The explanatory descriptions (like the one below) were provided by members of the original
Queen Nation-Houston collective. I thank them for providing this insight. The author of the first piece was Paul Mullan.

Queer Nation-Houston (QN) was formally organized at the beginning of 1991 and dissolved in 1993. A number of
its initiatives and actions during that period - including zaps inside of stores - focused on the Randall's grocery chain.
QN targeted Randall's over the company's refusal to carry the Houston Press in its stores,
a refusal based on the fact that the free, local publication allowed same-sex personal ads in its back pages.

Randall's was also targeted by QN, because the chain continued to carry in its stores another free,
local publication, the Greensheet, which prohibited any same-sex oriented advertising. QN had
called for a boycott of the Greensheet, which many businesses in the local communities - LGBT
or otherwise - ultimately joined.

The articles on Randall's, on this 1988-1990 page, detail events which occurred before the founding of QN:
primarily, the 1985 firing of meat cutter Steven Little, when store management discovered that he had
offered to assist a friend believed to have AIDS / HIV. They indicate that - well prior to the QN period -
there had a been homophobic and AIDS-phobic incidents at Randall's and, as a consequence,
a number of long-term disputes with the LGBT communities. (PM)

1988-1990, Steven Little Case

Note: this case preceeds Queer Nation Houston, though there was the involvement
of at least ACT-UP towards the end. As I had the clippings I included them.

ACT UP splinters, GUTS forms
Gay Urban Truth Squad

above, Dallas Info

and see THIS recent, terrific article on GUTS Dallas

Above, a pre-QN photo, demonstrating outside of George R Brown Convention Center during the Economic Summit, 7/11/90.
David Fowler is on right, holding the two signs.

Back to QN Start

and, not QN or ACT-UP related, but Randall's related