“I just can’t give up now, I’ve come too far from where I started from…” As Jasmine Branch, aka Jassyb, belts these words on stage, they come straight from her heart. She embodies them. “Can’t Give Up Now,” the song the Houston-based singer chose for her winning Pride Superstar 2018 performance, is definitive of both her journey during the competition, and within her life. No stranger to a challenge, Branch knows the importance of pursuing a goal until you emerge victorious.…
Attacks on transgender and gender expansive individuals stem directly from a lack of knowledge and understanding. This ignorance has found its way into places like state capitol buildings and schools, where it affects the most vulnerable individuals—children. Education is the key to combating this issue, and—with the release of their groundbreaking book, The Gender Affirmative Model: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Supporting Transgender and Gender Expansive Children—Dr. Colt Keo-Meier and Dr. Diane Ehrensaft aim to provide such education in a way…
Comedy as a catalyst for change. Laughter as a social conversation starter. These are the tools openly gay artist and comedian Sampson uses in his daily work—and he loves every minute of it. “I’ve been doing it for over two decades now,” Sampson shares. “I was one of the first Black, openly gay stand up comedians in the country and I’ve used [my work] to bring awareness to a lot of our issues as LGBTQ people. It’s about visibility, dispelling…
