July 23rd 2025 Queer Voices - Brad Pritchett, Austin Colburn, and Town Meeting Art Exhibition

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In the face of unprecedented legislative attacks, how does Texas's LGBTQ community forge ahead? This episode of Queer Voices delivers a masterclass in resilience, featuring Brad Pritchett, the Interim Executive Director of Equality Texas, who reveals the brutal realities of the recent legislative session where over 200 anti-LBGTQIA+ bills were filed—the highest number in state history. Deborah Moncrief Bell is the interviewer. 

"We managed to stop more than 95% of those bills from actually passing into law," Pritchett explains, highlighting the power of community organizing even in hostile political environments. He takes us behind the curtain of Texas politics, exposing how some lawmakers waste precious legislative time on bills based on fabricated scenarios (like the ridiculous "furries bill") rather than addressing genuine concerns affecting all Texans. 

We then journey from legislation to theater as Houston-native actor Austin Colburn shares his experience returning home from New York to star in "The Last Five Years" at Queensbury Theatre, which runs from July 23rd through the 27th. Austin reflects with Brett Cullum on his evolution from a dancer who "couldn't sing a single pitch" to a professional actor tackling one of musical theater's most challenging scores. His journey from local stages to New York callbacks offers a heartening counterpoint to the political struggles—a reminder that queer joy and artistic expression persist.

The episode concludes with Melelani Petersen's powerful reflection on "Town Meeting 1978 to 2028," an art exhibition commemorating a pivotal 1978 gathering of 4,000 LGBTQ Houstonians that birthed vital community institutions. 

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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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