When I moved to Dallas in 1992, I volunteered for several nonprofit organizations: I stacked food on the AIDS Resource Center food pantry shelves. I was an HIV counselor at the Nelson Teredo Community Clinic. I created four monthly newsletters. I sat on the boards of the Dallas Gay & Lesbian Alliance, Couples Metro Dallas […]
Category: Opinion
Posted inTop Stories
In praise of Drag Story Hour
Drag Story Hours have really come to the fore in our political consciousness in the last few years, as the radical right has strategically targeted events raising the visibility of individuals who are gender-nonconforming, transgender or nonbinary. I’m glad to say I’ve been to a Drag Story Hour (DSH). It was a joyous, but innocuous-seeming […]
Posted inTop Stories
Acknowledging queer women during Women’s History Month
They say history is told by the victors, and history in the United States is told from the perspective of white, cisgender, straight men. Our schools teach this narrative but then take the opportunity during certain months to tell the history of “the other,” showing that we are not the ones whose history is the […]
Posted inTop Stories
Breaking down the LGBTQ ‘monolith’
We’ve heard this phrase a lot lately: The LGBTQ+ community is not a monolith. It gets used whenever the assumed homogeny of the community is called into question, serving as a reminder that not all LGBTQ+ share the same views or priorities. In politics, for example, one might stereotypically expect LGBTQ+ people to automatically support […]
Posted inTop Stories
The power of queer obituaries
I enjoy reading the obituaries. You’re likely thinking, this person is a wackadoodle. I get why this strikes many as morbid. Yet, strange as it probably seems, few things are more life-affirming than obits. Particularly, for the LGBTQ+ community. Obituaries are far from dole, death-obsessed dirges. They are (pun intended) lively stories of lives: Composer […]
Posted inTop Stories
The importance of living authentically
“Don’t worry about what other people think of you. They need to worry about what you think of them.” I offered this advice to a new colleague of mine recently as we sat enjoying our lunch of gumbo and shrimp po’ boys on a cloudy Dallas afternoon. He responded, “For the first time in a […]
Posted inTop Stories
The youngest victims of anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination
On Dec. 13, the Ohio State Board of Education voted 10-7 in favor of a non-binding resolution opposing proposed changes to the federal government’s Title IX protecting LGBTQ+ students. It was just one more blow for LGBTQ+ young people, who for much of 2022 have unwittingly found themselves at the center of one controversy after […]
Posted inCommentary
Respect in death for our trans siblings
Another mass shooting, another act of violence against our community. We’re numbed to it, deadened to the daily nature of murders of our siblings and only the largest, shocking numbers grab the headlines now. This is why we honor Trans Day of Remembrance, to make sure no life goes unremembered even if their story didn’t […]
Posted inTop Stories
Who gets to define family values?
When President Barack Obama gave his second inaugural speech Jan. 21, 2013, the part that had me in tears was when he said, “We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths –- that all of us are created equal –- is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our […]
Posted inTop Stories
How infighting serves the power structures eager to divide us
My home is protected by Ben Bradlee Brown. Not the esteemed Washington Post executive editor. This Ben Bradlee is a 16-pound Bichon Frise. The naming is intended as a compliment to Mr. Bradlee. In my house, dogs are good.
Posted inNews
Trans-Pacific Māhū Ancestors: Reclaiming Hawaiian Trans Identities/Spirits
In a world full of anger, hurt and worry, a Hawaiian legend of dual male/female identities has been resurrected to reclaim an ancient tradition and bring healing to our modern lives. Such a story is necessary today as transgender people are openly attacked as easy targets of hatred and discrimination, scapegoats for all that is […]
Posted inTop Stories
The fight continues
In the 53-plus years since the Stonewall Riots, the LGBTQ+ community has made tremendous strides. Progress came slowly at first; in the 1980s through the early 1990s, the HIV/AIDS epidemic largely diverted our attention and efforts away from fighting for equality and focused us instead on just trying to stay alive and keep our friends […]
Posted inTop Stories
Responsible voting and reporting: A recipe for democracy
Winston Churchill famously said, “It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government—except all the others that have been tried.” Democracy has been especially exhausting in recent memory. Mainstream media has locked Americans into a perpetual election cycle: Once a president, for example, is sworn in, speculation begins on the outcomes of […]
Posted inTop Stories
LGBTQ+ votes are crucial on the local level
It seems like every election we say, “the stakes have never been higher” for the LGBTQ+ community and it is true every time. It’s exhausting and LGBTQ+ voters, especially in blue states, may not feel motivated to turn out in a midterm election while President Biden safely holds the White House and there is no […]
Posted inArts and Entertainment
Did “Bros” fail at the box office because it didn’t market to the LGTBQ+ community?
Believe it or not, you made it through another year. But wait, it’s not that time of year yet, right? There’s Halloween and Thanksgiving and, gee, something called the Midterm Elections to get through. If you don’t believe this columnist, turn on the Hallmark Channel. They’ve already started the holiday romantic comedy festival, and when […]
Posted inNews
LGBTQ+ History Month is a celebration of community
As I write, it’s National Coming Out Day. Since 1988, this day in October has been a day of solidarity for those who have come out. It is also a hopeful, supportive, gentle opportunity for anyone in flux, transition or considering coming out. We all have coming out stories. It is important to voice them. […]
Posted inNews
Asian Americans lead the fight against hate crimes in California
In September, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law two bills that address the unprecedented number of bias incidents and hate crimes in the state. Initially aimed to confront the rise of such cases against Asian American and Pacific Islanders, the laws will also aid in defense of LGBTQs, who have experienced a similar increase. It’s an example of the importance of allies and cooperation among victimized communities to provide the means to combat harassing comments and violent behavior spurred by racial/sexual slurs, conspiracy theories, and political rhetoric.
Posted inOpinion
Support for LGBTQ+ journalism starts locally
Standing up in my highchair, peering over my dad’s shoulder, I was interested in what had his attention: the newspaper. I wanted his attention, but I was patient and curious. I wasn’t old enough to read yet, but I looked at the pictures and graphic images and reached for the comics. Back in the 1960s […]
Posted inFeatured
Why having LGBTQ+ people in office matters
Representation matters. It matters everywhere, from the actors people see in movies to the teachers who impart knowledge to the politicians who determine the laws that shape our lives. The results can be overwhelmingly beneficial, helping underrepresented people to connect with each other and reducing negative stereotypes. Few people can understand the aforementioned benefits better […]
Posted inTop Stories
Banned Books Week is a reminder of why we need to fight for LGBTQ+ content
Book burnings evoke thoughts of Europe nearly a century ago, but they’re being suggested here in the U.S. this year under a scary climate that is trying to eliminate all LGBTQ+ books from the shelves of public libraries and schools—and not enough people are talking about it or trying to stop it. Many hope to […]