February 18 - Politics with Brandon Mack, Nick Hellyar, Patrick Oathout, and author Jacob Anthony Rose

We start off with an interview with the new President of the Houston LGBTQ Political Caucus, Brandon Mack.  Then Bryan Hlavinka talks to two candidates that are both running for Houston City Council District C - Nick Hellyar and Patrick Oathout. Both candidates are queer voices! And finally, we discuss Jacob Anthony Rose's memoir Stillness and Survival: A Life Between Trauma, Glitter, and the Echo of My Own Voice. 

Nick Hellyar site: 

https://nickforhouston.com/

Patrick Oathout site: 

https://patrickforhouston.com/

Houston LGBTQ+ Political Caucus site: 

https://www.thecaucus.org/

Jacob Anthony Rose site:  

https://jacobanthonyrose.com/

Queer Voices airs in Houston Texas on 90.1FM KPFT and is heard as a podcast here. Queer Voices hopes to entertain as well as illuminate LGBTQ issues in Houston and beyond. Check out our socials at:

https://www.facebook.com/QueerVoicesKPFT/ and
https://www.instagram.com/queervoices90.1kpft/

Transcript

Political Special Opens

SPEAKER_02 0:02

This is KPFT 90.1 FM Houston, 89.5 FM Galveston, 91.9 FM Huntsville, and worldwide on the internet at KPFT.org.

Brandon Mack Introduced

Brett 0:23

Hi there, this is Brett Cullum, and on this episode, Queer Voices Goes Political in honor of the primary elections. First up, we have an interview I did with Brandon Mack. He is the new president of the Houston LGBTQ Plus political caucus. Then we have Brian Lovinka speaking with two candidates running for city council, Nick Hellier and Patrick Othout. Finally, we have a discussion with author Jacob Anthony Rose about his memoir, Stillness and Survival: A Life Between Trauma, Glitter, and the Echo of My Own Voice. Queer Voices starts now. Hi there, it's Brett Cullum, and today I am joined by Brandon Mack. He is the newest president of the Houston LGBTQ Plus Political Caucus, which is the oldest LGBTQIA plus civil rights organization in the South. It was founded in 1975, dedicated to eliminating prejudice, violence, and injustice against lesbian, gay, bisexual, misgender, and queer people through education, activism, and political advocacy. Now, the caucus is instrumental in letting us be informed voters and to vote in a community block, which is so important, especially elections coming up. And Brandon has been an activist, an educator, an entrepreneur, and in his own words, an angelic troublemaker for over 20 years. He has done a lot of the screening as the chair for the Houston Political LGBTQ Plus caucus and vice chair of the Harris County LGBTQIA Plus Commission. So he's also a community sociologist. He runs his own consulting business called BMAC Strategy, where he provides college admissions, counseling, and consulting, as well as equity, inclusion, diversity, training, and education. So welcome to Queer Voices, Brandon. Thank you so much for having me. It's a pleasure to be here. I am just amazed that you can fit me in with everything that you do. I know that we were scheduled to speak a little earlier, and it was during your screening time. And I was like, are you crazy? So I'm glad that I finally caught you. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 2:33

Always, you know, try to make yourself available for the community. So just appreciate the opportunity.

Inside The Caucus Vetting Process

Brett 2:38

Yeah. Now, you guys just finished a round of vetting candidates. But tell us a little bit about what you look for in political candidates. How do you vet them? When you good when they go into a screening, what can they expect?

Threats And Legislative Strategy

SPEAKER_00 2:49

Absolutely. So when they come to a screening with the Houston LGBTQ political caucus, they can expect one of the most thoughtful and rigorous screening processes in the entire city of Houston, but I would argue in the entire nation. Our screening process literally gives our caucus members who go through our training and screenings process the ability to ask any question that they want to candidates. So we ask questions that range the full gamut. So it isn't only just about LGBTQ issues, even though, of course, that is the primary and significant, important part of the screening. But we also talk about criminal justice issues, immigration, their thoughts on how they're going to improve the office that they're looking to serve, and also how are they going to win their particular race? So our screenings do go the full gamut. Oftentimes they will go the full hour of the time that we have together, and we still will have questions and we do follow up. So one of the things I'm the most proud of is that every single screener brings in their full intersections into the screening so they can ask the questions that are going to be uh specific to them and specific to people who are like them. So our screenings are definitely a wonderful part of the process of democracy and also a part of the LGBTQ community because we ensure that all voices and all issues are going to be considered in our process.

Brett 4:14

Yeah, no, it's amazing how deep you guys get with that. Now, I know that you were coming in at a challenging time for a lot of reasons for the caucus. What do you see are the biggest challenges for the organization in the coming year?

SPEAKER_00 4:25

The biggest challenges that I foresee is unfortunately the LGBTQ plus community is under attack at all levels of government. So we definitely have attacks coming at the federal level. We also have them coming from the state level. And so the fact that we're being attacked on all sides keeps us very busy, but it is important for us to stay engaged and stay in the fight. So for me, the biggest things that we have to uh guard against is all of the potential federal injunctions that may happen against the trans community, against the LGBTQ community, and then also making sure that we're putting in effective legislators and people in the state realms of government to guard against the attacks coming from our governor. So we got a lot to go, uh we got a lot ahead of us, but at the same time, I'm very, very confident in our ability as an organization to be at the table to consistently advocate for our community.

Brett 5:22

I'm going to ask you something cruel. I'm going to ask you to tell me a little bit about the upcoming elections between now and the midterms because it seems like every time I turn around, there's another election. I mean, like, wait, I just voted. Wait, this is this runoff. Wait, what's going on? It's it's so hard to keep up with all of that. Uh is there any resources that you can use or like do you know what's coming between now and then? I I think I've got a printed sheet here somewhere, but it's crazy.

What’s On The Ballot Next

SPEAKER_00 5:48

There is a lot coming up, uh definitely elections-wise. I keep track of the Secretary of State uh website because the Secretary of State governs elections here in the state of Texas. So keeping track of that website is a great way to see what elections are coming up. Also, our Harris County clerk, Tanisha Hudsbeth, in her office, who also handles elections here in uh the county. She does a great job of also keeping us updated on upcoming elections. Specifically, what is upcoming for us here in Houston and Harris County is currently we actually have an election going on right now. We have the Congressional District 18 runoff. So, once again, this is specifically the runoff for the old Congressional District 18. It is between Amanda Edwards and Caucus endorsed candidate Christian Minafee. And we definitely encourage everyone to go out and vote and support our caucus-endorsed candidate Christian Minafee. The early voting is going on right now. This is actually this upcoming weekend, is the last weekend for early voting, with the actual election day being January 3st. Right after that, we will then have uh District C, which will be here in the Montrose area. We are in District C. That council member came and has will be rolling off from her office to run for Harris County District County Attorney. And so there will be a election to fill that particular seat, and that will be coming up. And then we have the March primary. March 3rd will be the primary elections, which we just did our most recent screening and endorsement process for recommendations and endorsements for that particular election. We go up and down the entire ballot, so we have recommendations from U.S. for the governor all the way down to precinct chairs. So we definitely encourage you to go to the caucus.org to look at our recommendations and our endorsements. And we will also be, of course, distributing our card at various polling locations. And if you're a member, you'll be getting that card in the mail very soon.

Brett 7:51

Yeah, I think I got mine. I think it came really quick or something. But I love the cards because they give you a nice reference tool to go in and kind of compare with the ballot. It's so easy to do. And you can also print it from the site as well if you're like live you're like me, because they don't like you to use your cell phones in there. I don't think that they let you know. They do not.

Redistricting Shakes Representation

SPEAKER_00 8:11

Yeah, so while we try to make it as accessible as possible for you to be able to take it with you to the polls and vote. Yeah.

Brett 8:18

You know, one of the things that you mentioned District 18, and of course, uh there's been a lot of redistricting uh now that we have going on in Harris County. How do you think that's gonna impact things? I mean, it's it's really scary to me just looking at the way they've redrawn this.

SPEAKER_00 8:31

It definitely is going to impact things because, for example, as I mentioned, we specifically were talking about the uh District 18 race as it currently is in a runoff, but it's actually now gonna go to a primary election on the March 13th, in which uh currently um Amanda Edwards, Christian Menifee, and then Al Green will actually also join that race. Because of the redistricting, Al Green no longer can represent uh Congressional District 9. He is now in Congressional District 18, and so that's gonna cause a difference in terms of representation for us in U.S. Congress in terms of the Houston delegation, but also even with respect to the communities that are a part of CD 18, there's definitely a big shift with respect to who is now represented in those districts. One of the things that's so important with us uh when it comes to redistricting is that people definitely need to check who is representing them. Who you think was your representative may no longer be your representative anymore. So, as such, you need to know who's representing you so that you know who to advocate to, but also who to be mad at in case they are not doing what you need them to do. That's an important thing, too. That I like to remind people that elected officials are not elected officials. Elected officials are elected employees. They work for us. So, as such, we have every right to ask them to do what we need them to do for the betterment of us and for our communities. So that's one of the biggest things that I want people to pay attention to with this redistricting is make sure you know who is representing you so that way you know who directly to advocate to.

Brett 10:14

You know, I mentioned the redistricting, but there's also this idea that Governor Abbott floated saying that we are the number one target, Harris County, for spending by the Republican Party on advertising. Does that like make you go, ugh, at all?

SPEAKER_00 10:27

Or I mean, is that gonna impact things or it's definitely gonna impact things because you're gonna start seeing probably more uh ads and targeting and targeting of candidates who are on the Democratic side. You're also going to see what I'm hoping won't be uh increased attacks against the LGBTQ community in those ads because unfortunately the LGBTQ community is an easy target for uh Governor Abbott, even though we didn't send for him, we didn't come for him. So I don't know why he's coming for us, but he needs to know we're definitely going to be prepared to answer accordingly to those attacks because we're not on this menu and we don't need to be on this menu. We're just trying to live and thrive just like every other Texans out there, and we have the when we deserve the right to protection. So for me, it is gonna be interesting to see how that infusion of money is going to impact the rhetoric and the politics that happens, but just know that even with that money coming in, we're not gonna be silent, we're gonna speak and we're gonna fight back.

Brett 11:31

To me, it almost anytime that I hear something negative, especially about the transgender community in these ads, it just makes me know exactly, okay, that's the one I'm not voting for. Okay. That's the one I want to go after and make sure it does not get elected. You know, obviously the caucus does a lot of good things for us, identifies people, screens people, lets us know who's on the right side of things. If someone wants to support you as an organization, how can they do that?

Join The Caucus And Get Involved

SPEAKER_00 11:57

There's a lot of great ways for you to support the caucus. First and foremost, I invite you to join the caucus. That's one of the best ways to be a supporter of the caucus, is to be involved in it. We hold our meetings the first Wednesday of every month at the Matro Center. We start at 6:30 p.m. with our meeting greet. So that's a great way for you to meet the community, but also to meet those potential elected employees and those current elected employees to talk to them and engage with them and to join the caucus. It is an annual membership. We do have our general$40 a year membership, and it is for a full calendar year, so it doesn't matter when you start. Whenever you start, your year goes from there. So you don't have to feel like, oh, I'm gonna lose time if I join late. But we also do also offer a student and discounted membership for seniors as well. So do know that there is a range. We also have our sustaining membership, and we also have actually instituted something called members of privilege. So that way we want to make sure that those individuals where cost could be a barrier, we try to eliminate those barriers. So we have a variety of ways for you to become a member. But also we do offer fundraisers for people to support us financially. We have numerous volunteer opportunities for you to serve on any one of our community, um any one of our committees, as well as working the polls. So trust me, there's a lot of great ways for you to support the caucus and the LGBTQ plus community through the LGBTQ plus political caucus.

Why Local Elections Matter Most

Brett 13:26

You know, I am one of those gay guys who I'm like dazzled by the arts. I had to be dragged into the political sphere. I mean, literally. But I joined the caucus when that first term started. Like after the 2016 elections, I was like, okay, I have to do this. I have to get in there. What's amazing is I have met so many of the representatives, I've met so many of the people running. It's wild because I watch the news and I'm like, oh yeah, I know them. I know them. You know, I've met Christian Menifee and all of that. So it's a great resource for you to be able to talk to these people and talk about what you are concerned about. I mean, you just get a direct line of people. It's it's amazing. I really encourage it. But I wanted to ask you, how did you get into this? I mean, did this just come out like Brandon Mack at eight years old, like running for student president or something? I mean, what how did you get into politics?

SPEAKER_00 14:14

It's funny that you kind of mentioned that. The way I actually initially got involved in politics was actually in high school. I ran for student body secretary and was student body secretary my senior year before coming up to Houston. And I got involved in LGBTQ activism when I was 21 uh and have just been involved in it ever since. For me, politics is very, very important because I have to think about my existence as being an openly black, beer, sabled person just trying to live day to day, and I gotta advocate for myself. And I also want others who are like me to know that we deserve the right to advocate. So ever since then, that's been the way that I've been. As always been, we need to be out there and making sure that we advocate. Specifically, how I got involved in the caucus was shortly after uh Hero, the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, was going on. That's how I saw and became aware of the caucus and then got involved in the caucus and then have been on the board now for the last 12 years.

Brett 15:18

It's amazing, yeah. That was a good reason to join the caucus back then. What do you wish that people would pay attention to? I mean, what what are most people missing?

Hope, History, And Movement Resilience

SPEAKER_00 15:26

What I wish most people would pay attention to is that it isn't just federal politics that we need to pay attention to. We have to pay attention to our local politics here in the city as well as at the county level. Because as I like like to often educate people on, the further down you get on the ballot, the closer you get to yourself. So those, so we I definitely understand we should be concerned about who president of the United States is. But equally as such, we need to be concerned about who is our city council representatives, who is the mayor of the city of Houston, who is in our county government and representing us. So I would like to encourage people to pay even more attention as to what's going on here at the local level rather than only just focusing on what's going at going on at the federal level. So for example, we were very upset about the rainbow crosswalks that happened and got removed from our community. The individuals we needed to be upset with were not only the state, but also at the local level. How were they fighting for for us? How were they advocating for us to make sure that we can still be able to display our pride loudly and proudly? And so we got to pay attention at both those levels in order to make sure that we are advocating for ourselves fully.

Brett 16:43

Well, that was amazing because they were given 30 or 40 days. I can't remember the exact deadline. They did it in 12. So it was really at a city level that they really capitulated and just said, all right, get rid of it. Without any idea of how we could replace it or honor it or anything like that. And that particular cross-up was a memorial too for somebody, which really hurt even more when you thought about it. Somebody's, you know, tribute and legacy and just the identity being erased just felt like crazy. But you're right, I think a lot of people just vote in the big elections. And I think growing up in my 20s and things like that, that's what I did. I thought I thought, well, this is what matters. But as I've gotten older, I've realized how many elections we actually have, how many times do we have an opportunity to vote and have our voice heard, which is just amazing to me. So I'm very thankful for people like you and the caucus that kind of helped me because I don't have that the time to get that political depth that obviously you and the caucus members bring on these issues. So thank you so much for all that you do. And obviously, we can find you what are the caucus websites.

SPEAKER_00 17:42

Absolutely. So the caucus website is thecaucus.org. That is our main website, and you can always definitely go there to uh find out more information about our meetings, to find out more information about our activities and our endorsement. So I definitely encourage you to go to thecaucus.org.

Brett 17:59

All right, one last question for you. I noticed that you named James Baldwin as a hero. Yes. How does he inspire you? Tell me a little bit about your James Baldwin.

District C Race Setup

SPEAKER_00 18:08

So, yeah, so anyone who knows me, I am a big James Baldwin fanatic because James Baldwin definitely has been a blueprint for me and how to live life as an unapologetic black gay person. He was unapologetic, especially during a time where we couldn't be unapologetic, but he still was himself. He wrote authentically about his experience. And so I try to draw from that strength and from that in the way that I try to run my life in terms of trying to be as unapologetic as I can be, because hopefully the next one after me will do the same thing. You never know who's looking back.

Brett 18:43

Exactly. I mean, and then how you inspire people. But I just I loved that because James Baldwin is one of my favorites, you know, as reading his work and things like that, and all the things that he did. Just crazy. Well, thank you. Keep fighting the good fight. I know this election year, it's just already, I mean, we're we're not even at the midterms, and I feel like I'm being pummeled by ads.

Patrick Othout: Why I’m Running

SPEAKER_00 19:03

Yeah, we're not not even at the midterms yet, but we gotta stay vigilant and we gotta stay in it. I know it may seem like, oh my goodness, I'm at the polls every month. Hey, gotta be there every month and vote and make sure that we're making our voices heard. And once again, voting is just one element in our toolkit. Vote, educate other people about those issues, educate yourself and come to caucus meetings and be a part of our process as well. Literally, to be on the screening committee, all you have to do is be a member and go to one screener training, and boom, now you're a part of that particular process. So I encourage every single one of us and everyone within the sound of my voice in this podcast and on this radio to please get involved because we have got to be the ones we are waiting for. We cannot wait. We've got to be active, and I encourage you to join and be a part of this fight.

Brett 19:53

Yeah, you know, it's so easy just to sit on Facebook and complain. But actually getting involved in the process, that's what made me feel so much better. Another thing I was gonna ask you real quick, do you have hope? What gives you hope? Because it seems so bleak lately. Yeah. I mean, it just seems like everything, every direction that's coming at us, and it just seems like the world, the the sky is falling, and in many ways it is, but what is it that keeps you going through all of this?

SPEAKER_00 20:16

So it's interesting that you mentioned James Baldwin. He keeps me going because if he could go through what he went through during the times that he was going through things, I feel very confident that we can go through this as well and come out on the other side. The fact that we stand on the shoulders of people like Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, Audrey Lorde, James Baldwin, those individuals who also face similar political antics and lack of political support, and they were able to still make it through, gives me the hope that we also can make it through. So, yes, it may seem bleak, but I also, especially when I go to caucus meetings and I see how unified we can be as a community, even in the midst of us disagreeing. We provide a space for us to have constructive conversations and constructive disagreement. That gives me hope is in the fact that we can do that and still make it through and make good decisions on behalf of our community. But on top of that, I know that we come from a very strong community that has always made a way, even through hard times. So I'm very confident that we can do the exact same thing. Amen.

Brett 21:26

Well, thank you so much. We'll definitely be back in touch with you as the elections roll on. Most definitely. Hi, this is Brett Cullum, and I'm here with Brian Flavica. We have two special interviews for this episode, and they are people that are running for the primary for city council. Is that right? The Democratic primary?

SPEAKER_08 21:43

That's right. They're running for Houston City Council District C. They're both LGBT, and their names are Nick Hellier and Patrick Oath Out Out. Oath out.

Brett 21:52

Okay. Well, we've got them both talking to you a little bit about their election. I mean, obviously their their campaign. So we've got

Safety, Storms, And Democracy

SPEAKER_08 22:00

them both in this coming up segment uh together so that'll be that's right yes the election day is march third with early voting starting on the 17th of february going through the 27th okay and this is just the primary this decides who runs against the Republicans right but in some cases like this this is a decisive primary it's most likely that a Democrat will win this election so this is kind of the the end all be all to elections though general election is kind of a formality in some cases I did not know that wow yeah well that's great so this is important very important get out there to support them yes march 3rd starting February 17th through the 27th early voting you can vote anywhere in Harris County perfect I'll be at the West Gray Multicenter I'm sure say hi to Jack Balensky that's the hot place to go yes always this is Brian Levinkin today I'm interviewing Patrick Oath out who's a candidate for City Council District C.

SPEAKER_03 23:00

Welcome to the show Patrick Brian thanks so much for having me I'm a longtime listener and it's kind of a celebrity moment. This is my first podcast ever so kind of pinching myself.

SPEAKER_08 23:10

Well welcome to the show now tell us why you're deciding to run for City Council District C.

SPEAKER_03 23:15

Yeah I'm a public school kid from District C C. I grew up here I went to Poe, Lanier and Lamar and so this has been home. And I remember Houston when there was there was a Six Flags when we used to go to the Astrodome for games uh before there was a Levy park. And so I I love this community and I've grown up here and it's been home for me. I'm also somebody who raises my hand when I see bullies trying to tell other folks what to do. I actually joined the army after January 6, 2021 because I was worried about the state of our democracy in our country and I led uh 20 soldiers and four tanks at NATO battle group Poland on the Russian front lines. This gay kid, you know, was sleeping on tanks out um on the front lines of Europe. But I'm now worried about the state of democracy here in uh District C and in Houston. Trump's back in the White House Abbott wants to take over the city and I'm not gonna let him I was actually let go from a job in high school for being gay. And that was kind of my political awakening I, you know, at the time this was pre-Bost stock, there was no protections for folks when it came to labor discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexuality. And that was the point where I realized look if I'm gonna protect myself, I've got to make the political change to do it. And so um I uh am worried about Houston now and want to make sure that we take it in a good direction.

SPEAKER_08 24:35

So what do you think are the biggest challenges facing our city?

Tech Literacy And City Services

SPEAKER_03 24:38

Yeah I think look we still have a persistent public safety and pedestrian safety issue. Somebody was just killed in a hidden run two blocks from my home on Bissinet and I used to walk to Poe Elementary growing up and we would cross the streets and not worry about cars going really fast down the road. I also think and it it's funny, you know, we're sitting here as we're preparing for this next winter storm it's twilight zone here in Houston preparing for another disaster. And I don't know that we have the infrastructure to confidently say that we're going to be weathering this next storm perfectly. And so something I definitely want to focus on as a council member is making sure we have a disaster response plan for District C, that every single block has a block captain who knows the number for center point. They're the person who calls them they know where the emergency toolboxes are because if we don't have the infrastructure ready, I know how to put a plan together from my experience in the Army to make sure every block's organized and we're prepared for what to do next. Finally too, I want to make sure that we have somebody on city council who's got the courage to stand up to Donald Trump and and Greg Abbott. You know, I stood up against the KGB agent on the front lines of Russia. So a draft dodging president is no big deal for me.

SPEAKER_08 25:45

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 25:45

Now for people that do not know where is district C yeah it's a I call it a northsouth district in in the middle of Houston. It's in the heart of Houston so ranging from Oak Forest in the heights all the way down to Mireland. It's the big cultural center of Houston and it's one of the only districts that's bordered by city council districts all around it. So it requires a leader who's collaborative with folks in all the other districts but because any project that crosses our borders requires collaboration with folks from other communities. Can you tell me about the endorsements that you've had yeah I'm proud to say I've got a a lot of endorsements from local leaders, community leaders in the LGBT community, including Stephen Miranda, Eric Blackwell, Richard Holt, and Judge Darrell Moore and have more endorsements coming this this week as well.

SPEAKER_08 26:32

That's an impressive list. Now do you have any experience with being in a public office?

SPEAKER_03 26:37

Can you speak to you No I've yeah no I, you know, 12 years ago I actually interned for Mayor Neise Parker in the Department of Neighborhoods at City Hall. So wasn't a public service official but you know had the experience of being in City Hall. I actually developed a mobile app for the Department of Neighborhoods that was meant to advertise local businesses. This was when Yelp was super popular and it was meant to be a competitor for that to support local businesses. But no direct experience as a public elected official. But I think that's honestly a good thing here. It's good to bring a fresh perspective and I think I bring a lot of different backgrounds here not just from my army service but I currently work in AI safety. So making sure when you get on all these various chatbots, you can't ask it to teach you how to make mess or it's not going to give you instructions on how to kill yourself or if you ask it to deny the Holocaust, it tells you I can't do that for you. And you know increasingly we're going to have AI in all parts of our lives particularly I think in government services. And this could be a good thing. You know, we could have a more efficient 311 system, a faster permitting process, but we've got to make sure these technologies have guardrails around them too. And I don't know that there's anybody on council right now who's got that technology literacy to ask those questions when we're picking vendors for those services.

SPEAKER_08 27:53

So what do you see as the challenges for the city?

Protecting Trans Neighbors

SPEAKER_03 27:57

Yeah we've obviously got a a big fiscal issue in the city that we need to have a transparent conversation around I think there's a lot of misinformation in the city about you know even the differences between TURS and management districts and whether or not we are we're positive cash flow or negative cash flow and all the levers we can pull as a city. I think that's one challenge. I think two, we are fighting against each other far too much. I think the adversary here that we need to stay focused on is Donald Trump and Greg Abbott and they enjoy this. They like seeing Houstonians go at it with each other and we need to be focused on the actual threats to our community and folks who are marginalized in our neighborhoods as well. Is there anything that you want our listeners to know before we go yeah I would absolutely encourage you to check out patrickforeston.com. It's got uh my social media links and my platform as well and uh I would also encourage anybody to you know send us an email or reach out and let us know what you think. You know being a good politician is not just coming in about coming in with a lot of ideas, but it's about listening to and folks have experience um experiences on the ground that I think are super relevant. The final thing I'll say is it's really important I think that we have a queer another queer member on council if we've got three LGBTQ members on city council that's a strong coalition that will be powerful and represent our community and my experience with this community is authentic. You know I experienced I lost a job because I was gay my sister is trans. So this stuff is in my blood and it's gonna be a community that I'm going to push for and make sure it gets represented when I'm on city council. And so when does early vote start? It starts in late March and then election day is on April 4th. So this will be the only election on the ballot for District C City Council. So it's gonna require um you know super enthusiastic people to turn out and vote uh Patrick O South for City Council on April 4th and early voting in late uh March.

SPEAKER_08 30:00

Well Patrick I thank you for coming on yeah thank you so much Brian this is queer voices Patrick what issues are important to you?

Nick Hellyer: Core City Basics

SPEAKER_03 30:07

Well I my campaign is focused on infrastructure public safety affordability and courage but in particular you know I want to make sure folks in our trans community feel safe and protected this issue is personal to me. My sister is trans. I grew up also playing with Barbies sometimes when I play a video game I pick the girl character I understand you know all the complications that come with having to be forced into a particular box. The drag sometimes I wore as a kid was a dress. The drag I wear now is you know the outfit of a candidate. But you know gender is fluid. It changes over time and it's a community that I really am focused on because I think there's reason to be scared with you know Abbott wanting to come after our city and Trumping back in the White House. But it's required, you know, I think a lot about marriage circa 2008 2009 because we're having some of the same arguments all over again. I remember when we were talking about marriage equality folks would say ridiculous things like well if we let two men marry each other then who knows what's next. Someone's gonna want to marry a lobster or their dog. Like obviously that's not going to happen. But we're having the same sort of ridiculous arguments and falling into these traps. And what I remember what won us marriage at the end of the day was the personal storytelling talking about like look I want to be married to this person because if we're in a hospital together and I need to make legal decisions about their death, I want to have the right to do that. And I would you know fight against a lot of transphobia when I was in the army because you know folks you know aren't super informed on these issues um nationwide. And I would tell personal stories myself. Story I would always tell folks is when I was growing up my dad took a home video of me and my siblings and he was like what do you all want to be when you grow up and I was like six or seven and I was like I want to be an artist and my middle sister was like I want to be the next Oprah. And my youngest sister who was three at the time said without missing a beat I want to be a girl the kid knew when she was three years old and I have a dozen stories like that. So when folks talk about you know oh they're trying to brainwash kids you know no this isn't something that we know in our bones at a young age and it infuriates me. And what's bizarre about it is it's ultimately a thing about local decision, local control. With marriage it was the same thing. Look me getting married to a man it has no effect on you. Let me love who I love and it's the same thing when when it comes to folks you know picking the gender that most they most identify with. But you know I am so confident because I know at the end of the day we have the winning argument. The LGBT story is one of truth. It's about choosing to be yourself and I am choosing truth and that's always going to win over fear.

SPEAKER_08 32:59

Absolutely thank you Patrick for coming on the show thank you this is Brian Livinkan today I'm speaking with Nick Hellyer a candidate for city council in Houston District C.

SPEAKER_04 33:20

Welcome to the show Nick thanks for having me Brian appreciate it happy to be back.

SPEAKER_08 33:24

Why are you running for district C?

SPEAKER_04 33:26

So I I grew up in this district I'm a product of HISD schools I went to Lanier Middle school and Lamar High School I was lucky enough when I was younger to be a staffer at City Hall and I want to use that experience to help my neighbors in District C get exactly what they need out of the city focusing on trash pickup and potholes and the everyday business of the city of Houston.

Budgets, Trash, And Public Safety

SPEAKER_08 33:48

So where is district C exactly?

SPEAKER_04 33:51

That's a great question so it is a kind of like a backward sea from Garden Oaks down to Myreland. So it's Garden Oaks, Heights Washington Avenue Montrose, Southampton, Rice Village, Brayswood, Meyerland, and parts of Westbury. And so why is the seat open now? The incumbent council member Abby Kamen resigned to run for Harris County Attorney that seat is vacant because Christian Menifee's running for Congress. In the state of Texas if you are in a four-year term and there's more than I believe it's 11 months left on the term then as soon as you declare to run for another office you have to resign your seat. So this is an open seat. There'll be a special election April 4th and early vote starts March 18th. And how many candidates are in the race right now? Currently the city website says that there are six.

SPEAKER_08 34:43

I see and so tell me about your experiences in City Hall and why would you be a good candidate for this position?

Endorsements And Representation

SPEAKER_04 34:48

Yeah I love the work. This is uh it's the everyday business of the city when I was younger I was the constituent services manager in the District I office for council member James Rodriguez and uh most recently I served as chief of staff to Twila Carter. Her chief of staff went down with an illness so I filled in for a little bit uh while he was out um so it's that knowledge at the city that I want to put to put to work this job entails really um you know keeping your water running toilets flushing roads uh in good repair and uh getting your trash picked up and then uh you know most importantly making sure that we're safe um in our homes. So what are the challenges that are facing Houston now? There's a ton of them. You know the city is always under resourced when it comes to money. We're gonna have a budget shortfall this year. I think the last estimate I saw was about$227 million. So I think the biggest thing that we're facing right now at the city is trying to get everything done that we need to with limited resources. And I'm gonna use my experience to try and stretch our dollars to go as far as possible so that we have adequate funding for the fire department and the police department and solid waste. One of the biggest issues in district C itself is solid trash pickup. It's not getting picked up on time and it's piling up in people's yards. So that's just a few of the things that I'd be focused on when I get elected. So tell me about your endorsements. So far I'm really proud to be endorsed by Councilmember Sally Alcorn. She is the chair of the budget and fiscal affairs committee which uh runs the budget process for the city of Houston. This is super important because the person that wins this seat is going to be thrown right into the middle of the budget cycle at the city of Houston where we'll be reviewing and then ultimately voting on the budget. So to have her support means a lot that she has faith. I'm the only person in this race that has any experience working on the city budget. I've been endorsed by the Houston Police officers union this is important in a district council race because uh district council members work very closely with the districts in their district and the captains on the ground when it comes to fighting crime on a daily basis and kind of understanding what's going on in the district. I've also been endorsed by one of the business groups the Houston Contractors association are they an organization of contractors here in the city of Houston that advocate for you know streamlining the permitting process and ensuring that when something goes to bid the time that it takes to actually build it is is quick. So those are just a few I've also been endorsed by um the previous two district C council members and a handful of other former council members as well.

SPEAKER_08 37:38

So you mentioned that this is a district race what's the difference between a district race and an at-large race?

SPEAKER_04 37:43

Yeah that's a great question so in the city of Houston we have 11 districts the city is divided up kind of into 11 pieces of the pie and that's going to be A through H I J K. And then we have five at-large council members that serve citywide. So wherever you live in the city of Houston you have one district council member that usually focuses on things like constituent services and the city services in your district and then five you have five at-large council members they usually uh focus on higher level policy kind of stuff yeah you so you're well represented at the city of Houston with your six council members.

SPEAKER_08 38:16

So what are some things that people may not know about you but they should know I originally I'm from London.

SPEAKER_04 38:21

I moved here when I was a baby I don't have an accent but my parents do so I'm an only child and all of my family lives overseas. I'm pretty much Houstonian and Texan through and through and it's uh funny when I go home to visit family I'm the the one with the funny Texas accent.

SPEAKER_08 38:37

So if you're elected you'll be an openly LGBT member of city council. Why is that important?

Turnout And Montrose’s Voice

SPEAKER_04 38:42

I think it's super important that our community has uh representation I was lucky enough when I was younger to serve uh when uh council member Sue Lovell was a council member and when uh Anise Parker was the controller and then I I also got to work for Mayor Parker on her first mayor's race and they kind of taught me as uh as a young person how important it it is to be in the room where decisions are made right when the old saying if you're you're not at the table then you're on the menu. So we're we're uh lucky now we have two LGBT members of city council currently for the longest time Robert Gallgos in District I was the only um uh the only gay member of council he's also the the only Latino on council for a really long time uh it's important that we have a voice in the room where decisions are being made so our community has somebody to fight for us and represent us.

SPEAKER_08 39:35

When is the early voting starting and when is the actual election day?

SPEAKER_04 39:39

Yeah early vote starts March 18th and usually you can vote right up until election day as well so there's gonna be multiple days to vote. The actual election day itself is April 4th but you can start voting March 18th.

SPEAKER_08 39:51

So tell me some things that you've learned over the years as a campaigner running for office and how will you use that this time to be successful.

SPEAKER_04 39:58

Yeah I uh I've been working on campaigns since I believe 2006. So I've kind of seen it all what it does is it just really gives me an idea of the neighborhoods of the city right so I've been going to the civic clubs and the super neighborhoods and building relationships with civic leaders and neighborhood leaders and business leaders for 20 years now. And that gives me a really good perspective on what's going on in each individual area of the city right so that because the district is so big that needs in Meyerland you know may be a massive nuisance apartment complex in their neighborhood whereas something in Montrose it might be crime and on Washington Avenue it could be nuisance bars. So um I think I have a really good idea from the campaigns and the staff work that I've done over the years to understand what the issues are in every neighborhood.

SPEAKER_08 40:49

So where can people find out more information about you and your campaign?

Jacob Anthony Rose: Memoir And Drag

SPEAKER_04 40:52

Yeah so you can find me on social media Nick Hellier my last name is H-E-L-L-Y-A-R and just remember hell yeah when you go vote and uh nickforst.com is my website I would appreciate uh if you go check out my platform and what we're fighting for uh here in the city of Houston.

SPEAKER_08 41:08

Is there anything else you want to let our listeners know before we go?

SPEAKER_04 41:11

Yeah this the turnout in this election is going to be really low. So you know take a friend to vote text a friend tell them to get out there and vote whenever they can because uh our voice needs to be heard especially in the LGBT community this district was Montrose used to be in district D and it was moved into district C during redistricting uh a while ago and we haven't had an LGBT member represent Montrose yet and I think it's about time so I hope that you'll consider uh voting for me when you get out there to vote.

SPEAKER_08 41:41

We've been speaking with Nick Kellyer about the district C race for city council thank you Nick for coming on hey I appreciate you having me this is Queer Voices Brett Cullum and I am joined by Jacob Anthony Rose.

Brett 42:05

He lives in San Francisco he's a drag artist and he's the man behind the legendary nightclub persona and shantous Sheena Rose. For two decades Jacob has shaped Sheena into a symbol of resilience joy and queer creativity and she's a vibrant extension of his truth and rhythm and speaking of rhythm heck you can find Sheena Rose on streamy music channels she sings songs like How to be a chandelier and has her own take on the crying game song. Now Jacob has written a book it's a memoir and it's called Stillness and Survival a life between trauma, glitter and the echo of my own voice. So welcome Jacob to Queer Voices nice to have you thank you Brett for having me I appreciate it well the first thing I I always ask an author is what made you want to write a book I mean that's really a big task in putting all of this together.

SPEAKER_05 42:57

In high school I um the the class that saved me and the teacher that saved me was Miss Logan in her creative writing journalism class. So I've always written back then I was shy and I didn't have a voice really verbally. So it was a way to to communicate with without words but through writing. So that's where it started I wrote a lot of poetry so you you know you dreamed of one day maybe putting a book of poetry together or something. This wasn't the book that I thought that I would write and and put out it it was more it was very quick hearted. I was going through a lot and it was a way to process it all and to maybe close that chapter of my life and in my own way try and break the stigma behind mental health and talking about mental health and trauma. And I hope that when people read it I hope that the takeaway is that there is health out there even if it takes a moment to try and find it and to work through your trauma. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

Surviving Trauma And Finding Voice

Brett 43:59

I have always Said everybody probably has a story in them. And I really do believe that. And there's a lot that we can learn from each other. So it's nice when you get to read a memoir. And yours is particularly moving. You have a lot going on in every phase of your life. And it's a really interesting journey. One of the things that really struck me early in the book, you had a really tough childhood. So what was it like revisiting that? Did that I mean, sometimes people say it's cheaper than therapy, just write a book. You really went through it.

SPEAKER_05 44:28

Yeah, there was there were times during the writing process I had to step away from myself, especially the the early, early years, and then my high school years were pretty bad with my father. I had flashbacks, I had fragmented memories. I wasn't raised with my birth mother. I was raised early on with my father and my um she was my stepmother, but to me she was always mom. I was raised that that was my mom and that that was my mom. And she helped me fill in some of the questions I had about my earliest years that whole time, from one to like maybe six or seven. You know, she helped me fill it fill in the blanks because I'm no longer on speaking terms with my father. And so that that was the hardest part, really, was was um those early years.

Brett 45:13

I'm really amazed at all the stuff that you went through and how you came out. And it's a very good read for that. But it's certainly not the whole journey. There is this whole drag career that emerges out of it, and that's uh pretty interesting. Just real quick, not to spoil any part of the book, but but how did you discover drag? What was that like?

SPEAKER_05 45:34

No, my earliest memory of drag was I had just come out and I was at Sam Goody and in Concord and the East Baker, one of those old um record stores that were used to be in the mall back in the day. And I went in there to buy shares album, belief. That that was the year that I came out in '98.

Brett 45:53

As we all did. We were all in the Sam Goody buying shares.

Building A Drag Career

SPEAKER_05 45:56

Over the overhead, they were playing a song called Um, they're playing Snapshot by RuPaul. And I liked the song. And I was like, I went to the the desk and the the manager um was gay. And I was like, um, who's this? And he's like, Oh, RuPaul the drag queen. I was like, what's a drag queen? I I didn't know I didn't know what a drag queen was. And then through that, I learned who RuPaul was. I bought the Foxy Lady album, and I took a little bit of love to heart. I really love that song still. And then my aunt, uh my aunt she also helped open the door to this is what drag is. This is this, this is that. And then when I moved to the city, I was working at um, I moved to San Francisco in 2004 from um the Tri-Valley area in in California. And I was working at a thrift store called Out of the Closet, which beneficially. Um there was a co-worker there who her friend was a drag queen. In 2006, I got talked into talking dressing a drag for the first time and walking in the um gay pride parade um that year with with our contingent for out of the closet. And I met uh Peach's Christ. I didn't get to meet Elvira, but Elvira was also in our contingent. She was on the back of a um convertible right in front of us. So that was my introduction into drag. And then fast forward a couple months later, my friend Marcy, who was the friend of the coworker, introduced me to the drag scene. And a couple weeks after that, I was in drag for the first time performing at a club called The Cinched, and they had a rock and roll drag show called Charlie Corpse with Anaconda, and it just exploded from there.

Brett 47:30

You know what's funny is San Francisco's drag scene is a little bit unique. I I really when I was reading your book and I was hearing the numbers that you did, I was like, okay, this doesn't sound like the drag scene in Houston. Um, because the drag scene in Houston is very much around what I would call female illusion and um pop stuff. I mean, we do have our queerdos, uh, we do have the the spooky queens a little bit. I mean, we definitely we definitely get represented on Dracula every once in a while, but um but for the most part I think it's it's that. But the San Francisco drag queen is very diverse.

SPEAKER_05 48:06

I feel like Yeah, that's a good way to describe it, very diverse. I was about to say mixed bag, but yeah, diverse, yeah. Yeah, um and and the rock and roll queerdow group is what I started with, and then the court queens, like the imperial court, ducal court, and then it just kind of grew from there. And then I kind of found my own own style. Which which to me is more my style is more geared towards old school drag, pageantry or female illusion. I guess. The classic level. Yeah, the classic classic drag.

Brett 48:36

Yeah, yeah, pageantry and all of that. I I think that there's a real sense now in the zeitgeist where alternative drag is seeping in a little bit more and more. How is all of that going now for you? Are you still performing drag?

SPEAKER_05 48:48

So the bar I've been at for years, I talk about them in the book, Aunt Charlie's, and how it became my home. I'm there every Saturday night. Actually, this year will be 19 years that I've been there. Been doing drag for 20 years. I see myself maybe after this year, maybe slowing down a little bit. I feel like I've done everything I've wanted to do. I never thought I'd write a book, to be honest. There's periods where I'm like, I'm done. I'm getting too old for this, even though I'm not, I don't, I guess I'm not really that old. I'm only 47, but I bet I've been doing it for an eternity.

Brett 49:19

Here in Houston, we have a drag queen named Dina Jacobs. She was the inspiration for RuPaul. Like when RuPaul talks about drag queens, he only mentions Dina Jacobs from Atlanta. Yeah. She is here. She still performs. She is, I'm not gonna reveal her age, but she's got some mileage over you. Okay. Oh yeah. And if she can still get out there, and she's still competing in pageants.

SPEAKER_05 49:42

Oh my gosh.

Brett 49:43

This is crazy. Yeah. I don't think there's an exploration on this, and I I would challenge you. You're following in some illustrious footsteps there. Your book is called Stillness and Survival: A Life Between Trauma, Glitter, and the Echo of My Own Voice. I wanted to remind people that that's what it is. But while we're on this whole drag topic, what do you think uh drag means to America right now? Because it's a it's kind of a scary time. Uh I don't know if the effects of that as much. But yeah, here in Texas, we've got laws that are coming for us.

What Drag Means In A Backlash

SPEAKER_05 50:15

It is a very, very terrifying time. I and um it's a time now not to be silent, not to be um hiding. We should be out, we should be as loud as we possibly can. Um because this is in calling out this administration for their yes is terrifying. And we've seen a little bit of that here. My my my husband works at a hospital out here, um, one of the main ones. And one of his coworkers months ago was apprehended by ICE and he was an American citizen, and it totally traumatized him the experience. They're coming for everybody, you know, and we we we really can't stay silent, we can't hide.

Brett 50:56

Jacob, you've written this book, you've really put yourself out there. Um, and I've had so many people on this show say, Hey, I I don't want to go on. I don't want to find my name out there in the ether. I think the way you're doing is very brave. I thought after RuPaul, I mean, you talked about getting his album, and now we're back there.

SPEAKER_05 51:14

It's like what he said back in the day, he said in one of his you know the pendulum will swing all the way to the right and then come crashing back to the left. And I feel like that's that's what's happening right now. It's swinging all the way back to the right and to the extreme, and it is it is insane.

Brett 51:34

How long did it take you to write this particular book?

SPEAKER_05 51:36

I mean, just to write the book, actually, to be honest, it didn't take that long, maybe just like three months at most.

Brett 51:41

Um, a lot of it was now you're making me mad.

SPEAKER_05 51:45

Well, I have to I have to back up. I've been out of therapy and all that for um like two years, but when I was hospitalized and stuff like that, you know, you do journaling. It it's actually not that big of a book. It's really thin and and I kept it up with the photos. Thank you. I had a page count in my mind. I was like, I don't want to go over I want to keep it between 235 and 250. I don't think anybody wants to hear what I have to say after 250 pages. I don't think I want to hear myself talk that long, you know? So I um I try to keep it really scoped down. And then wait when I uploaded it from Atticus to wherever I had to upload it, I forget now, to send it out. I was like, oh my god, the page account like dropped significantly. I'm like, what um what how am I gonna bulk this back up? It's like I that's when I was like, okay, instead of a p just a picture for each chapter, I'll just put whatever I feel like in there, you know. And so that's what I did.

Brett 52:40

Well, it's nice. And just if anybody's interested, uh obviously you can find Jacob's book on Amazon. Uh you're part of Amazon Unlimited, if you're part of that or Kindle on the book, yeah, you can you can get it. And the paperback it runs about 16 bucks, I think.

The Book, Publishing, And Next Steps

SPEAKER_05 52:53

Yeah, and the paperback's on there, but the paperback is also it's being distributed exclusively through Ingram. After I went through this whole process, I was like, I'm gonna go the Amazon route. Okay, now I'm gonna try and get the paperback into the bookstores. And then I found out the bookstores want to take Amazon print on demand because it's Amazon. So that I was like, okay, what the F am I gonna do now? So the somewhere along the line I found out about Ingram, and then I was like, okay, I'll go that route. So Ingram is distributing the paperback. Well great.

Brett 53:22

Yeah, you find a way to do it. Yeah, that's that's what's amazing. I mean, and that's what I I saved a drag queen. It's always gonna find a way to do it. I mean, come on. Yeah, right. Exactly. So what is next for you, Jacob? I mean, you're still gonna be doing drag, you're still gonna be every Saturday night, is that right?

SPEAKER_05 53:39

Every Saturday night in a Charlie's lounge in San Francisco.

Brett 53:42

Yeah, so I can plan a trip to San Francisco and catch Sheena Rose there.

SPEAKER_05 53:45

Yes, definitely.

Brett 53:46

Okay. Yeah. Um, have you ever applied to RuPaul's drag race? Just out of curiosity.

SPEAKER_05 53:50

I have a handful of times. The last time I applied was season seven, and I was like, I put my heart into it. That was one of the first ones that said that. And afterwards, I was like, why? Why? Why not? You know, and I was like, okay, forget it. You know, for whatever reason, that's I think I aged myself out at this point.

Brett 54:08

You're not aged out. You are not aged out. I'm gonna tell you that right now, Jacob. Do not listen to that. The current season of RuPaul's Drag Race, I think it's 18 or something, a bunch of people in their late 30s. I mean, yeah, they're not, they didn't go through a stung old 20s. No, they had an era where it was all 21-year-olds. I was like, what? And none of those uh the great drag queens, don't get me wrong. But they don't know themselves quite as well as the other ones. And I think that they lend themselves to reality TV a little bit because they fight and they fall in love and they dwell with this kind of stuff. And you got somebody a little bit older, we're a little bit wiser, we're not gonna kind of quite go as crazy. Yeah, but I've noticed now they're swinging back, that pendulum's going back, they're getting more seasoned people. So it's maybe the time. I'm gonna claim it right now. It's Sheena's year. Okay, you're gonna have a great book and you're gonna submit that audition tape again. And you know, RuPaul loves a good literate queen. Tape those appearances in those bookstores and make that a part of your tape. Okay, I'm giving you advice. You got it, Brunt. All right. Well, thank you so much. Francisco, you live there, obviously. You're married.

SPEAKER_05 55:13

How long have you been married? Uh so we've been married uh since 2013. So what, 12 years? We've been together 18 years. He's been with me along the whole journey. Yeah, yeah. It's amazing. Yeah.

Brett 55:24

And you tell that story in the book, obviously.

SPEAKER_05 55:26

Yeah, in the introduction, I I talk about that. My my therapist asked me, when was the first time you felt loved or who made you feel safe? And I stopped myself for a moment and I choked up. I was like, I don't think I've ever felt felt safe before I met Juan. That's his name. His name's Juan. Yeah, I'm so lucky to have him.

Brett 55:42

Well, Juan sounds like an incredible guy. I mean, what I ran in the book.

SPEAKER_05 55:45

He's an amazing guy. Yeah, yeah.

Brett 55:48

Yeah. So all of the best to you and Juan. I love you guys. I was reading rooting for you in the book. So I'm glad that it happened. So once again, it's called Stillness and Survival: A Life Between Trauma, Glitter, and the Echo of My Own Voice. And if you're looking for the author name, it's Jacob Anthony Rose. Kind of like Sheena Rose, but just put a Jacob Anthony in front of it. But I think you can find you on Facebook as Sheena.

SPEAKER_05 56:13

Is there anywhere else where we can connect with you? Oh, yeah, definitely. Um, so I have a website, JacobAnthonyRose.com, and it's got all my social media on there and some of my music, and of course the book and all that. Yeah. So yeah.

Closing Credits And Disclaimers

Brett 56:25

It's the easiest at the one-stop shop to get everything. Exactly. Yeah. And that's the way to go.

SPEAKER_05 56:30

Bam bam, thank you, ma'am.

Brett 56:32

Yes, get some merch. Yeah. I want to see like some uh Sheena Rose shirts for when you're on drag race that we can sit in front of the TV and wear them. Definitely. Right. Well, go on with the book. I I think that the book is great. Thank you. I appreciate it. I really enjoy it. Very emotional, very heartfelt. You definitely have a great story. I think everybody should definitely check it out. Uh it's it's so much more than just the story of a guy in San Francisco finding really the love story, the the young, the young stuff really got to me. That was really amazing, and just a reminder of how far we come. So thank you for being a queer voice out there.

SPEAKER_05 57:07

Thank you, Brent.

SPEAKER_02 57:08

You take care of this has been Queer Voices, heard on KPFT Houston and as a podcast available from several podcasting sources. Check our webpage queervoices.org for more information.

Ghost of Glenn 57:32

Some of the material in this program has been edited to improve clarity and runtime. This program does not endorse any political views or animal species. Use opinions and endorsements are those of the participants and the organizations they represent. In case of death, please discontinue use and discard remaining products.

SPEAKER_02 57:45

For queer voices, I'm glad.