Thanks To CDC Cutbacks, 13 Texas Nonprofits Lose Millions In HIV Outreach Funding
Gulf Coast is hardest hit: The CEO of a Houston-area nonprofit estimated that six organizations in the area are losing a total of about $2 million in funds.
Kit O'Connell
Kit O'Connell is a correspondent for The Barbed Wire. They are the former Digital Editor of the Texas Observer, with bylines in Teen Vogue, The Advocate, Truthout, LGBTQ Nation, and the Austin Free Press, among others.
🚍 Under the bus, again
💥 Greetings, my queer stars, Welcome back to Big & Bright 🌈 ⭐ 👏, your biweekly newsletter about life in queer Texas … where the ground is always shifting under our feet and this time we can't blame fracking. 💚 Want this as a newsletter as soon as it's published? Sign up
Trans Teen From Rural Texas Forces High School to Change Transphobic Dress Code
With help from the ACLU of Texas, Groesbeck ISD agreed to drop a dress code that targeted transgender students.
Texas’ First Nonbinary City Council Member Wants To Make Denton More Affordable, Equitable and Safe
As a seasoned community organizer, George Ferrie is part of a wave of millennials elected with a mandate for change, and they’ve got a detailed plan for making their city better.
✨ Dreaming of a world full of ‘wonderful things’
How can we hang onto art that brings us queer joy?
Interview With a Lone Star Vampire: Caleb De Casper Is Reborn In Darkness
No Longer a ‘Good Boy,’ Caleb De Casper is back with a darker, more grown up sound and a stronger sense of self.
🫠 The Transformative Power of Being Weird
🏳️🌈 My dear queer stars, congrats on making it through Pride Month, and welcome back to Big & Bright 🌈 ⭐ 👏! I hope you’ve rehydrated and recovered. Pride may be over, but the discourse never stops, because some folks seemed determined to reheat a very old discussion… ✋ Hold up, before we go
Meet the ‘Weird Moms’ of Fort Worth Who Embrace Diversity, Acceptance & Joy in North Texas
From meet and greets with local candidates to the “Weird Mom Prom,” this Fort Worth nonprofit is building community and changing perceptions about the kinds of people who live in the DFW metroplex.
Healthcare for Trans Veterans Was Already Bad, And Under Trump It’s Getting Worse
Under policies adopted last year, the VA now refuses to support newly transitioned veterans. Even accessing routine healthcare can be a challenge.
👀 Pride, like no one is watching
Happy Pride, queer stars. On celebrating loudly, the Queerbomb march, and why the move is to blast the haters with bubbles and keep being you.
📚 Learning from queer history...
Your Aunt/Uncle Kit has more deep thoughts for you, alongside the latest in Texas LGBTQ news.
Years Before the Stonewall Riots, Dallas’ Queer Community Had Its Own Movement
In 1988, the city of Dallas filled in a hole. City council spent half a million dollars to fix a dangerous gap left on a vacant lot by a construction company. Seemingly good news, right? Well, to local LGBTQ+ activists, it was a sign of how little local politicians cared