L Style G Style co-founders and life partners Lynn Yeldell and Alisa Weldon will be recognized with the Visibility Award at the 2012 Austin HRC Gala. This award recognizes LGBT individuals who are living open and honest lives at home, at work, and in their greater community. The couple met at the Austin Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. Lynn found Alisa's energy and enthusiasm infectious and these same qualities became the foundation to starting L Style G Style. The couple talked with Austinist about being honored with the award, the difficulties of living openly and honestly, and their views on the Austin LGBT community. more ›

If you've been secretly hiding a pair of old school roller skates under your bed, now's the time to whip 'em out and ride. This Thursday, UNITE!, Team Prohomo, Mouthfeel, Sir/Ma'am, and Alien She will bring together a rainbow assortment of queers for Roller Disco, a skate party and volunteer drive at the Millenium Youth Entertainment Complex. more ›

Just when it seemed assured that local video bar Barbarella was “'bout the hottest bitch in heels right here” it seems the homo-hipster haven is really no more welcoming to the LGBTQ community than Michele Bachmann's tour bus. On Friday night, Michael Grammar and friends visited Barbarella. Michael, who lives in Grand Prairie and doesn't identify as male, visits Austin often and usually feels comfortable running around in make-up and fabulous heels. Apparently, the staff at Barbarella had a problem with a boy in heels. As described on tumblr, Michael kicked over an empty cup when a bouncer grabbed Michael by the throat and demanded the cup be put in the trash can. When Michael's friend assisted in throwing the cup away, the bouncer threw the cup on the floor and demanded that Michael throw it away. Once the mess was taken care of, Michael was led out of the bar by the throat while bar staff imitated a gay lisp, made homophobic remarks, pushed Michael's friend Katie and called her a “trashy cunt.” more ›

For those afraid of venturing into the hispter haven of East Austin but are still hungry for a local art fix, today the Q Austin will be hosting the Power of Art and Action Block Party loosely located between Lamar and Guadalupe. Local artists and participating organizations will transform the Q Austin into a fairground of interactive booths, art exhibits, displays, and live music performances for an experience that will meld art and social action. more ›

Gays, find a pair of pants you didn't hack off above the knees and lesbians, please give your little brother back his PF Flyers. The evening's attire calls for your most creative black and white. Definitely a reason to flip through your favorite drag queen's look book. more ›

GetEQUAL

"Coming Out For Marriage Equality" March and Rally
Saturday, October 15
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March 5pm, Ceremony 5:30pm
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While the government may not be ready to accept same-sex marriage it seems the man upstairs is giving his thumbs up. Well, sort of. The First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin will be performing a mass same-sex marriage and commitment ceremony on the Capitol steps this Saturday at 5:30pm. It may be too short of a notice to get your wedding invites printed, but your friends will understand it's not shotgun.

“Marriage is about love and commitment, and GLBT citizens want the same rights to express their commitment to a life-partner that heterosexual citizens enjoy,” says Reverend Meg Barnhouse, who will be officiating the ceremony by the powers vested in her.

Saturday night, the ND @ 501 Studios will be the disco landscape for Club Kid, a benefit for AIDS Services of Austin brought to you by Mouthfeel. Club Kid is a throwback to the early 90s LGBTQIA club culture and is focused on a younger audience that normally doesn't participate in ASA-related events. And if you're too young to remember the early 90s, here's a little history lesson about how you were conceived.

The evening will kick off at 9:00pm with DJs Dylan Reece and Mike Zawodniak of Flying Turns spinning discs into a frenzy leading into a competitive fashion show at 10:00pm by Coco Coquette. Eight Austin designers will compete to please the Statesman's Michael Barnes, Tribeza's Lauren Smith-Ford, and Tito Vodka's Amiel “Happy” Mercado for a $1000 prize.

The fashion show will be followed by a massive dance event with performances by psychedelic-electronic band End Wave, break dancing from the B*Girlz, a drag show by the fierce Feonix Firestone, a samba number by the enigmatic Ms. Coral Rose, and more all out weirdness. Vogue-champion Andre Hernandez will host the evening's festivities.

Let's face it, sometimes it's just too hot to be out of the closet. Luckily, Austin's PRIDE celebration has been moved to September and thanks to some divine intervention, the weather is finally at a sensible 90 degrees. This gives you no excuse to participate in the 5k fun run, parade, or festival at Fiesta Gardens. This year also marks the 20th anniversary of Austin PRIDE, which was originally called “Gay Fiesta.”

There are even more reasons than normal to be out and proud (or inside with air conditioning and a cold drink...and proud) in Austin this week. With Austin Pride's official move to September, Pride Weekend now lands on the same week as the Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival (aGLIFF). How appropriate! It's nice to see aGLIFF delivering another strong lineup through their Executive Director transition — Board President John Livingston recently handed over the reigns to South By Southwest alum, Lindsay Muse. Thanks to these two and, most importantly, aGLIFF's ever-dedicated programming team, we have nearly 40 films at our fingertips, plus some new and exclusive special events that serve to spice up their 24th year. more ›

It looks like Governor Perry has finally come out of the closet...to support gays that is. Or something like it.

While visiting Rock Hill, North Carolina, Perry was asked about his views on Civil Rights. The governor applauded the civil rights movement but more importantly he said:

“And as we go forward, America needs to be about freedom. It needs to be about freedom from overtaxation, freedom from over-litigation, freedom from over-regulation. And Americans regardless of what their cultural or ethnic background is they need to know that they can come to America and you got a chance to have any dream come true because the economic climate is gonna be improved.”

Hush

Austin's more adventurous gays have already wandered past the usual 4th street haunts and discovered Austin's newest gay bar, Hush. Two of Austin's long time bar barons have ventured into business of the homosexual persuasion, which coincidentally befits the partnered couple. While Hush has been open for business for about a month, last week was its official coming out party. Located in the building that formerly housed Light Bar, Hush features two dance floors, multiple rooms, a rooftop lounge, and a late bed time - all crucial for attracting the cruising homosexual.

Tonight, Austin's trendiest gay bar Rain is giving you the chance to finally wrap up in your favorite garbage bag dress for a Ke$ha look alike contest. If you frequently wake up in the morning feeling like P Diddy, have a habit of losing your coat at a party at a rich dude's house, or if every night you're just down to go out then you might have what it takes to be the best (or worst?) dressed on the Lite-Brite dance floor.

This Saturday, Pride month continues as aGLIFF hosts their annual summer fundraiser and art auction, BOOM at East Side Stages. The evening brings together over twenty five LGBT artists of all mediums to celebrate the community's differences through self expression. Artwork will be up for auction with the proceeds going to benefit aGLIFF and the artists themselves. If you're blissfully unaware, aGLIFF's programs include filmmaking experiences for LGBT youth, assistance for US and international filmmakers, and free public screenings.

This Friday, Queerbomb will be making a radical queer blast on the streets of Austin. The event begins at 7:00pm at the East Side Drive In for a rally and pre-procession entertainment, followed by a march down 6th street, and several affiliated parties around town. Parties will include music festival Gayos in Tejas, a performance at OCH by video vixen Cazwell, the Love Parade party (boys in heels and girls with facial hair get in free), the Austin Leather Social, and dance party Queer Up Charlie's Pride in your Pants. The Official Queerbomb After Party is so on the down low, it's still in the closet. You'll have to make it through the march to find out the super secret details. more ›

Sunday, May 22 would mark the 81st birthday of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California. To celebrate his life and accomplishments, the Texas chapter of GetEQUAL will be hosting their 2nd Annual Harvey Milk Day Conference with a weekend full of events. more ›

This Saturday is shaping up to be one of Austin's gayest days ever with the launch of two initiatives that aim to promote equality and community building, Going Up Day and UNITE! more ›

Banana hammocked and bikini clad guests can look forward to signature cocktails from Deep Eddy Sweet Tea Vodka and Republic Tequila as well as a customized taco bar from Zocalo Cafe. DJ Aaron Montez will be spinning discs and dropping beats.

L Style G Style profiles gay men and lesbians that impact the community in a positive way. The Creative Issue will feature highly talented designers, photographers, set designers, and innovators.

This Saturday night, AIDS Services of Austin brings the Sin City to Austin Music Hall with their 18th annual charity benefit Viva Las Vegas. The evening will feature performances by Coco Coquette, aerial arts collective Sky Candy, and the vinyl grooves of DJ Orion. Originally an other worldly wig shop, Coco Coquette spreads a love for maximalist glamour through parties, shows, and a unique shopping experience that encourages embracing your inner drag queen. more ›

Weekly dance party, Mouthfeel, has now moved to Thursday nights at east side bar Cheer Up Charlie's. This dance adventure seeks to foster a queer community that creates positive energy and explores political dimensions through sensual overload. Along with the change in venue, Mouthfeel will also be partnering with different gay organizations for fundraising and awareness efforts. All proceeds from the first party will benefit UNITE!, a marriage equality initiative, in association with Going Up Days, a non-profit that mobilizes and motivates the LGBT community to participate in volunteering for community building projects. more ›

Channeling intense volunteer passion, subtly opening conservative minds, and standing up to the occasional pesky picketing threat — all in a day's work for Jake H. Gonzales, Programs Director of the Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival (aGLIFF). While the act of wading through a preposterous amount of films and contacts would be enough to make us feel that we had the right to walk around slapping...anyone, Jake exudes a most understanding and calm energy that—to us—seems like an incredible feat when you're one week away from launching a film festival. Although we would have liked to have spent the interview trying to find a way to bottle that energy for ourselves (muah ha ha), asking a few questions involving the diverse lineup of films and events aGLIFF 23 is bringing our way September 7th-12th seemed like the more pertinent thing to do. We convened at Cherrywood Coffeehouse to discuss unforgettable yodelers, angry transwomen, and why it's so damn hard to get people to heart the documentaries like we do. We then forced Jake to play a LGBTQI Pop Culture Thought Game with us. Like we said, really understanding energy. more ›

Photos by Aaron Geiser and Chaz Gordon from aGLIFF's annual BLOOM fundraiser, which took place last Friday at Action Figure Studios. The evening's performers included aerialist Agent Red, artist Rob Rough, the Queertastiks, Austin based arts collective Queer Sol, Kings N Things and walker-assisted stripper Granny P. Note: some potentially NSFW photos in the gallery. more ›

Author Richard Florida and demographer Gary Gates compiled information to rank the country's top twenty gayest cities for The Daily Beast. The rankings were based on Gates' "Gay/Lesbian Index Value," which quantifies how the proportion of same-sex couples in a given metro area compares to the average for the entire U.S. For example, An index value of 2 would mean that a metro area has twice the number of same sex households as the national average. more ›

This Thursday, the folks over at Homoscope are looking to take on the Hollywood establishment (specifically you, Jolie) by presenting Summer Static, a showcase of new and gently used experimental short films, during the peak summer blockbuster season. more ›

This month, aGLIFF takes a little detour from the film festival circuit and brings you BLOOM, a celebration of LGBT and ally artists that break new ground in works across all mediums, including (deep breath): digital, canvas, performance, photography, theatre, dance, sculpture, film, and mixed media. That's a whole lot to celebrate. more ›

This Friday, July 16th, the Red Hot Party returns to Oilcan Harry's. The 19th annual soiree, which has been named “Best Independent AIDS Fundraiser” by the Austin Chronicle, benefits Project Transitions in their mission to fund HIV/AIDS education, prevention, and client services programming in Central Texas. more ›

This Sunday at 3pm, the flash mob make out session known as the Great Global Kiss-In will take place at City Hall Plaza. At the sound of a whistle, the crowd begins kissing for one minute. A series of kiss-ins will be taking place in over 50 cities across the globe between May 14-17. The kiss-in is meant to commemorate the International Day Against Homophobia, which falls on May 17 the day homosexuality was removed from the International Classification of Diseases of the World Health Organization.

Bear Nation, a SXSW Emerging Visions documentary, explores the big, hairy, and oh-so-happy (read: real, laid back) gay subculture of Bears. The film features a slew of candid takes on body image, acceptance, and ultimately finding a way to go easier on yourself to take full advantage of this life. Yes, the documentary about the burliest of men is surprisingly touching and we still get to hear about what gets them off -- the best of both worlds! We sat down with Director Malcolm Ingram (Small Town Gay Bar) and music icon/documentary interviewee Bob Mould (formerly of Hüsker Dü and Sugar) mere hours before their world premiere to discuss the draw of niche groups, the fur of foreign lands, and why you shouldn't use the phrase "pick up on" in questions about gay communities. more ›

Although most of us have probably never wanted to see Santa in a speedo, Saturday December 12, gives you the chance to do just that. If Santa decides to take part in this year's Fun Run at Zilker Park and join Team Santa Speedo. Otherwise you'll probably see some pleasantly fit folks strapped in red banana hammocks and bikinis running to raise funds and awareness for Out Youth, a non-profit that provides services to LGBT and questioning youth. more ›

A judge in Dallas and state Attorney General Greg Abbott are publicly butting heads over a potentially precedent-setting gay divorce case. more ›