We Are Here Texas- The Texas LGBTQ Civil Rights Movement -
Dallas, TX – One of our favorite native LGBTQ Texans, Del Shores, is busy making sure his home state gets a good dose of Del in the next couple months. His play, Yellow, will be opening next month (Feb 22 – March 10) at the Uptown Players in Dallas, followed by a filming of his one man show, Naked.Sordid.Reality., on March 22nd at the Rose Room. Yellow, which Shores is directing himself, follows a seemingly typical, southern family in Vicksburg, Mississippi as they work through a year of crisis, relationships, sexuality, and secrets. (Story continues below) Get tickets for Yellow The play takes a turn away from the previous comedies we have seen from the famed playwright, and reflects a time in his own life when events took a darker tone. This doesn’t mean Shores’ trademark comedy isn’t present, it’s just interwoven into a well received drama with a big twist in the second act. Kristin McCullough plays Kate, the family’s psychotherapist mother, and will be bringing her expertise on the character she originated onstage in L.A. in 2010. She tells We Are Here Texas that she is “looking forward to incorporating her life experiences into the Dallas production. The rest of the cast is new to the production, and it’s exciting to work with new, talented actors.” McCullough, who also appeared in Shores’ recent movie Blues For Willidean, is still giving the script it’s due, despite being a part of a cast that received excellent reviews and helped [...]
Houston, TX – In December, we reported Transphobia in the classroom at Houston Community College. Readers will remember that Dr. Janice Greco, while teaching a class on Human Sexuality, made disparaging remarks about transgender and transsexual people and spread misinformation about HIV and AIDs. Student Nikki Araguz is fighting, head on, in order to create a safe environment for all who attend HCC. Yesterday, Araguz took to facebook letting us know that Dr. Greco will no longer be teaching the Human Sexuality course at the school. This is the course where her transphobic statements were heard by students. Nikki Araguz: Just received word from Renee Mack in the HCC Department of Institutional Equity, Dr. Janice Greco has been removed from teaching Human Sexuality at HCC. She is, however, still slated to teach Psychology this semester and I encourage that before the meeting on Friday with Dept. Head, Dr. Joanne Hsu and Dr. Greco that you all call and express your concern regarding this situation. David Cross and Renee Mack can be reached at 713-718-8271. I can not effect change alone. I need all of your help. In order to create equality for all, we must use our voice together when one is wronged. Araguz goes on to say that it is not enough for Greco to simply be reassigned but that she “must be required to take extended education courses regarding Trans and HIV issues as well as Sensitivity Training in order to remain teaching.” For Nikki, it isn’t about [...]
When Kat Ralph stepped into the Abby Underground bar in Denton, TX with a group of friends late last month, she was just looking to hang out and have a good time. Unfortunately, a group of “adults” nearby decided making faces, sticking their finger in their mouths, and making vomit noises at Ralph and her girlfriend was the more appropriate and mature thing to do. We beg to differ. When one woman from the harassing group actually took the time to walked over to Ralph’s group after she gave her girlfriend a kiss to inform them of how “sick” she thought they were, a member of Ralph’s group spoke with management. “Like“ We Are Here Texas on our Facebook page Although normally, according to one manager at Abby Underground who was not present that day, in such a situation a staff member would intervene, but no one on staff at the bar would. So, Keep Denton Queer was created. The Facebook page is aimed at notifying others of establishments in the area that will not tolerate harassment, and the hope is to eventually provide education to businesses on how to handle similar situations. As of this writing, the page has received over 500 hundred likes in just a few short days. Keep up the great work, Kat. Have you experienced harassment in a Texas establishment because you were LGBTQ? Yes No pollcode.com free polls Recommended: Harassment at Houston Community College Please be sure to like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Police in Houston responded to a 911 call from 24 year old Ana Flores on New Year’s Day, but were unable to arrive in time to stop Flores’ fiancee, Belinda Espinoza, from shooting her in the chest and then turning the gun on herself. Family members told police that Espinoza had called them shortly before the incident threatening to kill herself. Police declined to share the details of the 911 call. From KHOU 11 News:
2012 is soooo last year. Check out what is going to happen in 2013
Austin,TX- Brian Kosarek, a real estate broker in downtown Austin and publisher of gayinaustintexas.com, has become one of the five finalist for gaytravel.com’s second season of North America Gay Travel Guru contest.
Mexico has become the first North American country to lift a ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men. Mexico’s National Council to Prevent Discrimination (CONAPRED) has released the following statement applauding the decision to rely on medical and scientific measures, not a specific social group: In making these discriminatory distinctions, the [previous] norm explicitly violated the prohibition against discrimination present in the Constitution and the Federal Law to Prevent and Eliminate Discrimination, as well as Article 24 of the American Convention on Human Rights and Article 26 of the International Civil and Political Rights Treaty, among other international instruments of law, which establish that every person is equal before the law regardless of any condition.” The United Kingdom lifted it’s ban in September 2011, and several other countries require a waiting period of 6 months to 5 years for those men who have recently had sex with another male. In Poland, people of any sexual orientation are welcome to donate blood, and similar measures now in place in Mexico are used to determine high risk donations. China lifts ban on lesbian donations (CNN) Currently the U.S. has a lifetime deferment of donations from gay or bisexual men despite calls from the AABB, the American Red cross, and America’s Blood Centers for the reversal of the ban. Committee members at the FDA voted in favor of maintaining the ban in 2010. The members also recommended further research into distinguishing between high and low risk donors, regardless of sexual orientation, and determined the current ban “sub-optimal”. [...]
Equality Texas has launched a new campaign aimed at educating the public about the diverse make-up of Texas families – All Texas Families – and the first video short has been published. The video – entitled “All Texas Families Birth Certificates” – highlights the story of 3 separate families and their children who are effected by restrictions in supplemental birth certificates. Although their adoptions are legal, these documents fail to list both parents because they happen to be of the same gender. Chuck Smith – Executive Director for Equality Texas: Equality Texas is in the business of securing equality in the state by working to eliminate discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity/expression. One of the ways we would like to do this is through film in a unique fashion, REEL TEXAS/REAL LIVES. The program seeks to capture the lives of LGBT Texans and allies on film to share their stories of how lives are directly impacted by current laws and policy. The first film short, All Texas Families, focuses on public education around inequities in the Texas Health and Safety Code. The Health and Safety Code currently states that an adopted child’s Supplementary Birth Certificate may only list one female and one male parent. As a result, thousands of Texas children with two legally-adoptive parents of the same gender are denied a birth certificate that accurately reflects their legal parentage. Equality Texas is the largest civil rights organization in Texas dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation [...]
Tyler, TX – Pastor David Dykes of Green Acres Baptist Church recently traveled to Uganda for a Pastoral Care Ministries project and took some time out to promote the “Kill The Gays” bill. Dykes: I’m extremely upset that our state department is putting pressure on Uganda to recognize homosexual behavior. And I’m praying that Uganda will say, “We don’t want your money, America. It is blood money. It is sin money.” I hope that you will continue to stand strong on what the Bible defines as the definition of a real marriage….In America, Christians are going to put as much pressure as we can on our government not to cut the aid to Uganda over this issue. But if they do decide to do that, we’ll let our displeasure be known, but we’ll try to step in as the Church in America to try to make up sending resources over here, especially to the churches. We hope to stand alongside the believers of Uganda during this time of crisis. We asked D. Karen Wilkerson, Board member of Project TAG (Tyler Area Gays) for her reaction: I’m horrified by the vitriolic comments coming from the pastor of this large church in my city. The Tyler community will gather on Thursday, December 20th at 11:30 AM at UT Tyler Theater to discuss what is going on in Uganda. Here is the Facebook event for that discussion. Controversy is not new for Dykes who, earlier this year, used the pulpit to campaign for right [...]
This is my response to all the people who believe they are doing god’s work by discriminating against the LGBT community.
P.S. Sorry about the quality I recorded it with my laptop.