Est. 1981
Vol.70 Issue 9
A p r il 1 - A p r il 8 , 2 0 2 5
THE PAISANO
Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio Community /PaisanoOnline
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Third annual Transgender Day of Visibility march By Alejandra Garza Staff Writer
U
nfiltered Wings, an organization “dedicated to empowering the transgender and non-binary community,” held their third annual “March of Us” for trans visibility on the morning of March 29. The organization was accompanied by other communities supporting the LGBTQ+, such as Thrive Youth Center, Equality Texas, San Antonio gender association and Trans Masc Folks y Mas. Volunteers were also present to provide support with water and snacks throughout the march. The event began with a rally at the Bexar County Courthouse with close to 250 demonstrators. There were multiple guest speakers and a Native American Seven Directions prayer. Lynz Andrews, an activist and drag artist, initiated the start of the protest. “Are we ready to let them know that we are angry? Are we ready to let them know we are gonna be seen and heard?” Andrews shouted. “Here, in the state of Texas alone, there are 126 anti-trans bills,” Andrews said. “What we are going to do [today] is show them we are not going anywhere. We belong at that seat and that table.” Following Andrews, District Two Councilmember and former math teacher Jalen Mckee-Rodriguez spoke at the event regarding how six students left an impact on him during the COVID-19 pandemic. “My last year of teaching before I got elected with most of my students being online, it was during this year that the most students I ever had either attempted to runaway or commit suicide. There were six of them. and every single one of them were a part of the LGBTQ+ community,” Mckee-Rodriguez said. “Four of them were struggling with gender identity issues.” Mayoral candidate Gina Ortiz Jones was also in attendance. “I am a proud member of the LGBTQ community, and I think it is really important in these times when our entire community is under attack — but in particular our trans neighbors, friends and family members — that we show up,” Ortiz Jones said.
Logan, a participant, shared how they learned of the event and their experiences. “I am a college student at Texas State University. I was at my planned parenthood visit for my hormone therapy picking up my testosterone, and sitting in the lobby, there was a poster for this march,” Logan said. “I think I have been missing the community a lot. I had not realized how beautiful it was until today. “To me it is about being comfortable in your body and being able to express yourself as you wish. I consider myself to be non-binary trans. I was raised a girl, but I still want my testosterone, my beard, my chest hair, but I wanna wear my skirts.” Logan added about what it means to be trans. Sofia Sepulveda, organizer and field director for Equality Texas and an open transgender Latina, spoke about the importance of visibility within the trans community. “I have been out since I was 19, so it is super important to continue to show visibility, especially in a state that continues to try to take away our rights.” Sepulveda said. “I think visibility is super important but also having a safety net to fall on.” The crowd began to march through downtown San Antonio holding signs with quotes, such as “Trans Rights are Human Rights” and “Protect Trans Kids.” Chants were heard throughout Houston and Navarro Street. Leo Castillo, social media and marketing manager at Thrive Youth Center, led the chants. “When trans lives are under attack, what do we do? Stand up and fight back.” T h e march was a total of 1.5 miles and concluded at Crockett Park, located in the Tobin Hill neighborhood. A resource fair was set up with vendors circling the pavilion in the center of the park.
San Antonians participate in Transgender Day of Visibility March in the heart of downtown.
Hillel host Israel Expo for the second year on Main Campus By Khoi Nguyen Staff Writer Roadrunners once again got the opportunity to participate in Hillel San Antonio’s Israel Expo, an exhibition of Israeli culture, history and government. Set up outside the Student Union, the expo — hosted on March 25 — featured five different booths on innovation, pop culture, history, humanitarian aid and diversity. Students could read from infographics and win prizes from games and roulette wheels while representatives offered bags of popular Israeli snacks, one of them being Bissli and Bamba and limonana, a mint lemonade popular in Israel during summer. As the local chapter of nonprofit Jewish empowerment group Hillel International, Hillel San Antonio is part of a larger mission to enrich “the lives of Jewish students so that they may enrich the Jewish people and the world.” The organization has previously visited UTSA, sparking debate with other student organizations — including the San Antonio chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine and the Party for Socialism and Liberation —
amid the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. Hillel’s previous ‘Israel Block Parties’ were met with protests from SJP, and in 2023, Hillel organized a display on the Sombrilla Lawn depicting Israeli hostages kidnapped during the conflict. This year’s Israel Expo marks Hillel San Antonio’s second year holding the event. Attendees were informed of ethnic, religious and sexual diversity in Israel, offered cards detailing Israel’s humanitarian aid to various countries and quizzed on Israel’s influences in pop culture and technology. Students interested in Israel’s history could play a version of cup pong with a representative where each cup held a slip of paper revealing facts about Israel or visit the History Booth, which featured pamphlets describing Israel’s history spanning over 3,000 years. At the Diversity Booth, students could get their names written in Hebrew. As Hillel San Antonio continues hosting events at UTSA, the organization engages students in Israeli history, culture and discussion. When contacted for an interview, Hillel San Antonio did not respond.
Ezequiel Pena /The Paisano Informative tent pops up outside of Studnet Union Building titles, Israel Expo
San Antonio libraries and museums monitor potential federal cuts By Marisela Cruz Assistant News Editor Texas libraries, museums and archives could undergo budget cuts from one of the seven named executive orders signed by President Donald Trump on March 14. Executive order “Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy” aims to reduce the federal funding allocated to multiple agencies within the federal bureaucracy, including the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The IMLS is an independent federal agency that supports all 50 states and U.S. territories’ libraries, archives and museums. Multiple state organizations under the IMLS have issued statements in response to the executive order, but the State of Texas has not released a statement as of this current issue. The Texas State Library and Archives Commission refused to comment for The Paisano. Texas houses over 14,000 libraries that are supported and funded by the IMLS, 29 of which are in San Antonio.
According to San Antonio Express News, the city’s public libraries are monitoring the situation. The Witte, Mcnay and San Antonio’s Museum of Art have received numerous grants such as the Mellon Foundation Grant, National Endowment for the Arts and the San Antonio-based Less Charitable Trust. The city’s libraries also receive their grants from Texas State Library and Archives Commission with bond programs and private donations contributing to their funding as well. These grants from IMLS provide money to help fund their exhibits, events and educational services. As of current issue, the funding for these city institutions has not been affected by the federal cuts. When contacted regarding the developing situation, the aforementioned museums and The Central Library declined to comment.
Regan Williams /The Paisano