Thirty-five years ago the first case of HIV was diagnosed in Austin in 1983, but another four years would pass before the city would have its own HIV/AIDS service organization. Today, AIDS Services of Austin (ASA) is the largest and oldest organization of its kind in Central Texas.

Since 2016, minorities of gender and sexuality — “LGBT” (lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgender people) — have become among main targets by a conservative backlash. While in the past decade the community suffered violent attacks from religious vigilante groups, now the attack comes through criminalization efforts and greater surveillance and control. Last year, the Islamic group Family Love Alliance, AILA, demanded the Constitutional Court to include consensual homosexual relationships and practices into the Criminal Code and lawmakers have planned to ban “LGBT-related content” through amendment of the 2002 Broadcasting Law.

With the recent resurgence of drag in American popular culture, it can be easy to overlook what’s behind the performance. In its best form, drag transcends simply dressing up as the opposite gender—it becomes an expression of identities that do not fit within the norms of society.

Texas and the church aren’t often known for their progressive nature, but one church in Austin has decided to take a significant stand on LGBT rights.