Roughly a year ago, Jasper St. James had a lightbulb moment that nicely illustrates the Beyoncé-approved proverb, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”
St. James, a certified sex educator and founding member of the burlesque troupe the Pastie Pops, had just learned he was losing his job because his longtime employer Sexology Institute was closing its doors after a decade in Southtown.
“When I found out I was losing my job, I just needed to go for a walk to clear my head,” St. James told the Current. “As soon as I left the shop, I went for a walk through King William and the Southtown portion of the River Walk. I had forgotten that I was wearing a ‘Protect Trans Folks’ T-shirt and [suddenly realized] I was in a public space. I was like, ‘Oh my god, should I have like changed?’”
Rather than animosity, St. James was met with support in the form of high–fives, fist bumps and comments from passersby who loved the message on his T-shirt.
“I started thinking, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if we could just take up space?’” he mused. “Without this fear that we shouldn’t belong, we shouldn’t be out there, we shouldn’t be proud.”
Curious to know if other people in San Antonio’s LGBTQ+ community felt the same, St. James posted a video on social media to gauge interest in a queer walking club. The response was enthusiastic and You Better Walk was born.
“I remember for our first meetup, I was like, ‘Okay, if 10 people show up, I’m happy.’ And I had like 40 people show up,” St. James recalled. “I originally suggested meeting once a month but that didn’t happen. It turned into a once-a-week thing. By the second one it doubled, and by the third one it tripled. And it just got bigger and bigger as we were leading up to Pride Month.”
A testament to that growth, You Better Walk has welcomed high-profile walkers over the past year, including Judge Rosie Speedlin Gonzalez and Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones.
Supersized Pride
Only a few months after its launch You Better Walk saw its biggest turnout to date.
“During Pride Month last year we met at Ruby City,” St. James said. “We did a walk down the San Pedro Creek and then we came back and looped over to Ruby City. They had the museum open for us only, and that was so cool. So we got to wander around the museum after our walk and they had refreshments and snacks. It was so nice of them. That was our biggest walk — we had close to 300 people.”
You Better Walk’s heightened visibility during Pride unfortunately attracted some trolls.
“We posted a video and were met with some hate,” St. James lamented.
“[Someone commented], ‘All these queer people in one place, this is an easy target.’”
As a safety measure, St. James is cautious about sharing the group’s whereabouts online.
“I try to be mindful of when I post about where we’re going to be,” he said. “I don’t want it to sit there for too long, so I’ll remove it. Because I don’t want people to feel afraid to come out and join us, and I don’t want to give those people who are trying to target us a place to show up to. So far it’s been really good, and we’ve been very fortunate.”
St. James has also dealt with online hatred on his personal page.
“I did a ‘get ready with me’ video and it was met with so much hate,” he said. “So much hate on my outfit and my partner’s outfit. I was trashed for my weight, I was trashed for my voice, I was trashed for all these things. Some of it was from the ‘right’ side of the algorithm, if you will. But a lot of it was coming from people within the queer community. … Even though it’s 2026, we’re so divided as a country and even within our own community. One thing that the walk does is find this commonality, this common ground that we all have. We all feel like an outsider at some point, we’re all here trying to fit in, we’re all on that same path. And so being able to find common ground is really beautiful.”
An adaptable format
With a name that nods to the LGBTQ+ anthem “Supermodel (You Better Work)” by RuPaul, You Better Walk initially changed venues each week but now spends a month of Mondays at each location. In addition to city parks including Brackenridge, Confluence and Phil Hardberger, You Better Walk has taken over Wonderland of the Americas mall — a handy fallback during unpredictable weather.
“We’ve done different themes [at Wonderland]. We did an ’80s mall walk and a Christmas in July mall walk, so we’ve done some really fun ones there.”
At times, the location itself inspires the direction of the walk.
“Denman Estate Park has been really fun,” St. James said. “It’s very small and very zen, so we’ll do a couple of laps around the park, and then we’ll end our walk with meditation by the lake.”
In the summer months, the group meets at 6 p.m., starts walking at 6:30 p.m. and wraps up 45 minutes or an hour later.
“I always tell people, ‘This is a great beginner-friendly walk,’ or ‘This walk has a little bit more of an incline,’ so they can be prepared,” St. James said. “But for the most part, it’s pretty easy and accessible for all different skill levels.”
During a recent meetup at Hardberger Park, St. James called the crowd of 40-plus to attention and announced that the walk would be on the shorter side so attendees could make it home in time to watch the Spurs game. He also asked for a show of hands from first-time walkers and made a few socializing suggestions he always shares before walks begin.
“I always tell people the easiest way to make a new friend is to eavesdrop on a conversation and to give your two cents,” St. James said with a wry smile. “People laugh, but it’s so true. A lot of times, [you’ll find] common ground. And if they don’t want to eavesdrop, I give them a prompt: ask someone one thing they’re looking forward to this week.”
St. James even does it himself.
“I’ll eavesdrop, and then I’ll chime in, and then we just start talking,” he admitted. “I’ve definitely made some friends [and become better friends with] people I didn’t know very well. I feel like we can actually connect and get to know each other, and then we see each other every week. It’s been really nice [and] I look forward to seeing these people.”
Happy Mondays
St. James specifically chose the most dreaded day of the week for You Better Walk and is sticking to the plan.
“We’ve had people ask, ‘Why don’t you do it on Friday, Saturday or Sunday?’ And I’m like, ‘Just Monday.’ There’s something about Monday that just doesn’t feel good,” he explained. “We need something that’s going to make us feel good. … When You Better Walk really started to grow, I was like, this is so silly, we’re just walking. But this makes a difference. I think it’s just intention. I want this to be a safe space for people and I want people to be able to come out and do something fun. At the end of the walk, all the endorphins are there, we’re happier and we can take on the rest of the week. And then we have something to look forward to on a Monday. Mondays are never a good day — no one wants a Monday.”
Making a difference
Routinely, St. James hears firsthand about the ways You Better Walk is making a difference in the community it supports, which includes plenty of allies.
“It’s been cool seeing families, queer people who have kids, and moms coming to [show support and] walk with their kids,” he said. “Allies show up with their friends and are like, ‘Hey, this is our time to hang out.’ … Hearing [their personal stories] has been the most rewarding part. I’ve heard things like, ‘I didn’t have any friends, and now I have a group of people that I hang out with regularly and we met at the walk.’ That makes my little heart so happy. I remember I had a mother and daughter who would come together. They had lost the [father of the family] and the mother told me, ‘This is the one thing that got us out of the house — just to be together and do something.’ When she shared that with me, I was just like, ‘My god, thank you for sharing that, but for doing this. You’re doing this for yourself. I’m just providing a vehicle, and y’all are the ones driving it. It’s beautiful to know that this silly little thing, this simple idea [is helping people].”
During the walk we attended, we spoke to Cari Medina, a local business owner who uses they/them pronouns and runs the Crescent — a salon billed as “San Antonio’s neurodivergent-friendly and 2sLGBTQIA hair sanctuary.”
“I’ve been coming to the walk for a year,” Medina said. “I’m in recovery, so I try to do social outings that don’t involve mind-altering substances. For me, this is the perfect scenario because I get to meet people. It’s built so you make friends — no awkward interactions. It’s all good energy.”
We also heard an amusing anecdote from Eric Cavazos, a middle school art teacher and You Better Walk regular.
“I told my coworker that I was going queer walking,” Cavazos said. “And she was like, ‘What is that? Is that a new type of walking?’ So I joked, ‘Well, we sashay and skip and hold hands.’ She got really confused, so I told her I was just going walking with a queer group.”
Branching out
As an extension of You Better Walk, St. James has started organizing LGBTQ+ outings that stray from the nightlife norm.
“We also do club nights out just to get people together to do stuff,” he said. “The one thing I’ve learned from this is that a lot of people — especially the younger queer people — don’t want to go to the bars, and a lot of them don’t drink. I think this is a good way for people to mix and mingle and make new friends. We’ve done Disco Alfresco at Civic Park in Hemisfair and we’re going to a San Antonio FC match for their Pride Night. … I feel like it’s something that’s needed — we don’t have a lot of options.”
When asked about how else he’s like to see You Better Walk expand, St. James is quick to respond.
“I would like this to become an actual nonprofit and be able to qualify for funding,” he said. “Because right now everything that we are able to do, it’s either through connections that I have, or out of my own pocket — which is sometimes really hard because I’m not employed. I always have waters in the car in case anybody needs water — there’s always stuff like that. So it’d be nice to be able to get some funding and sponsorship.”
Outside of You Better Walk, St. James continues to work as a freelance burlesque performer, sex educator and sex coach. When we spoke, he was preparing for the Pastie Pops’ Pride-themed Big Gay Burlesque Show as well as a workshop at Love Shack Boutique titled “Head of the Class: Blowjobs 101.”
“Every month it’s a hustle and I’m trying to figure out how I’m gonna pay rent,” he said. “But honestly, the community has really shown up for me, whether they’re buying a ticket to a workshop or a show. And I feel like them just even showing up to You Better Walk fuels me to keep going. This doesn’t bring me any money. But I don’t care. This is my heart, this is my soul, and just being able to provide people with the space is more than enough.”
Securing funding, however, would help St. James grow the project into other areas.
“I would love to turn this into something multifaceted,” he continued. “What this has really brought to my attention is the community aspect. We need our community. And every single one of us has a story to tell. So I would really love to make this into a podcast where we can talk to individuals and really find that common ground within our own community. We have You Better Walk, why not add You Better Talk? Overall, the biggest reason I started the club is that, during a time when our government is literally trying to hide and erase us, it’s so important now more than ever to take up space and be in community. Especially public space. We’re not going anywhere no matter how hard they try.”
Stay informed of You Better Walk meetups at instagram.com/youbetterwalksa.
Sign Up for SA Current newsletters.
Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Or sign up for our RSS Feed
Related Stories
State services should build community — and acceptance — for teens otherwise vulnerable to exploitation, homelessness, and isolation.
A federal court cleared the way for Senate Bill 12, which prohibits drag performances on public property or in front of children, to take effect Wednesday.