The band Bi-Curious George will perform at Queer Right Here. Band member Max Rouch said that the event provides a rare “signifier of safety” in a town where queer presence is visible but often fragmented. (Photo courtesy of Bi-Curious George)
CAROLINE SAVOIE | East Texas Staff Writer
carosavo@storydustsearch.com
SAN MARCOS — After the sudden closure of Stonewall Warehouse, San Marcos’s only LGBTQ+ bar, in 2023, the local queer community was left “gagged” and looking for a place to call home.
Last Valentine’s Day, they built that space themselves. And this year, they’re bringing it back.
Queer Right Here, a queer variety show and community resource fair, returns for its second year on Feb. 14. Hosted at the LBJ Museum in the Downtown San Marcos Square, the event is designed to transform a holiday often associated with isolation into a celebration of “chosen family” and collective joy, according to James Hardin, the event’s founder and producer.
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If you go
What: Queer Right Here – San Marcos
When: Feb. 14. Doors at 6:30 p.m.; show 7–9 p.m.
Where: LBJ Museum, Downtown San Marcos Square
Tickets: $15 (Includes two drinks; 18+ only)
LGBTQ+ nonprofits involved: Bobcat Pride Scholarship Foundation, San Marcos Queer Council, Lavender Space
For more information and tickets, visit the EventBrite page.
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“My hope is that, given everything going on, this is literally a space where people can breathe, relax and celebrate queer joy,” Hardin said. “This is a love letter to San Marcos.”
A stage for ‘queer excellence’
Solangel Vergara, co-producer and performer, said the variety show format aims to highlight the breadth of local talent beyond just the traditional drag circuit. The all-queer 2026 lineup includes:
- music by San Marcos-based band Bi-Curious George, a group of two bisexual couples performing ’90s covers and original music.
- drag performances by local queens, including a featured interview between Hardin and Cheetah Daniels Kennedy, a legacy drag queen and mother who will discuss the history of the Texas queer community.
- comedy and storytelling, with sets from local queer creators focusing on the unique experience of living in San Marcos.
Max Rouch, a member of Bi-Curious George, said that the event provides a rare “signifier of safety” in a town where queer presence is visible but often fragmented.
“I think in San Marcos, [queer people] are lonelier than we need to be, so having a centralized place to be with other queer people is exactly what we need,” Rouch said.
While the stage is reserved for LGBTQ+ talent, the organizers emphasized that the movement requires a broader foundation. Vergara noted that local allies, from downtown business owners to the unlikely bikers at drag bingo who call her “ma’am,” play a critical role in the event’s ecosystem.
By providing a space where allies can contribute resources and ideas while letting the LGBTQ+ folks lead, Vergara said the event aims to bridge the gap between the queer community and the city at large.
“In order to establish a movement, we need our allies,” Vergara said. “I’m all for having a queer space, and it’s nice to know the people who love us are there, too. I want allies to know they belong here, too.”
Matters of the heart
Hardin said the timing of the event is deeply personal for him.
A survivor of two major heart surgeries to correct a rare aneurysm, Hardin said he spent years in a state of fear regarding his health. He said that reclaiming Valentine’s Day, a day synonymous with the heart, became a way to celebrate his survival and the community that supported him.
“I had to completely change my life because of my heart, so things that symbolize the heart are special to me,” Hardin said. “The idea of being someone who’s literally dealt with matters of the heart, that made me want to do this on Valentine’s Day.”
The inaugural 2025 show was a surprise success, he cotninued. Organizers expected 40 people; 90 showed up. This year, the event is in the LBJ Museum to accommodate a larger crowd, with 110 seats and standing room.
Joy as resistance
Beyond the performances, the event serves as a grassroots fundraising vehicle. Hardin said a portion of the proceeds will benefit several local LGBTQ+ organizations.
Vergara said she sees the event as a necessary response to a challenging political climate in Texas. Vergara, who studied and performs drag as a way to challenge local bans, emphasizes that the show is as much about education as it is entertainment.
“Our way of fighting back is being louder,” Vasello said. “This isn’t about romance; it’s about seeing that queer love, community and connection matters. We need it, and we have it.
“We’re queer right here!”