Reporting on Equality, Rights & Justice
At the OutSmart Foundation, we believe community journalism helps move society forward by documenting the human stories behind historic milestones and shining a light on the ongoing pursuit of equality and justice.
The Foundation supports thoughtful reporting that explores the challenges facing LGBTQ communities while elevating voices that foster understanding, civic engagement, and meaningful change.
LGBTQ Stories Have Always Driven Progress.
JUSTICEPhyllis Frye
November 2022 issue
In a profile published alongside her newly released biography, OutSmart Media chronicled the life and work of Phyllis Frye, a pioneering transgender attorney and judge whose advocacy helped advance transgender rights in Houston and across the nation.
Frye became the first openly transgender judge in the United States and played a pivotal role in the repeal of Houston’s anti-cross-dressing ordinance in 1980—an important step forward for transgender equality.
Her journey is also one of remarkable perseverance. After being discharged from the U.S. Army and later losing a job at her alma mater, Texas A&M University, Frye faced significant discrimination. Rather than retreat, she continued her advocacy, helping build a national movement that expanded legal recognition and protections for transgender Americans.
COMMUNITYEmmett Schelling
February 2019 issue
OutSmart Media has covered the work of Emmett Schelling, a prominent transgender advocate, on several occasions—including when Schelling was appointed executive director of the Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT).
In an interview with OutSmart reporter Lourdes Zavaleta, Schelling spoke about the importance of addressing racial disparities within the transgender community. As a Korean American transgender man, Schelling emphasized the need for advocacy that recognizes the unique challenges faced by transgender people of color.
“Trans people of color, specifically Black trans women, face obstacles that their white counterparts do not,” Schelling said. “This is why TENT is programming through a racial-justice lens.”
Through stories like this, OutSmart’s journalism highlights leaders working to advance equity and visibility within LGBTQ communities.
ACTIVISMViewers meet Ashton P. Woods, openly gay founder of BLM Houston; Tatiauna Holland, a queer immigration attorney and civil rights advocate; and Sis, a transgender activist who founded an organization dedicated to providing resources for Black and Brown trans communities.
Watch the video here.
HOUSTON’S LGBTQ Leaders Demand Racial Justice
Septemer 2020: A MOMENT IN TIME
Archival photos courtesy of houstonlgbthistory.org