!,!apl?~H~ur~~~ ~~~ f!9rfuto..'!QPMI ~=-~IE::' ~ ••. ~- www.tcshowbar.com 817 fairview Street PH:713.S26.COCK The Longest Happy Hour in Montrq~~ 1OAM-1OPM Life is a C])r1fJ!-, ~. UThis Month's Diva ~~.~ Chelsea LWabYMh~~!) lntervle Given Name: Jason Williams Was your transition to living as a woman Stage Name: Chelsea Lauren hard? Age: 29 Yes, transitioning was hard!!! Some people just don't understand that So tell us Chelsea, how did you it's not the fact you want get started i N the art to be a man, it's not the of female imperson- fact that you want to be a ation and how long woman it's that just want to have you been in this be yourself. If that means busiNess? dressing up like Barney the Well, I've been enter- Dinosaur,then so be it, LOL. taining for 9 years and Iwill admit my father's side I've been doing pag- I, of the family was not too eants for about 6 years. '. accepting, my mother's Ever since I was a little :,side however was waiting girl, LOL I have always >. for me to come out! LOL been comfortable on a aI/ in all this lifestyle isthe stage. When I first came . hand that I was dealt, out I took a liking to the i. I'm just playing my hand. art, especially when I saw Tommie Ross, Chevelle Brooks and Porsche Paris. We all know you cur- Those ladies help inspire rently won Miss Gay me to be apart of the art :. Texas USofA,was this a form! After that I started I. dream come true? Did doing "Talent Night" and it . you see yourself win- began from there .... ning that night? Win- ning Miss Gay Texas USofA was most defi- Can you tell us how your life nitely a dream come was growing up? Did you true, to be honest with you I am still shell ever see yourself where you are now? I shocked! I have never competed in at Miss had a pretty normal childhood, Iwas an only Texas before and for me to go on my first child, but the oldest grandchild on both my time and win was just wonderful. I thought mother and father side. I have a total of 20 that I was going to be first runner up, never first cousins,so god made up for me not hav- did i think that I was going to win. If you had ing brothers and sisters.I remember when I the opportunity to see the DVD, my facial was younger, my mother's side of the fam- expressions shows it all. I.am living a dream ily is real large, every time we have a fam- amongst dreams. ily reunion, they would make me get up and dance. I had a wonderful childhood, I Well, we wanna thank you for taking the time learned how to love at a early age. To be tO reach to all your faNs out there, is there honest with you, I did not see myself where I any Last words you would Like to say? Thank am now, it's been such a blessing from God. you so much for even considering doing this Iwas suppose to graduate from college and for me .. I appreciate everything that comes be a Theater Major!!!!! Guess god had some- out of being MissGay Texas2011..... thing else in mind ... USf).A VaQeants and SCS V'-f)du(;tif)ns V.-esents Miss f3a'YS()uth £entral states USvfA ~ & Miss f7a'YS()uth £entral states US()f~ £Iassl£ plu~ seve•..al. ()ther ~ati()nally-•.e~(.. )onizedentertaine •..~.& ti()n()•.ino.. Ch•.i~tina.. 12()~~& Amber ~ixx I Thunday. r=eb1(). ~()11 Sh()wtime 11pm oATI'[T 14:J(l~. Main. san Anwnl() l2e.l~traU()nl4pm Interviewl (ipm Themel "l3u"'e~que" An Army of One: Dallas Gay Latino helps take down discriminatory law by Jesse Garcia www.jessegarcia.org Dallas Latino Pepe Johnson isgoing back to signed off on the DADT repeal, as they say the profession he loves: military service. This "the devil isin the details." Johnson talked to spring will be the end of an eight-year jour- Rumba about what to expect. ney that this patriotic Cuban-American un- dertook after being kicked out of the Army Rumba: Although the repeal has been for being gay. signed by the President, what immediate advice do you have for lesbian, gay and bi- On the morning of Dec. 22, 2010, President sexual soldiers in the service? Barack Obama signed into law the Don't Ask Don't Tell Repeal Act (DADl) of 2010. Johnson: "The repeal is not complete, only Johnson, who served the legislation allowing repeal. as a Army Sergeant E-5, !!!!!!!..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! According to the law that was stood among 500 for- passed by Congress, the De- mer gay military, LGBT-" partment of Defense must de- leaders and congressio- velop new regulations, policies nal members to witness and training to fully implement the historic moment in repeal. Following that Congress Washington, D.C. I has a 60-day review period and once those steps are complete, In 1993,DADTstarted as I, so will the repeal. There isn't a an effort under President hard timeline for this process, Bill Clinton to protect but President Obama, Secre- gay military from being tary of Defense Gates and Ad- kicked out by restricting miral Mullen have all signaled the U.S.military from in- the process should be 'swift vestigating or revealing and efficient' and they will not the sexuality of closeted 'dawdle.' In the meantime ser- gay or bisexual service vice members should continue members or applicants, to respect the current law - that and barring those who is,DADT- and should not come are openly-gay, lesbian out. The Servicemembers Legal or bisexual from serving in the military. This Defense Network (SLDN) continues to re- compromise with congressional and military ceive calls from service members. Individuals leaders didn't go as planned. The military in the process of being discharged prior to began a witch hunt that kicked out soldiers passing the repeal have not received word for being gay, and some service members - that their discharges have been stopped. frustrated out of constant scrutiny and inves- Admiral Mullen and others have given the tigation - refused to lie and came out them- same advice." selves resulting in discharges. Nearly 14,000 gay, lesbian and bisexual soldiers have been Rumba: Walk us through about how you kicked out since 1993. were discharged from the Army. Johnson, a model solider who received "Sol- Johnson: "According to my Army training, dier of the Year" honors at Fort Sill,Oklo.. in you could be discharged for a statement, an 2001,took on the role of activist after being act or anything resembling a marriage - the discharged in 2003. In Dallas, he networked acronym SAM. In my case I gave a state- and spoke out about the issuewith local civil ment to my commander. In my battery - it's rights groups to make DADTa priority in North like a company - our FirstSergeant was look- Texas. ing very closely at my personal life. In the ci- vilian world it would have been harassment. Although Congress and President Obama When he started asking my friends questions Page 13 about what they thought Idid on my person- of LGBTand allied veterans as the legisla- al time, where I went on weekends or who I tive battle reached its climax, I was present might have been seeing, crossed a line with- at both Senate votes and when President out asking THEquestion and was harassing Obama signed the bill into law," my friends, Even under DADTit was inappro- priate, To preserve my personal integrity, the Rumba: What advice do you have for those integrity of my friends and the integrity of the who will speak to recruiters? organization, I delivered a coming out letter to my commander," Johnson: "Be courteous, Be honest. Be pre- pared, Be patient. Don't be confrontational. Rumba: How long did you live in Dallas after Recruiters are trying to do their job and must your discharge and what occupations did learn and implement a new policy that is you hold? very different from what they have done for 17years, If you are unhappy with the way you Johnson: "I first moved to Arlington after Iwas are treated by a recruiter, you can ask to talk kicked out of the Army in 2003,The next year to a different recruiter possibly at a different I moved to Dallas and I still own a home in station, Since the repeal has not been final- Oak Cliff, I worked in ized.they may not process retail management you if you come out to and customer service them on your very first visit r~·1 If,' -,- .'" until I started work as ·tl - they may be obligated a land man in the oil to tell you to come back \i"t",M 'l'tit '~y' and gas industry in once the repeal process " •, ,.. ,~,:' Cleburne, Texas," ,~:, is complete, If you were , ~ ~ /" discharged because of Rumba: As the call for .':' DADT and hope to get the repeal of DADT back into the military, re- got louder, you re- member that you must still located to the east be qualified in every other coast and started to ,~. way and there aren't any volunteer for LGBT ~~ .•••......""~ . exceptions or special rules civil rights organiza- ~} because you were kicked tions to bring it down, ." a " out. There may also be Tellus what you did in additional steps for former the weeks prior to the congressional vote in service members that might take a bit lon- December to help ensure a repeal.