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

Join the season-long celebration.

Celebrate 100 years of WOW! Enjoy eight months of the best music, dance, theatre and more.

Plus, four big celebration events March 18, May 12, July 14-15, Nov. 11 packed with fun for the whole family. Dress in themed attire. Enjoy costumed performers, live mural paintings, epic photo installations and more. All free!

Season calendar, 100th event schedule and free ticket info at milleroutdoortheatre.com/celebratemiller community. When he was invited to participate in Houston’s Black Queer AF Festival as a keynote speaker and forum host, he saw it as an excellent opportunity to do just that.

“One thing that’s really important to me is celebrating the positive aspects of our community. I think a lot of times we get caught up in our trauma. What I really appreciate about this weekend festival is that it will be a time to celebrate, have fun, and let loose, which I think we deserve.”

The event, which takes place at the Stampede Houston nightclub, will be a celebration of Black queerness, and Mathis is eager to get the party started. “I’m really big on Black-boy joy. As much as we’ve been through, and as much trauma that society places on us, we deserve to celebrate with each other,” he says. “I think what I look forward to most is bringing positive energy to the weekend and really celebrating our community, our culture, and everything else that we have to offer.”

His passion for creating safe spaces for all who identify as queer is a cornerstone of his community advocacy work. “A lot of the work I do revolves around HIV—not only because my uncle passed away from HIV, but also because it’s ravaging our community,” he explains. “I used to work in healthcare policy in the US Senate, and when you look at the numbers, almost half of new HIV cases are Black men. We have a lot of work to do when it comes to that particular issue. The medicine is there, the science is there to really eradicate HIV transmissions, but the awareness is not. That’s something I’m really passionate about and have been doing a lot of work on. It was really nice to see The Normal Anomaly incorporate that issue into this festival.”

Reflecting on the support he wishes he’d had at a young age, Mathis says, “Growing up, I didn’t know anybody who was gay, except for my uncle. I didn’t really see a lot of stuff on TV that reflected my community. Times have changed a lot, which is such a blessing.”

Mathis’ ultimate message to Black youth, as well as to anyone going through the coming-out process, is one of hope and affirmation. “The first thing I always say is, ‘You are loved.’ I know that’s cliché, but I think that’s important because those are the words that I would have wanted to hear. You are loved, and there’s a huge community that is waiting for you, and that loves you.”

What: Black Queer AF Music Festival

When: May 3–7

Where: Stampede Houston, 11925 Eastex Fwy.

Info: normalanomaly.org/bqaf

What could be better than getting a professional photo of your fur baby, spending a little outdoor time with fun people, and knowing it’s all for a great cause?

Since 2020, Pet Pics in the Park has been raising funds for Avenue 360’s Omega House, Houston’s HIV/AIDS nonprofit hospice that has been in operation since 1986. Tanner Williams and his partner, Christopher Cerda, founded Pet Pics in the Park when they heard that Omega House needed a new roof. The event was so popular that they made it an annual fundraiser. This year, the March 25 event at the Buffalo Bayou Dog Park is being sponsored by Cerda’s real-estate company, Chris Christopher Properties. Cerda has been in real estate for two decades and is an active member of the LGBTQ Victory Fund and the Executive and Professional Association of Houston. Becoming a proud puppy parent sparked the idea for Pet Pics in the Park.

“We were driving by a dog park back when COVID was still big, and I thought that would be a safe place to have an event,” he recalls.

Cerda and Williams have two dogs—Mishka and Sasha—and a cat named Sparkles. The couple became best friends eight years ago, and romantic partners for the past three years.

But Cerda’s journey to find his authentic self has been long and difficult. “I shouldn’t even be here right now,” he says. “I grew up in a bad part of the Second Ward. I was always afraid my grandmother’s house (where he lived) would get shot in a drive-by. Basically, I joined a gang to protect us.”

Cerda was jumped by rival gang members before he finally got out of that life—just about the time he began dealing with his sexuality.

“I started going to the bars,” Cerda says. “But then I saw what was happening with HIV and AIDS.” He wound up marrying a woman, having a daughter, and starting a successful real-estate company. But the marriage wasn’t happy, and after 15 years it ended. “I just gave up. I decided I was going to be me.”

Today, Cerda and Williams own a home near his ex-wife and their daughter, and they all see each other regularly and celebrate holidays as a family. Cerda likes to say that he “went from hood to good.”

And one of those good things is his passion for raising money for Omega House. Founded at the height of the AIDS crisis by retired Montessori school teacher Eleanor Munger, Omega House was the first residential hospice