The language and sentiments surrounding this pandemic, from calls to action to “flatten the curve,” to the anxiety around human contact and intimacy, are reminiscent of another ongoing issue impacting our community—the HIV epidemic. …
Art for the People pays homage to The De Luxe Show, one of the country’s first-ever integrated art exhibitions, which took place 50 years ago in 1971 at the old DeLuxe Theater. The DeLuxe Theater originally opened in 1941 and served the city’s Black community. After the Civil Rights Act passed in 1964, segregated movie theaters were no longer needed, and the DeLuxe Theater closed in 1969. However, the building remained standing and, in 1971 when the De Menils tasked…
By Autumn Rendall After 25 years, QFest—Houston’s international LGBTQIA+ film festival—is hitting screens for the last time. The festival kicked off with its competition short film screenings on September 24 at Aurora Picture Show and will continue with two more in-person screenings of the feature film Swan Song (September 26 and October 2, both at 5:00 p.m. at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston). All feature and short films will also be available to screen virtually through the Cinenso platform…
Four years ago this month, Houstonian Verniss McFarland III saw a personal dream realized—the founding of the Mahogany Project. The fledgling non-profit organization set out with a powerful mission—to bridge the gap between empowerment and education in Black and Brown LGBTQIA+ communities.…
We’ve all seen the photo: a man, pictured from behind during a 1988 demonstration at the FDA headquarters. The back of his denim jacket contains a large inverted pink triangle and the justifiably livid words stenciled in white: IF I DIE OF AIDS—FORGET BURIAL—JUST DROP MY BODY ON THE STEPS OF THE F.D.A. The man in the jacket is artist David Wojnarowicz, the subject of the new documentary film 'Wojnarowicz,' now playing as part of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s Virtual…
The numbers are clear: HIV affects people in the South at much higher rates than elsewhere in the nation. Within the southern demographic, the virus disproportionally affects BIPOC southerners. And right here in Texas—where we have the highest uninsured rate in the nation—the state legislature would like to cut funding for the Texas HIV Medication Program (THMP).…
p1nkstar, Austin’s favorite queer pop icon, has partnered with Hotel Free TV to present “Girls Like Us,” a 50-minute live music video experience released last Thursday that celebrates Austin-based trans artists.…
Mycah Angelou Taylor's podcast, One Gay at a Time, feels like listening to a good friend talk about anything and everything. Every other Wednesday evening marks the launch of a new episode, in which Taylor dives into topics ranging from their own coming out tale, to the “lavender tax,” to the intersection of Blackness and queerness. Whatever the discussion of the week may be, Taylor both educates and entertains their audience.…
With cinemas the world over closed for the foreseeable future, I wasn’t sure we would get a Houston Cinema Arts Festival (HCAF) in 2020. Thankfully for us, the staff of the longstanding Houston arts institution have proven themselves flexible, offering 2020 solutions to 2020 problems. This year’s festival, which runs November 12–22, will take place virtually and in a drive-in format at the Moonstruck, Show Boat, and Houston Ballet drive-in theatres, creating a pandemic-friendly cinema experience.…
On Monday, October 5, 2020, Monica Roberts passed away at age 58. Like myself, many on Spectrum South’s staff were impacted by Monica, her life’s work, her energy, and the legacy she leaves. To honor this irreplaceable powerhouse, below we share our collective memories of Monica. Rest in Power.…
