Qmmunity: Fear, but Make It Queer
Abbott revives attack on trans kids, Netflix brings queer Fear Street party to Austin, and more news
By Beth Sullivan, Fri., July 9, 2021
Ya know the feelin': Pride Month is officially over, and Austin Pride's parade lies just outside the reach of your sweaty mitts on Aug. 14. Never fear, tide yourself over with but a few of Austin's queerest news and events that have got us talking, loving, cursing, crying... Bigots Be Bigoting (Again): Today (Thursday, June 8) the 87th Texas Legislature kicks off its special session (first of two, BTW). In an unsettling echo of the Texas GOP's anti-trans bathroom panic in the 2017 special session, Gov. Greg Abbott is asking lawmakers to prioritize legislation similar to this year's Senate Bill 29, which sought to effectively ban trans kids from school sports by forcing K-12 students to play on University Interscholastic League teams corresponding with their gender assigned at birth. Contacting your representatives, testifying, and checking in with your queer and trans fam are essential for us squashing the GOP's attack on trans and nonbinary kids... She (She) Said What?: Following the terrible loss of BT2 and Sellers Underground, you can imagine why I gasp-squealed when I learned that Cheer Up Charlies' Maggie Lea and Tamara Hoover have plans to open up coffee-shop-by-day Rio Rita and dance-club-after-dark the She She Lounge, on Chicon and East 11th in the old RR space they bought in 2019... Fear, but Make It Queer: Netflix celebrates the release of its horror film trilogy Fear Street with a free party on Sunday, June 11, 3-7pm, at Coconut Club and Neon Grotto (see below). The films' central love story is queer, so that's v cool – and even cooler, perhaps, is that Sunday's fete features a live mural painting by Xavier Schipani, DJ sets, and performaces encompassing drag, music, and everything between, within, and beyond. Chronicle staffer Trace Thurman, co-host of the Horror Queers podcast, is the emcee... And One Last Thing: Q scribe James Scott will be my stand-in next week while I'm out on vacation, so trust me when I say that y'all are in for a literary delight.
2 to Do
Queer Street Come dressed in your Nineties or Seventies best for Netflix's special celebration of its time-jumping, queer-ish horror trilogy Fear Street emceed by the Chronicle's very own Trace Thurman. DJ sets by BoyFriend, La Morena, and more, plus performances by p1nkstar, Y2K, Erica Nix, and other queer delights. Sun., July 11, 3-7pm. Coconut Club, 310-B Colorado. Free. fb.com/coconut-club-111166463702990.
TGQ Social Hang out, make friends, and connect with resources at this "Best of Austin" award-winning meetup for everyone on the trans and genderqueer spectrum. Organizers strongly reco that folks mask up, regardless of vax status. Sun., July 11, 6pm. Butterfly Bar, 2307 Manor Rd. Free. fb.com/tgqsocial.
Q'd Up
Disrupting the "Closet" & Gender Convo from the perspectives of queer and trans folks from diasporic communities. Thu., July 8, 6-7:30pm. Online. fb.com/afssaustin.
Fuego QTBIPOC dance party-meets-artist market turns up the queer summertime heat. Fri., July 9, 7pm. Cheer Ups, 900 Red River. $5-10 suggested donation. fb.com/fridafridayatx.
Poo Poo Platter pays homage to Europop songstress Kim Petras. Fri., July 9, 10pm. Elysium, 705 Red River. $10.
Otter Fest Bask in the fun, sun, and buff with wildlife of the queer persuasion and their admirers. Fri.-Sun., July 9-11. Hippie Hollow, 7000 Comanche Trl. $8.
Cute AF Handmade and vintage goods market; a portion of vendor fees benefit Out Youth. Sun., July 11, 11am-3pm. Cute Nail Studio, 1211 E. Seventh. fb.com/eastsidepopup.
Brand New Key Sweet queergrass sounds. Sun., July 11, 6-8pm. Meanwhile Brewing Co., 3901 Promontory Point. Free. brandnewkeymusic.com.
Phantom of the Paradise Miss Kitty Litter ATX's lively screening of the rock & roll retelling of The Phantom of the Opera. Tue., July 13, 8:15-10:30pm. Blue Starlite Mueller II, 2103 E.M. Franklin Ave. fb.com/kittyscatboxcinema.
Summertime For aGLIFF's return to in-person screenings, see the spoken-word poetry musical as well as poetry and a conversation with star Tyris Winter. Wed., July 14, 7pm. Galaxy Highland 10, 6700 Middle Fiskville. Free; aGLIFF members get priority seating. galaxytheatres.com.
