Special Sections

From curating cocktails for weekly drag-king nights to serving community with pride, Chanel Chowdhury has become a heartbeat of Houston’s Pearl Bar—and OutSmart’s 2025 Favorite Female Bartender.

Queer nonbinary therapist Duewa “Kaya” Spicer reimagines healing through Infinite Zen Therapy, where inclusivity, pleasure, and acceptance guide clients toward self-awareness, freedom, and transformative growth.

From Cajun-Southern brunch boards to skyline views, City Cellars HTX is OutSmart readers’ 2025 pick for Favorite New Restaurant and Favorite Outdoor Dining destination.

Openly gay attorney Eric Kirkpatrick, OutSmart’s 2025 Favorite Male Personal Injury Attorney, champions clients with compassion, expertise, and a mission to level the playing field against insurers.

For over five decades, Houston’s Krewe of Olympus has dazzled with rhinestones, feathers, and flamboyance—all while raising nearly $1 million for LGBTQ organizations.

In just three years, Nora Dayton has become a vital documentarian of Houston’s LGBTQ community, capturing Pride, protests, and portraits that inspire connection, resilience, and queer joy.

Houston’s drag star Delulu wins OutSmart’s 2025 Best New Drag Queen, bringing a playful mix of comedy, dance, and emotion while celebrating community, creativity, and living boldly.

ACLU of Texas senior staff attorney Brian Klosterboer blends deep knowledge of LGBTQ history with fierce courtroom advocacy, fighting discriminatory laws while honoring the contributions of queer Texans past and present.

From puppets to poets to medicine/art mashups, The Happening at the Orange Show delivers unpredictable creativity each month — and now it’s OutSmart readers’ Best Performing Arts Organization.

Pansexual trans advocate Gianna Christina Ramirez wins multiple 2025 Gayest & Greatest honors, celebrating decades of activism, community building, and a vision of hope amid challenging times.