Honorable & Dishonorable Mentions | Year in the Life of Gay San Antonio

GLBT activists marched on the Alamo on May 26 in support of same sex marriage. (Photos by Antonia Padilla)

1) San Antonio elects a gay friendly mayor
The election of Julian Castro as Mayor of San Antonio has ushered in a new era of acceptance for GLBT citizens in our city. Not only did Castro seek the endorsement of the Stonewall Democrats, after he was elected he marched in the Gay Pride Parade as Grand Marshal. Speaking before a gay audience recently he said there were no "second class citizens" in San Antonio and he endorsed adding protections for transgender people into the city’s employment policy. (Click here for related story.)

2) The accidental killing of James Lee Whitehead by a policeman
In the early morning hours of Sunday, August 30, James Lee Whitehead (a.k.a. Niki Hunter) had just left the Saint and was walking along Ogden Street to his apartment down the street. At the corner of East Park he encountered three armed assailants who knocked him to the ground and began beating him. A policeman who arrived on the scene accidentally killed Whitehead when he shot at one of the assailants. (Click here for related story.)

3) An erroneous drug raid on the home of lesbian couple
Armed with a warrant based on an erroneous tip from an informant, a team comprised of nine San Antonio Police officers, three Leon Valley patrolmen and a drug-sniffing dog conducted an April 28 raid on the home of an innocent lesbian couple and found no evidence of wrongdoing. The women say they were left shaken and traumatized not only by the experience but also by the conduct of the police officers on the scene. On September 14 they filed a federal lawsuit against the nine officers involved in the raid. (Click here for related story.)

4) Two women arrested for kissing at Rolling Oaks Mall
Two 22-year-old women were arrested for trespassing and other charges on December 26 at Rolling Oaks Mall after a Bexar County Sheriff’s deputy on duty there ejected them because they had been kissing. The story, which was first reported by QSanAntonio.com on January 9, became a national news item with reports of the incident appearing in the New York Daily News, the Huffington Post, the Houston Chronicle and the San Antonio Express News among others. (Click here for related story.)

5) Lesbian beaten in front of her apartment
Adina Stewart was severely beaten and robbed outside her apartment on the near Northwest side during the early morning hours of November 8 while her partner watched helplessly as the assailant screamed out, "I’m gonna kill you." (Click here for related story.)

6) Adoptive gay couple charged in death of 3-year-old
A gay couple who adopted a 3-year-old girl was arrested in April in connection with her death — after falling down six stairs, they said. Matthew Oscar Aranda, 43, was charged with capital murder and his bond set at $250,000. His partner, 44-year-old Norberto Velasquez, was charged with injury to a child by omission. His bond was set at $100,000.

7) Out City Councilwoman elected in Live Oak
Last May, gay voters in San Antonio were disappointed when none of the three GLBT candidates running for City Council were elected to office. However, just a few miles up IH 35 North, the small city of Live Oak was making history when it elected a lesbian mom to their City Council. The election of Susan Kirschner, a 49-year-old registered nurse, came without any fanfare or media hype. (Click here for related story.)

8) Roberto Flores elected Chair of the Bexar County Democratic Party
A little bit of gay political history was made on December 15, when Roberto J. Flores, Co-chair of the Stonewall Democrats, was elected interim Chair of the Bexar County Democratic Party by members of that group’s Executive Committee. (Click here for related story.)

9) Three GLBT candidates run for City Council
This year’s City Council elections saw the emergence of three GLBT candidates. Chris Forbrich (a gay man) and Ruby Krebs (a transgender woman) challenged Mary Alice Cisneros for the District 1 seat. Former City Councilwoman Elena Guajardo (a lesbian) sought to unseat Justin Rodriguez in District 7. None of the GLBT candidates was victorious but their presence in these races gave the gay community increased visibility.

10) Activists march on the Alamo in support of gay marriage
Over 150 San Antonio GLBT activists marched from HemisFair Park to the Alamo where they unfurled a huge Rainbow Flag. The rally was one of over 100 held across the country on May 26 in response to the California Supreme Court’s decision to uphold Proposition 8 which bans same sex marriage in that state. (Click here for related story.)

More 2009 Year in Review

Honorable & Dishonorable Mentions | Year in the Life of Gay San Antonio