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There it is! Ok, so. How did you get involved with photography? Wow, um, when I was a kid I loved taking pictures.

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It didn't matter what it was of all the time. I mean I pretty much documented junior high, high school, like every year since then. Um. My dad was into photography but he didn't tell me too much about it I didn't see a bunch of his pictures

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or anything like that. And my mom was your typical little Japanese lady with her camera taking pictures left and right all the time. And so, luckily I have a bunch of pictures from my childhood because they were such shutterbugs so that was cool.

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And in high school I started taking a bunch of pictures too. But I didn't do anything like with the school, just kind of on my own. And when I went to college I decided to start taking some classes and just kind of went on from there.

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Specifically why the LGBT community? I was confused in high school and I had no idea because there was really no lesbians or gays in my high school just one little flaming guy and that was it and nobody was out! And I was an only child and I

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was really innocent and had no idea what was going on. I just thought I really like this girl a lot she is really cool! You know? I had no clue. So the job I had in between high school and college I met all of

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these other people and some of them were LGBT and I learned more about the community and I got involved and volunteered in that first pride parade. My first pride parade was in like ninety six or ninety- yeah '96. And um, back then it was during the day so it was hot and

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smoldering and miserable! And I was volunteering for HRC and getting people to like register to vote and all kinds of stuff like that. And I was like wow these people are crazy but there's all these other people and all of

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them are like me! One thing led to another and I moved to Montrose, went to college, met a bunch of people. Got really into volunteering for Pride Houston.

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That's primarily where I met a lot of people and spent quite a bit of time. Gosh almost 8 years volunteering for them. And luckily through that and other connections and people I met in the community I ended up kind of growing my photography business as

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well as shooting for OutSmart Magazine which is an awesome publication and great people. And I have had the luck of getting to interview and meet amazing people in our community so that was also kind of another gate way into the community.

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So, what is your relationship with Dalton Dehart? I know Brian was talking about you knowing each other or other photographers in the community? He's the man. He has been around forever.

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He, um. Not only was he a highly awarded English Professor at San Jac he was also was at every event. I mean, I think at one Pride he got to be on the float and I was shooting him on the float and that was really cool and he totally deserved it.

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He's been shooting our community for forever and a day. And it would almost always amaze me cause I would try to go to school or work and try to be at the events that I could be but he was almost at every single one.

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I mean, teaching and staying out late and going to clubs and bars and events. That guy was everywhere I have mad respect for him. He's great. Um, I know a few other photographers. Paul Strickland, he does a

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lot of stuff for personal use and shoots at clubs and things like that. There's a few others, Monica Cressman is a good friend of mine. She also takes pictures.

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I don't know. Pretty much like everybody. Glad everyone's there and we can always have each other's back. Or call the other one if you can't take a gig. You know, surely somebody was there at the last fundraiser and got the shot, so

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that's always comforting. So there's quite like a network of photographers then in the LGBT community. There's a small handful of us. When I started I didn't realize that I just thought there was just me and Dalton and that was it but over time got to meet some people.

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So we went on your website and saw that you do more than one type of photography. So of all the different types that you do, do you have a favorite and if you do, why? I really, really, I really like portraiture. And really getting to meet somebody and sit down and talk to

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them and capturing their image in that moment. Portraiture and food photography. I'm a totally wannabe foodie. Obsessed with it and food photography is really fun.

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It's something different and you get to control the environment a little bit more. I guess those would probably be my tops. Really into travel, shoot whenever I can.

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That sort of thing. Um, so you talk about some classes you took in um high school and college too so how did your formal education influence your choice to start your own photography business? Well, I guess when I had started shooting

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all of these events and meeting all of these great people. I think it really started when I was doing the editorials and stuff for OutSmart and taking those pictures. It was like well I'm really enjoying this and I'm loving this. And I have done this for friends and family for

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parties and this and that on the side. Why not just take it up that next level? And started networking and handing out business cards and one thing led to another.

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So, just really enjoyed it and thankful for it cause it has helped pay for my home and my life and everything. Between the real job and the photography job. Um, kind of follow-up question to that.

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Are you able to learn like a living by just doing the photography side or? Almost but not quite, I haven't been brave enough to break away completely on the photography end because there will be seasons or months that are

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slower like anything else. I will have, gosh, this coming September I've got 2 different weddings a birthday party, uh, I think there is a baby shower and

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a few other things. Like it's a pretty booked month. But April I only have 2 portrait shoots lined up and that's it. Thus far. So it's too, I'm not brave enough to take that jump just yet.

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And it's nice to have benefits and work for, I mean, you know a guaranteed pay check on the side. When we were researching we saw that you are currently listed as an employer for VALIC. Is it VALIC or V.A.L.I.C.?

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Yeah! VALIC! That's right! Could you tell us more about that job and how it fits in? It has nothing to do with photography what so ever. Um, I started there last summer and uh

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it's a financial services company and people call in and ask questions about their annuities, mutual funds, and retirement plans and I'm kind of underlinked to a financial advisor. I answer a whole bunch of questions

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and take care what I can transaction-wise but I'm not officially licensed. So, it's customer service but it is mostly over the phone and over the computer. And I had spent years before that working in a camera

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lab, a camera shop and customer service in person. So it's really funny when I went to that job interview and sat down with that class of people I trained with there was about 15 or 20 of us. All of them had financial services background and I was like the

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wildcard. Oh there's the photographer, you know? It was kind of weird. So, it ended up working out though. So, I like it. Still there. Something else we noticed while researching you is that you

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minored in Asian-American studies while at University of Houston so has this influenced or become important in your photography or personal life? And if so, how? Well I'm a halfie.

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My mother's Japanese. My dad's a white boy from Indiana. I was always interested in that aspect and learning more. I really enjoyed those classes.

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It was a great experience learning about the different sides. And I've gone back to Japan a couple of times. I wish I could go back. I was actually scheduled to go at the very end of this March but because I got the new job I didn't

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have the vacation days to go so my girlfriend and I pushed it back to next year. And I can't even begin to imagine me showing up to my family's door step like after everything that has just recently has happened like how

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crazy that would have been but luckily all my family and my friends up there are okay. Everyone is accounted for and things are trying to get back to normal. But, yeah, I try to keep in touch with my family in Japan and want to go back and visit again as soon as I can.

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It's just insane, everything that has happened lately I can't even comprehend. And there is still people out there who are starving and need help and need electricity and we have all these human rights groups and

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troops and all these people everywhere why can't they just drop off some rice and water for these folks. I don't know just AH don't even get me started. All right,

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so, this is kind of an interesting question. What makes your photography unique? So Feel free to boast or. I'm awesome!

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I don't know, I think I kind of think I have a different view point. Um, you can shoot a statue but you can shoot it from a million different sides. And everyone shoots it with their

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emotion and how they see it. So Dalton and I can shoot the exact same thing at an event but he may capture the moment where someone is like just about to start laughing or they are beaming cuz they are accepting an award.

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And I could catch the moment where they are kissing their partner or thanking other people for receiving it. It's all in that exact moment. Whatever you do always take your camera

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with you. Even if it's a rinky-dink point and shoot, put it in your purse or backpack or whatever. 'Cuz you are never gonna know who you meet what's going to happen. I mean I have been places out of town and all of a sudden a rally or something would pop up and I'd get to take a few shots

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and, you know, ended up using them for a local publication or selling them off to another new source. So, anything can happen at any time.

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And I dunno, I think I'm pretty skilled . Um, can you tell us more about Pride Houston; you said you have volunteered there for 8 years? Um, it went through a lot of changes.

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There is all kinds of people coming in and out of those doors. A lot of people in our community that are much older than us have all donated time and effort and money to Pride Houston. They are the group that put together the yearly Pride parade as well as pride festival

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and they try to have a few other events throughout the year to raise funds for the people in the community. And I don't think the people in the community understand how much time and energy and man power it takes to put on that parade.

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I mean you are talking about everything from street permits, to vendors, to regulations on floats, and wheel monitors and there is all of this stuff that is involved. When you go and you are partying you are like "Oh this is great!" But you really don't get

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it. And it was really cool to like be a part of this organization and watch the magic happen and see how it goes. And there is all these different sub-communities of people working on different parts of it. Um, I donated a

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lot of my time obviously to photography and editing the national pride magazine that came out once a year at Pride. There was a little section of pages that was specifically dedicated to Houston so we

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got to put that together and hand pick people in the community that. Excuse me. We wanted to take pictures of and interview and stories we thought were semi-important and things that people needed to know about. Because there wasn't a lot of resources back when I started.

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I mean there was a handful of websites and a few groups but it wasn't quite the same as it is now. So, all of those resources were great to have and Pride Houston was a big, vital part of the community. What was your favorite part, or your favorite event that you took

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part in? Oh man, with Pride? Yeah. Oh that's hard to say because we had some amazing kick off parties and award ceremonies. I really

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think that whenever we are honoring our Grand Marshals. Like the Grand Marshal parties and the actual parade itself. Those were always my favorite 'cuz it's like you gave your blood, sweat, and tears and spent

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all this for our community and our benefit and they deserve to be up on that float and get to have that feeling and see that sea of people. When one of our good friends became the Grand Marshall, Jack Valinski, I got to ride on the float with him to take a bunch of pictures for part of

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the parade and it was just like being on there and looking down at this seas of all kinds of people of all ages. It was just like, that was probably one of the coolest experiences: getting to see

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people honored and getting to view it all as it happens, you know? Okay so, you also mentioned besides OutSmart magazine, so what is your affiliation with them and

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maybe even specifically the people who run it? Well, the editor at the time, I met her back in '99, '98/'99 something like that and I had a few shots from Pride and other events and she said if I ever wanted to submit anything just come by

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and see her. And before I knew it I brought some photos and we sat down and talked and all of a sudden I was staff photographer! It was really awesome! So I was really excited about that, I was also shooting for the Daily

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Cougar and, the campus paper for U of H, and doing random freelance stuff for other people. So, it was really exciting and to be part of that magazine because they would give me different

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assignments every so often on different people and I got to meet lawyers, doctors, AIDS foundation folks, everyone and their mom. And it was so great to actually meet them one on one and take their picture. So that really helped me get more in touch with the community.

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Everyone there is awesome, I can't think of, yeah, everyone is awesome, positive. Great people. Greg Jeu created this magazine and it's been amazing.

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I remember one interview I was interviewing everybody before and after the 2000 millennium march on Washington because I wanted to get a viewpoint, I was also into documentary film for a little bit when I started school.

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So I shot the reactions of myself, my friends, and a few other community people before and after the march and when I came back I did an interview with OutSmart Magazine and they all crammed in one room and I was asking them about their feelings about the march and what they came

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home with. And they were talking about how amazing it was and everybody was holding hands everywhere and everyone was connected but the most memorable moment through the whole experience for them was riding home together on that plane because there was maybe 2 straight people

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and everyone was coming back from the march. And like just the unity and everybody talking about the march and everything that happened and they told all these great little stories and I'm so glad I have this on film.

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One day I need to put everything back together and share it back to them. That was the coolest and that is when I really started to get to know everybody at OutSmart. After doing that, so.

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Have you done, sorry, to follow up the thing. Have you done any more documentary stuff since then or is it been mostly just still photography? It's all uh still photography for the most part.

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There was a couple blues musicians documentaries and then a bunch of films shot for the Millennium March and it's been edited down a little bit but nothing's actually been put together and completed as of yet. It's one of those things I hope to get to that's on the

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back burner, you know? That's awesome. Um, so, switching gears again. Um, how did Annise Parker becoming a mayor affect-mayor-affect the LGBT community in your eyes?

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It was a huge leap! It was, like, yes! Finally! You know, this is really happening and it's happening in Houston and in our horribly red state like this is actually happening and everyone was so scared that it

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wasn't going to happen but she had so much support from so many different groups and so many different people that when it did it was just, it was like the Lawrence v. Texas thing, it was just like wow! You know, we accomplished something, we did it!

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This is really happening, and she's going to make a difference. And she's incredible, I actually had the opportunity of interviewing her for that same documentary a long time ago and met her through OutSmart as well and that was just back when she was on City Council, even before the Controller and Mayoral

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position. It's just great to like watch it happen. Everyone's hard work and block walking and everything actually pay off. So we actually have a question about Lawrence v. Texas as well. Go ahead!

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I mean, just like it was the same, same kind of thing, just like huge celebration and just like a huge step forward? That was like the biggest, craziest Pride ever. Like, after-parties everywhere, panels with speakers, I mean they were going to schools, they were going everywhere and talking about it, and it

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was, it was an open, healthy discussion over something that should have happened years before but finally did happen and I'm glad it got to happen here with such a great legal team and everyone that we had working on it. Then kind of on the opposite side, what about when Proposition 2, the

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Defense of Marriage Act, was passed, what was that like? Ugh, that was disgusting. And it was like a slap in the face, and three steps back. And I think that pissed off some people but also made them realize that you can't just give up the fight now, like there's

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so many other things we have to continue to do, and every decision you make be it whatever level of government you're voting for, everything counts. So hopefully it was a wake-up call for a lot of lazy people. I don't know, this might be totally out of your, um, area of expertise, but do

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you know about any of the strategies, like people are working on for overturning it or working for some other amendment or ? There's a bunch of different groups that are involved in campaigns and lobbying and things like that. I'm not personally up to speed on every single aspect of it

00:17:40.980 - 00:17:51.940

but ... It's active. It's definitely active. I think it's gonna-we're gonna make a comeback. Things are gonna be alright. It's just gonna be a lot of hard work and changing minds and

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a lot of hardcore, psycho religious groups with a lot of money unfortunately that have some influence that we have to fight against. Um, what do you think should be high on the community's priority list in terms of lobbying for rights currently?

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I think, like, we have a bunch of different subgroups, and luckily through the, uh, counseling center and community center a lot of people are coming together and working on things. And even if it's just like stuffing envelopes and letter writing campaigns a few times a month or just

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anything, I think all the groups should band together and we should try to do as much as we can. Cuz, it's more than just funds that we're fighting, there's all kinds of other issues and making people actually call

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their legislatures and stuff like that is totally important. If there's any way that we can rally everyone together, I'm all for it. And how does having Mayor Parker as mayor help, you know, things progress, if at all?

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When people start to see things in a more public light, more normal, like um, like the gay kid on Glee for example, like when things become more mainstream. Like when my step-grandmother, she's much older, she's in her 80s, she, she just watches Ellen religiously, she loves it.

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So I think like, every little step, every single figure, no matter how small on TV or politics, is making a difference to kind of change people's minds. Cuz you really don't know, there's a lot of people that don't know anybody, and they

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don't know who it hurts or who affects, and it's important for them to get their voices heard and I think I trailed off, I'm not really sure I really answered the question properly, but, That's okay. You know, it's like, as long as everyone can pay attention

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and learn from everyone they know and grow, open their minds up I guess. This kind of follows that question. Um, so what's it like being a young person in Houston, or LGBT

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community, cuz you talk about how like you kind of learn from the older people in the community and maybe they shared some of their stories with you or what it was like then versus now, even now you know a little bit about how things have changed?

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Um, you called me young! I like that. Um, well I'm thankful for everything that like Jack Valinski and Ray Hill and Annise and everyone has done for us thus far.

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It's different. It's, it's funny how meeting places and things change. Um, some of our community spots that were there before are no longer, but

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some other ones have grown to be bigger and better. Huh, how has it changed? I think everyone's a lot more political now, which is good, which they need to be. Um, it's not just about going out and partying

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and whatever else. And you also see things in a different light. When you're starting out, or when I was, you know, 19 or something like that, yeah I wanted the right to marry and have kids but it didn't affect me at that second, but I knew it was important.

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And I think a long time ago, kids didn't think about that. They were just like, "Whatever, we're going out, we're gonna drink, we're gonna go to the parade, we're gonna do something." But now, it seems like people are getting a little more information, so I'm hoping

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that everything's changing and people don't just think that everything's mainstream and okay, that they're actually knowing that they still have to contribute to the community, and give back, and, or like Brian, like what he's doing with archiving, all of this.

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And it's so important that these histories and these photos and all these things are saved for future generations and everyone can see all the struggles and things that we went through. And like you said off-tape, about not having these kinds of classes available to you

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either. Oh my god, I would have loved to have attended like this class, or taken any classes on LGBT studies, like I would have been all about that, in a heartbeat. Yeah, it's definitely a good opportunity that we have, I'm glad we have

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it. Um, so what's some other work that you do in the community aside from LGBT issues, like for example we read an article about you and WITS, the Writers in the Schools. Oh, Writers in the Schools is an awesome, non-profit organization that

00:21:51.370 - 00:22:05.470

brings teachers, writers, and poets and everybody into the classrooms and they teach kids how to creatively just write and express themselves. And a lot of these kids are from a various, different economical backgrounds

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and different schools. And they hold these amazing young writers readings every single year. They do something downtown at Discovery Green and all the parents get to come out, and all these little kids from like grade school through high school get to get up there on

00:22:19.810 - 00:22:32.080

the mike and read their poem or lyrical short story. And it's so moving and it's so great to like watch these kids like really light up. That group is awesome. I have a handful of friends who work for that organization.

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I was fortunate enough to get to become their photographer and shoot their events. Next week at the Menil I'm going to be photographing a bunch of grade school children with their reflections and they're going to be writing about their reactions to a photography exhibit that's going to be

00:22:47.650 - 00:22:58.910

there. So that's going to be really cool, I'm really looking forward to that, because when the kid like, their eyes light up and they're interacting with the art, it just gets them excited, and you see that spark, it's just the coolest.

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So cool to get to go to the classroom and shoot these kids Is there anything that else you are involved in? That was the main one we came across. There's a third group that I'll shoot for from time

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to time, and different events, but I mean, program wise, it's probably WITS and mostly OutSmart. I haven't really done much with Pride recently-kind of moved on and working on other projects and stuff.

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I didn't have time to volunteer more, bought a house and had to work, work, work, work. So you've already pretty much answered this, but if there's anything else you'd like to say about this. What is it like being able to work with leading figures such as Carol

00:23:44.660 - 00:23:58.180

Wyatt and Annise Parker? Oh my god, Carol's like "GO GO GO SALES", like that woman's crazy awesome, she's like all over the place, and always thankful I remember being younger, and her having all those social networking events

00:23:58.180 - 00:24:14.660

that were vital, I mean, a lot of it helped us meet each other and help each other and hang out and stuff. Everyone else, all these other figures, I just can't even express in words how much I've learned from them, being meeting them and everything they've done for us thus far.

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Really, um, there's a group of us. We used to be really close and we all volunteered for Pride Houston. Lynn Sixkiller, she used to run the parade every year; Jack Valinski, he used to be in charge and run things as well

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and a few other folks, and we'd get together like every few months and have a little mini Pride read, and have dinner and talk about current politics and what's going on, and who's in charge, and who's doing what now, and what

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can we do, and things like that. That's always a cool thing, to get to come back and be a part of that, or even like attend whatever fundraising event and see all your friends, and see everyone who's made a difference.

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How does your personal life affect your professional life and vice versa? No, not really. I've always been kinda open and out pretty much everywhere, Um, and my current job,

00:25:10.770 - 00:25:25.710

I'm 99.9% sure they're aware that I'm a lesbian, but I don't go marching it through the streets or anything because it's an office building in Greenspoint and yeah, that'd be a little awkward. But no, I

00:25:25.710 - 00:25:37.610

mean, my family likes my girlfriend Lisa, which is good, been together a little over 5 years, we have a house together in the Heights. Life is pretty much normal.

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I can't think of how my life is affected differently in any way. How was it, coming out to your parents? My mom cracked a joke about how she always hangs out with her girlfriends so she must be

00:25:53.080 - 00:26:06.420

a lesbian too, and which was like, kinda like "aww, that's so sweet" and she's like" no seriously, you can be a lesbian, just keep dating your high school boyfriend", and I was like "What?" But ah, yeah my mom was surprisingly cool about it, which I did not expect.

00:26:07.390 - 00:26:22.560

My dad and stepmom, not so much, it took a few years for them to get over it. They were kind of hardcore Methodist and didn't really like the idea, but they eventually came around and now they all love and embrace everything. That's really great

00:26:22.910 - 00:26:41.380

Yeah, most people aren't so lucky. A lot of people get turned away and lose friends, or horrific stories I've heard. I've been pretty fortunate throughout the whole thing. Okay, last one.

00:26:41.520 - 00:26:55.990

We noticed you're a Houston native, and we wanted to know if there was anything you wanted to add about how the community has changed Maybe specifically how its relationship to the city of Houston.

00:26:56.050 - 00:27:08.000

Is it on better terms, or is it still the same? I think it's on much better terms or understandings about things. There's more discussions. There's more open discussion about things, which I think is very important and totally

00:27:08.000 - 00:27:22.710

awesome. And then there's Sue Lovell, and having all these other people involved in the community as well and our um political caucus has always been really strong and full of really great people who work really hard who work and

00:27:22.760 - 00:27:36.140

research with all the politicians, so I think we're making steps. Maybe not as far as we all want to be, but we're still making steps.

00:27:36.930 - 00:27:40.640

Well, that's all we have. We couldn't have asked for more.