Top 10 GLBT NEWS STORIES IN SAN ANTONIO

1. Marine Sargent Eric Alva battles "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell"
In March 2003, Marine Sgt. Eric Alva of San Antonio became the first soldier injured in the Iraq War when he stepped on a landmine resulting in the loss of his right leg part of an index finger. On Feb. 28, 2007, he joined Rep. Marty Meehan, D-Mass., in calling for an end to the government’s "Don’t ask, Don’t Tell" policy. Today he travels the country as a spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign advocating for repeal of this policy.

2. Police Chief McManus is Grand Marshal for Gay Pride Parade
Chief McManus’ decision to march in the Gay Pride Parade set off a series of protests by "Christian" extremists organized by a local radio station. The less-than-Christ-like attacks went on for nearly a month and were conducted on the radio, the Internet and culminated in a raucous hate-fest before the City Council on August 2. Later in the year, speaking before the Alamo Business Council, a local GLBT group, the Chief said he did not regret his decision to participate.

3. Bexar County same sex adoption held legal
Judge Ken Anderson of the Texas Court of Appeals Third District ruled on January 19, 2007 that the Bexar County adoption of a child by a lesbian couple is valid even after one of the partners sought to void it after their breakup. Judge Anderson’s ruling reinforced the Bexar County Court’s legal jurisdiction in allowing same sex couples to adopt children.

4. SAPD initiates gay sensitivity training
Thanks to the efforts of the Police Officers Liaison Committee, Police Chief William McManus and Capt. Larry Birney, the SAPD’s GLBT liaison, the police department began offering gay sensitivity training and launched an outreach program to recruit more minorities including blacks, Asians and gays.

5. Elena Guajardo loses re-election to City Council
Elena Guajardo, the first GLBT person ever elected to the San Antonio City Council, lost her District 7 bid for re-election. "I've had this incredible gift, a kid from the West Side, to serve the community," she said.

6. S.A. same sex couples increase 63% in last six years
A new study released on November 5 shows that in the period between 2000 and 2006 the number of same sex couples in San Antonio increased by 63%.

7. Cop who raped transsexual gets 24 years, then a new trial
Dean Gutierrez, a former San Antonio police officer was sentenced to 24 years in prison for using his position to sexually assault a transsexual. U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez doled out the punishment after listening to the former officer cry and beg for probation. Later this year, new evidence was uncovered and a federal judge granted Gutierrez a new trial

8. MCC S.A. installs new pastor
The Metropolitan Community Church of San Antonio officially installed Rev. Mick Hinson as their new pastor in a ceremony held at the church on November 3. Rev. Hinson, who arrived in San Antonio last March, is the fourth pastor in the church’s 28-year history..

9. Officer faces charges after allegedly beating lesbian teen
San Antonio police opened an internal affairs investigation into the behavior of veteran officer Keith Alfaro who is accused of using a racial slur and beating a lesbian teenager who asked him to put out his cigar at a community pool.

10. Esperanza Center marks its 20th anniversary
The Esperanza Peace & Justice Center marked its 20th anniversary with a 2-day celebration and a myriad of cultural events last October.

A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF GAY S.A.

January

S.A. State Rep files pro-gay bill in Texas House
State Representative Mike Villarreal (D-San Antonio) filed a bill in the Texas Legislature on January 26 that would prohibit a wide range of discriminatory practices based on sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. House Bill 900, the "Freedom from Workplace Discrimination Act," would ban discrimination based on one's actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.

San Antonio Gay Dads appear on Oprah
The January 29th episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" titled Extraordinary Families, featured the Sutherland-Trevinos, a family from San Antonio with two gay dads.
GLBT activists attend Town Hall meeting on police brutality

GLBT activists attend Town Hall meeting on police brutality
GLBT activists were present at a January 29 Town Hall meeting with Police Chief William McManus organized by San Antonio Communities Organized Against Police Abuse at the Claude Black Community Center on the city’s East Side. The meeting featured testimony by several victims of alleged police brutality.

February

Petticoat Junction and Sanctuary raided by TABC
Petticoat Junction, a popular lesbian bar, and the Sanctuary, a bar located in the same building, were raided by the Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission and by members of the San Antonio Police Department’s vice squad at around 12:30 a.m. on February 2.

UTSA student groups hold debate on "homosexual agenda"
Three student organizations at the University of Texas at San Antonio sponsored a debate on February 28 entitled "Is There a Dark Side to the Homosexual Agenda?"

"Homosexual" church sign upsets PFLAG parents
Two moms from the Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays San Antonio chapter say they are upset by a sign outside the Oak Hills Church located at 19595 IH 10 West which reads "Deliverance from Homosexuality."

March

S.A. may lose funding for people with AIDS
Health officials estimate more than 1,000 people in the San Antonio area don't know they're HIV-positive and that an additional 1,400 or so know but aren't getting care. Because of that, San Antonio is again at risk of losing the federal money that funds social service organizations.

Jennifer Whatley named Artistic Director of Men’s Chorale
The board of directors of the Alamo City Men’s Chorale announced on March 14 that they have elected Jennifer Whatley as the new Artistic Director for the group. With this appointment Whatley becomes the first woman director in the Chorale’s 21-year history.

Mayor Hardberger pays a call on the Stonewall Democrats
Mayor Phil Hardberger made an election season visit to the March 19 meeting of the Stonewall Democrats of San Antonio where he received a standing ovation and a very warm reception.

April

Local politicians seek GLBT vote
Ten local politicians came to ask for the votes of the GLBT audience that gathered for the Stonewall Democrats of San Antonio’s endorsement meeting on April 1.

OLLU students observe Day of Silence
Students from Our Lady of the Lake University organized a daylong observance on May 18 of the National Day of Silence, a nationwide event that brings attention to anti-GLBT bullying, harassment and discrimination in schools.

Bomb threat shuts down Webb Party
The San Antonio AIDS Foundation’s annual Webb Party was shut down on the evening of April 20 after receiving a bomb threat. Police arrived at the San Antonio Museum of Art, the party’s venue, shortly after 10 p.m. and told organizer’s they had received an anonymous telephone call warning that there were three bombs in the building.

May

Local groups review legislation affecting GLBT citizens
The San Antonio chapter of the Human Rights Campaign in association other politically oriented local groups presented a Town Hall meeting at the Josephine Theater on May 16 to raise awareness of legislation which affects GLBT citizens that is pending in the U.S. Congress and the Texas Legislature.

Equality Texas honors transgendered San Antonio woman
Equality Texas, the Austin-based GLBT lobbying organization, presented its Anchor Award on May 20 to Rebecca Lynn Cross an internationally recognized transgender activist from San Antonio who died last year. The presentation was made at the Equality Texas Foundation’s Spirit of Texas Brunch.

Fiesta charity events raise record amounts
Organizers of two official Fiesta San Antonio events popular with the GLBT community, the Webb Party and Cornyation, reported this week that they had raised record amounts for local charities.

June

Syphilis rise worries health workers
While HIV cases have remained relatively steady, health officials in San Antonio are worried that a sharp rise in syphilis, which is easily curable if detected, could fuel an increase in HIV and AIDS, which are not.

Gay friendly candidates score victories in City Council runoff
San Antonio’s GLBT community has reason to celebrate the victories of two gay friendly candidates, Lourdes Galvan and Diane Cibrian, in the June 12 City Council runoff elections.

Baptists meeting in S.A. want hate-crimes bill defeated
The Southern Baptist Convention, which wrapped up its two-day visit to San Antonio on June 14, passed a resolution asking the U.S. Senate and President Bush to prevent hate crimes from being prosecutable, saying it would add an extra layer of protection for homosexuality, which they say the Bible denounces.

July

Pride Parade attracts thousands
The Gay Pride San Antonio Parade, the final event of Pride month in the city, attracted a crowd of about 3,500 spectators who lined the six-block route along North Main Street on July 1. This year’s big attraction was the participation by San Antonio Police Chief William McManus.

Survey to gauge spiritual and cultural well being of queer community
A survey was circulated around town to gauge what organizers call "the spiritual and cultural well-being" of San Antonio’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex, questioning/queer population.

"Southern Baptist Sissies" on stage at Church Theatre
The Church Bistro & Theatre announced presented the San Antonio premier of Texas playwright Del Shores’ "Southern Baptist Sissies" for a six-week run starting July 13.

August

KSLR’s "Christian" hate-fest takes the podium at City Council meeting
A rude and noisy crowd of "Christian" zealots, organized by KSLR Radio, went before the Mayor and the City Council on August 2 and treated them to evening of hard and soft core gay bashing. While the main purpose of the visit was to express their displeasure at Police Chief’s William McManus’ participation as Grand Marshal of the Gay Pride Parade, many of those who spoke used the occasion to make public their revulsion of all things "homosexual." At times, their expressions of disgust were couched in terms that were less than "Christ-like."

Anti-gay "Christians" target Stonewall co-chair
KSLR, San Antonio’s anti-gay "Christian" radio station, started a campaign on August 8 to block Dr. Lynne Armstrong, the co-chair of the Stonewall Democrats, from being re-appointed to the city’s Affirmative Action Advisory Committee because she is a lesbian.

HAC food bank cuts back distribution days
Hope Action Care, an agency that provides services to the HIV community, announced that due to financial constraints it’s weekly food bank distribution has been reduced to only once a month.

Four S.A. Fortune 500 companies protect against GLBT discrimination
A new report from the Equality Forum shows that four of the five Fortune 500 companies headquartered in San Antonio voluntarily include sexual orientation in their employment nondiscrimination policies. The four companies that made Equality Forum’s list are AT&T, Clear Channel Communications, USAA, and Valero Energy Corporation.

September

Two San Antonio activists named to Equality Texas board
Equality Texas and Equality Texas Foundation announced on September 6 the election of four members to their board of directors, two of whom, Dr. Paul Boskind and Kim Lair, reside in San Antonio.

Volunteers give a new look to a haven for local AIDS patients
More than 80 volunteers hustled to try to make the San Antonio Aids Foundation facility — usually a dreary place — just a little more bearable. Imitating ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," 19 rooms were gutted before they were painted like new by Davita, Inc., a California-based company.

Homophobic slurs written on wall of woman’s apartment
A woman, who did not want to be identified, said she is the victim of a hate crime, and she said she is too scared to go back to her apartment in the Chapel Ridge Apartments in the 7200 block of Snowden Road.

October

Park policeman accused of going too far in sex sting
Serious questions are being raised about the conduct of an undercover San Antonio Park Police officer involved in sex stings. The officer is accused of allowing these illegal sex acts in public parks to go on longer than they should have. Some say his actions increased the chances an innocent bystander walking in on those acts.

Guerilla queers show Joe Blue’s the color of their money
In a display of what might be called "social" disobedience, Richard Reams, organizer of Guerilla Queer Bar San Antonio, held the group’s October 12 "invasion" at Joe Blue’s, located in the Blue Star Arts Complex. This is the same Joe Blue’s where last month a young photographer’s work was booted out because the bar’s owner, Joe Villarreal, said it would attract a gay clientele.

Esperanza honors five activists as part 20th anniversary observance
On October 26 and 27, the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center celebrateed its 20th anniversary. As part of this observance, the Center presented "Todos Somos Ezperanza Community Service Awards" to five local activists.

November

GLBT Dems raise funds for Senate candidate Noriega
Democratic State Representative Rick Noriega of Houston, who is running to replace Republican U.S. Senator John Cornyn, spoke at a November 3 fundraiser held at the home of San Antonio activists Roberto Flores and Dan Graney. Approximately 65 GLBT Democrats and their allies attended the event where several thousand dollars were raised for Noriega’s campaign.

NBA reprimands Lakers’ coach over off-color remark made in S.A.
Los Angles Lakers coach Phil Jackson was reprimanded by the NBA, but not fined, and criticized by GLAAD, a national gay and lesbian group, because of an off-color remark he made November 13 after the Lakers lost to San Antonio.

Rumors link S.A. gay escort to Senator Lott’s resignation
A Washington DC-based Web site, says it learned that Mississippi Senator Trent Lott allegedly resigned because the public would soon learn of his involvement with a San Antonio gay escort.

December

Esperanza spearheads protest, lawsuit against new parade ordinance
Activists organized by the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center are speaking out against a new parade ordinance passed by the City Council on November 29 that critics say violates the First Amendment rights of citizens by charging groups who want to use city streets for protests or marches.

Ceremony honors friends, family taken by AIDS
Shortly after dark on December 1, the small parking lot at the San Antonio AIDS Foundation was awash in red light as about 75 people held flickering pens underneath trees strewn with crimson Christmas lights in recognition of World AIDS Day.

GLAAD receives $25,000 grant from San Antonio-based AT&T
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation announced that it was the recipient of a $25,000 grant from San Antonio-based AT&T. The grant was awarded to support GLAAD’s ongoing work to promote and ensure fair, accurate and inclusive representation of people and events in the media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.

San Antonio Year in Review: Honorable and Dishonorable Mentions