Growing up in West Side San Antonio, Congressman Joaquin Castro’s world was wholly different than the one on his TV or downtown at the Aztec Theatre. “What I would see on screen almost never matched what I saw when I stepped out my front door and into my neighborhood,” he told The Barbed Wire. “The […]
Category: Culture
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At 18, He Had to Pay a Poll Tax. Paxton’s ‘Illegal’ Raids Don’t Scare Him.
When Hector Flores turned 18, he had to pay to vote. More than 60 years later, he can’t remember the exact rate of the poll tax, maybe $2.50 or $2.75. But vivid in his mind is that the fee was roughly the price of a couple gallons of milk or a case of beer. In […]
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The Annual ‘Biblical Plague’ of Crickets Has Arrived at the Texas Capitol
The fall is a magical time of year for Texans. It brings all the best stuff, like football, frigid 89-degree temperatures, and election season. It also brings lots of disgusting crickets that get everywhere, stink to high heaven, and make us wonder which vengeful god we’ve pissed off this time. (On second thought: Don’t answer […]
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The Texas Voyager: Nobody Compares to the ‘Best Damn Writer’ in Texas
Texas hasn’t gotten its due as a major piece in the complex puzzle of American art. We’re here to rectify that. Every two weeks, H. Drew Blackburn will conduct a thoroughly scientific analysis of the 254 essential (one for every county) books, movies, tv shows, albums, podcasts, songs, and magazine articles — you name it […]
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Texas Agency Spammed by ‘Bee Movie’ Scripts, Gay Porn Over Anti-Trans Policies
Oh noooooooo. In a devastating turn of events, LGBTQIA+ advocates have begun email-spamming the state with links to sex toys, porn, and the entire script from the cult-classic absurd animated film “Bee Movie” over a new anti-trans policy, which banned Texans from changing the sex listed on their driver’s licenses, according to KUT. Texas Attorney […]
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‘They Just Don’t Want Authors’: Latiné Writer Uninvited from Speaking at Texas School
“The most rewarding part of stories,” said author Jonny Garza Villa at a book signing hosted by Austin’s Little Gay Shop, is “realizing that I can write something that’s hyperspecific, a Mexican-American experience in a specific city in Texas, and how what that character is going through can relate to anyone, anywhere.” Garza Villa’s young […]
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C.J. Stroud Has the Best-Selling Jersey in the NFL
Texans (not just the NFL fans) love CJ Stroud, and apparently we aren’t alone; the quarterback’s jersey is now the best-selling one among NFL players in the nation. This week, the National Football League Players Association, the union for NFL players, released a list of the top 50 officially licensed NFL player products and merchandise […]
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The Absolute Grossest Critters in Texas
Texas is wonderful, but it’s also home to some of the most disgusting creatures on God’s green earth. For every beautiful vista, every awesome live band, every plate of barbecue or Tex-Mex, there’s a creepy-crawly critter lurking in the shadows waiting to ruin your day. Vermin might not be bigger in Texas, but sometimes they […]
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Inside a ‘Liberating’ Millennial Revolution: Single Mothers by Choice
The day after the healthiest relationship of my life ended, I went online and bought some sperm. I haven’t had a lifelong desire to be a mother. But when I hit 36, I realized that once my parents pass, my already small family will shrink to nothing. There was some power in deciding to have […]
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After Racist Comment, Judge’s Office Blames ‘Jokester’ Wife
EXCLUSIVE An Austin-based Latina CEO with a booming business blasted a Nueces County judge on Monday after he posted a racist comment calling her success “Ozark part 4” in an apparent reference to the Netflix prestige drama about a family laundering money for a drug boss. Gabriela Bucio, 38, oversees 12 Texas businesses in the […]