Scene in SA magazine ridicules SA Current for gay issue

Number of S.A. same-sex couples increases 63% over six years

MCC installs Rev. Mick Hinson

Photos nixed after bar owner says they attract gay clientele

QSanAntonio exclusive -- Interview with Eric Alva

MCC S.A. welcomes Rev. Mick Hinson

UTSA "homosexual" debate was a study in contrasts

Bexar County same sex adoption held legal after lesbian couple splits

Gay S.A. businessman receives plaque on Riverwalk

After election victory, Guerrero thankful for GLBT support

After hyped-up promos, KENS offers balanced gay adoption report

S.A. City Manager addresses the Stonewall Democrats

Gay population of metropolitan S.A. estimated to be 46,188

Councilwoman Guajardo cites first year's accomplishments

Left: The cover of the San Antonio Current's gay issue which was published on October 10, 2007. Right: A critical jab that characterizes the Current's efforts as "Powerfully Stupid" published in the January issue of Scene in SA magazine.

Scene in SA magazine ridicules SA Current for gay issue
QSanAntonio, January 17, 2008

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 last October. The item was published in Scene in SA’s January edition that features the "best and worst" of San Antonio. Scene in SA is the same magazine that three years ago fired a transgendered staff photographer.

The item criticizing the San Antonio Current appears on page 22 of Scene in SA’s January issue as part of a seven-page feature titled "The Best & Worst of 2007." It reads as follows:

Powerfully Stupid
The Current, for devoting a whole issue to gay, bi, and lesbian "power"-- undermining their cause by being "trendy" and in-your-face, going so far as putting a Superman with a gay shirt symbol on the cover.

"I had to chuckle, because it's so back ass-wards," Elaine Wolff, editor of the San Antonio Current, told QSanAntonio in reaction to the item. "You gotta love ‘journalists’ who refer to civil-rights issues as ‘trendy.’ It reads more like self-loathing fear to me --you know, don't make too much of a scene or there will be a backlash -- that kind of mentality."

The San Antonio Current’s annual gay issue was published on October 10, 2007. The theme was "Up, Up, and Out: A Salute to San Antonio’s LGBT Superheroes!" Topics covered in the special issue included the exclusion of transgendered people from the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act, the problems of same-sex couples when one person is an immigrant, a retrospective of the Esperanza lawsuit, and a look at families with same-sex parents.

"The item in Scene in SA is disturbing because it seeks to ridicule a publication that supports our issues," says Sam Sanchez, publisher of QSanAntonio.com. "The Current’s GLBT issue is an annual event and not a ‘trendy’ attempt to grab the limelight. Besides that, civil rights and equality for all of our city's citizens is no laughing matter."

John Ziller, the publisher of Scene in SA, did not respond to an email from QSanAntonio asking if he would like to clarify why the item was published in his magazine. However, Cynthia Leal Massey, editor-at-large of Scene in SA, sent the following email:

"Our former managing editor submitted the entry you are referring to. She is in her mid-twenties, hip and by no means homophobic. She thought the Current's treatment of the gay community was demeaning, particularly their use of the cartoon Superman with the pink triangle on the cover. Considering your statement, "Civil rights and equality for all of our city's citizens is no laughing matter," we are surprised you could not see that that is exactly how the Current treated gays on their cover as cartoonish characters, rather than real people. In any event, we apologize for any offense to you or your readers; it was unintentional."

This is not the first time that Scene in SA has come up on San Antonio’s GLBT radar. In January 2005, Ziller fired photographer Antonia Padilla, a transgendered woman, shortly after she transitioned from male to female. Padilla was a staff photographer at the magazine for three years with her name featured on the masthead.

Padilla, now a freelance photographer who is on the board of directors of the Stonewall Democrats of San Antonio, told QSanAntonio, "John Ziller said I was fired because I made everyone at the magazine uncomfortable."

Scene in SA is published by Scene Monthly LLC, located at 900 N.E. Loop 410. It’s Web site address is: www.scenepublications.com.

Number of S.A. same-sex couples increases 63% over six years
QSanAntonio, November 5

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%. This increase is significant considering that during this same period the population of San Antonio increased by only 11%.

San Antonio same sex couples registered the second highest increase among the 50 largest cities in the U.S., outpacing the national average of 31% and the 24% increase for the state of Texas.

The study, "Geographic Trends Among Same-Sex Couples in the U.S. Census and the American Community Survey," was authored by Gary J. Gates and released by The Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law. Much of the analyses in the study explore the changes in the geographic distribution of same-sex couples at three points in time: 1990, 2000 and 2006.

The statistics in the study show that in the year 2000 San Antonio recorded 2,278 same sex couples. In 2006, that number increased to 3,717. Last year, a similar study by the Williams Institute showed that San Antonio had the largest percentage per capita in the U.S. of same sex couples raising children.

Overall, the study concluded that nationally the number of same sex couples had quadrupled. The study’s author attributes the increase to the fact that more gays and lesbians are coming out and becoming more comfortable with being identified as a couple. The largest increases were registered in New Mexico, Colorado and Utah.

In ironic twist, the study concluded that some of the greatest increases were registered in socially conservative areas of the country and in states barring legal acceptance of same sex couples.

Rev. Elder Troy Perry presides over the Communion service at Rev. Mick Hinson’s installation at MCC S.A. Rev. Elder Darleen Gardner presided over the ceremony. Rev. Illene Dunne, pastor of the Madison Square Presbyterian Church, participated in the installation service.

Rev Mick Hinson, standing next to his son Dexter, receives the Gifts of Ministry from the Pastoral Search Team. These items were his robe, stole, Bible, Communion ware, water, oil, denominational and local by-laws and the keys to the church. Clergy participating in the installation ceremony stand with Rev. Hinson at the front of the sanctuary in preparation for the Communion service.

MCC installs Rev. Mick Hinson
QSanAntonio, November 4, 2007

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. The service was officiated by Rev. Elder Darlene Gardner, MCC’s Region 6 Elder. MCC founder, the Rev. Elder Troy Perry, also participated in the cermony. Rev. Hinson is the fourth pastor in MCC S.A.’s 28-year history. The church remains a vital entity and a central partner to organizations, religious and otherwise, throughout San Antonio’s GLBT community.

Photos nixed after bar owner says they attract gay clientele
QSanAntonio, September 14, 2007

Four images by photographer Marc L. Arevalo that were scheduled to be exhibited at Joe Blue's, a bar located in the Blue Star Arts Complex, were removed after the owner of that establishment said they would attract a gay clientele. Joey Villarreal, the proprietor of Joe’s Blues, told Arevalo that the photos had to be taken down because the people in the pictures looked like drag queens. Villarreal is also owner of the Blue Star Brewery and Joey’s on North St. Mary’s.

On the afternoon of Friday, September 7, Arevalo and his friend Lili Pena Dyeer, a curator at Arbor Art House, stopped by Joe Blue’s to put up the photos, which were to be exhibited as part of Fotoseptiembre month in San Antonio. "We were about to hang the last photo when Villarreal came in," says Arevalo. "He took one look at them and told me he didn’t think they were appropriate."

Arevalo says that Villarreal explained that a few years back he had a problem when a "bunch of drag queens" started hanging out at Joey’s, one of his other establishments. Villarreal told Arevalo that word got around and a lot of gay people started patronizing the bar and that it took him a while to get them to stop coming.

Arevalo, a 2005 Fine Arts graduate from UTSA, told QSanAntonio that he had been invited to display the photos by Dayna DeHoyos of the Stella Haus Art Gallery who curates the artwork displayed at Joe Blue’s. DeHoyos is one of the models in the photographs along with Ryan Leighton Whittington, Arevalo’s boyfriend and director of the Red Square Gallery Project on South St. Mary’s.

The four photographs depict DeHoyos and Whittington dressed in a combination of modern and Victorian clothing against the backdrop of a concrete wall in an abandoned warehouse. Both are wearing a white pancake makeup and a light lip color emulating the style of the Victorian period. None of the photos contain overt sexual content.

Whittington says that he's puzzled as to why a bar owner in the Blue Star Arts Complex would vocally object to gays. "Anyone who’s been to Blue Star knows that 50 percent of the people there are gay, it is part of the art scene after all. So you can imagine how many gay people have unknowingly spent thousands of dollars at the Brewery and Joe Blue’s."

In a posting about the incident on the San Antonio Current’s blog, editor Elaine Wolff reports that Villarreal said, "I don't choose to do 'sports bar.' I don't choose to do Country & Western bar.' (Arevalo’s work) might give an impression that we cater mostly to homosexuals." The posting also quotes Villarreal saying, "If I didn't like that, I wouldn't be in this area. I want anybody to come in. I don't care what your sexual preference is, period."

Arevalo says the situation proved very embarrassing to him since Villarreal’s comments were made in front of Joe Blue’s clientele and staff. "I was shocked and blown away. My friends and I have spent a lot of money in Joe Blue’s over the years. I guess we’re just not valued and respected as customers."

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. Last summer, Darrell Parsons, Alva’s partner, urged him to come out and speak up for gay soldiers who risk their lives to bring freedom to others. Alva used to be an avid runner but since his injuries he has taken up scuba diving.

QSanAntonio exclusive -- Interview with Eric Alva
The first U.S. soldier wounded in the Iraq War
By Toby Johnson, QSanAntonio, March 9, 2007

Toby Johnson: Eric, in 2003 you were hailed as an American hero. Now you've made the news again, this time as a spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign. I'm sure fellow gay San Antonians are proud of you and are interested in how you're faring with your injuries.

Eric Alva: I was a marathon runner back in 1995. But my left leg was broken badly in the explosion and has never been the same since. So, even though I have a running prosthesis, I’ve retired from that sport and taken up swimming. I’m an avid scuba diver now.

Coming home to San Antonio was a blessing. The city welcomed me home with open arms. And now for a second time, they are doing it again it seems.

TJ: Do you have any memories of growing up in San Antonio?

EA: I actually grew up out by 1604 and Hwy 90, and attended Southwest High School. In the 1980's there was nothing out that way, and look at it now. Every time I came home to visit there was something new. Amazing how this city has grown. They were working on the freeways back then too (laughing).

TJ: What inspired you to join the Marines?

EA: My grandfather was a WWII veteran and my dad a Vietnam veteran. I always knew I wanted to follow in their footsteps. After high school though I was told to go to college. I did and it did not work out. All along I knew I wanted a career in the Marine Corps. So in 1990, I was the first of my family to join the Corps. Most of my family had been Army or Navy. Guess I had to be different (grinning).

TJ: I guess you were different! Did you know you were gay when you joined?

EA: I had an idea, but it was something I was not acting on at the time because getting into the military was my priority. It definitely was something I discovered in the military. I was growing in age and maturity, at the same time I was lonely, and I realized what was missing was me enjoying the life as a gay man.

I started to go to gay clubs in San Diego and I observed all the short haircuts like mine there. I knew then there were people like me in the military. I even had the opportunity to form some friendships. You kind of knew who was gay because they possessed the same traits as you. For example always going to gatherings alone, never talking about women, just sending those signals.

TJ: Do you think your gayness had any influence in your acting heroically?

EA: My being gay was a personal characteristic of who I was. The decorated service I preformed for 13 years was also a part of who I was. I was like any other person serving his or her country, and doing the best job possible. It did not matter if I was gay or straight, I was serving proudly.

TJ: Are gay soldiers problems in the service? Or good examples of generous, well-behaved, right-minded soldiers?

EA: Most people have focused on the idea that gay men and women would affect unit cohesion or disrupt the discipline of the Armed Forces, but I strongly disagree. People thought the same thing when black troops were integrated with white troops, but the military went on to function well.

How ironic it is that the one organization that protects the blanket of freedom for all the rights and privileges in this country is the first to discriminate against American men and women just for being gay. Gay men and women have served this country for hundreds of years, and now is the time to let them be judged for who they are—strong men and women who are willing to sacrifice everything. I applaud them everyday.

I want to thank the Human Rights Campaign for giving me this opportunity to tell my story, and I want to thank the city of San Antonio for welcoming me home a second time. Coming home from Washington D.C. last week, to all the positive responses, has made me more grateful and blessed to be alive. I especially want to thank my partner Darrell. He was the true foundation of what has started to be a positive journey, not just for the GLBT community but all people who are oppressed in this world.

(Toby Johnson’s most recent book, "Charmed Lives: Gay Spirit in Storytelling," which includes three stories by San Antonio writers, has been nominated for a Lambda Literary Award.)

The San Antonio Metropolitan Community Church's new pastor Rev. Mick Hinson was most recently the pastor of MCC Charlotte, North Carolina. He and his partner, Gene Hinson (left in photo) have two adopted children.

MCC S.A. welcomes Rev. Mick Hinson as their new pastor
QSanAntonio, March 10, 2007

Parishioners at the Metropolitan Community Church of San Antonio officially welcomed their new pastor, Rev. Mick Hinson, with a special celebration following his first service at the church on Sunday, March 11. Hinson comes to San Antonio after spending 8 years at the MCC Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The congregation also got a chance to meet Hinson’s family that includes Gene Hinson, his partner of 14 years, their 9-year-old son Dexter and their 4-year-old daughter Kheeda. Rev Hinson and his family arrived in San Antonio in late February and have been busy unpacking, settling into their home on the Northwest side and getting the kids into school.

"I feel and believe that God wants us in San Antonio," says Hinson. "We are so excited about being here, meeting new people, and doing ministry in new ways! The positive energy is so crisp and vibrant it is amazing to watch God work in it."

Hinson is a native of Alabama. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Huntingdon College in Alabama and a Masters of Divinity from Duke Divinity School. He completed his Residency year at the Advanced Level in Clinical Pastoral Education at Duke University Medical Center and received the P. Wesley Aitken Pastoral Care Award for Excellence in Pastoral Care.

According to his biography on the Charlotte MCC Web site, in 1985, during his days in the seminary, Hinson, then married to a wife of two years, came out as a gay man. He discovered MCC and it became a place for him to "ask the vital questions and to understand God in a new and amazing way." Hinson, then a member of the United Methodist Church, began the process of becoming clergy within the MCC.

In 1987, Hinson founded and was pastor of MCC Augusta, Georgia for two years. This was followed by two years of training at St. Mary's MCC in Greensboro, North Carolina. Then he was pastor of MCC Greenville, South Carolina for six years. In July 1998, he became pastor of MCC Charlotte where during his tenure the church purchased a new facility and membership increased from 150 to over 250.

In an interview with QNotes, a North Carolina GLBT publication, Hinson says that the time he spent in Charlotte was rewarding but that both he and his partner Gene felt it was time to make a change. "I had been doing some praying and I felt I had done what I could do here, so I asked God to tell me if I should move on" he told QNotes. "Just as I am going on to MCC San Antonio, I know that God has someone special for Charlotte. That church helped me grow as an individual. It’s been a wonderful gift."

Hinson's first sermon in San Antonio had the theme of ‘New Beginnings.’ "Just as I know God was in the process of bringing my family and me to San Antonio, I know that God is in the process of making all things new," he says. "New beginnings! Yes! I invite everyone to come to MCC San Antonio and witness the mighty, awesome, wonderful, and phenomenal blessings that only Jesus can give."

San Antonio gay activist Chris Forbrich (photo left) debated the pro-gay point of view. Steve Perumalla (left in center photo), the Director of World Center Campus Ministries, with Jason Matera who defended the Christian side. A pro-gay activist (photo right) stood outside of Retama Hall with a sign that read, "Is There a Dark Side to the Conservative Christian Agenda? Yes."

UTSA "homosexual" debate was a study in contrasts
QSanAntonio, March 1, 2007

The debate, "Is There a Dark Side to the Homosexual Agenda?" held on February 28 at the University of Texas at San Antonio offered a slice-of-life sample of the stark contrasts that separate both sides of the issue. In substance and in style, the debaters, Jason Matera (the Christian) and Chris Forbrich (the gay activist), were as different as day and night.

The event, which was organized and sponsored by World Center Campus Ministries, a Christian group affiliated with the World Center Christian Ministries of San Antonio, attracted about 200 people to the Retama Auditorium at the UTSA University Center. Alpha Lambda Tau, an alternative fraternity for gay, bisexual and transgendered males and the College Democrats at UTSA served as co-sponsors for the event. The moderator for the debate was Jack Ricardi, a talk show host from KTSA Radio.

Matera is a New Yorker who has represented the views of young conservatives on televisions programs like Hannity & Colmes, Fox & Friends, Hardball and Washington Journal. Forbich, a native of San Antonio, is a UTSA graduate and founder of ALT, the alternative fraternity on UTSA’s campus. He is also a member of the Human Rights Campaign Steering Committee and is a past student body Treasurer at UTSA.

Both young men held their own throughout the debate but their oratorical skills belied their inexperience with this type of forum. On a couple of occasions, each managed to paint themselves into ideological corners. In terms of personal style, Matera was aggressive and hyperactive, flailing his arms for emphasis, with his voice often cracking. Forbrich maintained a calm demeanor and controlled tone of voice. He seemed to remain unshaken by Matera’s barbs.

The debate broke no new ground in terms of issues and arguments. Matera employed the standard conservative script that one hears almost daily on cable news talk shows: marriage is for one man and one woman; there is no gay gene; heterosexuals are more monogamous; heterosexuals are better parents. Matera also cited a lot of "statistics" with shaky credentials.

Forbich responded to many of Matera’s frequent attacks by using his life and personal experiences to defend the GLBT point of view. "When I wake up, I’m gay. It doesn’t go away," he told Matera in response to his comment that being gay is a behavior that can be changed. This elicited a long and sustained round of applause from the gay-friendly members of the audience.

Both speakers are to be congratulated for their efforts. This is the kind of healthy discussion that should take place on a college campus, especially one in a socially conservative town like San Antonio. It’s probably a good thing that no clear winner can be declared in this particular contest. The winners here are the students, the community and the city at large.

Judge Ken Anderson, Texas Court of Appeals, Third District

Bexar County same sex adoption held legal after lesbian couple splits
QSanAntonio, January 24, 2007

Judge Ken Anderson of the Texas Court of Appeals Third District ruled on January 19 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. The opinion may bring a sense of relief to local GLBT families, easing the fear that an acrimonious split might void the legal status of same sex adoptive parents.

In March 2001, Elizabeth Goodson and Adelina Castellanos, a lesbian couple who lived together since 1997, filed a joint petition to adopt a child in Bexar County. The child, originally from Kazakhstan and initially adopted there by Goodson, had lived with the couple as a family since September 2000. A Bexar County district court granted the adoption and the decree specified that a parent-child relationship existed between the child and Goodson and the child and Castellanos.

One year after the adoption, in April 2002, Goodson and Castellano’s relationship ended. Castellanos filed a suit in district court that resulted in her being appointed sole managing conservator for the child. In addition, the district court ordered Goodson to make monthly child support payments, to make health insurance payments on behalf of the child, to pay the legal fees incurred by the trail and to pay the fees of the court-appointed attorney who pled Castellanos’ case.

Goodson decided to appeal the judgement of the district court. In her appeal, Goodson brought up several issues, foremost among them that Bexar County courts could not legally grant adoptions to same sex couples, thus denying Castellanos of her legal status as a parent.

Judge Anderson disagreed with the arguments Goodson’s attorney used to rationalize voiding the adoption. In the opinion Judge Anderson wrote that "the district court was not deprived of subject matter jurisdiction over the adoption or deprived of the jurisdiction to enter the adoption decree at issue in this case." He also indicated that there is no direct statement of public policy in the family code or the state constitution prohibiting the adoption of a child by two individuals of the same sex.

Perhaps the Judge’s most telling rationale in ruling on this case came in some of his final comments on the legality of the adoption:

". . . in arguing that the adoption is void, Goodson would have us ignore her role in the adoption of (the child) by Castellanos. Goodson and Castellanos together hired a lawyer for the purpose of making Castellanos a co-equal legal parent of (the child) and filed a joint petition for the adoption of (the child). Importantly, (the child) regards both Goodson and Castellanos as his parents, and the three of them lived as a family for years. It would be inequitable and unconscionable to allow Goodson to invoke the jurisdiction of a court for the sole purpose of creating a parent-child relationship between Castellanos and (the child) and then subsequently allow her to destroy that same relationship because her relationship with Castellanos had ended."

In reviewing the details of the opinion, local attorney William F. Goodman told QSanAntonio that one caution with this case is that this ruling is the law in the Third District of Texas, and although persuasive, might not have to be followed in other parts of the state.

"If Goodson appeals this, or if a conflict arises in one of the other districts and therefore gets appealed, the Texas Supreme Court could take an entirely different view," Goodman explains. "Also, the Legislature might take this up as a cause and rewrite the laws altogether. The case is good news from that particular battleground, but the war is far from over."

Gay S.A. businessman receives plaque on Riverwalk
QSanAntonio, December 2, 2006

The San Antonio Hotel and Lodging Association unveiled a plaque on December 4 dedicated to the late Arthur P. "Hap" Veltman a gay businessman who helped develop the Blue Star Arts Complex, owned the Bonham Exchange and who, in 1988, died of AIDS. In the late 60's, Veltman was one of the first to open a restaurant, the Kangaroo Court, on the river starting a trend that made the Riverwalk the entertainment destination it has now become. The plaque will be located under the Crockett Street Bridge, across the river from the Hyatt Regency Riverwalk Hotel.

Noting Veltman’s significant contributions to San Antonio’s Riverwalk, the commemorative effort was spearheaded by Texas House Representative Ruth McLendon Jones and District 1 City Councilman Roger O. Flores. The proposal for Veltman’s plaque underwent a lengthy process, first receiving approval by the San Antonio Historic Design and Review Commission. The San Antonio Department of Parks and Recreation then selected an appropriate location for the plaque.

The honorary plaque recognizes Veltman’s efforts to transform an underutilized river into the vibrant district it has become today. In the late 1960s Veltman cultivated a set of buildings into his personal vision of a downtown "mecca." With his first restaurant, the Kangaroo Court, Veltman turned the main entrance around to face the Riverwalk, an idea that he is credited with proliferating. His river front retail space featured luscious landscaping and quickly became a vision for other businessmen and real estate developers to emulate.

After election victory, Guerrero thankful for GLBT support
QSanAntonio, November 25, 2006

Four years ago, when she first ran for Judge, County Court at Law, No. 7, Monica Guerrero unseated Bill White, an eight-year incumbent, by a margin of about 6,500 votes. In the November 7 election this year, Guerrero handily defeated her latest opponent, Genie Wright, by almost 20,000 votes. However, says Guerrero, this recent victory proved to be a much more difficult campaign. One reason for this was that Wright played dirty politics, including using Guerrero’s sexual orientation as a smear tactic.

Guerrero says that having the support of organizations like the Stonewall Democrats of San Antonio and the local chapter of the Human Rights Campaign gave her campaign an added boost. Members of both organizations raised money, manned phone banks, walked neighborhoods and worked the polls. "I had people with busy and active lives in my campaign headquarters licking stamps and stuffing envelops," she says. "These are professionals who never have to do this for their own businesses, and they were here doing it for me!" She says she’s thankful for the GLBT community’s participation.

Guerrero is a hometown girl whose achievements have come from hard work and determination. A graduate of Incarnate Word High School and the University of Texas at San Antonio, she attended the University of Kansas Law School on a full scholarship. Once out of law school, she came back to San Antonio where a succession of career opportunities put her at the top of her game.

Today, as a County Judge, Guerrero presides over one of the busiest courts in Bexar County handling hundreds of cases dealing exclusively with domestic violence. Guerrero, a self-avowed workaholic, says she’s like to sit on the court for another couple of terms – eight more years.

Playing the gay card against Guerrero proved a fruitless campaign tactic for Wright, a lawyer and former schoolteacher who now manages her husband’s medical practice. Guerrero says "I’ve always been out" and for most voters she spoke to, it was not an issue. "They just want the ‘chisme’ -- the gossip," she recounts lightheartedly. "Many would say they were going to vote for me but they just had to ask if I was a lesbian."

One week before the election Guerrero was forced to defend herself against homophobes on a KSLR-AM Christian radio talk show hosted by Adam McManus, who earlier this year organized three anti-gay pickets against H-E-B because of a donation the grocer made to PrideFest. Wright was McManus’ guest that afternoon. They telephoned Guerrero while on-air and challenged her to defend her positions.

"I decided that I would accept the challenge," says Guerrero. "So I went on the and gave my sales pitch. When I was finished all McManus could say was, ‘But aren’t you a lesbian?’" That was followed by Guerrero having to respond to callers to the show who only wanted to discuss her sexual orientation. She responded as best she could given the circumstances and came out of it confident and unshaken. One week later, the voters of Bexar County spoke out loud and clear and re-elected her for another 4-year term.

After hyped-up promos, KENS offers balanced gay adoption report
QSanAntonio.com, November 18, 2006

After two days of anxiety inducing, tabloid-style advertising on its Web site, in the Express-News and on-air, KENS-TV aired a report on gay adoptions in San Antonio that surprised many in the GLBT community with its balanced presentation.

The story told by KENS reporter Ainsley Earhardt, who narrated from inside the sanctuary of an unnamed church, details the life of Andy and Mark Sutherland-Trevino, a San Antonio gay couple who is raising seven children in their West Side home. The couple is one of thousands of same-sex parents in San Antonio who are rearing an estimated 2,000 children in the city.

The basis of Earhardt’s story is an item that appeared on the news wires last October 15 after the publication of The Gay and Lesbian Atlas. Using data gleaned from U.S. Census data, Gary Gates, the report’s author, was able to conclude that San Antonio has the largest percentage per capita (35%) in the nation of same-sex couples raising children. Newspapers and television stations around the country and the world covered the story but there was little mention of it by San Antonio’s local media outlets. QSanAntonio published a link to the story that ran in the Ft. Worth Star Telegram.

Earhardt’s report included sound bites from Gates, from Equality Texas board member Rosie Gonzales and from Dr. Irv Loev, a local marriage and family counselor who offered the only negative comments. According to Earhardt, "Loev said based on his experience, children need a traditional family environment. He said he can't imagine it being healthy, especially for the little girls being raised by two male parents, without a female influence in the home."

Despite the story’s balanced viewpoint, it was the promotional ads for it that alarmed many in the GLBT community. Some recalled the "Perverts in the Park" story aired a few years ago after gay arrests in local parks. The promos for the gay adoption story went as follows:

"Orphaned or abandoned kids, yearning for a family. Childless couples, desperate to be parents. What's the controversy in bringing them together? The would-be parents are both men. So how did San Antonio become number one in the nation for gay couples raising kids?"

QSanAntonio sent out an alert to its email subscribers on Friday afternoon voicing its concern over the use of gay families for KENS-TV’s sweeps-week gain. "We were concerned given the tone of the promotions being aired prior to the story’s broadcast. The voice-over for the promos had an air of urgency and homophobic controversy. Luckily these were dispelled once the story aired" says QSanAntonio publisher Sam Sanchez.

Sanchez reports that some QSanAntonio readers have responded by sending emails to KENS thanking them for the balanced reportage and encouraging them to do more gay-positive stories. Readers who wish to do the same should contact the KENS Newsroom Manager at asmith@kens5.com.

City Manager Sheryl L. Sculley (second from left) poses for a photo with some members of the Stonewall Democrats of San Antonio before her talk at the group's monthly meeting on October 16.

S.A. City Manager addresses the Stonewall Democrats
QSanAntonio, October 17, 2006

The Stonewall Democrats of San Antonio played host to City Manager Sheryl Sculley at their October 16 meeting where she spoke about some of the accomplishments of her first year’s tenure, and of the many challenges that lay ahead in her newly-adopted city.

Speaking before the audience in a dark business suit and light-colored running shoes, Sculley looked like a big-city professional ready for a homeward commute. The running shoes, she explained, were a necessary comfort for a foot that she sprained while jogging the day before. She is an avid runner and says she tries to run in a different part of the city everyday.

There is no doubt that Sculley is an accomplished professional. Before being hired in November 2005, she served as the Assistant City Manager for the City of Phoenix for 16 years, assisting in the day-to-day management of 14,000 employees and a $2.6 billion annual operating budget. Prior to that she worked for the City of Kalamazoo, Michigan for five years as City Manager. In San Antonio, Sculley oversees a capital budget more than $1.7 billion and supervises all the city’s departments and its 12,000 employees.

Since coming to San Antonio Sculley has hired a new police chief, made 35 job appointments and initiated an innovative budget, the "5-85" Plan, where 85 percent of all monies are spent on the city’s top five priorities. Those priorities include more police and fire fighters, more EMT services, street improvements and enhanced code compliance. She has also raised the minimum wage for all city employees to $9.75 per hour.

One of Sculley’s plans for the future is a $550 million bond program, which is five times larger than any ever proposed by the city. Another new item on the horizon is an upcoming switch to an automated trash pick up service that has required a bit of lobbying to neighborhood groups. The wish list also includes finding funds for more parks and libraries.

Sculley’s 20-minute talk to the Stonewall Democrats ended with a brief question and answer session. The questions centered mainly on trash pickup, street improvement, clean air and employee health benefits. The City Manager was perfectly at ease with her audience and projected a poised and professional demeanor.

Sculley’s most notable accomplishment, to this observer, is the breath of fresh air she brings to city government. For the GLBT community this has meant inclusion, for the first time, in community panels that she organized for citizens discuss and devise ways to enhance the quality of life in our city. This inclusive attitude is a good thing and one can only hope for more of it during the City Manager’s tenure. "Change is difficult," Sculley told her Stonewall audience, "but we all can change to make a better city."

Gay population of metropolitan S.A. estimated to be 46,188
QSanAntonio, October 15, 2006

A new study has estimated that the gay, lesbian and bisexual population of the San Antonio metropolitan area is 46,188. The GLB population within the San Antonio City limits has been estimated at 32,631 which is 3.8% of the total population.

The report by the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy at the UCLA School of Law used estimates from the recently released 2005 American Community Survey, which is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The study also gave estimates of the number of same sex couples living in the metropolitan area and within the city limits, and broke them down by gender. Statistics for the San Antonio and Bexar County area are shown below.

For the first time in Census history statistics were also broken down according to U.S. Congressional Districts. One interesting fact to surface is that even though the population of the State of Texas is estimated to be 3.6% gay, the population of Congressional District 21, which includes northern Bexar County, Comal County, Blanco County, Hays County and Travis County, is 5.5% gay.

The U.S. Census does not ask sexual orientation on its questionnaire. But it does ask the relationship between adults in the household. The categories include roommate, brother or sister, husband or wife or significant other.

For his research, Williams Institute researcher Gary J. Gates told the Houston Chronicle that he used adult males who said they were living with another adult male who was a significant other to identify same-sex couples. The same criteria were used to note lesbian couples.

The new information produced by the report has proven to be valuable to gay demographers. Among the many statistics gleaned was the fact that the number of same-sex couples in the U.S. has increased by 30 percent – a number that gives gay marriage advocates cause for optimism.

Another new report, "The Gay and Lesbian Atlas" also co-authored by Gates, used the same U.S. Census data to determine that San Antonio has the highest percentage of gay couples raising children in the nation. (See recent article in the Ft. Worth Star Telegram.) Houston ranks fourth and the Fort Worth-Arlington area is fifth. The numbers include children who are being raised by a biological parent living with a same-sex partner and those adopted by gay couples.

One explanation is that minority same-sex couples are more likely to have children than white same-sex couples. Texas has a large Hispanic population, which might partially explain why its gay couples are more likely to have children, Gates told the Houston Chronicle.

GLB Statistics for San Antonio & Bexar County Area
Source: "Same-Sex Couples and the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Population: New Estimates from the American Community Survey" by Gary J. Gates, Senior Research Fellow, the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Polity, UCLA School of Law.

San Antonio Metropolitan Area
Same sex couples: 3,831 -- Same sex couples/male: 2,038 -- Same Sex couples/female: 1,793 -- Estimated % GLB: 3.5% -- Estimated GLB population: 46,188

City of San Antonio
Same sex couples: 2,757 -- Same sex couples/male: 1,651 -- Same Sex couples/female: 1,106 -- Estimated % GLB: 3.8% -- Estimated GLB population: 32,631

Congressional District 20
Same sex couples: 1,199 -- Same sex couples/male: 721 -- Same Sex couples/female: 478 -- Estimated % GLB: 3.2% -- Estimated GLB population: 14,209

Congressional District 21
Same sex couples: 2,781 -- Same sex couples/male: 829 -- Same Sex couples/female: 1.952 -- Estimated % GLB: 5.5% -- Estimated GLB population: 31,076

Congressional District 23
Same sex couples: 1,653 -- Same sex couples/male: 1,198 -- Same Sex couples/female: 455 -- Estimated % GLB: 3.9% -- Estimated GLB population: 20,361

Congressional District 28
Same sex couples: 1,029 -- Same sex couples/male: 514 -- Same Sex couples/female: 515 -- Estimated % GLB: 2.7% -- Estimated GLB population: 12,935