By Forest Riggs They did it again! Ask any Islander about their favorite Galveston events and you will get a resounding, “Oh, that’s easy: Mardi Gras, and the ACCT Champagne brunch in May.” Access Care of Coastal Texas (ACCT), long recognized as a stellar program offering healthcare, education and support of HIV patients and their

By Forest Riggs With the onset of summer, which so far has been beautiful, comes the annual threat and fear of the “big one.” Yes, it’s hurricane season and for folks living along the Gulf Coast there are yearly fears and anxious feelings as the area rests in the crosshairs.  Even though coastal dwellers are

By Forest Riggs “The world’s favorite season is the spring. All things seem possible in May.” —Harriet Ann Jacobs When it comes to months that are most celebrated in thoughts, songs, poems and movies, next to December would be the merry month of May. Finally, May has arrived and brings the onset of the summer

By Forest Riggs Easter has finally made it, complete with dyed eggs, jelly beans, peeps, baskets, and all the trimmings. The LGBTQ community seems to come alive again around Easter. Everyone knows we love to decorate, dress for Halloween, get creative as hell and “do it up” for just about any occasion. Easter, religious or

By Forest Riggs Spring has finally arrived and with it comes a time of renewal, rebirth, and growth. There is no better time than springtime to come out of old patterns, habits, and ways — the very things that impede our progress as human beings. It’s in the air, as “they” say. For over 20

| Galveston’s LGBTQ community loses an icon By Forest Riggs Allow me to begin this writing with an apology. Penning a column every two weeks, I keep a list of things and people in the Galveston LGBTQ community that I want to feature, mention or highlight. As there is so much going on in our

By Forest Riggs In 1962 crooner and heartthrob Bobby Darin released “The Party’s Over” and although it was a success, it wasn’t until Texas legend Willie Nelson sang the lyrics, “Turn out the lights, the party’s over,” that it became a huge hit, a crossover song. The lyrics go on to state that once the

By Forest Riggs Where has the time gone? It’s hard to believe but Mardi Gras 2019 is here. The Island has once again come alive in shades of purple, green and gold. Just about anyone and everything is adorned with the Mardi Gras colors, from beads to storefronts, sidewalks and balconies; even “Mardi Gras Trees”

By Forest Riggs February has quietly crept upon us this year and with it come two very special events: St. Valentine’s Day on February 14 and the beginning of Mardi Gras on the February 22.  Due to the changing dates for Mardi Gras each year, the much-loved event comes very early this time around, just

By Forest Riggs Great balls of fire! On a dismal Sunday evening at the Island’s 23rd Station Piano Bar, a young man sauntered up to the piano and stole the night. If the genes of P.T. Barnum and Jerry Lee Lewis had been used to clone a prodigy and that talented entertainer landed along the