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Gonzo Notes: The Left’s Texas ProblemHands Off Protest, April 5 2025. A crowd gathered on the Texas Capitol grounds under a grey sky, many of them are holding signs like "Fuck Elon" and "Hey Congress: The Emperor Has No Clothes It's Time to Tell Him."
"Hands Off" Protest Austin, Texas April 5 2025 (Kit O'Connell)
April 14, 2025
Kit
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Gonzo Notes: The Left’s Texas Problem

Posted in Activism, Austin, Gonzo Notes, and Journalism

The American left has a Texas problem. 

Really, it’s a problem of Red vs. Blue. I’m not talking about the problem with treating decisions about how we govern society as if it was a horse race, or between teams at a sporting event. What I’m thinking about today — in the spirit of  deescalating every conflict that isn’t with our true enemies (thank you, Margaret Killjoy) — is the way misconceptions about who lives in Texas, and how we vote, encourage an attitude of disposability and dehumanization.

As a Texas journalist, one cornerstone of my work has been making people understand that what happens in this state is relevant to them, even if they live outside of it. Southern states like Texas have been a laboratory for so much of the Republican policy that’s now being implemented nationwide by the Trump regime. More so, the lives of people here matter a great deal to me, and they should matter to you too.

So why do I see liberals from other states who are willing, even eager, to abandon the people who live here?

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Deceleration: ‘We Keep Us Safe’ is not just a motto for Texas mask blocsAn photo of a group of masked people holding a banner on an overpass reading Long COVID is a Public Health Emergency! One in the center of the group is holding their hand up in a dramatic gesture.
(Kit O'Connell)
April 9, 2025
Kit
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Deceleration: ‘We Keep Us Safe’ is not just a motto for Texas mask blocs

Posted in Austin, Deceleration, and Journalism

The COVID-19 pandemic continues, claiming lives and leaving others disabled, even as the federal government begins dismantling the already underfunded infrastructure meant to protect us from such illnesses. At a time when American culture has largely moved on, who protects the sick or immunocompromised?

In cities across the United States, volunteer-led “mask blocs” and clean air clubs are stepping  up to fill in the gaps that vulnerable people might otherwise slip through. At a time when compassion for others is often seen as a radical act–if not derided as leading to the downfall of “Western Civilization”—they’re cultivating an atmosphere of collective care. KD Drackert, an advocate for people with Long COVID and one of the founders of Clear the Air ATX, said they want others to understand the role all of us play in creating a safer, more accessible world. 

“People … don’t understand that this is a collective issue they are a part of,” Drackert told Deceleration. “That has created this weird dynamic where people are like, ‘Oh my god, I’m so sorry you’re going through this. That’s so hard.’ … And I’m like, wait, no, this isn’t just about me. This is about you too.”

Read moreDeceleration: ‘We Keep Us Safe’ is not just a motto for Texas mask blocs
Understanding Bad Bills in the Texas LegislatureThe dome of the Texas Capitol building, seen from below, with a Lone Star at the peak.
(Ameer Basheer on Unsplash)
March 22, 2025
Kit
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Understanding Bad Bills in the Texas Legislature

Posted in Austin, Journalism, and LGBTQIA

The 89th session of the Texas legislature is underway, and thousands of bills were filed before the deadline earlier this month. But only a few will actually reach the governor’s desk.

Currently, over 100 of these bills directly target LGBTQ+ rights. These include almost every aspect of life as a queer, or especially a transgender person, in our state — from health care to just generally being ‘out’ in public.

But the Texas legislature only meets for a handful of months every other year. During that limited window, lawmakers contend with a wish list of bills from the governor, lieutenant governor, and the speaker of the house. This agenda gets first priority, and can eat up a lot of time. Out of the 10,000s of bills that are introduced each year, only a tiny fraction pass. While the governor can, and does abuse his authority to call an “emergency” session from time to time, doing so costs the state hundreds of thousands of dollars.

It’s valid to feel afraid — the Republican Party is open about its desire to erase LGBTQIA+ people from public life in the U.S. However, only a small portion of the bad bills will even reach committee this year, much less have a chance of becoming a law. I think it’s important to know which bills are most likely to move, because it shows us where we should focus our efforts to fight back. If we stop bad bills this session, it might be harder to pass worse ones next.

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Austin Free Press: Al Green Calls for ‘Millions’ to Protest TrumpAl Green, wearing a suit and tie and carrying his signature brass-handled cane, shakes hands with a smiling Black woman in a red jacket as a room full of NAACP members applauds his arrival.
Al Green arrives in Austin. (Kit O'Connell)
March 21, 2025
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Austin Free Press: Al Green Calls for ‘Millions’ to Protest Trump

Posted in Austin, Austin Free Press, and Journalism

U.S. Rep. Al Green, D-Houston, said he didn’t intend to shout back at President Donald Trump during Trump’s speech to Congress earlier this month — but would do it again, despite the consequences, including receiving numerous death threats and being censured by his House colleagues.

Speaking to a packed room at Austin’s AFL-CIO labor hall near the Capitol this week, Green said he wanted to make clear to the president that voters didn’t give him a mandate to cut Medicaid or Social Security. He urged the public to engage in peaceful protest to protect those and other services.

“I want you to know that if the Congress won’t act and if the court can’t act because (Trump) won’t abide by the rulings of the court…there is but one remedy left,” Green said. “We the people. We the people will have the last word…this country was built on we the people. The country wasn’t built on DOGE,” Green said, referring to Elon Musk’s cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency. “The country won’t be destroyed by DOGE.”

Read moreAustin Free Press: Al Green Calls for ‘Millions’ to Protest Trump
Gonzo Notes: What’s Up, Kit? March 2025Kit O'Connell is leaning with their hands clasped on the railing of a boardwalk, the Austin city skyline behind them. They are a white nonbinary person with wavy, graying brown hair wearing a purple and white scarf, a cactus necklace, a deep blue jumpsuit and a rainbow steel bracelet. Their nails are shiny green.
March 14, 2025
Kit
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Gonzo Notes: What’s Up, Kit? March 2025

Posted in Gonzo Notes, Journalism, and LGBTQIA

As we slide into Spring, I find myself at a bit of a turning point. I’ve been out of work and freelancing for just over a year now, without luck at finding a permanent position to replace the Texas Observer. Unemployment just ran out. So it’s time for me to take stock of myself, and the industry.

Over the past year, I’ve found success as a freelance reporter, and grown my readership on sites like Bluesky. At the same time, my job search has been fruitless; the closest I got to being hired over the past year was at an environmental nonprofit, not at a press publication. Despite all my accomplishments, I’ve averaged less than one job interview a month. Unemployment helped me make ends meet between assignments, but it also forced me to spend time applying for jobs I didn’t actually want.

I still hope that someday I’ll find a home at another publication that values queer, opinionated voices like mine. However, I’m starting to feel like that role might not exist right now. In the meantime, there are still stories I need to tell.

Read moreGonzo Notes: What’s Up, Kit? March 2025