SOUTH TEXAS PRIDE

The month is almost over; however, there is still plenty of time to celebrate Pride in South Texas.

San Antonio’s Pride Month festivities are underway, with many of them kicking off for locals and visitors to enjoy this week.

KSAT Digital Journalist Ivan Herrera has been named the 2022 Media Icon by the San Antonio Pride Center.

June is Pride Month and to celebrate, there are many events taking place throughout the city.

Pride Center San Antonio will host several events during Pride Month in June and later this summer for families to enjoy.

The San Antonio Zoo is roaring into Pride Month with one highly anticipated event.

This year’s Pride Month will feature the first-ever Bud Light Pride River Parade by Visit San Antonio on June 18. Maggie Thompson, director of River Walk operations, joined this episode of the South Texas Pride Q&A series to discuss more about the parade and what visitors can expect.

Advocates say pushback against those targeting transgender children is growing as similar efforts to those in Texas and Florida are spreading across the country.

San Antonio West Side native Jorgeous, has “sashayed” onto television sets all across the nation after being cast on the award-winning series “RuPaul’s Drag Race” for the show's 14th season.

In late 2021, KSAT revamped the South Texas Pride series to bring viewers more long-form content full-length Q&As. We highlighted some stories that made a difference to the local LGBTQ+ community, as well as state, national and even international communities.

San Antonio native Ada Vox is once again thrusting into the spotlight to showcase her singing chops in the new Paramount+ competition “Queen of the Universe,” which premieres Dec. 2.

A local nonprofit organization is working to improve the lives of young LGBTQ+ people and their parents in the San Antonio area.

Pride Center San Antonio is offering mental health services and other resources to LGBTQ+ community members seeking help. Watch this week's South Texas Pride Q&A to learn more.

The town of Del Rio was shaken up by drag performances from their very own mayor and LGBTQ+ community members who were part of the Emmy-nominated HBO show “We’re Here.”

Advocates for the LGBTQ+ community say they are fighting to keep transgender children from losing their ability to participate in sports at school and fighting a number of anti-LGBTQ+ bills in the Texas Legislature.

San Antonio is brimming with new local drag talent, and one competition is helping entertainers strut their stuff in front of a live audience.

KSAT 12 is one of three Texas media outlets and the only TV station to receive an “excellent” rating in the latest report from GLAAD, a national media monitoring organization that works against discrimination of the LGBTQ+ community.

The iconic rainbow crosswalk that was installed back in 2018 in the heart of the gay business district in San Antonio in the Main Avenue strip was replaced with a fresh new installation on Monday.

Thrive offers assistance with education, employment, mental health, life skills, medical care, legal care, and aftercare

The City of San Antonio flew a pride version of the city’s flag over City Hall on Saturday to commemorate Pride Month.

Pride Bigger Than Texas will be going virtual for the second year in a row and organizers believe support has never been more important.

After more than a year without hosting in-person meetings and their biggest fundraising events, the nonprofit Fiesta Youth is back and better than ever.

The second annual ‘Family Pride Night” will take place at Madison Square Park on Tuesday and include live music and LGBTQIA+-owned food and craft vendors, according to a news release.

Pronouns -- they describe a person, place or thing, but nowadays, they mean so much more to those who are non-binary and gender fluid.

In the heart of downtown San Antonio there is a nightclub that’s been a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community for the past 40 years.

There is plenty of grit, determination, skill, and most importantly pride to go around with members of the San Antonio Pride Softball League.

A months-long battle with COVID-19 isn’t stopping one San Antonio drag performer from making a comeback to the stage later this year.

Bexar County Court Judge Rosie Speedlin Gonzalez is awaiting her own day in court after she was forced to remove the rainbow Pride flag and other items from her courtroom in 2019.

While many Pride parades remain on hold, celebrate with these DIY, virtual and in-person options

This year’s Pride Bigger than Texas celebration will be held virtually and will include special celebrity guests and other community performers who will be remoting into the show live.

Anchors Steve Spriester and Isis Romero hosted a town hall on KSAT.com to discuss the LGBTQ community in San Antonio and the meaning of Pride Month.

Pride Center San Antonio is gearing up to host its first in-person fundraiser since last year.

The free program will cater to young people of color and Spanish speakers in the queer community. Salcido stayed true to himself, eventually becoming the executive director of the Pride Center of San Antonio. However, the second pilot counseling group, which is for adults 18 and older who speak Spanish, still has spots available. AdThe Pride Center will use research done during these eight-week counseling sessions to mold more group counseling programs for the future. To sign up for the Spanish speaking group, head to the Pride Center website’s group therapy page.

SAN ANTONIO – Many would call Nickie Valdez an inspiration to others. She said Nickie was one of the first openly gay women in San Antonio. In the 1970′s she co-founded Dignity San Antonio, one of the longest running LGBTQ+ organizations in the city. She was passionate about her community and that was evidenced by her steadfast support of many LGBTQ+ organizations, causes, and initiatives. Pride Center San Antonio celebrates her life and share our condolences with her family, friends, and her partner Deb”.

Messages of love poured in on social media after her friend and longtime neighbor Cherise Rohr Allegrini announced her passing. Her beauty, her grace, her spirit, her bad-ass woman, her fight for social justice, for art, for women, for people of color, for righteousness,” Rohr Allegrini wrote on Facebook. Rohr Allegrini met S.T. She spoke her mind, even when it was hard to hear, but then you wanted more,” Rohr Allegrini said. Her support and encouragement, her teaching about intersectionality and how to incorporate that into art was impactful,” Rohr Allegrini said.

SAN ANTONIO – Editor’s Note: This story is part of KSAT’s South Texas Pride series, which focuses on LGBTQ+ stories. The help for the community hasn’t stopped from Cereal Killer Sweets' end. Cereal Killer Sweets has also helped LGBTQ+ organizations that support local youth. (COURTESY: Cereal Killer Sweets)As for the future, Morales says it’s all about creating a safe space for the community and serving others. “Of course, we’re going to continue to push nationwide, all of those shipments and sales as well, but just sticking with our San Antonio community.”Morales also reflected on her year running Cereal Killer Sweets.

James Poindexter, secretary of Pride San Antonio and event organizer of Pride Bigger than Texas Virtual 2020 - Celebrate PRIDE365, said the events official name change this year has an important meaning. And were going to have shoutouts from community leaders, elected officials.SOUTH TEXAS PRIDE: Drag shows go digital in South TexasPoindexter says organizing a digital Pride festival didn't come without its share of difficulties. "We feel that this is absolutely our best effort that we're putting forth with this virtual event," Poindexter continued. Click here for more information on the Pride Bigger than Texas Virtual 2020 lineup, as well as more information on how you can watch the event. PLEASE SHARE---PLEASE SHARE---PLEASE SHARE Pride Bigger Than Texas Virtual 2020-Celebrate PRIDE 365 Live on Facebook and... Posted by Pride San Antonio on Thursday, June 25, 2020KSAT-TV EXTRA: Bittersweet moments mark Pride 2020; LGBTQ+ community continues fighting for change

Black queer lives are Black lives. If were gonna talk about Black lives mattering, we need to talk about all Black lives, the organizer said. The organizer explained why a big part of these marches are focused on transgender women of color. This Pride Month has been bittersweet for the community as they continue fighting for basic human rights. RELATED: Pride San Antonio announces digital festival for 2020 amid COVID-19 pandemicDrag shows go digital in South Texas

That kind of brought me up a little bit.Tencha La Jefa decided to follow in the steps of other queens and put on his own digital drag show. From drag brunches to club dance floors, he has also had to dabble in the world of digital drag to continue his performing career during the pandemic. Andrews said before the closures of venues went into effect, people started being more cautious when attending drag shows. We still had out dedicated fanbase they were so supportive.Digital drag shows allowed Andrews to continue performing beyond the closures and give the fans a party online. (Miss Toni Andrews)Jacob Ramirez/Jodie GalileiJacob Ramirez, who goes by the stage name Jodie Galilei when performing in drag, has been working to put on his second digital drag show for his company, NuQueer & Co.

SAN ANTONIO June 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of LGBTQ+ Pride traditions in the United States, and Monday is the first day of Pride Month. The first Pride March was held in New York City on June 28, 1970, on the first anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, according to the LOC. In San Antonio, drag queen Tencha La Jefa is no stranger to Pride performances. Me being older, when I first came to San Antonio, Pride was small here, Tencha La Jefa said. To me, Pride Month -- Pride period -- nowadays, the way things are, is just living life to the fullest and being able to be you and being able to be yourself, being accepted by so many people.

SAN ANTONIO The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the cancellation of several Pride Festival celebrations. However, in San Antonio, the event is going digital this year. In an effort to maximize the safety and wellbeing of our community and to continue to control the spread of COVID-19 we have opted to move Pride Bigger Than Texas 2020 to a virtual platform, Pride San Antonio said in a statement on its website. Pride Bigger Than Texas 2020 will stream online Saturday, June 27th. To learn more about the festival, visit Pride San Antonios website by clicking here.

SAN ANTONIO – The non-profit, Human Rights Campaign, just released its annual Corporate Equality Index, which grades companies across the nation on their level of inclusion for LGBTQ employees. Two San Antonio companies received perfect scores this year: Rackspace and USAA. "I think we both experienced that before Don't Ask Don't Tell was repealed. HRC puts together an annual Corporate Equality Index, which uses a list of criteria to rate companies on inclusivity. We’re asking you to understand it and respect it in the workplace,” said USAA Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Jason Kamiya.

The Woodlawn Theatre is bringing the Australian outback to San Antonio with their production of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. The show is based on the 1994 movie of the same name. During the run of the show, the Woodlawn Theatre is collecting toiletries to benefit the SA Aids Foundation. The musical does contain adult themes and language, and the theater suggest patrons be over 18. The show runs every weekend until November 4th and tickets range from $18-$30.

If you need help with the Public File, call 210-351-1241. Copyright © 2020 KSAT.com is managed by Graham Digital and pubished by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings.

If you need help with the Public File, call 210-351-1241. Copyright © 2020 KSAT.com is managed by Graham Digital and pubished by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings.

As part of KSAT’s South Texas Pride series, BEAT AIDS showed how easy it is to take an HIV test and what you should do once you know your results. How easy is it to take an HIV test? Several organizations in Bexar County, including the Metropolitan Health District, BEAT AIDS and the San Antonio AIDS Foundation, offer HIV testing for free or at a low cost. “Don't have any embarrassment, get treated, get with a medical provider.”If your test results are negative, experts say you should seek preventative measures. Eradicating the virusSan Antonio and Bexar County joined the Fast-Track Cities Initiative last December in an effort to end HIV as a public health threat by 2030.

SAN ANTONIO – Currently in the United States, 1.4 million people identify as transgender, according to a 2015 U.S. Transgender survey. It's a statistic that has grown every year, but many transgender individuals still face many obstacles. Jessica Zyrie and her father, Dwayne Price, are hoping their story will help other families. Their inspirational story is now being featured in a national GLAAD and Absolut Vodka campaign about acceptance. "Today, I know there's a lot more support, but there's still a long way to go," Zyrie said.

SAN ANTONIO – Presidential candidate and former Mayor Julián Castro will march in San Antonio's Pride Parade on Saturday. Castro's campaign manager confirmed to KSAT's Steve Spriester on the return to his hometown for the Pride Bigger Than Texas Festival and Parade. I just confirmed that Presidential Candidate and former SA Mayor @JulianCastro will be marching in the San Antonio Pride Parade tomorrow. #KSATnews — Steve Spriester (@stevespriester) June 29, 2019His arrival comes less than 72 hours after Castro and other presidential candidates squared off in the first Democratic debate. For more information on the Pride Bigger Than Texas Festival and Parade, click here.

SAN ANTONIO – Pride month is going out with a bang this weekend in San Antonio. The Pride Bigger Than Texas Festival and Parade will start at 11 a.m. and run till 7 p.m. Saturday. Starting at 8:45 p.m., the Krystal Kelly Running of the Queens High Heel Race will commence, acting as the official kickoff for the Pride Bigger Than Texas Parade. Those running in the race will be competing for many prizes including a VIP pass to the Bonham Exchange. Serving as 2019 Pride Bigger than Texas parade grand marshals will be Autumn Summers, who has raised over $1 million for local charities and has worked in the drag world for 38 years and Gene Elder, who managed the well-known gay bar San Antonio Country and will be serving posthumously.

On Saturday, a troupe of drag kings welcomed San Antonio families to join in on their bilingual story time event. The group read a book called “They Call Me Mix” in English and Spanish in hopes of teaching tolerance and acceptance.