All Posts By

Josh Watkins

OUTsider Fest to ‘Unlock the Cabinet of QUEERIOSITIES’ in Austin

Posted on February 15, 2019

A photo of Felix and the Future at OUTsider Fest.

Given the current state of our country, it is more important than ever that we embrace our queerness with ferocity. We must continue to challenge conformity and be as visible as possible. On February 20–24, OUTsider Fest, Austin’s annual queer transmedia festival, returns with this motive in mind. This year’s festival is appropriately themed “Unlock the Cabinet of QUEERIOSITIES,” and promises to be “a queer take on the cabinet of curiosities and its peculiar oddities.” Through this lens, OUTsider calls on…

Eye for an Eye’s Jess Swaim Talks Tattoo Artistry, Non-binary Identity in Conroe

Posted on January 18, 2019

An illustration of Conroe based tattoo artist Jess Swaim.

Tattoos. From metropolises like New York and Los Angeles to small town Texas, this art form has always welcomed the most marginalized in society. Spectrum South recently caught up with Jess Swaim, a nonbinary tattoo artist based out of Conroe, Texas, to talk about their experience tattooing LGBTQ clients, navigating a male-dominated industry, and queer parenting in the small town about an hour north of Houston.…

TRANS PWR: Atlanta’s Southern Fried Queer Pride Hosts One-Day-Only All-Trans Festival

Posted on November 15, 2018

Atlanta’s incomparable and resilient trans community is lighting up the city this Saturday, November 17, with Southern Fried Queer Pride’s TRANS PWR Fest, a one-day-only celebration of trans and non-binary artists, musicians, and community members at The Bakery Atlanta.…

‘I’ Will Not Be Erased: Activist Alicia Roth Weigel Gets Intersexy in the Lone Star State

Posted on October 26, 2018

A photo of intersex activist Alicia Roth Weigel.

What is intersex? It’s the ‘I’ in LGBTQIA, but it’s still something that not many folks know about. Intersex is a condition in which individuals are born with reproductive and sexual anatomy that does not fit into the institutionalized “male” or “female” boxes. In honor of Intersex Awareness Day (October 26), we caught up with Alicia Roth Weigel, an “intersexy” “policy, advocacy, and campaign strategist for the progressive movement.”…

Talk Derby to Me: Meet Psych Ward Sirens Skater Paula Cream-Her

Posted on April 20, 2018

A photo of roller derby girl Paula Cream-Her

For Amanda Carmona, aka Paula Cream-Her #4, finding roller derby was like finding the missing piece to the puzzle of life. Initially drawn in by the sport’s strong female leadership, Cream-Her stayed for its inclusive atmosphere, celebration of uniqueness, and team spirit. Spectrum South had the pleasure of chatting with Cream-Her about her journey of discovering her identity and roller derby, her love for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and her rookie season with the Houston Roller Derby’s Psych Ward Sirens.…

Fear The Queer: Breaking the Boundaries of Houston Drag

Posted on April 4, 2018

Walking into a Fear the Queer (FTQ) show is like being transported into a world of queer fantasy and fiction. The music is loud, the lights are dimmed, and the boundaries of drag and art are being pushed and pulled in every direction. Self-described as “a perfectly peculiar posse of performers,” “an incubator of talent,” and “a safe haven for the alternative subculture, within a subculture,” FTQ came out swinging when they launched last August.…

Stoo Gogo: Part-Time Rockstar, Full-Time Fierce Femme

Posted on March 16, 2018

Self-described “part-time rockstar” Stoo Gogo stands at the intersection of gender, identity, and femininity. A queer, Black, femme man, Gogo explores the depths of his identities through musical creation as one half of the queer pop duo, BLING ST., as well as a solo musician. “By day, I’m a barista,” Gogo explains. “By night, I’m like this mad scientist that makes music. I take on this [superhero] form when I’m performing or singing or writing.”…

Talk Derby to Me: Meet Valkyries Power Couple Slayer and Dexter Moon

Posted on February 13, 2018

A photos of Valkyries Slayer and Dexter.

The stars and skates were aligned as Laura Pruett and Amie D. Sue rolled full force into their relationship. This dynamic duo, also known to their Houston Roller Derby Valkyries teammates as Captain Slayer Moon (Pruett) and Coach Dexter Moon (Sue), took their courtship beyond the rink in 2011.…

OUT of Time: OUTsider Queer Transmedia Fest Returns to Austin

Posted on February 8, 2018

Our queer hearts are swelling because OUTsider returns to Austin this Valentine’s Day weekend, February 14 to 18. The queer transmedia festival, known for pushing artistic boundaries, meshes all creative disciplines (film, performances, music, writing, and visual art) for a provocative, out-of-the-box experience.…

Be The Change: Why Queer Folks Need to Join The Resistance

Posted on February 2, 2018

A photo of Josh Watkins and Laura Moser who are part of the resistance.

On November 4, 2017, I sat in the ballroom of the Houston Marriott North, surrounded by some of the city’s most prominent, eclectic, and diverse transgender leaders. Together, we had gathered for the 25th annual Houston Transgender Unity Banquet, to share a safe space and celebrate the Gulf Coast’s ever-growing trans community. The speaker lineup was jam-packed, each one voicing words of empowerment and hope. Then, Phyllis Frye, a trans woman, veteran, advocate, and the first openly transgender judge appointed…

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