Equality & Justice
LGBTQ stories have always been at the heart of progress, driving historic milestones like marriage equality and workplace protections.
At the OutSmart Foundation, we believe that community journalism fuels this progress by sharing the human experiences behind these achievements and bringing attention to the ongoing fight for justice. The OutSmart Foundation funds thoughtful reporting that highlights the challenges in the fight for equality, and shares voices that inspire action and challenge prejudice.
JUSTICEPhyllis Frye
November 2022 issue
In a profile of Phyllis Frye pegged to her newly published biography, OutSmart Media told the story of the pioneering transgender attorney and judge who was instrumental in advancing transgender rights in Houston and beyond. The first openly transgender judge in the nation, Frye contributed to the repeal of Houston’s anti-crossdressing ordinance in 1980. She emphasizes the importance of perseverance: Having been discharged from the army and fired from a subsequent job at her alma mater, Texas A&M, Frye pushed past the discrimination and built a national movement.
COMMUNITYEmmett Schelling
February 2019 issue
OutSmart Media has had the honor of writing about activist Emmett Schelling a number of times, including when Schelling, a Korean man who identifies as trans, was appointed as executive director of the Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT). “Trans people of color, specifically black trans women, face obstacles that their white counterparts do not,” Schelling told reporter Lourdes Zavaleta. “This is why TENT is programming through a racial-justice lens.”
ACTIVISMThis video introduces viewers to three local LGBTQ leaders spearheading Houston's Black Lives Matter movement. First, meet Ashton P. Woods, the openly gay founder of BLM Houston. Next, meet Tatiauna Holland, a queer immigration attorney and civil rights activist. Then, meet Sis, a trans woman who recently founded an organization dedicated to distributing resources to Black and Brown trans folks.
HOUSTON’S LGBTQ Leaders Demand Racial Justice
Septemer 2020: A MOMENT IN TIME
Archival photos courtesy of houstonlgbthistory.org