The Texas Observer

The Texas Observer is an Austin-based nonprofit news organization known for fearless investigative reporting, narrative storytelling and sophisticated cultural criticism about all things Texan.

The Texas Observer • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023

EDITOR’S NOTE

TEXAS DEMS’ POST-BETO ERA • Who will carry the torch now that the Democratic phenom’s star has fallen?

DON’T LIKE TEXAS POLITICS? WAIT FIVE MINUTES • Or, better yet, try for change. It worked for this North Texas activist.

THE OPPOSITION • San Antonio political pugilist Trey Martinez Fischer will lead the state House Democratic caucus in yet another bleak year.

STRANGEST STATE • NOTES FROM FAR-FLUNG TEXAS

DESTINY’S DESTINY • She left her conservative community to make a difference, only to find she could make the biggest impact at home.

Breaking the Brazos • Development is straining the “River of the Arms of God.”

THE LEGE 2023: CATASTROPHE #88 • ASTR CAT WHAT TEXAS LAWMAKERS SHOULD DO TO MITIGATE THE STATE’S CASCADING CRISES—AND WHAT THEY ARE LIABLE TO DO INSTEAD

THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION IS STILL SEPARATING FAMILIES • Children and their guardians are being cleaved apart in Texas—and elsewhere—two years into the new president’s term.

THE DIGNITY OF WORK • Across four generations, one family of photographers has captured the history of Texas workers.

BEFORE ‘LAWRENCE’ • Wesley G. Phelps’ history of the fight to overturn anti-sodomy laws reveals how persecution in the Lone Star State spurred the struggle for queer civil rights nationwide.

LIFE AND DEATH AT THE ROTHKO CHAPEL • Houston’s 1971 temple to art and contemplation is still revealing its magic to visitors.

A TREE GROWS IN TEXAS • Named for the resilient plant in South and East Texas, premier Chicanx literary magazine Huizache had to flee the state to find a home.

COLD

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