Honorable & Dishonorable Mentions | Top Ten GLBT New Stories

Politicians speaking at the Stonewall Democrats of San Antonio endorsement meeting on January 27, 2008.

JANUARY

Gay strip club opens on far North Side
A new North side nightclub that bills itself as "San Antonio’s first all-gay strip club" had its grand opening on January 18. The club, Encounters, located on Naco Perrin Blvd features strippers of both sexes.

Scene in SA magazine ridicules SA Current for gay issue
Scene in SA, a magazine that bills itself as the "San Antonio City Magazine Since 1999" mockingly called the San Antonio Current, a weekly alternative newspaper, "powerfully stupid" for having published a GLBT-theme issue in October 2007. Scene in SA is the same magazine that three years ago fired a transgendered staff photographer.

S.A. Stonewall Democrats endorse Clinton
On January 27, the members of Stonewall Democrats of San Antonio voted to endorse Hillary Clinton for President in preparation for the March 4 Texas Democratic Primary.

San Antonio activist’s needle plan touched a nerve
A San Antonio lay chaplain faced jail time for handing out clean syringes to drug addicts to curtail the spread of HIV. San Antonio police officer Oscar Flores cited Bill Day, the 73-year-old co-founder of the nonprofit group Bexar Area Harm Reduction Coalition, along with two board members, on a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia — a Class C misdemeanor.

FEBRUARY

Federal judge rules city’s parade ordinance unconstitutional
Federal District Court Judge Xavier Rodriguez found San Antonio’s recently enacted parade ordinance to be unconstitutional and has issued a preliminary injunction against its enforcement. The International Woman’s Day Planning Committee and the San Antonio Free Speech Coalition, organized under the auspices of the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, are the plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit.

San Antonio high school clamps down on student journalist
Clark High School Principal Stan Laing pulled a newspaper article by 16-year-old Matthew Garcia, who wrote about being homosexual. Garcia included offensive names that he had been called at school. Laing said the inappropriate language and the fact that the student might become a target of violence prompted him to put the cut the story from publication.

Obama in San Antonio
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama brought his message of change to Plaza Guadalupe in the heart of San Antonio’s Latino barrio on February 19. The crowd of over 4,000 representing every demographic in the city began lining up early in the morning for the 2:00 Town Hall meeting.

Gov. Perry in S.A. promotes book with anti-gay views
Despite Equality Texas and Atticus Circle’s protest of his book, Gov. Rick Perry enjoyed a strong turnout in San Antonio for support of his first tome, "On My Honor: Why the American Values of the Boy Scouts Are Worth Fighting For." The protest against Perry and his book was in response to comments he made, saying that allowing gays in the Boy Scouts would promote "sex."

MARCH

TWT becomes Gab Weekly
This Week in Texas the locally published, glossy gay bar magazine has morphed into a new publication called Gab Weekly. The content of the new magazine differs very little from its previous version. However, one could say that an attempt has been made to create a younger and more contemporary point of view.

Hillary in San Antonio
Hillary Clinton made her second appearance in San Antonio on February 29 at Hemisfair Park. The crowd of over 2,000 supporters was warmed up by the Tejano band La Mafia and by numerous Hispanic politicians.

HRC bowling event a perfect score
The Human Rights Campaign San Antonio chapter’s "Bowling for Equality" fundraiser attracted 100 participants to the Bandera Bowl Funplex on March 15 for an afternoon of ten-pin sports augmented with pizza and beer.

Doors open to GLBT community at Planned Parenthood of S.A.
Jeffrey Hons, the president and CEO of the Planned Parenthood Trust of San Antonio and South Central Texas, said that the wants the GLBT community to know that Planned Parenthood offers health services to women and men who are straight and gay.

The gayest spot during the Battle of Flowers Parade in April was the corner of Blum Street and Alamo Plaza.

APRIL

Taco Cabana backs out of catering for Gay Chamber meeting
Organizers for the inaugural meeting for the San Antonio Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce revealed that Taco Cabana backed out of catering lunch for the April 5th event after they learned that it was a GLBT gathering.

SAPD outreach includes recruiting gays, minorities
The San Antonio Police Department launched an outreach program to recruit more minorities including blacks, Asians and gays. The effort began on Saturday, April 12 with a San Antonio Police Career Fair to be held at the Police Academy.

WEBB Party with a samba beat
Over 2000 Fiesta revelers descended on the San Antonio Museum of Art for the San Antonio AIDS Foundation’s 17th annual WEBB Party. The crowd enjoyed entertainment on four stages and sampled cuisine from over 26 local restaurants.

Guajardo stumps for Clinton in Philadelphia
QSanAntonio received an early morning phone call on April 19 from former City Councilwoman Elena Guajardo to tell us she was in Philadelphia block walking in Hispanic neighborhoods for presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

MAY

Assistant SAPD Chief addresses Stonewall Dems
Newly appointed Assistant Police Chief Geraldine Garcia addressed the members of the Stonewall Democrats of San Antonio at their monthly meeting on May 19. Her appearance comes on the heels of her promotion in April, making her the first woman to hold such a high rank in the San Antonio Police Department.

Local student sent home over Day of Silence protest
Ginger Yachinich, a sophomore at Wagner High in Judson Independent School District, was sent home for keeping her mouth shut. Yachinich was participating in the Day of Silence, a national effort to protest bullying of gay students.

Lesbian couple looks for welcoming church
San Antonio mom Della Nagle thought it would be a simple task: Go to some of the nation's largest churches, visit with members and prove to them that she and her wife can be part of a Christian family, too. But with the first church visit in Houston, Nagle and her lesbian partner, Ruth Pinkham, whom she married in Canada, faced a rude awakening.

Equality Texas in S.A. for Spirit of Texas Brunch
Over 200 San Antonians were present at the Equality Texas Spirit of Texas Brunch. The annual champagne brunch honored local activists and raises funds for Equality Texas and the Equality Texas Foundation.

JUNE

San Antonio politicians snub Pride Parade
Phillip Barcena, President of Gay Pride San Antonio said he had very little luck securing participation from local politicians. Office holders, including some who asked for the gay vote, are telling Barcena that they are too busy or have not replied when invited to march in the annual Gay Pride Parade.

Gay Pride interfaith service spans beliefs
Jews, Unitarians, Buddhists, those who believe in a goddess and Catholics came to the Beacon Hill Presbyterian Church to share their faiths, and their support for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community of San Antonio.

Pridefest 2008 kicks off city’s Pride oberservances
The blistering heat of a near 100-degree day did not wilt the enthusiasm of thousands who came to Hemisfair Park to celebrate PrideFest 2008. There were over 40 booths sponsored by clubs and organizations, including one booth for Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama.

Stallions bring gay flag football to S.A.
If everything goes according to plan, the Stallions will develop over the next year, honing their skills against various local flag-football teams, and make their bid in 2009 to join the seven-on-seven, national gay league and compete at Gay Bowl IX.

Retired Marine Sergeant and San Antonio native Eric Alva testified at a congressional hearing in July on the U.S. military’s "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy.

JULY

Congressman Charlie Gonzales joins Pride Parade
Going where members of the San Antonio City Council feared to tread, U.S. Congressman Charles A. Gonzalez rode in a red convertible in the Gay Pride San Antonio Parade on July 5. Congressman Gonzales will join State Senator Leticia Van De Putte, Judge Monica Guerrero, and Dr. Fernando A. Guerra, Director of Health at the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District.

S.A. GLBT Chamber and Rainbow Pages celebrate kickoff
Over 300 people came to Luther’s Cafe on July 10 for a double celebration of two new community institutions. The big party marked the distribution of the inaugural edition of the Gay and Lesbian Rainbow Pages and the introduction of the Board of Directors and Advisory Board of San Antonio’s new Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.

Murdered drag performer is mourned
Under gray skies Thursday, about 200 members of Adrian Clay's family — biological and from the drag community — stood side-by-side at Meadowlawn Memorial Park to mourn his death last week. Clay, a flashy female impersonator who loved to sing Whitney Houston songs, was stabbed about 19 times June 27 after leaving one of his favorite gay bars, The Boss.

S.A. Unitarians hold vigil after Tennessee shooting
Parishioners from San Antonio’s two Unitarian Universalist churches held a candlelight vigil on in support of its denominational sister church in Tennessee, where a gunman killed two and injured six others in an attack that was prompted because of the church’s liberal beliefs, including its acceptance of gays.

AUGUST

East Side church backs off on name change for Gay Boulevard
The Second Baptist Church in San Antonio backed off on its request to the City Council to change the name of Gay Boulevard, a street which runs adjacent to the church’s property at 3310 E. Commerce, to Second Baptist Way.

Play explores Williams’ relationship with Latino Texan
"Rancho Pancho," new play by San Antonian Gregg Barrios, explored the short-lived but intense relationship between famed playwright Tennessee Williams and Pancho Rodriguez, a Mexican American man from Crystal City, Texas. The production was staged by the Classic Theater Company Jump-Start Theater.

Chairman of Texas Democratic Party speaks at Stonewall meeting
Boyd Richie, Chairman of the Texas Democratic Party, spoke to just over 100 people at the August 18 meeting of the Stonewall Democrats of San Antonio. About 20 of those in attendance were incumbents or candidates for office.

SEPTEMBER

H-E-B scores 40 out of 100 on HRC Equality Index
H-E-B, the retail grocery giant based in San Antonio, received a score of 40 out of 100 in the 2009 Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index. This is the second year in a row that the grocer has received the same score. Despite the low rating, QSanAntonio learned that H-E-B does have policies in place that address issues of equality for gay, lesbian and bisexual employees.

Clear Channel earns high score for gay and lesbian employee policies
For the third consecutive year, Clear Channel Communications Inc. has earned a perfect score of 100 percent on the Human Rights Campaign 2009 Corporate Equality Index for its policies relating to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees and business partners.

Biggest Walk for Life ever
Organizers at the San Antonio AIDS Foundation enthusiastically announced that their Walk for Life on Saturday, September 27 was the biggest ever in terms of participation and donations. SAAF Executive Director David Ewell said the event netted $62,000.

Gay Pride S.A. distributes $12,000 to local non-profits
Organizers of the Gay Pride San Antonio Block Party and Parade distributed $2,000 to each of six local GLBT non-profit organizations. The disbursements were presented at a special party on August 27 at the Saint. The funds disbursed were more than double what Gay Pride S.A. awarded last year.

Honorees at the Human Rights Campaign Gala and Silent Auction in October.

OCTOBER

S.A. Gender Association has peaceful presence at HRC gala
Organizers from the San Antonio Gender Association set up an information table at the Human Rights Campaign’s Annual Gala and Silent Auction on October 25 and distributed information regarding transgender issues to those attending the event.

Ciro Rodriguez non-committal when questioned on "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell"
Speaking before the Stonewall Democrats of San Antonio’s monthly meeting on October 20, Democratic Congressman Ciro Rodriguez (TX-23rd District) was caught speechless when questioned about his failure to sign on as a co-sponsor the Military Readiness Enhancement Act that seeks to repeal the anti-gay policy of "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell."

Club Venom opens in Tobin Hill
Owner Sam Mizyed, a former San Francisco Police Department patrol officer turned real-estate broker is determined to turn around the rough image of this locale with his new, straight-friendly alternative dance club and bar catering to the gay, lesbian and transgender crowd on North St. Mary’s Street.

NOVEMBER

Bittersweet election results for GLBT community
Gay voters all across the San Antonio are rejoicing over the election of Democrat Barack Obama as the first African-American President of the United States and the election of increased Democratic majorities in the United States Senate and House of Representatives.

Forbrich announces run for District 1 seat
Local community activist Chris Forbrich announced that he is running for City Council District 1, challenging the current incumbent Mary Alice Cisneros. Forbrich is a graduate of the University of Texas at San Antonio and a computer consultant. He is also on the board of the Stonewall Democrats of San Antonio and a member of the Human Rights Campaign.

Lawyer slams City Manager on job protection for gay city employees
Robert J. Bozelli, an attorney who practices law in Dripping Springs, Texas, blasted City Manager Sheryl Sculley for a change made to the City of San Antonio’s anti-harassment and discrimination policy that now includes sexual orientation as a protected classification.

World AIDS Day observed in S.A.
San Antonio, like the rest of the world, observed World AIDS Day on December 1 with events marked by remembrance, awareness and at least three candlelight vigils.

December

Syringe exchange advocates optimistic
Thwarted in their attempt to launch the state's first legal syringe-exchange program in Bexar County earlier this year, AIDS advocates and others said they were optimistic a statewide exchange program had enough support to pass in the next legislative session.

Catholic college starts gay-straight alliance
The University of the Incarnate Word became the second Catholic university in San Antonio to sanction a gay-straight alliance (GSA) as an official student organization. Two years ago, Our Lady of the Lake University stirred up controversy when it became the first in the city to permit a GSA.

Another Conservation Society grant for Bonham Exchange building
QSanAntonio.com, December 13
The San Antonio Conservation Society awarded a $5,000 grant to the owner of the Bonham Exchange to repair the facade of the historic building it occupies near the north wall of the Alamo. This grant comes on the heels of a similar award for $10,000 that was given last year to help rehab the building which is on the National Historic Register.

Guajardo aims to regain District 7 seat
Elena Guajardo, the only one of five City Council members to lose her re-election bid in 2007, is now the challenger looking to unseat incumbent Justin Rodriguez.

More 2008 Year in Review

Honorable & Dishonorable Mentions | Top Ten GLBT New Stories