Texas vs Our Queer Agenda
First and foremost, Happy Pride to our LGBTQ+ crew and clients. Thank you for creating and supporting a safe space for our community. We couldn’t do it without you.
Before we dive into the festivities, let’s take a moment to acknowledge the ongoing fight for LGBTQ+ rights in Texas. This legislative session, the Texas GOP seemed to have an agenda that didn’t align with the whole “freedom and self-determination” gig they’re always touting. It’s been a real circus out here. Drag bans, attacks on gender affirming care, censorship of queer literature – it’s an ongoing battle. We continue to urge you to be an temple in your relationships, an advocate in your communities and to keep showing up to the polls.
Hate to the back. We’re talking about PRIDE now!
It’s a time to love, a time to gather and a time to get loud. Allies, listen up. We are celebrating identities. We are educating ourselves. And we are having a damn good time.
In case some of y’all forgot, love and respect are abundant and everlasting resources. No matter how much you give or how much you take, there has always been enough. And there always will be enough.
Barbershops are for MEN
Historically, that has been the firm reality. We’d love to say that’s not the case anymore, but we know that not all barbershops and salons are safe spaces. SHED has been partnered with Strands for Trans for quite some time in our successful efforts to really gay up the shop. Seriously though, we understand the anxiety, hesitation and freedom that comes from a gender-affirming appearance. We urge anyone with questions about cuts, staff or the shop to give us a call or hit us up on Instagram. Judgment-Free. If anyone’s been flirting with “The Big Chop” recently, check out our Transformation Cut. This service is for people with long hair who want to transition to a more traditionally short style (above the ears). It’s the perfect time to make the call because that brutal Texas summer heat is just getting started.
Here’s 5 ways to make the most of PRIDE :
1. Educate yourself: Take some time to learn about the history of the gay rights movement and the incredible individuals who paved the way for progress. Don’t worry – You know we’ve got the best recs for you.
2. Attend events: The Austin Chronicle has put together a Qmmunity Event Calendar. You’ll find everything from art, food, fitness to a beloved Texas past time – Drag!
3. Support LGBTQ+ small businesses: The impact you have on small businesses is deeply more impactful than we often realize. Your support is just as valuable as your purchase.
4. Spread the love: Be a beacon of acceptance and understanding. Embrace diversity. Challenge stereotypes. Additionally, hold space for loved ones who respectfully have different opinions.
5. Cut ‘em off: That’s right. You are also deserving of tolerance, respect, patience and kindness. Wild, we know. If friends or family members cannot equally hold space for you, let them go. Who taught you that someone can disrespect you and also love you? Unlearn that.
Documentary Recs
A Secret Love
Listen, you’re gonna cry. But you’re not going to regret watching A Secret Love. This Netflix original documentary allows a former baseball player to finally share her lesbian relationship. A secret that was guarded at all costs from her family, her job and her government for seven decades.
Gay Chorus Deep South
The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus embarks on a tour of the American Deep South. The conversations and connections that emerge offer a glimpse of a less divided America, where the things that divide us—faith, politics, sexual identity—are set aside by the soaring power of music, humanity and a little drag.
The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson
Filmmakers re-examine the 1992 death of transgender legend Marsha P. Johnson, who was found floating in the Hudson River. Originally ruled a suicide, but many in the community believe she was murdered.
Book Recs
In the Dream House: A Memoir
Carmen Maria Machado
For years Carmen Maria Machado struggled to articulate her experiences in an abusive same-sex relationship. In this extraordinarily candid and radically inventive memoir, Machado tackles a dark and difficult subject with wit, inventiveness and an inquiring spirit.
¡Hola Papi!: How to Come Out in a Walmart Parking Lot and Other Life Lessons
John Paul Brammer
JP shares his story of growing up biracial and in the closet in America’s heartland, while attempting to answer some of life’s toughest questions: How do I let go of the past? How do I become the person I want to be? Is there such a thing as being too gay? Should I hook up with my grade school bully now that he’s out of the closet? Questions we’ve all asked ourselves, surely.
My Hijab Butch Blues
Lamya H
Lamya makes sense of her struggles and triumphs by comparing her experiences with some of the most famous stories in the Quran. She juxtaposes her coming out with Musa liberating his people from the pharoah; asks if Allah, who is neither male nor female, might instead be nonbinary; and, drawing on the faith and hope Nuh needed to construct his ark, begins to build a life of her own–ultimately finding that the answer to her lifelong quest for community and belonging lies in owning her identity as a queer, devout Muslim immigrant.