LGBT History Month Brunch Screening: The Texan Optimist

Hyperreal Film Club is hosting an LGBTQIA+ History Month brunch screening on Saturday, October 10, from 11 AM to 2 PM. The main feature is episode two of The Texan Optimist, a video podcast by Becky Bullard (who goes by Democrasexy) that tells the story of the Texans who decriminalized gay sex for the entire country. The screening is paired with a conversation with Dale Carpenter, author of Flagrant Conduct, the book about the Lawrence v. Texas Supreme Court case.

It's a Texas-sized piece of queer history that hits close to home. Lawrence v. Texas was the 2003 Supreme Court ruling that struck down sodomy laws across the U.S., and the case started right here in Austin. Bullard's podcast looks at the people behind that legal shift, and having Carpenter there to talk through it gives the screening a bit more weight than just watching a screen. The whole thing is framed as a celebration of the intersection of Texan pride and the rising queer tide.

And it really is a brunch. Lynny's is handling the food, with hot and cold coffee donated by Barrett's and THC N/A cocktails from Wild Revival. There's also a make-your-own bolo tie pop-up and jewelry from Raw + Rainbow, so you can spend the morning eating, drinking, and making something to wear. It's less of a formal screening and more of a long, slow Saturday morning around a specific piece of local history.

The screening runs from 11 AM to 2 PM at Hyperreal Film Club, 301 Chicon in Lower East Austin. Admission is $20 suggested, pay-what-you-can.