Battling voter supression - Gonzalez asks U.S. AG to monitor Texas House Committee on Elections - Dallas Voice
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Battling voter supression Gonzalez asks U.S. AG to monitor Texas House Committee on Elections by David Taffet, Page 10
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4 dallasvoice.com █ 05.14.21
In This Issue May 14, 2021
Volume 38 | Issue 2
1825 Market Center Blvd., Ste. 240, Dallas, Texas 75207 | 214-754-8710 | dallasvoice.com NEWS
Legalizing voter intimidation | 10
PUBLISHER Leo Cusimano, leo@dallasvoice.com Moe Vela branches out with Unicorn Hunters | 12
Lutherans elect first transgender bishop | 16
MANAGING EDITOR Tammye Nash, nash@dallasvoice.com 12
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Sue Ellen’s, the oldest lesbian bar in the
owner and operator of Bass Performance Hall,
9301 North Central Expy. Suite 310 announced this week that Broadway shows
U.S., will reopen on June 4. The bar has
are returning to the Bass stage. The 2021-22
Dallas, TX been closed throughout the pandemic.
Broadway at the Bass Season will feature six
Sue Ellen’s has been doing karaoke at
shows, many of which were scheduled to be
the Rose Room on Tuesday and Wednes-
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here in 2020 when the season was canceled
day evenings. No word yet on whether that
due to COVID-19.
or ntidc.org is moving back or when weekend bands
will begin performing there again. As the
Current 2020-21 Broadway at the Bass
season ticket holders have until June 21 to
day approaches, we’ll keep you up on
renew and keep their seats. New season
what’s planned for the opening.
tickets will go on sale July 15. Sign up now for
We’re just excited Sue Ellen’s is reopen-
the wait list.
ing.
The 2021-22 season kicks off in October
— David Taffet
with Come From Away, Oct, 19-24. Then Cats
6 dallasvoice.com █ 05.14.21
returns to the Bass Hall stage Nov. 16-21 with will have priority access to Lion King tickets. The proclamation recalls the raid at the has gone from open homophobia to tolerance
an all-new production, to set the mood for the And Performing Arts Fort Worth is currently in Stonewall Inn that marked the beginning of to acceptance of LGBTQ individuals and fam-
holiday season. The new year begins with Dear conversations with other local arts organizations the modern LGBTQ rights era and notes that ilies. Our next journey is representation on city
Evan Hansen, Jan. 4-9, followed by a special to plan reduced capacity, socially-distanced the LGBTQ community “from youth to senior boards, commissions, and the City Council. The
add-on of the smash hit Hamilton Jan. 18-Feb. performances in Bass Hall over the summer in citizens, have the right to feel safe, not be diversity of our city is our strength. The diversity
6. After a break of a few months, the season preparation for the new season starting in the discriminated against and not live with the threat of our city is our future.”
picks back up with Oklahoma!, June 21-26, fall. Watch for more details as they become of harassment and persecution.” It further states The first city Pride event has already been
followed Jesus Christ Superstar July 12-17. The available. the “Carrollton City leadership and staff have planned. It will be held at Horizon UU Church,
season concludes with Mean Girls, July 26-21. — Tammye Nash committed to make the city an LGBTQ friendly, 1641 W. Hebron Parkway, Carrollton, on June 5.
Broadway at the Bass this week also welcoming, and inclusive community for ALL.” A food truck and 18 booths have already been
announced that Disney’s The Lion King is Carrollton businessman and resident Bob confirmed.
Carrollton proclaims Pride — David Taffet
returning to Bass Hall for the 2022-23 season. McCranie said, “Over the last 18+ years, the city
The Carrollton City Council issued a procla-
Season ticket holders for the 2021-22 season
mation at its meeting Tuesday, May 11, marking
who renew their seats for the 2022-23 season
June 5 as Carrollton Pride Day.
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VOICES
Karens gone wild
OPINIONS FROM THE COMMUNITY
What can we learn watching screaming,
videos of these privileged off to the
police sta-
meltdowns? tion where
they can
D
uring my long “work-from- assert their
home” isolation forced by sovereign to wear a metaphorical mask much of sucks!
COVID-19, I have found myself rights from my adult life. I know many of my friends Not seeing my friends sucks!
wasting time on YouTube a lot. One of inside a jail feel that way as well. Not going out to concerts, the theater
my most recent obsessions is the hun- cell. We wear the mask of heteronormativ- and movies sucks!
dreds of “Karen Meltdown” videos post- What I ity daily, so as to not make the straight Not being able to travel sucks!
ed there. find com- folk feel uncomfortable. It is a small sac- Working from home all the time, sucks!
Compiling the videos of indignant pelling rifice we have made for years in the in- But you know what sucks more? See-
women and, in a few cases, men going about terest of maintaining some kind of safety ing people taking their frustrations out
ballistic after being told they can’t do this these viral videos is the overwhelming for ourselves and to avoid unwanted at- on others who are just doing their job,
thing or that thing has become a cottage anger expressed by these “Karens” and tention. I still am uncomfortable holding trying to get by and keep others safe.
industry. A vast majority of these videos “Kens.” They throw uncontrolled tan- my partner’s hand in public unless we Seeing Karens and Kens blasting their
are of “Karens” trying to enter stores trums, fueled by blind anger and often are in a LGBTQ-friendly neighborhood. rage at civil servants who are just trying
without wearing masks. Predictably, peppered with racist slurs. I can only imagine how people would to keep our cities safe and preserve the
they throw a tantrum and, in some cases, Why are they so angry? react if I unleashed all my pent-up frustra- peace — that REALLY sucks.
physically attack store workers and/or Most of these people are white, cis- tion in an uncontrolled tantrum. I guess I If all those Karens and Kens took that
the merchandise in the store itself. gender folks who are exploding over the am too vain to let that happen. It would be wasted energy and used it to convince
In one video, after being told she minor inconvenience of having to wear a far too unattractive, and, quite frankly, my their friends to wear masks and get vac-
would not be served if she wasn’t wear- mask to protect their fellow citizens from mother raised me better than that. cinated, this whole mess would be over
ing a mask, a woman began knocking a potentially deadly disease. So why the I learned as a child that sometimes much faster. I want to see those viral vid-
products off shelves and finally throwing big kerfuffle? the world does not cater to your every eos start showing up — videos of Karens
store fixtures at the helpless employees. I can only surmise they have led lives whim. Things are often unfair, and whin- pleading with their friends and family to
She, like many of these people, was ar- of such privilege that they have never ing about it and pounding your fists on get vaccinated so we can all get back to
rested and then tried to explain to the ar- been told “No.” And the act of wearing the ground won’t change things. some kind of normalcy sooner.
resting officers why she should be let go, a mask, which is a little thing to most I also learned that I could take all that Might not be as good at becoming a vi-
claiming of the workers she threatened of us, becomes amplified in their minds frustration and use it to fuel something ral video as seeing an adult behaving like
and attacked that she “pays their salary” into something much greater. They are much more productive. Writing has been a spoiled child, but it would damn sure
and “they work for me.” being forced to be a considerate person, that outlet for me. be better for the world. █
In a few of the videos, the man or wom- and that is a step too far for an over-priv- So, consider this my very own Karen Hardy Haberman is a longtime local LGBT
an even pulls the “sovereign citizen” ileged white person. meltdown: activist and a board member of the Woodhull
ploy, refusing to obey any laws at all. In I guess I find that amazingly petty, The COVID19 pandemic sucks! Freedom Alliance. His blog is at Dungeon-
the end, they are all hauled, kicking and since as a queer man I have been forced Wearing masks and social distancing Diary.blogspot.com.
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05.14.21 █ dallasvoice 9
Legalizing voter
intimidation
NEWS
A bill being rammed through
the legislature has a number of
provisions that are intended to
suppress the vote of LBTQ and
other minority voters
DAVID TAFFET | Senior Staff Writer
taffet@dallasvoice.com
tate Rep. Jessica Gon-
zalez has been working
overtime this session
fighting off not only
anti-transgender bills,
but, as vice chair of the
Committee on Elections,
fighting off voter sup-
pression bills, too.
Along with three other committee
members, including Rep. Michelle Beck-
ley, D-Carrollton, Gonzalez has written
to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Gar-
land, asking him to have the civil rights
division of the Department of Justice
“monitor the proceedings of the House
Elections Committee and the Texas
House for the remainder of the session”
after committee Chair Briscoe Cain,
R-Deer Park, on April 29 forced a vote on
one such bill, Senate Bill 7, without ad- A group opposing new voter legislation gather outside the House Chamber at the Texas Capitol in Austin on May 6. (Eric Gay/Associated Press)
vanced notice and without allowing time
for public input. the polling place. They’d be allowed to A highly successful example in Dallas more difficult. New and onerous re-
In addition to what Gonzalez called roam freely around polling places to in- County was making the American Air- quirements for people who drive elder-
a return to Jim Crow laws when she timidate voters. lines Center a mega-voting location. The ly or disabled voters to the polls would
appeared on ABC’s national news this It’s unclear what would happen if a arena is located in an area with a high be created, including having to provide
week, she questioned the way the bill voter complained about the poll watcher concentration of Democratic voters and proof of ailment or disability. The driver
was rammed through committee without interfering with the right to cast a secret is located within Oak Lawn’s heavily could be penalized for failure to produce
comments from the public and without ballot. The election judge in the polling LGBTQ 75219 zip code. Another mega paperwork indicating the passenger’s
discussion of language used in the bill. place could intervene. But many voters, center was opened at Potters House with disability and need to have a poll worker
Democrats on the committee received presumably elderly, minority, disabled, a concentration of Black voters. bring a voting machine to the car.
the language in the bill about 10 minutes LGBTQ and other groups targeted by In the Senate version of the bill, a for- During the pandemic, curbside voting
before Cain called for a vote on it. this partisan legislation, could be intim- mula would be used to distribute voting vastly expanded, and those who pre-
SB 7 had already passed the upper idated and simply leave. machines and polling places based on ferred not to enter a voting location were
house of the Legislature. Gonzalez and A second provision would prohibit previous election turnout. That would given the opportunity to vote from their
other Democrats on the elections com- “county governments from establishing oversaturate white neighborhoods with cars. The process was slow, but there
mittee objected in writing to four provi- methods and locations for voting that polling locations and penalize poorer were no reports of voter fraud as a result.
sions of the bill that became House Bill 6. have proven to boost participation in areas that historically have had lower Finally, elections officials would be
SB 7 would allow partisan poll watch- working-class communities and com- turnout. prevented from sending mail ballot ap-
ers to have unfettered access to voters in munities of color,” according to the letter. Third, curbside voting would become plications to voters eligible to vote by
S
10 dallasvoice.com █ 05.14.21mail. The penalty would be state jail ranking number one in uninsured people
time. during a health crisis, which keeps the
Gonzalez charges that these chang- state’s health insurance rates skyrocket-
es to the House version of the bill were ing.
presented just minutes before the chair But those issues, she said, have been
called for a vote on the legislation. “Un- ignored. Instead, she’s had to deal with
fortunately, this disregard for decorum HB 6/SB 7, which are all about punish-
and formal rules is all too common in the ing Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo,
House Elections Committee,” Gonzalez who tried to make it as easy as possible
wrote in her letter to the attorney general. for voters in Houston and elsewhere in
On ABC News, Gonzalez character- her county to vote. Each step of the way,
ized the bill as “unnecessary legislation Beckley said, Hidalgo checked with the
that is bad for Texas,” and said there was Texas Secretary of State to make sure
nothing in the bill that makes it easier or anything she did to expand access to vot-
safer to vote. ing was legal.
She hasn’t received a response from Hidalgo allowed 24-hour voting to
the Justice Department yet but is work- make it easier for shift-workers to get to
ing her Washington connections — Gon- the polls — doctors, police, firefighters
zalez worked in the Obama White House and, especially in the case of Houston,
— to get some federal oversight. Because chemical and petroleum workers. As did
these voter restrictions are happening Dallas County, she made drive-through
in other states as well, she believes the voting more available during the pan-
justice department has an interest in this demic.
legislation. Beckley said nothing in the bill makes
Beckley, who also signed the letter to it easier to register to vote: “No online
the U.S. attorney general, said she was registration,” she said. “All registration
frustrated this session with the amount is done in pen and ink. And when they
of time she spent defending trans kids can’t read it, it gets thrown out.”
and preventing voter suppression. As a And yet, she said, after 22,000 hours of
result, she said, there was no time left for investigation into voter fraud in the last
fixing the power grid, doing anything election, there hasn’t been a conviction in
about the pandemic or talking about the Texas. “Instead, they’re going with the
number of kids lost to the education sys- Trump Big Lie,” Beckley said. “We’ll see
tem since the shutdown. where the dust settles.”
And don’t get her started on Texas VOTER, Page 14
State Rep. Rafael Anchia
05.14.21 █ dallasvoice 11Moe Vela’s very, very, very public life
PROFILE
After years in a business and
public service, Vela is branching
out with ‘Unicorn Hunters’
JAMES RUSSELL | Contributing Writer
james.journo@gmail.com
oe Vela
could die
happy to-
day, know-
ing all he’s
done with
his life. But
judging by
a recent interview, the longtime political
operative, entrepreneur and one-time ac-
tor is not slowing down. His family in-
stilled that go-getter attitude in the gay
fourth generation Texan.
The Velas are a pioneering South Tex-
as family, first setting down roots in the
state in 1863. The Vela family includes a
former federal district judge and a for-
mer Cameron County judge. Moe Vela’s
cousin is retiring Congressman Filemon he asked, wondering why she wasn’t strategy and outreach. Biden has also ple. That leaves millions out.”
Vela Jr. seeking the union endorsement. Rich- nominated former two-time Congres- Moe said the idea for Unicorn Hunters
Vela family members were encouraged ards smiled: “I kept my opponents from sional candidate Gina Ortiz Jones, also came about after he left Biden’s office.
to operate and to carry themselves hum- getting the endorsement.” a lesbian and also a Texan, to be under He was practicing law and unfulfilled;
bly and not arrogantly, Moe Vela said. What she was saying, he explained, secretary of the Air Force. he wanted more. He asked himself,
“We’re not special. You gotta get your was that “Sometimes you don’t need the “They’re great examples of why I “How do I leverage and parlay my glob-
butt to work,” he explained. “We were endorsement but just to block opponents didn’t go in,” Moe said of the two Texas al network to help others and make a
never forced to be a lawyer or a teach- from getting it.” women. living?”
er, but we were encouraged to be active. It was one of many lessons Moe Now Moe is working on a project that He also wanted to come out of the
Our generation picked up the mantle, learned during his stint in public service, was on his bucket list: He’s the produc- closet — as an entrepreneur, that is.
and we’re encouraging the next genera- which included working for former State er of and a panelist on Unicorn Hunters, The show isn’t his first dance with the
tion to do the same.” Rep. Rene Oliveira and Congresswoman which premiered May 10. The show is entertainment industry. At 22 years old,
Moe has also had a storied career in Eddie Bernice Johnson when she was a like Shark Tank, where budding entrepre- as a freshly-minted University of Texas at
public service himself. His mentor was state senator. He also served as director neurs pitch their ideas to funders. But in Austin graduate, Moe had his sights on
the late Gov. Ann Richards, whom he of administration for then-Vice President this show, the audience is involved, too. Broadway. “All I had were four bags and
called “Ms. Ann.” Joe Biden as well as senior advisor on “It was a longtime dream to do this one page of sheet music,” he recalled.
When Richards was running for gov- Hispanic Affairs for Vice President Al show,” he said. And the LGBTQ commu- He acknowledged the cliché. “I don’t
ernor, Moe recalled, she was in a packed Gore nity was at the front of his mind when he know too many gay men who don’t
Democratic primary and faced tough That makes Moe the first openly gay conceived of it. “We’re part of the disen- come out of their mamma’s womb with-
competition. At the state union conven- person and the first Hispanic-American franchised. We’ve been left out,” he said, out wanting a career in show business,”
tion, her team was on the floor, working to serve twice in the White House in a while access to capital has been reserved he said laughing.
the crowd. Vela, who was just getting his senior role. for white men over 50. “I’ve had an amazing life. I’ve swam
start in politics, was tasked with guard- While he was tempted to make anoth- To him, “That’s just bullshit. This is under the moonlight naked. I could die
ing the campaign headquarters. er go around at the White House when 2021.” happy,” he said. But he’s glad he hasn’t
“I was sitting alone thinking, ‘Wow, Biden was elected president, Moe chose “As LGBTQ people we’re not going yet. “Here we are months later and I’m
I’m guarding the headquarters,’” he to decline. “I already did my public ser- to have true equality until we address fulfilling another goal,” he said of Uni-
said. Then the door opens. It’s Richards. vice,” he said. “The next generation of economic parity,” Moe continued. “We corn Hunters.
She sat next to him. gays and Latinos need to go.” won’t have economic equality until we Growing up, Moe said he couldn’t live
“Moe Jr.,” she said, “how are you do- Some have, including Emmy Ruiz, a all have access to wealth. Having been his true self as a creative, entrepreneurial
ing?” lesbian and a Texas native who is now lobbied and a lobbyist, the folks who gay man. “But 60 years later, my dreams
“Shouldn’t you be at the convention?” the White House director of political have access to money have access to peo- have come true,” he said. █
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05.14.21 █ dallasvoice 13VOTER, From Page 11
And then, Beckley said, the voter
suppression law will go to court.
For now, the bill continues to be
amended and will go to a conference
committee.
Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, point-
ed out wording in the bill used the term
“purity of the ballot box.” When Anchia
asked Cain if he knew that term came
from the Jim Crow past, Cain said he
didn’t know that, claiming that he took
the wording from the Texas Constitution.
That wording was eventually re-
moved from the bill. And word-
ing about the poll watchers has also
changed since Anchia shined a light on
the Jim Crow connections in the bill.
But the wording of a final bill will
be determined by the conference com-
mittee that will create one bill from the
House and Senate versions.
Conference committee is a mostly se-
cretive process in the Texas Legislature.
Gonzalez doesn’t know if she’ll even be
part of that process, even though she’s
vice chair of the committee that would
have to pass the bill back to the floor of
State Reps. Michelle Beckley, left, and Jessica Gonzalez, right
the Legislature for a final vote. █
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14 dallasvoice.com █ 05.14.21Trans history
NEWS
writing, Rohrer, 41, who
uses the pronouns they
and them, is also recog-
“It’s an honor to be called to serve
the Sierra Pacific Synod,” Rohrer said
to Religion News Service in a written
dacy process” designed to sidestep the
national ELCA’s policy on LGBTQ min-
isters at the time, Rohrer’s ordination
statement. “During this time when some was officially accepted in 2010.
Lutherans elect Megan Rohrer imagine trans people at their worst, Lu- While gay bishops have served in
as first transgender bishop therans have once again declared that mainline Protestant denominations since
transgender people are beautiful chil- Bishop Gene Robinson was named a
PAUL O’DONNELL | Religion News Services dren of God. Thank you to everyone bishop in the Episcopal Diocese of New
who has been praying for me and my Hampshire in 2003, transgender priests
he Rev. Megan family as I accept this call.” and ministers are only slowly finding
Rohrer was elected Raised in South Dakota, Rohrer has acceptance. In 2007, Drew Phoenix was
bishop of the Evan- recounted being expelled from the youth permitted to remain as pastor of a Bal-
gelical Lutheran group at the church they attended in timore United Methodist parish after
Church in America’s Sioux Falls when they came out as a coming out as transgender; the UMC
Sierra Pacific synod lesbian and told a California public ra- appointed its first transgender deacon
on Saturday, May 8, dio station that in college at the Luther- in 2017. The Episcopal Church approved
becoming the first an Augustana University, “The people transgender priests in 2012.
transgender person to serve as bishop in who were in my religion classes with me The Sierra Pacific Synod encompass-
the denomination or in any of the U.S.’ would sing hymns when I walked by, to es 180 congregations in northern Cali-
major Christian faiths. try to get rid of my gay demons. And I fornia and northern Nevada, with more
The Rev. Megan Rohrer
Rohrer, pastor of Grace Lutheran would just sing harmony. I didn’t know than 36,000 individual members and
Church in San Francisco and community nized for their work with the homeless. what to do.” about 13,000 worshippers attending on
chaplain coordinator for the San Fran- They have also attained minor celebri- A campus pastor at Augustana, how- Sundays. Bishops are elected to six-year
cisco Police Department, was the first ty status stemming from appearances ever, encouraged Rohrer to consider terms in the ELCA. █
transgender person to be ordained in the on the television series Queer Eye and ministry, and in 2002 they moved to This content is written and produced by
ELCA in 2006 and the first to serve as a in profiles in Time magazine and Cos- San Francisco to attend Pacific Lutheran Religion News Service and distributed by
pastor when called to Grace Lutheran in mopolitan, where they recounted their Theological Seminary and later trans- The Associated Press. RNS and AP partner
2014. struggles as a young LGBTQ Christian ferred to the LGBTQ-friendly Pacific on some religion news content. RNS is solely
Well known for advocating for LGBTQ and as a person coming to terms phys- School of Religion in Berkeley. Ordained responsible for this story. Emily McFarlan
rights in street activism, preaching and ically and spiritually with their gender. in 2006 under an “extraordinary candi- Miller contributed to this report.
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18 dallasvoice.com █ 05.14.21Tools of an author
ON THE PAGE
D. Hale Rambo’s debut novel real and imagined — into leading roles.
puts diversity front and center The author and Dungeon Master sat
down recently to answer a few ques-
. Hale Rambo tions about how the characters of her
describes her- first book, Tools of a Thief, came to life and
self as a “nerdy, why, as a straight woman, she chose to
book-loving make her main protagonists lesbian.
Black woman” — Tammye Nash
who grew up
loving to read, Dallas Voice: How long have you been
but never seeing someone like her as the involved in the world of Dungeons and
main character in any of the books she Dragons? D. Rambo Hale: I’ve been a
read. Now as an adult, she is combining player for about eight years and a Dun-
geon Master for about five — so, not as
her love of books, her love of story-tell-
long as some but longer than others.
ing and her love of the world of Dun-
geons and Dragons to create stories that From what I gather, being Dungeon
bring the diversity of the world — both TOOLS, Next Page
05.14.21 █ dallasvoice 19TOOLS, From Previous Page
Master basically means setting up a is because the players I know are either wouldn’t make those choices. It’s
storyline and then guiding the other LGBTQ or allies already. Because I have disheartening to come into a space
characters through that story. So it’s also heard stories of some very misog- like DnD, where almost everything
very similar to being an author. Do you ynistic and homophobic/transphobic you do is made up, and be blocked
think that is an accurate statement? players, too. Do you, as a non-LGBTQ from enjoying a game the way you
And if so, which came first for you — person, find the DnD community to be want because it doesn’t conform to
dungeon master or author? I’ve always more open and accepting of LGBTQ someone else’s standard.
been an author, or to put it another way, people than society in general? I do find So it’s by no means a perfect communi-
I’ve always told stories. I was involved the community open, but I and my friends ty, but the more people who join and
in theater until my sophomore year in have a few occurrences of misogynistic learn to play, the better it’ll become,
college, and I wanted to be a playwright. and homophobic run-ins while gaming, I hope.
I turned towards more digital work when unfortunately. Most of the friends I play
How do you take a character from
I left college, though, and dropped those with are women, LGBTQ or allies as well.
the DnD and turn them into the
dreams. It wasn’t until I got into DnD and We’ve met a lot of accepting and diverse
protagonist in your books? What
then other RPGs [role-playing games] that people within the DnD community at
opportunities do you have to ex-
I felt like I reconnected with all the things game stores and in DnD-specific groups.
pand and improve those charac-
I used to love about writing, theater and But conventions that have open play al-
ters in books that you don’t have
generally making things up. ways have at least one person gatekeep-
in the game? A lot of writers (or
Being a DM, with homebrew world, is kind ing the game [telling others they are play- It’s a reference I get internally that I don’t
DMs) may laugh, but I use alignment,
of like being an author in the fact that you ing the game wrong], and I’ve seen friends have to think too hard on that ignites me.
ideals, bonds, and flaws, specifically 5E
have a general story, and you know how who have been disheartened by that. I’ve To me, it’s much the same as how some
— 5E is the proper way to say that the
you want to guide the characters. But, like seen Dungeon Masters who have done people use the Hogwarts’ Houses.
products I’ve made are DnD-compatible
being a Dungeon Master, none of your this [gatekeeping] by not acknowledging
without actually saying the words “DnD” or For example, “Okay, Zizy is chaotic good,
players or characters listen to you, and a player’s intentions with their charac-
including any suggestion that it is licensed and (flaw) she’ll turn tail if she feels she
they often spend too much time mucking ter’s sexuality or how they roleplay social
work from Wizards of the Coast, the DnD can’t handle what’s going on. How does
about with a locked door. encounters. Or [sometimes] other players
owners. It’s based on their open gaming that impact Laysa/herself?” And then, of
at the table belittle choices made by my
As an outsider/onlooker, it seems to me license that is used when making DnD-re- course, I put in additional nuances: Why
friends and me in a way that suggests that
that the DnD community in general is lated content and products as a snapshot is she scared? What is she running from
if we actually “understood” the game, we
much more accepting, but perhaps that of a character that I then build on.
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20 dallasvoice.com █ 05.14.21really? What does she want more than chaotic scrapes — much like many DnD
anything and how far is she from getting parties when trying to reach their goal.
it? Tell me about your other work, too.
Because the characters aren’t reacting to What’s coming up next? “Into the
PCs [player characters, or characters Woods” is a short story I published along-
in the game who are played by a real side a [5th Edition] one-shot adventure
person, as opposed to a non-PC, which with the same title on DriveThruRPG
is a character made up by and controlled and my website. I have a handful of [5th
by the DnD and roles of the dice], who are Edition] one-shot modules I’ve published
lovably unpredictable, I can explore their there, including one, based on Jane
needs deeper. I can showcase more of Austen’s Pride and Prejudice called “The
their quirks, relationships and what they Death of Netherfield Park.”
want. Essentially they get to steal the “A Series of Decisions on Kairas” is the
spotlight now in a book. name of the series that Tools of a Thief
You can only expand a character so much
in a game before you’re making the game
all about your story, and [the game should
be] everyone’s story — yours, Player 1,
Player 2, even Player 3 who can only
show up every other session because of
real life.
Your protagonist, Zizy, is a lesbian. Why
did you choose a lesbian protagonist,
and what research did you do to make
that character authentic? Zizy is a blend
of some of my closest friends who are
lesbian, bi and queer. Her relationship with
Laysa mirrors relationships I’ve seen first-
hand with friends and family. I talked to
them about the characters. I asked them
to alpha read [reading really rough drafts]
and beta read and give me feedback. If
there was anything I wrote that felt wrong
or didn’t seem plausible, I wanted them to
let me know.
When I wrote the characters, it seemed
like a natural choice that they would be
lesbians. It is a choice — one that I hope
allows people to connect and imagine
starts. I thought I was being clever with
themselves. It’s important to me that
that name. Tools of a Thief is my debut
people can connect with main characters
novel. A fast follow-up will be Compo-
on that level.
nents of a Caster, which will continue the
Tools of a Thief comes out May 25. Give story from Laysa’s point of view. She’s
me a brief description of the book, and been searching for her own sort of power
tell me why you think it will appeal to for a while now, and she may have finally
LGBTQ readers, and why it will appeal found a way in. I’m looking forward to
to DnD folks in general. Tools of a Thief exploring what it means to feel valuable
is about a gnome trying to change her life and needed.
failing, and getting back up again with the
Components of a Caster will be released in
help of those she’s met along the way. It’s
December 2021.
a character-centric story about finding joy
and how sometimes you have to change What else do you want to tell me about
yourself if you want to keep it. It is Book 1 that I have not asked about? Creating
in the series. characters who look like me or share my
worldview is important, because I grew
Zizy, Laysa and their relationship will appeal
up reading and watching characters who
to LGBTQ readers as a fun fresh run
looked and acted nothing like me — a
as they learn to trust, get to know and
nerdy, book-loving black woman. They
brave danger for each other. The world
had grand adventures, while people like
is diverse, the deities are non-binary, and
me and my friends were stereotypical
the series overall will have a variety of
side characters. It took a few dozen years
relationships and people that mirror the
to even contemplate that I could change
real world.
that by creating my own content. So,
DnD people will love it for the adventures there is literally a post-it on my monitor as
within the overall adventure. The char- a reminder that I can include all different
acters explore new places, encounter types of people and should. And that’s
creatures unknown to them and get into what really matters.
05.14.21 █ dallasvoice 21GAY AGENDA
WATCH THIS
Gay man
Brandon Woodruff
was convicted
in March 2009
in Hunt County of murdering
his parents in October 2005.
Woodruff has always insisted he
is innocent. Many people believe
the jury convicted because he is
gay, and supporters have been
rallying to his cause, including
Scott Poggensee, who wrote
and directed the documentary
Texas Justice: Brandon Woodruff,
screening Friday, May 14, at 6 p.m.
at the Texan Theater, 2712 Lee St.
in Greenville. Tickets are $7.50; get
information and purchase tickets at
PARTY FOR GOOD: Marsha Dimes TexanTheaterGreenville.com.
hosts a virtual party benefitting the EAT THIS
LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance DFW Monica Greene’s
Chapter and Dallas Hopes Charities name has been
nearly synonymous
on Wednesday, May 19, at 7 p.m. at with fine Tex-Mex
MarshaDimes.com/unity. food in Dallas for
years, and the menu at Monica’s
Mex-Tex Cantina, 1326 Botham
Jean Blvd., certainly keeps that
reputation intact. Head over to
check out her signature Mexican
Lasagna, or maybe the Greene
Pasta. But whatever you order, you
PLAN YOUR WEEK can bet it will be delicious.
Have an event coming up? Email your America of Greater Dallas is an • May 19: Unity DRIVE THIS
information to Managing Editor Tammye online event with music and info on A virtual party benefiting the LGBTQ+ Want to drive
luxury without
Nash at nash@dallasvoice.com or Senior how important mental well-being is Real Estate Alliance DFW Chapter and
emptying your
Staff Writer David Taffet at taffet@ including information for the LGBTQ Dallas Hope Charities with Marsha wallet? The Genesis
dallasvoice.com by Monday at 5 p.m. community. Free, but a $25 Donation Dimes streamed live at 7 p.m. on G80 Prestige
for that week’s issue. includes a t-shirt. Tickets at Eventbrite. YouTube and at MarshaDimes.com/ package gives you that chance.
unity. Our auto reviewer, Casey Williams,
The Plan Your Week calendar is color- • Through May 16: Shirin Neshat: gives you the low-down on the car
coded: Red for community events; blue I Will Greet the Sun Again • Through May 19: Texas Gypsies that gives you a taste of a Bentley
for arts and entertainment; purple for Thirty-year retrospective of artist Shirin Sammons Center for the Arts presents at a far lower cost. See the full
sports; green for nightlife and orange for Neshat’s work runs through May 16 a virtual concert featuring Steve Curry review on Page 18.
civic events and holidays. at The Modern, 3200 Darnell St., Fort on guitar and vocals, Tony Baker, Brian
Worth. TheModern.org. Sandridge, Joe Perez, Andrew Griffith LISTEN TO
THIS
• May 14: Texas Justice: and Travis Udall. Concerts begin at Opera fans have
Brandon Woodruff • Through May 17: 7:30 p.m. and are presented as 48-hour been famished for
Documentary about a Texas man Cufflink Art group show rentals on Vimeo. $10. Members free. content for the last
wrongly convicted of murdering his Group show in a variety of mediums SammonsArtCenter.org. year, and Dallas
parents simply because he is gay at includes meticulous graphite drawings Opera has done its part with its
6 p.m. at Texan Theater, 2712 Lee St., by Marshall Harris, subliminal • May 21: Federal Club TDO Network, offering a mixture of
Greenville. $7.50. compositions through oil on canvas Transforming from ally to advocate. programming from a diverse group
by Linda Shobe, personal storytelling A discussion of how an in-group can of creators in the industry working
• May 15-June 19: Rusty Scruby via collage by Dwight Owsley, advance the interests of an oppressed to engage the community in ways
that go beyond the typical live
Gay artist Rusty Scruby has a solo intimate close-up portraits from the or marginalized out-group. To be a
performance experience. Now they
exhibit called Comfort at Cris Worley perspective of Nathan Madrid, dark part of the discussion of how allies are moving that content to a new
Fine Arts, 1845 E. Levee St., Suite 110. yet mischievous concrete sculptures by can become strategic players, visit digital platform, TheDallasOpera.
Open house on May 15 from noon-4 Ross Bonfanti, and digitally abstract DFWFederalClub.org. TV. Check out the TheDallasOpera.
p.m. CrisWorley.com. maps manipulated by Scott Anderson. TV to start a seven-day free trial or
Cufflink Art, Dickson-Jenkins Lofts and Look for extended listings online at just go ahead and subscribe out
• May 16: Crawfish for a Cause Plaza, 120 St. Louis Ave., Suite 149, DallasVoice.com right.
Crawfish for a Cause: Mental Health Fort Worth. CufflinkArt.com.
Matters sponsored by Mental Health
05.14.21 █ dallasvoice 23Cassie Nova
ASK A DRAG QUEEN
The haunting of a drag queen like a person, casually walking. I saw it from
the window, but when I opened the back
Hey everybody, I hope you are doing won- door, there was nothing there. I even let the
derfully. I am going to go ahead and tell ya, dogs outside to see if they saw or sensed
this is going to be a weird one. I am going to anything, but they just peed and came back
sound nuts, but I have this weird feeling that inside. That was about 10 years ago.
my house is slightly haunted and that I am Since then, I have seen floating orbs and
seeing apparitions or ghosts or something a other figures moving around back there. I’ve
lot lately. only actually gotten scared twice: Both times
I know…. Loony tunes. was because I could see a face on the thing
It is nothing major. I hear noises in the and honestly thought there was someone in
walls, which I am sure are squirrels or my yard.
something, so no big deal. I doubt the devil I know what you are all thinking: “Queen,
is knocking on my walls trying to freak me you read too much Stephen King!” Yes, that
out. If he is, well … C’mon Devil! Do better, is true. I love spooky fiction, and I immerse
you puss. myself in spooky shit. That is why I don’t
Seriously though, the thing that freaks take my own sightings too seriously; I have
me out the most is something that has an overactive imagination
happened three times since we have lived I know that, but what if … ?
in this house. We have lived here for a little Last night, at the show in the Rose Room,
more than 15 years but, on three separate I was standing on stage, and I swear I saw
occasions my dogs have started to bark, a figure standing right behind someone.
ferociously, at some random spot in the air. It I’m sure it was just the lighting in the room
is so weird. or something in my eye, but I saw a face. It
The first time it happened was years ago was startling enough to me that I ran, and
while my husband was a tow truck driver. He grabbed one of the other girls in the show to
would have to jump up and leave at all hours see if she could see it, and she couldn’t.
of the day and night. On this particular night, I know I sound cuckoo.
he got a call at about 3 a.m., jumped out of To be totally honest, I don’t think I even
bed and took off. I woke up with him and believe in ghosts. I don’t believe in much,
was wide awake, so I decided to get up and really. But I also am not so bold as to think I
go in the living room to watch some TV until know everything. What happens when you
he got home, or at least until I felt sleepy die? Who knows, but I want to believe our
again. energy lives on in some form or another.
So, I am in my recliner with two dogs on Spooky shit happens. And if it is all in
my lap and two dogs on the floor, when my mind, then what the fuck are my dogs
Dax, our Pomeranian, starts to growl. It was barking at? Toldja this was gonna be a weird
a low growl that I had never heard before. one. Let me know what you think is going on
Then Baby, our Chow, started to growl as at Casa Nova.
well. She had been lying on the floor near Remember to always love more, bitch less
the kitchen and stood up with all of her hair and be fabulous! XOXO, Cassie Nova
sticking up, ears back and teeth showing.
They were both staring at a point in the air
between us, somewhere in the middle of the
this week’s solution
living room.
Then our other two dogs, Lucy and Evee,
joined in. All four of them made a circle Photo by Frida Monet
around whatever it was that they saw there
bark at the space between the bedroom in the attic area over the kitchen and found
in the middle of the living room.
door and the bathroom. It was sometime be- nothing. I could still hear them barking. They
For three solid minutes they barked and
fore 9 a.m., and I was asleep. Toby started, were focused! They usually follow me wher-
growled, and I could not get them to calm
then Sunny and Lucy joined in. The exact ever I go, but they didn’t follow me upstairs.
down. I couldn’t see or hear anything. I
same thing — crazy barking for two to three And that is very weird. By the time I got back
thought it was possibly something in the
solid minutes, and I couldn’t get them to downstairs, they had stopped barking and
attic, except they weren’t looking at the
calm down. Then boom — it’s over, and they had come looking for me.
ceiling; they were looking at something
all go right back to bed. I don’t know what the hell they are seeing
about waist high. I was freaking out. Then
Bitch, not me! I was up and pacing, or feeling that gets them going crazy. Maybe
it stopped; they all just lost interest at the
looking around for whatever got them so they see spirits in my house; maybe they
same time, turned around and lay down.
riled up. hear a freaking mouse in the walls, But it
I got up, turned on all of the lights and
It happened again last week in the living freaks me out every time.
walked around the entire house, trying to fig-
room, while I was watching Top Chef. All I have also seen something in the back
ure out what the fuck they were barking at. I
five of my current critters started barking yard. It’s always at night and always when
found nothing. I called Jamie and told him to
at something in the kitchen. This time I I’ve been thinking of spooky shit, so I am
hurry up and get his ass home.
didn’t freak out; I went into sleuth mode. I sure I am just manifesting stuff in my mind,
It happened again about five years later,
in another place in the house with different
was going to find out what normal, non-evil but I’ve seen something a few times. Okay, █ browse █ submit
thing was making them act this way. They like five times.
dogs. Well, Lucy was still with us then, but it For a more complete Community To submit an item for inclusion in
were all staring at the space over the trash The first time I was positive someone was
started with our smallest dog, Toby, getting Calendar online, visit the Community Calendar, visit
can. I immediately ran upstairs and looked walking through my yard. I saw what looked
out from under the covers to growl and then Tinyurl.com/dvevents. Tinyurl.com/dvevents.
24 dallasvoice.com █ 05.14.21You can also read
