Qmmunity
Voting while queer
By Sarah Marloff, Fri., Sept. 21, 2018
Midterms are coming. The polls open across the country on Tuesday, Nov. 6 (early voting precedes Election Day – from Oct. 22-Nov. 2). Before that, events are happening all over town to hype some progressive candidates, including Senate hopeful Beto O'Rourke. On Saturday, Jeremy von Stilb organized You Beto Work! at Cheer Ups to mobilize the qmmunity and "spark conversations on what we want to see for the future of Texas," says von Stilb. Over the last few years, politicians have taken aim at the LGBTQ community – from bathroom bills and military bans to religious freedom laws. Whether you believe in voting, or think the whole system is rigged (I'm not here to argue it isn't), now is the time to try it. There's a lot of us – it's hard to deny strength in numbers – and locally, there's a lot of queers running. But more importantly, I'd like to make sure Sam Russo is on all our radars. The Glad Tidings Pastor is running for AISD Board of Trustees in District 9, and – among other things – he's been backed by MassResistance Texas, an anti-LGBTQ hate group. I don't have kids, so the school board has never been a priority of mine at the ballot, but this guy – if elected – could seriously endanger Austin's queer and trans youth. Let's keep him out of our schools and protect our youth and ourselves.
2 To Do
The Great Show Sure, the producer of this crème de la crème variety show has "Great" in their name (it's Alexander the Great, if you didn't put two and two together), but we think they likely named it for the plethora of talented players planning to grace the Elysium stage Friday night. Created by Alexander, the Great Show is a quarterly cabaret intended to put our best (queer-of-center) entertainers on the same lineup and this one is certainly no exception. From stand-up to burlesque to pole, look to be wowed by Louisianna Purchase, Coco Lectric, Queertini Time, Arielle Isaac Norman, and more. Hosted by Miss Fahrenheit. Fri., Sept. 21, 9pm. Elysium, 705 Red River. $15-20.
Thirst Trap In most cities, nothing says summer like a queer tea dance. These daytime dance parties are known to combine QT queers, dancing, hawt lewks, and sunshine vibes – which is why, in Austin, these parties tend to pop up for spring and fall. It's too damn hot to dance outside in a Texas summer. All that to say, get excited for Black Pride's first tea dance party, taking over a Fourth Street rooftop for some fab fallish feels this Saturday. Beats by DJ Nevolution of BLNTD. Sat., Sept. 22, 3-8pm. The Hangar Lounge, 318 Colorado, $10+. www.austinblackpride.org.
Q'd Up
Austin Pride Gay Skate Lace up some wheels, don some disco lewks, and whizz around. Thu., Sept. 20, 7-10pm. Playland, 8822 McCann. $9.
Night Tropics Turns 2! Wish Daddie Dearest and Rhythmicity a v. HBD. Thu., Sept. 20, 10pm. Dozen Street, 1808 E. 12th. Free.
Homecoming Out! A day of cheer queer with a qmmunity resource fair and dance party. Fri., Sept. 21, 3-9pm. ACC Highland, 5930 Middle Fiskville.
Brand New Key With Ethan Azarian A night of good music. Fri., Sept. 21, 8-10pm. Batch Craft Beer, 3220 Manor Rd. Free.
Violent Fem The hawt haute hostess Hentaii brings her glamour grrrls back to the limelight. Fri., Sept. 21, 9:30pm. Swan Dive, 615 Red River. $5.
Hounding Hippie Hollow 2 The dog days of summer might be over, but these hounds are still hitting the water. Sat., Sept. 22, 10am-6pm. Hippie Hollow, 7000 Comanche Trl. $8-15.
Retrospectives Capital City Men's Chorus kicks off their 30th season with the best songs from yesteryear. Sat., Sept. 22, 7:30pm; Sun., Sept. 23, 4pm. Rollins Studio, 701 W. Riverside. $20-35. www.ccmcaustin.org.
Austin Babtist Women Anniversary Weekend These dudes in drag are celebrating 32 years all weekend with a Saturday bar crawl and Sunday show. See online listings for deets. Sat.-Sun., Sept. 22-23.
You Beto Work! Nikki DaVaughn emcees a queer political party with Chola Magnolia, Erica Nix, Jessica Soukup, and more. Sat., Sept. 22, 9pm. Cheer Up Charlies, 900 Red River. www.betofortexas.com.
Drama Club Mascara Rivers and Dandy Velour dig into their nerdy sides. Sat., Sept. 22, 10pm. Hive Mind Hair Co., 3011 N. I-35. $6.
Needs & Goals A QPOC group chat on wellness, needs, and asking for support. Tue., Sept. 25, 6:30-8:30pm. allgo, 701 Tillery Ste. A-1. www.allgo.org.
Screening: Bad Reputation Catch this one-night screening of the Joan Jett doc! Wed., Sept. 26, 7pm & 9:45pm. Alamo Village, 2700 W. Anderson. $12.
Gender-Inclusive Clothing Swap You know the drill. Just leave those gender roles at the door. Wed., Sept. 26, 5-7pm. UT GSC, 2201 Speedway. Free.
