Honorable & Dishonorable Mentions | Top Ten GLBT New Stories

HRC sponsored a GLBT "Inaugural Ball" on January 20 in honor of Barack Obama's election.

JANUARY

Equality Texas, Stonewall Dems retract sponsorship of Inaugural event
Equality Texas and the Stonewall Democrats of San Antonio backed out of sponsoring a GLBT event they planned with HRC in San Antonio on Inauguration Day. The apparent reason for retracting their support is the participation of evangelical Pastor Rick Warren at the inauguration. HRC went forward with the event on January 20.

Clear Channel honored for supporting gay workers
Clear Channel Communications Inc. was the only San Antonio company recognized as one of the best places to work for gay and lesbian employees. The Human Rights Campaign Foundation listed the media company as one of 260 companies on its 2009 Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality report.

Elena Guajardo: Back on the stump
Elena Guajardo announced she would challenge incumbent Justin Rodriguez to retake the San Antonio City Council District 7 seat she held from 2005 to 2007.

Joe Straus becomes Texas House Speaker
Rep. Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, emerged as the presumptive successor to three-term Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick. Straus is a member of a gay-affirming synagogue where clergy officiate at same-sex weddings and where the senior rabbi is an outspoken supporter of marriage equality. However he voted in favor of placing a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage on the ballot in 2005.

Dustin Lance Black, who grew up in San Antonio, won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the move "Milk."

FEBRUARY

Screenwriter who grew up in S.A. wins Oscar
A gay screenwriter who lived in San Antonio until he was 13 years of age won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for "Milk." Dustin Lance Black mentioned his boyhood in San Antonio during his acceptance speech at the awards ceremony on February 22.

ACLU of Texas applauds S.A. high school gay-straight alliance
The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas praised officials at Churchill High School in San Antonio’s Northeast Independent School District for finally recognizing students’ right to form a Gay-Straight Alliance club on campus.

Activists observe National Freedom to Marry Week in front of courthouse
Three young men spent the entire day standing in front of the Bexar County Courthouse on February 12 as part of a national observance of National Freedom to Marry Week. One of them held a Rainbow flag the other two had signs, one of which read, "You say ‘I do’ yet, I can’t."

Forbrich challenges Cisneros’ insider status
Local community activist Chris Forbrich is a busy man these days. Aside from holding down a full-time job he is also running for City Council District 1, challenging incumbent Mary Alice Cisneros.

District 1 City Council candidate Ruby Krebs, at right in photo. (Photo by Antonia Padilla)

MARCH

Transgender candidate throws hat into San Antonio council race
The number of candidates running for San Antonio City Council District 1 went from two to three on March 9 when Ruby Krebs decided to throw her hat into the ring. Despite late filing and limited campaign resources, Krebs made local history. She was the first transgender woman to run for San Antonio City Council.

LGBT Chamber reaches one-year milestone
Members of the San Antonio LGBT Chamber of Commerce are celebrating the organization's first year anniversary. To mark this milestone, QSanAntonio sat down with Chamber President Darrell Parsons to discuss the group's achievements and plans for the future.

Stonewall Democrats endorse Julian Castro for Mayor
The Stonewall Democrats of San Antonio hosted 24 candidates running for San Antonio City Council in a three-hour forum held at Kenwood Community Center on March 29. About 75 people attended. Following the forum, which was open to the public, Stonewall members met in closed session to determine which candidates would receive endorsements.

San Antonio woman claims miracle altar, prays for gays
A San Antonio woman on the West Side along Simplicity Drive has an altar in her home. Evy Cheishvili says a miracle has occurred. She claims the wall with the altar is coated in some type oil and the room smells like flowers. Cheishvili also has an affinity for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community. She says God wants to protect them and let them know they, too, can serve God with a pure heart.

The San Antonio AIDS Foundation's Webb Party in April had the theme "Moulin Rouge."

APRIL

Bexar County Sheriff appoints GLBT liaison
Bexar County Sheriff Amadeo Ortiz appointed Deputy Ino Badillo as the agency’s liaison to the GLBT community. Badillo will work with activists in improving relations with the department and assist GLBT citizens with issues and complaints.

Workshop explores gender identity in communities of faith
Dr. Dawnne Woodie, the national executive director of the Outreach Program for Transgenders in Crisis, was the featured speaker at "Gender Identity and Our Faith Communities," a workshop presented in San Antonio by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation on April 18.

Focus on the Family in row with Express-News over rejected ad
Focus on the Family held a demonstration disguised as a news conference on at 2 p.m. on April 14 to confront the San Antonio Express-News over an ad the newspaper rejected for its Love Won Out Conference which was held in San Antonio on April 18. Love Won Out teaches that people can overcome their same-sex attractions through prayer and determination.

Cornyation kicks off with 'Flying Footwear'
There is probably nowhere else where the city manager (Sheryl Sculley) goes by the name of King Anchovy, dresses up as Superwoman and shares a stage with drag queens during raunchy spoofs of everything from an upcoming mayoral election to a raid on a polygamist ranch.

Roberto Flores, Dan Graney and Judge Barbara Nellermoe recieved awards from Equality Texas at the annual Spirit of Texas Bruch in May. (Photo by Antonia Padilla)

MAY

A long road to recognition for GSA at St. Mary’s University
Jessica M. Rodriguez, President of Unity and Support, the new gay-straight alliance at St. Mary’s University, chronicled the difficulties and extra requirements the group faced before it could become a recognized student organization.

Activists march on Alamo in support of same-sex 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.

San Antonio GLBT color guard celebrates 10-year anniversary
Since 1999, the color guard from the San Antonio chapter of the American Veterans for Equal Rights has marched in Pride parades around the state of Texas. As it marked it’s 10th anniversary its members reflected on a decade of service to the GLBT community.

Equality Texas honors San Antonio activists
QSanAntonio.com, May 2, 2009
Equality Texas announced that Roberto Flores and Dan Graney are the recipients of this year’s Becky Cross Anchor Award and Judge Barbara Nellermoe received the Advocate Award presented at the organization’s Spirit of Texas Brunch.

The San Antonio Diablos gay flag football team.

JUNE

S.A. Public Library observes Pride Month
The San Antonio Public Library announced plans to observe Gay Pride Month in June with a series of events planned at library branches around the city. Dubbed Pride@Your Library, the observance included panel discussions, readings and screenings of the movie "Milk." This is the first time the library has planned such a month-long program for the GLBT community.

Diablos bring gay flag football to San Antonio
A band of local athletes who first organized last year started San Antonio’s first and only gay flag football team. The Diablos now play in the San Antonio Flag Football League and the team attended the Gay Flag Football Super Bowl this October in Washington D.C.

Gay PrideFest highlights diversity
Despite some recent setbacks in an ongoing struggle for equality, the mood among participants at the PrideFest San Antonio in HemisFair Park on Saturday was largely one of hope and determination.

Hagee meets with GLBT activists at his S.A. church
Cornerstone Church pastor John Hagee agreed to meet with a delegation of GLBT activists after they attended a worship service at his church on June 28. The date is historically significant to organizers -- it’s the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in New York City, considered to be the start of the modern GLBT civil rights movement.

The San Antonio AIDS Foundation in July opened a transitional housing facility for homeless people with AIDS/HIV. The building is located on Carson Street.

JULY

Bible College students arrested outside Bonham Exchange
The registrar of the International Bible College in San Antonio confirmed that two men arrested on July 11 for verbal harassment in front of the Bonham Exchange are students at the school. Sulema King explained that Jeremy Hiltz, who graduated in May, and Todd Leibovitz, a fourth year student, were out preaching.

SAAF opens facility for homeless clients
The San Antonio AIDS Foundation completed the purchase of a two-story building that will serve as a transitional housing facility for homeless HIV/AIDS clients. The converted apartment house at 424 Carson St. is located one block south of SAAF’s main building on Grayson St.

San Antonio women attend Yale Campaign School
On July 14, 2009, 68 women from across the country and around the world converged at the Women's Campaign School at Yale University's Law School in New Haven, Connecticut. Women came from as far as the Sudan, Bosnia, Mexico, Afghanistan, and Slovakia. The group also included women from San Antonio.

Officer on trial over brawl with gay teen at swimming pool
Keith Alfaro, 37went on trial on misdemeanor counts of assault and evading and resisting arrest stemming from a July 22, 2007, confrontation with Tamara Vaughan. Vaughan told investigators she was pummeled and choked by the off-duty officer. Vaughan, who is black, also accused Alfaro of making a racial slur and disparaging remarks about her sexual orientation. Alfaro was eventually acquitted of the assault charges and found guilty of resisting arrest.

Members of the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, whose web site is named God Hates Fags.com, came to San Antonio August 7 through 9 for a series of pickets. (Photos by Lauryn Farris)

AUGUST

AIDS Quilt comes to San Antonio
Panels representing 96 Texans who died of AIDS, including some from San Antonio, were be the focus of the exhibit "Touching the Lives of Texans: The AIDS Memorial Quilt Comes to San Antonio" at the Institute of Texan Cultures starting August 15.

‘God Hates Fags’ church schedules three days of protests in S.A.
Members of the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, whose web site is named God Hates Fags.com, came to San Antonio August 7 through 9 for a series of pickets at churches, temples, the Bexar County Adult Detention Center, and at an athletic competition for Jewish youth.

LGBT Chamber partners with city to attract gay tourists
Speaking at a luncheon held on August 13, Darrell Parsons, President of the LGBT Chamber of Commerce said the organization has met with officials from the San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau to discuss the development of a web site to attract gay tourism to San Antonio.

Handicapped man assaulted in front of the Saint
A handicapped bar patron with multiple sclerosis was assaulted outside the Saint in the early morning hours of August 17 by a man who earlier was caught defacing a car parked in the bar’s lot.

Dr. David Lingle, the new Artistic Director of the Alamo City Men's Chorale

SEPTEMBER

Men’s Chorale welcomes new Artistic Director
The Board of Directors of the Alamo City Men’s Chorale announced that they hired Dr. David Lingle as the group’s Artistic Director. Lingle is a native of Northern Wisconsin and is currently Artistic Director of the Telluride (Colorado) Choral Society.

Activists conduct gay sensitivity training at SAPD Academy
Thirty-seven San Antonio Police Academy cadets were present on September 3 for a morning of sensitivity training conducted by local GLBT activists. The class is the latest in a series offered over the past two-and-a-half years at the Academy.

Mayor says there are no second class citizens in San Antonio
In an address before the Stonewall Democrats on September 21, Mayor Julian Castro said that there were no "second class" citizens in San Antonio. "San Antonio is a cosmopolitan city, a twenty-first century city. We welcome everybody."

MCC purchases land for new church complex
The Metropolitan Community Church of San Antonio signed the final paperwork on a plot of land located at 127 Rainbow Drive that will used to build a new church complex.

St. Mary’s University’s OUTlaws, a GLBT law students group, welcomed five local attorneys to an October 8 roundtable discussion about issues that affect the gay community.

OCTOBER

SAGA honored by social work organization
The San Antonio Gender Association was the recipient of the Paul Wellstone Award for Community Service by the Association for Applied and Clinical Sociology during its annual meeting being held in San Antonio on October 8 - 10.

Intern helps bring order to Happy Foundation archives
Melissa Gohlke, a graduate student at UTSA, has courageously volunteered to intern at the Happy Foundation Archives and work with founder Gene Elder in helping bring some organization to the collection.

St. Mary’s law school roundtable addresses GLBT issues
Members of St. Mary’s University’s OUTlaws, a GLBT law students group, welcomed five local attorneys to an October 8 roundtable discussion about issues that affect the gay community.

Masquerade ball marks new fundraising tradition in S.A.
Organizers of the second annual Miss Alexis Meridian’s Masquerade Ball say they are creating an event that will put San Antonio on the map as a Halloween destination and raise funds for two important non-profit organizations.

San Antonio activists held a candlelight vigil on November 22 to protest hate crimes against GLBT people. (Photos by Antonia Padilla)

NOVEMBER

Activists hold candlelight vigil for hate crime victims
San Antonio activists held a candlelight vigil on November 22 to protest hate crimes against GLBT people and to commemorate the lives of two gay teens that were murdered in recent days. The vigil, held in Crockett Park, was one of hundreds held in cities across the U.S. on that day.

HRC visits Congressman Rodriguez’ office
A group of activists from the San Antonio Chapter of the Human Rights Campaign and their allies visited Rep. Ciro Rodriguez's Northside office on November 17 to ask for his support for H 3017 the fully inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

Bexar cases of HIV, AIDS unchanged since last year
Half the Bexar County women who were exposed to HIV last year fell into the "not identified" category, meaning they did not know how they were exposed, said Cara Hausler, a Metropolitan Health District epidemiologist, during a World AIDS Day event.

Man killed after making sexual advances on suspect
A man arrested for murder told detectives he killed to stop the victim from making sexual advances towards him. According to an arrest warrant affidavit, 22-year-old Enrique Santos admitted to punching the man in his 50’s and hitting him several times in face with a rock.

Candles are lit at the World AIDS Day observance in San Antonio on December 1. (Photo by Antonia Padilla)

DECEMBER

Gay waiter says he was wrongly fired from Jim’s Coffee Shop
A gay man who worked as a waiter at Jim’s Coffee Shop on IH 35 and O’Connor says he was fired after he complained that one of the managers of that restaurant had improperly touched his partner on two occasions.

Gay couple claim illegal removal from square dance association
A San Antonio gay couple, elected as officers of the Alamo Area Square and Round Dance Association, say they were illegally removed from the organization’s Executive Board last June.

Resident brings joyful touch to SAAF’s holiday decor
When the San Antonio AIDS Foundation decided to deck the halls for the holidays they got an unexpected surprise when a resident of their transitional housing facility stepped in with a series of witty and original designs.

Bexar Dems are missing $200,000
Calling it a "terrible day for Democrats," the outgoing chairwoman of the Bexar County Democratic Party said December 17 that the party's treasurer siphoned $202,000 from one bank account and left another in the red.

More 2009 Year in Review

Honorable & Dishonorable Mentions | Top Ten GLBT New Stories