Texas Is a Lot More Queer Than You Think. I Am Too.

Olivia Messer reflects on her own complicated sexuality while examining the huge, vibrant queer culture of Texas, “home to more queer people than all the queer people in Canada. And more than double the number of queer New Yorkers.” Texas is a place of “queer line-dancing . . . gay rodeos. Adult summer camps. Churches. Roller derby leagues. Queer fight clubs.” Unfortunately, it is also a place of discrimination and political opposition—giving Messer all the more reason to celebrate her community loudly.

There’s a reason that I’ve only really hinted online about my bisexuality until now. I know Texans can be conservative. I’m from here. My extended family lives here. I’ve been trying to avoid giving my aging grandparents a heart attack. And I have always been vaguely afraid of the lack of job protections for queer Texans. (See: the Texas Senate.) 

Mostly it’s been about fear and privilege.

There’s privilege in the fact that I appear straight, and I’m bisexual — which means anytime I have dated men, I’ve been sort of invisibly queer. For a long time there was fear of discrimination at work, but now I’m very lucky to work somewhere that isn’t an issue. 

But frankly, I’m starting to get sick of this narrative of disenfranchisement, hate crimes, discrimination, and threats being the only one.