Interview with Christian Giron, a Trailblazer in San Antonio’s Creative Scene
Written by Vi-Anh Nguyen | July 6 2026
When most people think of American cities with a thriving creative arts scene, they likely think of cities like Los Angeles, New York, or even Austin. San Antonio doesn't usually come to mind. However, it seems that the city is changing; there's a growing effort to help grow and diversify San Antonio's creative industries. Christian Giron is a prime example of this.
Christian Giron is a female presenting Filipinx model who made a home for themselves in San Antonio. Their interest in modeling began in their youth, but became reality following the 2020 pandemic. Opportunity to enter the industry presented itself through their discovered interest in makeup and photography. Aside from modeling, they work in a variety of other creative disciplines, including pageant trainer, content creator, community advocate, HIV advocate, and founder of United Asian Artists of Texas.
In a place like San Antonio, with only about 3% of the population being Asian, according to the most recent United States Census, Christian Giron has found like-minded souls for their work in community advocacy. For instance, Lead Filipino shares Giron's desire for strengthening connections and uplifting voices within the local Filipino community. During our talk, Giron mentioned the work they have accomplished with Lead Filipino, such as “community events, cultural celebrations, and leadership initiatives." While speaking with Lead Filipino, they explained that their work also involves educating and encouraging their local communities to go out and vote. This cooperation demonstrated Giron's resolve to diversify San Antonio's leading voices and get more people involved in the betterment of San Antonio as a whole.
It's no wonder Giron's journey lead them to create United Asian Artists of Texas. Giron said that this organization was created to provide emerging artists confidence and help them acquire entrance and access to industries that have had historically low Asian representation. For example, careers in creative industries are not typically encouraged in Asian American households due to the risks it takes to enter those very industries. At the end of the day, Giron is an artist at heart; this push for more Asians in Texas to enter creative fields makes sense as the next step in diversifying San Antonio's engagement and leadership.
Christian Giron's work has not only helped encourage artists within Texas's Asian communities to dare to pursue their creative passions, but queer artists are motivated too. When asked about more queer representation in San Antonio's art scene, Giron responded in a way that demonstrated two qualities that helped them most on their journey to where they are today: their bravery and empathy. They emphasized with seeing others win in the pursuit of their dreams and "being yourself" first, regardless of the outcome. This mindset showed why Giron has been a standout voice to both Asian American and queer residents of San Antonio. They’ve shown that the pursuit of creative dreams is worth it and possible with collaborative effort. When asked about what advice they would give to aspiring queer models that want to break into the industry, Giron mentioned that the modeling industry keeps evolving. There's constantly room for new, unique perspectives. With so many different perspectives, there's audiences for those perspectives. Speaking with Giron has made that evident with their intersection of queerness, Filipino heritage, and being a resident of San Antonio.
The work to diversify San Antonio's creative industries has come so far from the San Antonio of a decade ago. Efforts like Christian Giron's have truly demonstrated that San Antonio has creative industries worth exploring and cultivating with one another. This city has an artistic spirit that can be brought out through diverse voices and deeper collaboration.
