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The Barbed Wire
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For all Texans who love Texas.
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Texas is one of the queerest states in America — 1.8 million of us, more than double the number of queer New Yorkers.

Welcome to Big & Bright 🌈⭐👏 , The Barbed Wire’s new space for queer life in Texas!

Subscribe here: thebarbedwire.com/subscribe-bi...
The fauna at this clothing-optional camp (in certain areas) sport Pikachu tails, pup masks, and Winnie the Pooh ears. Sometimes nothing at all. On this particular weekend, one man blows out birthday cake candles, in his birthday suit, as friends cheer.

thebarbedwire.com/2025/11/20/t...
Come Inside Texas’ Gayest Campground
The first rainbow pride flag used green to signify nature. Now, LGBTQ+ communities are rediscovering the peace of camping and hiking.
thebarbedwire.com
November 20, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Reposted by The Barbed Wire
If you fill this out for me, I will choose a gif or emoji that suits your vibes. I will bribe you!!!! To tell me about a gift you enjoyed receiving.
November 19, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Reposted by The Barbed Wire
A Dallas mom went viral after recording her daughter’s “awful,” neglectful experience while in labor at a hospital. The TikTok has reached more than 54m views and is sparking outrage over the treatment that black pregnant people face in the healthcare system.

thebarbedwire.com/2025/11/18/v...
This Viral Video of a Texas Mom in Labor Is a ‘Textbook Example’ of the Horrors Black Pregnant People Face in Hospitals
Many viewers have responded with the same sentiment: Her experience is not an outlier. In Texas, the Black maternal mortality rate is nearly three times higher than white women, according to state dat...
thebarbedwire.com
November 18, 2025 at 8:52 PM
Still a few days to apply to work on our team 💕
Are you a social media manager who is passionate about the culture and lives of Texans?

Our incredible social media manager was recruited for an exciting, glossy new opportunity, which means ...we’re hiring!

Come work with us at @thebarbedwire.com 💕

www.journalismjobs.com/job-listing/...
JournalismJobs.com - Job Listing - Social Media Manager
JournalismJobs.com has journalism and media job listings with digital media, newspapers, tv stations, radio stations, magazines, nonprofits, and academia.
www.journalismjobs.com
November 19, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Reposted by The Barbed Wire
Applications are still open for this one :)
Are you a social media manager who is passionate about the culture and lives of Texans?

Our incredible social media manager was recruited for an exciting, glossy new opportunity, which means ...we’re hiring!

Come work with us at @thebarbedwire.com 💕

www.journalismjobs.com/job-listing/...
JournalismJobs.com - Job Listing - Social Media Manager
JournalismJobs.com has journalism and media job listings with digital media, newspapers, tv stations, radio stations, magazines, nonprofits, and academia.
www.journalismjobs.com
November 17, 2025 at 7:53 PM
Did someone buy you a gift in the last year that you still use, enjoy, or think about? Tell us about it, please ♥️
November 19, 2025 at 4:04 PM
A Dallas mom went viral after recording her daughter’s “awful,” neglectful experience while in labor at a hospital. The TikTok has reached more than 54m views and is sparking outrage over the treatment that black pregnant people face in the healthcare system.

thebarbedwire.com/2025/11/18/v...
This Viral Video of a Texas Mom in Labor Is a ‘Textbook Example’ of the Horrors Black Pregnant People Face in Hospitals
Many viewers have responded with the same sentiment: Her experience is not an outlier. In Texas, the Black maternal mortality rate is nearly three times higher than white women, according to state dat...
thebarbedwire.com
November 18, 2025 at 8:52 PM
Reposted by The Barbed Wire
He has definitely seen a toddler do this and is imitating
This is Fendi. He is seen here demonstrating the internationally acknowledged sign language for politely requesting uppies. 13/10 would pick him up immediately (TT: isthat_jojo)
November 17, 2025 at 11:44 PM
This week, the House prepares to vote on the Epstein Files. Texans like Republican U.S. Rep Keith Self and Democratic U.S. Rep. Colin Allred have made their positions clear, where Dan Crenshaw has come under fire for not addressing the issue.

thebarbedwire.com/2025/11/17/j...
For the Record, Both John Cornyn and Ted Cruz Voted Against Releasing the Epstein Files
As the senate primary race heats up in Texas, let us note the senators and senate hopefuls who voted against releasing the Epstein files.
thebarbedwire.com
November 17, 2025 at 7:29 PM
200 Texas National Guard troops are returning home from Chicago, where they were sent to “safeguard” federal officers carrying out deportations. They’ve spent $4 million over five weeks to maintain a presence in the city where they were never allowed to deploy.

thebarbedwire.com/2025/11/17/t...
Texas National Guard Spent About $4 Million to Never Activate in Chicago. Now They’re Going Home for the Holidays.
The 200 Texas National Guard troopers were sent to “safeguard” federal officers carrying out deportation efforts.
thebarbedwire.com
November 17, 2025 at 5:23 PM
The good news? THC is still legal in Texas, despite myriad failed attempts by the legislature to eradicate the state’s $8 billion hemp industry.

The bad news? Some Republicans in Congress still want to ban it — and they might actually get their wish this time.

thebarbedwire.com/2025/11/12/t...
Just When the Texas Hemp Industry Breathed a Sigh of Relief, It Faces Another Extinction-Level Event
The $8 billion Texas hemp industry is once again in peril.
thebarbedwire.com
November 12, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Reposted by The Barbed Wire
Queer social clubs offer a much-needed alternative to the bar scene. One founder said his group is about “bringing everyone together and tearing down these walls that, over time, have gradually gone up between the L, the G, the B, the T and the Q.”

Now out at @thebarbedwire.com:
Looking For Queer Community Outside the Bar? There’s a Walking (and Hiking and Yoga and Line-Dancing) Club For That.
Tired of alcohol? Join a queer walking club. “Sometimes, a sense of belonging can genuinely be lifesaving.”
thebarbedwire.com
November 11, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Reposted by The Barbed Wire
I haven't mentioned it yet but I'm excited about "Big and Bright," the new LGBTQIA+ section at @thebarbedwire.com ... I'm not aware of other statewide pubs devoting this much space to queer and trans life. Thanks to @oliviamesser.bsky.social and the rest of the team who are making this happen.
Texas Is a Lot More Queer Than You Think. I Am Too.
There are 1.8 million of us, and we’re not going anywhere.
thebarbedwire.com
November 11, 2025 at 7:34 PM
Tired of the club scene? Queer and trans folks are finding creative, sober ways to connect and build community, reports @kitoconnell.com in our latest piece for Big & Bright 🌈⭐👏 , The Barbed Wire’s space for queer life in Texas :)

thebarbedwire.com/2025/11/10/q...
November 11, 2025 at 10:38 PM
Nikalie Monroe conducted what she called a social experiment on TikTok, calling churches across the country to ask for baby formula for a fictional two-month-old. The majority do not offer to help her, including three in Texas.

thebarbedwire.com/2025/11/11/t...
A Woman Asked 43 Churches If They'd Feed a Starving Baby. The Texas Ones Failed Her Test.
Nikalie Monroe is going viral on TikTok for calling churches across the country to ask for baby formula for a fictional two-month-old.
thebarbedwire.com
November 11, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Reposted by The Barbed Wire
Our top story: “Bitcoin miners in general, if you map out across the United States, this is my opinion, are taking advantage of small rural communities that don’t have the wherewithal to fight back.”
Crypto's Cryptic Texas Takeover
State regulators don't want you to know about the 60-plus Bitcoin mines guzzling public water and electricity—even though consumers are already paying the price.
www.texasobserver.org
November 11, 2025 at 3:10 PM
“We made a mistake and I apologize. I hope you know the heart of our church, and I think all of you know the heart of our church. Our church is to help people. We would never deny helping a desperate mom or baby, and I hope you know that.”
November 11, 2025 at 3:15 PM
After the verdict was read and the jury released, 379th District Court Judge Ron Rangel turned to the family of slain 46-year-old Melissa Perez, including her four children. 

“The jury wanted me to tell the family they were very sorry for your loss,” said Rangel.
November 10, 2025 at 11:44 PM
Reposted by The Barbed Wire
Three former officers faced life in prison for the death of Melissa Perez, whom they shot behind a locked glass door. All were found not guilty on Monday.

thebarbedwire.com/2025/11/10/s...
‘They Were Very Sorry for Your Loss’: Ex-San Antonio Officers Found Not Guilty in City’s First Murder Trial for Police Shooting
Three former officers faced life in prison for the death of Melissa Perez, whom they shot behind a locked glass door.
thebarbedwire.com
November 10, 2025 at 11:42 PM
Reposted by The Barbed Wire
Y'all this is super scary. We need to protect each other.
A photojournalist was arrested by ICE at gunpoint — and his DACA status revoked.

“Ya’akub isn’t being accused of breaking immigration law — his DACA protection doesn’t expire until May 2026. In fact Ya’akub’s lawyers say he hasn’t been accused of any crime.”

thebarbedwire.com/2025/11/04/h...
When Storytelling Is Called ‘Terrorism’: How My Friend and Fellow Journalist Was Targeted by ICE
As a DACA recipient, Ya'akub Ira Vijandre’s arrest holds drastic implications for the state of free speech in America.
thebarbedwire.com
November 7, 2025 at 11:12 PM
Reposted by The Barbed Wire
"It’s becoming clearer to me that the government is attempting to lay a foundation for dissenting political beliefs as grounds for terrorism."

- Sam Judy in @thebarbedwire.com
Ya’akub Ira Vijandre is a 38-year-old Muslim Filipino photojournalist who sheds light on human rights abuses. As a DACA recipient, his arrest holds drastic implications for the state of free speech in America.
When Storytelling Is Called ‘Terrorism’: How My Friend and Fellow Journalist Was Targeted by ICE
As a DACA recipient, Ya'akub Ira Vijandre’s arrest holds drastic implications for the state of free speech in America.
thebarbedwire.com
November 5, 2025 at 10:25 PM
Reposted by The Barbed Wire
Hey my news outlet @thebarbedwire.com is hiring a social media manager. Looking for someone smart who lives in Tx and loves covering our messed up state www.journalismjobs.com/job-listing/...
JournalismJobs.com - Job Listing - Social Media Manager
JournalismJobs.com has journalism and media job listings with digital media, newspapers, tv stations, radio stations, magazines, nonprofits, and academia.
www.journalismjobs.com
November 8, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Reposted by The Barbed Wire
Government shutdown nightmares continue.

This weekend saw more than 3,700 flight delays in Texas, with 552 flights cancelled.

Sen. John Cornyn himself was hours late to a Senate vote on a bill that would fund the government — due to a delayed flight.

thebarbedwire.com/2025/11/10/t...
The Government Shutdown Caused More Nightmare Flight Delays in Texas This Weekend
Even lawmakers attempting to end the shutdown have been hit by the airport chaos. Sen. John Cornyn was hours late to a Senate vote Sunday.
thebarbedwire.com
November 10, 2025 at 5:54 PM
Reposted by The Barbed Wire
Forget false bravado. Vergil Ortiz Jr., the boxer known as ‘The Texas Machine,’ is “relentless” in the ring, but in conversations, his quiet confidence and curiosity rival his athletic prowess. 

Our contributor sat down with him in Saudi Arabia after his last win.

thebarbedwire.com/2025/11/06/v...
Vergil Ortiz Jr. Might Just Be the Most Thoughtful Fighter of the Century
The professional boxer known as “The Texas Machine” is relentless in the ring, but in conversations? Forget false bravado.
thebarbedwire.com
November 7, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Ortiz Jr. is a next generation fighter — he’s got an undefeated record of 23 wins and zero losses.

But he breaks the mold in many ways. He plays guitar and dabbles in piano. He writes music. He’s a chess fan. He listens to heavy metal; he’s a voracious reader, and fan of science and space.
Forget false bravado. Vergil Ortiz Jr., the boxer known as ‘The Texas Machine,’ is “relentless” in the ring, but in conversations, his quiet confidence and curiosity rival his athletic prowess. 

Our contributor sat down with him in Saudi Arabia after his last win.

thebarbedwire.com/2025/11/06/v...
Vergil Ortiz Jr. Might Just Be the Most Thoughtful Fighter of the Century
The professional boxer known as “The Texas Machine” is relentless in the ring, but in conversations? Forget false bravado.
thebarbedwire.com
November 7, 2025 at 6:19 PM