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ghostly gwen howerton

@kissphoria.bsky.social

16K followers 1.4K following 9.9K posts

texas culture reporter for @chron.com native texan, aggie, astros fan, ⚧️ in love with all of these vampires 📍houston

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ghostly gwen howerton @kissphoria.bsky.social · Jul 30

I spoke to the trans woman who was assaulted at Barton Springs in Austin this weekend.

Despite everything, she said that the bystander who stepped in and the support she's gotten makes her believe Austin is "a safe space for people like me."
www.chron.com/culture/arti...

Austin police investigating assault of trans woman, bystander

One person was left with a broken jaw and a concussion.

www.chron.com

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ghostly gwen howerton @kissphoria.bsky.social · 1h

the rockies are so out of ideas that they're going to earnestly try the Astros trash can system next season

ghostly gwen howerton @kissphoria.bsky.social · 1h

yeah like, i like the brewers but at the end of the day when all the magic doesn't work your first baseman is Andrew Vaughn

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David_j_roth @davidjroth.bsky.social · 2h

I think the Brewers are really good and I have admired that there is a big element of Annoying Magic to their goodness, but man when it is not working it sure looks a lot like guys with .720 OPS'es grounding out.

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ghostly gwen howerton @kissphoria.bsky.social · 2h

she's kind of awesome

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ghostly gwen howerton @kissphoria.bsky.social · 2h

i love alex bregman, i really do, but i do not think he's going to get that much more money in free agency

ghostly gwen howerton @kissphoria.bsky.social · 5h

Maybe someone who knows more about OTC markets can explain to me but... Texas oil and gas company rebrands as THC hemp extraction company rebrands rapidly as gay bar conglomerate seems..... very weird www.otcmarkets.com/stock/PHSE/o...

ghostly gwen howerton @kissphoria.bsky.social · 6h

Austin gay bar Oilcan Harry's, which I love, slams the news that Cheer Up's is being acquired by an investment firm.

"PLEASE AUSTIN, do your homework!! and actively support your LGBTQIA+ locally-owned community centers.
Remember, NONE of them begin with a C!!!!"

We don't know what's worse... the city not taking any noticeable proactive steps to protect 4th St. from being slowly stripped of its LGBTQIA+ owned identity, or Cheer Ups selling out its soul to a Florida corporation with conservative MAGA ties??? (Yes Pride Holdings, everyone saw you just unfollow D Trump Jr, Mr Beast, and Morgan Wallen today as this news blew up). Are you F**king serious?! Cheer Ups was supposed to represent alt queer Austin!! This news angers us, especially after their Pride stunt BS...
•••
What happened to our LGBTQ community where they don't seem to care that the owners of one of their "LGBTQIA+" entertainment businesses is actually a straight man trying to tear down Austin's historical LGBTQIA+ 4th St. block?.... looking at you new owners of Coconut Club.
There are only 5 locally LGBTQIA+ owned and LGBTQIA+ focused nighttime business in Austin now: The Austin Eagle, Highland Lounge, The Iron Bear, Oilcan Harrys, and Rain on 4th
PLEASE AUSTIN, do your homework!! and actively support your LGBTQIA+ locally-owned community centers.
Remember, NONE of them begin with a C!!!!
prideholdingsgroupcorporate

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Elise @puddlesposting.bsky.social · 6h

I can’t stress how much “franchise gay bar” feels like a fundamental misunderstanding of everything to do with gay bars. I’ve been to Cheer Ups a few times since moving here and after this news I don’t really want to go back

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ghostly gwen howerton @kissphoria.bsky.social · 6h

I feel like someone really needs to write about why so many old people seem to be at TPUSA events aimed at youths

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ghostly gwen howerton @kissphoria.bsky.social · 6h

Cheer Up Charlie's in Austin was bought by bizarre OTC investment firm that appears to have bought the assets of an oil and gas firm and then a hemp extraction company and now they're pivoting to... owning gay bars? My report: www.chron.com/culture/arti...

Florida investment firm acquires iconic Texas gay bar after financial woes

Who is Pride Holdings Group, and what do they know about running gay bars?

www.chron.com

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ghostly gwen howerton @kissphoria.bsky.social · 6h

"UnHerd" sounds like a fake website they'd make up for an episode Law & Order SVU where Ice T has to explain the intellectual dark web

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whet moser @whetmoser.com · 7h

"centre for heterodox social science" sounds like something i 'd make up to do a sokal hoax

Guy Trivago @convolutedname.bsky.social · 8h

Frying brains online

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ghostly gwen howerton @kissphoria.bsky.social · 6h

lmao

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onion person @junlper.beer · 10h

people are acting like this is a study talking about all trans people but it’s just about nonbinary people which makes sense that this is lower, 9 out of 10 nonbinary people i’ve ever met have now transitioned lol

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Nitish Pahwa @nitishpahwa.com · 13h

wrote about how Dr. Phil pivoted to wholesale MAGA punditry after leaving daytime TV to start his own company—and why his Trump friendship and ICE ride-alongs couldn't save his new venture from the bankruptcy proceedings that now have him tied up in court slate.com/business/202...

He Used to Dominate Daytime TV. Now He’s Sucking Up to Trump—and His Media Empire Is Collapsing.

When Dr. Phil signed off his talk show in 2023, he pivoted to MAGA politics. It’s not working so well for him.

slate.com

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David_j_roth @davidjroth.bsky.social · 7h

He really put a "but I'm different" in his eulogy. What a mind.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 7h

Trump at the Charlie Kirk memorial event: "They fired sniper rifles at ICE agents, and me. But I made a turn at a good time. I made a turn at a good time. Charlie couldn't believe it, actually."

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ghostly gwen howerton @kissphoria.bsky.social · 9h

so that thing on twitter that people are freaking out about about "trans identification is falling among young people" seems really blown out of proportion, no?

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ghostly gwen howerton @kissphoria.bsky.social · 9h

he has these fascinating like existential moments about being alive or being president. like the time he was like "i wish i could drive the hell out of here"

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jael holzman @jael.bsky.social · 9h

the higher ups said i should keep posting

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ghostly gwen howerton @kissphoria.bsky.social · 10h

NEW: Houston city leaders at a press conference this morning assailed Gov. Greg Abbott's mandate to remove rainbow crosswalks, though County Attorney Christian Menefee stopped short of saying a lawsuit was coming, saying only that he's "definitely looking at it."

www.chron.com/culture/arti...

‘Overreach at its worst’: Houston leaders rally for rainbow crosswalks

"That is not the spirit of freedom we celebrate here in Texas."

www.chron.com

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Orion Rummler @oriion.bsky.social · 14h

Miss Major was known as many things in her community — a caretaker for other Black trans women, a defender of the homeless and the incarcerated, and a Stonewall veteran who did not want the past to be used as an excuse for inaction.

Read our full obituary here:

Legendary transgender activist Miss Major dies at 78

Known as a surrogate mother of her community, Miss Major Griffin-Gracy leaves behind a legacy as a fierce advocate for trans and LGBTQ+ rights.

19thnews.org

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Maggie Astor @maggieastor.bsky.social · 9h

"They referred to Black people as monkeys and 'the watermelon people' and mused about putting their political opponents in gas chambers. They talked about raping their enemies and driving them to suicide and lauded Republicans who they believed support slavery."

‘I love Hitler’: Leaked messages expose Young Republicans’ racist chat

Thousands of private messages reveal young GOP leaders joking about gas chambers, slavery and rape.

www.politico.com

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ghostly gwen howerton @kissphoria.bsky.social · 10h

This was the thing that really jumped out at me - Chris Hollins, the City Controller, seemed peeved at METRO and the City, and asked for answers about who made the decision to comply so quickly and why. John Whitmire, the mayor, was absent.

Houston City Controller Chris Hollins, who previously sat on the board of Houston METRO, questioned why the city's transportation body had immediately agreed to remove the Montrose crosswalk. Hollins noted that METRO's board members are appointed by the City of Houston and called painting over the crosswalk a "waste of god d--n money."

"METRO, you answer to the city. My question is, who gave the green light for this capitulation to begin with?" Hollins asked. "I know that Houston does not stand for this, period. We need to be having conversations at the council table about where we're going with this."

Absent from the gaggle was Houston Mayor John Whitmire, who has made no public remarks on the crosswalk. When asked by the media about whether Whitmire had been invited to the press conference and if he had been involved in discussions about the rainbow crosswalk, Kamin said that he had been working behind the scenes.

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ghostly gwen howerton @kissphoria.bsky.social · 10h

‘Overreach at its worst’: Houston leaders rally for rainbow crosswalks

"That is not the spirit of freedom we celebrate here in Texas."

www.chron.com

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Dave Weigel @daveweigel.bsky.social · 12h

I'm generalizing, but why do conservatives remember political irritations for so much longer than liberals?

It's been 17 years since Obama said some voters "cling to their guns, to their religion" and I heard a senator denounce that last month.

Obvious theory: Media ecosystem puts it on repeat

Dave Weigel @daveweigel.bsky.social · 12h

Imagine caring about Kaepernick in the year of our lord 2025

Irenic Bro @irenicbro.bsky.social · 12h

"We're saving God from Colin Kaepernik" is a pretty good distillation of Republican thought

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