The Texan Optimist

Becky Bullard

Ready to feel good about being Texan? The Texan Optimist is a new video podcast telling the stories of Texas women, LGBTQIA+ folks, and Texans of color who took brave action that resulted in incredible progress for all of America. Each week host Becky Bullard (founder of Democrasexy) is joined by a different guest to discuss a story from Texas history and how it impacts us today.

Episodes

  1. 6d ago ·  Bonus

    BONUS - Texas 2026: What Voting Rights Pros Want You to Know

    In this special bonus episode, The Texan Optimist host Becky Bullard sits down with Sarah Xiyi Chen, the Senior Supervising Attorney for Voting Rights at the Texas Civil Rights Project. Ahead of the 2026 election in Texas, they get nerdy about the inner workings of the voting process -- diving deep into voter fears, misinfo, suppression, and ways to counterbalance all the negative. LINKS - INCREDIBLE Texas election protection resources here: ⁠https://www.texasvoterprotection.org/⁠ Sign up to be a nonpartisan poll monitor in Texas here: ⁠https://mobilize.us/s/1EgHQd/r⁠ Do YOU still need to vote? Early voting ends Friday, 10/30! Election Day is November 3! Check ⁠Vote411.org⁠ to see what’s on your ballot. If you are in Travis County, see ⁠VoteTravis.gov⁠ for polling locations with times — a few locations are open until 10pm this Thursday and Friday, 10/29 and 10/30 ONLY! Buy books from my Bookshop (your purchase helps support my work!): ⁠https://bookshop.org/lists/the-texan-optimist-book-list⁠ Follow the Texas Civil Rights Project: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/txcivilrights⁠ ⁠https://www.txcivilrights.org/⁠ THANK YOU to: Record ATX - ⁠https://www.recordatx.com/⁠  Lady Diarist - ⁠https://ladydiarist.substack.com/ ⁠ The Hudspeth Foundation - ⁠https://hudspethfoundation.org/⁠ NOTE: The Texan Optimist is a prospective grantee of the Texas Civil Rights Project.

    BONUS - Texas 2026: What Voting Rights Pros Want You to Know

  2. Oct 15

    The Texan Who Signed the Civil Rights Act

    Host Becky Bullard welcomes guest Meghan Ross to get into LBJ’s legacy on civil rights, his transition to the presidency after JFK’s assassination, his nickname for his peen, and so much more. Get email updates about The Texan Optimist podcast, support our work with a tax-deductible contribution, or reach out for sponsorship opportunities at TheTexanOptimist.com LINKS: Watch Meghan’s show “How We Grieve” on PBS!  https://www.pbs.org/show/how-we-grieve/ October 29: See me speak on a Future Forum panel at the LBJ Library! “Beyond the Newsroom: Covering Texas Today”: www.lbjlibrary.org/events/future-forum/2026-10-29_beyond-newsroom-covering-texas-today  Check out Meghan’s other work: https://meghanrross.com/  Buy books from my Bookshop.org link (your purchase helps support my work!): https://bookshop.org/lists/the-texan-optimist-book-list Visit the LBJ Library: https://www.lbjlibrary.org/  More reading and sources: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/to-fight-for-civil-rights-lyndon-b-johnson-settled-for-the-middle-ground-180981482/ https://www.aaihs.org/the-hidden-history-of-the-civil-rights-act-of-1960/ https://www.universityarchives.com/auction-lot/type-1-photo-of-jfk-after-1960-convention-nod-vis_cd848ac9b0 https://www2.gwu.edu/~erpapers/mep/displaydoc.cfm?docid=erptoc https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/historic-speeches/televised-address-to-the-nation-on-civil-rights https://www.britannica.com/event/Birmingham-Childrens-Crusade https://www.ms.now/msnbc/lyndon-johnson-civil-rights-racism-msna305591 ​​https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/04/what-the-hells-the-presidency-for/358630/ THANK YOU to: Record ATX - https://www.recordatx.com/  Lady Diarist - https://ladydiarist.substack.com/  The Hudspeth Foundation - https://hudspethfoundation.org/

    The Texan Who Signed the Civil Rights Act

  3. Oct 7

    The Texan Who Defeated the All-White Primary

    On this solo episode of The Texan Optimist, host Becky Bullard gets into the story of the Texans who ended the all-white primary for the entire country. Thanks, Dr. Lonnie Smith! He won the Smith v Allwright Supreme Court case with the help of NAACP attorney Thurgood Marshall and many other brave folks. Get email updates about The Texan Optimist podcast, support our work with a tax-deductible contribution, or reach out for sponsorship opportunities at TheTexanOptimist.com LINKS: In Austin? Come out and hang! October 10: Gay History Month Screening with author Dale Carpenter! https://www.thetexanoptimist.com/events/gay-history-month-screening-of-the-texan-optimist Buy books from my Bookshop (your purchase helps support my work!): https://bookshop.org/lists/the-texan-optimist-book-list 13th Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krfcq5pF8u8 THANK YOU to: Record ATX - https://www.recordatx.com/  Lady Diarist - https://ladydiarist.substack.com/  The Hudspeth Foundation - https://hudspethfoundation.org/

    The Texan Who Defeated the All-White Primary

  4. Sep 30

    The Texans Who Legalized Gay Sex

    Nikki DaVaughn joins The Texan Optimist host Becky Bullard to discuss the story of the Texans who legalized gay sex – Tyron Garner and John Lawrence. (And all the amazing attorneys and advocates who worked so hard for the Lawrence v Texas Supreme Court victory!) Get email updates about The Texan Optimist podcast, support our work with a tax-deductible contribution, or reach out for sponsorship opportunities at TheTexanOptimist.com LINKS: October 10: Gay History Month Screening with author Dale Carpenter! https://www.thetexanoptimist.com/events/gay-history-month-screening-of-the-texan-optimist Nikki’s website: https://www.nikkidavaughn.com/ Shop my book list for this episode: The Texan Optimist on BookShop.org Go see Fat Bottom Cabaret: https://tickets.austintheatre.org/13159  Gilley’s - https://texasarchive.org/2017_00513 THANK YOU to: Record ATX - https://www.recordatx.com/  Lady Diarist - https://ladydiarist.substack.com/  The Hudspeth Foundation - https://hudspethfoundation.org/

    The Texans Who Legalized Gay Sex

  5. Sep 23

    The Texans Who Gave Us All Abortion Rights

    Serita Fontanesi joins The Texan Optimist host Becky Bullard to discuss the story of the young Texas women who won Roe v Wade. Get email updates about The Texan Optimist podcast, support our work with a tax-deductible contribution, or reach out for sponsorship opportunities at TheTexanOptimist.com Shop my book list for this episode: The Texan Optimist on BookShop.org About URGE: https://urge.org/  Abortion rights in Texas now: https://www.aclutx.org/know-your-rights/abortion-texas/  Linda Coffee article in the Texas Tribune: https://www.texastribune.org/2022/07/12/linda-coffee-abortion-texas-roe/ About The Rag newspaper: http://www.nuevoanden.com/rag/background.html  https://aliceembree.substack.com/p/the-rag-v-regents  https://www.texasobserver.org/roes-grassroots-beginnings-abortion-ut-austin/  About the Lone Star Three: https://lonestarthree.com/  https://msmagazine.com/2026/03/05/lone-star-three-documentary-roe-v-wade-texas-abortion-birth-control-victoria-foe-judy-smith-barbara-hines/  More about Barbara Hines: https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/barbaras-fire-11762585/

    The Texans Who Gave Us All Abortion Rights

  6. Sep 20

    Introducing The Texan Optimist

    Ready to feel good about being Texan? The Texan Optimist is a new video podcast telling the stories of Texas women, LGBTQIA+ folks, and Texans of color who took brave action that resulted in incredible progress for all of America. Each week host Becky Bullard (founder of Democrasexy) will be joined by a different guest to discuss a story from Texas history and how it impacts us today. Launching on YouTube and all podcast platforms September 23. Subscribe so you don't miss any episodes! Sign up for email updates at TheTexanOptimist.com THANK YOU to Record ATX and Lady Diarist for sponsoring!

    Introducing The Texan Optimist
  • 1 Trailer
    5 Episodes

Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

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About

Ready to feel good about being Texan? The Texan Optimist is a new video podcast telling the stories of Texas women, LGBTQIA+ folks, and Texans of color who took brave action that resulted in incredible progress for all of America. Each week host Becky Bullard (founder of Democrasexy) is joined by a different guest to discuss a story from Texas history and how it impacts us today.

Information

  • Creator
    Becky Bullard
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    6
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Democrasexy
  • Show Website
    The Texan Optimist

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