{"id":357865,"date":"2026-07-01T22:38:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T22:38:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/357865\/"},"modified":"2026-07-01T22:38:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T22:38:08","slug":"san-antonio-politicians-tease-new-tattoo-shop-on-gay-strip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/357865\/","title":{"rendered":"San Antonio politicians tease new tattoo shop on gay strip"},"content":{"rendered":"

San Antonio\u2019s councilmembers may be subject to term limits, but two City Hall vets are hoping to make a more permanent mark. D2\u2019s Jalen McKee-Rodriguez and former mayoral candidate Melissa Cabello Havrda are opening a tattoo studio, Zorra London<\/a>, in late summer at 1428 N Main Ave. in the heart of the gay strip.<\/p>\n

The pair announced the new venture in a social media post<\/a> timed to San Antonio Pride. Perhaps anticipating a flood of constituents that might have thought the video was a goof, Cabello Havrda said, \u201cYou heard that right.\u201d<\/p>\n

The project is not quite as wild as some might think. Though McKee-Rodriguez\u2019s resume is full of service gigs like City Hall staffer and Teach for America educator, he is an accomplished artist who decorated his East Side field office by creating a mural dedicated to civil rights leader Rev. Claude Black.<\/p>\n

In April, he launched the Community Canvas Small Business Mural Program to collaborate with small businesses on public artworks. Each mural is free, painted by the councilmember himself.<\/p>\n

An attorney, Cabello Havrda isn\u2019t exactly known for her wild style. But the former D6 councilmember has long advocated for San Antonio\u2019s diverse communities, serving on boards like Magik Children\u2019s Theater, MOVE Texas, and UTHSC Center for Aging. And she is an LGBTQIA-plus ally, backing the nondiscrimination ordinance during her time in office.<\/p>\n

Equality matters to the business. Not only is McKee-Rodriguez the first openly gay, Black man elected to any office in Texas, the tattoo parlor is also steps away from the nightclubs and shops that make up the Pride Cultural Heritage District<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s reflected in Zorra London\u2019s art. During a pop-up on June 27, the shop featured designs<\/a> like rainbow unicorns, a heart reading \u201cProtect the Dolls,\u201d and a pair of decidedly sapphic scissors. And, of course, the name has its own zest. We wouldn\u2019t be at all surprised if a baby drag queen swiped it for her Pegasus debut.<\/p>\n

And let\u2019s hope it inspires other San Antonio councilmembers to take on their own entrepreneurial efforts. Coming soon to a PetSmart near you: Sukh Sacks, Dr. Sukh Kaur\u2019s line of fashion dog slings.<\/p>\n