Dear Corpus Christi Caller-Times Editor,

My name is Kitana Sanchez, and I am a 39-year-old Transgender Latina living in Corpus Christi. I serve as a board member for Pride Corpus Christi, Vice President of CCLGBT, co-facilitator for the Coastal Bend Trans Alliance, and currently hold the title of Miss Trans Texas USA 2025. I am also a proud graduate of Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi and a longtime advocate and activist for the LGBTQIA+ community.

It is both disheartening and, sadly, unsurprising to witness yet another opinion piece reinforcing the tired, misleading narrative that LGBTQIA+ identities and art forms like drag must be hidden “out of the sight of children.”

Let’s be clear: the original article, Much More Than Entertainment by John Oliva, highlighted drag as a form of queer expression, artistry, and resilience, especially during Pride Month. It focused specifically on a 21-and-up venue. The Hidden Door, Corpus Christi’s longest-running gay bar, is an adult-only space designed to offer safety, affirmation, and joy for LGBTQIA+ people. To use this setting to launch a moral panic around “sexual behavior” and children is both inaccurate and irresponsible. It’s a tactic often used to silence queer expression and visibility under the false pretense of protecting the public.

While I understand that Kenneth Weldon Smith is entitled to his opinion, it is deeply troubling that the Caller-Times, a publication I have previously trusted and interviewed with, would attach his inflammatory title, “Doesn’t all sexual behavior belong ‘in a closet’?” to an image of a well-known LGBTQIA+ performer, Gemini B. York. Gemini is not only a talented artist but also a positive and visible force in our community. To use her image in that context, with that title, was misleading and harmful.

Your response to one of our local entertainers further illustrated a concerning lack of understanding about drag, queer culture, and ethical journalism. Your statement read:

“The ‘article’ you’re referring to was an opinion piece submitted by a reader. I don’t publish opinion pieces if they contain factual inaccuracies, which the piece in question did not; it stated opinions. The policy of our parent company is not to unpublish articles unless they contain fundamental inaccuracies, so I won’t be removing it. Because the writer of that letter was commenting on a specific article, it was valid to use a photo that was taken for that article. You are welcome to submit an opinion piece responding to that letter.”
— Vicky Camarillo, Executive Editor

This response dismisses the lived reality of marginalized communities and reflects a lack of accountability in how visual media and headlines influence public perception, particularly around a group that is already misunderstood and targeted.

Drag is not inherently sexual. It is political. It is theatrical. It is cultural. In Corpus Christi, it is deeply tied to activism, education, and community-building. It is a tool of joyful resistance against erasure, the very erasure Smith’s piece perpetuates. Perhaps both you and Mr. Smith could benefit from attending a local drag show to better understand the artistry and humanity behind it.

The belief that queerness, or drag, must be hidden from children is not protection. It is censorship. It sends the message that LGBTQIA+ lives are shameful, when in fact, visibility is a lifeline. Queer youth exist. They deserve to see joy, success, and love reflected back at them. Shielding them from their own potential identities is not safety, it’s harm.

You cannot reduce drag to “sexual behavior” simply because it challenges your worldview. What makes you uncomfortable is not inherently wrong. Difference is not danger, it is diversity. And diversity should not be silenced.

To make matters worse, I also saw that the original image of Gemini was replaced with a Pride flag, a symbol that carries the weight of decades of struggle, loss, and triumph. That flag is sacred to many of us. It is more than decoration, it represents lives lived authentically and often at great personal risk. Replacing the image does not undo the harm, especially when it’s done without apology or acknowledgment.

I hope you, or your loved ones, never have to endure the kind of scrutiny, violence, or discrimination LGBTQIA+ people face simply for existing. But until you’ve lived that reality, you don’t get to decide what’s “appropriate” for public view, especially not when that judgment leads to the marginalization of an already vulnerable community.

Our stories are not optional. Our existence is not up for debate. We are not going back in the closet — not now, not ever.

Sincerely,
Kitana Sanchez
Trans Latina Advocate & Activist
Miss Trans Texas USA 2025
Vice President, CCLGBT
Co-Facilitator, Coastal Bend Trans Alliance
Board Member, Pride Corpus Christi