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“A Magical Time”: Christmas at San José Clinic
By Celine Pineda Just five years after the San José Clinic was established in 1922, the National Council of Catholic Women (now the Charity Guild of Catholic Women) began hosting a Christmas celebration for patients and community members, many of whom went without during the holidays. Approximately 300 children attended the first gathering, with infants receiving clothing and toiletries and other children visiting Santa Claus, who gave them toys and bags filled with candy, […]
The Women Behind the San José Clinic
By Sarah Chikhani In the early 1990s, Sister Annette McDonagh and Sister Pauline Troncale carpooled to work at San José Clinic in Houston’s Second Ward. Every morning, Sister Annette, a pharmacist in her seventies, would bless the clinic with a splash of holy water and pray that she would not make any mistakes. Recalling the story with a laugh, Sister Pauline, who was CEO of the clinic at […]
Fundraising with Heart
By Grace Conroy Over 300 people attended the Art with Heart event in 2018, which raised $215,000 from the sale of artwork, some of which is shown here. Photo courtesy of the San José Clinic. People have come together to discuss important ideas and shared interests since the ancient Greeks and Romans. While these original assemblies centered […]
18.2 LGBTQ+ HOU: Bayou City Proud – Letter from Editor
Letter from the Editor: Reflections on Love Debbie Z. Harwell, editor. Does anyone ever really forget their first love? Whether the relationship lasted a lifetime or ended too soon, it seems few people forget. In fact, the internet has an endless number of opinions and statistics on first loves. My first love was a gay […]
From Dumpster Diving to Dallas Buyers Club: Gulf Coast Archive and Museum of GLBT History
A conversation with Judy Reeves, Vince Lee, and Leandra Zarnow Judy Reeves, Vince Lee, and Leandra Zarnow discuss the history of GCAM’s origins. Judy Reeves—the lead curator who cofounded the Gulf Coast Archive and Museum of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender History (GCAM) in 1999—is a longtime Houston activist. Retired from the medical and banking […]
The Legacy and Career of Deb Murphy
By Logan French Members of Hatch Youth decorate their float in preparation for a Pride parade. Photo courtesy of the Montrose Center. I knew her as a woman who sat behind dark glasses with a nearly constant, slight frown. She was quick to tell you harsh truths, exceptionally stubborn, and possibly loved more intensely than […]
Preserving Black LGBTQ+ History
By Erika Thompson On a brisk December morning, over flaky croissants and Parisian tea in dainty, porcelain cups, the answer was yes. Overwhelmingly, emphatically, unequivocally YES. There was no need to finish either the pitch or the ask; we were already completely on board. Houston LGBTQ activist Charles Law addresses a crowd during the 1979National March on Washington for Lesbianand Gay Rights.Photo courtesy of Botts Collection of LGBT History. It is a […]
The Life and Times of Diana
By Christian Kelleher Tom “Ava” Osborn, David Moncrief, Charles Hebert, and the statue of Diana in the earliest known photograph of the Diana Awards, 1969, at the Windmill Theater. This photograph was scanned by Brandon Wolf from Tom Osborn’s collection, but the location of the original copy is currently unknown. Digital scan courtesy of The […]
The Pam Francis Portraits
By Christine Starkman Pam Francis was born in Houston, Texas, in 1954 and passed away in 2020. She received her BFA in graphic design and photography from the College of Fine Arts at The Universityof Texas at Austin. Pam Francis Photographs will be the first retrospective exhibition organized at the Blaffer Art Museum at the University of Houston on the work of Pam Francis (1954 – 2020). On display September 29 to October 6, 2021, the exhibition will feature iconic artworks depicting her technical mastery of luminous lighting and […]