January 31st 2024 Queer Voices

Queer Voices

On tonight’s Queer Voices, we speak with Allison Mathis, a candidate for 338th Judicial District Court Judge of Harris County. She is a native Houstonian who grew up in Spring Branch. When she was a teenager, she watched her brilliant, funny aunt struggle with a crack cocaine addiction that destroyed her life and sent her in and out of prison for years. She also watched several friends lose their bright futures due to their entanglement in the legal system due to non-violent drug offenses. She worked her way through a bachelor's degree in English at UH-Downtown as a coffee shop waitress, which was perfect for her because she loved books, coffee, and serving people. She went on to get a master's degree in Literature, but realized that as much as she loved reading and teaching, she could not escape the overwhelming feeling that she needed to do something involving the broken criminal justice system. She went to South Texas College of Law and graduated cum laude in 2012. We speak with Allison her race to become judge and why criminal justice is important to the LGBTQ community

Then we speak with Destiny Smith a transgender theater actor based in Houston. Destiny graduated from Lamar University with a BS in Theater and Dance and now works fulltime as the Lighting Programmer and Technician at Stages Theater. We speak with Destiny about “Translucent”, a Queer Theater she is working to bring to Houston. You can see Destiny’s brilliant work in current productions at Stages Theater.

Finally we speak Nora Hahn who is starring as Ann Richards in the Garden Theater’s production of “Ann”. This inspiring and hilarious play brings us face to face with a complex, colorful and captivating character bigger than the state from which she hailed. Written by Emmy Award winner Holland Taylor, Ann takes a revealing look at the impassioned woman who enriched the lives of her followers, friends and family. “Ann” runs February 2-11 at MATCH.

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:
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