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 […]
University of Houston graduate Phyllis Frye, affectionately known as the grandmother of the transgender legal and political movement, reflects on her life as an advocate and shares memories of her decades-long marriage with Trish, a beloved music teacher who passed away in 2020.
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
In conversation and in historical research “place” takes on a variety of meanings. It can represent a physical location, a space within the community, a position in society, or our diverse identities. Exploring Houston history is more than just looking at our location; we consider all the things that make up our environment, from the […]
In the late 1960s Mrs. James Tinsley set a shining example of domesticity in the local press as the “clever hostess,” behind the University of Houston history department’s annual dessert and coffee party. The genteel mother of three rounded out this image teaching Sunday school and offering piano lessons to elementary-aged children at her home […]
Activism takes many forms. Although most easily recognized by the sights and sounds of protestors marching down the street carrying signs, activism is also demonstrated quietly through the comforting voice that calms a stray animal or in a roadside memorial communicating awareness for road safety. The people behind these social movements, regardless of the voracity […]
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