OCTOBER 2023

MUNICIPAL ELECTION ENDORSEMENTS

We are proud to say these candidates are the most qualified and most ready to address the concerns of the LGBTQ+ community. Government officials have a profound effect on our lives, whether it be determining who can adopt, to whether a person can change their legal name to match their gender identity.

City of Houston Mayor

Sheila Jackson Lee

City of Houston Controller

Chris Hollins

Houston City Council, District C

Abbie Kamin

Houston City Council, District D

Carolyn Evans-Shabazz

Houston City Council, District F

Tiffany Thomas

Houston City Council, District H

Mario Castillo

Houston City Council, District I

Joaquin Martinez

Houston City Council, District J

Ivan Sanchez

Houston City Council, At-Large 1

Leah Wolfthal

Houston City Council, At-Large 3

Donnell Cooper

Houston City Council, At-Large 4

Letitia Plummer

Houston City Council, At-Large 5

Sallie Alcorn

HISD Trustee, District III

Daniela Hernandez

HISD Trustee, District VIII

Placido Gomez VOTE

You can take this card with you to the polls.

Thank You OutSmart Readers!

We’ve always believed that there is nothing more important than health. That’s why for more than 40 years, Legacy has been a dedicated health care provider for the LGBTQIA+ community.

Thank you Team Legacy for all you do every day, and OutSmart Readers for voting Legacy Community Health.

WINNER

Favorite HIV/AIDS Support Organization

WINNER

Best Pharmacy, Legacy Pharmacy

WINNER

Best Men’s Health Clinic, Wellness Bar by Legacy

WINNER

Best Community Health Services Provider

WINNER

Best Female Nurse Practitioner, Maggie White, FNP

WINNER

Best Women’s Health Clinic, Wellness Bar by Legacy

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR FINALISTS

Best Male Dentist

Alex Barrera, DDS

Best Female Physician

Jennifer Feldmann, MD

Best Female Physician

Natalie Vanek, MD

Best Male Physician James Carroll, MD

Best Mental Health Practice

Legacy Community Health

Best Political Advocacy Group Legacy Takes Action

Favorite LGBTQ Benefit Event of the Year

Mint Julep

Favorite LGBTQ Philanthropic Organization Legacy Community Health

Favorite Local LGBTQ Community Organization Legacy Community Health

Voted Best Male Eye Doctor

Voted Best Place to Buy Eyewear

Voted Best Female Eye Doctor

Whatever happens in our community, we’re here, ready to serve.

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Treating everyone with respect, compassion and gratitude for giving us the opportunity to care for them, work with them, know them.

You may not know our name. And that’s okay.

YOU’LL KNOW US BY THE WORK WE DO.

20

Students at UH and Rice Univesity rally to fight the statewide ban on LGBTQ campus resource centers at public universities

25 COMMUNITY

Queer car lovers will meet this month at Lambda Car Club’s 35th-anniversary invitational car show; Houston-area Pride events are scheduled this month in Katy and The Woodlands

30 MONEY SMART

Federal employees have generous retirement benefits as part of their compensation, but careful planning is needed to take advantage of them

Lesbians Over Age Fifty have a good time! LOAF provides opportunities to socialize several times throughout the month. Activities range from:

We try to have something for everyone. Come get involved and make new friends or reacquaint with old ones. Community is good for the soul.

Derrick Shore, KPRC 2’s co-host of Houston Life Photography by Frank Xavier @the_creativex for OutSmart magazine

a

Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Greg Jeu

Creative Director Alex Rosa

Copy Editor Howard Maple, Janice Stensrude

Contributing Writers

Olivia Flores Alvarez, Rich Arenschieldt, Bill Arning, Susan Bankston, Connor Behrens, Jenny Block, Sam Byrd, David Clarke, Dick Dace, Blase DiStefano, Andrew Edmonson, Ste7en Foster, Alys Garcia Carrera, Martin Giron, Lillian Hoang, DL Groover, Marene Gustin, Kim Hogstrom, James Hurst, Lisa Keen, Ryan M. Leach, Zachary McKenzie, David Odyssey, Joanna O’Leary, Lilly Roddy, Terri Schlichenmeyer, Gregg Shapiro, Janice Stensrude, Sheryl Taylor, Terrance Turner, Grace S. Yung

Photographers/Illustrators

Edgardo Aguilar, John-Paul Arreaga, Victor  Contreras, Dalton DeHart, Yvonne Feece, Frank Hernandez, Ashkan Roayaee, Alex Rosa

Operations Manager Michael Gurnas

Sales and Marketing Dept.

Local Advertising Reps 713.520.7237

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Subscriptions: $42/12 Issues, $78/24 Issues

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O ut S mart is published monthly. Estimated readership in Houston and surrounding areas is 60,000. OutSmart Media Company is not responsible for claims and practices of advertisers. The opinions and views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the staff or management of O ut S mart Inclusion in O ut S mart does not imply sexual orientation. ©2023 by OutSmart Media Company. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited. Unsolicited material is accepted. No manuscript returned without SASE.

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Dr. Marcus de Guzman

Dr. Robert Hines

Ruby Charania

We hope you’ll enjoy this October issue featuring the winners of our annual Gayest & Greatest Readers’ Choice Awards. The community came forward once again to pick their favorite people and places that are the backbone of Houston’s thriving LGBTQ community.

Our cover star Derrick Shore, co-host of Channel 2’s afternoon Houston Life program, fills us in on his media career and life in Houston with his partner of six years, Brandon Borque. Thanks to OutSmart ’s staff photographer, Frank Xavier, who worked with Derrick on an exclusive photo shoot for this month’s issue.

As you browse through our lineup of talented winners and finalists beginning on page 35, you’ll find some new faces in addition to well-known veterans among our profile stories—artist and activist Katharine

Ligon,

nonbinary drag artist D’Addie D’Vine, HIV/AIDS service organization PWA Holiday Charities, trans activist Kenia Gallardo, and several others.

Mark your calendars for our October 18 celebration party at South Beach Houston, where you can enjoy drink specials and entertainment while mingling with this year’s Gayest & Greatest winners. Thanks to our event sponsors Bayou City Smiles, Legacy Community Health, and Premier Wireless, the party is sure to be a success. Please join us from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. for an evening of glamour, glitz, and fun.

As OutSmart magazine celebrates its 30th year of publishing, we were honored to receive this year’s Houston LGBTQ+ Political Caucus award for Excellence in Media. Don’t miss our extensive array of local political news stories at OutSmartMagazine.com, where

you can stay up-to-date on our community’s fight against rightwing attempts to undo 50 years of LGBTQ civil-rights progress.

OutSmart ’s award-winning journalism and online news coverage needs your ongoing support to thrive in the digital age. Below you will find information on making tax-

Support OutSmart’s LGBTQ journalism

For 30 years, OutSmart has brought award-winning coverage of LGBTQ news to Houston. Consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Outsmart Foundation for Community Media, a 501(c)(3) organization that supports OutSmart’s journalism. Your support helps us to continue telling the stories that impact our lives and celebrating the diversity of our community.

Thank you for your support!

deductible gifts to the newly formed OutSmart Foundation for Community Media. Please help us keep independent local LGBTQ journalism alive and well in Houston.

We look forward to seeing you on October 18!

Greg Jeu Publisher

Support OutSmart Foundation for Community Media

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LGBTQ+ Political Caucus President Austin Davis Ruiz (l) with Greg Jeu, Dalton DeHart, and Alex Rosa at the Caucus’ Annual Equality Brunch awards event

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QUEER THINGS to DO

For a weekly roundup of LGBTQ happenings, visit OutSmartMagazine.com

COMMUNITY

October 14

KATY PRIDE

Join our neighbors in Katy for their Pride celebration featuring mainstage performers, vendor and nonprofit booths, and more at First Christian Church of Katy. tinyurl.com/sctyrcke

COMMUNITY

October 21

THE WOODLANDS PRIDE

Since 2018, The Woodlands Pride has welcomed more than 15,000 ttendees to Town Green Park. Enjoy exhibitor booths, delicious food-truck treats, exciting entertainers, sponsor swag, and more. tinyurl.com/3k2uxvsa

COMMUNITY

October 6

OUT FOR GOOD GALA

The Montrose Center’s biggest event of the year honors Executive Director Ann J. Robison for 35 years of service and her retirement this year. Enjoy a delicious dinner and an inspiring program in celebration of National Coming Out Day. tinyurl.com/3br3vus2

COMMUNITY

October 18

GAYEST & GREATEST 2023 READERS’ CHOICE AWARDS CELEBRATION

Join us at South Beach Houston to celebrate this year’s winners and finalists found in this October issue. tinyurl.com/2p93xe84

STAGE

September 16–October 15

A FEMINIST CONSTITUTION

Main Street Theater presents the two-time Tony Award-winning play What the Constitution Means to Me—an exploration of the Constitution’s profound impact on women’s bodies. Pride Night pre-show reception on October 5 features light bites and signature cocktails. tinyurl.com/4ntfcj6u

NIGHTLIFE

October 12

JOHN WATERS TRASH-A-THON

Friends of River Oaks Theater presents a depraved triple-feature of iconic John Waters films: Serial Mom, Polyester and Pink Flamingos. The event at #Numbers is hosted by drag artist Sauvignon Blanca. tinyurl. com/2dpseh6f

STAGE

October 14

PRIDE CHORUS HOUSTON

Pride Chorus Houston presents an exploration of life’s everchanging seasons, embracing our community’s challenges while gazing optimistically toward the future. tinyurl.com/2xbtwtyw

STAGE

September 22–October 22

AMERICAN MARIACHI

It’s the 1970s, and girls can’t be mariachis—or can they? Attend the Alley Theatre production on October 5 for a pre-performance LGBTQ mixer. tinyurl.com/3b335ksw

COMMUNITY

October 14

‘ETHEREAL BLOOMS’ FASHION SHOW

Fashion designer Alvin Alan presents his collection evoking the natural radiance of San Miguel de Allende in Mexico. Free ticketed admission includes the fashion show, live music, drinks and light bites. Sabine Street Studios. tinyurl.com/ywsy8xbe

COMMUNITY

October 7

TEXAS RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL

The 49th annual Texas Renaissance Festival opens with the Queen’s Birthday Weekend. Try your skills at archery, axe throwing, swing in the Enchanted Forest, or take a spin on the DaVinci Flying Machines before browsing the shoppes.

tinyurl.com/4uk7wx26

STAGE

October 20–November 3

HOUSTON GRAND OPERA

Houston Grand Opera presents their specially-commissioned opera, Intelligence, a Civil War tale of two women who possess the deadliest weapon of all: intelligence, made more powerful by its invisibility. tinyurl.com/yc4vkft9

STAGE

October 17—29

TUTS PRESENTS ‘SWEENEY TODD’

Stephen Sondheim’s musical masterpiece is an inventive tale of a vengeful London barber and his unsuspecting customers. tinyurl.com/2b47mhbe

NIGHTLIFE

October 20–22

GLUE WEEKEND

Misfits Houston’s Gear, Leather, Uniform, Etc. (GLUE) Weekend is the group’s premier fetish celebration, with KIKI and BUDDY’S serving as this year’s host venues. tinyurl.com/2s3cpj2y

STAGE

October 20

NICOLE BYER

Actress, comedian, writer, author, and podcaster Nicole Byer comes to House of Blues Houston. She can currently be seen in her debut solo stand-up special for Netflix, Nicole Byer: Big Beautiful Weirdo. tinyurl.com/mwrbbcb8

COMMUNITY

October 27–30

QUEER FEAR CAMP

This 18+ Halloween-weekend camp at Lake Houston Wilderness Park features midnight hikes and lots of games. Ticket price includes meals, snacks, and drinks.

tinyurl.com/2s3kvhsr

STAGE

November 3

DAVID SEDARIS

David Sedaris, a Houston favorite and one of America’s preeminent humor writers and a master of satire, comes to Jones Hall for an evening of laughter and insight. Meet him at the book-signing after the performance. tinyurl.com/yu6bh75p

STAGE

November 14

KIM PETRAS ’FEED THE BEAST’ WORLD TOUR

German-born, Los Angeles-based pop superstar Kim Petras brings her Feed the Beast tour to 713 Music Hall. tinyurl.com/4bc926xa

STAGE

November 24–December 27

THE NUTCRACKER

Houston’s holiday tradition continues with the magic and wonder of Stanton Welch’s The Nutcracker. Following the annual Stahlbaum Christmas party, journey through the glittering Land of Snow to the bright and joyful Kingdom of Sweets with Clara, Drosselmeyer, and the Prince. One of the most splendid children’s tales ever staged, Welch’s The Nutcracker features hundreds of characters, elaborate sets, and stunning details that captivate audiences. tinyurl.com/mr39uxtw

STAGE

November 25

BARBIE DRAG-QUEEN PARTY

Come on, Barbie, your party hasn’t ended yet! Attend this Barbie drag performance and celebrate every possible shade of pink. Tickets available online. tinyurl.com/mr2zasuk

by

On August 26, 2023, Pride Houston 365 held a volunteer appreciation party at KiKi Houston. Pictured are volunteers and attendees.

Neon Boots celebrated its 10 year anniversary on August 26, 2023, Pictured are Debbie Storrs with the Fab Five.

On August 29, 2023, EPAH held its elections and dinner meeting at Cadillac Bar Pictured are some of the EPAH new board of trustees and officers. L-R deborah lawson, Bryan Hlavinka, Randall Hendrick; Top row: Jim Jemelka, Jack Berger, Fran Smith, Ed Holmstrom, Jeff Winans, Bob Burress, and Mike Bodin

The Greater Houston LGBT Chamber hosted a Grubhub Grant Presentation at Star Salior on August 30, 2023 Pictured are the Grantees.

On August 31, 2023, The Montrose Center received a check presentation from Houston Sports and Social Club Pictured are Stacey Carr, Tara Converse, and Alex Torres.

On September 6, 2023, Lambda NextGen hosted its September happy hour at Pearl Bar Pictured are Connor J. Rock, Jaclyn Strawser, Gaston Galvao, Marcus Wade, and Ruei-Ting Mau

B Well Counseling Center held an open house and a ribbon cutting on September 15, 2023 Pictured are Megan Birdwell, Spencer Gutierrez, Melanie Gregg, Kristen Berglund, Elizabeth Poirrier, Ashleigh Mullican, Tammi Wallace, and Natalie Wheeler.

On September 14-15, 2023, Los Robles Bar celebrated its grand opening weekend. Pictured are Jorge Mora and Benny Jimenez with Grupo Aliados.

Houston Transgender Unity Banquet was held at Hilton Hotel Westchase on September 16 2023. Pictured are Members of the Committee, presenters, honorees, and supporters.

On September 24, 2023, The Diana Foundation held its second annual charity drag brunch “Rainbows & Rhinestones” at KiKi Houston. Pictured are Jeremy Ronquillo, Alexye’us D Paris, Chloe Knox, Dina Jacobs, Dessie Love-Blake, and Howard Huffstutler.

Conrad N. Hilton College hosted a panel discussion of LGBT Leaders in the Houston community on September 27, 2023. Pictured are Gary Bauman, Marcus O. Gray, Sydney Hetherington, Howard Huffstutler, Grace Garcia, and Dalton DeHart.

A Danica Roem for state senate fundraiser was hosted by LGBTQ Victory Fund and HRC at the home of Mayor Annise Parker on August 28, 2023. Pictured are Kathy Hubbard, Danica Roem, and Annise Parker.

Photos

DALTON DEHART AND CREW

The Student-Led Resistance Against Senate Bill 17

UH GLOBAL and Rice PRIDE students lead the fight against the anti-DEI law.

By MARTIN GIRON

With Senate Bill 17 on the horizon, students from the University of Houston and Rice University have begun mobilizing to counter the effects of the bill.

SB 17, proposed by Republican state Senator Brandon Creighton of Conroe, effectively prevents public higher education institutions from receiving state funding if Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) programs, including LGBTQ centers, are not dissolved. Creighton has been quoted as calling DEI programs “exclusive.”

“They have been shown to be ineffective and politically charged,” Creighton said. “Many of these programs have been weaponized to compel speech instead of protecting free speech.”

Although the law is set to take effect on January 1 of 2024, UH closed their LGBTQ Resource Center on August 31, raising concern from students who depend on the center for the community and resources it provided.

“Discrimination happens everywhere, but the LGBTQ Resource Center provided a home and a safe space from that,” says Kaitie Tolman, president of GLOBAL, a queer student organization at UH. “To have people who have never stepped foot on this campus write a bill that takes away the center of our [LGBTQ] community is heartbreaking.”

In response to the closure of the LGBTQ Resource Center, Tolman helped organize a protest on August 23 that garnered over 90 supporters—including Texas House Representative Jolanda Jones. She plans to facilitate a walkout in the near future. “We ask that staff support us by excusing attendance, and we invite any organizations interested in collaborating with us to reach out,” she says.

Following the center’s closure, UH announced that they would be opening a Center for Student Advocacy and Community. According to a statement released by Interim Vice President for Student Affairs Daniel M. Maxwell, this center will focus on advocacy, the development of educational workshops and resources, and community support.

“[The center] reduces barriers that inhibit

academic and personal success by identifying areas of need, providing connections to resources, and supporting student-led programs and initiatives that strengthen our community,” the statement says. An opening date has not been announced yet, but the center aims to be a “one stop for advocacy” resource for students.

It is important to note that this new center does not specify specific target populations for its usage, as it is still bound by the same restrictions propagated by SB 17 and is not designed to replace the LGBTQ Resource Center. Tolman also notes that the protest revealed many in the UH community had strong personal connections and experiences with the LGBTQ Resource Center that cannot be replaced— including herself.

“When our former GLOBAL Vice President Corey Sanders passed away, I initially planned to organize it myself,” Tolman says.

“After I asked the LGBTQ Resource Center if we could host the service there since it was Corey’s favorite spot on campus, they took it a step further and helped plan it within three

days. It was amazing to see the space packed with Corey’s friends and family—it would’ve taken weeks to make that happen without the center.”

Prior to its closure, UH’s LGBTQ Resource Center provided students with scholarship opportunities, spaces for free speech and protest, peer mentorship, allyship training, and advocacy resources. The center had been active in efforts to change the sociopolitical climate at and around UH since 2010.

Since the center’s closure, GLOBAL has begun hosting events in other spaces across campus. One of the new spaces students at UH can now access is not only off campus, but located at a different university entirely.

A few miles west, students at Rice University—a private institution unaffected by SB 17—have responded to the bill by extending honorary membership in Rice PRIDE, a queer undergraduate organization on campus with over 300 members. The initiative to offer membership to public

Rice University students walking in the 45th Annual Houston Pride Parade on June 24, 2023. BRANDON MARTIN

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university students affected by SB 17 has been student-led. Plans include asynchronous activities, local community events, and access to Rice’s Queer Resource Center

“We’ve received over 100 applications from across 20 different universities,” says Rice PRIDE co-president Cole Holladay, who uses they/them pronouns. “We initially didn’t expect to have so many students interested in joining, but it’s exciting to have this opportunity to create community across the state.”

In 2017, the newly created QRC combined with Queers and Allies, another LGBTQ organization on campus, to create Rice PRIDE. Rice’s QRC still functions as a space for students on campus to access safesex resources, a library with queer literature, and community—though unlike UH’s LGBTQ Resource Center, it is run primarily by student volunteers.

“The QRC being student-led is a strength because I think it incentivizes people to utilize it and create community,” Holladay says. “A caveat of that is it’s a lot of responsibility to put on students, and I think having staff to support the students— at least with the burden of some of the logistical work—is something we hope to see.”

Rice University—whose policy is to “not only celebrate, but actively seek out broad diversity across the student body”—has a history of student-driven movements that have arisen in response to institutional issues with diversity. Recent examples include the push to remove the statue of William Marsh Rice (due to his history of owning slaves) and the petition to sever athletic ties with Brigham Young University over its anti-LGBTQ history.

Students from both Rice and UH have echoed similar concerns over SB 17 and have taken complementary approaches to tackling the bill.

“We are hoping to gain more institutional support because this is a very critical time for the university to put forth some new initiatives, especially with its privilege as a private institution [unaffected by SB 17] in Texas,” Holladay says. “We know how detrimental losing queer spaces for students is, so our main motivation now is to foster community with those students in any way we can.”

For Tolman, the fight against SB 17 has just begun. “We’re hoping to get this bill overturned, not just for UH, but for everyone.”

Classic Cars and Queers

The 35th Grand Invitational Car Show comes to Houston.

By MARENE GUSTIN

Have you heard of a classic car club for the LGBTQ+ community?

“I don’t think anybody has!” laughs Bobbie Trimmer, a trans woman who is a commercial pilot and car enthusiast. “I’ve been into cars pretty much my whole life,” she says. “When I came out about 20 years ago, all we had was the bar scene. But a couple of years ago I started looking for an LGBTQ+ group that was into cars.”

What she found was Lambda Car Club International (LCCI), a nonprofit car club for LGBTQ and LGBTQ-friendly automobile enthusiasts in North America. The largest club of its kind, LCCI was founded in 1981 for the enjoyment and exchange of information on all motor vehicles combined with social fellowship for the LGBTQ community and allies. Today, LCCI has more than 30 regional chapters in the US with more than 1,800 members. Texas has four regional chapters, known as Classic Chassis Car Clubs (CCCC), in San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, and right here in Houston.

The Houston CCCC was founded in 1989 and has about 70 members. They meet the first Wednesday of the month and also attend car shows and events that are open to the general public in and around Houston—favorites are RADwood Austin for ’80s and ’90s cars and Keels & Wheels in Seabrook—as well as coffee or get-togethers at members’ homes for pool parties, BBQs, and such. They even offer weekend trips for car lovers.

Anyone can attend the monthly meetings, but for the special events, you need to sign up as a member of LCCI (lambdacarclub.com). Texas CCCC cities take turns hosting the Annual Golden Girls Car Show but this year Houston is host to the national LCCI’s 35th Grand Invitational for the first time, October 17 through 22.

“We actually were supposed to host it last year, but it was canceled due to COVID,” says Bill Smith, a Houston CCCC member for 26 years. Smith came by his car love early.

“My grandfather lived on the same street as us,” he recalls. “I would hang out on his porch with him in the evening and he would point out each type of car as it went by.”

Much later in life, Smith wanted to own a replica of his first car, a 1966 Mustang, but

could only find a ’67. He was actually in a local Mustang club but decided he preferred the LGBTQ car club, and they often met at the same time.

“Mustangs are great,” he says. “Because Ford still makes parts for every year of Mustang ever made. “Getting parts for some of the older cars can be hard. It used to be car enthusiasts were into cars from the ’20s to the ’80s but now it’s more like ’80s to current because of that.”

Smith says the upcoming Grand Invitational show, which has 221 registrants, will feature a 1929 Cord, a luxury car of the era that featured front-wheel drive and hidden headlamps and was popular with movie stars. “The newest car will be a 2023 Mitsubishi Mirage, and the most expensive will be a Bentley Bentayga,” he says of the SUV that goes for well over $200,000.

Smith is hoping for plenty of visitors to attend the show.

“You can just come out to the South Shore Harbor Hotel and Conference Center Marina where the cars will be parked and look around,” he says. “Owners love to talk about their cars, and if you need help, staff wear white cowboy hats.” Those are also the people you want to get ahold of if you want to use your cell phone to vote on the awards. They’ll tell

you how to do that.”

“What I like about the club,” interjects Trimmer, is that it is a fun bunch of people that are nonjudgmental of anyone that’s on the LGBTQ+ spectrum, and as the only transwoman in the group, they have been a huge supporter of me, as well as a community anchor that’s an alternative to going to bars and clubs to meet people. One of the goals for us as a club going forward is to find younger members that enjoy car culture.”

Trimmer and her fiancée, Holly Scheuer, have eight cars just for fun, plus two daily vehicles and a work truck, that they store at Trimmer’s workshop building in Coldspring, near Lake Livingston. She does almost all of the work on the cars, and they are currently rebuilding a 1992 Toyota Land Cruiser, a 1998 Ford Mustang GT, and a 1999 Mazda Miata at the workshop. But you don’t have to own a classic car, or any car, to join CCCC. Just have a love of cars and community.

WHAT: Lambda Car Club International’s Grand Invitational Car Show

WHEN: October 17 thru 22

WHERE: South Shore Harbor Hotel and Conference Center

Info: gi2023.com

Bobbie Trimmer (l) and Holly Prell Scheuer

Pride As Big As Texas

Despite attacks against the LGBTQ community, Houston-area Pride events are growing.

By DAVID CLARKE

The ACLU is tracking 496 anti-LGBTQ bills in the United States, and 54 of those bills were introduced within the state of Texas. A sigh of relief was breathed when a federal judge recently ruled SB12, one of those 54 bills, as unconstitutional. Despite these continued attacks against our community, Houston area residents are seeing an increase in local Pride events, proving that this metroplex has Pride as big as Texas.

While the last stubborn remnants of glitter from Pride Houston 365’s 45th annual Houston Pride parade have finally been swept up or vacuumed away, Houstonians and their neighbors can look forward to the first ever Katy Pride on October 14 and the fifth annual The Woodlands Pride Festival on October 21, among other events such as Third Coast Pridefest in Galveston on October 22. These localized events are just as crucial as large-scale programming offered by major cities because they create much needed visibility for LGBTQ

people living in suburbs and rural areas.

Katy Pride began as a Drag Bingo event hosted by the community’s LGBTQ affirming First Christian Church in September 2022.

“We had all these protests, which really opened our eyes to Katy, the LGBTQ community, and the need for Katy Pride,” says Amanda Rose, Katy Pride President. “We’ve started to see more local Prides pop up versus just Houston Pride. The Woodlands has a Pride, and Brazoria County and Lake Jackson had Prides this year. So, we said, ‘We should do Katy Pride. There’s a need, and we know the interest and the support is there.’”

Naturally, some people have balked at the idea of having Katy Pride, but that isn’t deterring Rose or her colleagues. “People say, ‘This isn’t Katy anymore. This isn’t the Katy I remember,’” states Rose. “Well, it shouldn’t be. A successful, growing city, should not be what it was 10, 15, or 20 years ago.”

With the Katy ISD school board recently voting in favor of outing trans and gender nonconforming students to their parents, attendees of Katy Pride can expect to see activations

that uplift LGBTQ youth across their event. “At Katy Pride, we’re offering all the high school GSAs and similar groups the ability to have booths and just get awareness out,” explains Rose. “Our hope is we will have a lot of youth at this event, and they need to know we’re there and that these organizations are in their schools.”

North of Houston, The Woodlands Pride Festival is celebrating its fifth anniversary. “It’s insane to think that we have been doing this since 2018. From our first year of welcoming over 5,000 people, which blew our minds, to last year welcoming over 7,500 people,” says Jason Rocha, President and CEO of The Woodlands Pride, “we’ve become one of the staple festivals in The Woodlands, and we are glad to be on the forefront of leading the charge to other suburban and rural Prides in the Houston area.”

Many may not realize this, but behind the scenes of every Pride event is grassroots information and resource sharing. “We’ve talked to Katy Pride, Columbus Pride,

The Woodlands Pride THE WOODLANDS PRIDE/FACEBOOK

Fort Bend Pride, and even Abilene Pride, which is a lot farther away than the others. We’ve been trying to give them as many resources as we can,” says Rocha. “The Woodlands Pride has helped us a lot, just in the organization of things, and it’s going to be well received,” adds Rose.

Local Prides can also move the needle on pressing social issues. “The Woodlands Pride is actually the lead plaintiff on the SB12 lawsuit,” explains Rocha. “If you went to a drag show, some theater, or the Beyoncé concert since September 1, we’re one of the five reasons that that’s able to happen in the state of Texas.”

This kind of state-wide impact is a pretty remarkable feat for an organization that is only five years old. With SB12’s author, Sen. Bryan Hughes, planning to defend the bill all the way to the Supreme Court, The Woodlands Pride is poised to have a national impact.

Allies are welcome and needed at local Prides, too. “Katy Pride is about education. Even in 2023, we must dispel myths of what people think about the LGBTQ community,” says Rose. “And the allies need to be there to show love. I think what speaks volumes is when someone who’s not in the community shows up and stands out for people.” This sentiment is shared by The Woodlands Pride. “If you’re busy on the day of Pride, reschedule yourself to show up, even if it’s just for an hour,” adds Rocha. “When you have all these politicians attacking you and corporate sponsors pulling out, this is the time to show your support and be an active ally.”

No Pride can occur without volunteers and donations from the local community. Anyone looking to get involved with their local Pride organization or to donate is strongly encouraged to reach out and pitch in. “I invite everybody out there to share their resources to help make Texas a state where everybody can live freely, regardless of their gender, orientation, religion, or any of those things,” says Rocha.

WHAT: Katy Pride

WHEN: October 14

Info: fcckaty.org/katypride

WHAT: The Woodlands Pride

WHEN: October 21

WHERE: Town Green Park, 2099 Lake Robbins Dr.

Info: thewoodlandspride.org

LONG-ACTINGPrEP

APRETUDE is a prescription medicine used for HIV-1 PrEP to reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 infection in adults and adolescents who weigh at least 77 pounds (at least 35 kg).

Reasons to ask your doctor about APRETUDE

APRETUDE is the first and only long-acting, injectable PrEP for reducing the risk of getting HIV-1

It’s an injection given every other month, instead of a pill you take every day

Studied in HIV-1 negative cisgender men, transgender women, and cisgender women at risk of getting HIV-1

APRETUDE is given every other month by a healthcare provider after initiation injections have been given 1 month apart for 2 consecutive months. Stay under a provider’s care while receiving APRETUDE. You must receive it as scheduled. If you will miss a scheduled injection by more than 7 days, call your provider right away.

IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT APRETUDE

This is only a brief summary of important information about APRETUDE and does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your medicine.

AP-reh-tood

MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT APRETUDE

Important information for people who receive APRETUDE to help reduce their risk of getting human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) infection, also called pre-exposure prophylaxis or “PrEP”:

Learn more at APRETUDE.com

MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT APRETUDE (cont'd)

Before receiving APRETUDE to reduce your risk of getting HIV-1:

• You must be HIV-1 negative to start APRETUDE. You must get tested to make sure that you do not already have HIV-1 infection.

• Do not receive APRETUDE for HIV-1 PrEP unless you are confirmed to be HIV-1 negative.

• Some HIV-1 tests can miss HIV-1 infection in a person who has recently become infected. If you have flu-like symptoms, you could have recently become infected with HIV-1. Tell your healthcare provider if you had a flu-like illness within the last month before starting APRETUDE or at any time while receiving APRETUDE. Symptoms of new HIV-1 infection include: tiredness; joint or muscle aches; sore throat; rash; enlarged lymph nodes in the neck or groin; fever; headache; vomiting or diarrhea; night sweats. Please see additional Important Facts About APRETUDE at right.

Eligible patients may pay as little as a $0 co-pay per injection on prescribed APRETUDE.

IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT APRETUDE (cont'd)

MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT APRETUDE (cont'd)

While you are receiving APRETUDE for HIV-1 PrEP:

• APRETUDE does not prevent other sexually transmitted infections. Practice safer sex by using a latex or polyurethane condom to reduce the risk of getting sexually transmitted infections.

• You must stay HIV-1 negative to keep receiving APRETUDE for HIV-1 PrEP.

° Know your HIV-1 status and the HIV-1 status of your partners.

° Ask your partners with HIV-1 if they are taking anti-HIV-1 medicines and have an undetectable viral load. An undetectable viral load is when the amount of virus in the blood is too low to be measured in a lab test. To maintain an undetectable viral load, your partners must keep taking HIV-1 medicine as prescribed. Your risk of getting HIV-1 is lower if your partners with HIV-1 are taking effective treatment.

° Get tested for HIV-1 with each APRETUDE injection or when your healthcare provider tells you. You should not miss any HIV-1 tests. If you become HIV-1 infected and continue receiving APRETUDE because you do not know you are HIV-1 infected, the HIV-1 infection may become harder to treat.

° Get tested for other sexually transmitted infections such as syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea. These infections make it easier for HIV-1 to infect you.

° If you think you were exposed to HIV-1, tell your healthcare provider right away. They may want to do more tests to be sure you are still HIV-1 negative.

° Get information and support to help reduce sexual risk behaviors.

° Do not miss any injections of APRETUDE. Missing injections increases your risk of getting HIV-1 infection.

° If you do become HIV-1 positive, you will need to take other medicines to treat HIV-1. APRETUDE is not approved for treatment of HIV-1.

If you have HIV-1 and receive only APRETUDE, over time your HIV-1 may become harder to treat.

ABOUT APRETUDE

APRETUDE is a prescription medicine used for HIV-1 PrEP to reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 infection in adults and adolescents who weigh at least 77 pounds (at least 35 kg). HIV-1 is the virus that causes Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). It is not known if APRETUDE is safe and effective in children younger than 12 years of age or weighing less than 77 pounds (less than 35 kg).

DO NOT RECEIVE APRETUDE IF YOU:

• already have HIV-1 infection. If you are HIV-1 positive, you will need to take other medicines to treat HIV-1. APRETUDE is not approved for treatment of HIV-1.

• do not know your HIV-1 infection status. You may already be HIV-1 positive. You need to take other medicines to treat HIV-1. APRETUDE can only help reduce your risk of getting HIV-1 infection before you are infected.

• are allergic to cabotegravir.

• are taking any of the following medicines: carbamazepine; oxcarbazepine; phenobarbital; phenytoin; rifampin; rifapentine.

BEFORE RECEIVING APRETUDE

Tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you:

• have ever had a skin rash or an allergic reaction to medicines that contain cabotegravir.

• have or have had liver problems.

• have ever had mental health problems.

• are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if APRETUDE will harm your unborn baby. APRETUDE can remain in your body for up to 12 months or longer after the last injection. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while receiving APRETUDE.

BEFORE RECEIVING APRETUDE (cont'd)

• are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if APRETUDE can pass to your baby in your breast milk. Talk with your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby while receiving APRETUDE.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Some medicines may interact with APRETUDE. Keep a list of your medicines and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine. You can ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for a list of medicines that interact with APRETUDE.

Do not start a new medicine without telling your healthcare provider. Your healthcare provider can tell you if it is safe to receive APRETUDE with other medicines.

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF APRETUDE

APRETUDE may cause serious side effects, including:

• Allergic reactions. Call your healthcare provider right away if you develop a rash with APRETUDE. Stop receiving APRETUDE and get medical help right away if you develop a rash with any of the following signs or symptoms: fever; generally ill feeling; tiredness; muscle or joint aches; trouble breathing; blisters or sores in mouth; blisters; redness or swelling of the eyes; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue.

• Liver problems. Liver problems have happened in people with or without a history of liver problems or other risk factors. Your healthcare provider may do blood tests to check your liver function.

Call your healthcare provider right away if you develop any of the following signs or symptoms of liver problems: your skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow (jaundice); dark or "tea-colored" urine; lightcolored stools (bowel movements); nausea or vomiting; loss of appetite; pain, aching, or tenderness on the right side of your stomach area; itching.

• Depression or mood changes. Call your healthcare provider or get medical help right away if you have any of the following symptoms: feeling sad or hopeless; feeling anxious or restless; have thoughts of hurting yourself (suicide) or have tried to hurt yourself.

The most common side effects of APRETUDE include: pain, tenderness, hardened mass or lump, swelling, bruising, redness, itching, warmth, loss of sensation at the injection site, abscess, and discoloration; diarrhea; headache; fever; tiredness; sleep problems; nausea; dizziness; passing gas; stomach pain; vomiting; muscle pain; rash; loss of appetite; drowsiness; back pain; upper respiratory infection. These are not all the possible side effects of APRETUDE.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

GET MORE INFORMATION

• Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist.

• Go to APRETUDE.com or call 1-877-844-8872 where you can also get FDA-approved labeling.

December 2021 APR:1PIL

Trademark is owned by or licensed to the ViiV Healthcare group of companies. ©2022 ViiV Healthcare or licensor.

CBTADVT220018 September 2022

Produced in USA.

By GRACE YUNG, CFP

Retiring as a Federal Employee Plan ahead to take advantage of a wide range of benefits.

There are things to consider when planning for your retirement as a federal employee. Besides planning an income stream for yourself, if you have dependents, you will need to explore the different options when making decisions on your benefits so that your loved ones can be protected.

Understanding Your Federal Employee Benefits

There are many different categories of federal employees. These can include military personnel, as well as civilians who are employed at veterans’ hospitals, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), etc.

Federal employees are typically eligible for a variety of insurance and financial benefits, including:

• Retirement Savings

• Pension

• Health Insurance

• Life Insurance

• Long-Term Care Insurance

• Flexible Spending Accounts

In addition to yourself, others who are dependent on you for financial support may also be covered via federal survivor benefits. These individuals could include a spouse, child(ren), and dependent parent(s).

For instance, if you are actively working and enrolled in the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) or the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS), monthly survivor annuity payments can be paid to your unmarried dependent children upon your death, until the child(ren) reaches age 18, marries, or passes away. If the child is a full-time student, these benefits can continue until he or she reaches age 22.

If you are already retired, no monthly benefits are payable to your child(ren).

However, they can instead receive any remaining retirement contributions in your plan, along with applicable interest.

For federal workers who pass away while they are still employed, a surviving spouse may be eligible for the Basic Employee Death Benefit, which is equal to 50% of your final salary, plus $15,000. The surviving spouse may also qualify for monthly survivor benefits if they are at least age 60 and had been married to you for at least nine months at the time of your passing.

The eligible spouse of a deceased federal employee who is under age 65 may also be able to receive monthly survivor income that is equal to 50% of your base monthly salary. However, the amount of this survivor income will be reduced by any monthly survivor benefits that the spouse receives from Social Security.

Today, sexual orientation no longer plays a role in access to federal retirement and survivor benefits. Therefore, LGBTQ couples

are allowed to access the same benefits as opposite-sex couples.

In any case, though, there are many “moving parts” that are associated with federal retirement and survivors’ benefits, so it can be difficult to determine exactly what benefits may be received in various situations. Having a knowledgeable financial professional on your side can help you work towards building a strong financial plan for you and your loved ones.

The Importance of Beneficiary Designations

If you pass away while still covered by your federal benefits, either as an employee or a retiree, your survivor(s) could be protected financially—if you have chosen the proper plan options.

Unless you specifically designate a beneficiary on your federal life insurance and retirement benefits, these funds will be distributed according to the “order of

precedence.” And this may or may not be the recipient(s) you had intended to receive these funds.

For instance, if there is not a valid beneficiary designation on file when you pass away, your federal group life insurance proceeds would be paid out in the following order:

• To your widow(er)

• If there is no widow(er), to your child or children in equal shares (with the share of any deceased child being distributed among his or her descendants)

• If there are no children, to your surviving parent(s)

• If your parent(s) are no longer alive, to the administrator or executor of your estate

• If there is no executor or administrator, to the next of kin under the laws of the state where you resided at the time of your passing.

This is the same order in which the retirement funds in your Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) will be paid out.

Your survivors will generally have the option of receiving federal life insurance and retirement savings in either a lump sum or a series of regular payments over time. Note that if the amount of federal life insurance proceeds is under $5,000, though, the beneficiary will receive a check for these proceeds. These life insurance benefits are also received income tax free.

However, if the life insurance benefit amount is $5,000 or more, then the beneficiary has the option of receiving a check or setting up an interest-bearing account in his or her own name via the insurer that pays claims for the Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance Program.

Setting Up a Plan that Works for You

There are many moving parts and decisions to be made when planning for retirement as a federal employee including survivor benefits. With that in mind, it would be a good idea to work with a financial professional so he or she can help you work towards your goals and wishes.

Grace S. Yung, CFP ®, is a Certified finanCial P lanner practitioner with experience in helping LGBTQ individuals, domestic partners, and families plan and manage their finances since 1994. She is the managing director at Midtown Financial Group, LLC, in Houston. Member FINRA / SIPC. For more information, visit: www.midtownfg.com

Clairvoyant Tarot Readings By L.A.

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Here is what one client has to say:

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Here is what one client has to say:

“As a professional forecaster myself, I can attest to L.A. Brown’s remarkable ability to “see” the future. She’s as insightful as she is delightful, whether she’s amazing my party guests or giving me a personal reading, L.A. is spot-on with her predictions...and she goes out a lot farther than my 10-day forecast!”

“As a professional forecaster myself, I can attest to L.A. Brown’s remarkable ability to “see” the future. She’s as insightful as she is delightful, whether she’s amazing my party guests or giving me a personal reading, L.A. is spot-on with her predictions...and she goes out a lot farther than my 10-day forecast!”

“As a professional forecaster myself, I can attest to L.A. Brown’s remarkable ability to “see” the future. She’s as insightful as she is delightful, whether she’s amazing my party guests or giving me a personal reading, L.A. is spot-on with her predictions...and she goes out a lot farther than my 10-day forecast!”

Harris County’s LGBTQ Ally

Lesley Briones is pioneering change in County politics.

By RYAN M. LEACH

When Lesley Briones was elected as Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner, it created an opportunity for Democrats to have a super-majority that would dictate how Harris County would be governed. This power shift had been in motion since 2018. Briones is the first mother of young children elected to the court, the first woman to lead Precinct 4, and shares in the first time two women have served on the court (Judge Lina Hidalgo was re-elected in 2022). With her election, the LGBTQ community also gained a tremendous ally and “accomplice” in our fight for equality.

“I say ‘ally and accomplice’ because we need to get into ‘good trouble,’ pushing back against discrimination, taking action. With allyship, the key is listening and learning. There is so much I don’t know and want to learn. But we need to make sure that we are listening to become a partner in the fight and not simply projecting what we think might make us look like a good partner,” says Briones.

So far, the commissioner has delivered for the LGBTQ community. In January she wrote and passed a resolution creating the LGBTQIA+ Commission, the first of its kind in the county. Briones explained that the commission would be an advisory group made up of volunteers, community leaders, and experts from various fields. The group will assist the court in finding ways to improve public health and safety for the LGBTQ community. Many in Harris County’s queer community’ thought something like this would never happen.

Caucus Vice President Porscha Brown told the Houston Press, “I never thought that we would get the same rights or have a voice in the same rooms in my lifetime. Some things have changed, and while the creation of an LGBTQ commission isn’t going to fight our battles for us, it will help us focus on issues locally.”

Almost all of her fellow commissioners have selected community members from their precincts to serve on the commission that Briones says will meet quarterly, starting in the fall. The only commissioner not to have made any selections is the sole remaining Republican, Tom Ramsey from Precinct 3. Commissioner Briones currently resides in the Timbergrove neighborhood. “I love it

because it is inside the loop and close to everything—like the Heights, the Memorial Park area—and it’s a quick trip to get to Montrose, Upper Kirby, or the Galleria and downtown. It is very central, which I like because we have some traffic congestion problems that we are working on,” she says.

Briones is a native Texan, although not a native Houstonian.

“I am originally from Laredo, Texas, on the US-Mexico border. I moved to Houston after graduating from law school. I love Texas,” she says.

Public service is in her blood. Both of Briones’ parents were teachers. In fact, after graduating with honors from Harvard University, Briones herself taught 8th and 10th grade at two of the lowest income public schools in the country. She then attended Yale Law School where she led the Latino Law Student Association’s public service initiatives and provided pro-bono assistance to juvenile defendants and survivors of domestic abuse.

Briones eventually found herself in Hous-

ton as she began her law career, and in 2019 was appointed by the Commissioner’s Court to replace Bill McCleod as Judge of Harris County Civil Court of Law No. 4 after he resigned. After assuming the bench, she was recognized as the highest rated judge in the 2019 Houston Bar Association Judicial Evaluation Poll and won the HBA Judicial Preference Poll.

“I love representing Precinct 4. It is the most diverse and international precinct in the county. The Gulfton area itself is considered the ‘Ellis Island’ of Harris County with over 60 percent of the community members having been born in a different country. The precinct includes rural areas as well as dense urban and suburban areas like River Oaks, Timbergrove, and Rice Military,” she says.

Commissioners, as Briones describes them, serve a dual purpose. On one hand, they are somewhat like the governor of a small state. In fact, Precinct 4 with its 1.2 million residents is larger than nine states.

Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones (l) with volunteers and Precinct 4 employees during the 2023 Houston Pride parade.

Landwise, it is about the size of Rhode Island. As commissioner, she oversees county services for 5 cities, 54 parks and 8 community centers. This can range from managing youth and senior programs to ensuring that dead animals are cleared from ditches and roads.

On the other hand, she plays a significant role in planning for Precinct 4 as part of the Commissioners Court, where they make decisions that will impact the entire county, like how some government funding is spent. But one of the few perks of such a big job, in a diverse area like Precinct 4 is the diversity of food.

“I love eating. I am a big eater. My team teases me that I am eating my way through the precinct. I am a fan of the Ghandi District, and of course Chinatown, which is in Precinct 4. There is also a variety of Latin American countries represented in the Gulfton area, all with great food. I am MexicanAmerican so I love hole-in-thewall restaurants and taco trucks. You can stay endlessly entertained with the cuisine in Precinct 4.

With all of her responsibilities, Briones manages to still find time for allyship and activism with the communities that she feels compelled to stand in solidarity with,

like the LGBTQ community.

“An attack on the LGBTQ+ community is an attack on all,” says Briones. “The same day they passed the horrific bills disallowing gender-affirming care and targeting the trans Community, my team presented the LGBTQIA+ Commission to the court. On the same day Texas was passing hateful legislation, we were championing the rights of our LGBTQ+ community,” she says.

Despite what feels like an uphill battle for equality in the state, Briones has faith in a better Texas.

“I’m a natural optimist,” she says. “Sometimes it is hard, but I believe when you look at the demographics of the state of Texas, it will

eventually change in the next decade. Then, hopefully there will be an opportunity to rectify these wrongs and celebrate each other and ensure that rights are not being curtailed, but augmented. I will always be here to fight for Texas to become the state that reflects that.”

Until then, Briones assures that the LGBTQ community has an ally and an accomplice with her and her team.

“We stand in solidarity to learn, listen, and serve, and make Harris County a place of progress and resistance,” she says. “I look forward to many years of service together.”

For more info, visit cp4.harriscountytx.gov/Briones.

This year's event will take place at a new location hosting a 2k run/walk beginning on the beach across from Beach Central. Also featuring an open community fair with food trucks, kids zone, live entertainment, community organizations, and vendors. Bring a chair and make a day of it! Best of all, kids are free to participate in the Seawalk and kids zone with an adult registration!

OutSmart Magazine is excited to once again honor our community’s best and brightest—individuals and businesses who were this year’s top vote-getters after OutSmart readers cast nearly 100,000 votes. Read on for the complete Gayest & Greatest awards list, as well as profiles on 13 of these talented community leaders.

2023 READERS’ CHOICE AWARDS

KPRC-TV’s Derrick Shore shares his journey from a conservative suburb to become the co-host of Houston Life on KPRC 2. And over at Channel 13, reporter Pooja Lodhia uses her platform to spotlight Houston’s diverse LGBTQ community.

Representing the creative side of Houston’s queer community is artist and activist Katharine Ligon, MANBUNS apparel designer Israel Cruz, culinary star Chef Tae, gay musician and Houston Pride Band member Noel Freeman, and nonbinary drag artist D’Addie D’Vine.

Kenia Gallardo shares her passion for empower-

ing Houston’s trans community, while two leaders of the HIV/AIDS service organization PWA Holiday Charities describe that group’s proud 25-year history. And personal-injury attorney Lena Laurenzo, a native of Houston’s East End whose grandmother is a Houston icon, is a busy out-and-proud associate at her law firm.

Plastic and reconstructive surgeon George Washington’s skills are highly valued by those seeking gender-affirmation procedures, while queer barber Electa Hazenstab enjoys working her magic on both men and women in search of a fresh look. And finally, bartender Michael Milam’s signature “Green Kool-Aid” concoction has helped him earn this year’s Favorite Male Bartender honor.

PRESENTED BY

Houston’s TV Gem

FAVORITE MALE TV PERSONALITY

allowed him to pursue his dreams, but also offered an escape from the community where he

“I was raised by a single mom and two older sisters in a conservative Mormon suburb of Salt Lake City,” recalls Shore. “Neighbors judged my mom as being a ‘difficult woman’ because her husband wasn’t around. Extended family members were concerned that I didn’t go hunting and shoot guns ‘like a man.’ My peers singled me out and harassed me because I played the piano and sang, instead of playing football. Each day at school I tried to be as small and quiet as possible, just so I could fly under the radar and hopefully be lucky enough to avoid some of the constant bullying. Once high school was done and I decided to move to LA to pursue a career in television—instead of going on a two-year Mormon mission—my grandmother never really spoke to me again.”

Although Shore is close to his family now and sees them often, that was not the case 20 years ago when at age 22 he came out to his

family.

“It was terrifying but such a relief at the same time,” he explains. “At that point I already had close friends and colleagues who I knew would support me no matter what, but for years I had put off telling my family because I was worried it wouldn’t go well. The biggest challenge was probably the undoing and unlearning of the idea that gay people are evil, something that was ingrained in all of us at church and in our community and social circles for as long as I can remember.”

There isn’t a day that goes by now, says Shore, where he doesn’t speak to his mother at least once. She was there when he accepted his first of three Emmy awards.

“One of the best feelings of my career,” he says, “has been walking the red carpet with my mom, seeing her smile, and knowing that she knows she did an okay job raising my sisters and me. We didn’t have money, we didn’t have connections, and we certainly didn’t have the respect of our com-

2023 READERS’ CHOICE AWARDS

It was an acting role playing opposite Julia Stiles in the CBS television drama Promised Land. After that experience, he wanted more. He continued to book jobs in TV and film and had a small role in the ’90s teen comedy Drive Me Crazy

It was his senior year in high school, however, where he was introduced to the profession that would eventually become his career. Shore co-hosted a weekly news magazine show called SPIN in Salt Lake City. It was the first time he was on television as himself, instead of a character. Looking back on those tapes, Shore says he cringes at the quiet and awkward teen he once was. But his natural curiosity about people and the world made him realize that journalism was a better fit for him. Eventually he would get another big break as an anchor and correspondent for Channel One News, a national classroom network that was broadcast daily in about half of the high schools and middle schools in the United States. The job changed the trajectory of his life.

“Having grown up in Utah,” says Shore, “I had only traveled to a handful of nearby states, and suddenly Channel One News was sending me all over the world. My first international assignment was to cover the 10th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. I then covered everything from the Oscars in Hollywood to the SARS outbreak in China, the Super Bowl, September 11th attacks, and dozens of other features and breaking-news stories in South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. For the first time in my life, I was immersed in other cultures, meeting a diverse collection of people and learning about cultures very far from home.”

The job with Channel One News is what brought Shore to LA. It was the first (but not last) time Shore would be in a new city and not know anyone. It was the scariest and best decision he ever made, he says, and it

and about and traveling the world, my favorite thing is just to be at home with him, dog sitting our friends’ dog Gouda or having a casual dinner at Barnaby’s. We’re also so lucky to have the best, funniest group of friends in Houston. Typical weekends include kickball, pool, dinner and/or a game night. It’s the simple things I’ve started appreciating more and more.”

The couple built a new home in the EaDo neighborhood, where they have lived for two years. Shore says he is definitely a city person. A good thing, since he is on live TV every day in the fourth largest city in the US.

opportunities as they come, because those doors might not open again. The only things in life I’ve ever regretted are the things I didn’t try. Go out into the world and meet interesting people and do some cool shit. You’ll be much more interesting on TV if you’ve lived life, if you’ve traveled and tried new things, if you’ve opened your mouth, talked with a stranger, and learned something new.”

Follow Derrick Shore on Instagram @kprc2derrick and @houstonlifetv.

“YOU’VE GOT TO TAKE OPPORTUNITIES AS THEY COME, BECAUSE THOSE DOORS MIGHT NOT OPEN AGAIN. THE ONLY THINGS IN LIFE I’VE EVER REGRETTED ARE THE THINGS I DIDN’T TRY.”

—Derrick Shore

Breaking Boundaries

D’Addie D’Vine shares their drag journey.

By SAM BYRD

OutSmart is proud to present this year’s winner of Favorite Nonbinary Drag Performer: D’Addie D’Vine. This is the first year for voting in this category.

“I’ve always been kind of a performer, whether it be theater, reading poetry or scripts, or singing at karaoke,” D’Vine says. “After busi nesses started opening up from COVID-19, I attended an H-town Kings show randomly on one of their newcomer nights and said, ‘Oh, this is something I have to try.’ About a month later, I made my debut and never looked back.”

To create the character, D’Vine lifted a college nickname of “Daddy.”

“I picked the first name originally as a joke, but the more I thought about it, I realized it actually works,” D’Vine says. “‘D’Addie’ already feels like me. And then I added the ‘DVine’ to sort of make it an official sounding name.”

D’Vine is a storyteller not bound by any particular genre, but is instead free to express however they feel, rules be damned.

“I don’t like to bill myself as an alternative performer or anything like that. At the end of the day, whatever genre of music or style of performance or outfit that I’m using, I’m telling a story with whatever music I’m performing to,” they explain. “I like to have fun. I’ll wear skirts or I’ll do more masculine stuff. I use both male and female vocals when I perform . . . all different kinds of makeup styles. I mix it up a lot. But I really love using emotion in my performance to work with the music and lyrics.”

One unmistakable part of any D’Addie D’Vine appearance is their makeup. They can

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FAVORITE TRIVIA NIGHT AT A BAR

BUDDY’S

Finalists: Frost Town Brewing, Michael’s Outpost

➝

HOSPITAL SERVICES

to find the right job.” She is hopeful that “right job” will turn up soon. “I dream for better and more opportunities for trans people,” she says.

Gallardo’s love, passion, and interest in empowering and guiding her community began a few years ago when she realized the needs

and barriers within the community. “It is sad to think how I became interested in the topic, since at that time the LGBTQ community—and specifically the trans community of Houston— was going through a wave of violence, discrimination, and, worse yet, taking our trans identity

It was at that moment that she took action by becoming a community organizer. “I still remember with great sadness attending the funeral of one of our trans sisters who was murdered,” she says, “and seeing her mother devastated. It made me think a lot. And I told myself, ‘We have to do something,’” Gallardo says the experience made her think a lot about her own mother andmade her realize that the trans community must demand justice. “So we decided to organize a vigil-protest in her name and, yes, we achieved sufficient visibility to inform more people about us. At the same time, authorities listened more carefully,” she says.

Gallardo thinks that the best compliment she’s ever received for her work is being voted OutSmart readers.

“I think this is the best compliment, where makes the platform and space for people to show me their love and support for what I do to help others with this nomination and recognition,” Gallardo says.

The spirited activist said the most inspiring thing about working and getting involved with her community is simply the satisfaction of being able to contribute, even just a little, when it comes to improving the quality of life of others around her. “Knowing that you can

help someone else is wonderful,” she said. “You know, I feel very lucky about what is happening in my life at the moment. I have a wonderful family, and I consider myself a very happy person.”

Gallardo said she would like to take advantage of these moments to continue preparing herself professionally, continue advocating for her trans brothers and sisters, and continue promoting the empowerment of her community.

As for what’s next for her, Gallardo says, “Indeed there are projects on the horizon. I am currently collaborating with local organizations to guide people to the social and health services that they offer, and, at this moment, I am doing everything necessary to return [to school] and pursue a degree in political science.”

A formal education, she believes, could lead to her true dream career, something that could also be a dream for the trans community. Gallardo’s passion, combined with a career in all things political, could help create the world all members of the LGBTQ community and our allies long to see.

“More than running for office,” Gallardo says, “I want to learn how to better represent my community and to bring the correct political information to them, so our people can make the right decisions for a better tomorrow.”

Follow Kenia Gallardo on Instagram @kengallardo3.

2023 READERS’ CHOICE AWARDS

MOST PROMINENT FEMALE TRANS ACTIVIST

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALEX ROSA

Michael’s Outpost, Pearl Bar, RIPCORD

FAVORITE ALLY BAR

Boheme

Finalists: Axelrad Beer Garden, Barbarella

BEST BAR FOOD

BUDDY’S Houston

Finalists: Cockpit Bar & Grill, Eagle Eats, Hamburger Mary’s, Michael’s Outpost, REBAR

BEST NEW DRAG KING

Hugh Stone

Finalists: Barry Mii Dandy, Juecee Flesh, Kian Kismet, M. Balm, Phuc’ken Hi

BEST NEW DRAG QUEEN

Astrid West Love

Finalists: Alexa Bouvier, Juliana Ross, Ophelia Tender Flesh

FAVORITE VETERAN DRAG KING

Hugh Dandy

Finalist: Damien, Ian Syder Blake, Shawn Michaels

FAVORITE VETERAN DRAG QUEEN

Kofi

Finalists: Nyxx Laraye, Regina Dane, Regina Thorne Dubois

BEST PAGEANT KING

La’darius Mirage Jackson

Finalists: Ian Syder Blake, Phuc’ken Hi, Sir Debonaire

BEST PAGEANT QUEEN

Angela Mercy

Finalists: Chloe Knox, Cyn City, Dessie Love Blake, Mu y Blake Vanderbilt, Sasha Frost

FAVORITE DRAG KING

M. Balm

Finalists: Barry Mii Dandy, Damien, Hugh Dandy, Hugh Stone, Nibblez Zon Bits, Preston Steamed

FAVORITE DRAG QUEEN

Chloe Crawford Ross

Finalists: Alexa Bouvier, Carmina Vavra, Persephone, Thee Blackberri, Violet S’Arbleu

FAVORITE NONBINARY DRAG ENTERTAINER

D’Addie D’Vine

Finalists: Allure Gic, Malevolent

theBeyondCanvas

Katharine Ligon ’s artistic and activist odyssey.

By DAVID BRASHER

“It all begins with a canvas,” says artist Katharine Ligon. And over time, that canvas becomes a calming mixture of bright colors and warm tones that inspires feelings of joy and serenity. Ligon, who was voted Houston’s Gayest & Greatest Female Artist by OutSmart magazine in both 2021 and 2022, sees her art as a “physical representation of [her] voice.” Her artwork can be found throughout the Houston area, including in the prestigious Houston Club and work spaces such as Serendipity Labs. It comes as no surprise, then, that she was voted this year’s Favorite Fine Artist and Favorite Local Female Painter.

A native Houstonian, Ligon’s passion for art started as a child. She enjoyed making doodle drawings for family and friends, a practice she continued when she entered the workforce, often surprising co-workers with fun doodles she would leave on their desks. Those fun doodles eventually propelled her into painting as a way to relax while working in high-stress jobs. In 2020, Ligon left the traditional job setting of social services and started building her art career. “My hands have been covered in paint ever since,” she says.

Ligon’s general approach to painting is “Mess Around and Find Out.” She believes in having no expectation of the outcome and says that “sometimes it works and sometimes ends up with a mess.” But regardless, she really loves the process.

Currently Ligon is developing two new series of works called WANDER and A Message To Myself. “The WANDER series,” she says, “is inspired by the idea of movement without a specific purpose, and the Message series includes visual reminders to ‘Be Gentle, Be Patient, Be Kind’ with ourselves.”

But Ligon is more than just a painter. She is also heavily involved in social justice and the Houston community, something inspired by her parents who both volunteered with Omega

fulfill their potential and contribute to our community. While there, Ligon developed and managed a project that uses mental-health peer-support services in local jails to support recovery, improve continuity of care, and reduce recidivism for people with mental illness during the process of re-entering into their community upon release from incarceration. These “peers” are individuals who have a lived experience of mental illness and have gone through a recovery process, providing mentorship and support to another individual with mental illness currently

traveling, gardening, and spending time with friends and family, including their “Fairy Godchildren.”

For information, visit artbykatharineligon.com.

Photo by TAYLOR M c WHORTER

2023 READERS’ CHOICE AWARDS

DO IT

ANYWHERE, ANYTIME

Plus, learn which HIV prevention and treatment options work for you.

25 Years ofandImpact Fun

PWA Holiday Charities connects communities while fighting HIV/AIDS.

By RYAN M. LEACH Executive Director

Outsmart readers selected PWA Holiday Charities as their Favorite HIV/AIDS Support Organization. The group has been a staple in queer Houston and a lifeline for those it serves since becoming a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 1997. With events like their Christmas in July Show, Daddy Don Dowden’s Dynamic Dog Days of Summer Extravaganza, and their sponsorship of Boy and Girl of Montrose contests, this organization not only raises funds but has fun while doing it.

“On behalf of the board of directors and the membership, we are honored to be selected by the community for our continued efforts supporting the HIV/AIDS community,” says president Kirk A. Wylie. “PWA Holiday Charities has been a stable part of the Houston community for over 25 years. We have stayed true to our mission, focused on helping those who are less fortunate at the holidays, but have also grown with the times and adjusted to social and societal changes, to stay connected to the community of which we are part.”

The organization provides gift cards to

COMMUNITY FAVORITE HIV/ AIDS

forward to help and connect the community.

for the greater good of all. As an example, we

We, all of us, are not in this alone and we are

2023 READERS’ CHOICE AWARDS

SUPPORT ORGANIZATION

Don Gill (l) and president Kirk A. Wylie

ENTERTAINER

Brutas Dewayne

Finalists: DaddyPrincess, Valencia St. James Monro

FAVORITE ADULT FILM PERFORMER

Silver Steele

Finalist: Ryan St. Michael

FAVORITE LOCAL MUSICIAN OR BAND

Owen Orion

Finalists: Isaac Niaz, Space Kiddettes, Uncle Tino

FAVORITE FEMALE DJ

DJ Rosez

Finalists: DJ Amarji King, DJ Athenz, DJ MLE, DJ VonKiss

FAVORITE MALE DJ

Joe Ross

Finalists: Dj Alex T, DJ Atreyu Frausto, Dj Dicc, DJ Easton Santos, Dj stupid bitch

FAVORITE NONBINARY DJ

Mel Frausto

Finalists: DJ Kitty, Hyperfemme, Nibblez Zon Bits

FAVORITE MUSIC PRODUCERS

Dirty Disco

Finalists: DJ Von Kiss, GNDRBNDR, IIRIIS

PEOPLE

FAVORITE FEMALE LOCAL POLITICIAN

Lina Hidalgo

Finalists: Abbie Kamin, Ann Johnson, Jolanda Jones, Lesley Briones

FAVORITE MALE LOCAL POLITICIAN

Mario Castillo

Finalists: Adrian Garcia, Christian Menefee, John Whitmire, Robert Gallegos

FAVORITE NONBINARY LOCAL POLITICIAN

Ethan Michelle Ganz

BEST FEMALE LGBTQ BUSINESS PERSON

Julie Mabry

Finalist: Tammi Wallace ➝

Finding the Beat

By RYAN M. LEACH

Ever since he was a little boy growing up in Southern California, Noel Freeman, OutSmart magazine’s Favorite Local LGBTQ Musician, was interested in music. He began playing the euphonium in seventh grade. During his freshman year in high school, he switched to trombone. Now, at 46, he wants to pass his love for music on to others.

“I started out as a euphonium player, and the day before winter break in freshman year of high school, my band director handed me a trombone and told me I needed to know how to play it when I got back to school three weeks later,” says Freeman. “In my many years of playing, I have had the opportunity for formal study with some great trombonists, including David Wilborn, David White, Ryan Rongone, Ben Osborne, and John McCroskey.”

Freeman says he is still primarily a trombonist, which includes tenor, bass, and alto trombone. He has doubled on other instruments like the French horn and the euphonium, as well as composed, arranged, and published music of his own.

“There are so many musical moments I remember with fondness,” he says. “Being a musician is new and exciting every day. Playing trombone in the Tournament of Roses Honor Band, playing the solo from Bolero in a concert (trombonists know how terrifying that is), hearing one of my arrangements performed live for the first time, composing my first original work for orchestra, and most recently

I worked a deal to be the publisher of legendary trombonist Phil Wilson’s famous Suite for big band.”

Freeman currently plays in the Conroe Symphony Orchestra, the Sam Houston State University Jazz Lab Band, and the Houston Pride Band, which he credits for inspiring him musically after a long hiatus pursuing other goals.

“Sometimes life gets in the way of those [musical] hopes and dreams, and that happened to me. I put my horn away for a long time while I pursued a non-musical career. It was joining the Houston Pride Band that got me excited about music again,” he says. “A few years ago, I realized that life really is too short to give up on hopes and dreams, so I finally got around to pursuing the music degree I should have gotten 25 years ago. I don’t think that would have happened were it not for Houston’s LGBTQ+ community.”

Freeman originally arrived in Texas via a career in the US Air Force and was a student at Texas A&M. He started dating his nowhusband, Brad Pritchett, while in school, and that’s when he began enjoying regular visits to Houston. The couple now lives in the Heights, a neighborhood Freeman appreciates for its convenience and diversity.

“There are many LGBTQ+ people in the Heights, so we can always feel at home and comfortable being out and proud. It’s a nice, quiet neighborhood with many great things to do within walking distance, and we feel safe

young musician.”

For information, visit noelfreeman.com.

Noel Freeman ’s musical odyssey has had an impact in Houston.

2023 READERS’ CHOICE AWARDS

From Hoops to Haute Cuisine

Chef Tae creates culinary magic in Houston.

By JENNY BLOCK

NaTosha LaVelle Barber, known as Chef Tae, discovered her love for cooking at a tender age, bonding with her mother in the kitchen when she was just five years old. As she grew older, her passion for creating delicious meals for others blossomed, ultimately leading her to a fulfilling career as a chef. “Cooking has always been what I called my ‘therapy session,’” she reflects.

Hailing from Lake Charles, Louisiana, the 48-year-old Barber initially pursued a different path, studying health and human performance on a basketball and track scholarship at McNeese State University. She envisioned herself becoming a coach or orthopedic surgeon. However, her family’s love for cooking provided a refuge from life’s chaos, planting the seeds of her culinary journey.

After spending 12 years in insurance sales, Barber decided to follow her culinary calling. Her experience in sales proved invaluable, enhancing her ability to provide exceptional customer service to her clients and market her brand effectively.

At the helm of 210 Fusion Cuisine, Barber crafts delectable dishes for various events, including private dinner parties, weddings,

graduations, cooking classes, and meal prep. Her signature creation, the Mardi Gras Seafood Lasagna, combines Italian and Cajun influences with a bounty of seafood, including crab, shrimp, crawfish, and lobster. However, there’s one ingredient she refuses to cook—frog legs, due to her fear of frogs.

people to vegan and vegetarian cuisine, dispelling the misconception that these dishes lack flavor. She infuses her plant-based creations with the same love and flavor found in her other offerings.

happiness in a new relationship with a supportive partner from the health and real estate industry who encourages her brand-building endeavors.

kitchen as she donates meals prepared by 210 Fusion Cuisine to Montrose Grace Place, actively participating in community-focused organizations like Lesbians Of Color (LOC). She’s also pioneering a therapy-based cooking experience to address mental health issues in the community.

Photo by CJ MARTIN

2023 READERS’ CHOICE AWARDS

Finalists: Brandon Mack, Christopher Barry, Ian L. Haddock, Jacques Bourgeois, JD Doyle

FAVORITE NONBINARY COMMUNITY HERO

Ethan Michelle Ganz (tie) Kevin Nguyen (tie)

Finalists: Mike Webb, Nibblez Zon Bits

FAVORITE FEMALE TRANS COMMUNITY HERO

B’Yancha Foxx

Finalists: Alexis Nicole Whitney, Atlantis Narcisse, Joelle Espeut

FAVORITE MALE TRANS COMMUNITY HERO

Dylan Forbis

Finalists: Emmett Schelling, Ian Syder Blake, Lou Weaver

FAVORITE NONBINARY TRANS COMMUNITY HERO

Ethan Michelle Ganz

Finalist: Cameron Stodghill

FAVORITE FEMALE LGBTQ ELEMENTARY SCHOOL EDUCATOR/TEACHER

Samantha Pisarski-May

Finalist: Pam Straker

FAVORITE MALE LGBTQ ELEMENTARY SCHOOL EDUCATOR/TEACHER

Julio Palacios

Finalists: Jhory Buskey, Matthew Tharp, Paul Fox Gonzales

FAVORITE NONBINARY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL EDUCATOR/TEACHER

Damon Whitley

Finalist: Korrie Bowers

FAVORITE FEMALE LGBTQ HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATOR/TEACHER

Brandi Lira

Finalists: Joan Cotton, Michelle Palmer

FAVORITE MALE LGBTQ HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATOR/TEACHER

Austin Dean

Finalist: Roger Woest

FAVORITE NONBINARY HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATOR/TEACHER

Harrow Horst

Finalist: Brandi Lira

Embracing Identity

Lena Laurenzo ’s journey as an LGBTQ attorney.

By RYAN M. LEACH

OutSmart magazine readers chose Lena Laurenzo, 36, as Best Female Personal Injury Attorney. It is a career she became interested in after experiencing an accident that left her injured, unable to work, and facing an insurance company that was unwilling to pay. Now, Laurenzo is the one getting insurance companies to do right by her clients.

“When I was 21 years old, I was injured after a drunk driver crashed into my car. With neck and back injuries, I couldn’t work my two jobs and I had a lot of medical bills. Even though I was clearly not at fault, the drunk driver’s insurance company didn’t want to pay fair compensation. After hiring a personal injury attorney, I was able to get my life back on track. I had always wanted to help people, but I’d never thought of being a lawyer until that experience put me on the path to law school and ultimately practicing personal injury law,” she says.

Laurenzo, a 2015 graduate of South Texas College of Law, represents people who have been injured or killed through the fault of others. She specializes in catastrophic injury and death cases as the result of chemical plant and refinery explosions, workplace accidents, maritime accidents, defective and dangerous products, car crashes, and more.

She is a native Houstonian with deep roots in the East End. Roots so deep, in fact, that she has family ties to one of the most famous Houstonians of all time—her grandmother “Mama” Ninfa.

“I am very happy to live in the area where my parents were born. It is also the area where my grandmother’s legacy began. My grandma

began a tortilla and pizza dough factory on Navigation that ultimately turned into the well-known Ninfa’s restaurants. I love the culture and history of my neighborhood and the Second Ward area,” she says.

Laurenzo just celebrated her fifth wedding anniversary with her wife, Jess Preheim, but they have been together over nine years and are expecting their first child. When not spending time with her family, she is practicing law as an associate attorney at Abraham Watkins, where she is out and proud—a fact she thinks is important.

“In the early days of my career, opposing lawyers would underestimate me because I was young, female, or Latina, let alone because I was a lesbian. I use all facets of my identity as motivation to work that much harder, and that shows in the results I get for my clients. I feel that my LGBTQ clients are extra comfortable having an attorney who can relate to them per-

BEST FEMALE PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEY

2023 READERS’ CHOICE AWARDS

Breaking Boundaries

By JENNY BLOCK

As a kid, 39-year-old Pooja Lodhia not only had no idea what she wanted to be when she grew up, but a career in news never really crossed her mind. “My parents didn’t, and don’t, watch the news very much,” she says, “so I didn’t really think of it as an option. I did, and still do, love reading, writing, and talking. So, it was a perfect fit.”

Lodhia was born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and now lives in Montrose— “my favorite part of Houston,” she says. She attended Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, majoring in English literature and journalism and minoring in modern dance. Now a reporter at Houston’s Channel 13, Lodhia jokes, “I’m basically the voice of our generation. I’m the luckiest girl in the world: I tell stories for a living.”

She came to Houston after working at multiple stations, including WLUC in Michigan and WTFX in Florida. Though her job search was nationwide, Lodhia is happy to have landed right where she is. “I have a lot of family in Sugar Land and in the Houston area. I applied for jobs all over, and Houston is the one I wanted.”

Lodhia interned at a news station in Atlanta before she even took a journalism class. “The first time I walked into a newsroom, I knew I was in the right place. Just imagine, a job that allows you to witness the best and worst parts of people’s lives, and then share them in a way that can bring others together. How lucky am I?” Lodhia says. “I like telling stories. I love the weird. I get sort of addicted. We’re there for people’s best days and we’re there for people’s worst days.”.

She believes it is exactly this kind of work that could ultimately bring us all together and maybe even make the world a better place for everyone. “I believe shared experiences are

the strongest asset we have as a community. The more personal we are, the more universal we can be, and journalism gives me a chance to showcase that. Plus, it’s really fun! As my first news director put it, ‘Who could pass up a backstage pass to life?’”

Lodhia says she likes to get involved in the LGBTQ community in as many ways as she can. “Houston has such a rich history, good and bad, when it comes to LGBTQ+ rights, and I’m honored to be able to share stories about it. For too long,” she says, “LGBTQ+ stories haven’t been told, and I hope to change that. At Channel 13, I’ve been able to cover the murder of Paul Brussard, interview a transgender judge.”

She says she’s grateful to have the oppor tunity to learn about the LGBTQ history here in Houston and do stories that will become a part of that history. “I got to do a piece on the first transgender person who was appointed to the advisory board of Harris Health,” she says. “The more you learn about the community, the more you want to learn. I think that’s so fasci nating, I want to learn more.”

As for what’s on the horizon for Lodhia, she says that’s simple: “Survival. I’m just trying to make it through the day, ya’ll. I hope to be able to continue telling stories for a long time to come. I really enjoy what I’m doing right now. I don’t think I’ll be here forever, but I have it real ly good here.” Her dream, she says, is to always Instagram @poojaabc13.

Pooja Lodhia ’s unlikely path to becoming an advocate in the media.

2023 READERS’ CHOICE AWARDS

Rocky Hollub

Victor Lopez

The Doctor Is In

Plastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr. George Washington empowers the LGBTQ community.

By ZACH McKENZIE

Plastic surgery inherently carries a weight of various misconceptions and assumptions. Dr. George Washington prides himself on his principal mission of helping others discover their outer beauty to match the beauty they already hold within. Washington’s commitment to uplifting Houstonians, including his support of the LGBTQ community, has landed him the honor of Best Cosmetic Surgeon for this year’s Gayest & Greatest Readers’

childhood trauma,” he says. “Being able to help them overcome those aspects by helping with

George Washington, M.D. Plastic Surgery specializes in Brazilian butt lifts, liposuction, breast augmentation, and more. One service that he offers, uniquely and deeply important hands-on education and devotion to helping

der affirmation procedures,” he explains. “I was fortunate to train at UT Health Houston under a doctor who focused on gender affirmation surgery, both top and bottom, so I have extensive training with gender affirming procedures. I included this type of surgery in my practice because I wanted to be able to uplift the LGBTQ community.”

Despite ongoing aggressive political opposition and legislation lodged against the transgender community, Washington states that he has received no backlash for offering gender affirming surgeries and that his team supports the queer community wholeheartedly and without reservation. “I haven’t encountered any resistance or issues personally,” he says. “I do know some surgeons that have, but my entire office is very supportive.”

Local and world-famous drag artists are among the queer clientele that Washington serves. The medical professional explains that they often visit for fillers, Botox, and gender affirming surgery in some cases. “A local bartender referred a drag artist to me and that started my relationship with the local drag community,” Washington explains.

Word got around, and when Jorgeous, a RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant, sought his help, his national reputation was launched. “She reached out for facial rejuvenation enhancement,” Washington comments, “and I was able to help her. After posting her on my social media, I was able to bring on even more drag performers.”

For those considering plastic surgery, Washington suggests, “Choose a surgeon who you connect well with, can communicate with, and who you feel very comfortable with. There are many plastic surgeons out there who are so skilled that it can be hard to choose. I personally think it comes down to who you connect well with and trust to do your procedure. It’s a lifelong relationship that you build between surgeon and patient.”

Dedicating his life to others is Washington’s mission in life. Being voted as the top cosmetic surgeon for the queer community is an honor he doesn’t take lightly. “I’m so grateful to the LGBTQ community for supporting me from the beginning. They’re the ones who have supported and allowed me to thrive and become successful within such a short time frame. I’m honored to have been able to create a safe space for the community to come to without any question about whether or not they’re accepted. I feel really good about that.”

“A lot of training programs throughout the country don’t have surgeons who focus on gen-

2023READERS’CHOICEAWARDS

BEST COSMETIC SURGEON

Eye For Design

Israel Cruz develops unique styles for his apparel brand MANBUNS.

By ZACH McKENZIE

2023READERS’CHOICEAWARDS

BEST LOCAL CLOTHING DESIGNER

Perusing the underwear aisle at a department store is a familiar memory for many gay men. Scantily clad Adonis’s in solid colored, albeit oftentimes plain, undies grace the front of each garment package lining the aisle. Local entrepreneur Israel Cruz is on a mission to add his own spin to the underwear industry with his cheekily named apparel company MANBUNS. Cruz’s dedication to delivering comfort, versatility and quirky style to all types of customers from around the world landed him the Gayest & Greatest Readers’ Choice Award for Best Local Clothing Designer.

“MANBUNS is my part-time job. I work full-time for my family’s countertop installation company,” the Houston native explains. “I’ve been doing that for nine years now.” Cruz, a graduate of the University of Houston Bauer College of Business, as well as Rice University’s Digital Marketing Bootcamp, explains that his father served as a role model when it came to his career as an entrepreneur. “I saw what he was doing and I was always really inspired by it. I knew by the age of 15 that I wanted to pursue becoming a business owner. Not everyone has that entrepreneurial drive, but I think I always have.”

The underwear, sock, swimwear and accessory brand was not always under the leadership of Cruz, he explains. Having connected with the original owner via Twitter around the time of MANBUNS’ inception, Cruz says he “kicked himself” for not having thought of the concept himself. When he learned the company would be ending its operations, he knew it was his chance to step in. “The owner announced that he was going to be shutting his company down. I messaged him and I asked why and he explained that he wanted a career shift,” Cruz explains. “I sat with his message for a day and I reached out to him asking if he would be open to selling the company to me.” The original owner mulled over the option before agreeing.

online or at Hollywood Super Center on Grant Street in Montrose, Cruz’s main goal and his driving force is to bring joy to his customers, one garment at a time. “MANBUNS brings fun to your everyday life, whether it’s our socks or various underwear options. The products are cute, fresh, fun, and I won’t put something out there that I don’t feel comfortable wearing myself,” he says. “I want to really stay true to who I am, and I think that the fun aspect of it is who I am as a person. I feel like that drives my creativity.”

For more info, visit mymanbuns.com.

Model wearing MANBUNS

Redefining Beauty

Electa Hazenstab ’s inspiring journey from the Air Force to barbering.

By MARENE GUSTIN

Despite winning the “hair stylist” title, Electa Hazenstab, a 31-year-old queer United States Air Force veteran, prefers to refer to herself as a barber, specializing in shorter haircuts, fades, beards, and hot towel shaves. But her services are for everyone.

“I don’t believe hair has a gender to it, I will do trims on longer hair. No layers past shoulders or color, but I can do shorter scissor cuts,” she says. Men and women alike flock to her for her services.

Hazenstab hails from Louisville, Kentucky, but she didn’t grow up wanting to be a barber—or for that matter any kind of hair or face stylist. After getting a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice at Sullivan University in Louisville, the young Hazenstab made the decision to join the United States Air Force.

“I joined the Air Force and served for six years, just trying to get away from home and travel the world,” she recalls. “I started in the back of the kitchen and also worked in a mortuary.” She gained a host of other experiences and still today is proud of her time in the service.

When her deployment ended, she made the decision to move to Houston to be with her partner. And that’s when the idea of being a barber slowly came to her.

“I have always been interested in short hair since I donated 12 inches after high school,” she says of a charity donation. “Talking to my regular barber and my best friend, who’s also a barber, I decided to give it a shot after I moved here to Houston. I started barber school in October of 2019 and haven’t stopped since.”

2023READERS’CHOICEAWARDS

BEST FEMALE HAIR STYLIST

FAVORITE LOCAL LGBTQ JOURNALIST

Zach McKenzie

Finalists: Andrew Edmonson, Ian L. Haddock, Sam Byrd

FAVORITE LOCAL LGBTQ INFLUENCER

Ryan St. Michael

Finalists: @broadwayhusbands, Connor Dunwoodie “Rye the Guy,”

Parents of Trans Youth

BEST LOCAL LGBTQ SOCIAL-MEDIA PRESENCE

Ryan St. Michael

Finalists: JD Doyle, Montrose Center, Parents of Trans Youth

FAVORITE LOCAL LGBTQ INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT

Parents of Trans Youth (tie)

Ryan St. Michael (tie)

Finalist: @Drakeunleashed

FAVORITE LOCAL LGBTQ FACEBOOK PAGE

JD Doyle

Finalists: First Christian Church Katy, Montrose Center, Montrose Softball League Association

FAVORITE LOCAL LGBTQ TIKTOKER

Ryan St. Michael

Finalists: Connor Dunwoodie “Rye the Guy,” Terri Joe

FAVORITE LOCAL LGBTQ TWITTER ACCOUNT

@bradpritchett

Finalists: BUDDY’S, Montrose Center, Ryan St. Michael

FAVORITE MALE (COMMUNITY) TV PERSONALITY

Ernie Manouse

FAVORITE FEMALE (COMMERCIAL) TV PERSONALITY

Pooja Lodhia

Finalists: Brani Smith, Cathy Hernandez, Cheryl Mercedes, Debra Duncan, Lauren Kelly, Melanie Lawson, Miya Shay

FAVORITE MALE (COMMERCIAL) TV PERSONALITY

Derek Shore

Finalists: Chaz Miller, Frank Billingsley, Jacob Rascon, Matt Dougherty, Pat Cavlin, TJ Parker, Travis Herzog, Zach Lashway

FAVORITE NONBINARY TV PERSONALITY

Amanda / Andy Wolfe ➝

Best Floor Company

been bartending for 17 years.”

Though he never slowed down long enough

to pursue a college degree, Milam does see a possibility for that in his future. “I’d like to go to college one day, but I’m still unsure about what I want to be when I grow up.” As a kid, he says, he had dreamed of becoming a veterinar-

These days, he’s a well-loved bartender at Buddy’s. “I work Happy Hour on the weekends and also for our award-winning Tuesday

His favorite drink to mix is the Blue Hawaiian because, he says, “It’s the closest thing to being on vacation one can get without being in Hawaii.” The Bloody Mary, on the other hand, is his least favorite. “Just eat breakfast and

Now, if someone says, “Surprise me”, Milam does have a little something up his sleeve that he loves to deliver. “I have my own recipe for a drink I call “Green Kool-Aid,” he says. “It’s sweet and strong. And I’ve never had it sent

When it comes to aspiring bartenders, Milam has some sage advice: don’t believe what you see in the movies. “There’s more to bartending than just having fun,” he says. “Remember that the bartender is the one respon-

sible for the experience at and after the bar.”

Milam is highly involved in the LGBTQ community through his work. He has been bartending in gay bars for 13 years. He also makes time to give back. Since 2014, he has been doing volunteer work for PFLAG, donating his bartending services for a variety of fundraisers and events. He’s also involved with Houston Gaymers, a group for LGBTQ+ people who are into video games. “I used to volunteer as a bartender for their monthly meetups until I was able to get the group to meet up on the second Saturday of each month at my bar, Buddy’s,” he says.

Over the years, bartending has meant more to Milam than simply slinging drinks. It’s also been about being a part of history. “My favorite all-time memory was working Pride 2015 after the Supreme Court ruled same-sex marriage legal,” Milam says. “I remember feeling so honored to help so many fellow LGBT people celebrate our victory.”

Milam loves what he does, but if he did have a different dream for his future, it would be a simple one: “Winning the lottery!”

2023 READERS’ CHOICE AWARDS

FAVORITE MALE BARTENDER PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALEX ROSA

Finalists: Andrew Edmonson, Brett Cullum, Jay Michaels

FAVORITE NONBINARY (COMMUNITY)

RADIO PERSONALITY

Amanda Wolfe

FAVORITE LOCAL LGBTQ PODCAST

Queer Voices

Finalists: Let’s Talk About Gay Stuff, Space Case, Y’all Out

FAVORITE LOCAL LGBTQ WRITER

Zach McKenzie

Finalists: Andrew Edmonson, Ian L. Haddock, JD Doyle, Sam Byrd, Scott Damon

FAVORITE FEMALE COMMUNITY PHOTOGRAPHER

Nora Dayton

Finalists: Chandrayee Soneja, Kali Deming

FAVORITE MALE COMMUNITY PHOTOGRAPHER

Dalton DeHart

Finalists: Connor Hart, Emilio Coochie

FAVORITE NONBINARY COMMUNITY PHOTOGRAPHER

Chiugo Akujuobi

Finalist: Ash Guest

LEADING FEMALE FUNDRAISER

Meleah Jones

Finalists: Angela Mercy, Angie Moon Mercy, Atlantis Narcisse, Courtney Sellers

LEADING MALE FUNDRAISER

Roger Woest

Finalists: Borque Whitney Bouvier, Dan Cato, Don Gill, Jacques Bourgeois, Mykey Whitney

LEADING TRANS COMMUNITY FUNDRAISER

Atlantis Narcisse

Finalists: Alexis Nicole Whitney, Pete Makopoulos-Senftleber

LEADING NONBINARY FUNDRAISER

Kevin Nguyen

Finalist: Nibblez zon Bitz

LEADING FEMALE ENTERTAINER FUNDRAISER

Angela Mercy

Finalists: Alexa Bouvier, Dawn Sugarbaker Whitney, Ivanna Cupcake ➝

EXPERIENCE MATTERS!

MOST PROMINENT MALE LGBTQ ACTIVIST

Brad Pritchett

Finalists: Brandon Mack, Geary Whitney, Ian L. Haddock, Lou Weaver, Mykey Whitney

MOST PROMINENT NONBINARY LGBTQ ACTIVIST

Ethan Michelle Ganz

Finalist: Amanda Wolfe

MOST PROMINENT FEMALE TRANS ACTIVIST

Kenia Gallardo

Finalists: Alexis Nicole Whitney, Atlantis Narcisse, Joelle Espeut, Meghan Fairbanks

MOST PROMINENT MALE TRANS ACTIVIST

Landon Richie

Finalists: Dylan Forbis, Lou Weaver

MOST PROMINENT YOUTH LGBTQ ACTIVIST

Cameron Samuels

Finalists: Landon Richie, Paul Fox Gonzales

MOST VALUABLE INTERSEX ADVOCATE/EDUCATOR

Mo Cortez

Finalist: Koomah

MOST VALUABLE FEMALE VOLUNTEER

Natalie Ferguson

Finalists: Alexa Bouvier, Angie Moon Mercy, Dawn, Sugarbaker Whitney, Donna Junker, Heather J. Taylor

MOST VALUABLE MALE VOLUNTEER

Torque Spec

Finalists: Blair Fullerton, Brandon Mack, Denis Kelly, Luis Adame, Mykey Whitney

MOST VALUABLE NONBINARY COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER

Ethan Michelle Ganz

Finalists: Amanda Wolfe, Kevin Nguyen, Nibblez zon Bitz

MOST VALUABLE FEMALE TRANS COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER

Meghan Fairbanks

Finalists: Alexis Nicole Whitney, Joelle Espeut

MOST VALUABLE MALE TRANS COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER

Pete Makopoulos-Senftleber

Finalist: Simon Willis ➝

BEST TITLE COMPANY

tomsellshomes2000@yahoo.com

Hudson Holmes

Finalists: David Bowers, Tom Schwenk

BEST HOUSTON REAL ESTATE WEBSITE

HAR.com

Finalist: Sothebysrealty.com

BEST GALVESTON REAL ESTATE WEBSITE Joe Tramonte Realty Inc

BEST MORTGAGE COMPANY

Cody Grizzoffi (NRL Mortgage)

Finalists: John Frels (Mortgage Guru),

Voted One of the Best Real Estate Agents

Transparent Closet – FCC Katy

Finalists: Organización Latina Trans in Texas, Parents of Trans Youth, Save Our Sisters United, The Mahogany Project, Trans Legal Aid Clinic Texas, Transgender Education Network of Texas

FAVORITE PLACE TO WORSHIP

Bering Memorial United Church of Christ

Finalists: First Christian Church Katy, Kindred, Resurrection MCC, St Peter United Westbury United Methodist Church

FAVORITE LGBTQ SPORTS CLUB OR LEAGUE

Montrose Softball League Association

Finalists: Lone Star Volleyball Association, Space City Rugby

FAVORITE HIV/AIDS SUPPORT ORGANIZATION Legacy Community Health (tie)

PWA Holiday Charities (tie)

Finalists: AHF Healthcare Center, Allies in Hope, Avenue 360, Montrose Center, Positive Women’s Network

FAVORITE LGBTQ BENEFIT EVENT OF THE YEAR

Bunnies on the Bayou (tie)

Krewe of Olympus Ball (tie)

Finalists: FCC Katy Transparent Closet Fashion and Drag Show, Mint Julep, Montrose Center Gala, The Diana Awards, Unity Banquet

BEST HOUSTON CORPORATE LGBTQ DIVERSITY GROUP MD Anderson Cancer Center

Finalist: Amegy Bank, Chevron, Houston Methodist

LOCAL BUSINESS MOST SUPPORTIVE OF THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY BUDDY’S Houston

Finalists: Amegy Bank, EAGLE Houston, Hawthorne Capital, Pearl Bar, Silver Eagle Distributors, Tony’s Corner Pocket

ATIONAL BUSINESS MOST SUPPORTIVE OF THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY Amegy Bank

Finalists: Southwest Airlines, Wells Fargo Bank

ITS ALL THE SPARKLE YOU CAN IMAGINE IN THIS BRAND-NEW FASHION FAIRYTALE

COME WALK THE RUNWAY IN YOUR BEST UGLY XMAS SWEATER IF YOU DARE!

NOV. 28 – DEC. 24 GET TICKETS AT TUTS.COM

BEST COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY

University of Houston

Finalists: Lone Star College-Houston North, Rice University

FAVORITE PROFESSIONAL SPORTS TEAM

Houston Astros

Finalists: Houston Dash, Houston Rockets, Houston SaberCats Rugby

BEST LOCAL LGBTQ NEWS SOURCE

OutSmart Magazine

Finalists: Spectrum South, Transadvocate

BEST LOCAL LGBTQ ONLINE RESOURCE

OutSmart Magazine

Finalists: JD Doyle Archives, Montrose Center, Parents of Trans Youth Instagram

BEST NATIONAL LGBTQ ONLINE RESOURCE

The Trevor Project

Finalists: Out Professionals

FAVORITE NATIONAL LGBTQ ORGANIZATION

PFLAG

Finalists: Human Rights Campaign, Out Professionals, The Trevor Project

DINING OUT

BEST NEW RESTAURANT

Low Tide Kitchen & Bar

Finalists: Citizens of Montrose, Picnik Montrose

BEST FOOD TRUCK

Eagle Eats

Finalists: Houston Sauce Pit Food Truck, The Pupusa Pocket Food Truck

BEST LGBTQ CATERER

NaTosha Barber

Finalists: Chris Legacy, Larry Fogarty

BEST 24-HOUR RESTAURANT

House of Pies

Finalists: Katz’s, Shokku Ramen

BEST BAKERY

Dessert Gallery Bakery & Cafe

Finalists: Common Bond Bistro & Bakery – Montrose, La Sicilia italian Bakery & Cafe, Leona’s Bakeshop, Three Brothers Bakery, Urban Eats

BEST BARBECUE

The Pit Room

Finalists: Brookstreet BBQ, Demeris Bar-B-Q, Gatlin’s BBQ, Truth BBQ

BEST BREAKFAST

Baby Barnaby’s

Finalists: Empire Café, Epicure

Dessert Gallery Bakery & Cafe

Finalists: Leona’s Bakeshop, Michael’s Cookie Jar, Niko Niko’s, Urban Eats

BEST HAMBURGER

Barnaby’s Cafe

Finalists: Burger Joint, Lankford’s Grocery & Market, Southern Yankee Crafthouse, Trill Burgers, Urban Eats

BEST HOT DOGS

Barnaby’s Cafe

Finalists: Good Dog Houston

Finalists: Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, Laurenzo’s, The Lexington Grille

BEST STEAK NIGHT AT A BAR

BUDDY’S Houston

Finalists: Free Grillin’ at George, Pearl Bar, Southern Yankee Crafthouse

BEST SUSHI Oishii

Finalists: Kata Robata, MF Sushi, Nippon

BEST CUBAN

El Rey Taqueria

Finalist: Cafe Piquet Cuban Cuisine

BEST GREEK

Niko Niko’s

Finalist: Raja Mediterranean Food & Sweets

BEST INDIAN

Tarka Indian Kitchen

Finalists: Khyber North Indian Grill, Kiran’s, Pondicheri

voted Best Import Auto Dealership

Aladdin Mediterranean Cuisine

Finalists: AL Quick Stop, Phoenicia Specialty Foods

BEST THAI

Nidda Thai Cuisine

Finalists: Nara Thai, NUA Thai, Street Food Thai Market

BEST VIETNAMESE

Mai’s Restaurant

Finalists: Cali Sandwich & Pho, Kau Ba, Pho Saigon

BEST RESTAURANT FOR OUTDOOR DINING

Giacomo’s Cibo e Vino

Finalists: Hobbit Cafe, Riva’s Italian Restaurant, Southern Yankee Crafthouse

BEST VEGETARIAN/VEGAN

Soul Food Vegan

Finalists: Chef Kenny’s Asian Vegan Cuisine, Korny Vibes, The Ginger Mule

BEST RESTAURANT FOR AFFORDABLE EATS

Barnaby’s Cafe (tie)

Tacos Doña Lena (tie)

Finalists: Harold’s Restaurant, Bar & Terrace; Urban Eats

BEST PLACE FOR A ROMANTIC DATE

Brennan’s of Houston

Finalist: Riel

BEST RESTAURANT FOR ELEGANT DINING

Brennan’s

Finalists: Pappas Bros. Steakhouse

BEST RESTAURANT FOR HAPPY HOUR FOOD

BB’s Tex-Orleans (tie)

Urban Eats (tie)

Finalist: El Tiempo Cantina

BEST LOCAL LGBTQ CHEF

NaTosha Barber

Finalists: Gregory Montelaro, Levi Rollins

BEST COOKING CLASS

Dumpling Dudez

Finalists: 210 Fusion Cuisine, Central Market, Sur La Table–River Oaks ➝

FAVORITE WINE BAR

Postino Montrose

Finalists: Boheme, Montrose Cheese & Wine

FAVORITE HAPPY HOUR

BUDDY’S Houston

Finalists: Crocker Bar, EAGLE Houston, JR’s Bar & Grill, Michael’s Outpost, RIPCORD, Urban Eats

FAVORITE PLACE FOR DRINKS ON A FIRST DATE

BUDDY’S Houston

Finalists: Eagle, JR’s Bar & Grill, Michael’s Outpost, Urban Eats

FAVORITE FEMALE BARTENDER

Jolina Moore

Finalists: Dema Jeter, Kristina Prats, Lareyna Rodriguez

FAVORITE MALE BARTENDER

Michael Milam (BUDDY’S Houston)

Finalists: Aaron Latour, Bryan Wade, Charles Garibay (EAGLE Houston), Chris Contello, Marteen Gutierrez

FAVORITE NONBINARY BARTENDER

Crystal Murley

Finalists: Lucid, Piero Arevalo, Uly Money

FAVORITE COCKTAIL

BUDDY’S Houston

Finalists: Crocker Bar, EAGLE Houston, JR’s Bar & Grill, KIKI Houston, Michael’s Outpost, Neon Boots Dancehall & Saloon, Urban Eats

FAVORITE MARGARITA

El Tiempo Cantina

Finalists: BUDDY’S Houston, JR’s Bar & Grill, KIKI Houston, Michael’s Outpost, EAGLE Houston

FAVORITE MOCKTAILS

BUDDY’S Houston

Finalists: Hamburger Mary’s, Southern Yankee Crafthouse

FAVORITE LOCAL BREWERY

Frost Town Brewing

Finalists: Eureka Heights Brew Co., Karbach Brewing Co., Southern Yankee Beer Company

Miller...

For 100 years, Miller Outdoor Theatre has delighted generations of audiences with the best in performing arts entertainment. And every performance free.

Don’t miss Miller’s fall season. NOW THROUGH NOVEMBER 11. Plus, one final epic Celebrate Miller 100! event. With enough time to roll down the hill. And all free!

November 11—A once-in-a-lifetime collaboration between BELLA GAIA and William Close & The Earth Harp Collective, bringing the magic of both shows together. Not one, but two Earth harps will frame the stage and the spectacular sounds of the Earth harp combine with the visual story of BELLA GAIA (beautiful earth) blending music, visually stunning dance along with NASA satellite imagery to tell a cosmic story of the interconnectedness of our planet. This dynamic combination is unique on the national stage and is sure to be a highlight of the anniversary season. Season finale.

There’s a little bit of all of us at

BEAUTY

BEST COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES PROVIDER

Gordon E. Crofoot (tie)

Legacy Community Health (tie)

Finalists: Abel Flores, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Ronald R. Buescher

BEST MEN’S HEALTH CLINIC CrofootMD (tie)

Wellness Bar by Legacy (tie)

Finalist: AHF Wellness Center

Sandra Scurria (tie)

Finalists: Jennifer Feldmann, Natalie Vanek

BEST MALE PHYSICIAN

Gordon Crofoot

Finalists: Abel Flores, James Carroll, Norris Tran Duc, Octavio Barrios, Terence Chang

BEST FEMALE PHYSICIAN’S ASSISTANT/NURSE PRACTITIONER

Maggie White

Finalist: Chichy Nwachukwu

BEST MENTAL HEALTH PRACTICE

Ajana Therapy and Clinical Services (tie)

Southwest Psychotherapy Associates (tie)

Finalists: Legacy Community Health, Montrose Center, Vada Counseling

BEST MENTAL HEALTH THERAPIST/PSYCHIATRIST

Dan Garza

BEST FEMALE MENTAL HEALTH THERAPIST

Lori Fiester

Finalists: Andrea Washington, Denise O’Doherty, Jessica Eiseman, Meghan Mooney

BEST MALE MENTAL HEALTH

THERAPIST

Shane Hennesey

Finalists: Andrew Tessmer, Ks Stanley, Matt Trietsch, Ty David Lerman

BEST NONBINARY MENTAL HEALTH THERAPIST

Ks Stanley

Finalists: Candice Holloway, Thomas Owsley

BEST FEMALE DENTIST

Cynthia Corral

Finalists: Carol Price, Daniella Farias, Lauren Brownfield

BEST MALE DENTIST

Marcus De Guzman (tie)

Sam Carrell (tie)

Finalists: Alex Barrera, Austin T. Faulk, Jeff Tollett

BEST FEMALE DENTAL HYGIENIST

Jacquelyn Clemmer

Finalists: Chriszelda Luna, Kate McGraw

BEST MALE DENTAL HYGIENIST

Tu Tuu

BEST FEMALE EYE DOCTOR

Nancy Lo

Finalist: Juliet Farmer

BEST MALE EYE DOCTOR

Paul Lovero

Finalists: Gary Nguyen, Stewart Zuckerbrod

BEST CHIROPRACTOR

Fernando Franco

Finalists: Brandant Cruz, Jackie Doval, Sean Beukelman

BEST FOOT DOCTOR

Vanessa Barrow

Finalists: Gian Steinhauser, Maria Buitrago

BEST YOGA STUDIO

BIG Power Yoga – Montrose

Finalists: Black Swan Yoga, SPENGA Houston – Montrose

BEST FERTILITY CLINIC/SURROGACY SERVICES

Aspire Houston Fertility Institute

BEST PHYSICAL THERAPIST

Roy Rivera

Finalist: Patrick Lucas

BEST FEMALE MASSAGE THERAPIST

Kasie Tedrick

Finalists: Afton Macaione, Robin Mack

BEST MALE MASSAGE THERAPIST

John Aaron Villarreal

Finalist: Tom Zeppelin

BEST NONBINARY MASSAGE THERAPIST

Cameron Stodghill

BEST FEMALE PERSONAL TRAINER

Shana Ross

Finalists: Danielle Sampey, Monica Earnshaw, Viviana Alzate

BEST MALE PERSONAL TRAINER

Andrew Hayes (tie)

John Aaron Villarreal (tie)

Finalist: David Thompson

BEST NONBINARY PERSONAL TRAINER

Monica Earnshaw

Finalist: Exy-Fable Mars

BEST GYM

Body3 Personal Fitness

Finalists: Life Time, Tellepsen Family Downtown YMCA

Smokin’ Mirrors

Finalists: Green Apple, Hair By St. Rose, Hue Hair Lounge, NuCuts

BEST MAKEUP ARTIST Aubrie Layne

Finalist: Edward Sanchez

BEST NAIL TECHNICIAN

Chelsea Garcia

Finalist: William Medrano

BEST COSMETIC SURGEON George Washington

Finalists: Forest Roth, Peter Chang

BEST AESTHETIC PHYSICIAN Patrick McNamara

Finalists: Octavio Barrios, Van Tran

Finalist: In the Loop Plumbing

BEST ELECTRICIAN Leo Llanos

BEST FLOOR COVERING COMPANY Floor Coverings International

Finalist: Carpet World

BEST INTERIOR DESIGNER Eklektik Interiors

Finalists: Brad Brandt Designs, Jacob Medina Interior Design ➝

in a warehouse space called The Lab in Houston’s historically Black Eighth Ward. When Maddie learns that their warehouse and neighborhood is to be destroyed for a new green hyperway out to the suburbs, she joins a Black-led movement fighting for their community.

But The Free People’s Village isn’t just a dystopian story about racial justice and climate action. It’s also a love story and a tale of queer awakening through the eyes of Maddie, who is leaving behind a strict Catholic upbringing and embracing her queerness, all while getting closer to the band’s lead guitarist. It is also about becoming resilient when your dreams of making the world a better place are crushed and you can only pick yourself up and try again.

BEST GARDENING/NURSERY SUPPLY

Joshua’s Native Plants & Garden Antiques

ary tone. The cover was designed by Egyptian artist Ganzeer, who Kern met at a local festival and recognized him as the activist and street artist who gained notoriety during the Egyptian revolution in 2011 before being forced into exile. Now based in Houston, Ganzeer was able to produce a cover design—including a dust jacket that unfolds into a protest poster—recalling the street art he produced during the Egyptian revolution.

Finalists: Aj’s Landscaping & Design; Another Place in Time; Buchanan’s Native Plants, Fountains & Statuary; Orchid Express & Leasing

BEST FLORIST

In Bloom (tie)

Robert Shipman Flowers & Events (tie)

Kern hopes that writing about climate change and social justice will help people confront those vital issues. “I don’t want to leave people in a place of despair, even though this book deals a lot with grief. But it’s about coming out of grief and moving forward. I hope people are inspired to take action—or even just [find ways] to cope better.”

Finalist: Perfect Petals by Geo

And take action they do. After reading Kern’s first novel Depart, Depart!, a story

BEST MALE ACCOUNTANT (CPA)

Joseph Werle

Finalist: Gary Gritz

BEST BOOKKEEPER

Sandra Medrano

about a trans man dealing with the difficulty he had faced when sheltering with neighbors after a devastating hurricane, someone from the Red Cross in Wyoming contacted Kern to say they had been inspired to rewrite their disaster-response policies to be more transinclusive—proof that Kern’s voice is making a difference.

Finalist: Gennifer Ratliff

BEST FEMALE FINANCIAL PLANNER/ADVISOR

Grace Yung

Finalists: Britt Kornmann, Christyna Lewis

Kern hopes to inspire further activism among readers of The Free People’s Village. The book’s cover art a red background with graphic characters suggesting war propaganda—should inspire readers with its revolution-

deborah lawson

Finalist: Marlyn Schultz

Looking ahead, Kern is already working on their next book, and it’s a departure from previous climate-fiction novels. This new story takes place in Eastern Europe in 1647 and is a historical-fiction plot that follows a group of traveling queer Jews as they navigate religion, racism, and capitalism. But Kern’s signature style—including elements of climate change and social justice—will still be evident throughout the book.

BEST MALE PROBATE ATTORNEY

Jeff Watters

WHAT: Sim Kern book launch event and discussion

Finalists: Charles Hunter, Coleton Mayo, Jose Luis Cuellar

WHEN: September 12 at 6:30 pm

WHERE: Brazos Bookstore, 2421 Bissonnet

INFO: www.brazosbookstore.com

BEST HUMAN-RIGHTS ATTORNEY

Luis Ruiz

Finalists: Chelsea Klumpp, Mitchell Katine

Keep up with Kim Kern on Instagram @sim_bookstagrams_badly

PETS

BEST FEMALE VETERINARIAN

Danielle Rosser (tie)

Kristy Kyle (tie)

Finalists: Carolyn Oben, Kristen Olson, Meredith Perry

BEST MALE VETERINARIAN

Eric Cagle

Finalists: David Doherty, Richard Clive

Wag’n World

Finalists: Dogtopia of Houston–West Alabama, Molly’s Mutt House, Rover Oaks Pet Resort

BEST PET WALKING/PET SITTING SERVICE

Wag’n World

Finalists: Happy Puppy, Pet Nanny’s Pet Sitting, WAGS Dog Walking + Pet Sitting

Finalists: 632 Canine Rescue, BARC Animal Shelter and Adoptions, Friends For Life

BEST PLACE TO BUY EXOTIC ANIMALS Pet City Houston

FAVORITE PET-FRIENDLY RESTAURANT/BAR

Barnaby’s Cafe

Finalists: Axelrad Beer Garden, Frost Town Brewing, Pearl Bar ➝

BEST REGIONAL EQUITY THEATER COMPANY

Alley Theatre

Finalists: 4th Wall Theatre Company, Stages, The Ensemble Theatre

BEST REGIONAL MUSICAL THEATER COMPANY

Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS)

Finalist: Art Factory

BEST DANCE COMPANY

Houston Ballet

Finalists: Pilot Dance Project, Urban Souls Dance Company

Angelina dm trails

Finalists: Adam Castaneda, choreobyjai, Kristina Prats

FAVORITE LOCAL FEMALE COMEDIAN

Timely Rain

Finalists: Keisha Hunt, Slim Bloodworth

FAVORITE LOCAL MALE COMEDIAN

Arron Michaels

Finalist: Dayton Faulker

Building

| MLS#

FAVORITE LOCAL PAINTER

John Slaby (tie)

Wood Fancher Anthony (tie)

Finalists: Katharine Ligon, Robin Baker, Carl Palazzolo

FAVORITE LOCAL SCULPTOR

Joe Haden

FAVORITE LOCAL VISUAL ARTIST

Tracey Meyer

Finalists: Hugo Pérez, Robin Baker, Wood Fancher Anthony

26013974

store below and quarters

has large storefront windows

Historically well-preserved upstairs

Three blocks to the Gulf of Mexico and the beach! Fully renovated 1874 high raised Victorian with 6 bedrooms, 5 baths, stunning kitchen & den with open stairwell atrium. The deluxe kitchen has a 15 feet high cathedral ceiling, adjoining den and dramatic circular staircase to the downstairs game room. Ceramic tile back splash, quartz countertops, gas cooktop and large farm house sink There are two primary bedrooms, one on each floor and each with tiled ensuite baths, along with four bedrooms and three baths. Red oak wood floors throughout the upstairs and tile floors downstairs. Large 2nd floor covered exterior deck is 21x20. Completely fenced with a large two car garage.

Winnie, has living room, formal bath. Accessed from 2nd floor overlooking 14th Street, roof garden Large garage, 41x23, adjoins bay area, storage mezzanine. End Historical District along trafficked. 6 parking spots

David Bowers REALTOR ® 409.763.2800

David@DavidBowers.com

Museum Houston, Houston Museum of Natural Science, Menil Collection

AUTO

BEST AUTO BODY SHOP

Collision Lab

Finalist: Montrose Automotive

Finalist: Car Spa Car Wash, Detail & Oil Change

BEST DOMESTIC AUTO DEALERSHIP

Central Houston Cadillac

Finalists: Planet Ford, Randall Reed’s Planet Lincoln

BEST IMPORT AUTO DEALERSHIP

Fred Haas Toyota (tie)

Westside Kia (tie)

Finalist: Audi Central Houston

BEST FUNERAL SERVICES

Bradshaw-Carter

BEST GROCERY STORE

H-E-B

Finalists: Kroger, Trader Joe’s

BEST SPECIALTY FOOD STORE

Phoenicia Specialty Foods

BEST COPY/PRINT SHOP Copy.com

BEST CREATIVE AGENCY

Mad Hat Maven Creative Finalists: Like Minds Communications, REFUGE Marketing & Consulting, Strike Marketing

➝ Voted one of the Best Female Eye Doctor Outsmart Readers' Choice Awards 2023 A L w 2 A y s 3 L O O K 4 0 NTH E 5 BRIGHT 6 9 10 11 DR. JULIET FARMER THERAPEUTIC OPTOMETRIST 1806 A.Westheimer Rd. Houston, TX 77098 713.528.2010 Schedule online at BOUTIQUEEYECARE.COM f �

BEST ONLINE CLOTHING STORE

Generation DnA (tie)

MANBUNS (tie)

Finalists: Offensive But Cute, URS WearBear

BEST LOCAL RESALE OR THRIFT STORE Out of the Closet

Finalists: The Guild Shop

BEST PLACE TO BUY OR RENT A COSTUME

CostumeWorx

Finalist: Electric Love

BEST PLACE TO POP THE QUESTION Houston Botanic Garden

Finalists: Hermann Park Japanese Garden

BEST WEDDING/EVENT PLANNER

Shaun Gray Events

Finalists: Event Elementz, Robert Shipman Flowers & Events

BEST WEDDING OFFICIANT

Rev. Diane McGehee

Finalists: Johnny Peden, Rev. Heather Tolleson

Robert Shipman Flowers & Events

Finalist: Dream Bouquet

BEST WEDDING/EVENT DJ

DJ Crazy V

Finalist: DJ Jamie Waymire

BEST WEDDING/EVENT

LIVE MUSICIANS OR BAND

Harmony Strings

Finalists: David Caceres Orchestra, Space Kiddettes

BEST WEDDING/EVENT

PHOTOGRAPHER

EventSmith Productions

Finalist: Davis Mendoza Darusman

BEST WEDDING/EVENT

VIDEOGRAPHER

EventSmith Productions

Finalists: Jay Clark Films, TV I.M.A.G.E. Productions

TRAVEL & VACATIONS

BEST LOCAL LGBTQ TRAVEL AGENCY Concierge Travel

BEST LGBTQ LAND TOUR COMPANY Concierge Travel

Finalist: BrandG Vacations

BEST TRAVEL INSURANCE SERVICES AIG Travel

FAVORITE LGBTQ TRAVEL DESTINATION New York City

Finalist: Palm Springs

BEST LOCAL HOTEL RESTAURANT Quattro–Four Seasons Hotel

BEST LOCAL HOTEL BAR La Colombe d’Or

BEST LOCAL HOTEL POOL

Thanks to all of our OutSmart readers who participated in the 2023 Gayest & Greatest Awards by nominating and voting for this year’s favorite people and places!

Houston’s beloved LGBTQ historian and archivist JD Doyle’s new book, 1981—My Gay American Road Trip: A Slice of Pre-AIDS Culture, had its official launch with a reading and book-signing event

Photos by DALTON DEHART & CREW

JD DOYLE BOOK SIGNING AT EAGLE HOUSTON

The Power of Influence

DePaul Norwood is passionate about teaching self-esteem and personal growth.

By IAN L. HADDOCK

by B2FUL PHOTOGRAPHY

It was a packed night at Club 2020 in downtown Houston when DePaul Norwood climbed the steps to the stage as a Beyoncé song was blasting on the speakers. It was natural for him to want to dance as he danced for his mother and brother back home, but this was his first time on this stage joining in the excitement of club life.

Now, this wasn’t a performance. There were a couple of Beyhive members that would meet on the stage to do all the choreography they learned from TV. DePaul and three of his newfound friends stunned the crowd as they

performed as if they were Beyoncé’s backup dancers.

Soon after, he was invited by Legacy Community Health’s mSociety Program to create a Confidence Class that was named “Be Like Bey.” The class lasted for three years and was a favorite of the organization, allowing DePaul to use his budding platform to benefit the wider community. He was not only able to develop the self-confidence of the hundreds of Black LGBTQIA+ people who came to his classes, but he also presented at state conferences and delivered lectures in the community on the importance of self-esteem and personal growth.

A light bulb went off for DePaul when he

recorded his class for social media and it went viral. People were commenting on this new take on a dance class that wasn’t primarily focused on form, but rather on joy and passion. From there, DePaul knew that it would be important to use social media if he wanted to amplify the impact of his work.

First, it was retweeted by major celebs from his content, then evolved into the viral web series Real Gay Wives of Houston, with over a million views

DePaul continues to be a force in the influencer community, but it hasn’t been all beautiful.

“I went through a very dark place in

Photo

my life in 2022,” says DePaul. “I gained 80 pounds and hurt my leg and was stuck at my brother’s home for over a year. I missed my mom so much, and had it not been for my brother telling me we had to keep her legacy alive, I don’t know where I would be.”

Shirley Norwood, DePaul’s mother—as well as the web series’ co-writer and lead actress—passed away in 2018. She was a huge supporter of Depaul and his brother, Santana, and a mother to many people in the queer community. After her passing, DePaul’s star continued to rise, but he found himself “trying to run a business, but shut down on the inside.”

Once his brother gave him the strength and support to see that continuing the development of his star was an ode to his mother’s legacy, DePaul skyrocketed. He began to create animated characters on his social-media platforms and did voice-overs for them. In April of this year, he was at 13,000 followers on Instagram, and since

getting back out there, he has soared above 210,000.

This level of influence is new to him, but he is still the same person dedicated to building communities for marginalized people. You will often see him sharing inspirational and authentic messages, and even working with Texas State Representative Jolanda Jones and other local politicians to get important and culturally relevant information to the public.

Though the ride to find his star has been a journey, the truest essence of influence is what you do with the power you have. “I always knew I would become popular through social media because I pay attention to people,” DePaul says. “What is more important is to always treat people with respect, to uplift the things that

are important, and to teach love. That’s what my mom always taught us.”

DePaul’s star is bright, but what is even brighter is his heart and his mother’s legacy. Continuing to keep her memory alive, he is now completing the last season of The Real Gay Wives of Houston and, in December, will be releasing Shirley the Queen, a documentary about the last moments of his mother’s illness and her continued legacy through her sons.

Follow Depaul Norwood on Instagram at @depaul_norwood for info on The Normal Anomaly’s HUSHChat: Influencer Edition, where he will talk pop culture and politics with a cadre of social-media influencers and politicians at KIKI on October 7, 3–6 p.m.

Ian L. Haddock aspires to be a conduit of joy in all things activism and art. He is a published author and writer, and leads a team of nontraditional activists at The Normal Anomaly Initiative, Inc.

—DePaul Norwood

“Event

Be Sexy.

Rescued Pets Movement, Inc. (RPM) is a Houston-based nonprofit providing a second chance for thousands of homeless dogs and cats through rehabilitation and transport to forever homes in communities throughout the country that have a need for adoptable pets.

You can help by becoming a temporary foster home partner.

Rescued Pets

RescuedPetsMovement.org/Foster-Us

Moorman & Greg davis

A Slice of Sondheim

Local performer Mark Ivy enters the delightfully dark world of Sweeney Todd at Theatre Under The Stars.

By ZACH McKENZIE | Photo by RUBEN VELA

A vengeful, murderous barber, who has slipped into madness over the loss of his wife and daughter, is now on a quest to exact revenge for his wrongful imprisonment and forms a sinister partnership with an ambitious baker. This story is a tale best told through musical theater. Local artist Mark Ivy will star as Beadle Bamford in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street at Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS), October 17 to 29. The classic musical is slated perfectly within the company’s 2023/2024 season for Halloween celebrations and “spooky season” enthusiasts.

“I’m playing Beadle Bamford, and he’s the judge’s bulldog. He’s kind of like a petty officer,” Ivy explains. The character serves as a secondary antagonist and target of the titular character, while acting as a sidekick to Todd’s main foe. Ivy is eager to bring his performance of the character to this production, complete with music and lyrics by musical-theater icon Stephen Sondheim. Ivy has performed Sondheim before, having portrayed Jack, a primary character in a collegiate production of Into the Woods

“What’s great about Sondheim is that he brings so much to all of his shows, and I’m trying to figure out my way of playing Beadle. I feel comfortable in more of a naturally comedic setting, so I’m having a good time finding those nuances.”

Ivy is no stranger to the stage, having recently completed a successful run in Drag Wonderettes at Stages in Houston. Sweeney, however, is a segue into a darker realm for the performer. “This show is totally out of my comfort zone, and that’s what I’m kind of relishing,” he says. “I’m used to being the goofy nerd or sidekick and I don’t always get to do these kinds of roles. There are so many layers to the onion when performing Sondheim, so I’m excited to peel those back. I tend to stay away from looking at other performances of productions right before I go into a show process,” he states, “because I want to take a different approach and always want to put my spin on it.”

Stepping back on the TUTS stage has the artist reassessing the endurance it takes to perform the material each night. “I have been training more for this role than I have for all my other shows,” he admits. “I’m playing Beadle, so I have to be big and commanding on that stage. It’s definitely going to be hard on the entire cast’s bodies, so I’m doing stretches every day with help from an app on my phone, drinking much more water, and cutting out sodas. The music is so incredibly hard and the text is so rich that it really is a masterclass in how to do musical theater.”

The eccentric force of nature is grateful for this opportunity to return to TUTS, explaining it was always a dream of his as a young student at the company’s Humphreys School of Musical Theatre. “It always feels full circle whenever I’m on that stage. Every single time we go into tech, I always get chills because I still remember that 14-year-old going on stage for the first time and looking out into the house with the stars on the ceiling and just thinking how huge it is. It is exactly what I love to do, so I never take it for granted.”

“I am always in awe that I have done what I’ve always dreamed of,” the Sugar Land native declares, “which was making a career in

musical theater, working at all the theaters in Houston, celebrating the great art and diversity we have here, and performing amongst my peers who I used to watch on stage—there are almost no words for it.”

Ivy invites readers to join him in the mad world of Sweeney Todd, and assures it has something for everyone. “Audiences are going to have a great time and laugh, but also be a little chilled. I think people tend to forget how funny and goofy the show is. We’re talking about pretty intense things, like meat pies made from questionable sources, but it’s the words in the songs that make it not just spooky, but incredibly fun,” he says emphatically. “Sondheim is the best of the best, and Sweeney Todd is one of his best. It is a great time to see a show that is meaty (pun intended), funny, spooky, and scary. If you haven’t seen it yet, you’ll want to watch it over and over and over again.”

WHAT: TUTS presents Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd

WHEN: October 17–29

WHERE: Hobby Center for the Performing Arts

Info: tuts.com/shows/sweeney-todd

Harnessing Political Power

Activist Adri Pérez sees Texas shaping national politics.

By DAVID CLARKE

Early in the new documentary TEXAS, USA, audiences hear Governor Greg Abbott say, “As goes Texas, so goes America, and as goes America, so goes the world.” Under the state’s current Republican leadership, this could easily cause one’s hair to stand on end. Yet viewing the film, it’s abundantly clear that the documentary and its left-leaning, progressive makers and its subjects deeply respect this sentiment while wanting to utilize it as a way to bring forward positive change within the state, nation, and world.

TEXAS, USA, written and directed by Andrew Morgan, showcases how progressives in Texas are fighting back against the state’s 30 years of conservative leadership to bring about a better Texas for all. The film follows then candidates Greg Casar, Beto O’Rourke, and Lina Hidalgo in the lead-up to the 2022 elections. Activists and organizers provide pertinent commentary throughout the film, including Dallas-based organizer Brianna Brown of the Texas Organizing Project; Austin-based advocate Adri Pérez, one of the most recognizable trans advocates in the state; and Anthony Graves, who spent 18 years in prison for a murder he did not commit and is confronting Texas’ policy of over-incarceration.

“It’s a story of people who have spent their lives really fighting to make Texas better because we believe in what Texas can be and what Texas should be for the people who live in the state,” says Adri Pérez. “It is a story about the hope, resilience, and power that is there

and that we can build when we all come together and continue to believe in the promise of this state and want to make it live up to the American dream.”

Pérez is an accomplished organizer, disruptor, and educator with over eight years of civic engagement, reproductive justice, LGBTQ community organizing, and policy justice experience in Texas. Their identity exists at the crossroads of being queer, transgender, nonbinary, and being a first-generation immigrant. This combination fuels their passion for creating positive change in Texas and makes them the perfect candidate to be profiled in the documentary.

“Getting asked to be in a documentary is a bizarre experience, but I do think that I share a lot of similar perspectives with the other people who are in the film,” explains Pérez. “Texas is a microcosm of the nation. And we cannot give up on Texas, despite how much everybody else in the country wants us to, despite how hard they are trying to intentionally make it to vote, to participate in democracy, to create that change, and to even exist.”

Throughout TEXAS, USA, audiences see first hand Pérez’s inspiring activism and advocacy for trans-identifying people

Trans-rights advocate Adri Pérez speaking with reporters at the Capitol in Austin.

and for immigrants and their motivations. “I love the state of Texas. I love the Capitol. I love legislative advocacy. And when you exist in those spaces, there’s not a lot of people who look like me,” Pérez shares. “I think something that we heard a lot in the last couple of years was many young trans people saying that they had never seen a trans person with white hair, or they had never seen an older trans person speaking at the legislature. A lot of my motivation to keep doing what I do is knowing that I am setting a precedent for the people who come after me, even if I may not do it directly.”

The film and its cast don’t mince words about the effects of the Republican control of Texas. Charting the work done by candidates, organizers, and activists alike, TEXAS, USA sheds a light on the aftermath of Roe v. Wade being overturned and the ongoing introduction of new antiLGBTQ legislation. “The attacks on trans people are being used to literally deteriorate democracy itself,” states Pérez. “You are not going to destroy democracy on my back, on my name, or on my identity, because being transgender and being an LGBTQ person is a beautiful expression of freedom and what it means to be an American.”

Exposing the harsh realities of Texas’

current political situation, TEXAS, USA is not a doom-and-gloom documentary. “The film does a good job at refilling our cups of hope with the will to continue fighting for a better Texas,” explains Pérez. It even inspires viewers to be active in democratic processes.

“I think the best way to get involved is to volunteer for a local campaign for the next election in your community,” says Pérez. “Everybody has their own unique gift in this world, something that they are passionate about doing or giving back, and tapping into that intersection of passion and creating change in the world for yourself is the best way that we can all contribute.”

For trans allies, Pérez’s advice is simple:

“Educate yourself. It’s always about making sure that you have the correct information to be prepared if you want to be an active ally to somebody.” As Pérez sees it, it’s also important to note that this work requires awareness. “Try to think about being a trans person within the spaces that you are in,” they add. “Identify what the barriers might be, and try to use your privilege as a non-trans person to change spaces to be more accessible to somebody else, whether that is on the basis of class, race, or gender.”

TEXAS, USA is available on Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Prime Video, and Google Play’s VOD platforms beginning October 6. For more information, visit TexasUSAFilm.com.

Pérez speaking at the 2023 All In for Equality Advocacy Day in Austin.

Best Probate Attorney

The Music Men

Aaron Jackson and Josh Sharp discuss their upcoming film DICKS: The Musical.

By ZACH McKENZIE

The comedic genius of Aaron Jackson and Josh Sharp is brought to the big screen in DICKS: The Musical. The film, which premieres nationwide on October 20, follows two self-obsessed businessmen (writers Jackson and Sharp) as they discover that they’re long-lost identical twins and come together to plot the reunion of their eccentric divorced parents. Directed by Larry Charles, the film stars Nathan Lane, Megan Mullally, Houston’s own Megan Thee Stallion, Bowen Yang (who portrays God), and two unhinged Sewer Boys, among other familiar faces.

DICKS received waivers from SAG-AFTRA amidst the ongoing industry strikes, and the comedy duo behind the movie-musical took time to speak with OutSmart about their uproarious and insanely hilarious film.

OSM: Tell me about what inspired your two-man show, “Fucking Identical Twins: A Musical,” and then the process of adapting that for the film.

SHARP: It’s funny, because at the time we were doing it as a two-man show in a comedy theater that’s literally in the basement of a grocery store, we never thought of it as a movie. The genesis of it as a half-hour show was really [born] one day [when] we were like, “If we did The Parent Trap, we can each play the twins and the parents, because it’s only ever one twin that talks to one parent.”

JACKSON: We wanted to do a two-person musical together. I’m not entirely sure why, but I think it’s because of friendship. Chernin Entertainment came to see the live show and asked if we’d ever thought about making it a

movie. Then, A24 got involved and that’s how it went to the silver screen.

SHARP: I think a lot of the DNA from the twoman show stayed for the movie. It was like a runaway train. We shot it very cheaply in 20 days and had to figure out how to film it in the most scrappy, fun, immediate way.

Of all of the projects you both have worked on, either together or separately, why was this the one you wanted to translate to the big screen?

JACKSON: This was always our passion project. It’s our voice, and so absurdist—we were just really passionate.

SHARP: It’s always felt like the purest distilla-

tion of what we like. We made a movie that the two of us like, so having people respond to it has been a fun surprise. For many years, I almost never believed it was gonna be made. Every year we chipped away at this little passion project that we thought would probably never happen. Now that it actually got made with so many incredible people and it’s coming out into the world, it’s a dream.

Houston audiences will be especially excited to see Megan Thee Stallion, who has a substantial role in the film. Tell me about casting for this project.

SHARP: The cast were all our dream asks, and they all said yes. Nathan [Lane] and [Megan] Mullally were surprises, because

Nathan Lane (l), Megan Mullally, Aaron Jackson, and Josh Sharp

they’re so legendary, but I think we both thought they would respond to this movie. With Megan Thee Stallion, we thought, “We might as well ask. There’s no chance in hell she’ll do it.” And then she said yes!

JACKSON: Bowen Yang is our old friend, and these parts were all basically written for these people, so when they all got on board it was incredible. Larry Charles as the director is also another shocking dream legend.

SHARP: [Nick] Offerman was so kind about the project. We were working with [his wife, Megan] Mullaly when we asked if he would do this little part, and he was like, “I’ll do anything. I’d be a key grip. I’ll hold lights for you.”

It was really fun to watch a queer film that was built in fantasy without forcing any kind of agenda, although the final scene sends a pretty clear message. What is your hope for this film as it will exist in the vault of queer cinema?

SHARP: I’m glad there’s so much stuff that represents our community in so many different ways. I just want to bring a sensibility more than a representation. I want to be

able to be queer and crass and bold, and also silly and absurd.

JACKSON: It’s great to have this aspect of queer life, which is that we look at the world through a different lens. Things are more absurd to us that other people take for granted. You’re told your whole life you are taboo, and you’re just trying to get through a Wednesday.

I think it’s kind of like embracing the taboo, and embracing absurdity. It’s for outsiders, for little freaky weirdos.

You’re among the few artists allowed

to promote their work right now, given the strike. How has that informed your energy and your process for spreading the word about DICKS: The Musical?

JACKSON: We’re so grateful to SAG that we got the interim agreement. We were hoping that the movie would be able to speak for itself, but it is nice to be out and be forward with it and be with a company like A24 who can make this agreement that all these giant, massive tech overlords can’t seem to make. It’s just so great for us, and we’re so happy to be able to promote and get the word out about this rinky little movie.

SHARP: The joy of these agreements they’re giving out, for those of us in strong solidarity with this union movement, is that they show that it’s possible to make the deal that the union is asking for. It’s shocking that the companies that are doing it are these smaller companies that are making truly independent, wild and crazy stuff. That’s the ethos of this film. No company but this one would have made it, and I think that sort of connected it in a way.

For information on the film’s October theatrical release, visit a24films.com/ films/dicks-the-musical.

‘Otherwise’ Engaged

Lesbian writer Julie Marie Wade ’s collection of braided essays is being released this month.

By GREGG SHAPIRO

Award-winning lesbian writer and educator Julie Marie Wade lights up every room she enters. Her joyful spirit qualifies her as the Mary Tyler Moore of literature who can virtually “turn the world on with her smile.” The smile, however, is hard-won. Having survived being raised by unyielding, religiously conservative parents, Wade has channeled that experience into her work, combining art and catharsis, most recently in her new collection of braided essays, Otherwise (Autumn House Press, 2023), to be released this month.

Gregg Shapiro: Even before I started reading Otherwise, your new book of braided essays, I intended to ask you if you are a poet who writes essays or an essayist who writes poetry. Now that I’ve read your essay “Prose & Cons: Consideration from a Woman of Two Genres,” the question is, Why was it important to include it in Otherwise?

Julie Marie Wade: I didn’t actually think to include the “Prose & Cons” essay in this collection when I first began assembling it because I felt it might be too different in structure and style from the other essays I had slated for the book. Then, as I considered the evolving manuscript again, I realized that “Prose & Cons” could add some interesting texture if placed later in the book— after the reader had a chance to get to know me more fully as a queer person and a creative writer, but before the reader had gotten to know me quite as well as a teacher. In the same way that I wrote this essay to discover more about who I am as an essayist and a teacher by recreating scenes from my classes in textual form, I ended up edifying my two most enduring identities as a result of writing it: my poet-self and my lesbian-self. Turns out I am a queer poet through and through, and everything else I do or may become comes directly from these core aspects of self.

The detailed description of events from your past made me wonder if you were a journal keeper or if you just have a very

good memory.

[Laughs] I was—and am—a prolific journaler, but as a child and teenager, I was also a fastidious diarist, a habit I eventually abandoned in college when the pace of my life began to exceed the rate at which I could record it. My diary had a very specific function: it was a place to record day-to-day experiences and encounters. I believe a combination of detailed documentation of my formative years and the fact that we were rewarded in vacation Bible school with progressive quantities of candy for the number of Bible verses we could recite by heart—let’s just say I was swimming in Skittles by the end of the week [laughs]—have equally contributed to my detailed memories of past events.

Marriage is at the very heart of Otherwise, beginning with the “Meditation 32” essay and continuing in the others. It brought to mind the recent addition of “gay marry” to dictionary.com. How do you feel about that term?

I remember a meme I enjoyed about a decade ago as marriage equality was progressing toward the Supreme Court. It went something like this: “I like to talk about something that is very dear to my heart, gay marriage, or as I call it, marriage. As in, I had breakfast this morning, not gay breakfast. As in, when I parked my car, I didn’t gay park it.” And as much as I laughed and nodded my head, love being love and marriage being marriage, I also often say to Angie that something I’ve cooked is made with my favorite ingredient—gay love— or that I’m so glad she gay married me or that I love being her gay lady spouse. All those things are true, but being on the other side of marriage equality now permits a levity that I don’t think I could truly appreciate before the Obergefell v. Hodges decision. When marriage was still a privilege that some people got to access simply because they were heterosexual—or living heterosexual lives—I resented the terms gay marriage and gay marry. Now that marriage is a right, equally available to any couple, I feel more comfortable and playful about embracing the ways that we are different from hetero-

sexual couples. It’s OK to be different and to celebrate differences; what isn’t OK is for those differences to be used to limit our legal rights.

Speaking of terms, Otherwise is full of wonderful turns of phrase, and the unforgettable line “Lesbianism is my birth control.” What would it mean to you if any of what you wrote in the book became part of the fabric of queer culture?

I’m honored to be a part of queer culture in any way, to be woven into that enduring and capacious fabric at all, but I don’t have to be the whole coat. I’m happy to be one gay button, even the kind on the inside of the coat. Not everybody knows you’re there, not everybody sees you, but you still have a place and a job to do, and that matters the most to me.

Otherwise is full of references to poets, including Robert Hass, Sharon Olds, and Galway Kinnell. I remember attending a Sharon Olds reading and book signing with you in Delray Beach a few years ago. Did you ever get to meet Kinnell or Hass?

Oh, meeting Sharon Olds was a lifelong dream realized! We met at the Palm Beach Poetry Festival in 2019, I believe. There’s a picture somewhere—maybe you took it, Gregg—of Denise Duhamel and me telling Sharon Olds how we wrote about her in our collaborative collection, The Unrhymables, listing her in our glossary of unforgettable women whose work had touched our lives. Her graciousness that night was also unforgettable.

You also write about the impact that queer writer Michelle Tea’s book Valencia had on you. Have you ever had the opportunity to meet Michelle? If not, do you know if she’s aware of what you wrote about her?

No, I’ve never met Michelle, and it hadn’t occurred to me until just this moment that she

might be aware of how her work appears in my work! Isn’t it funny how we’re so aware of the writers we learn from, but it never dawns on us—or it hadn’t dawned on me— that they might know or find out what we’re up to in our own literary undertakings.

In the “Nine Innings” essay, you write about living in Kentucky and a terrible encounter you had with a notary where you banked. A few days before we conducted this interview, a federal jury ruled that Kim Davis, the former Kentucky county clerk who denied a gay couple a marriage license in 2015, must pay them $100,000. As someone with her own difficult history associated with that state, how does that make you feel?

Well, my initial reaction was to smile and nod my head, thinking, “Wow, there is some justice after all. It was a long time coming, but she’s finally being held accountable for breaking the law and causing others pain in the process.” Unfortunately, these little upticks of glee don’t last long for me. They turn almost immediately to sadness when I consider how likely Kim Davis is to resent gay people and gay marriage even more fervently than before, to recommit to the prejudices that led her to break the law in the first place. People in her church community will rally around her, and the divide between that community and those who support the gay couple in question will only deepen. I’ve been a teacher for more than 20 years, and I still believe that education is the only way to create lasting change in society. The humanities, in particular, where so much repressive legislation is targeted right now, is also the place where minds and hearts are opened.

Because we both live in Florida, where the misguided concept of parental rights in education is being weaponized to do irreparable harm to the young minds in our state, I kept coming back to the various things your mother said to you when you were young, and how you were being groomed for heterosexual life. Do you think there will ever come a time when straight, religious people will own up to being the groomers they accuse LGBTQ people of being? Wow, Gregg, that’s such a good question, and so well put. I don’t know if people like my mother will ever recognize the pain their beliefs and admonishments have caused, but I’m invested in trying to prevent others from ending up in the cages those mentali-

ties create. These restrictive worldviews aren’t really good for anybody, not just the queer among us. As a young woman, my mother was taught that marrying “the right man” was essential for her basic social survival as well as any future economic security she hoped to have. How amazing it would have been if we could have talked honestly about those ideas and where they came from.

As I was reading Otherwise, I was also catching up on the amazing second season of The Bear on Hulu. There’s a scene at an intense family Christmas gathering where one character accuses another character of telling the same story repeatedly, and in the “Meditation 35” essay, an editor tells you they fear you are “telling the same stories over and over.” Please say something about that.

JMW: Oh, I love The Bear, and I know exactly the episode you’re describing. It resonated deeply with me—as a work of art, impeccably made, and also as a portrait of cyclical family dysfunction that I recognize, with variations, from my own past. It turns out I’m not afraid of telling the same stories over and over; I’m

afraid of telling stories rather than embodying them, bringing them to life on the page, shaping them in new ways and innovating with form as I do. My raw material may be fixed, but my polished material is potentially infinite.

One of the things that I love about Otherwise is the way you capture your wife Angie’s distinctive, dry sense of humor, especially in the “Meditation 36” essay. Does she make you laugh more, or is it vice versa or equal?

[Laughs] Angie has a crisp, incisive wit that I have loved since the first day we met. Sometimes she’s funny even without saying a word, just by a certain look she gives or gesture she makes. I’m not a concise person by nature, so my humor rarely puts such a fine point on things the way Angie’s does. I think she’s loads funnier than I am, though I can make her laugh, too—and I do!—which is one of my life’s great joys. In our more than 21 years together, a through line of our partnership has been the fact that we have laughed every single day. Sometimes we only have to look at each other across a crowded room or text each other a single word, and we’ll both erupt in laughter.

OUT THERE

HOUSTON TRANSGENDER UNITY BANQUET

September 16, 2023

The Hilton Houston Westchase was the venue for the 2023 Transgender Unity Banquet. The hosts for the evening were Brandon Mack and Dylan Forbis, and speakers included Kris Winters, who read their original poetry; Dr. Lulu, a queer Nigerian-born, boardcertified pediatrician and mom of a transgender young adult daughter; and Dr. Cody Pike, the first transgender and nonbinary Harris Health System trustee.

Photos by DALTON DEHART & CREW

THE HOUSTON LGBTQ+ POLITICAL CAUCUS HOSTED THE 14TH ANNUAL EQUALITY BRUNCH

October 1, 2023

The Houston LGBTQ+ Political Caucus hosted the 14th Annual Equality Brunch at the Post Oak Hotel at Uptown. The event included a special appearance by Atlanta City Council Member Liliana Bakhtiari, as well as the Caucus Award presentations. This year’s honorees were Jovon Tyler, who was given the Don Hrachovy Lifetime Achievement Award; Ian Haddock, winner of the Bayard Rustin Civil Rights Award; Transgender Education Network of Texas won the Kirsten Capps Social Conscience Award; Commissioner Lesley Briones was presented with the Eleanor Tinsley Ally of the Year Award; and OutSmart magazine was recognized with the Excellence in Media Award.

WEDDING GUIDE

Tequila Shots and a Rainbow Altar

By JENNY BLOCK

Joshua John Allen Blair, 37, had been in Houston a little more than a year, and Carl Edward Jones Jr., 39, even less, when they met at Austin’s Otterfest. They had many mutual friends but had never seen or met each other until July 12, 2019, when a simultaneous “Damn, who is that?” flashed across each man’s mind.

Originally from Jeannette, Pennsylvania and a University of Michigan graduate, Carl is an Aerospace Engineer/ISS Flight Controller at NASA and US Navy Reserve Master Air Attack Planner Chief/Strike Operations Officer. Josh is a native of Pryor, Oklahoma, an Oklahoma State University graduate, and a Product Support Operations Representative for Caterpillar Inc.

Quickly, the two caught each other’s attention, met, and before long came to know and care for each other. But it wasn’t until Josh was returning from a week-long work trip to North Carolina that he knew for sure

Joshua John Allen Blair and Carl Edward Jones

’ non-traditional wedding bliss.

Photos by CAMILO ALVAREZ of NOVIA MIA PHOTOGRAPHY

Joshua John Allen Blair (l) and Carl Edward Jones

it was really love. “I remember flying back and it hitting me: I had someone who I cared for and cared for me. But just that feeling of caring for someone wasn’t enough for me. I remember racing back from the airport and starting the planning process for how I would propose.”

Little did Josh know, though, that Carl had proposing on his mind, too. “But Josh did his first, and very cleverly,” Carl said. “Josh proposed to me and it was basically a big lie. Josh told me he had to go to work and do some things and was going to swing by a friend’s house to check their house.”

The latter part was true. That June 2020 weekend, Josh was planning a surprise birthday party for Carl. “However, he used that as a cover for the actual reason for the party, which was an engagement party where he was going to propose,” Carl said. “Of course, I was shocked and confused at first about what was happening. But once I got to the part where he was standing outside in a bed of roses, and roses sprinkled in the pool, our friends there and about 40 of our friends and family on Zoom, suddenly, it all made sense.”

The couple were legally wed on August 4, 2020. They chose to get legally married at that point because Carl was leaving for a year-long Navy deployment to the Middle East and wanted Josh to be recognized as a military spouse with full benefits in case something happened to him. So they went downtown to the courthouse to tie the knot, and only told a few people.

In October 2022 they had their wedding with friends and family at the Barcelo Resort in Riviera Maya, Mexico, with a family friend of Carl’s, Rev. Donna Jones, officiating. Donna also identifies as lesbian. As Carl pointed out, “It was important for us to have someone who could represent our community and could tie love into the cer-

emony without discrimination or incendiary religious beliefs.”

There is an old saying that suggests that rain on your wedding day is good luck. A wet knot is hard to untie, after all. According to the forecast, though, there was no rain in sight for the day of the wedding. But just as the couple headed to the ceremony, it began to pour. Fortunately, Carl learned that the guests had taken shelter and things were being covered.

Then, as the pair lined up for their entrances, the rain subsided. The couple walked down the aisle to cheers and noticed everyone pointing and taking photos. “A rainbow had formed behind us perfectly and stretched over the altar and both of us. If rain is good luck, then having a rainbow show up in the backdrop of your altar, has to be the ultimate gay symbol that love will always conquer everything,” Carl said.

When it came to the ceremony itself, the couple said they wanted to have something that would make an impression true to who they are. “We added having flower boys to add some excitement. They handed out shots of tequila, beer, and roses to Ginuwine’s “Pony” at the beginning of the ceremony,” Carl said. “We wanted a ceremony that was uniquely ours and devoid of what a traditional ceremony repetitive looks like.”

Executing their wedding was no easy feat, Josh remembers. “We were going through a worldwide pandemic and Carl was deployed to the Middle East for a year and trying to ensure our guests had all the appropriate information and could arrive safely to the resort in Mexico,” Josh said.

Today, the two couldn’t be happier. Carl said Josh supports his dreams and goals, pushing him to be better in every possible way. “I would not be where I am in my life without his encouragement. There is no one else I would rather have standing beside me.”

And Josh says Carl has a way of pushing him out of his comfort zone and into a life of adventure. “He can turn anything into a scavenger hunt. Once, when he was gone for an extended period, he hid a card in a special place that he knew I would be looking or going to each day. The fact that he took the time and thought about each day to plan a little something special meant the world to me.”

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By LILLY RODDY

Navigating the Eclipses

Leo ’s influence on your month.

Notable is the Solar Eclipse on October 14th and Lunar Eclipse on the 28th. The Solar Eclipse will impact the Cardinal signs of Libra, Cancer, Aries, and Capricorn, while the Lunar Eclipse will impact the Fixed signs of Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius. Eclipses open a door to a new path or opportunity.

Delays seem to be a part of the forecast for the first three weeks of this month. Flexibility is the key. The more you adapt, the more successful you will be!

As has been the case for the last 40 years, the Outer Planets of Pluto, Neptune, Saturn, Jupiter, and Uranus will go direct in the fall, indicating a need to move on, initiate new activities, and finish tasks begun. Despite delays, the energy is revving up.

Intense days are October 6, 7, and 8. Stay alert! Good days this month are the October 3, 13, 22, 24, and 31. Days to be on your toes are October 1-8, 10, 14-15, 17-21, and 28-29. Pace yourself this month.

ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19)

Relationships continue to be tested. If you are in a positive relationship, this is the time to find ways to reconnect to that familiar teamwork. If you are in a difficult partnership, this is a time to clear the issues. This will be very strong on the weekend of the 7th and 8th, and the Eclipse on the 14th. This is a good time for exercise to burn off some of the excess energy you feel. This is also a good time for a new project or to recreate your career path. Career choices are still unsure. Finances are more important, especially in the last part of the month. This could be a better time for a loan or personal investing.

TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20)

This is a busy time, particularly late in the month, with the Lunar Eclipse in Taurus on the 28th. As the month begins, you get your workplace in order. You are very direct about getting along with co-workers. You may be the voice that speaks for the larger group. This is a great time for improving health and exercise routines, but don’t overdo it. After the 10th, you will review your career path. The Eclipse on the 28th could trigger you to make those choices. You may start your own thing, take on a leadership role, or retire from the rodentia race altogether. Partnerships are active in the last three weeks of this month. Your relationships need some TLC!

GEMINI (May 21–June 21)

Career and long-term security decisions are foremost. You may step up and take a leadership role or start something on your own. Your credibility is very important now and through the end of next year. Spend quality time with your family; you need the time for personal retreat. This is a more creative and playful time. Take time to make memories with your children.

They are more independent and taking more risks. If you don’t have kids, you are the one looking to be more playful. At the end of the month, you will get back to routines. You will want to have input in new projects at work.

CANCER (June 22–July 22)

The Solar Eclipse on the 14th will have a strong impact since it will involve home and family. You may be doing fall cleaning, remodeling, connecting with your family more, or possibly relocating. This is a social month for connecting with like-minded colleagues and friends and also a better time to market your services or seek out a new job. It’s easier to communicate ideas and needs in the first half of the month and to get them met! In the last half of the month, you are more creative and playful. This is an excellent time to focus on a hobby or turn that into a side gig. The last Eclipse activates your social life.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22)

You have been letting people know what you think and getting your life organized. You’ve had a lot of things to do, and you are ready to finish them. Career and social contacts continue to be positive. This is a good time to look for a better position or take on a leadership role. Relationships are still fairly edgy, and bad relationships are being processed out of your life, particularly after the 10th. Toward the middle of the month, you are more focused on security, home, family, and personal property—a very busy time at home and work. You have a lot on your “to do” list. You may do work around your home or bring your family together. You are more direct with the people around you!

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept.22)

Decisions about the future weighed heavily on you last

month, and you can expect some of the same this month. You are more psychically sensitive. You pay more attention to your boundaries and may not seem as adaptable or flexible to the people around you. Money, investments, and debt are active the first half of the month. You pay more attention to your future and are more thoughtful about your spending. You have a strong buy impulse as the month begins, but that fades after the 12th. The last half of the month is busy. This can be a time for travel, teaching, increasing your skills, or working with global organizations. You are more aware of world events. The Eclipse on the 28th will activate energy to invite different alternatives into your life.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 23)

Happy birthday! This is your annual cycle of endings and beginnings. This continues to be an active time, with Mars visiting your sign since August 28. You may have felt more unbalanced and more quick to anger. The Solar Eclipse on the 14th may open you up to new partnerships and may close down others. Not particularly negative, this can be people relocating or taking a different trek. The weekend of the 7th and 8th can be rather tense. You may feel that you need to project yourself or push back on those pressuring you to respond in a certain way. It continues to be important to improve your health and work habits. Finances are better, and this is a better time for investments, dealing with debt, and increasing your resource base. This will be extra strong in the last half of the month as you are working to free yourself from debt.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24–Nov. 21)

As the month begins, you are in a time of rest and retreat. Your psychic senses are stronger, and

ADRIAN HERNANDEZ

conditions that you might normally ignore seem to bother you more. You have been trying to get your daily life more organized and clear out some stuff. This will get a lot stronger after the 10th. In the middle of the month, you feel more grounded. Mars enters Scorpio on the 12th, and you will be more direct and less patient. The Solar Eclipse on the 28th in your relationship sector triggers changes there, opening the door for a new relationship and potentially closing the door on an old partnership. You are looking for more personal freedom, and those who want to shut you down may be exiting your life with the Eclipse.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov.22–Dec.21)

This is an upbeat and social time in your life, a great time to connect with friends, join a social group, or take on a leadership role in your community. You are ready to take action, and you may be coaching others on how to make better use of social networking. It will be easier to work with social media and expand your business reach, especially in the first half of the month. Boundaries are more important than ever. You are not as flexible and adaptable. You consider the cost and return on your investments. In the last half of the month, you are in a rest-andretreat mode. You are more intuitive, and negative energies can have a greater impact on you. This can

also be a time when you have to focus on home repairs, downsizing, or potentially relocating.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22–Jan. 19)

Most of the planets continue to be very active in your career sector. In the first half of the month, you are ready to take a leadership role and get things accomplished. You are not as patient as usual and may seem pushy to others. You are not very playful, and you expect people to do what they say or you may exclude them from your life. Some of the pressure to go forward or to take a step back will dissipate as you move forward more confidently. In the last half of the month, you are more connected to your community and friends, a time for social networking and expanding your presence on social media. You will be an inspiration for work colleagues and friends. You are ready for some fun! This should be a better time for travel or weekend getaways.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18)

On the 10th, Pluto begins a 21-year journey traveling through Aquarius, triggering major life changes. People with the earliest birthdays in your sign are most impacted. As the month begins, you are in a great time for mental activity, taking classes, expanding your presence on social media, and enlarging your vision of the planet. You are more talkative and will want to

express your views and opinions. Toward the middle of the month, you are more focused on career and long-term security. You may take on a leadership role or possibly start something on your own. Patience won’t be your watchword. This is a good time for improving health and exercise. The Lunar Eclipse on the 28th could impact your career and family. Lead the charge in your own growth and change

PISCES

(Feb. 19–Mar. 20)

Career, long-term security, reputation, and personal boundaries are strong. You may be putting off decisions until you are ready to move forward at the beginning of next month. In partnership, this is a time to renew your bonds and set new goals, as you have completed most of the goals you had envisioned. In difficult partnerships, this can be a time to make up or break up. At work, you are not as flexible as usual and may not be happy about doing others’ work. You are more concerned about finances and investments as the month starts. In the last part of the month, you are interested in just enjoying your time and having fun. Travel could be better during this time of the month, and you may need to get out of town around the 28th. You are paying attention to what is relevant to you and not what makes others happy!

For more info, visit lillyroddyshow.com.

Pronouns? He/Him

Inner Avatar?

A friendly, courageous, and hard-working dyke named Grace Gibson

Hometown? Houston, TX

Drag birthday? June 17, 2022

What got you interested in drag?

Even as a little kid, I’ve always felt most alive when performing in front of an audience. After getting sober and coming out in my mid-30s, I became more interested in exploring my gender presentation as well as performance. I decided to compete in the Mister Lambda competition in June 2022. Not only did I win, but I had such a blast that I knew I needed to pursue drag further. My life has only become more vibrant since.

Describe Hugh’s persona.

Hugh Stone is a shameless flirt and hopeless romantic. He loves making people smile, and is completely powerless over beautiful women and bedazzled fitted suits.

Any titles?

1st Place winner in Game of Kings Season

Three, and Mister Lambda 2022

Most embarrassing moment on stage?

Hot take: It is very difficult to embarrass a drag performer. That said, I was at an event out of drag recently and ran into someone I’ve hung out with a few times after some of my shows. (I may or may not have a small crush on this person.) I walked up, clearly very excited to see them and say hello, and they kindly reached out their hand and introduced themself to me. I said, “Yeah, I know!” And then quickly realized from the apologetic look of confusion that they had never seen me out of drag and had no idea who I was.

BEST NEW DRAG KING

keep it simple and classic.

Defining moment in your life?

I think the most defining time in my life so far is when I came out as an alcoholic. The experience of accepting my alcoholism as part of who I am, and that while it is not my fault, it is my responsibility, helped me learn how to practice that sense of honesty and ownership in other aspects of my life. (Hence, coming out as a lesbian six months later.)

Where/When do you normally perform? I perform most frequently at the H-Town Kings shows on Wednesdays at Pearl Bar, and fundraiser events at Lambda Center.

Anything else?

I host a podcast called Y’all Out! Each episode I interview a different member of the LGBTQIA+ community about their journey, inspirations, hopes, interests, and beyond. Reach out if you know someone I should interview!

Follow Hugh Stone on Instagram and TikTok as @hughstone_tx

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