Twenty-year-old Spencer Ray is rooted deep in the heart of East Texas. While he’s entering his senior year as a business management student at Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches, Ray has found more than a career path in the Piney Woods—he’s found pride and strength in his identity as a bisexual, transgender man.…
Miss Eaves’ 2017 hit song “Thunder Thighs”—which became a summer anthem for thick girls everywhere—reverberates through the speakers. Five plus-size models, dressed head-to-toe in vintage ‘80s fashion, strike poses that shamelessly show off the self-love they hold for their bodies (and give Olivia Newton John a run for her money).…
High school sophomore Niko Gonzalez is a one-man revolution. At age 16, this openly trans and gay teenager is sending ripples through his Catholic school and diocese, challenging restroom regulation, and simultaneously paving the way for future generations of queer students.…
The lights are low, but the energy is high as a hot Afrobeat hits the speakers at Houston’s Guava Lamp Lounge. Morena Roas takes the stage, grabs the mic, and the real fun begins. Her hip-hop vocals are laced with international flair, and fill the room with a salty sweet vibe. The floor is hers.…
On February 24, LGBTQ and allied youth artists stood side-by-side, center stage at Houston’s MATCH with one declaration: “HEAR ME.” Their voices were shared as part of The T.R.U.T.H. Project’s first-ever installment that incorporated storytelling by LGBTQ youth and allies. Through intimate spoken word, movement, song, and visual art, this next generation of voices addressed and challenged stigma, rose above adversity, and united themselves with the audience for an incredible journey.…
Gwen Lambert believes in trying on labels. As part of their gender exploration, they’ve adopted several labels, only to find most didn’t fit quite right. Now, at age 18, the high school senior has finally found comfort and confidence in their identity as a non-binary, bisexual person.…
Lily Pando tucks a strand of bright pink hair behind her ear before she speaks. I’ve just asked her if she knows where she’ll be attending college—such a mom question, I know. “I don’t know where I want to go to school yet,” she responds. “But I’m definitely on that track.”…
Mariel Salcedo has become a Rooster Teeth fan favorite, previously producing and guest starring in the now cult classic, Free Play, before taking on her current role on Always Open. For the production company’s LGBTQ devotees, however, she’s more than a comedic Internet celebrity—she’s someone they can connect to on a deeper level, someone they can call their own.…
To his 26,000 Instagram followers, Houstonian Landon Richie embodies confidence—his posts are eloquent and encouraging, his face smiling and strong. In person, Richie is just as self-aware. He chats effortlessly about his activism, identity, and passions. It’s not until his mom, Erika, mentions an upcoming school band practice that I’m reminded the savvy individual sitting across from me is only 14 years old.…
Queer scholar Nikita Shepard sits at a long wooden table—the soft overhead lighting shines down as they dive into another issue of ONE magazine, one of the first pro-gay publications in the United States. This library has been Shepard’s home for the past month as they conduct research in one of the country’s premier collections of LGBTQ scholarly literature. But Shepard isn’t studying in the halls of Berkeley or the Ivy Leagues of the Northeast—they’re in College Station, Texas, in…
