With Texas politics being as contentious as they are, some Texans are finding it hard to see the bright side. Not Becky Bullard, who launches her new YouTube show and podcast The Texan Optimist on Wednesday, September 23.

Bullard is better known around town as the face of Democrasexy, her personal brand for teaching Texans — and especially Austinites — how to get civically engaged and understand local and regional politics.

Democrasexy was a finalist for Best Social Media Personality in the Austin Chronicle's 2026 Best of Austin Awards and Bullard won the grand prize at the 2026 Next Challenge for Media & Journalism. Bullard was also co-host of The Rabble, a podcast that followed the minutia of Texas politics with a playful and sometimes chaotic tone.

Discovering and sharing Texas history has been a thread running through Bullard's career in civic education, and the most recent effort is the most explicitly tied to Texas' past.

The Texan Optimist tells stories about "Texas women and LGBTQIA+ folks and Texans of color who made radical change for the whole country," a statement from Bullard says. The project is 501(c)3 compliant, so although Bullard will talk about history that effected radical change, she has a commitment not to advocate for any parties or candidates today.

The first episode is about the late lawyer Sarah Weddington, who served as the plaintiff’s counsel in Roe v. Wade, which broadly expanded abortion access starting in 1973 and was overturned in 2022. Bullard will screen the episode on October 22 in Weddington's former law office and home on 14th Street, and she hopes to petition the state to add a historical marker to the site.

The second episode talks about Lawrence v. Texas, the federal case that decriminalized gay sex. Bullard discovered that Tyron Garner, who was arrested with John Geddes Lawrence Jr. under Texas' anti-sodomy law and brought their case all the way to the Supreme Court, had died in 2006 and did not receive a funeral or proper burial. Bullard will honor Garner at a community wedding celebration on September 27 for Nikki DaVaughn, her guest for the episode and the former host of City Cast Austin.

Listeners can tune into the podcast at thetexanoptimist.com and on YouTube. The trailer and first episode are out now. Listeners can celebrate the new podcast at a September 23 launch party at the Cathedral ATX with snacks, drag, music, and more.