SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio City Council approved a memorial street designation Thursday honoring drag performer and transgender activist Erica Andrews, recognizing her contributions to the city’s LGBTQ+ history.
The designation will cover Main Avenue from Cypress Street to East Ashby within the city’s Pride Cultural Heritage District. The measure will not rename Main Avenue but will add plaques and other historical markers along the corridor.
The council approved the measure through its consent agenda after District 1 Councilwoman Sukh Kaur highlighted Andrews’ legacy during the meeting.
Kaur described Andrews as a trailblazer who brought visibility to transgender people through national television and entertainment. She noted that Andrews represented Mexico and Miss Gay USA in 1999 and appeared in the 2006 documentary “Trantasia,” as well as films and music videos.
Andrews lived in San Antonio from 1992 to 2012 and became known as a drag icon in the city. She moved to Chicago and died there in 2013 after an illness. In 2006, she won the international Ms. International Queen title, a competition established in 2004.
The memorial signage will cost about $5,000, with the District 1 council office budget covering the expense.
Luis Vasquez, executive director of the San Antonio LGBT Chamber of Commerce, told the council that Andrews represents an important part of the city’s LGBTQ+ history.
He said preserving the stories connected to the area could strengthen its cultural identity while supporting placemaking, cultural tourism, visitation and local businesses.
Sofia Sepulveda, field director of Equality Texas, also paid tribute to Andrews during the meeting. She described Andrews as an artist, actress, performer and makeup artist who supported members of San Antonio’s LGBTQ+ community.
Lynz Andrews, a local performer, activist and member of the San Antonio Arts Commission, described Erica Andrews as her “drag mother,” a term performers use for a mentor who helps guide another artist.
“She taught me how to perform, command a room, stand up for myself and my community, and to keep going when the world didn’t always make room for people like me or her,” Lynz Andrews said.
She said the memorial designation could introduce future generations to Andrews and her contributions.
“Someday, a younger queer kid, a trans person, a baby drag queen is going to walk down North Maine, see Erica Andrews’ name, and ask, ‘Who was she?’” she said. “We get to tell them that she was brilliant, fearless, hilarious, impossible to ignore, and that she opened doors for people like me and so many others.”
The Pride Cultural Heritage District is continuing efforts to document and recognize the history of the corridor.