It’s rare to find dedicated LGBTQ women spaces in Dallas. Sue Ellen’s, one of the last lesbian bars in the country, is probably the only one I can name. But there are a handful of LGBTQ groups carving out spaces across the DFW area for queer people to find community.

Jeannette Celine, known as Gayylien, is a non-binary, Xicanx femme makeup artist who seeks to transform themself into a “freak” using makeup and body paint.

Niecee X, a 29-year-old community organizer and artist, is trying to change the scene in Dallas by organizing QTPOC-centered open mics, intentional conversations, and dinner parties with the hope of one day opening Revolution Café and Bookstore to offer new ways of forming community.

It’s important for Electric Kitchen founders Chanise Condren and her wife, Ashley Garner, to create recipes that don’t alienate people from vegan food just because it’s vegan.

Cassandra Alicia, the 29-year-old founder of the popular Latinx feminist social media page Xicanisma, isn’t afraid of making her 106,000 Instagram followers uncomfortable. In fact, her tagline is “dismantling oppressive isms through tears.”

La Botánica, a vegan eatery and bar, is defying norms in the San Antonio restaurant scene. In a city that loves queso-filled Tex-Mex food and in a state that boasts damn good barbecue, La Botánica offers an alternative option with Mexican-inspired, plant-based food created by queer chef and co-owner, Rebel Mariposa.

Rio Grande Valley native Alexandra Nichole Salazar Vasquez interviews LGBTQ people from the Valley and gives her audience a snapshot of queer life in the border region.