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Houston Pride Grand Marshal finalists

We speak with the finalists for Houston Pride Grand Marshal. They include: 

• Kailey Posterick (Ally), 
• Matty Gracia (non binary), 
• Juliann Losey (non binary), 
• Chip Ware (non binary) and 
• Isabel Longoria (female). 

Voting continues until Friday April 15th at 5pm. For more information on the nominees, visit the website.

https://pridehouston.org/participate/grand-marshals/grand-marshal-voting/

Queer Voices airs in Houston Texas on 90.1FM KPFT and is heard as a podcast here.  Queer Voices hopes to entertain as well as illuminate LGBTQ issues in Houston and beyond.  Check out our socials at:

https://www.facebook.com/QueerVoicesKPFT/ and
https://www.instagram.com/queervoices90.1kpft/

Send us Fan Mail

Grand Marshal Nominee -- Resurrection MCC 50th anniversary -- Houston LGBTQ Political Caucus event

We speak with Houston LGBTQ Pride Grand Marshal nominee, Courtney Sellers. Courtney serves as the executive director of Montrose Grace Place. A native Houstonian, Courtney started as a Direct Mentor and Treasurer with Montrose Grace Place in 2015. In 2017 she took over as MGP Executive Director, helping to add a second night of services, increase resources, and make Montrose Grace Place more accessible for more LGBTQ+ youth. Courtney is passionate about amplifying the voices of youth experiencing homelessness and the specific intersectional needs of MGP youth who are victims of both racism, sexism, and homophobia & transphobia. Courtney loves to spend time with her daughter and their dog, exploring Houston’s many thrift shops, and making a lot of noise about public transportation in Houston.

GUEST: Courtney Sellers
https://pridehouston.org/participate/grand-marshals/gm-nominee-bios-2022/

Then, we speak with Troy Treash-Plummer about the 50th anniversary of Resurrection MCC. The seeds for MCC ministry in Houston were planted in the winter of 1971-1972. These seeds took root in December of 1972, when meetings were started on a regular basis in a rented apartment in Preston Villa. On the second Sunday of February in 1974, the MCC group moved to a former bicycle repair shop on Waugh Drive, with fourteen people in attendance. By June of 1974, a group of twenty-five submitted signatures to UFMCC headquarters in Los Angeles petitioning for mission status, which was granted. By February of 1975, the church had grown to forty three and a petition for charter status was submitted. On April 20, 1975, the burgeoning ministry was officially chartered as Metropolitan Community Church of the Resurrection, Houston, Texas.

GUEST: Troy Treash Plummer
https://www.resurrectionmcc.org/

Finally we speak with Zsa Zsa Galor about the upcoming event, We Are One.  Chaired by Ozoemena Nnamadim and Sister Zsa Zsa Galor, and emceed by Queen Persephone, the We Are One Honors will serve as a fundraiser for the C4 arm of The Caucus while honoring the significant contributions of five phenomenal community leaders: State Rep. Garnet Coleman, Linda Morales, former Caucus President Terri Richardson, renowned drag queen Kofi, and the late Congressman Mickey Leland. The event will feature moving presentations produced by the phenomenal Harrison Homer-Guy.  The inaugural We Are One Honors will take place on Wednesday, April 13 at 6:30 PM at The Ballroom at Bayou Place.

Guest: Zsa Zsa Galor
https://www.thecaucus.org/event/waoh-2022/

Queer Voices airs in Houston Texas on 90.1FM KPFT and is heard as a podcast here.  Queer Voices hopes to entertain as well as illuminate LGBTQ issues in Houston and beyond.  Check out our socials at:

https://www.facebook.com/QueerVoicesKPFT/ and
https://www.instagram.com/queervoices90.1kpft/

Send us Fan Mail

Pride Grand Marshal nominees -- New Play at Stages

We speak with two candidates for Pride grand marshal, Andrew Edmonson and Melissa Vivanco. Andrew is one of the male identifying candidates while Melissa is a finalist for female identifying candidates. We speak the work each has done in Houston’s LGBTQ community as well as how they came out. Voting for grand Marshal is restricted to Houston and the surrounding areas (100 mile radius from downtown). Voting ends Friday, April 15th at 5pm

GUEST: Andrew Edmonson and Melissa Vivanco
https://pridehouston.org/participate/grand-marshals/

 Then we speak with Travis Torrence, a finalist for male identifying grand Travis Torrence is a lawyer, philanthropist, and community organizer who has dedicated his life to promoting justice, equity, and inclusion for the LGBTQ+ community in all its diversity. Travis currently serves as President-Elect of the Board of Directors of the National LGBTQ+ Bar Foundation, which focuses on legal issues that impact LGBTQ+ people, such as leading the effort to ban the LGBTQ+ “panic” defenses across the country and the discriminatory blood ban, which places limits on people assigned male at birth who have had sex with other people assigned male at birth from donating blood. Travis has also chaired numerous philanthropic events, including the World AIDS Day Luncheon (which raises funds for AIDS Foundation Houston), the Victory Fund Champagne Brunch (which works to increase the number of openly LGBTQ elected officials at all levels of government), the Montrose Center’s Out For Good Gala, Dining Out for Life, the Camp For All Gala, and the Houston Boychoir Luncheon. Travis also currently serves as Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Hollyfield Foundation, which fosters and protects individual rights and freedoms by providing direct and indirect funding to qualifying 501(c)3 organizations that work to prevent discrimination, educate and secure equal rights for LGBTQ+ people, and assist in health care issues for the community, particularly in the areas of HIV/AIDS education, care, and treatment.

GUEST: Travis Torrence
https://pridehouston.org/participate/grand-marshals/

Finally, we speak with playwrite,  Brendan Bourque-Sheil author of Sunrise Coven. The play is at Stages Houston.  The play follows Hallie who spent her life caring for her geriatric patients as a nurse in the nearly abandoned town of Buckstop, Texas. When her eyesight fails her, she finds a new way to heal her patients: bypassing Big Pharma with the help of a local coven. As funny as it is morbid, this brilliant gallows-humor comedy from the author of Stages’ hit The Book of Maggie speaks to the ills of American health care with love, wit, and a little magic. The play is going on March 25 through April 10th.

Guest: Brendan Bourque-Sheil
https://www.stageshouston.com/Online/default.asp?doWork::WScontent::loadArticle=Load&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::article_id=F84A9AE4-914F-4DEB-9F1D-C36A9738240D&menu_id=E8278111-3055-423C-AFC6-DF0E98ED14DF

Queer Voices airs in Houston Texas on 90.1FM KPFT and is heard as a podcast here.  Queer Voices hopes to entertain as well as illuminate LGBTQ issues in Houston and beyond.  Check out our socials at:

https://www.facebook.com/QueerVoicesKPFT/ and
https://www.instagram.com/queervoices90.1kpft/

Send us Fan Mail

LGBTQ Comedian/Author Judy Carter -- Transmasculine Alliance of Houston

We speak with comedian Judy Carter. Judy has had quite the career, from being a magician, to a stand up comic, a motivational speakers and author of a number of books (Including The Comedy Bible). Her play Death Defying Escape will open April 2 in LA at the Hudson Guild Theatre and will be available for streaming.

GUEST: Judy Carter
https://judycarter.com/

Then, we speak with folks from the Transmasculine Alliance of Houston. We speak with president George Zamanek and Vice President Myles Steelman about the organization. Trans Masculine Alliance Houston is a peer led community group for anyone assigned female at birth (AFAB) who identifies as FtM, transmasculine, non-binary, or is questioning their gender. TMAH’s mission is to provide a safe and supportive environment for the transmasculine community. We hold workshops, community building and social activities, and meet to engage in discussion of issues related to transmasculine identity. Additionally, we are working on a program to help offset the cost of gender affirming surgeries and name/gender marker filing fees.

GUEST: George Zemanek and Myles Steelman
https://transmasculinehouston.com/

Queer Voices airs in Houston Texas on 90.1FM KPFT and is heard as a podcast here.  Queer Voices hopes to entertain as well as illuminate LGBTQ issues in Houston and beyond.  Check out our socials at:

https://www.facebook.com/QueerVoicesKPFT/ and
https://www.instagram.com/queervoices90.1kpft/

Send us Fan Mail

LGBTQ Activist Phillip Schnarrs Ph.D. -- Past GM KPFT -- National Leather Association Houston

We speak with LGBT activist, Phillip Schnarrs. We speak the work he is doing to improve the lives of LGBT Texans.Phillip W. Schnarrs, Ph.D., is an associate professor of community-based participatory research in the Department of Population Health. He is an applied health researcher and expert in LGBTQ+ populations specializing in sexual health, mental health and substance use disorder.As an applied scientist engaged in community-based participatory research, Schnarrs engages the community as co-collaborators throughout the research process and develops meaningful programs to address the health of marginalized populations and shift social policies that contribute to mistreatment and discrimination of these groups.

Guest: Phillip Schnarrs, Ph.D.
https://sites.google.com/texaspridehealthcollaborative.org/home/people/lab/phillip-w-schnarrs-ph-d

Then, we speak with a past general manager of KPFT, Mary Helen Merzbacher about her work on the radio and experiences working at KPFT.  KPFT was born in Houston about 50 years ago. In the late 1960s, Houston was still behind the times, meaning certain stories were ignored by the media and the ruling classes.

Guest: Mary Helen Merzbacher
http://wwww.kpft.org

Finally, we speak with folks from the National Leather Association of Houston.  We speak with the current president, Sir Robert Conn and the current treasurer Christopher Daniel about the organization and their upcoming event, Spring Iniquity XXXI and 10th Annual Houston Spirit of Leather Awards Dinner which is taking place in April. The National Leather Association – Houston was established as an organization dedicated to empowering and defending individuals, organizations, publications, and businesses within the Leather, BDSM, Fetish communities against threats to their freedom of expression, freedom of the press, the right of free association and right to equal protection under the law.

Guests: Sir Robert Conn and Christopher Daniel
https://nlahoustontx.org

Queer Voices airs in Houston Texas on 90.1FM KPFT and is heard as a podcast here.  Queer Voices hopes to entertain as well as illuminate LGBTQ issues in Houston and beyond.  Check out our socials at:

https://www.facebook.com/QueerVoicesKPFT/ and
https://www.instagram.com/queervoices90.1kpft/

Send us Fan Mail

The flight for Gender Affirming Care in Texas -- Montrose Center's Bringing in the Green -- Out Candidate for Harris County Commisioner's Court

We speak with Brian Klosterboer, staff attorney for the ACLU Texas about the recent letter from the governor calling gender affirming care as child abuse. We discuss what the ramifications are of this letter and what is being done currently. The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas is the leading civil rights organization in the Lone Star State. Since our formation in 1938, they have worked in the courts, the legislature, and through public education to protect civil rights and individual liberty. Their mission is to be the unyielding guardian and promoter of freedom, justice, equality, and dignity of all people, particularly for those who are still fighting to secure the full exercise of their civil rights and liberties in Texas.

GUEST: Brian Klosterboer
https://www.aclutx.org/en

Then, we speak with Chief Development Officer, Kennedy Loftin, of the Montrose Center about their upcoming 30th annual "Bringin' in the Green" event. The event benefits rapid rehousing services for local LGBTQ homeless youth. Services include in-depth case management and assistance with rent, furniture and utilities for safe, stable housing.

GUEST: Kennedy Loftin
https://www.montrosecenter.org/lgbtq-events-calendar/bringin-in-the-green-2022/

Finally, we speak with Ben Chou, an out candidate for Harris County Commissioners Court precinct 4. We discuss what drove Ben to run for office and what it would mean for Ben to win.  Ben has advanced to the runoffs and has been endorsed by the LGBTQ Victory Fund.

Guest: Ben Chou
https://www.benchoutx.com

Queer Voices airs in Houston Texas on 90.1FM KPFT and is heard as a podcast here.  Queer Voices hopes to entertain as well as illuminate LGBTQ issues in Houston and beyond.  Check out our socials at:

https://www.facebook.com/QueerVoicesKPFT/ and
https://www.instagram.com/queervoices90.1kpft/

Send us Fan Mail

Bunnies on the Bayou -- Houston LGBTQ+ Political Caucus president

We speak with folks from Bunnies on the Bayou about their 2022 main event which will return to downtown Houston Easter weekend. We speak with president, Steven Duckett and Vice President Div Kumar. Bunnies on the Bayou, Inc. is a 501(c)3, all volunteer organization dedicated to the raising and distributing of funds for various charitable, educational and cultural programs that seek to improve the quality of life and promote education and awareness of human rights for individuals in the Houston LGBT community. The organization raises money through a series of social events throughout the year, and culminates every Easter Sunday at Bunnies on the Bayou, the largest outdoor cocktail party in Texas. Over the span of over 43 years, Bunnies on the Bayou has developed into a fixture of charity and advocacy in the Greater Houston area for LGBT focused programs and organizations. With the help of the community and its sponsors, it has been able to assist multiple groups every year: in the last 10 years, Bunnies has raised more than $1,200,000 to assist local non-profits support and strengthen important cultural and outreach programs, provide critical health care services and encourage life changing educational opportunities.

GUEST: Steven Duckett and Div Kumar
https://bunniesonthebayou.org/

Then, we speak with with the Houston LGBTQ+ Political Caucus president Jovon Tyler. We discuss the recent endorsement meeting and candidates endorsed. Founded in 1975, the Houston LGBTQ+ Political Caucus is dedicated to eliminating prejudice, violence, and injustice against gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people through education, activism, and political advocacy. Their goal is to create a world where all human beings are guaranteed freedom, equality, and opportunity.

GUEST: Jovon Tyler
https://www.thecaucus.org/

Queer Voices airs in Houston Texas on 90.1FM KPFT and is heard as a podcast here.  Queer Voices hopes to entertain as well as illuminate LGBTQ issues in Houston and beyond.  Check out our socials at:

https://www.facebook.com/QueerVoicesKPFT/ and
https://www.instagram.com/queervoices90.1kpft/

Send us Fan Mail

LGBT candidate for Justice of the Peace-- Time Magazine Kid of the Year finalist/trans advocate -- Pride Houston update

First, we speak with Steven Duble and his candidacy for Justice of the Peace(JP). Steven currently shares a home with his husband and their two adorable rescue dogs in Precinct 1. He's lived his entire life in Houston, where he raised three incredible children. If elected, Steven would be the first openly gay JP in Harris County history. He is an experienced litigator who has spent over thirty years advocating for plaintiffs and defendants in a wide variety of cases. He has been both a tenant and a landlord, and has represented both individual tenants and landlords in Harris County JP and county courts. Most importantly, he is deeply embedded in Houston’s progressive community through his work to advance social justice and Democratic values. Early voting is currently ongoing with Election Day March 1st.

Guest: Steven Duble, candidate
https://www.steveduble.com

Then, we speak with Kai Shappley. Kai Shappley, a transgender fourth grader who testified in front of the Texas Senate on April 12, has begun receiving death threats for her testimony, her mother, Kimberly Shappley, said. The child testified in front of the Texas Senate Committee on State Affairs regarding SB 1646, a bill that would redefine child abuse to include "consenting to or assisting in the administering or supplying of, a puberty suppression prescription drug or cross-sex hormone to a child."
The bill would criminalize parents, guardians, medical workers and pharmacists who help trans children obtain medically approved treatments for either physically transitioning into their self-identified gender or delaying puberty.

Guest: Kai Shappley, trans activist
https://time.com/6128490/kid-of-the-year-kai-shappley-trans-activist/


Finally, we catch up with Pride Houston and speak to co-presidents, Thasia Madison and Kendra “Kay”  Walker. We discuss plans for 2022 and a return to normalcy.  Pride Houston’s mission is to support, educate and promote the LGBTQIA+ community in order to commemorate our history and advocate our rights for current and future generations by producing Pride events that represent our diverse community. Pride’s vision is to Inspire pride and change for the future while acting as a central resource of engagement dedicated to providing an environment of service, value, diversity and equity to all members of the LGBTQIA+ community year round.

Guests: Thasia Madison and Kendra “Kay” Walker, co-presidents Pride Houston
https://pridehouston.org

Queer Voices airs in Houston Texas on 90.1FM KPFT and is heard as a podcast here.  Queer Voices hopes to entertain as well as illuminate LGBTQ issues in Houston and beyond.  Check out our socials at:

https://www.facebook.com/QueerVoicesKPFT/ and
https://www.instagram.com/queervoices90.1kpft/

Send us Fan Mail

Trans activist Eden Torres -- Emperor and Empress of ERSICSS -- Don Kelly LGBT Historian

We speak with Eden Torres. Eden Rose Torres is a content creator, trans activist, public speaker, photographer & writer. Eden is the Founder & President of PridePortraits.org. She has photographed & interviewed seven thousand LGBTQIA+ community members & allies across the country.

Guest: Eden Rose Torres
https://www.edenrosetorres.com/

Then, we speak with the newly crowned Emperor and Empress of ERSICSS (The Empire of The Royal, Sovereign, Imperial Court of the Single Star ) The organization was formed in 1984 as The Imperial Court of the Single Star. In 1991, when they filed Articles of Incorporation with the State of Texas, our official name became The Royal, Sovereign, Imperial Court of the Single Star of Houston, Inc. The application for tax exempt status has been filed with the IRS, and approved which changed the name to The Empire of The Royal, Sovereign, Imperial Court of the Single Star of Houston Incorporated. Locally and throughout the International Court system they are referred to as ERSICSS (pronounced ereeses).

GUEST: Landon Fatale and Ivanna Cupcake
https://www.ersicss.org/

Finally, we speak with LGBT historian Don Kelly.  Don Kelly was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1940. He moved to Texas more than 50 years ago to join the U.S. Air Force and serve his country. After earning a Bachelor of Arts from the University of St. Thomas and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Kansas in 1967, he began a professional career in city government. He worked as a city manager, director of regional services, and executive director in various departments in east Texas. After serving his fellow Texans for 35 years, he retired in 2000. A social activist, Kelly collected rare LGBTQIA+ documents, journals, literary works to help understand the history of gay people. The Don Kelly Research Collection of Gay Literature and Culture was acquired by Texas A&M University in 2015.

Guest: Don Kelly
https://www.outsmartmagazine.com/2015/03/aggies-embrace-lgbt-culture/

Queer Voices airs in Houston Texas on 90.1FM KPFT and is heard as a podcast here.  Queer Voices hopes to entertain as well as illuminate LGBTQ issues in Houston and beyond.  Check out our socials at:

https://www.facebook.com/QueerVoicesKPFT/ and
https://www.instagram.com/queervoices90.1kpft/

Send us Fan Mail

Lesbian Judicial candidate -- LGBT tikToker -- New Legacy CEO

We speak with Porscha Natasha Brown. Porscha grew up with her mother and father in North Austin and is one of five siblings. She grew up playing sports, attending church, and began working at a young age. Her mother immigrated from Trinidad and Tobago when she was young and remained a legal permanent resident for more than two decades until she was able to get her citizenship. Her father is from Stockton, California, where he experienced the complications of living in a poor city with heavy amounts of crime. Both of her parents enlisted in the US Army for an opportunity to change their future. They met while stationed at Fort Hood, where Porscha was born. ​As a child of two military veterans, Porscha grew up with a strong sense of responsibility. Both her mother and her father stressed the importance of looking beyond the exterior of a person. Her parents taught her that people should be treated with respect no matter the circumstance. ​

GUEST: Porscha Natasha Brown
https://www.porscha4judge.com/

 Then we speak with LGBTQ Tik Tok influencer, Greg Kata. Greg Kata is a theater teacher for students in kindergarten through seventh grade and he’s turned a passion project into a side business.

GUEST: Greg Kata
https://www.kplctv.com/2021/12/31/new-orleans-teacher-inspires-entertains-millions-tiktok/

Finally we speak with new president and CEO of Legacy Community Health, Bobby Hilliard. Dr. Robert “Bobby” Hilliard, Jr. is the Chief Executive Officer of Legacy Community Health Services. Since its founding in the early 1980s, Legacy has become the largest Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in the entire Southwest US. Legacy has over 1,300 employees and operates more than 40 clinics across Houston, Baytown, Deer Park, and Beaumont, providing high-quality health, wellness, social, and educational services to patients regardless of their ability to pay.

Dr. Hilliard joined Legacy after serving as Executive Director and Chief Medical Officer of Altus ACE, a provider-owned Accountable Care Entity startup that utilizes data to create low-cost interventions in health services and preventive care. Prior to Altus, Dr. Hilliard served as the President of WellCare Health Plans, Inc. of Illinois, the Chief Operating Officer of UnitedHealthcare Community and State Plan of Texas, Chief Medical Officer of Molina Healthcare of Texas, and as the Regional Medical Director of the Western Commercial Markets of Humana. Dr. Hilliard successfully drove each agency forward, exponentially growing revenue and plan membership during his tenure.

Dr. Hilliard is a Diplomat with the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology in both Texas and California, a long-time board member of Legacy Community Health and a board member of AIDSUnited. An avid advocate for underserved populations, Dr. Hilliard has dedicated his career to helping those in need access health care in this country.

Dr. Hilliard holds an MBA from Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management and his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Texas, Health Science Center. He is a third generation Texan who comes from a family of healthcare providers. Bobby lives with his partner, two children and two dogs Repo and Bubbles.

Guest Bobby Hilliard
https://www.legacycommunityhealth.org/dr-robert-bobby-hilliard-jr-chief-executive-officer/

Queer Voices airs in Houston Texas on 90.1FM KPFT and is heard as a podcast here.  Queer Voices hopes to entertain as well as illuminate LGBTQ issues in Houston and beyond.  Check out our socials at:

https://www.facebook.com/QueerVoicesKPFT/ and
https://www.instagram.com/queervoices90.1kpft/