FEBRUARY 2024

BARING IT ALL

Sasha Colby’s Stripped Tour comes to town Pg.48

FEB. ’24

OUT FOR CHANGE LGBTQ candidates on the ballot Pg.22

BLACK HISTORY MONTH Local voices pave the path forward Pg.28

HOUSTON'S LGBTQ MAGAZINE

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GROWING TOGETHER BUSINESS IS BLOSSOMING FOR WIVES LEI AND MIKA BURGS Pg.38

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44

Lei and Mika Burgs seamlessly blend their business and their marriage

Tony Bradfield’s charity, Rodeo Auction Angels, rewards kids for their hard work

BLOSSOMING BUSINESS

NAVIGATING LOVE AND BUSINESS

46

48

BUNNY BUSINESS

Chase Austin helps children participate in the Rodeo with their rabbits

50

CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT

FEBRUARY 2024 |

SUPPORTING FUTURE GENERATIONS

SASHA COLBY BARES IT ALL

The Drag Race Season 15 winner will appear at Houston’s House of Blues

52

66

Remembering gay artist and Project Row Houses co-founder James Bettison

Dey’Jzah Opulent Mirage mixes ferocity with feminine mystique

EMPOWERING ART

Local drag artist Dessie Love-Blake takes the Miss Gay America 2024 title

4

Cory Logan and Joey Garcia shed light on their 25-year relationship

OutSmartMagazine.com

40

WIGGING OUT

34

live your best

Know your HIV care options and

sex

life.

Living with HIV doesn’t have to stop you from being you. Live your best life with personalized care and support. Ask how we can help make care more affordable.

Call 281.616.7015 to make an immediate appointment.

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FE BR UA R Y 2024

D E PA R T M E N T S NEWS & COMMENT 19 NEWS

Activists call on the United Nations to address last year’s homophobic Texas legislation; The Walk to End HIV is slated for March 3 (pg. 20); At least 10 LGBTQ candidates will appear on the March 5 primary ballot in Houston (pg. 22); Fran Watson is seeking the Harris County Probate Court No. 5 judge’s seat (pg. 36)

24 MONEY SMART 28 BLACK VOICES

OutSmart spotlights local leaders Josie Pickens, Wendell King II, Nishia Jackson, Rev. Leslie “RevJax” Jackson, and Oni K. Blair

34 PRIDE IN THE MEDIA

104.1 KRBE’s Ahmad Wilson reps queer lives on his morning radio program

56 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Quincy Starnes previews the musical Once on This Island, coming to Houston this month

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GROWING TOGETHER Business is blossoming for wives Lei and Mika Burgs. Photography by @thealexandrerosa for OutSmart magazine.

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OliviaFlores FloresAlvarez, Alvarez,Rich RichArenschieldt, Arenschieldt, Olivia Olivia Olivia Flores Flores Alvarez, Alvarez, Rich Rich Arenschieldt, Arenschieldt, BillArning, Arning,Susan SusanBankston, Bankston,Connor ConnorBehrens, Behrens, Bill Bill Arning, Connor Bill Arning, Susan Susan Bankston, Bankston, Connor Behrens, Behrens, Jenny Jenny Block, Block, Sam Sam Byrd, Byrd, David David Clarke, Clarke, Dick DickDace, Jenny Block, Clarke, Dick Jenny Block, Sam Sam Byrd, Byrd, David David Clarke, Dick Dace, Andrew Edmonson, Dace, Blase Blase DiStefano, DiStefano, Andrew Edmonson, Blase DiStefano, Andrew Edmonson, Ste7en Dace, Blase DiStefano, Andrew Edmonson, Dace, Blase DiStefano, Andrew Edmonson, Ste Foster, Alys Garcia Martin Ste77en enAlys Foster, Alys Carrera, Garcia Carrera, Carrera, Martin Foster, Garcia Martin Giron, Ste 77en Alys Carrera, Martin Ste en Foster, Foster, Alys Garcia Garcia Carrera,Marene Martin Giron, Lillian DL Giron,Hoang, Lillian Hoang, Hoang, DL Groover, Groover, Lillian DL Groover, MareneMarene Gustin, Giron, Lillian Hoang, DL Groover, Marene Giron, Lillian Hoang, DL Groover, Marene Gustin, Kim James Hurst, Lisa Gustin, Kim Hogstrom, Hogstrom, JamesLisa Hurst, Lisa Kim Hogstrom, James Hurst, Keen, Ryan Gustin, Kim James Hurst, Lisa Gustin, Kim Hogstrom, Hogstrom, James Hurst, Lisa Keen, Ryan M. Zachary McKenzie, Keen, Ryan M. Leach, Leach, ZacharyDavid McKenzie, M. Leach, Zachary McKenzie, Odyssey, Keen, Ryan McKenzie, Keen, Ryan M. M. Leach, Leach, Zachary Zachary McKenzie, David O’Leary, Lilly Roddy, David Odyssey, Odyssey, Joanna O’Leary, Lilly Roddy, Joanna O’Leary,Joanna Lilly Roddy, Gregg Shapiro, David Odyssey, Joanna O’Leary, Lilly David Odyssey, Joanna O’Leary, Lilly Roddy, Roddy, Terri Gregg Shapiro, Janice Terri Schlichenmeyer, Schlichenmeyer, Gregg Shapiro, Janice Janice Stensrude, Sheryl Taylor, Terrance Turner, Terri Schlichenmeyer, Gregg Terri Schlichenmeyer, Gregg Shapiro, Shapiro, Janice Janice Stensrude, Sheryl Stensrude, Sheryl Taylor, Taylor, Terrance Terrance Turner, Turner, Grace S. Yung Stensrude, Sheryl Stensrude, Sheryl Taylor, Taylor, Terrance Terrance Turner, Turner, Grace Grace S. S. Yung Yung Grace Grace S. S. Yung Yung

Photographers/Illustrators Photographers/Illustrators Photographers/Illustrators Edgardo Aguilar, John-Paul Arreaga, Victor Photographers/Illustrators Photographers/Illustrators

Edgardo Arreaga, Victor Edgardo Aguilar, Aguilar, John-Paul Arreaga, Victor Contreras, DaltonJohn-Paul DeHart, Yvonne Feece, Edgardo Aguilar, John-Paul Arreaga, Victor Edgardo Aguilar, John-Paul Arreaga,Feece, Victor Contreras, Dalton DeHart, Contreras, DaltonAlex DeHart, Yvonne Feece, Frank Hernandez, RosaYvonne Contreras, Dalton Contreras, Dalton DeHart, DeHart, Yvonne Yvonne Feece, Feece,Rosa Frank Frank Hernandez, Hernandez, Ashkan Ashkan Roayaee, Roayaee, Alex Alex Rosa Frank Frank Hernandez, Hernandez, Ashkan Ashkan Roayaee, Roayaee, Alex Alex Rosa Rosa Operations Manager Michael Gurnas Operations Manager Michael Gurnas Operations Manager Michael Gurnas Operations Operations Manager Manager Michael Michael Gurnas Gurnas

Saving lives in the middle the night I’m top 1%inRealtor Realtor withofofthe I’m aatop top 1% with Saving lives the middle night I’m 1% Realtor with I’m aaatop 1% Realtor with at nationally renowned trauma center. at a nationally renowned trauma center. over 160 million dollars in over160 160million milliondollars dollarsin in over over 160 million dollars in transactions andfluent fluent in Providing equitable prevention and treatment at transactions and in transactions and fluent in Providing equitable prevention and treatment at transactions and fluent in the first HIV care facility of its kind in the country.

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Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Greg Greg Jeu Jeu Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Greg Greg Jeu Creative Director Director Alex Rosa Creative Creative Creative Director Alex Rosa CopyEditors Editor Howard Copy HowardMaple, Maple,Janice JaniceStensrude Stensrude Copy HowardMaple, Maple,Janice JaniceStensrude Stensrude Copy Editors Editor Howard

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EDITOR’S NOTE

This 2024 leap year gives February an additional day, and that extra time will surely be needed for Houston’s jam-packed LGBTQ February calendar. This issue of OutSmart is a testament to our flourishing community, so read on for the latest scoop on places to be, people to watch, and organizations to follow.

We kick off the Month of Love by spotlighting two queer powercouples who share a passion for their work and each other. Writer Zach McKenzie introduces you to our cover stars—wives Lei and Mika Burgs—who joined forces to create a prominent salon and barbershop in the Galleria area.

And writer David Clark interviews dentist Cory Logan and his husband, Joey Garcia, whose dental practice keeps Houstonians smiling.

This issue also honors Black History Month with writer Ian

Haddock’s spotlight on three local pioneers in business, advocacy, and the arts: Josie Pickens, an organizer, professor, and writer; Wendell King II, a performer and activist; and Nisha Jackson, a restauranteur and communitybuilder.

Writer Connor Behrens then highlights two Black history-makers: Rev. Leslie “RevJax” Jackson, the first Black pastor of St. Peter United Church of Christ (Houston’s third-oldest church); and Oni K. Blair, the first Black executive director of the ACLU of Texas.

Finally, writer Sam Byrd sits down with radio star Ahmad Wilson to discuss his popular KRBE morning show.

LGBTQ advocacy organizations are also making headlines this month. Four of them are petitioning the United Nations to investigate Texas officials for international human rights violations. Writer Lourdes Zavaleta fills us in on those charges stem-

ming from seven anti-LGBTQ bills passed during last year’s Texas Legislative Session. And as part of our Out for Change series, Zavaleta highlights 10 queer politicians who are running in Harris County’s Democratic primary election.

The choices we make in the voting booth impact our essential civil rights, so be sure to exercise your right to vote in the March 5 primaries (with early voting beginning on February 20).

On the cultural front, writer Andrew Edmonson details the 30th-anniversary exhibition at Project Row Houses honoring gay artist and Row Houses cofounder James Bettison. That art exhibit is on display now through February 18.

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo kicks off a few days later, and Connor Behrens chats with two out Rodeo supporters about their special contributions to the annual event. Tony Brad-

field’s organization ensures that no livestock in the Rodeo’s junior market goes unsold, while rabbit breeder Chase Austin helps children participate in the Rodeo by providing them with show rabbits.

Elsewhere in this issue, RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 15 winner Sasha Colby chats with writer David Clarke about her upcoming Stripped Tour show, which stops in Houston on March 14. And don’t miss writer Sam Byrd’s feature on drag diva Dessie Love-Blake’s Miss Gay America victory.

We hope you enjoy this February issue as much as we enjoyed putting it together. See you next month!

Greg Jeu Publisher

Your support powers our journalism.

As we mark 30 years of LGBTQ storytelling in Houston, we’re forging ahead post-pandemic and need your support for our next chapter. Your contributions will fuel impactful journalism, sustain our dedicated team of writers and photographers, and nurture emerging talent through our internship program.

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10

FEBRUARY 2024 |

OutSmartMagazine.com

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

QUEER to

THINGS

DO

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

STAGE

Through February 11

THEATRE UNDER THE STARS PRESENTS ON YOUR FEET

Theatre Under the Stars presents On Your Feet!, the inspiring story of Emilio and Gloria Estefan. Their story is brought thrillingly to life in this breathtaking original musical bursting with the Afro-Cuban rhythms that became the Miami Sound Machine. On Your Feet! features some of the most iconic songs of the past quarter-century, including “Rhythm Is Gonna Get You,” “Conga,” and “Get on Your Feet,” and we wager you really will be on your feet from start to finish!

Join us on Thursday, February 8 for Out@TUTS, a reception for LGBTQ theatergoers and friends featuring light bites, drink specials, and live music. tinyurl.com/4ct7a468

ART

Through May 27

STAGE

February 1

ACTOUT: PICTURES FROM HOME

The Alley Theatre hosts an ActOUT reception with cocktails and light bites for their current production, Pictures from Home. tinyurl.com/h39pk8wr 12

FEBRUARY 2024 |

OutSmartMagazine.com

KEHINDE WILEY: AN ARCHAEOLOGY OF SILENCE

Acclaimed queer artist Kehinde Wiley’s new MFAH exhibit, An Archaeology of Silence, features large-scale paintings and sculptures of men and women in repose. tinyurl.com/2rme3uft

ART

COMMUNITY

COMMUNITY

Through June 23

February 2–13

February 2

AFRICAN AMERICAN ART

MARDI GRAS! GALVESTON

MENIL DANCE PARTY

The Kinsey African American Art & History Collection celebrates the achievements and contributions of Black Americans from 1595 to the present day. tinyurl.com/2jukxpwh

The Menil Drawing Institute presents a dance party in conjunction with Marc Bauer’s mural RESILIENCE, Drawing the Line. tinyurl.com/y6pt3rpe

More than 3 million beads will be thrown this year, and that’s just the beginning of the Island’s lineup of parades, headliner performances, family events, and feasting. tinyurl.com/26up2rf2

ARTS

February 3

WOODSON BLACK FEST 2024

Celebrate Black History Month at the third annual Woodson Black Fest at Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, featuring illustration artists, spokenword performances, music, and dance. tinyurl.com/4mtbyaxv

ARTS

COMMUNITY

February 13

February 17

ARTISTS IN DIALOGUE

TRANS LEGAL AID CLINIC

COMMUNITY

COMMUNITY

Moody Center for the Arts hosts a conversation with artist-inresidence Rina Banerjee and Rice University’s assistant architecture professor Georgina Baronian. tinyurl.com/4b6rd4tk

STAGE

February 22–March 3

CINDERELLA

Houston Ballet presents Stanton Welch’s retelling of Cinderella, which has been described as “more tomboy than princess” and “Tim Burton meets Cirque Du Soleil.” tinyurl. com/3hz2vfkj

STAGE

This free in-person clinic helps trans and non-binary Texans complete the documents needed to file for a name and/or gender-marker change. tinyurl.com/2e8yrkma

February 24

February 24–25

HOUSTON RODEO PARADE

BLACK HISTORY CULTURE FEST

Decorative floats and marching bands intermingle with horseback riders in downtown Houston to kick off the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. tinyurl.com/625zvama

Avenida Plaza in downtown Houston hosts a celebration of Black history with two days of cultural richness, exciting performances, and delicious food. tinyurl.com/yfpwdkzw

COMMUNITY

February 29

February 29

PRIDE NIGHT FOR 26 MILES

NOH8 PHOTO SHOOT

Main Street Theater presents this regional premiere about a mother and her estranged daughter. A Pride Night reception features a pre-curtain mixer and a post-show karaoke cabaret. tinyurl.com/4dwrp36h

Join the #NOH8 Campaign at the Montrose Center and add your face to the fight for equal rights.

5–8 p.m. tinyurl.com/ykh9dh32

More Queer Things to Do ➝ OutSmartMagazine.com

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FEBRUARY 2024 13

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

QUEER THINGS to DO

SAVE the DATES COMMUNITY

March 3

35TH ANNUAL WALK TO END HIV

Lace up your sneakers and hit the streets around Sam Houston Park to raise awareness and crucial funding for HIV programs and services. tinyurl.com/ywb746by

COMMUNITY

March 9

OUT AT THE RODEO

Get ready to rodeo with pride, in conjunction with country artist Lainey Wilson’s headliner performance. tinyurl.com/yhn3amk6

COMMUNITY

March 16

LeToya Luckett

BQAF HOMECOMING

The Normal Anomaly Initiative presents LeToya Luckett headlining the BQAF Homecoming Music Festival and Afterparty at Warehouse Live in Midtown. tinyurl.com/mr3n32dr COMMUNITY

March 31

BUNNIES ON THE BAYOU 45 Bunnies on the Bayou celebrates the 45th edition of their iconic Easter Sunday party in downtown Houston, featuring DJ Marti Frieson and Houston’s own bearded queen, Blackberri, as emcee. tinyurl.com/3xujm4tv

Submit your events at calendar@outsmartmagazine.com 14

FEBRUARY 2024 |

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SCENE OUT Photos by DALTON DEHART AND CREW

16

On January 5, 2024, John Ross Palmer held a Happy Hour celebrating his acquisition of a masterpiece

by Max Ernst. Pictured are Dr. Brent Bell and John Ross Palmer.

On January 11, 2024, Lambda NextGen held its Happy Hour at KiKi. Pictured are Christos Patelis and JT Jackson.

OUT Professionals held its Meaningful Networking event at JR’s Bar & Grill on January 11, 2024.

Pictured are Shelly Castle, Tiffany Scales, Kendra Walker, Jacques Bourgeois, and Connor Hart.

On January 11, 2024, OUT in TECH held its January Mixer at Bar Boheme. Pictured are the attendees.

On January 13, 2024, E.R.S.I.C.S.S. held its Coronation 39 at Wyndham Hotel Heritage Center. Pictured are Empress 39 Anastacia Fontaine-Whitney and Emperor Borque Whitney Bouvier.

On January 14, 2024, Misfits Houston presented an $8,000 check to Tony’s Place at KiKi Houston.

Pictured are Abhi Bansal, Alyssa Kelly, Will Fehlis, Carl Jones, Jacques Bourgeois, Michael Chavez, Carrie Rai, Mike Snyder, Council Member Abbie Kamin, Glenn Jones, Kevin Hamby, Steven Sebastian, and (front) Zack Miller.

On January 14, 2024, Bunnies on the Bayou held its Snow Bunnies event at Crocker Bar. Pictured are Juan Carlos Lamoglia, Ana Sanchez, and Tracy Gorden.

EPAH held its January 2024 dinner meeting at Cowboys and Indians on January 16, 2023. Pictured are Brian Kapchinskie, Lane Lewis, and Tony Shelton.

On January 17, 2024, Bayou Blue Democrats held its January meeting and Senate District 15 candidate forum at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church. Pictured are SD15 primary candidates and Harris County Democratic Club leaders who sponsored the forum.

The Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce held a breakfast event and presented a $1,480.00 check to Tony’s Place on January 18, 2024. Pictured are Tammi Wallace, Alyssa Kelly, Steven Parks, Danielle Richardson, Carrie Rai, Al Amado, and Jack Berger.

On January 21, 2024, a fundraising reception was held for judicial candidate Fran Watson, who is running for Probate Court 5 Judge. Pictured are Dr. Daryl Shorter, Kyle Pierce, Fran Watson, Kim Watson, mayor pro tem Martha Castex Tatum, Kimberly Dang, Steven Beard, and Jeff Watters.

A meet-and-greet was held for Lucas Hilderbrand, author of The Bars Are Ours, on January 18, 2024.

Pictured are friends and supporters.

FEBRUARY 2024 |

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NEWS

Activists Call on United Nations to Investigate Texas Organizations claim that 2023 legislation targeting the LGBTQ community violates international human-rights law.

By LOURDES ZAVALETA

F

our LGBTQ advocacy organizations are urging the United Nations (UN) to investigate the State of Texas for human-rights violations.

The ACLU of Texas, Equality Texas, GLAAD, and the Human Rights Campaign—along with support from the Human Rights Clinic at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law—submitted a joint allegation letter to 17 independent experts, working groups, and special rapporteurs at the UN on January 22. The letter alleges that Texas violated international human-rights law by targeting the LGBTQ community with several laws enacted in 2023.

“As a former US diplomat who currently leads the ACLU of Texas, I believe there is sufficient evidence for the United Nations to investigate the barrage of civil-rights abuses in Texas, especially those targeting the LGBTQIA+ community,” says Oni K. Blair, executive director of the ACLU of Texas. “Doing so would bring international awareness, clear recommendations to rectify human-rights issues, and undeniable pressure on US public and private entities to ensure equality for LGBTQIA+ Texans in our state.”

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), a treaty that requires nations to respect the civil and political rights of individuals, was adopted by the UN in 1966.

Ten years later, the treaty was ratified by the United States, including its federal and state entities.

The 35-page joint allegation letter states that international law guarantees the rights to equality and non-discrimination through the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the ICCPR, and the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man. The letter also points out that the UN’s 1994 decision in Toonen v. Australia—which prohibited the

criminalization of “homosexual activity”— outlaws discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

During the 88th Texas Legislative Session, Texas passed seven laws that have a direct impact on the LGBTQ community: SB 14 (banning gender-affirming care for transgender children), SB 17 (prohibiting public universities and colleges from maintaining diversity, equity, and inclusion programs), SB 15 (blocking trans athletes from competing on collegiate sports teams that align with their gender identity), SB 763 (allowing school districts to use religious chaplains as guidance counselors for students), SB 12 (prohibiting minors from attending drag performances), and HB 900 (restricting access to books featuring LGBTQ characters and themes).

“Taken together, the Bills represent a sys-

tematic discriminatory policy that constitutes a concrete attack against LGBTQIA+ persons,” the joint allegation letter states.

In addition to violating international non-discrimination policies, the letter charges that Texas’ new bills also violate international rights to privacy, health, education, religious freedom, and freedom of expression. The letter concludes by outlining the requests and recommendations that the LGBTQ advocacy organizations hope the UN will adopt, such as introducing stronger legislation to protect LGBTQ people at both federal and state levels.

“Today is a sad day for Texas,” says Ariel Dulitzky, director of UT Law’s Human Rights Clinic. “Our state has not satisfied its obligation to safeguard the fundamental pillars of freedom, equality, dignity, and ➝ OutSmartMagazine.com

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FEBRUARY 2024 19

NEWS | CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

rights enshrined by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We hope that with the United Nations’ involvement, the rights of LGBTQIA+ persons will be fully recognized, respected, and protected in Texas.”

Ricardo Martinez, CEO of Equality Texas, says that Texas’ failure to meet the “minimum standards” of international human-rights law highlights the current reality of LGBTQ rights in the state.

“When state leaders fail us, we turn to the courts and the federal government; when they fail us, we turn to the world,” Martinez says. “We cannot pretend to be a beacon of freedom when our state is slipping behind global human-rights standards that have been in place for nearly 50 years. Our nation is only as strong as our weakest link, and right now, Texas is dragging our nation into a crisis that will do more than damage our global reputation—it will harm our LGBTQIA+ neighbors at home.”

GLAAD president and CEO Kate Ellis calls the laws enacted during the 88th Texas Legislative Session a “humanrights crisis.”

“As a result of the 2023 legislative session and other regressive efforts, LGBTQ citizens from across the Lone Star State are forced to wonder if they can access necessities such as health care, inclusive education, creative freedoms, and more,” Ellis says. “The governor and other leaders are failing their basic responsibilities to keep all Texans safe and free.

Discrimination against LGBTQ Texans, especially in the transgender community, is of international concern.”

Melodía Gutierrez, the Human Rights Campaign’s Texas state director, said legislative attacks on LGBTQ Texans made people believe that they were not welcome nor safe in the state. “This is not only creating a situation for queer and transgender Texans,” states Gutierrez, “but it is also forcing countless families to uproot their lives and flee to other parts of the country so that their children can grow up safe as their true selves.”

Gutierrez believes that pro-LGBTQ organizations will continue advocating for equal rights in Texas and across the nation.

“More than ever before,” she says, “we will continue to activate our coalition, challenge political extremism, and reinforce the fact that LGBTQ+ Americans are fighting back and not going anywhere.”

To read the Joint Allegation letter, visit tinyurl.com/5n7b73sd 20

FEBRUARY 2024 |

OutSmartMagazine.com

COMMUNITY

Allies in Hope Hosts Houston’s 35th Annual Walk to End HIV Thousands are expected to take part in the fundraiser at Sam Houston Park on March 3.

For over 40 years, Allies in Hope (formerly known as AIDS Foundation Houston) has been at the forefront of the battle against HIV in the greater Houston area.

The organization’s annual Walk to End HIV—scheduled for Sunday, March 3 at Sam Houston Park in downtown Houston—is not just a fundraising event but a powerful symbol of community engagement and solidarity in the fight against the HIV epidemic. Katherine Mestousis, Allies in Hope’s director of advancement, estimates turnout for the Walk will be in the thousands. With a goal to raise $350,000, this year’s walk aims to propel Allies in Hope’s mission to end HIV through strategic pillars that address testing, treatment, prevention, and swift response to outbreaks.

At the heart of Allies in Hope’s campaign is the imperative need for widespread testing, represented as the first strategic pillar. In 2022, it was estimated that one in six people were unaware of their positive HIV status. The Walk to End HIV serves as a rallying cry for increased awareness, encouraging individuals to get tested and know their status. Through community outreach, educational initiatives, and testing services both in their office and at various community events, Allies in Hope aims to reduce the number of undiagnosed cases, a crucial step in breaking the chain of HIV transmission.

The walk also underscores the importance of treatment, the second strategic pillar in Allies in Hope’s comprehensive approach.

Free HIV treatment is a cornerstone of their services, emphasizing the achievement of undetectable viral loads. By endorsing the U=U (Undetectable Equals Untransmittable) message, Allies in Hope not only promotes the wellbeing of those living with HIV but contributes significantly to prevention efforts by reducing the risk of transmission.

Prevention takes center stage as the third pillar, with Allies in Hope providing access to Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP). The walk

encourages conversations about the significance of PrEP in preventing new infections and emphasizes the accessibility of these medications through in-office visits, online platforms like Mistr, and home delivery services.

The fourth strategic pillar focuses on a quick and effective response to potential HIV outbreaks. The Walk to End HIV provides a platform to highlight the organization’s commitment to timely intervention, ensuring necessary prevention and treatment services are available for those in need. By participating in the walk, supporters actively contribute to a community that stands ready to address and contain HIV outbreaks swiftly.

Beyond these critical pillars, the Walk to End HIV encapsulates Allies in Hope’s multifaceted approach to battling the epidemic.

The 35th Annual Walk to End HIV is more than just a fundraising event. It represents a collective stride towards a world where HIV is eradicated, where testing is widespread and accessible, treatment is readily available, prevention is a priority, and outbreaks are met with swift and effective responses.

Powered by Gilead Sciences, other community partners include Radio One, CORT Furniture, LyondellBasell, Walgreens, Starbucks, the Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce, and Sesh Coworking.

The 2024 Benefitting Agencies include the Association for the Advancement of Mexican Americans, Lazarus House, Mack Counseling, and the T.R.U.T.H Project Inc. Check-in for the Walk begins at 9:00 a.m. with the opening ceremony beginning at 10:00. The Walk kicks off at 10:30 a.m. with the Good Morning H-Town crew from 97.9 THE BOX emceeing the event. After the Walk, there will be a Post Party from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

What: 35th Annual Walk to End HIV When: Sunday, March 3, at 10 a.m.

Where: Sam Houston Park, 1000 Bagby St. Info: walktoendhivhouston.org

DO IT ANYWHERE, ANYTIME Getting tested for HIV is quick, easy, and FREE. Find a location near you OR request an at-home test kit at LegacyCommunityHealth.org/GetTested.

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NEWS

LGBTQ Candidates on the March 5 Primary Ballot At least 10 are running in state and local races.

By LOURDES ZAVALETA

T

exas’ March 5 primary election is around the corner, and if you’re voting in Harris County, there are at least 10 LGBTQ candidates on the ballot. From incumbent contenders to hopeful newcomers, local queer politicians are determined to advance to their respective November general elections. Read on to learn more about the LGBTQ candidates vying for office.

CHARLES A. SPAIN for Justice of the 14th District Court of Appeals Justice Charles A. Spain is running for reelection for the Place 4 judge of the Texas 14th District Court of Appeals. The court covers 10 counties in Southeast Texas, including Harris.

When he was first elected in 2018, Spain, who is gay, made history as the first LGBTQ appellate judge in Texas. Prior to serving as judge, Spain worked as an associate municipal court judge in Houston and as a senior staff attorney with the Texas 1st District Court of Appeals.

For more info, visit spainforjustice.com.

MOLLY COOK for Texas Senate District 15 Houston-born Molly Cook—an ER nurse, community organizer, and an advocate for 22

FEBRUARY 2024 |

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a more sustainable Texas—is running in the Democratic primary for Texas Senate District 15. In 2022, Cook, a bisexual woman, ran for the same senate seat against incumbent John Whitmire, who is now mayor of Houston. In that election, Cook took 42 percent of the vote, giving Whitmire his narrowest margin of victory since the early 1990s.

For more info, visit mollyfortexas.com.

trans woman and proud Texas native is a graduate of Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. She currently serves as the committee director for the Texas House Corrections committee, where she helped defeat school vouchers and establish the Open Burn Pits Registry Fund.

For more info, visit mojenkins.com.

ANN JOHNSON for Texas House District 134 Representative Ann Johnson is running for reelection in Texas House District 134, a West Houston district. Johnson, who is a lesbian, is a member of the Texas House LGBTQ Caucus, a legislative caucus dedicated to defending the rights of queer Texans. While in office, Johnson has passed legislation protecting doctors who perform emergency abortions and laws adding six new criminal courts in Harris County.

For more info, visit annjohnson.com.

LAUREN ASHLEY SIMMONS for Texas House District 146 Hoping to create “a seat at the table” for all, Lauren Ashley Simmons is running to represent Texas House District 146 in Southwest Houston. Endorsed by Equality Texas—an organization that works to secure the rights of LGBTQ Texans—Simmons is a queer Black woman, mother, and activist. Simmons currently organizes Black low-income women and migrant women to get fair wages, improved working conditions, and better job security.

For more info, visit laurenashleysimmons.com.

MO JENKINS for Texas House District 139 Known for her unwavering dedication to social justice and community empowerment, Mo Jenkins is running to represent Texas House District 139 in Northwest Houston. The Black

ASHTON P. WOODS for Texas House District 146 Civil-rights activist Ashton P. Woods is running for Texas House District 146. Woods, a gay man, is the co-founder and lead organizer of Black Lives Matter Houston. He

was also a part of the first cohort of Mayor Sylvester Turner’s LGBT Advisory Board.

Woods’ campaign platform includes voting rights, gun reform, criminal justice reform, climate change initiatives, and more.

For more info, visit ashtonpwoods.com.

JOLANDA JONES for Texas House District 147 Representative Jolanda Jones is running for reelection to Texas House District 147, which includes parts of downtown Houston, the Washington Ave. Corridor, the Museum District, EaDo, and South Houston. After winning a special election in May 2022, Jones became the first out LGBTQ Black representative in the Texas Legislature.

Prior to taking office, the Houston attorney served as a school board and Houston City Council member.

For more info, visit jolandajones.com.

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KELLI JOHNSON for Judge of Criminal District Court 178 Judge Kelli Johnson is running for reelection to serve as judge for the 178th Criminal District Court. Since taking her oath of office in 2017, Johnson has presided over cases ranging from low-risk state jail felonies to capital murder. Prior to serving as a criminal judge, Johnson was a former assistant district attorney in the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.

For more info, visit judgekellijohnson.com.

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KIM OGG for District Attorney District Attorney Kim Ogg is running for a third term. After being elected in 2016, Ogg, a lesbian, became the nation’s highestranking openly LGBTQ law-enforcement official. Ogg is endorsed by the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, an organization that works to increase the number of out queer elected officials at all levels of government.

For more info, visit kim-ogg.com.

FRAN WATSON for Judge of Probate Court 5 Attorney, mediator, and judge Fran Watson is running to serve as judge of Probate Court 5, Harris County’s newest probate court.

Watson, who has 14 years of legal experience, has worked in private practice, served as associate municipal judge for the City of Houston, and is now working as a staff attorney for Harris County Probate Court 2.

For more info, visit franwatsonforjudge.com.

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Election Day is March 5. Early voting runs February 20 to March 1. For polling places, visit harrisvotes.com.

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FEBRUARY 2024 23

MONEY SMART

By GRACE YUNG, CFP

Creating a Legacy Maximize your impact through charitable giving during your lifetime and beyond.

C

haritable giving is a powerful way to make a positive impact on the world, and individuals have various options to contribute while they are alive. Beyond the traditional methods of writing a check or making an online donation, there are innovative ways to give that can leave a legacy. There are diverse avenues through which individuals can support charities during their lifetime, including making charitable organizations beneficiaries of retirement and non-retirement accounts, setting up trusts, utilizing life insurance, and considering Donor Advised Funds.

Direct Contributions and Volunteerism The most straightforward method of giving to charities during your lifetime is through direct contributions. This includes writing checks, making online donations, or contributing through crowdfunding platforms. Additionally, volunteering time and skills can be a valuable way to support causes that resonate with you. By identifying organizations with a purpose that resonates, you will enjoy donating even more and benefit from feeling the reward of supporting a meaningful cause.

Retirement Account Beneficiaries Another effective way to support charitable causes is by naming a charitable organization as a beneficiary on your retirement accounts, such as a 401(k) or an IRA. This can be done by filling out a beneficiary designation form provided by the account custodian. By doing so, individuals can ensure that a portion or the entirety of their retirement savings goes to the chosen charity, offering a tax-efficient method of giving. For those who are of Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) age, Qualified Charitable Donations from your retirement accounts satisfy the RMD requirement and reduce your Adjusted Gross Income. This is a good tool to utilize, as you can not only satisfy your RMD, but also support charities of your choosing.

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Payable-On-Death (POD) Designations Like retirement accounts, non-retirement accounts such as savings or brokerage accounts, can also have designated beneficiaries.

Through Payable-On-Death (POD) or Transfer-On-Death (TOD) designations, individuals can specify charities as beneficiaries, allowing the assets to transfer directly to the organization upon the account holder’s passing. This approach simplifies the process and avoids probate, so it helps give you peace of mind to have those funds designated for chosen charities.

Charitable Lead Trusts (CLTs) Conversely, charitable lead trusts (CLTs) allow individuals to support charities during their lifetime while eventually passing the assets to heirs. In a CLT, the charity receives income from the trust for a set period, after which the remaining assets go to the designated benefi-

ciaries. This strategy can be advantageous for individuals who want to support a cause immediately but also provide for their loved ones in the future.

Charitable Remainder Trusts (CRTs) For those looking to create a lasting impact while still retaining an income stream, charitable remainder trusts (CRTs) can be a viable option. A CRT allows individuals to place assets into a trust, receive income for a specified period or for life, and then have the remaining assets go to the chosen charity. This method provides both philanthropic benefits and potential tax advantages. The utilization of trusts is more sophisticated and requires the assistance of an attorney who is well versed in estate planning.

Life Insurance Life insurance can be a powerful tool for

charitable giving. Premiums on life insurance policies are typically a fraction of the death benefit. This tool is popular because it uses the power of leveraging to increase the dollar amount to pass on. By naming a charitable organization as the beneficiary of a life insurance policy, individuals can ensure a substantial future donation to the chosen cause. One needs to go through underwriting, so health status is taken into consideration. That said, some individuals choose to donate existing life insurance policies to charities when their health status may be a barrier to obtaining new life insurance.

Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) are a flexible and strategic way to give to charities. Individuals can contribute assets to a DAF and receive an immediate tax deduction. They can then recommend grants to their favorite charities over time. DAFs provide a convenient platform for centralized charitable giving, allowing donors to support multiple organizations through a single fund. With DAFs, however, do your research. It recently came to light that many of these funds are supported by anti-LGBTQ organizations.

For more information, visit www.financialplanning.com/news/are-christian-donoradvised-funds-anti-lgbtq Charitable giving is not limited to the act of writing a check. Individuals have a myriad of ways to make a positive impact during their lifetime, ranging from direct contributions and volunteerism to more complex strategies like trust arrangements and life insurance policies. Local organizations such as the Montrose Center, Lazarus House, and Legacy Community Health are charitable favorites that support our LGBTQ community. Whether it’s supporting causes close to the heart or addressing pressing global issues, the power to make a difference lies in the hands of those who choose to give.

Working with a financial-planning professional can help you explore these various avenues, tailor your philanthropy to align with your values, and create a legacy that extends far beyond your lifetime.

Grace S. Yung, CFP ®, is a Certified Financial Planner 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.Yung can be reached at grace. yung@lpl.com. Visit letsmake aplan.org or midtownfg.com/lgbtqplus.10.htm.

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FEBRUARY 2024 25

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FEBRUARY 2024 27

BLACK VOICES

Making Black History Today Black History Month is a celebration that should include the LGBTQ community’s Black change makers.

By IAN HADDOCK

B

lack History Month is a time when the world reflects on heroes past, present, and those emerging in the future. Often, though, the conversation leaves out people across the queer spectrum. Though Black queer people have been integral to the history of the building and sustainability of this country, homophobia, transphobia and stigma often work against their inclusion in this February observance.

From Barbara Jordan to Alice Walker, Alvin Ailey to Marlon Riggs, and RuPaul to Sir Lady Java, the Black LGBTQ community’s legacy is vast, and our representation spans the gamut of culture, politics, and social status. Even now, when Little Richard and Bayard Rustin’s stories

are being embraced by audiences across the world (and Colman Domingo is receiving an historic Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Rustin), Black queer people continue to make their mark as society’s change makers.

Accordingly, we want to call your attention to three of these change makers in Houston who are part of the Black LGBTQ community, and who have been involved for decades with powerful and impactful work in communities both locally and abroad. Of course, the diversity and resilience of Houston’s Black LGBTQ community is also seen in its pastors, artists, politicians, educators, promoters, nonprofit leaders, therapists, social workers, entertainers, business persons, and so many others. Indeed, Black history is still being made.

Black Queer Love and Liberation

Josie Pickens On Instagram @jonubian

Josie Pickens, a liberationist activist, has a vast background in uplifting marginalized communities. Defining herself as a speaker, engager, and storyteller, she often uses her words to bring to light the power within communities. Published in respected media such as Ebony, Essence, and the New York Times, she has even delivered a TED Talk. She eloquently delivers a message about seeing more of people who look and love as she does. “Black queerness is expansive,” she says.

“I want to know how we can be better lovers to ourselves and others in the Black queer community—not just romantic love, but also self-love, familial, and communal love.”

Currently, Josie’s primary foci are family policing in her work as director of UpEnd Movement and in her art collaborations with Jason Oliver at BaskBlack.

UpEnd Movement is housed at the University of Houston Graduate School of Social Work and seeks to make information more accessible regarding how racism plays a negative role in the child welfare system for BIPOC families. BaskBlack has curated and created spaces for Black artists to find nontraditional art patrons.

These intersections come as no surprise, as she is constantly expanding her lens of advocacy to reach deeper into the LGBTQ community. To her, leadership is service to the community that she regards as family. “Community is more from a familial sense,” she explains, “a place that grounds and centers us, a place that sees us and values us, a place where we can be fully who we are and have a soft place to land.” That is exactly what Josie Pickens brings to us.

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From Stage to Advocacy

Wendell King II

On Instagram @wendellking2014 Years ago, people knew that Wendell King II would be on the stage. In college, he was a lover of theater, a trained dancer, and very early became an award-winning debate team member—while also dancing background for popular drag pageants.

Currently, he reigns as Mr. Renaissance Opulence and is a former Mr. Gay Texas USofA At-Large.

“The Black LGBTQ+ community carries many faces,” he says. “We can show up at the bar in ‘fun girl’ mode and still be interested and involved in politics and culture.”

Involved is an understatement. Wendell has sat on the Mayor’s LGBT Advisory Board for the last five years, works with the Houston Coalition Against Hate, and is both the president of Impulse Group Houston and a cluster leader for multiple chapters across the country. Through Impulse Group Houston, he has been creating a ‘party with a purpose’ for the last several years. When he learned how substance use was ravaging the Black LGBTQ community, he decided to take action and find the most culturally responsive way to address the crisis.

“We realized that chastising drug use was only going to make people do it more secretly. Instead, we welcomed our community to talk about it bravely, and created a campaign that [promotes safer] ways to do drugs.”

Using this harm-reduction technique is saving many lives across the community, and is used across his cluster of chapters. “We can’t do things the way we once did. This community needs help, and we can’t continue to leave them empty-handed.” We are grateful for how Wendell King keeps us all filled.

Diva of Diversity

Nishia Jackson On Instagram @nishiadadiva

Nishia Jackson answers to many names, including “Da Diva” and “Educated Party Girl.” But at her heart, she is a humanitarian. Throwing parties since high school, where she graduated in the top 5 percent of her class, she has always been able to balance the need for joy and structure. After completing three degrees, she is now both a full-time counselor and a full-time co-restaurateur. Her Society Kitchen & Kocktails opened late last year in EaDo and has been a hit. Both owners are LGBTQ, and though it’s not exclusively for the community, it is inclusive—and that is a part of her advocacy work.

Nishia believes that in order to garner widespread support, we have to normalize being in communities of diverse populations safely, intentionally, and authentically.

“I’m about making inclusive spaces,” she says. “Society Kitchen is about us doing it together as one human race. In that, I had to realize the journey to be inclusive is expanding outside of that focus of only our community.”

With 20 years of experience promoting and hosting spaces for the community, her heart is in ensuring the forward movement of the community. Oftentimes, finding herself as the person who is called in crisis to use her academic skills to talk people through things, while leveraging her socialite status for relevance, Nishia is a

hero within the community. “What I appreciate most about my place in the community is that I get to see people in situations where no one wants to help them, and after I offer a little compassion, they climb out of that hole,” she says.

Each one of us is better for her duality.

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BLACK VOICES

Faith that Connects and Inspires Rev. Leslie “RevJax” Jackson is building bridges between Houston’s LGBTQ and religious communities.

By CONNOR BEHRENS Photo by @PISCES310PHOTOGRAPHYHOU

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F

aith is a huge part of Rev. Leslie “RevJax” Jackson’s life, and the openly bisexual pastor is on a mission to help unify Houston’s religious and LGBTQ communities.

“A commitment to conversation is important,” Jackson says. “We have to have a dialogue—compromise and converse with each other. What I preach and teach in my sermons is that we need to have an expansive life. We, the LGBTQ+ community, desire freedom, and we deserve abundance. We also deserve love. All of us.”

In 2019, Jackson made history by becoming the first African American pastor of St. Peter United Church of Christ, Houston’s third-oldest church. He had previously served as the pastor of the Cathedral of Hope Houston from 2017 to 2018. Under his leadership, St. Peter United membership has grown from 10 members in 2018 to more than 200 members.

“That was a moment of synchronicity for me,” he says. “I’ve been a pastor now for eight years. It was a moment that I never could have planned or prepared for myself.

My journey to becoming a pastor has been filled with many ups and downs, and life has not always been rosy. I’ve made a lot of mistakes, and a lot of different people have hurt me. I’ve wanted to be a pastor of certain churches, but they weren’t ready for me, I wasn’t ready for them. I couldn’t have planned this better myself. Everything that I’ve done in my life professionally prepared me for that particular moment.”

Faith, the way Jackson sees it, can connect and inspire, and it’s the best way to help break down the division that’s running rampant across the country.

“This is a moment in history where I am worried,” he says. “I’m very concerned, because even in the LGBTQ+ community, there are deep divisions. Even within my church, there have been people who have left; they interpreted something that I’ve said as being pro-Democrat, and I don’t consider myself a Democrat. I don’t consider myself a Republican. I am an independent.

All of us, regardless of our political beliefs, are responsible for passing on a thriving democracy to the next generation. We have to be the ones to do the work that we need to do in our lifetime so that our children, our descendants, are freer than we are today.

We can’t do that if we are divided on the basic principles of freedom and democracy, and insistent on dehumanizing people we disagree with.”

Breaking down barriers is nothing new for the bisexual leader. After he reconciled his sexuality with his faith, he came to believe that anything is possible.

“What I would say to anyone who is LGBTQ+ Christian, or wants to be, is that to reconcile your sexuality and spirituality, you have to understand that you need to find a flavor of Christianity that works for you. To those who disagree with an open and affirming,

WHAT I PREACH IN MY SERMONS IS THAT WE NEED TO HAVE AN EXPANSIVE LIFE. WE, THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY, DESIRE FREEDOM, AND WE DESERVE ABUNDANCE. WE ALSO DESERVE LOVE. ALL OF US.” —Rev. Leslie “RevJax” Jackson

reconciling stance, I would say that there is such a thing as freedom of religion, and nobody gets to own Jesus Christ.”

Gay rights and religion can coexist, Jackson believes, and that is something he also preaches in his sermons.

“This is our time to define what it means to be LGBTQ+ and Christian, and to stand up for our beliefs,” he says. “If we read the Bible and pay attention to history, God has always been on the side of the oppressed, the marginalized, and the disenfranchised. There is no way anybody can dispute that fact. So today, God is on the side of the LGBTQ+ community.”

In the future, Jackson says, he wants to get involved in politics, and he’s currently pursuing a doctoral degree at Chicago Theological Seminary. He also serves on the board of Texas Impact and Houston Faith Votes.

“I think it’s imperative to get more people to vote and be more involved in the political process,” he says. “We’re working on getting religious communities together to get people registered to vote and to encourage them to get out to vote. I believe the universe has prepared me to live a very, very expansive life and to do as much as I can for other people through my call—through my ministry—and to live the best life that I can.”

For more info, visit lesliejackson.com.

Rev. Leslie Jackson at St. Peter United Church of Christ, Houston

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BLACK VOICES

Leading the Fight for Change Oni K. Blair leads the ACLU of Texas through an intersectional lens.

By CONNOR BEHRENS

F

rom a young age, Oni K. Blair dealt with racial discrimination. Those experiences led her on a career-long journey, culminating with becoming the first Black executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas.

“As a Black girl growing up in Oklahoma and Texas, and a descendant of enslaved people, racial discrimination wasn’t just part of my family’s history, it was also a part of my own experience,” she says. “My experiences as a Black person in the United States have helped me understand that every person—no exceptions—should have equality under the law, should have access to opportunities to thrive, and should be treated with dignity and respect.”

Blair has focused her career on public policy at the local, national, and international

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levels. She previously served as the executive director of LINK Houston, a nonprofit organization advocating for accessible and equitable transportation. In her position, she influenced a $7 billion transit plan, worked with the mayor to improve walking and biking safety, and won $51.5 million for communities of color negatively impacted by highway expansion. Prior to LINK Houston, she served as a diplomat in the federal government. Through assignments in Jordan, Iraq, Pakistan, and Washington, DC, she led large teams, worked on human rights policies, and coordinated humanitarian assistance to refugees.

Blair attributes her knowledge of civil rights to her parents, who shared with her a range of literature that spotlighted characters who faced discrimination.

“As a shy, awkward kid, I loved to read,” she says. “The books I read depicted characters

who were marginalized, on the fringes, different physically and emotionally, and enthusiastic about being treated equally with dignity and respect. Through those stories, I realized that I wasn’t alone in my journey. I realized I wanted to do something bigger to change systems for everyone to have opportunities that I’d had.”

Blair’s career fighting for what’s right took a new turn in 2021 when she joined the ACLU as executive director, leading the organization through attacks on voting, reproductive, immigrant, and LGBTQ rights.

“From Amarillo and Brownsville to Beaumont and El Paso, we believe in a Texas that works for all of us—a Texas where each person has an equal say in the decisions that shape our future, where everyone can build a good life,” she says. “At the ACLU of Texas, we work on civil rights and civil

liberties fundamental to having that good life: voting rights, immigration and border rights, reproductive rights, smart justice, free speech, and LGBTQIA+ equality. When the state and local government ban and criminalize bodies, books, clothes, offices, language access, and even people, the ACLU of Texas pushes back to protect our rights. Advocating for LGBTQIA+ equality is necessary to ensure that we are truly advocating for the equality of all Texans, no matter the color of our skin, the languages we speak, or whom we love.”

In recent years, the transgender community has come under attack, threatened with the violation of their basic human rights.

Blair believes it’s imperative that we all work together to ensure transphobic laws do not pass or take effect.

“We have condemned policies and laws punishing families for supporting their trans youth and for providing gender-affirming care,” she says. “Alongside Lambda Legal, the ACLU of Texas blocked the State of Texas from targeting trans youth and their families who are members of PFLAG, the nation’s largest advocacy organization of LGBTQIA+ people and allies. Additionally, we represented The Woodlands Pride;

“EVERY PERSON—NO EXCEPTIONS—SHOULD HAVE EQUALITY UNDER THE LAW, SHOULD HAVE ACCESS TO OPPORTUNITIES TO THRIVE, AND SHOULD BE TREATED WITH DIGNITY AND RESPECT.” —Oni K. Blair

Abilene Pride Alliance; Extragrams, LLC; 360 Queen Entertainment LLC; and drag performer Brigitte Bandit—all plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging the prohibition on drag bans. We successfully blocked the 2023 law from going into effect as a result of our litigation.”

As Blair looks ahead into 2024, the fight to protect the LGBTQ community has never been more vital, and she will continue to advocate

and shield those who are caught in the crossfire of today’s political environment.

“We will continue our policy advocacy, engagement, training, public education, and litigation to protect LGBTQIA+ youth—especially trans kids—from discrimination in schools, and advance non-discrimination protections for LGBTQIA+ persons at all levels of government,” she says. “Across our work, we will continue to incorporate a racial-justice lens while working alongside BIPOC-led organizations, such as our collaborations with the Transgender Education Network of Texas, Equality Texas, Texas Freedom Network, The Mahoghany Project, Black Trans-Women Inc., and the Lavender Project.”

Blair emphasizes that anyone who wants to advocate for equality and stop discrimination laws needs to get involved.

“Vote!” she concludes. “Show up and talk about issues with your family and friends.

Share resources with a student or parent— like our All in for Equality’s “Free to Be Me” toolkit. Attend our Know Your Rights training on free speech, or volunteer with us to monitor elections.”

To learn more about the ACLU of Texas, go to aclutx.org.

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PRIDE IN THE MEDIA

Riding the Radio Waves Ahmad Wilson reps queer lives on the morning KRBE broadcast.

By SAM BYRD

The velvet voice you hear chiming in on 104.1 KRBE’s The Roula & Ryan Show may sound mild-mannered, but underneath that smooth persona, Ahmad Wilson is exploding with excitement that his career dream is now a reality—something that he’s been working toward since his years as a communications student at the University of Houston.

“I would do CoogTV, which I loved, as well as Cougar radio, which feels like a full-circle moment now that I’m at KRBE,” says Wilson, now an assistant producer for the media outlet.

“I loved having my own show on Coog Radio.

That was one of the best things I feel like I’ve ever done while in school. It was a time for me to have fun and make playlists. I would play house music, and music performed by queer legends. The experience gave me the freedom to play around, and I try to do that now with KRBE, even though things are a little bit more corporate.”

Representation in media is something Wilson recognizes as important to the queer community. It’s also something he understands as a Black media personality.

“You often hear people say ‘I’m queer before I’m Black’ or ‘I’m Black before I’m queer.’ I tried to find a place where both identities can coexist,” he says. “Obviously, when people first see me, they see I’m Black. But being gay? That’s a part of my identity too, and so it’s always important to make sure both identities are being seen on my terms.”

That duality is something that Wilson has experienced since childhood. “The teachers always had us research someone for Black History Month. Most people will pick Martin Luther King Jr. or someone they see on a suggested list, but I would always find myself 34

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digging deep for the queer people in Black history,” says Wilson. “I always feel like Black History Month has given me the opportunity to get more in touch with queer people involved in the civil-rights movement.”

Now that Wilson has access to the microphone, he is using his platform as a way to show the kind of representation he feels is impactful for the queer community.

“I remember being a closeted gay kid in middle school, and I would hear Elvis Duran talk about his boyfriend and their life together.

That meant so much to me,” he says. “Back in the day, people felt like they had to hide their queerness. I wanted it to be known that I was getting on the air for everyone, from the young queer kid to the grown folks who are still in the closet, to let them know that it is OK and

“YOU OFTEN HEAR PEOPLE SAY ‘I’M QUEER BEFORE I’M BLACK’ OR ‘I’M BLACK BEFORE I’M QUEER.’ I TRIED TO FIND A PLACE WHERE BOTH IDENTITIES CAN COEXIST.” —Ahmad Wilson normal to be a part of this community.”

Now that he has solidified his footing at the radio station, he says there are parts of the job that he absolutely loves.

“Hands down, I love doing Roula & Ryan’s Roses. The reaction people give is always so wild,” he says about the popular segment where the radio hosts attempt to catch cheaters stepping outside the boundaries of their relationship. “You want to be gentle, because these

are people’s relationships here, and it is the most cringe-worthy thing I’ve ever done in my radio career, but it was incredible to see the people commenting and laughing.”

Scandals aside, he is grateful for another aspect of KRBE: he did not have to forge his own path on the airwaves as an openly gay man. Another notable openly gay radio personality, Special K, has worked for the same station for several years before Wilson joined the team.

“I remember the first time I hung out with Special K outside of the show. He showed me the most amazing time,” Wilson recalls. “He’s the gay elder at work, and he calls me his baby.”

The two have a special bond that transcends their age difference, especially when it comes to pop culture references.

“One day he was talking about Lisa Lisa, and I asked if she was from the ‘80s,” jokes Wilson. “Special K rolled his eyes and said that there was so much for him to teach me.

From then on, he started sharing cool playlists with me and teaching me about music.

He’s great.”

When not keeping the radio station afloat or causing consternation with Special K, Wilson has a few hobbies that fill his free time.

“I’ve recently been trying to learn chess, even though I’m more of a checkers person.

I feel like it helps me think ahead in my regular life, because with chess, you’ve got to think ‘Plan for the next move,’” he says.

“I love going to concerts, and I love to cook.

I really love cooking Asian food. My boyfriend is from Africa, so he’s been teaching me how to make a lot of African dishes, too.”

Listen to Ahmad Wilson and The Roula & Ryan Show on 104.1 KRBE each weekday from 6 to 10 a.m.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALEX ROSA FOR OUTSMART

Ahmad Wilson photographed at KRBE’s studio in West Houston.

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OUT FOR CHANGE

Uniquely Qualified Fran Watson seeks to bring her legal expertise to Harris County’s newest probate court.

W

ith 14 years of diverse legal experience, Houston attorney, mediator, and judge Fransheneka “Fran” Watson is vying to bring her expertise back to the courtroom.

Watson, a staunch LGBTQ advocate, is running in the March 5 primary election for Harris County Probate Court No. 5 judge.

Having represented clients in private practice, served as associate municipal judge for the City of Houston, and is now working as a staff attorney for Probate Court No. 2, Watson believes she is uniquely qualified for the position.

“I am the only candidate in this race that has judicial experience,” Watson says. “I have presided over a myriad of different proceedings. Now, as a staff attorney, I review different types of cases, do briefings, and have gained even more knowledge about the Texas Estates Code. It will be a seamless transition for me

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FRANWATSONFORJUDGE.COM

By LOURDES ZAVALETA

to move into Probate Court No. 5. Should I be elected, I can preside over cases on day one.”

Harris County’s probate courts handle wills, estates, guardianships, and conservatorships. Probate Court No. 5 is one of the county’s newest courts. Last year, Governor Greg Abbott signed House Bill 3474, the Court Omnibus Bill, which created the new probate court last September.

“I really thank Judge Simoneaux, Judge Cox, the Commissioners Court, and the folks in the Texas Legislature for working to get this court together,” Watson says. “Our population in Harris County has grown so much over the past 10 years. We have had three times the amount of filings in the courts, but only four courts to take all of those filings in. The new Court No. 5 is essential to providing relief, especially for our aging population.”

Watson graduated with honors from Thurgood Marshall School of Law in 2009 and

passed the Texas Bar Exam that same year.

Upon graduation, members of her LGBTQaffirming church, Community Gospel, sparked her passion for estate planning, probate, and guardianship issues.

“After I got my license, people began coming to me in need of estate planning services,” Watson recalls. “This was before marriage equality, so they wanted to get their wills in order because their marriages were not recognized. There were stories of people who had been together for 20 years [at the time of a partner’s death, and the surviving partner] would have no inheritance rights. I started helping queer couples and families put their plans in place [to protect the family’s and partner’s inheritance rights].”

As time went on and Watson’s clients began aging, they began needing help with probating wills—the legal process of

settling a loved one’s estate after they pass away. “People started passing away, and I realized I didn’t practice probate, the step after estate planning,” Watson says. “I started taking a bunch of continuing legal education courses and got knowledgeable about getting wills through the courts.”

Watson’s work in probate then led to her work in guardianship law.

In 2019, Watson was appointed Associate Municipal Judge for the City of Houston

by Mayor Sylvester Turner. She served for a total of four years, presiding over hundreds of proceedings from arraignments to inability-to-pay hearings to property seizures.

“My judicial experience taught me about courtroom management and setting the tone of the courtroom,” Watson says. “There were so many times where people would say, ‘Wow, I’ve never felt like this in a courtroom. This was such a pleasant experience.’

I wasn’t always giving them the outcome they desired, either. I made sure to listen to them, hear their point of view, and then explain what the process would be.”

Last year, Watson decided to move out of private practice to become a staff attorney for Probate Court No. 2. She wanted to learn even more about the Texas Estates Code.

“I had already been working in the Code

“IT WILL BE A SEAMLESS TRANSITION FOR ME TO MOVE INTO PROBATE COURT NO. 5. SHOULD I BE ELECTED, I CAN PRESIDE OVER CASES ON DAY ONE.” —Fran Watson as a private practitioner and as a volunteer with Houston Volunteer Lawyers. I thought this would be an opportunity to understand scenarios or matters that I hadn’t already seen in my practice,” Watson says. “The Code is very technical, but the more you study it, the better you become as an attorney.”

Never one to shy away from learning more, Watson had a nontraditional path to joining the legal profession. After losing her mother to substance abuse when she was 14 years old, Watson became the caretaker for her family, which resulted in being expelled from school for too many absences.

After leaving high school and working in fast food, Watson decided to take the GED at

the University of Houston Downtown (UHD) so that she could qualify to become a restaurant manager. After she achieved a high score on the test, a testing agent at the school encouraged her to seek a college scholarship.

In 2005, Watson began attending UHD, where she graduated with a degree in psychology. A legal psychology class had also inspired her to pursue a law degree. She became the first attorney in her family after graduating and passing the Bar exam in 2009.

Watson now lives in Southwest Houston with her wife, to whom she is especially grateful for the help and encouragement during her judicial campaign. “She has always supported me in everything that I do. She’s always with me when I go out to get votes, and she always makes sure dinner is warmed up for me when I come home from events,” Watson laughs.

OutSmart readers who are interested in contributing to Watson’s campaign can help block walk, phone bank, or simply make a donation. “I’m so grateful for all of the support I’ve received thus far, and I’ll be continually grateful,” she says. “Twelve-year-old me would never have thought that I would be in the position I’m in today.”

To volunteer or donate to Fran Watson’s campaign, visit franwatsonforjudge.com.

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THE LOVE ISSUE

BLOSSOMING BUSINESS Lei and Mika Burgs grow together as wives and hair studio owners.

By ZACHARY McKENZIE

Mika (l) and Lei Burgs

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALEX ROSA FOR OUTSMART

H

oustonians in search of topquality styling professionals that will have them looking good and feeling amazing—and in a space filled with love—should look no further than Kosmetik Hair Studio in the Galleria area. Local power couple Lei and Mika Burgs own the upscale salon and barber shop, where they perfectly blend their passion for their craft with their love for one another.

“Lei and I were both in private suites for many years, and it only made sense for us to put our money together and invest in our own business,” Mika explains about the couple’s joint cosmetic studio.

“It just made more sense,” Lei adds. “It was an opportunity to work with my partner and best friend. We’re in the same industry, and it was easy to combine our individual businesses into one.”

The couple’s conjoined business is a full-service barber and beauty studio that offers a range of services which, according to Mika, leave their clients feeling their best. “We do fades, tapers, shaves, extensions, locs, braiding, coloring, natural hair, healthy hair, and makeup!” she proudly explains.

They both agree that working together has brought them even closer than before. “We can laugh about the day because we went through it together.

It’s a pleasure to get to see her all day, every day,” says Lei. “I can look up and see her and smile. A lot of people don’t have that luxury.”

“Lei is my best friend,” says Mika, “so it never feels like I’m working with my wife. My ‘mother in love’ always asks us what we have to talk about after work, and we always say, ‘A lot!’”

While they’ve found harmony in their work-life balance, the pair explain that it isn’t always perfect.

“There are times when the logistics of the business can be a bit of a headache for us,” Lei says. “When one of us is heated about a particular situation, the other will have a cooler head—she can diffuse me and I can diffuse her.”

Mika points out that working together has provided opportunities to grow closer. “One of my favorite parts of working together is when we get to have lunch breaks together,” she says. “Those are the best. I can unload and decompress with her.”

Mika and Lei, who have been married for over four years, met through one of Lei’s clients.

“My client was actually a good friend of Mika’s and they eventually introduced us,” Lei explains.

“We dated for two years before we made it official.”

Lei popped the question on Christmas Eve 2017 at Moody Gardens in Galveston while the couple were viewing Christmas lights. “We got married on November 17, 2019, at the Bell Tower on 34th Street.

Our wedding day was magical, and it was the absolute best day of my life,” says Mika.

“Our wedding was like a dream. Fun, exciting, and it happened way too fast! I just wanted to enjoy every moment,” adds Lei. Much to Mika’s surprise,

Lei suggested that they do the process all over again.

“I said absolutely not! That was an expensive party!” Mika says with a laugh. “We really enjoyed our tearful ceremony—there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. You could just feel the love, thanks to a hundred of our closest family and friends who were there.

Plans for their big day hit a snag when Mika’s wedding dress arrived and turned out to be two sizes too small. The couple opted to make lemons out of lemonade in the weeks before their wedding by starting a fitness journey that has carried on to this day.

“Shortly after our wedding, Lei and I joined CycleBar Pearland as two of their founding members,” Mika says. “Unfortunately, the studio closed their doors in November, so since then we’ve joined the Peloton family and we absolutely love it!”

“THE STUDIO WAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH MY PARTNER AND BEST FRIEND. WE’RE IN THE SAME INDUSTRY, AND IT WAS EASY TO COMBINE OUR INDIVIDUAL BUSINESSES INTO ONE.” —Mika Burgs

Fitness plays a particularly important role in the couple’s family life. “Working out is very important for both of us,” says Lei. “Mika has a family history of her mom and sister both having heart attacks, and she lost her mother to one.”

In addition to working out together, the couple like to spend time with their dogs on their patio that Lei and her friends worked day and night to build for Mika. Their story of balancing romance and co-working is an example for others who are considering going into business with their partner.

“Maintain a level of respect for each other’s minds and ideas,” Lei encourages. “Remember, they were your life partner before becoming your business partner.”

Mika agrees, while also suggesting a simple plan for couples considering a working partnership: “Do it! Write it down! Make a vision plan! Pray, and watch God work!”

Follow Kosmetic Hair Studio on Instagram @kosmetikhair.

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THE LOVE ISSUE

Balancing Business and Romance Cory Logan, D.D.S., and Joey Garcia’s dental practice is a product of love and hard work

C

ory Logan, D.D.S., 53, and Jose “Joey” Garcia, 46, live in Spring Branch and met in the late ‘90s through a mutual friend. “Leo kept pestering me that I needed to meet his friend, so we finally ended up making it happen,” says Joey.

“We happened to be throwing a birthday party for one of my friends at Little Pappasito’s,” explains Joey. “I told Leo, ‘Why don’t you and your friend come as our guests? You don’t have to pay for anything. Just come and have a good time.” This informal gathering of friends at a restaurant was arranged as a built-in social buffer that ensured neither one of them felt awkward, while also giving them the space to converse.

“Joey doesn’t hold back,” says Cory of the first thing he noticed about Joey. “I’m a little bit more reserved. There was a very big dichotomy there.”

“It was actually love at first sight for me,” Joey adds. While sitting at the bar, Joey told another friend, upon first seeing Cory, that he would be the man he spends the rest of his life with. “At that point, I made the conscious decision to do everything possible to make it awkward and crazy for him, because if I didn’t push him away, then I knew it was meant to be.”

The dinner at Little Pappasito’s was followed by a night out at Rich’s Houston. “Cory was very reserved, so he and Leo were at the bar, but my friends and I were dancing on the boxes,” Joey recalls. “Cory looked at Leo, Leo looked at Cory, and Leo said to Cory ‘So, he likes to dance.’” The rest is history, and the charming couple will be celebrating 25 years together this June.

Coming of age and dating before the 2015 SCOTUS ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, marriage wasn’t always an idea that was on the table for Cory and Joey. “I had friends growing up that had partners, and they’d pass away, and their lives were wrecked because their families would just take everything and leave nothing,” Joey explains while fighting back tears. “I never got that feeling or that sense from his family, which I’m thankful for. But seeing that happen to others really was heartwrenching for me.”

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The couple didn’t have the typical wedding ceremony and reception. Instead, they opted to pursue a common-law marriage. “We realized by going through the courts that they would only acknowledge the marriage from that date forward, and that wasn’t sitting right for us because we’d been together for so long,” adds Joey. “By doing the common-law marriage, we were able to go back and declare. At that point, we both felt that we were going to be covered with our spousal benefits because our being together for so long is recognized in Texas.”

“BY DOING THE COMMON-LAW MARRIAGE, WE WERE ABLE TO GO BACK AND DECLARE. AT THAT POINT, WE BOTH FELT THAT WE WERE GOING TO BE COVERED WITH OUR SPOUSAL BENEFITS BECAUSE OUR BEING TOGETHER FOR SO LONG IS RECOGNIZED IN TEXAS.” —Joey Garcia Cory opened his dental practice in 2002, and Joey came onboard as an administrator in 2005. “I was sitting in the chair for a routine visit with him, and we were talking. He said, ‘I need help. Why don’t you help me out?’ And I said, ‘Well, let’s talk about it a little bit more in depth,’” Joey recalls. “We did, and we both had our concerns about what being together 24/7 was going to do to us. We agreed if it ever got out of hand, we’d re-address it at the time. But we’ve never re-addressed it.”

“We just try to keep business as business, and everything else is good,” Cory chimes in.

One thing they both agree helps keep their business partnership and romantic relationship healthy is leaving work at work. “For me, it’s finding my disconnect—and that’s always been working out. Especially after the pandemic, I got back into taking care of myself

physically and got into the Peloton world,” says Cory. “As a practitioner, taking care of my patients and my team at work, I also feel like I have to take care of myself. When I get home, I’ve got to sweat and breathe, and that’s all I have to think about. After that, I can address anything else that’s still around.”

“I de-stress with cooking and Netflix.

I can totally disconnect by watching TV because it takes me into a different world or a different perspective,” adds Joey.

The couple also points to understanding each other’s different communication styles as being one of the reasons they have been successful in both their personal and professional relationships with one another.

“I’m pretty direct,” Cory notes. “If I have to say something, I just have to get it out, mostly because I don’t want to forget.”

Joey’s communication style is more fluid. “My mind’s juggling 30 different things at any time,” he elaborates. “Sometimes when I’m going through the different tasks in my head, I have to reassess and say, ‘OK, I’m going to communicate this, and this is how I have to say it.’ So it’s stop and think before I speak.”

The wisdom they’d share with other couples seeking a long-term relationship, with or without being business partners, is simple: “Make sure you’re listening, not just hearing,” Cory says. “Be mindful of each other.”

“We’re our true selves with each other,” Joey adds, “and I think that’s the biggest thing. We don’t have any walls with each other.”

“And have fun, too. Don’t lose your sense of humor.” Cory says.

“I do stupid shit all the time, and I laugh at myself before he even knows what I’ve done,” Joey admits. “That is just making sure that you are who you are.”

Beyond making sure Houstonians have healthy smiles, Cory and Joey are wonderful examples of the power and resiliency of a love that can inspire us all.

For more info, visit CoryLoganDDS.com.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALEX ROSA FOR OUTSMART

By DAVID CLARKE

Joey Garcia (l) and Cory Logan, D.D.S.

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RODEO 2024

Supporting Future Generations Tony Bradfield’s organization ensures that no livestock in the Rodeo’s junior market auction goes unsold.

By CONNOR BEHRENS

T

ony Bradfield’s background may be in jewelry, but the businessman’s passion for helping those in need steered him to start Rodeo Auction Angels, an organization that raises funds so that children have the best possible bidding experience at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

According to their website, the organization’s mission is to buy the last lots in the rodeo livestock auctions that typically go unsold, ensuring no child is left alone on stage feeling like their hard work went unnoticed.

“I think most people have experienced a time in their life when they were not necessarily picked for a certain team, invited to a certain dance, put at the bottom of a list— things of that nature,” he says. “I started this with my close friend Dana Barton because we both wanted to help mitigate what could be a not-so-positive experience and make sure these kids walk away with an upbeat feeling of encouragement to try even harder next time.”

At the rodeo’s annual steer auction, bidding can stretch for hours, Bradfield says, and by the time kids who rank lower bring their animals into the auction ring, many of the auction’s big spenders have moved on to other rodeo activities. Too often, kids who show late in the day walk away with no bids.

Bradfield emphasizes how vital it is for kids to have a positive experience as participants in the rodeo, because it is the most likely motivation for them to continue on that path of setting a goal and working hard to achieve it.

“These young people are responsible for looking beyond their needs and desires to take care of an animal for a purpose,” he says. “This isn’t a one-day commitment. It is an animal that has to be taken care of every single day.

These are the young adults that will eventually become important members of our community, and I have a great deal of respect for their discipline and commitment to something other than themselves at such an early age. I don’t have any children of my own, so this is my 44

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way of supporting our future generations.”

Bradfield found getting involved with the rodeo felt natural after he moved to Houston more than ten years ago.

“I wanted to support the rodeo for quite some time, but it wasn’t until about four years ago that I felt I could truly commit the time needed to make some positive impact,” he says.

“Ironically, my rookie year was 2020, and as we all recall, that is when the rodeo was shut

down after the first week due to COVID-19.

Even though I was born and lived most of my childhood overseas, my father was a Texan. I don’t know how you can spend any significant time in Houston and not be curious about an organization that has been so successful and so prominent in the community like the rodeo. You begin to look at the history, the tens of thousands of volunteers that support it annually, how

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 unique of an event is.the How can you not new green hyperway outitto suburbs, have an interest?” she joins a Black-led movement fighting for When he isn’t helping students get their their community. moment in the spotlight, Bradfield is helpBut The Free People’s Village isn’t just ing people in a different way by assisting a dystopian story about racial justice and them in finding the perfect jewelry at his climate action. It’s also a love story and a business, Tenenbaum Jewelers. tale of queer awakening through the eyes “My interest and involvement in the jewof Maddie, who is leaving behind a strict elry business came about quite unexpectCatholic upbringing and embracing hercompany edly,” the president and CEO of the queerness, while getting closer to thein high says. all “After moving to the US while band’sschool, lead guitarist. is also about I was in aItsituation wherebecomI needed ing resilient when your dreams making to work to help support theof family, and I about a trans man dealing with the difficulty the world a better place crushed and you Tony Bradfield and Dana Barton apprenticed in the are estate jewelry business. can only pick up and again. that he had faced when sheltering with neighbors I did notyourself go to college andtry continued training workingabout another year before after a devastating hurricane, someone from Kern hopeswhile that writing climate my first business in a people related field. the Red Cross in Wyoming contacted Kern changestarting and social justice will help Onethose thingvital led toissues. another, and I ended confront “I don’t want up in to say they had been inspired to rewrite their the real-estate investment/development disaster-response policies to be more transto leave people in a place of despair, even from which in my inclusive—proof that Kern’s voice is making a thoughbusiness this book deals a lotI semi-retired with grief. But mid-30s.

Fast 2010, and I was difference. it’s about coming outforward of grieftoand moving presented with the opportunity to acquire Kern hopes to inspire further activism forward.

I hope people are inspired to take Louis Tenenbaum‘s business in Houston. among readers of The Free People’s Village. action—or even just [find ways] to cope Even though this path was never planned, The book’s cover art—a red background with better.”

I’ve always enjoyed the artistry, and I have graphic characters—Tony suggesting war propaganAnd take action they do.

After reading Bradfield appreciated the very human factors behind da—should inspire readers with its revolutionKern’sthe first novel Depart, Depart!, a story product.”

“WE BOTH WANTED TO ENSURE THAT THESE KIDS WALK AWAY WITH AN UPBEAT FEELING OF ENCOURAGEMENT TO TRY EVEN HARDER NEXT TIME.”

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 Egypwhether that bein a partnership, marriage, or into tian revolution 2011 before being forced anniversary, and Bradfield finds it to be was an able exile.

Now based in Houston, Ganzeer honor to beainvolved in such pivotal moments to produce cover design—including a dust in people’s lives. jacket that unfolds into a protest poster—re“I often say that I now get to deal in and calling the street art he produced during the broker happiness,” he says. “Jewelry is associEgyptian revolution. ated with the high points in most of our lives.

Looking ahead, Kern is already working Celebrations. Momentous occasions. Acknowlon their book, and it’s a departure from edgmentnext of success.

Symbols of unity. Any previous climate-fiction novels.

This new way that we could continue to provide a great story takes placecoupled in Eastern in 1647 unique product, withEurope good service and and is aishistorical-fiction plot that follows a value, my company’s goal.” group of traveling queerhis Jews they navigate Aside from growing ownasbusinesses, religion, capitalism.

Kern’s Bradfieldracism, says heand wants to expandBut on the Rodeo signature style—including elements of climate Auction Angels project, making sure more and more students are helped. change and social justice—will still be evident “Our goal is to continue using what we feel throughout the book. is a unique approach to appeal to a broader do-

nor base further exposure of the rodeo WHAT: Simand Kern bookthe launch in Houston,” he says.

“We want to support our event and discussion donors that might not necessarily WHEN: September 12 at 6:30 pm want to jump in and feel like they want to compete to buy the WHERE: Brazos Bookstore, 2421 Bissonnet top lots, but at the same time providing a donaINFO: www.brazosbookstore.com tion vehicle that directs their funds to support the kids we are focused on.”

Jewelry represents a special bond,

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RODEO 2024

Bunny Business Chase Austin has made a career out of judging and breeding rabbits.

By CONNOR BEHRENS

M

ost people wouldn’t think of making a career out of rabbits, but Chase Austin has done just that. The 34-yearold is now a renowned rabbit judge and breeder.

“As a kid, I liked to try and do different things to make money,” he says. “My local feed store in town would always sell baby chickens and ducks. I asked them one day what I could raise that they would buy from me, and they said baby bunnies. I got on the computer to research, and ended up finding an ad for rabbits.

I ended up coming home with, like, 30 rabbits. I was only ten years old!”

From then on, Austin spent his childhood going to rabbit shows, buying show quality bunnies and gaining insight on what it would take to be a professional rabbit breeder, while also picking the brains of his mentors Kathy Hillery and Ken McCracken, both of whom he says played an vital role in helping him become who he is today. Today, Austin is a professionally licensed rabbit judge, traveling all over the world to judge shows, while also operating his own rabbit farm, Boling Bunny Farm, and rabbitry supply company, Texas Custom Cages, in Fort Bend County.

Never did he think selling a few bunnies as a kid would morph into a full-fledged career.

“When I was growing up, I was made fun of for the whole rabbit thing,” he says. “Everyone, especially my family, told me to get serious and start thinking about college and an actual career. Yet here I am, going on all-expenses-paid trips around the world to judge professional rabbit shows. I never could have imagined this.

This past year, I was actually invited to judge a national show in Sweden, and being one of the only American judges they’ve ever had made it a really big moment for me.”

Austin also educates and trains owners of rabbit farms, offering tips and tricks to help make sure the businesses are running smoothly.

“I think one of the most important things I’ve found is that many farms aren’t keeping actual records, which is a vital thing you must do,” he says. “Rabbits have a short production life compared to something like cattle or even

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Chase Austin helps children participate in the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo by providing them with show rabbits and rabbit-care supplies. goats, so keeping good production records is very important to keep you going on the right track.”

When he isn’t traveling the world and helping rabbit-farm owners, Austin is back home at Boling Bunny Farm, where he helps provide show rabbits and cavies for 4-H and Future Farmers of America kids, making sure they have the right cages, carriers, and show equipment to participate in the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

“My main objective is to provide show animals for these kids,” he says. “That’s really important to me. We have a huge program that we do with the inner-city schools in Houston that has taken nearly non-existent FFA and ag groups and really turned them around. A lot of these kids that could not afford large livestock or didn’t have any ag experience or opportunities are now able to participate in our rabbit program.”

Growing up in a rural area, Austin felt

Chase Austin travels around the world to judge professional rabbit showcases.

alone and different because of his sexuality. It was getting involved with rabbits and joining ag programs that made him feel like he belonged, something he hopes he can give to the next generation.

“Growing up gay was a hard thing for me as a kid because of where I was in a rural town,” he recalls. “Being gay was not well accepted, and it took a lot of years to even

become comfortable with myself. The only place where I felt comfortable was at rabbit shows, which is a very LGBTQ-friendly hobby and association. Joining the American Rabbit Breeder Association and meeting a lot of the people really helped mold me into the person I am now.”

Austin has seen firsthand how confident and motivated kids become, which inspires

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him to make sure more and more students get on a path to enter events like the Houston Rodeo.

“A lot of very shy, quiet, demure kids finally find a way to break out of their shell and become comfortable with who they are as human beings,” he says. “That’s an amazing thing.”

Going forward, Austin would love for the Boling Bunny Farm programs to continue to grow, as well as branch out to other small animals such as guinea pigs.

“I would love to get involved in other Texas cities,” he says. “Right now, we primarily work in Houston. It’s a lot to handle, but I would love to try and grow that into a bigger program.

One of the other things that we started doing is turning to guinea pigs. While the rabbit project has grown by leaps and bounds, rabbits are a little difficult for some kids, especially the ones in apartments or government housing. The American Rabbit Breeder Association also includes show-quality guinea pigs, which is an easier animal to handle for kids who live in apartments. We’ve been working on trying to build that area up, especially for the Houston Rodeo. I just want to help as many kids as I can.”

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

SASHA COLBY Bares It All The Drag Race star’s Stripped Tour performance in Houston promises to be an intimate audience experience.

By DAVID CLARKE | Photo by PRESTON MENESES

W

inner of the Miss Continental pageant in 2012 and RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 15, Sasha Colby is embarking on her Stripped Tour later this month, and she’ll be bringing her first-ever solo show to Houston’s House of Blues on March 14. This tour promises to give her fans a closer look at the incredible woman whose recent credits include becoming a ponytail extensions magnate, speaking at the White House, and even portraying God. “This is really exciting, and it’s been a long time coming,” says Colby of her tour.

“Since I was in dance, it’s always been a dream to put on a big show on a nice stage.

It’s been something that I’ve been wanting to tackle, and I’m excited to do it this year.”

The tour kicks off on February 29, but this wasn’t necessarily an intentional choice. “When I realized that it would be on a leap year day, I thought, ‘That’s really special,” Colby declares with a beaming smile. “Every four years, we can think about the first time I ever started a tour on February 29.’”

No stranger to Houston, Colby looks forward to returning to the city and spending time with some of her closest friends. “Chevelle Brooks, my sister, lives in Houston,” she says, “so whenever I do come to Houston, I’m usually staying at her house, and we’re chilling and hanging out with her friends and fam. It’s always a lovely sister-bonding moment.”

Beyond that, Colby is looking forward 48

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to sharing the love and support that Texans have given her over the years. “Texas has always been so great to me throughout my whole career,” admits Colby. “My first drag show ever, and a drag performance with Erica Andrews, was in San Antonio.

She would take me to Dallas, Austin, and Houston. It’s a heavy pageant place, so I feel that there’s always that special love that I get from a Texas crowd.”

Audiences can naturally expect to hear Colby’s latest single, “Feel the Power,” during the Stripped Tour performances, but she has much more planned for her fans.

“The whole idea of Stripped is to really bring it down. I feel like, for the past two years, it’s been high glam and high energy—every production, with being on Drag Race and everything,” she explains. “I feel like sometimes you have to strip it back down to remember why you do your art. And that’s really the main point of why I wanted to showcase a softer side, different stories, and more thoughtfulness while still giving some fun drag.”

“There’s acting, there’s dancing, there’s lip syncing, and it’s just a chance for me to do some numbers that I love doing and a chance to tell stories that the Drag Race fans may want to see, or that my friends would want to hear on stage,” Colby adds. “It’s candid time.

And the rehearsals are really fun. It’s just the dancers, my creative team, and I, and we’re just allowing things to blossom as they come.”

Being the amazing drag mother she is, the part that Colby is most looking forward to each night of the tour is where she

includes local drag artists in the show.

“We had an open call for up-and-comingdrag performers in each of the cities that I’m going to be visiting. We had literally 600 submissions of audition tapes. I went through all of them and got to pick the top three from each city,” Colby says. “Then we left it up to social media to decide who they wanted to represent their respective cities. I’m really excited to see what each city has to bring with their up-andcoming drag, while allowing that new talent to have a place to be exciting and to share. This whole tour is just a labor of love. What I really want is to break down that wall, connect with the audience, and have that intimate synergy of audience and performer that you really don’t get a lot when you’re in the big club spaces. I’m really excited to be able to have this as my own safe space and welcome people in— and, of course, to strip.”

Tickets for the Sasha Colby: Stripped Tour are available on Ticketmaster.

“Tickets are going pretty fast in a lot of the big cities, so if you want them, go get them now,” Colby notes. You can also support her by purchasing hair pieces from her ponytail line at SalonXtensions.com.

“We have ten different shades,” she adds, “and we’re also going to come out with a second length, so we’re really excited to keep on growing with the fam.”

WHAT: Sasha Colby: Stripped Tour WHEN: March 14 WHERE: House of Blues Info: houseofblues.com/houston

“THIS IS REALLY EXCITING, AND IT’S BEEN A LONG TIME COMING. SINCE I WAS IN DANCE, IT’S ALWAYS BEEN A DREAM TO PUT ON A BIG SHOW ON A NICE STAGE. IT’S BEEN SOMETHING THAT I’VE BEEN WANTING TO TACKLE, AND I’M EXCITED TO DO IT THIS YEAR.” —Sasha Colby

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

A Crowning Achievement Dessie Love-Blake wins Miss Gay America 2024.

By SAM BYRD | Photo by JENNA BARRETT

S

he’s beauty and she’s grace. Now, she’s the new face of the Miss Gay America pageant. Dessie Love-Blake, the Galveston-based female illusionist, was crowned as the national pageant winner.

Love-Blake represented Miss Gay MidWest America, a pageant where she clenched the top spot in November 2023 to earn her berth at the national competition held in Little Rock, Arkansas. Once there, she rose to the top of the judges’ score sheets to cement her place as the nation’s best drag superstar. She’s the first person to bring the title home to the Houston area since the well-known Tina Turner impersonator Hot Chocolate in the early 1980s.

“When they called my name as the winner, it was surreal. After that, everything just kind of turned into a blur,” Love-Blake recalls. “I didn’t go to bed that night until about 5 a.m., and then I woke up the next day and drove back home. I have been responding to emails, chats, texts, Facebook messages, and Instagram messages ever since.”

The blur might continue for a few more weeks, as expected following all the hoopla and hurrahs surrounding any national title winner.

But this moment is not Love-Blake’s first time in the spotlight. She won the Miss Gay Texas 50

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title exactly 10 years ago, which delineates this journey as a decade of ambition in the making.

Believe it or not, drag is a career she accidentally fell into. This former real-estate agent and radiology physics teacher’s entrance into drag has an unexpected origin story.

“I started performing drag in June 2011,” she says. “I was in a gay bowling league, and they had a charity called the Bowler Beehives.

They asked me to do drag as part of the fundraiser, but I had never seen a drag show. I had to research and watch drag shows, and I was instantly hooked. I did the fundraiser, and from there, my drag career snowballed. I started working for money and doing pageants and competing, and that’s how this all came to be.”

From bowling whiz to dazzling beauty, the slinky enchantress makes it all look effortless.

For that, she thanks her husband, Clay Gore, for his help in maintaining her career. They are a team: he creates costumes and she serves as the front-facing end of the brand. It’s a job that requires their full attention.

Love-Blake’s first title came with a jarring reality: there are certain expectations for a reigning queen to travel and promote the pageant system to contestants, be it on a local, state, or national level. “Once I won Miss Gay Texas, the title was such a demanding job for me that I had to make the jump and leave my

full-time job,” she says. “Luckily, it worked out and everything took off. Two years later, in 2016, Clay was able to leave his corporate job, and this is what we now do full time.”

Love-Blake lip syncs; Gore sews. It’s been a winning combination that has allowed the couple to enhance their goal of raising charitable dollars through the art of female illusion.

With that community-minded spirit, Love-Blake has started contemplating the future and how she wants to use her status for philanthropy and place-building.

“I would like to use the title to raise money and do a lot of fundraising. My platform is going to be The Trevor Project,” Love-Blake says. “I also would like to do some outreach, since this is an election year, to get the vote out. I want to work to not only promote the Miss Gay America system, but I also want to use this title to do good.”

Of course, Love-Blake will also have some official duties that are required by the Miss Gay America system.

“I’ll travel to all the preliminary pageants, verify the score sheets, and make sure everything is running the way it’s supposed to run,” she explains. “And at the same time, I will have to keep in constant contact with promoters and contestants all

Dessie Love Blake being crowned the new face of the Miss Gay America pageant.

over the country to make sure everyone’s needs are met. I have to be professional, polished, and on point for 365 days. It is a tiring but rewarding job.”

Love-Blake is hoping that the hard work will pay off when she hands the crown to next year’s winner, and hopefully she’ll also leave her own mark on the Miss Gay America pageant system in the process.

“I want to be known as one of the best to ever hold this title,” she says. “That means I will help grow the Miss Gay America system, be the kind of person who connects with everybody across the country, and go above and beyond for fundraising. Those are the things that I want to step up and do to make sure that I’m remembered as a well-rounded, impactful queen.”

If anyone can live up to those standards, Love-Blake is choice number one. She is no stranger to the business of running a drag empire, having hosted the Dessie’s Drag Race competition for up-and-coming drag talent. Simultaneously, she has managed a busy schedule of appearances between her home base in Galveston and many of the queer spaces in Houston.

While not trotting around the country representing Miss Gay America, Love-Blake can be spotted at any of her numerous bookings, including Tuesdays at JR’s Bar & Grill, Thursdays at South Beach, Fridays at Rich’s, and various other appearances throughout the month, including Eureka Heights, Electric Feel Good, and Katy Vibes.

Her wealth of experience has given her a platform to advise future pageant contestants as well as new talent.

“My advice would be to find people who have been where you want to be and ask their advice,” she says. “They know what they went through to get there, so they’re the best ones to offer you the advice on where you want to be.”

Follow Dessie Love-Blake on Instagram at instagram.com/dessieloveblake or on Facebook at facebook.com/dessie.love.5.

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ARTS

Empowering Houston’s Third Ward Project Row Houses celebrates its 30th anniversary with an exhibit honoring gay co-founder James Bettison.

By ANDREW EDMONSON

In 1992, when artist and activist Rick Lowe toured Houston’s historic but blighted Third Ward neighborhood with a group of City officials, no one could have foreseen the transformative change that his visit would unleash.

In 1993, Lowe joined forces with six other visionary African American artists to start the process of revitalizing two blocks at the corner of Live Oak and Holman, using art as a catalyst to create change. Armed with seed money from the Elizabeth Firestone Graham Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, the seven artists and an army of community volunteers set about rehabilitating 22 dilapidated shotgun houses in a neighborhood that had historically been home to Houston’s African American community, but one in which crime was rising.

The artists were inspired by the ideas of Dr. John Biggers, an esteemed Black artist and founder of the Texas Southern University art department, and the philosophies of Joseph Beuys, a German artist and theorist who advanced the idea of “social sculpture” that could reshape society. The seven founders conceived a plan to establish a haven for Black artists to connect and create opportunities. More significantly, the collective invited the entire Third Ward community to join with them as co-creators.

An American Cultural Treasure As Project Row Houses grew and evolved, it created other programs that strengthened the community, including the Young Mothers Residential Program in 1995, which allows young single mothers to live in the shotgun houses to stabilize their lives; a CDC lowincome housing initiative; incubator programs for small businesses; and free art classes for area children.

Over the last three decades, Project Row Houses has emerged as a national model for the ways in which art can be utilized to catalyze change in economically struggling communities. In 2020, the Ford Foundation recognized 52

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James Bettison (1957–1997) pictured circa 1984 in his studio at DiverseWorks’ Artist in Residency Program.

Project Row Houses as one of America’s Cultural Treasures and awarded it a $3.5 million grant. That same year, the New York Times selected Project Row Houses as one of the 25 most influential works of American protest art since 1945.

Today, Project Row Houses encompasses five city blocks and 39 structures that serve as a home base for a variety of communityenriching initiatives, art programs, and neighborhood-development activities. In 2023, Project Row Houses oversaw the triumphant rehabilitation and reopening of the Eldorado Ballroom, a hub of Black entertainment and cultural life located at 2310 Elgin Street that thrived from the 1940s to the 1970s before falling into disrepair.

Honoring “The Magnificent Seven” To honor its 30th-anniversary milestone, Project Row Houses is sponsoring The Founders Round, a series of exhibitions in the row houses showcasing the work of “The Magnificent Seven” founders—African American artists who had the boldness to imagine a new vision for the Third Ward in the 1990s: James Bettison (1957–1997), Bert Long Jr. (1940–2013), Jesse Lott (1943–2023), Rick Lowe, Floyd Newsum, Bert Samples, and George Smith.

The exhibition James Bettison: More Stories to Tell, co-curated by Kathleen Coleman and Danielle Burns Wilson, provides a prime opportunity to reappraise the legacy of Bettison, an openly gay Black man

living with HIV. During the 1980s, he was one of Houston’s most vibrant and active artists, showing works and performing in galleries and art spaces across the Bayou City. Bettison’s astonishing resilience and perseverance in the face of extraordinary medical crises serve as a model for both Project Row Houses and today’s contemporary artists.

Bettison’s Childhood Inspirations Born in Benton Harbor, Michigan, in 1957, Bettison studied art at Michigan State University for a semester before moving to New York City for six tough months. From 1978 to 1981, he lived in Chicago. In 1981, he and his close friend Michael McDonald relocated to Houston for the economic opportunity that the city’s booming economy offered. For a year, Bettison pursued a retail career at Lord & Taylor before deciding to focus on his passion for art. In 1984, he received a DiverseWorks Artist In Residency fellowship, working at JC Penney part-time to help pay the bills.

“He was always a great artist,” says Michael Peranteau, then co-director of DiverseWorks. “I met him when he first moved here, and we sat down together then to look at his work. His early work was funny and whimsical, but over the years that I knew him, his work became much more sophisticated and monumental.

“James had an incredible sense of humor; he was subtle but incredibly funny,” notes Parenteau. “He was also incredibly honest in his humor. He hated all the pretense in the art world. We all loved James.

He was easy to love.”

Bettison made fast friends with another young artist in the DiverseWorks program, Beth Secor.

“He painted on washcloths, towels, and sheets he got from the store. Maybe they were damaged or seconds, or he had just taken them,” she recalls. “He sat on the floor to paint. I liked him from the start because he was so full of energy and funny, and he never complained when I played Superfly over and over and over again while I was working.

“He loved watching cartoons as a kid, which one could easily see reflected in his work. At DiverseWorks, he was painting kind of cartoony frogs on the washcloths and sheets, with squiggly lines around them, leaving part of the material unpainted. But over time they grew more complex, more fantastical and full of color. I think he painted with house paint. There was a kind of outer-space, fun-house quality to his work, especially the larger, more realized paintings he did over time.”

If someone would ever write…(my life story), one of several works by James Bettison on display at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (mixed media on panel, 1987, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, gift of Victoria and Marshal Lightman. © Estate of James Bettison).

“The Next Basquiat” What struck his friend Michael McDonald most about Bettison was his singular focus and drive. “He was drawing all the time,” McDonald observed. “He always knew that he was going to live a short life, somehow. I don’t know how he knew that, but it seems like he was always running against the clock—and more focused than most people.”

His discipline paid off in 1985 when he was featured in the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s landmark exhibition Fresh Paint: The Houston School. It later traveled to the Museum of Modern Art’s PS 1 community art center in New York.

At this point, Bettison’s career gained serious momentum just as Houston was earning a national reputation as a flourishing center for contemporary art. He won an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. When the Isabel Neal Gallery in Chicago presented an exhibition of his works, they considered him the next Jean-Michel Basquiat, the legendary artist who caused a sensation in the 1980s.

Several of Bettison’s pieces were taken into the MFAH’s permanent collection.

Super-Hilarious Drag Bettison’s artistic practice ranged from figuration to abstraction, shot through with vibrant color. He worked as a performer and also created sculpture. He described his style as folk art.

He also incorporated discarded objects into his work, many found by accident in his neighborhood near downtown Houston. “I’ve

become a scavenger,” he said.

Of his artistic practice, he observed, “The work is created out of a need. I’m recording my impressions of the world in which I live, and that’s really what my work is about. I’m part of this world.”

“He also was a performance artist and performed all over town,” remembers Michael Peranteau of DiverseWorks. “He also did drag at times—super-hilarious drag.”

In the mid-1980s, Bettison began working on his Black Man series, examining the visages of Black men. The anniversary exhibition at Project Row Houses features two outstanding examples from this series.

During this time of burgeoning success, Bettison also experienced racism and homophobia.

“At the time, a gay man was not accepted at many collectors’ scenes at private dinners,” observed his friend Kathleen Coleman, who also co-curated the PRH exhibition. “James and I would attend together. James knew I received him as a gay man, so we would laugh and call it part of the game.”

Coleman remembers that she and Bettison took solace and comfort in their shared passion for rock-and-roll concerts by David Bowie, Tina Turner, and Carlos Santana.

A Miraculous Coma Recovery In the last decade of his life, Bettison endured a series of calamitous personal tragedies.

First, his home and studio caught fire, destroying a large portion of his work. Then he was bitten by a spider and received a ➝ OutSmartMagazine.com

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COURTESY OF PROJECT ROW HOUSES

JAMES BETTISON | CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

Project Row Houses renovated 22 shotgun houses in Houston’s historic Third Ward to serve as artist studios and exhibition spaces.

Pictured here is Jasmine Zelaya’s Art House from the fall of 2020. cortisone shot, but did not inform medical personnel that he was HIV-positive. Soon after, he contracted spinal meningitis and fell into a coma, from which many doctors thought he would not recover. He eventually regained consciousness and, almost miraculously, relearned to paint and draw. During this period, he came together with six fellow artists to create Project Row Houses.

He spent a long period in a nursing home, with his care arranged by DiverseWorks and Lawndale Art and Performance Center. “James was okay for a number of years. But by the time he was able to get the lifesaving HIV drugs that came out in the mid-1990s, I think it was too late,” observes Peranteau.

The desire to create animated him until the end of his life. “When he was in hospice care at his most incapacitated, he still made collages,” his friend, fellow artist Beth Secor, recalls. “I remember he had a stack of Ebony magazines and TV Guides in his hospice room that he was cutting stuff out of to make them with. As far back as I can remember, the collages were more somber and full of sadness than the paintings were, even before the fire in his home, even before he was bitten by the spider, even before his diagnosis with AIDS.” Bettison died on May 11, 1997, of complications from AIDS. An Enduring Legacy A quarter-century after his death, Bettison’s legacy is still felt in Houston’s Third Ward and in Houston’s visual-arts community. His work is displayed both at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and at Project Row Houses.

Veteran Houston artist Bert Samples, also a co-founder of Project Row Houses, believes that Bettison’s medical crises exposed just how precarious the situation of some independent artists was in the 1990s—especially for those

who did not have access to employersponsored health insurance.

“James really galvanized the art community to come together,” Samples recalls. “They saw that a lot of us can be afflicted by situations, and we have no protection, no medical coverage. At that time, there was not much support for local artists to receive aid, unless they received a minor grant here and there.

“For me, he became the galvanizing force to pull artists out of their studios to have discussions, and a lot of things started happening at that time. James was one of the major people who made that happen. Everyone knew him because he was always so visibly active in the art community.”

To honor his legacy, Project Row Houses sponsors an annual James Bettison Performance Art Residency. It serves as a platform for urban artists to explore their creativity and challenge existing norms by pushing boundaries and experimenting with bold, contemporary performance art. According to Project Row Houses, the residency celebrates “Bettison’s unwavering commitment to perseverance, both in his artwork and in his life.”

But perhaps most importantly, Bettison’s legacy lives on in the way that Project Row Houses continues to enrich Houston’s historic Third Ward and empower the Bayou City’s African American community.

What: James Bettison: More Stories to Tell When: Through February 18 Where: Project Row Houses, 2507 Holman St. Info: projectrowhouses.org

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

A Lesson in Love Quincy Starnes speaks to the relevance of the musical Once on This Island.

By DAVID CLARKE

The award-winning musical Once on This Island, a Caribbean-inspired adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid, seems ideal for Black History Month in February. Written

by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, a Tony Award-winning pair of white Jewish-Irish collaborators, some may question its ability to be relevant and authentic. Quincy Starnes, starring in Moore Vision Entertainment’s production of the delightful musical later this month, sheds light on how this piece defies the odds and earns its place as must-see theater.

On the morning of Monday, January 15, as the United States honored the life and legacy of visionary civil-rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., Starnes spoke to the pertinence of Once on This Island: “It deals with colorism in the Black community, which is a large issue that doesn’t get talked about a lot.”

From “the brown paper bag test,” a form of colorism-discrimination, to Hollywood’s long history of colorism, this discriminatory practice within the United States can be traced back to slavery, when slave owners gave preferential treatment to enslaved people with lighter skin tones.

Starnes himself has been denied opportunities due to colorism.“When I was 11 years old, I auditioned for a movie called The Long Walk Home, which was a movie with Whoopi Goldberg and Sissy Spacek,” Starnes explains.

“I had the casting directors tell me that I was not dark enough to believably be Whoopi Goldberg’s son.”

This profoundly affected him, because across his family there are plenty of different skin tones. “I remember The Cosby Show being a big deal at that time,” Starnes adds.

“You looked at Sandra and Denise, and then you looked at Theo, Vanessa, and Rudy. None of them were the same color, because that’s not how it works. But people definitely have this vision that, ‘Oh, it doesn’t look right.’”

Another aspect of Once on This Island that may be surprising is the way it invites audiences to sit in “uncomfortableness” in order to learn and grow as individuals.

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“Some of us, as Black people, are considered the ‘good’ ones,” Starnes believes. “I grew up in a predominantly white society.

I went to private schools. I graduated from Notre Dame. I am considered one of the good ones.”

Despite these qualifiers, though, Starnes has been the victim of racial profiling, which he openly discussed on a Facebook post from June 4, 2020. “I made that post because I needed people to sit in that uncomfortableness [and realize] that even the ones you think are the ‘good’ ones are still oppressed. We are still racially profiled.”

Friends of Starnes immediately reached out to him, admitting that they had no idea that he had experienced these things. “Of course you don’t have any idea, because you don’t have to go through that,” Starnes says. “But they did have to look at their own biases and connotations of what they think, and sit in that uncomfortableness. And I know that some change came out of that.”

In addition to the topic of colorism that is explored in the musical, its ending directly parallels the original conclusion of The Little Mermaid. “Once on This Island makes you sit in that uncomfortableness because it doesn’t end in a nice, pretty way,”

“ONCE ON THIS ISLAND MAKES YOU SIT IN THAT UNCOMFORTABLENESS BECAUSE IT DOESN’T END IN A NICE, PRETTY WAY. LOVE IS THE STRONGEST FORCE IN THE UNIVERSE. AS THEY SAY IN THIS SHOW, ‘LOVE CAN WITHSTAND THE STORM, IT CAN CROSS THE EARTH, AND IT CAN EVEN CONQUER DEATH.’” —Quincy Starnes

he explains.

While Once on This Island has serious messages, the music and story are vibrant and full of whimsy. In fact, the musical reminds audiences that the greatest gift we can offer another person is love. “Love is the strongest force in the universe,” says Starnes. ”As they say in this show, ‘Love can withstand the storm, it can cross the Earth, and it can even conquer death.’”

The central character in Once on This Island, Ti Moune, is a peasant girl who falls in love with Daniel Beauxhomme, a young man from the wealthy side of the island they share.

Ti Moune rescues Daniel after his car crashes in a storm, and through her pure love for him she helps him recover from his injuries. Just like The Little Mermaid, Once on This Island shows the duality of this kind of love. “You cannot go out and try to love everyone. You will get stomped,” says Starnes. “What we can’t do is let that hurt jade us and turn us into unloving, unforgiving people. You love to the end, and your love will inspire others to go out and to love and to do huge acts of love on their own.”

Moore Vision Entertainment’s production of Once on This Island runs February 23 through March 2. Tickets are on sale at moorevisionentertainment.com.

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Author Lucas Hilderbrand introduced his latest book, The Bars Are Ours: Histories and Cultures of Gay Bars in America, 1960 and After, with a reading at Houston Eagle. The focus of the reading was a chapter entitled “Proud Mary’s: An Institution in Houston,” and took place in front of a recreation of a mural by the late artist Scott Swoveland that was originally on the outside east wall of Mary’s bar.

The Krewe of Olympus hosted their annual Twelfth Night Gras traditions and to raise money for celebration, Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler, at Resurrection community charities. Since moving to Texas, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization has donated MCC. Krewe of Olympus is one of the largest predominately gay Mardi Gras Krewes in the United States. Their hundreds of thousands of dollars to charitable organizations in Houston and Dallas. principal aims are to present events that continue Mardi OutSmartMagazine.com

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WEDDING GUIDE

Tyler Young (l) and Will Jones

A Match Made in Med School Will Jones and Tyler Young chose Houston’s Julia Ideson Library for their big day.

By DAVID CLARKE | Photos by JESS GOLDEN

Will Jones, 31, and Tyler Young, 34, tied the knot on October 21, 2023 at Houston’s Julia Ideson Library, an elegant 1926 Spanish Revival building that houses Houston Central Library’s archives, manuscripts, and Texas and local history departments. The love shared by these Montrose-based doctors—Will is an anesthesiologist and Tyler is an OB/GYN—tangibly radiates from their hearts and infuses the room with a warm glow. The couple met on June 29, 2017 while in med school.

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met her now-husband on Bumble, and he was Tyler’s best friend in med school,” explains Will. “She texted me and said, ‘Hey, Max and I are going to get drinks if you want to come.’

Max texted Tyler, ‘Hey, Ashley and I are going to get drinks if you want to come.’ They didn’t tell either one of us that the other person was going to be there, and that’s how we met.”

The attraction was mutual and immediate. “I noticed that Will was very handsome,” says Tyler. “I noticed how driven he was with his career, which is something that I was very attracted to. And I also noticed how outgoing and easy it was for him to make friends with

new people.”

“The first thing I noticed about Tyler was he was very witty,” adds Will. “I’m the more extroverted one, and he’s more introverted, but when he did say something, it was very funny, very to-the-point, and very notable.”

Will sent Tyler his cell phone number over Facebook and Tyler sent Will a followup text. Shortly after, the couple was on their first date at Cuchara in Montrose, which was followed by drinks at Boheme. “It was a classic get-to-know-you talk,” says Tyler.

“We both lived in Montrose, and Boheme was serendipitously each of our’s favorite bar.”

At the time, Tyler was living in a shoebox of an apartment with his dog, Malley. Will remembers that Tyler often asked him to feed Malley. “One day,” Tyler says, “I just made a joke, saying, ‘Oh, I think she likes me better than you.’ And he said, ‘Why do you think I have you feed her?’ It was such a sweet gesture because I knew how much she meant to him, and I remember thinking that I must be important to this guy if he is willing to try to get his dog to like me. And that’s when I realized maybe there’s something here.”

“I knew that he was the one when we decided to do a residency couple’s match,” Tyler recalls. A couple’s match is when a medical student potentially gives up their favorite residency program in order to prioritize staying in the same vicinity as their partner. “That’s the first time I feel like we both made the active decision to put our relationship above our careers, which had been very important to us.”

Tyler proposed on October 28, 2021.

“Will had his hands full with a cup of clam chowder and didn’t realize what was happening at all until I was down on one knee,” says Tyler. “He was very confused about why I was having a serious toast, but his reaction was an immediate ‘Yes!’ He started crying, and it was very sweet and perfect for us.”

“We started planning the wedding in January of 2023. We were working with a planner, and after a few unfortunate events—17 days before the wedding—we

decided to go in a different direction,” explains Will. The couple pivoted to using Morgan of Morgan Marie Events, and they couldn’t be happier with their decision. “The biggest thing that we needed in a planner was communication, and she was somebody who communicated the perfect amount, always had an answer to every problem, and was not fazed by hiccups,” adds Tyler. “She was able to really make our vision come to life, which was really incredible.”

Their officiant, Layton McCown, is a close friend of theirs, and that made the day extra-special. “He gave us the most perfect ceremony that we could have ever dreamed of. Throughout the entire night, people were complimenting us on how incredibly beautiful the ceremony was,” says Tyler.

Floral arrangements for their wedding were prepared by Allison Donohue. “She was

able to very effortlessly take what we didn’t know how to say and make it a reality,” explains Will. “We had so many incredible compliments on the flowers. It’s exactly what we wanted.”

The couple opted to only have a photographer and were thrilled by what they received.

“Jess Golden is the reason that this wedding was so successful from a social-media standpoint,” Will notes. “It’s exactly what Tyler and I wanted. Jess did such an incredible job with the photographs.”

The couple also brags about the service they received from Erin Gready with Churrasco’s, who catered the event. They also happily recommend Aivy IV Duong with Suit Supply for her impeccable work in designing and tailoring their suits. Shawn Keuhn, with the Julia Ideson Library, also got high praise from the couple.

Due to their busy schedules as medical school students, residents, and now doctors, the couple didn’t have a lot of experience with events to pull from. “We don’t go to a lot of weddings and were flying blind,” shares Will.

“Every vendor we worked with said, ‘Don’t worry about it. We’ve got it taken care of.’”

For their special day, the stars aligned and the couple were very happy to have worked with so many LGBTQ-affirming vendors who created a wedding experience that exceeded their expectations.

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Energize Your Social Life

F

Aquarius leads the way in February.

ebruary feels more like the New Year, as it is a great month to move forward. The New Moon in Aquarius on the 9th opens doors to a more energetic social life and greater connections with friends and colleagues. The Full Moon in Virgo on the 24th shows us the way to improve our health and work life.

Smoother days this month are the 2nd, 7th, 13th, and 29th. Very active days this month are the 5th, 8th, 10th, 14th, 16th, 17th, 22nd 24th, 27th, and 28th. The end of the month is a time of decision making around work and career.

The Sun enters Pisces on the 18th. Mercury is back up to speed, starting in Capricorn, entering Aquarius on the 5th, and then into Pisces on the 23rd. Venus travels through Capricorn, but eventually enters Aquarius on the 16th. Mars begins the month in Capricorn and enters Aquarius on the 13th. The fixed signs of Aquarius, Leo, Taurus, and Scorpio are the busiest signs this month!

ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) You are keeping busy this month with work, friends, and family. With your career, you are looking to take a leadership role or even look for something on your own. Your patience level is low, and you are having a harder time with things you normally ignore. This is a good month to take action in this area of your life. If you are a stay-at-home parent, you are setting new rules and boundaries. In the latter part of the month, you are connecting with a larger social group.

Business organizations are especially important for referrals and support. You may also want to have a greater role in your community by taking on a cause.

It’s easy to spend money this month. Toward the end of the month, you are looking for rest and retreat.

TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Career, long-term security, retirement, and potentially starting a brand-new path is all part of this month! As the month opens, you are in planning mode. You are ready to act on your new plans by the 13th. You are looking for more personal freedom of expression and fewer restrictions in your overall life. Personal relationships in romance and business continue to be positive; however, if you are in a restrictive partnership, you may sever that. In your career, you may be looking to relocate and do something that really connects with your passion. You have been on that quest for the last couple of years. You are ready to let go and move forward. You are not as patient as usual after the 13th, and you may be more argumentative. Friends are more supportive of your decisions after the 18th.

GEMINI (May 21–June 21) You are looking for a greater sense of connection and intimacy in your relationships. You are ready to look at your own unconscious actions and how they draw in 64

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certain people. You are wanting a safe place to be able to share your inner feelings, with the assurance that information you share will not used against you later. You are also ready to call out others on their BS! Boundaries will be a major theme for you this entire year. You are becoming much more selective about who you allow into your life. Career will also be a strong topic this year. You may be getting promoted, starting something on your own, or looking at cutting back and seeking a new path. This continues to be a good time for upgrading your skills or going back to school.

CANCER (June 22–July 22) You have a lot on your plate this month. Relationships continue to be important, as this is a time of renewal, reconnection, and resolving problems from the past in order to move forward. You are also wanting a greater level of trust and intimacy with your partner. This same energy also pushes you to reduce your debt, and you will put a lot of effort into this. You may be able to find better financing for reducing that debt. Career and education come together this year, and you may be teaching, renewing your education, or even starting a podcast. You are in a more social frame of mind and wanting to connect with friends and others in your community. Your impact on others is stronger, even if that isn’t your intent.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Improving work conditions and your health routines are points of focus this month. You are working hard to make your workspace as productive and comfortable as you can. You may be replacing worn-out equipment or creating better boundaries for working at home. You are also highly motivated to get back into shape. This energy could be with you for a couple of months to get you on the right path. Career opportunities are still

strong and will continue through May. This is a very good time to promote yourself or your services.

Relationships are going through a big shift this month. You will need to take some time to renew the bonds with your partner. If you ignore this area, there could be fireworks! You may be looking for the relationship to go to the next level or redefine itself in some way.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept.22) As the month opens, you are in a more creative and playful mood. If you have children, this is a better time for family activities. You are ready to step away from your routines and work expectations. In the middle of the month, you are back at it! You are making positive changes so your work environment is less stressful. Your place of work may change or be remodeled. You will have to be more flexible here. Relationships are highlighted this month. For those in a relationship, this is a time to set goals to allow the partnership to grow. If you have problems in your partnership, you will have to resolve them one way or the other. This continues to be a good time for expanding your skills, going back to school, or teaching classes.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 23) Home and family continue to be the main topic as the month begins. You may have to step in and take a leadership role in the family to help resolve problems. Communications during the holidays may have added to the chaos, and your patience with the whole situation is very low. You are looking for a break as we get into midmonth. You will want to have activities that focus on what satisfies you.

You will be putting a lot of energy into making your home and workspace more organized and produc-

tive. You may be making sure your home office has its own space. You are also focused on improving your overall health habits and routines. You will want a whole new plan that goes beyond losing a few pounds. This continues to be a good time for refinancing and investments.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24–Nov. 21) Your month starts out with issues around communications and getting your message out. You are more ready to respond when people are connecting and communicating with you, and you may seem less patient with others than usual. Home and family are a big theme this year for all Scorpios.

For some, this is a time of stepping out on your own. For others, this is a time when older family members pass on and new family matriarchs and patriarchs emerge. This can feel like you are cutting the umbilical cord. On the surface, this can look like moving, remodeling, career changes, and deciding what your role in the family will be. You will be ready to act after the 13th. Personal relationships are still positive, with lots of options for being close but still having your own space.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov.22–Dec.21) This month brings a flurry of activity as you focus on refining your workplace, potentially requiring new equipment or a change in location. Financial scrutiny leads to adjustments in investments and debt reduction. Your daily routine undergoes

restructuring, shedding uninteresting activities. Communication becomes more direct. Family, personal motivation, and familial ideals undergo evaluation. For the younger ones, considerations about starting a family arise. For those with older family members, alternate plans may be necessary. This heightened awareness of familial dynamics prompts a greater focus on the present. Embrace the changes, as they pave the way for a more streamlined and purposeful lifestyle.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) You feel more prepared to act on your ideas that formed over the holidays. You start the month feeling more courage and willingness to invest in yourself!

As the month progresses, you pay more attention to your finances and how you are rewarded for what you do. You’ll concentrate more on how to make your resources more profitable. This may be a time to investigate investing or learning how to do that for yourself. You are bringing more control into your daily life as the month progresses. This is also a great time for improving exercise and health habits. You are looking for something that changes your life, and not just a quick fix. You will need more time to yourself toward the end of the month.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) Happy Birthday, Aquarians! This marks the beginning of your personal annual cycle of reflection and renewal.

As you assess last year’s goals, a shift from a restful holiday season to increased activity emerges after

the 13th. Concentrate on your aspirations—what are your hopes, wishes, and dreams? Pluto’s transformative influence in your sign, especially for early-born Aquarians, prompts a thorough review of life choices, refining or eliminating them. A conservative approach to resources and exploring alternate financial avenues is underway. Consider consulting a finance professional for guidance. With heightened energy, now is an opportune moment to kickstart or initiate an exercise program. Embrace this dynamic phase!

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) This month brings a diverse range of energies into your life. While the usual yearly cycle suggests a period of rest and retreat, conflicting forces propel you into active engagements with friends and associates. Simultaneously, a focus on career direction and long-term security compels you to contemplate the future. The month commences with social vigor, yet by midmonth, a need for relaxation and stepping back emerges, allowing time for energy replenishment and spiritual reflection. Contemplating your path forward becomes crucial during this phase. For the younger demographic, it signifies a time of adulting, while the middle-aged seek balance between work and home.

Older individuals may contemplate stepping back or retiring. After the 18th, a renewed inclination to take action arises, accompanied by an enhanced ability to set boundaries and confidently decline commitments.

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WIGGING OUT

The Grand DOM Dey’Jzah Opulent Mirage mixes ferocity with feminine mystique.

By SAM BYRD | Photo by ALEX ROSA

I’m a Halloween queen, so on my first date almost 15 years ago, my partner took me to a haunted house. I love haunted houses!

Unbeknownst to me, he told the goblins my name, because as soon as I walked through, they started saying my name, and it scared the heck out of me. I’ve loved him ever since, and every year on our anniversary we go to that haunted house.

Everyone in Montrose loves a woman on top. The Grand DOM (aka Dey’Jzah Opulent Mirage) might be mild-mannered in her personal life, but the millisecond the spotlight hits her, she controls the crowd. Maybe she’s born with it, or maybe it’s her natural personality peeking through, but she exudes funk, punk, and tons of spunk every time she steps on the stage. Find out more about this scenestealer below.

Ultimate goal as a performer?

My goal every time is to make the audience feel me. I love what I do, and I want to share that love.

Pronouns? She/Her

Do you perform any impressions?

I do quite a few. However, my favorites are Celia Cruz, Chaka Khan, Macy Gray, and Donna Summer.

Hometown? Indianapolis, Indiana Drag birthday?

October 31, 1994. I’m a Halloween queen!

Thoughts about all the legislation restricting drag performances?

I think any legislation on art is bullshit.

Inner Avatar?

My inner avatar is definitely the Chimera. I feel like I connect to all three of the animals it takes to make up the mythical creature, and always have.

Favorite hangout spots?

The patio at Barcode. If I’m in Montrose working or playing, I always end up there.

What got you interested in drag?

Growing up as a child in theater, I was superinterested in Shakespeare. Once I found out all the iconic roles were all played by men or boys, it piqued my interest in drag. It wasn’t until I was about 15 or 16 that I snuck into a club in Louisville, Kentucky, and there were two performers there who changed my life and made me fall in love with drag.

What do you do in your down time?

I listen to murder-mystery podcasts, and I play around with music. I love to write and record, so I do a bit of that.

Celebrity crush?

Darryl Stephens from Noah’s Arc Where can fans see you perform?

You can find me every Wednesday at Grand Prize Bar, and usually twice a month at Island Time in Galveston. I’m also at The Great Kanakas Atomic Tiki Bar in Webster with the cast of “Lips, Hips and Fingertips”

Describe your performing persona.

My performing persona is crazy, sexy, cool— and it’s always a feeling. I perform with every part of my person because I love to take the audience on a journey with me while performing.

What have you learned from drag that you use in your everyday life?

I am the master of my show. Whatever I want done, I have to do it, and with no fear.

Favorite artists to perform?

Chaka Khan and Pink—funk and rock.

Valentine’s Day plans?

I’m going to cook for my honey bun, and I hope he has something planned for me.

Most romantic date you’ve ever been on?

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Follow Dey’Jzah on Instagram at @thee_grand_dom.

How would you describe Greater Houston’s drag scene for a visitor?

It’s full of C.U.N.T—so much “charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent.” And I love it!

FEB. 22 - MARCH 3

RESERVE YOUR SEATS NOW

A captivating evening of plot twists and romance awaits!

TICKETS START AT $25

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