Halloween-The Transgender National Holiday

Before I transitioned, I used to circle October 31 on the calendar and look forward to its arrival with the anticipation and enthusiasm that I greet Christmas with.

I guess I wasn't alone. From the 30's to the 60's on the South Side of Chicago they eagerly awaited that year's edition of another Finnie's Ball. It was an event so big that EBONY Magazine covered it back in its early days. There were also well attended drag balls in New York that traced their origins back to the Harlem Renaissance. Those balls eventually morphed into the ballroom community that we know today.

In Houston because of the tragic 1974 murder of 8 year old Timothy O'Bryan by his father Ronald Clark O'Bryan with a cyanide-laced Pixy stick, Halloween as I used to know it died.

The days of me, my brother and our friends roaming through three or four neighborhoods in search of candy and having enough to eat until Thanksgiving ground to an abrupt halt. The emphasis in Houston in the immediate aftermath of it became going to houses of family friends and people we'd known for years, church parties and costume oriented events.

The costume aspect of Halloween became more important as I entered adulthood still trying to deal with my gender issues, and it became to me like many transpeople, our unofficial national holiday.

From 1987 onwards I hit the Montrose gay clubs in drag along with other local peeps. The only Halloween I didn't do drag during that period was for a 1990 CAL Halloween party that I attended. I went dressed as a general and made the finals of the costume contest, but lost to a co-worker who dressed as a Las Vegas showgirl. I was even more irritated about it not because she won, but she had the body to pull it off.

Halloween was, and still is a way for people who are contemplating transition to get their feet wet. It was when I dressed and didn't care that it wasn't October 31 that I began to question my assertion that I was simply a crossdresser. I lied to myself for another few years even though I started an abortive attempt at hormones.

It's funny now that I've become the Phenomenal Transwoman I am, I don't have the same enthusiasm for Halloween anymore. It's the same emotional feeling I got when I first got drafted by my parents into the Santa's Helper's Corps and learned the three most dreaded words of the Christmas season:

Some Assembly Required.

But for the folks that are behind me on the gender journey, Halloween to them will always be the Transgender National Holiday.

Happy Halloween!

Have fun in your search for candy tonight or wearing your favorite costume!

Transgender Rights Are A Worldwide Struggle

One of the things I've noticed over the last few years is how transpeople all over the world are gathering the courage to stand up, proudly proclaim their pride in who we are and fight for our human rights to be respected. The battle over ENDA in the United States is just one front in this struggle to not only gain recognition and respect but to be able to openly and honestly live our lives.

As a transgender person, my brothers and sisters are everywhere. I am not limited to the borders of the United States or my ancestral home continent of Africa in this regard. Any success that we as transpeople have somewhere on planet Earth affects me positively. I also share the pain and disappointment when I hear about the violence and repression faced by transpeople in many parts of Africa, Central America, South America, Jamaica and the United States or the legal setbacks in various countries when it comes to transgender issues.

I cheered when Israel's Dana International won the Eurovision song contest. I'm envious of my sisters in Thailand who get to transition early without the faith-based hatred that we face here in the States. I marvel at the beauty of the transwomen from Mexico, the Philippines, South Korea, Japan and other parts of the globe. I was moved to tears when Georgina Beyer became the first transwoman ever elected to a national legislative body as a member of New Zealand's parliament. I was happy to see that then 12 year old Kim in Germany was allowed to transition and is now happily growing up as a teen aged girl. I'm thrilled by the victories that Spanish transpeople gained in terms of their name change rights. I was fascinated to discover that transpeople even exist in Iran and other parts of the Middle East.

I jumped for joy when the Gender Recognition Act of 2004 was passed by the British Parliament. The recent Irish case allowing a transwoman there to change birth documents will hopefully help us here in the States.

Some of my early role models when I was growing up in the 70's were international in scope such as Britain's Caroline Cossey. I'm inspired to fight harder for my rights here in the States by drawing on the examples of courage from Ugandan Victor Juliet Mukasa , the Queen of Africa and transactivists in Argentina.

And my thoughts are reciprocated in other parts of the world as well. The upcoming Transgender Day of Remembrance started here in the States but has quickly become a worldwide event. I was pleased to discover that my blog is read internationally when I noted that Portugal's Eduarda Santos links her transgender blog to various posts of mine on occasion. I hope that you international readers are enjoying getting to learn about what life is like for a transgender person who also happens to be an American proud of her African roots.

I'm delighted to see that transgender pageants are exploding in popularity in the Philippines, Thailand and Great Britain and that our transpeeps in South Korea, thanks to Harisu, can not only get their name changes done but get married as well.

Even China has an emerging transgender community with Chen Lili as its poster girl. And like Georgina Beyer, more transpeople are getting elected to public office in various countries, including my own.

We are all interconnected. Transpeople know this lesson better than anyone. Just look at how SRS technology advanced. It was an international effort and we traveled to wherever it was available.

In 1952 the late Christine Jorgenson got her pioneering surgery done in Denmark. Others later flocked to Morocco in the 1960s to get the updated techniques from Dr. Georges Burou that modern SRS is based on. The late Dr. Stanley Biber of Trinidad, CO built upon and perfected it during the 70's and 80's. Montreal surgeons Dr. Yvon Menard and Dr. Pierre Brassard built on that work and Dr. Michel Seghers was doing cutting edge SRS surgeries as well in Belgium. Now transpeople flock to Thailand from all over the world to take advantage of the reasonably-priced cutting edge work of the Thai doctors to get it done.

The civil rights struggle, like the medical advances in SRS techniques is an international one as well. We may feel in our various countries from time to time that we're fighting it alone, but we aren't.

But the fight is an ongoing one. Just as we have religious zealots in the United States seeking to retard our progress, so do our brothers and sisters around the world. Islamic fundamentalists are opposing our sisters in Malaysia and Indonesia. Nigerians have the double whammy of being opposed by Islamic and Christian fundamentalists.

Like the US Republican party, there are politicians pandering to the bigot vote like Prime Minster John Howard of Australia and our transsisters are caught in the crossfire. The Catholic Church has moved from an affirming position on transgender issues to an increasingly intolerant one under Pope Benedict XVI. Our sisters in the Philippines have recently suffered a blow from their Supreme Court in terms of being able to change their birth documents.

As former South African president Nelson Mandela so eloquently stated, 'the people are their own liberators.'

We must take his words to heart and act as our own liberators. We must continue to support each other, reach out to supportive family members and friends, win allies, pool information, strategies, tactics and information so that we reach our ultimate goal: respect of our humanity.

We transpeople should never give up hope. We must continue to fight to have our basic human rights in our various homelands respected and protected. That must happen if we wish to contribute our talents to help build our communities and our respective nations. We must be able to work without being harassed or denied employment we are qualified for. We mush be able to live quality lives without having fear, shame, guilt and the specter of violence heaped upon us. We must be able to freely use our talents to accomplish whatever we set our minds to do and have the faith to believe that one day we will prevail over the Forces of Intolerance.

And yes, I believe this will happen in my lifetime.

Stop The Pain

A Call to the SGL Community to Stop the Pain
by Bishop Yvette Flunder

I read with sadness the dialogue with an alleged former lover of Rev. Donnie McClurklin who claims he and Rev. McClurklin were actively intimately involved while Donnie was very verbal regarding his negative views about homosexuality. I remembered the pangs of the double church life. I also once thought it was necessary. I hurt so for him because I have been there. I have been angry with him for some of the places he has allowed himself to be manipulated into and for some of the things he has said and written. I have read with disgust Donnie’s remarks about waging war against the gay community, but I really know that this duplicitous rhetoric is because of the war that is raging inside of him. Sometimes we just try to fake it till we make it. And then there are the harder questions that plague him and many of my beloved colleagues in ministry… How do you succeed as a gospel music artist, a Pastor and a gay man? How can the choice be made to have the integrity to stand in your orientation reality when it will mean losing everything, especially when your principle income is not just based on your gifts but on the believability of your testimony of deliverance from being gay? What a huge dilemma.


My challenge today is not to the churches and religious institutions that have rejected SGL folks or that have forced us to positions of invisibility or don’t ask don’t tell. Why can’t SGL folks and our allies build mega churches, mega organizations, and mega faith based enterprises? We are building them for our abusers! Why is so much of our talent, money and skill under girding and supporting institutions that are blatantly undermining our freedoms and attacking our personhood? Imagine what we could accomplish if we would bring those skills together to build something that is devoid of shame and supports the inalienable rights of all people. Why contribute to our own debasement and marginalization? Why won’t we support those who support us? It seems many of us would rather leave church than support affirming church. Is it fear? Is it greed? Is it internalized hatred, self-loathing, or internalized homophobia? Sure, aligning with an affirming ministry or faith-based community may bear a cost. There may be some loss of prestige and even funds for a period, but isn’t it time we pay the price for our own freedom the same way so many of our forefathers and foremothers did? Sister and Brothers, think of the continued price we pay in the loss of our self-esteem, integrity and the inevitable exposure.

Donnie could have just as big a church in New York with a membership made up of SGL folks, allies, and people whose theology has evolved to the point that they do not need to hold to a narrow exclusionary Godview that limits the table of God to only a few. What stands in the way of our supporting our own? Is it the need for big church pageantry? Anonymity?

This is a call to stop the pain. I challenge SGL people of faith to support the churches and organizations that affirm us, and wait for the growth that our talents and abilities are certain to bring. We know the game and we are killing ourselves with it. Enough is enough. I pray that we will take seriously the prophetic call and challenge to not only seek to be liberated but to seek to liberate.

Pax Christi! (Peace in Christ)
Bishop Yvette Flunder

And The Winner Is...

There's a new Amazing Philippine Beauty queen.

Kris Andrea Dawn Barrameda took the crown in the fifth annual Amazing Philippine Beauty pageant held at the Manila Film Center on October 19. Kris will not only represent the Philippines in the upcoming Miss International Queen Pageant taking place in Pattaya, Thailand on November 5-10, she also receives a cash prize and a one year performance contract in the Amazing Philippines Show.

Barrameda beat 23 other contestants, including 23 year old crowd favorite and first runner-up Miles Gio, who was voted Miss Friendship and took the Best Evening Gown category. Second runner-up was stunning 18 year old Angel Herrera, third runner-up was 18 year old Mona Gonzales who took the Best Talent part of the competition. Fourth runner-up was 22 year old Mikee Coloma.

From the initial 24 contestants that began the competition, the five finalists round was scored with 60 percent based on facial beauty and 40 percent on the contestant's intelligence. Personally I think that percentage should be reversed, but it ain't my pageant.

Rounding out the top 10 finalists, which was scored in this round based on 60 percent facial beauty and 40 percent figure, were Beth Imperial, People’s Choice awardee Joyce Azarcon, Miss Fashionista Joanna Santos, Ayumi Lopez, and Angelica Cruz Ilustre.

The girls making the 15 semifinalists were Cynthia Soliven, Kimberly Hernandez, Asyana Zulueta, Hershey Marie Francisco and 5'11' Erika Louise Peralta, the tallest candidate in the competition. Erika also took home the Best in National Costume award. 2007 Miss Photogenic winner Channa Mendez failed to make the cut.

The pageant is the brainchild of the Amazing Philippine Theater, a show similar to the ones put on by the transgender cabarets in Thailand. It was established on August 15, 2001 and showcases the best of Filipino GLBT talents.

The first and biggest theatrical variety show in the country features Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Broadway, musicals, comedy acts, modern dances, Filipino folk and stylized traditional dances. In 2003 the Amazing Philippine Show started the pageant in order to look for the most beautiful transwomen in the Philippines to be employed with the company.

“We’ve made great strides toward this pageant and other goals since the day we’ve decided that we will keep this family together for the long haul. I vow that the Amazing Philippine Theater Family will continue to be guided by a passion for bringing you the best in the field of entertainment—for doing the right thing, and for reaching those who seek what this beautiful country and its people has to offer,” said Iron Chang, the theater’s president to Giovanni Paolo J. Yazon of the Manila Standard Today.

The objectives of Amazing Philippine Beauties are to uplift all the appalling impressions of GLBT beauty pageants, give opportunities for transgender people to showcase their beauty and talent, be employed as a performer to enhance their personality and contribute to the quality of the theater’s performances in the aspect of cultural entertainment to match the discriminating tastes of many tourists; to be accepted by the society as a productive individual; build friendship and camaraderie; and rekindle the lost flame of fame and reputation that the Manila Film Center used to have.

Judging by the international coverage that this pageant is starting to garner, they are well on their way to fulfilling those goals.

Previous Miss Amazing Philippine Beauty titleholders are Sarah Trono (2003), Kaori Michelle Artadi (2004), Ardee Cansino (2005) and last year's queen Patricia Montecarlo.

Barrameda, a 22-year-old business management major has set her sights on surpassing what her predecessor did in last year's Miss International Queen pageant.

The statuesque Montecarlo was the first runner-up to Erica Andrews, who represented Mexico in the Miss International Queen contest held in Thailand last year. That was the Philippines’ highest placement in the three-year-old pageant that features transwomen from around the globe.

Congratulations to Kris and we'll see when the semifinals and finals take place on November 9-10 if she captures that increasingly prestigious crown as well.

Drag Kings In The House At MIT

MIT Grooves To A New Beat As Drag Kings Take Up Residence
by Bob Young
Boston Herald

Move over, drag queens. The drag kings are about to elbow you off stage.

For four days this week, the all-black Nappy Grooves drag king troupe from Oakland, Calif., will be setting up shop in a place that doesn't exactly conjure up San Francisco's Castro district: MIT.

Then again, looks can be deceiving: The land of geeks and nerds hosts the largest annual student drag show in the country every year.

For the uninitiated, drag kings are mostly female performance artists who dress like males and sport facial hair makeup; drag queens are men who dress in female clothes and makeup, often for performances.

Where they both meet is at MIT's "Fierce Forever" drag show, scheduled to be held next April 24.

"We usually have more drag queens than drag kings in ('Fierce Forever')," said Michele Oshima, director of student and artist-in-residence programs at MIT. "There's not as much gender balance."

As a way to expose the MIT community to the flip side of the drag world and to raise students' consciousness about gender and race, Oshima booked Nappy Grooves for a residence at the school (Wednesday through Nov. 3), including a free public talk, "Too Hot to Handle," on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Broad Institute Auditorium. The press release calls it an adult performance.

"I went to the International Drag King Community Extravaganza last year and Nappy Grooves blew me away," said Oshima. "They're very committed to fighting homophobia and racism and stereotypical images of black people."

And stereotypical images of those in drag.

"Drag queens and drag kings have all different sexualities," said Oshima. "Bisexual, lesbian, gay, heterosexual, transsexual, asexual,omnisexual. Who knows?"

The five women of Nappy Grooves, according to member Mattie Richardson, all have different LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transexual) identities.

"People have done gender performances for a very long time," said Richardson, an English professor at the University of Texas. "But the particular crop of people who call themselves drag kings has gained momentum."

Drag kings have become more and more a fixture in queer performance events. At MIT, Nappy Grooves will tackle issues such as racism and politics through music and play-acting. Richardson, for example, often plays a swaggering black male character who's a womanizer secretly attracted to men.

"Be they straight or gay or trans or bi or whatever," said Richardson, "I think drag is useful and challenging to anybody who is open to questioning gender norms. Anyone who's open will be inspired by our performance."

"Too Hot to Handle," a lecture/demonstration by Nappy Grooves, takes place Wednesday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Broad Institute Auditorium, NE30, 7 Cambridge Center. Free. Go to www.web.mit.edu/arts.

ENDA Insanity

"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."

That was a quote by Benjamin Franklin, one of our Founding Fathers. It seems as though some people in the GLBT community have forgotten that when it comes to transgender inclusion in civil rights laws such as ENDA.

In jurisdiction after jurisdiction from the local to the federal level, GLB people have repeatedly cut transgender people out of civil rights bills only to see them fail. Their transgender-free ENDA bill in 1994 passed the House but failed to pass the Senate.

You would think that if it failed without transgender inclusion, and local and state measures have passed WITH transgender inclusion, that the federal powers that be would at least run an inclusive ENDA at the federal level and see what will happen with it, especially if this is supposed to be a symbolic bill that Bush isn't going to sign anyway.

But nooo, Barney and his Mattachine clones stubbornly plod on, spewing the spin that if we add transgender peeps, the bill will fail. They berate us and call us 'selfish' for doing our jobs and lobbying for legislation that our community desperately needs. They deviously work behind the scenes to browbeat members into not voting for inclusive legislation in order to make their dire predictions come true.

Talk about insanity.

Obviously these peeps don't want their rights badly enough. If the overwhelming evidence is that close to 70% of the US population supports expanding civil rights protection for transgender people and 31 states now have inclusive laws at the state and local level, a GLBT legal organization tells you that adding transgender people improves the bill, and you've failed to pass GLB only protection at the federal level, wouldn't it make sense to add transgender people to your bill and not only improve coverage for your group but enhance its chances of passing?

Barney keeps saying that people on the Hill need 'more education', but when you point blank ask him who are the legislators that need education, he refuses to divulge that list of names. That makes me question whether or not there are members that 'need education on transgender issues'. Maybe there are, but his arrogance, history of transphobia, lack of candor and the duplicitous way he has conducted this push for ENDA passage in the 110th Congress causes me to question his integrity. It's also insane to trust and think that a person who hates your group will write solid legislation that will cover you.

The insanity on the transgender community's part is repeatedly trusting an organization with large segments of it that not only hate transpeople, but has a long history of leading the charge against transgender inclusion in GLBT rights legislation.

Some elements of the transgender community have also acquiesced to HRC's arrogant demand that we have ONE organization and ONE leader for them to negotiate with. That's stupid.

The African-American community for example has multiple organizations that handle our community business such as the NAACP, the Urban League, SCLC, et cetera. Even the gay community has multiple organizations that speak for it such as Lambda legal and the Task Force.

So why should the transgender community meekly submit to a program that even the gay community doesn't follow because a organization that has worked to retard your progress demands it? The other advantage of spreading your community leadership among multiple organizations is that if one becomes corrupted, you have another one ready and able to assume the mantle of leadership and keep your civil rights drive moving forward.

The other insane thing in the transgender community is turning a blind eye to people who sell us out. To my white transgender brothers and sisters, frankly you are newbies at operating in the political world as a minority. You not only needed people of color involved in your organzations from the outset because we have intimate knowledge of the coalition politics necessary to operate in this environment, we're used to it. Transsexuality cuts across all cultural, racial, economic and demographic lines and the leadership in the community needs to reflect that reality.

You can no longer think and act the way you did when you were part of the majority group. You have to have morally principled leaders as the heads of your organizations. Selling out cannot be tolerated or rewarded. If these sellouts prioritize their personal ambitions over advancing the group as a whole and are going to act as facilitators in concert with our oppressors to divide and conquer us and cripple our community, then they need to be isolated and expunged from further political activity on behalf of that group they have betrayed.

Dr. Ron Walters of the University of Maryland once stated that "the task of Black leadership is to provide the vision, resources, tactics, and strategies that facilitate the achievement of the objectives of Black people.

These objectives have been variously described as freedom, integration, equality, liberation, or defined in the terms of specific public policies. It is a role that often requires disturbing the peace. And we constantly carry on a dialogue about the fitness of various leaders and the qualities they bring to the table to fulfill this mission."

Substitute transgender for Black, and you have an analogy for what transgender leadership is striving to achieve in a nutshell. Criticizing people for not living up to those principles is NOT 'horizontal hostility' as some people call it, it is a critical dialogue needed to determine whether someone has the qualities necessary to lead.

It's time for sanity, clear thinking, reason and logic to reign once again for all parties not only in this ENDA debate, but all public policy debates in the United States, period.

Rep. Anthony Weiner's ENDA Floor Speech

TransGriot Note: A few days ago Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) took to the floor of the House to talk about ENDA. Since we don't have a transgender member of Congress (yet) to speak for us and refute the disinformation spewing out of the mouth of Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) and others, it was nice to see a congressmember take some time to speak FOR us.

Here's the text of his floor speech.

Rep. Weiner:
"Mr. Speaker and my colleagues, later on this week or perhaps early next week, this House will embark on the latest chapter in our Nation's history of extending the civil rights that all Americans should be entitled to one other group. We will be considering the Employment Nondiscrimination Act. It is an effort to make sure that people are not discriminated against in their workplace because of their sexual orientation, because of their gender identity. It is something that is intuitive to so many Americans, and, frankly, the overwhelming number of Americans. And it is an example of how sometimes we in this House lead on civil rights issues and sometimes we follow.

"In this case, it is a little bit of each. Under ENDA, we will be following to a large degree. Hundreds of companies, including virtually all of the Fortune 50 and Fortune 500 companies, already recognized fundamentally that it is good business to judge people by the quality of their work, their intellect, their drive, by what they bring to the business, not what their sexual orientation or gender identity is.

"Overwhelming numbers of companies, and not just companies that you would describe as being progressive, but companies from all across the political spectrum, financial services groups like American Express and J.P. Morgan and Lehman. You have companies like Clear Channel Communication, Coca-Cola, Nationwide Insurance, Nike, Microsoft. These are all companies that, when they write the contracts for their other workers, it is fundamental to them that there will be no discrimination based on someone's sexual orientation or gender identity.

"For these companies and for the 90 percent or so of American people that responded to a Gallup poll in 2007, employment nondiscrimination based on gender identity and based on sexual orientation is obvious; it is not even an innovation.

"But we are going to be leading in some important ways. There are still about 30 percent of people who respond to polls who are members of the lesbian, bisexual and transgender community who say that they experience discrimination at the workplace regularly. Some of them, 25 percent, say they experience it on a regular basis. Why should that be? Is that an American value? Is it an American value to say we should discriminate on someone based on the sense of who they love or how they express it? Of course not.

"So, for those men and women throughout all 50 States, we will be leading later on this week when we pass the Employment Nondiscrimination Act. But it is very important that we also realize that we are leading on another element to this discussion. There is an active discussion going on in this Chamber and elsewhere whether or not to include gender identity in the same category we include sexual orientation. I say unequivocally the answer is yes. There are people who every day experience discrimination because of their gender identity.

"Susan Stanton spent 14 years as the Largo, Florida city manager; 14 years, obviously doing a good job, rehired, reappointed. Susan was once Steve Stanton. When he started hormone therapy and planned to become a woman, was fired.

"Diane Schroer, 25 years of distinguished service in the Army as David. Recorded 450 parachute jumps, received the Defense Superior Service Medal, hand picked to lead a classified national security operation. Retired and was offered a job with a private homeland security consulting firm. The offer was rescinded when Schroer explained he was transgender and wanted to begin the job as a woman.

"But the question has come up: If we can't include gender identity in this bill, should we do anything at all? Should we take half a loaf.

"My colleagues, I think the answer is no. I think we cannot toss this element of an important civil rights coalition to the side. We have to make sure, particularly in the context of us doing what is largely symbolic, there is no sense that the Senate is going to act on this, and certainly no sense that the President of the United States and this administration is going to. Maybe what we should say is we are in this together.

"If we are going to make a symbolic stand, the symbolic stand should be let's pass a one House bill with only part of the protections. Let's let the symbolic message be that we are sticking together, that when we say `GLBT,' we mean it. And we should do something else. We should also make it very clear to those watching this discussion that we are not going to negotiate against ourselves. We are not going to say if we toss this element or that element off to the side, maybe we will be able to get what we need. There are some things that are immutable, some civil rights that are immutable. This is one of them.

"We are going to stick together and pass an inclusive ENDA, or we are going to come back again and do it right."

Tom Joyner's Father Passes Away

October 23, 2007
Hercules L. Joyner, 89, passed away Sunday in his Dallas home.
A native of Plant City, FL, Joyner is father of Tom Joyner, the nationally syndicated radio personality, and Albert Joyner, owner of McDonald’s franchises in Jackson, MS.

“I really appreciate all of the sympathy and prayers expressed by all of my close friends and my listeners,” Tom Joyner said. “Those that ever had the pleasure of meeting Pops know what an inspiring life he lived and what a proud man he always was. My family and I are thankful for all of your prayers.”

Known for his dry wit and gentle ways, ‘Pops’, as he was affectionately called by family and friends, graduated from Florida A&M College with as B.S. in Chemistry. While at Florida A&M, Joyner pledged with the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. and became an avid golfer. In later years, ‘The Herc’ Golf Tournament was named after him.

After he enrolled in the program to become a Tuskegee Airman, he decided to switch from a military career and instead became an accountant, later spending much of his career working for the Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Tuskegee.

Joyner was the only child of Dr. Oscar Albert and Ruth Griffin Joyner, and married the late Frances Dumas, a graduate of Tennessee State University.

To share his passion for black colleges, Joyner was an active member of the Tom Joyner Foundation, created by his son in 1998 with the sole mission to help keep students enrolled in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made on H.L. Joyner’s behalf to the Tom Joyner Foundation, P.O Box 630495, Irving, TX 75063.

Domino!

One of the things I miss about home is sitting down with a group of my friends and playing dominos.

Dominos is as much a part of African-American culture in Texas as strawberry soda, barbecue, football, and Juneteenth. I first learned how to play the game watching the seniors in my old Sunnyside area barbershop. They would be there for hours even after they'd gotten their hair cut playing and talking trash to each other.

My barber Charlene Washington taught me how to play. I wasn't in a hurry to go home after she cut my hair one hot summer afternoon and she needed a partner to help her whip up on some trash-talking old men. Once I figured out the rules and strategies involved after a while I became as lethal as she was.

The basics are that you play to 150 or 250 points and can play with up to 4 people.

The game starts after the dominos are shuffled and all players select seven dominos to make up their hand. The person holding the highest double domino starts the action. That domino becomes the 'spinner', the only one you can play on four sides. Every other subsequent play in the game you have to match one of the dominos on the open ends with play proceeding to the right.

If a person doesn't possess a domino that will match any of the open ends they are passed or as we called it 'knocking'. First player to get rid of all their dominos wins the hand and the process starts all over again until they reach the target score.

Scoring is done in multiples of 5 with the maximum for one play being 30 points if you're playing with a Double Six domino set.

I understand Latinos and peeps in the Caribbean are as crazy about the game as African-Americans are. Some have elaborate tables made specifically for playing the game with cupholders built into them to hold drinks.

During my freshman year at the University of Houston me and my running buddies discovered one day when we didn't have the funds to bowl that the UC had a set of dominos we could check out to play. For the next three years we got a group together on a regular basis and started playing dominos on our lunch periods, some early mornings before class and sometimes after class.

And what entertaining games they were. We took trash talking to a new level when we playing. It got so raucous sometimes that we had other UH students watching our antics.

Of course, you know yours truly and her friends would come up with creative monikers for our domino games. I called all-out scoring in which points were scored in escalating fashion up to the big 30 point play 'Run and Shoot dominoes' after Mouse Davis' high-powered high scoring football offense. 'Four corners dominoes' was what I called it when somebody tried to limit scoring and 'lock up' the hand.

When it was your turn to shuffle the dominoes for the next game it was called 'washing the dishes'. Sometimes one of my friends would mimic pouring dishwashing soap into the mix or make pithy comments after selecting their domino hand like 'I can see myself' after the Joy diswashing liquid commercial of the early 80's.

Even when we scored we had comments for it. A five point play was a 'nickel'. A ten point play was a 'dime'. A fifteen point play was greeted with the term 'three's please' or 'her name was Trina' and a twenty point play was 'four on the floor'.

I used to mimic James Brown when I scored 25 points and say,"Heyyyyyy, hit me five times." If we made someone pass, it was 'who's that knocking at my door?' If you scored repeatedly in five point increments you hear that player say "fish and bread keep po' men fed." If somebody laid out an obvious sucker play in order for their team to score bigger points, your partner would warn "all money ain't good money." There were also the naughty erotic references made as well.

There were people like Craig and Raymond Jolivette who liked to add to your embarrassment after a loss and make you sign the score sheet after they beat you. They would write, "I got my azz thoroughly kicked by Craig and Raymond at the bottom of the page and make you and your partner autograph it. Of course if they lost, they had to eat crow and do the same thing.

Raymond Jolivette was definitely the most entertaining one of our bunch. He graduated from Smiley High and arrived at UH in the fall of 1981. He earned the nickname of 'Smurf' from us because of his 5'5" height and after the popular cartoon of the time.

He took the nickname and ran with it. His 5'1" Black Filipina girlfriend Victoria was called 'Smurfette' by us and he was a fun person to be around. I'm still telling Raymond Jolivette stories to this day.

There was one game we were playing in which I made a boneheaded play that was not only going to result in me and my partner suffering a thirty point blow, but cost us the game as well. Raymond took the scoring domino out of his hand, went to the back wall of the UC pool room where we were playing, ran to our table hollering 'Banzai' all the way before slamming the domino onto the table to heighten my embarrassment.

Ah, those were the days.

Happy Birthday Hillary!

Today is the big 6-0 birthday for Senator Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton.

I'm willing to bet that when she blows out the candles on her cake later today her birthday wish is going to be getting inagurated president on January 20, 2009.



We can only hope and pray it's either her or somebody else with a 'D' behind their name on the ballot.

I'm The ENDA Bill

sung to the tune of 'I'm Just A Bill' from ABC's Schoolhouse Rock
Music & Original Lyrics by Dave Frishberg
Performed by Jack Sheldon, 1975



You sure gotta climb a lotta steps to get to this Capitol Building here in Washington. But I wonder who that sad little scrap of paper is?


I'm the ENDA bill
Yes I'm the ENDA Bill
And I'm sitting here on Capitol Hill



It's been a long hard road
To the capital city
HRC and some gays have been acting real shitty
But I know I'll be a law someday
Oh how and hope and pray that I will
But today I'm still the ENDA bill

Gee, bill, you certainly have a lot of patience and courage.

Well, I got this far. When I started, I wasn't even a bill - I was just an idea. Some folks back home decided they wanted a law passed, so they called their local congressman and he "You're right, there ought to be a law." Then he sat down and wrote me out and introduced me to Congress, and I became a bill. And I'll remain a bill until they decide to make me a law.


I'm the ENDA bill
Yes I'm the ENDA bill
And I got as far as Capitol Hill
I'm waiting for Congress and Barney Frank
To determine my fate
While gays and trannies
Fight, cuss and debate
Is gender identity in the bill today?
Oh how I hope and pray that it is
But today I'm still the ENDA bill


Listen to those congressmen arguing! Is all that discussion and debate about you?

Yes. I'm one of the lucky ones. Most bills never even get this far. I hope they decide to report on me favorably, otherwise I may die.
Die?
Yeah, die in committee.

Oooh! But it looks like I'm gonna live. Now I go to the House of Representatives and they vote on me.
If they vote "yes", what happens?
Then I go to the Senate and the whole thing starts all over again.
Oh no!
Oh yes!

I'm the ENDA bill
Yes I'm the ENDA bill
And if they vote for me on Capitol Hill
Well then it's off to the White House
Where I'll wait for some time
The fundies will tell Bush
"This ENDA one you don't sign"
No override I won't become a law
Oh how I hope and pray that I will
But today I'm still the ENDA bill

You mean even if the whole Congress says you should be a law, the President can still say no?

Yes, that's called a "veto". If the President vetoes me, I have to go back to Congress, and they vote on me again, and by that time it's...

By that time, it's very unlikely that you'll become a law. It's not easy to become a law, is it?

No, But how I hope and pray that I will
But today I'm still the ENDA bill

T’was the Night Before ENDA

Guest Post by Monica F. Helms
Based on the poem by Clement Clarke Moore

T’was the night before ENDA and all through the House
Not a Congress Critter was stirring, especially The Mouse.
Our prayers all hung on the votes that would appear,
In hopes that the Baldwin Amendment would soon be here.

The trans people were anxious, all snug in there beds,
While visions of employment danced in their heads.
And Air Monica in her ‘kerchief and I in my Navy cap.
None of us were ready for the upcoming slap.

When out of the House there arose such a clatter,
I sprang to my computer to see what was the matter.
Away to the MS Windows I flew like the Flash,
Tore open my Outlook and pulled up my stash.

The light from my screen looked like new-fallen snow
Gave a falsehood of hope from my E-mails below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
The death of ENDA from the Congress’ big queer.

This little old Rep was so vile that it stank,
I knew in a moment it must be Barney Frank.
More rapid than eagles his hate it came,
And he blustered, and shouted, and called us nasty names!

“Now Drag Queens! now, She-males! now, transvestites and such!
It was easy to tell he hated us so much.
The words he used showed contempt and disgust.
That removing us from ENDA to him was a must.

As dry leaves that before the California fires fly,
Frank burned down our hopes of jobs with a lie.
So up to the House his hate of us flew
With a folder of false facts, and Speaker Pelosi too.

And then, in a twinkle, I heard from the House
That Frank was skulking, just like a mouse.
The Baldwin Amendment he said they should pass
But, behind our backs, he was kicking our ass.

Dressed in Armani from his head to his toe,
He was the darling of rich gay men wherever he’d go.
A bundle of promises he had packed in his case,
With a sinister grin splashed across his face.


His eyes how evil! his voice how scary!
And when he was angry, he would explode like Carrie.
He would proclaim his superiority wherever he’d go,
And the hair on his head was as white as the snow.

His face would fume when he would grit his teeth,
And everyone he saw, he would give them grief.
He had a broad face and an overstuffed belly,
That shook when he screamed, like a bowlful of KY Jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right evil old elf,
And I had to laugh, because he’s so full of himself!
A squint of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had everything to dread.

He spoke a bunch of words, and went “straight” to work,
And took trans people out of ENDA, just like a jerk.
And sticking his middle finger up into the air,
He told 300 groups that he really didn’t care.

He sprang to his office, to HRC he gave a whistle,
And the way they all flew like a nuclear missile.
But I heard him scream, “ENDA is all mine!”
“And you ain’t even getting it in Two-Thousand and Nine!”




Monica F. Helms is the founding president of the Transgender American Veterans Association and the creator of the Transgender Pride flag. She was honored with an IFGE Trinity Award in 2003

I Got My Rights-Forget Y'all

One of the things that will make me go straight the hell off is when people utter the statement "I got my rights. I don't need to lobby nationally". I hear this far too often from many GLBT people who live in areas that have local or state protective laws. When you ask them to help us lobby on a national level, they'll look at you disdainfully and say, "Why?"

Why? Let me break it down to you why you peeps who are fortunate enough to live in areas where your rights are covered need to get off your asses and help the folks that don't.

While I reside in Louisville, which has a local GLBT protective law along with Lexington and Covington, other parts of the state don't. Henderson, KY passed one in 1999 but had it rescinded a year later when one of the members of the narrow 3-2 pro-GLBT rights majority on the Henderson city council retired. He was replaced by a member of the Forces of Intolerance which flipped the 3-2 majority to the anti-GLBT crowd.

In 2004 we had to pick ourselves up one month after a devastating defeat in the anti-marriage equality amendment battle and fight tooth and nail in Louisville just to keep our Fairness law on the books.

Every year in Frankfort we have to fight a bill a right-wing Republican state legislator is proposing that would take away a city's ability to enact civil rights law, reserve that power for the state level and ivalidate the inclusive laws we painstakingly passed at the city level.

And please don't send me any comments that say,"Why don't you move to (insert your inclusive city/state here), then you'll have rights?" Been there, done that.

As much as I like Louisville, it isn't home. Texas is my birth state, Houston is my hometown and my family's roots on my father's side in the Lone Star State predate the Civil War. But because my hometown only protects transgender employment for city employees, I made the reluctant decision to relocate.

But why should people have to move to get their rights? Transpeople live in other areas besides northern and southern California, the Northeast Corridor, the Pacific Northwest and Chicagoland. We have people that live in the reddest of red states, like it and no offense to you peeps that live there, have a variety of personal reasons why they would rather not live in Massachusetts or California.

So shouldn't they be able to live in the areas that appeal to them and have their constitutional rights protected and respected?

To get those rights, since hell will freeze over before some 'flyover country' state legislatures pass GLBT inclusive laws, the only alternative in the rest of the country is to have those rights codified at the federal level.

We need help. For example, you Californians have the largest Congressional delegation with 52 members, but we rarely see you, much less anyone west of the Mississippi River besides Texans, Arizonans or the occasional person from Colorado at national lobby days on a consistent basis.

It would be extremely helpful to the transgender rights cause if you Westerners helped your fellow transpeople east of the Mississippi and not only showed up for a Washington lobby day in force, but hit your local offices, meet with your congressmembers at local events, develop a relationship with them and call them up when we need you to. It's one thing for those of us who are participating in these lobby days to show up in these offices, but there's nothing that impresses a congressmember more than a constituent who took the time and made the effort, especially from Western states to come to DC to chat with the member about issues that concern them.

As a minority, you have to think nationally and globally. You have to be vigilant on aything that may remotely affect your civil rights. We African-Americans know all too well how fragile civil rights are in the face of determined opposition to gaining those rights. Everything affects you on one level or another even if it's not happening in your backyard. That's why people from as far away as California were part of the 40,000 people who showed up in Jena, LA for that September 20 protest.

John F. Kennedy once said in a nationally televised speech on civil rights in June 1963, "When we give rights to others, we expand rights for ourselves."

Think of it this way. By getting more involved in helping an inclusive federal ENDA to pass for example, you'll expand rights for yourselves. You'll have an extra layer of protection for the inevitable day that the Forces of Intolerance try to take away your local civil rights laws. You'll also be helping your brothers and sisters in conservative-dominated states enjoy the same rights you have.

Monica's Recipe For A Phenomenal Transwoman

3 cups of faith
2 cups of fortitude
1 cup of courage
1/2 cup of fashion sense
1 cup of divatude
2 cups of estrogen
1 cup of progesterone
1 cup of pride
3 cups of broad-based knowledge
2 cups of healthy self-esteem
1 cup of self-love
1 cup of sisterhood
1 cup of patience
A pinch of flava
Add surgical enhancement to individual taste

Sprinkle a sense of humor into the mixture and stir well. Yields one Phenomenal Transwoman when done.

This recipe does not use any self-hatred, shame and guilt, or silicone

Call For Transsexual Narratives

From Julia Serrano

I am currently working on a paper (which I plan to submit to a peer-reviewed psychology journal) that challenges psychologist Ray Blanchard’s causal theory of “autogynephilia” (which has recently gained attention via J. Michael Bailey’s book The Man Who Would be Queen). This theory posits that all transsexual women who are not exclusively attracted to men transition to female because we are sexually aroused by the idea of being or becoming women. Many trans women (including myself) find this theory to be flawed because it mistakenly confuses/conflates sexual orientation, gender expression, subconscious sex and sex embodiment, and it unnecessarily sexualizes the motives of countless trans women who transition to female for reasons other than sexual arousal.

To refute the assumption that lesbian/bisexual/“asexual” trans women are the *only* transsexuals who experience pre-transition fantasies about being/becoming their identified sex, I am hoping to collect applicable narratives from the following groups:

1) FTM transsexuals: narratives that discuss/describe any pre-transition sexual fantasies you may have experienced that primarily centered on you physically being or becoming male rather than on the physique of another person.

2) MTF transsexuals who are exclusively attracted to men: narratives that discuss/describe any pre-transition sexual fantasies you may have experienced that primarily centered on you physically being or becoming female rather than on the physique of another person.

To refute the assumption that “autogynephilic” fantasies *cause* transsexuality, I am hoping to collect applicable narratives from MTF transsexuals who are lesbian, bisexual or “asexual” in orientation and who:

1) were stereotypically feminine and girl-identified as young children and transitioned during late teens/early adulthood

2) never experienced pre-transition sexual fantasies that primarily centered on physically being or becoming female

3) did experience such fantasies, but only after consciously recognizing/realizing that you wanted to be female

4) regularly engaged in such fantasies pre-transition, but then experienced a sharp decline or a complete absence in those fantasies over time. (Note: if you fall into category #4, please include any reasons/explanations as to why such fantasies no longer arouse or appeal to you).

Narratives should briefly describe the pertinent details in 1 to 4 short paragraphs. There is no need to be overly graphic or detailed - just the basic facts will suffice. Please be sure to include the age at which you first became aware of your cross-gender identity/desire to be the other sex, and the age at which you first experienced such fantasies (if applicable). Narratives that are germane to the points I wish to make will be compiled onto a single webpage that will be used as supplemental data for my article. I can assure you that YOUR NAME AND CONTACT INFO WILL NOT BE PUBLISHED OR SHARED WITH ANYONE. Obviously, other people will be reading these narratives, so be sure to omit any unimportant info that you feel might place your anonymity in jeopardy (e.g., where you live or work, names of partners, etc.)

For those interested, please send your narrative to me at hi@juliaserano.com - be sure to paste the narrative into the body of the email (no attachments please). Along with the narrative, please include the following information:

1) whether you are an MTF or FTM transsexual
2) whether you are sexually oriented toward men, women, both or neither
3) a statement along the following lines: “I certify that all of the provided information is true to the best of my knowledge, and I give Julia Serano permission to permanently post this narrative on her website and to include and/or excerpt it in her forthcoming article.”

The purpose of my article is not to discount or discredit trans women who self-identify as autogynephilic, but rather to finally take into account the experiences of the many trans women for whom sexual arousal was not a primary motivation for transitioning. In other words, this study aims to clarify the psychological literature on this matter, not to distort it further. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that you be completely honest and open in the information you provide. If I have reason to suspect that any narrative I receive is fabricated, I will not include it.

Feel free to cross-post this call for narratives on any trans-focused websites/email lists at your discretion. It is also available on the web at this link: http://www.juliaserano.com/artifactualAG.html

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to email me at hi@juliaserano.com

Thanks in advance!
-julia

The Calm Before The Storm

We're 24 hours away from D-Day. The US House will be taking a vote on a bill tomorrow that will either be inclusive or be the first civil rights bill in history in which a wide majority of the people it's intended to help not only don't want it, but will leave out entire sections of the community.

While I can't predict which way the votes will go on the Baldwin Amendment and HR 3685 itself, I can say with certainty that the aftermath will be ugly not only for the GLB community but the transgender one as well.

And the sad thing about this mess is that it didn't have to happen. If Bush isn't going to sign ANY ENDA bill, then why wouldn't Rep. Frank leave HR 2015 alone?

Pehaps he and his like minded Mattachine transphobes feared the same thing I fear now about a non-inclusive ENDA passing. That Bush just to be contrary, will sign it anyway assuming it gets through the Senate.

I hope that some senator will see the wisdom of not leaving the transgender community out if the Baldwin Amendment fails and Frank's Folly passes the House without us in it.

Open Letter To The CBC

Dear Congressional Black Caucus,
When the 110th Congress was gaveled into session back in January it made history on many fronts. The members of the CBC for the first time would not only chair many subcommittees, but important committees such as Ways and Means and Judiciary.

An African-American would serve as the Majority Whip for the first time in a decade. It would even include not only its first representative from Minnesota, but that representative would be a Muslim as well. And the thing I am most proud of is that a CBC member of the Senate is not only running for president, but has a serious shot to win the Democratic party nomination for the job next year as well.

Yes, the CBC has come a long way since its founding in 1971 and it's not called the 'Conscience of the Congress' for nothing.

So as an African-American who happens to be transgender, I would like to appeal to that conscience and humbly ask why some members of the CBC aren't voting to expand civil rights to their fellow African-Americans who happen to be transgender.

I'm not naive to politics. I'm a student of history who is painfully aware of our tortured history in this country and how long it took civil rights for African-Americans to pass.

But I fail to understand why some CBC members are balking at expanding rights to people who desperately need them in the name of 'pragmatic politics'. There are over 300 organizations including the National Black Justice Coalition and the International Federation of Black Prides that support an inclusive ENDA.

I understand that the misguided ministers of the Hi Impact Leadership Coalition and others in Congress are placing tremendous pressure on some of you to vote NO not only on the Baldwin Amendment that would fix the problems in Rep. Barney Frank's HR 3685, but on HR 3685 as well.

But looking at our history, you can well understand why as an African-American transperson I'm imploring you to vote YES on the Baldwin Amendment and include people in this legislation that should have never been cut out of it in the first place.

Over 70% of the people listed on the Remembering our Dead List, which memorializes victims of anti-transgender violence are African-American or other people of color. Many of you were in Washington when Tyra Hunter was denied emergency medical treatment by an African-American EMT and subsequently at DC General that would have saved her life. The hate for transgender people is so palpable that several years ago Willie Houston, an African-American who was helping a man cross a Nashville street was shot and killed because he happened to be holding his wife's purse at the time.

I thank the CBC for standing tall on the hate crimes bill that passed the House May 3 and I and others expressed that sentiment to many of the CBC offices I was able to visit then. But what is more vitally important to transgender people like myself is having job protections.

It does me no good to have hate crimes protection if someone feels that they have a God given 'special right' to mess with my employment, fire me because I transitioned, or deny me or any person gay or straight a job we have the qualifications to do because we don't fit their impressions of how a man or woman is supposed to act, walk, talk or look.

I have already felt the sting of employment discrimination because I'm transgender. I need a roof over my head, food to eat, and clothes on my back. I have to earn money to pay for those necessities of life and that requires a job. Since medical care at the moment is tied up in gainful employment as well, an inclusive ENDA is a life or death issue to us.

The late Barbara Jordan, a fellow Texan, one of my heroes and a distinguished member of the Congressional Black Caucus once stated,

"One thing is clear to me: We, as human beings, must be willing to accept people who are different from ourselves."

As a transgender American of African descent that's all I and any other transperson is asking for. All we want is an expansion of the 'We, the People' in the Constitution to include us. All we are asking for is an opportunity to be able to use our talents to work and live our lives free of harassment. All we want is an equitable opportunity to do our part to help build our country. Because the Forces of Intolerance are arrayed against us now, we can't wait decades for a separate transgender-only ENDA to pass.

In short, we're asking for nothing more than you would want for yourselves or your children: First-class citizenship.

Whether we get that will be determined in large part by the actions of the Democratic Party and the members of 'the Conscience of the Congress.'

Since the CBC's founding you have never failed to lead on civil rights issues before. Please don't let failing to expand civil rights protection for transgender Americans become the first stain on that impressive and morally principled record.

Sincerely yours,
Monica Roberts
2006 IFGE Trinity Award Winner

The Chicago Trip

Hey TransGriot readers,
Finally woke up after getting into Louisville at 2 AM EDT from our trip to Chicago for the Remenyck Open fencing tournament. To be precise, we were in Evanston, IL on the picturesque Northwestern University campus.

AC, Dawn amd I were in a familiar position. We're climbing into some kind of vehicle and about to roll on an interstate highway. With the tune of the Blues Brothers version of Sweet Home Chicago dancing in my head, we shoved off at 8:15 AM EDT and headed north on I-65 for the 5 hour trip to Chicago.

The picturesque section of I-65 between Louisville and Indy I've done numerous times since I've moved up here and I love the scenery. For you shoppers, there are outlet malls on this stretch as well. I've even been to the IU-Bloomington campus, but this was the first time I was going to be travelling the section between Indianapolis and Chicago and I was excited about it. I have relatives in Gary and Chicago as well, but since the purpose of this day trip was to be part of Dawn's cheering section, I wasn't going to have enough time to visit them.

I also contacted blogger Jackie to let her know I was going to be in town, but her mom's been ill and she's been spending long hours visiting her at the hospital. Give your mom a hug for me and let her know I'll be saying a prayer or two for her to get well soon. ;)

We were originally planning on driving through Circle City, but after getting within range of the Indy metro area and discovering there was going to be construction on the Kenneth 'Babyface' Edmonds Highway, (yes peeps, in 1999 the 25 miles of I-65 through Indy was named for the Indianapolis native) we decided to hit the I-465 loop around the west side of Indy past the airport and pick up I-65 on the northwest side of town.

By the way, Vivica A. Fox is from Indy as well. What freeway are y'all gonna name for her? There's also a push by David Letterman fans to get the entire 60 mile I-465 loop officially named for him as well. The freeway is unofficially called by people in Indy the DLX or the David Letterman Bypass.

After a stop in West Lafayette, IN for breakfast, we resumed rolling toward Chicagoland through the flat plains of northwest Indiana and the farms dotting the landscape for miles. We jetted through the Merrillville suburbs and past the industrial blue-collar grit of Gary and Hammond to eventually cross over into Illinois via the Chicago Skyway.

We were within a few minutes of our final destination when we ran into (what else) bumper-to-bumper downtown area traffic on the Dan Ryan Expressway. I call it from my numerous visits to Chicago the 'Damned Ryan'. We shifted gears and decided to get off the Dan Ryan and use Lake Shore Drive to get to the NU campus. This was also my first visit in the Chicago area since 1989, and as I stared out the window on a cloud-free and sunny 72 degree fall day I marveled at all the changes in Chicago since my last visit.

Eventually we arrived at the SPAC, as NU students refer to the Henry Crown Sports Pavilion around 1:15 PM Chicago time. AC and I had another solemn duty to perform before we could sit back and watch Dawn fence, so as she grabbed her equipment out of the hatch and hustled inside to check in for the tournament, we took off to perform that task.

Before AC's parents died, they expressed their wishes to be cremated and have their ashes scattered over Lake Michigan in Chicago, the city where his parents met. After saying a prayer and fulfilling that last request we headed back to the SPAC to take in some fencing action.

Dawn was warming up with her old LFC fencing partner Victoria Harris, AKA 'The Shark' when we returned. Tori's called 'The Shark' by her former LFC teammates because of her sly, toothy smile and her aggressive attacking fencing style that belies her diminutive size and shy personality. Tori and her parents moved to Chicago a few months ago and she was thrilled to see Dawn and a few of her old LFC teammates at this tournament.

Dawn went 2-3 in her pool matches and advanced into the Direct Eliminations, but lost a close 15-13 decision to eliminate her from the tournament. After hanging around to watch the finals, we rolled into a Giordano's in Morton Grove to grab some deep dish pizza and buy one to take back to Da Ville.

On our way to the Tri-State Tollway, we rolled through a section of Hillary Clinton's hometown of Park Ridge. That triggered a lengthy political discussion amongst us as we entered the Tri-State and began the journey home.

Hey, that's what happens when two of your best friends have political science degrees. ;)

While AC and I were disappointed for her that she didn't advance further into this tournament, she told us on the way back that she had fun and was actually pleased with her performance. She pointed out this was an 'A' rated tournament, that she won two matches in pools and lost the other three by 5-4 scores. Her ultimate goal was being ready for her first veterans division fencing tournament coming up in Richmond, VA on December 7.

She's recovering nicely from the ankle injury she sustained at last year's Nationals in Memphis and is counting the days until she steps on the fencing strip again. I'm just looking forward to the next time I can ride the interstates with my road dawgs.

Goin' To Chicago

Hey TransGriot readers,
Goin' to Chicago for the day to watch Dawn fence in a major tournament up there. Will tell y'all about it when I return.

I'll save some deep dish pizza for ya. ;)

The 1965 Dewey's Lunch Counter Sit-In

photo's Raleigh, NC sit in, Dr. Susan Stryker

The faith-based homophobes in our community continue to utter as they oppose our inevitable inclusion at the African-American family table the lie that we African-American GLBT people didn't take part in the 60's Civil Rights Movement.

Au contraire, my misguided friends.

The logistics of the 1963 March on Washington were planned by a gay man you may have heard of named Bayard Rustin. According to the late Coretta Scott King, gays and lesbians took part in many civil rights campaigns across the Deep South.

Thanks to Dr. Susan Stryker and Marc Stein's 2000 book City of Sisterly and Brotherly Loves: Lesbian and Gay Philadelphia 1945-1972 ,we now have knowledge of another instance in which GLBT African-Americans stood up for their rights.

In April-May 1965 sit-ins took place at a Philadelphia diner called Dewey's Lunch Counter. The interesting twist about this protest is that it involved African-American gay and transgender people. It's probably the first documented instance of people protesting over anti-transgender discrimination.

Dewey's Lunch Counter was a popular downtown hangout spot for GLBT peeps. Citing the claim that gay customers were driving away other business, they began refusing to serve young patrons dressed in what they called 'non-conformist clothing.'

On April 25 more than 150 kids in 'non-conformist clothing' showed up at Dewey's in protest and were turned away by Dewey's management. Three teenagers (two male, one female) refused to leave after being denied service. They were arrested along with a gay activist who advised them of their legal rights, were charged and later found guilty of misdemeanor disorderly conduct.

Over the next week members of the Philadelphia GLBT community and Dewey's patrons set up an informational picket line outside the establishment decrying the treatment of the transgender youth.

On May 2 another sit in was staged. Police were called, but this time there were no arrests. Dewey's management then backed down and promised 'an immediate cessation of all indiscriminate denials of service.'

The Janus Society, the main gay and lesbian advocacy organization at the time, said this in celebration of the Dewey's events in its newsletter.

'All too often there is a tendency to be concerned with the rights of homosexuals as long as they somehow appear to be heterosexual, whatever that is. The masculine woman and the feminine man are looked down upon...but the Janus Society is concerned with the worth of the individual and the manner in which she or he comports himself. What is offensive today we have seen become the style of tomorrow, and even if what is offensive today remains offensive to some persons tomorrow, there is no reason to penalize non-conformist behaviour unless their is direct anti-social behaviour connected with it.'

As a person who has been involved for a decade in the struggle for transgender rights, it is deeply gratifying to know that African-American transgender activism isn't a new phenomenon. I'm estatic to discover another nugget of my African-American transgender history. I'm gratified to know that I'm a link in a chain that will eventually expand the 'We The People' in the constitution to include transgender ones as well.

Trans-less ENDA Moves To House Vote

by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: October 18, 2007 - 12:40 pm ET

(Washington) The revised Employment Non-Discrimination Act which would protect gays and lesbians from discrimination in the workplace, but with references to gender identity removed, is headed to a vote on the House floor following approval Thursday in committee.

The House Education and Labor Committee voted 27 - 21 to mark up the legislation, sending it to a full vote in the House.

A number of Democrats on the committee attempted to reinsert gender identity without success. Several of them refused to vote in favor of marking up the bill as it stands - among them presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich.

GOP attempts to weaken the bill also failed.

Protections for transsexuals were removed by the bill's author, Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), after it became apparent there were enough votes to pass ENDA only with gender identity.

The decision, however, has divided the LGBT community.

When the revised bill reaches the floor of the House, Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) will introduce an amendment that would add trans protections.

Baldwin said Wednesday that she has secured an agreement from the Democratic leadership to introduce the amendment.

Frank's decision to strip ENDA of gender identity was seen by some as a "necessary evil" in order to get any LGBT measure passed. But more than 300 community groups - including National Stonewall Democrats - opposed it.

As opposition mounted a number of organizations met last Friday with Speaker Nancy Pelosi who gave assurances that once ENDA becomes law and as soon as there is enough support for amendments adding back in the protections for transsexuals that version would also be presented.

HRC called the the process less than ideal but acceptable. It was rejected outright by the other major LGBT rights groups.

Baldwin's proposal appears to be acceptable, however, to those groups who formed an umbrella organization called United ENDA. Observers say the amendment is unlikely to pass.

Republicans and some Democrats say they will attempt to kill all of ENDA using a manuever to send it back to committee where it would most likely languish and die in the current session.

NBJC Response to ENDA Controversy

From the desk of H. Alexander Robinson, NBJC CEO
October 5, 2007

As an African American organization we are acutely aware of the compromises and incremental steps that were necessary to realize civil rights for African Americans and that the endeavor to assure racial justice for all Americans continues.

As defenders of the proposed two-bill strategy have noted, advocates for the rights of women, people of color and people with disabilities have had to accept incremental progress towards equality.

African Americans were forced to wait for voting rights, we waited for housing rights. But the rights that were extended were extended to everyone, not just African Americans, but all Americans.

At every step in their march toward civil rights African Americans, women and people with disabilities were called upon to examine their goals and decide the risk and benefits of decisions to compromise or take the stand "this far and no further." The LGBT movement is facing that moment today.

A transgender-inclusive ENDA is already a compromise. It extends employment protections, but does not cover housing, or public accommodations, or credit. In 1996 this compromise was suppose to move us quickly to passage of employment protections for gay Americans. Instead a decade later the promise is unfulfilled and the compromise is the high water mark.

As an LGBT organization it is unconscionable to think that we would support cutting transgender protections out of ENDA. Our fate and the fate of transgendered Americans are inextricably entwined. The risk we take if we abandon our friends and families for the illusory promise of incremental progress is too great, the price too high.

Discrimination is wrong and if we hope to garner the respect and support of our allies and our opponents we must act to keep our family whole. United we can see victory—divided we lose our moral authority and take a step back from our principled stand against injustice and discrimination.

Now is not the time to retreat, compromise or capitulate. Now is the time to educate, advocate and make it known justice must be for everyone for without it there can be lasting justice for anyone.


-----------------------------



About the Coalition

The National Black Justice Coalition is a civil rights organization dedicated to empowering Black same-gender-loving, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people. The Coalition works with our communities and our allies for social justice, equality, and an end to racism and homophobia.

The National Black Justice Coalition envisions a world where all people are fully empowered to participate safely, openly, and honestly in family, faith and community, regardless of race, gender-identity or sexual orientation.

Ebony Lane

crossposted from Jasmyne Cannick's blog
by Jasmyne Cannick

“Pride means being myself. I am proud and happy of who I am,” ----Ebony Lane.

For over 20 years, Ebony Lane has been a staple in Los Angeles’ Crenshaw District. Known for her impeccable fashion, Ebony has been sharing her sense style with women at the Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw Plaza in the heart of the African-American community for over a decade.

Ebony Lane is one of the principals behind “Color Me Beautiful,” a kiosk in the Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw Plaza located in front of Radio Shack on the first floor that features the Patti Labelle make-up and perfume line. On just about any day of the week, it’s here that you can find Ebony with a line of customers waiting to get their eyebrows arched or face made up. Ebony’s customers are faithful. They don’t want any of the other employees to work on them, they come specifically to see Ebony.

But Ebony wasn’t always the woman she is today. Ebony was born José Brown.

Originally from Panama, José came America with his family when he was just 8 years old and in his late 30s José decided that it was time that his inside feelings should match his exterior and became Ebony Lane.

Fluent in both English and Spanish, Ebony says that when she was José, she would always get teased for being gay but that when she made the switch to Ebony that all stopped.

“A lot of my friends had to leave the community they grew up in when they decided to live their life as a women, but I was a part of this community as José and I still am a part of the community, just as Ebony.”

Known in the community for doing flawless make-up, Ebony Lane is one of the most sought after drag performers in the country. In addition to working at the mall, Ebony takes the time to host balls, events where several times a month, predominantly Black and Latino gay social groups (called houses) get together and compete in a variety of categories. Today’s balls have been traced to the Harlem Renaissance in the 20's where in the midst of the flourishing Black nightlife and culture, the underground lesbian and gay experience was usually celebrated at lavish and grand costume balls, where men were often dressed as women, and vice-versa.

“I throw balls because at 55 years old, I have seen and been through a lot, some good, some bad,” commented Ebony. “If I can do anything to develop a sense of pride in young Black gay men so that they can lead healthy lives and realize that they can be and do anything they want, then I am going to do it.”

Besides working and performing, Ebony is married and is currently raising two adopted children with her husband. In addition, she attends Unity Fellowship Church, a Black church known for being accepting of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.

“I found a church where I am accepted for me and am not being watched and ridiculed and for me, that is priceless.”

Ebony will be celebrating her 56th birthday on October 12, 2007.

The 2002 NTAC CBC Initiative Meeting Notes

TransGriot Notes: Just in case anyone wants to question whether the meeting happened, as the 'okey-doke' crowd in the transgender community tends to do, here's Exhibit A

------------------------------------------------------

These are the notes from a July 2002 meeting which took place in Atlanta with Rep. Cynthia McKinney.

Pay very close attention to the end of these meeting notes
Dawn
-------------------------------------------------------

Present at meeting: Congressman Cynthia McKinney, Sue and Bruce Nelson (PFLAG), Monica Helms, Dana Owings, Dawn Wilson, Monica Roberts, AC.

Meeting began 3PM 7-13-02

MH. Made intros. We are here to discuss T-inclusion in ENDA, or as part of a stand-alone bill

S&BN: We are members of PFLAG's Atlanta Chapter Board, and are representing PFLAG in support of this effort. PFLAG believes that T people deserve employment rights. We are not sure if ENDA is the mechanism that is needed, but we support the concept.

They questioned whether enough education on T matters had been done.

DO: I work for IBM, with a diversity program including GLB but not T as of yet. Protection for T people goes beyond TG people; it includes people who may not present in a traditionally feminine or masculine way. (HIT!)

DJW: People of color make the same stereotypes from pulpits with the
same prejudices

DO: We have a body of well-trained skilled people who have been let go from jobs for transitioning; people have also been let go for simply not presenting as "masculine enough" as men, and women for having short hair, mannish clothing, choosing to not wear makeup, etc. (the case of the New York hairdresser)

McKinney: Of late, the Capitol Hill police have been accused of discriminating against African-American employees for wearing their hair in a natural Afro style? This seems to be similar discrimination.

DO: We are asking for broad protections, mostly aimed at gender presentation, but yes, this should also be protected.

DJW: Discrimination is practiced disproportionately against African-Americans to begin with, and gender identity adds to and feeds the problem. I have faced prejudice since birth, but Caucasians who transition are suddenly slapped in the face with it, and don't know how to deal with it. (reference to www.rememberingourdead.com). On this website, people who are killed because of their gender identity are listed. A disproportionately large number on this list are
people of color and Hispanic.

MH: 235 names on this list, with 11 added in 2002.

McKinney: Were the assailants charged under hate crimes statutes, either state or Federal?

MR: In Texas, where I am from, T people were excluded from hate crimes legislation, and it creates a major loophole that the defense counsel for someone charged with a hate crime could use to win acquittal or a lighter sentence. In particular, that attorney could state that his client assaulted the victim not because of their
sexual orientation, but because of their gender presentation, and the hate crimes law would not apply, even if the victim were simply an effeminate male or mannish female.

DJW: You may be familiar with the case of Tyra Hunter, who died in DC because, following an auto accident, EMTs made fun of her gender status instead of rendering the emergency care they were paid to deliver. This is an example of the prejudice we transpeople of color face.

MH: On the ROD list, only 20% of those killed have had assailants convicted, and only 3 have received life imprisonment or capital punishment.

DJW: Many of the people on the ROD list were street workers; many of them ended up working the streets for money because of employment discrimination. We want to get to the cause of the problem first, not place band-aids on it. HRC does not wish to help us.

DJW: That is why we are asking if you could draft and distribute a `dear Colleague' letter, requesting a chance to educate the members of the CBC on the issues of trans people, particularly transgender people of color. We would also like a chance to do an educational session with the leaders of the NAACP and Southern Christian
Leadership Conference (SCLC). I am a professional lobbyist, former Senatorial aide for Senator McConnell, and an account executive by trade. Despite the fact that I hold responsible employment, I am deeply concerned about our young transpeople of color,and unwilling to wait longer for our inclusion.

MH: I also work with street youth, in the Atlanta area, and most of them are on the streets because of discrimination.

DJW: HIV and other STDs are rampant among the street workers. The streets are the only alternative, if someone cannot find work due to discrimination.

McKinney: Homophobia is rampant in the POC community. I am presently supporting Rev. Ken Samuels of the Victory Baptist Church in Atlanta, as he has been openly protested by members of fundamentalist white congregations and vilified by other fundamentalist clergy for his affirming stance on GLBT issues. They did not show up when I attended services at Victory, but I still support him.

DJW: I also belong to, and have been ordained by, an open and affirming denomination, the Disciples of Christ. Rev. Alvin Davis, in Atlanta, should know of Rev. Samuels, and I will contact him and obtain his support.

McKinney: I discovered Rev. Samuels' problem on the Queer Atlanta listserv, which I belong to. Lamont Evans posted to it….

DJW: Oh, he knows my friend Duncan Teague (everyone knew Duncan,including the Congressman). We will arrange some community support for Rev. Samuels.

DO: Some individual churches are open and affirming, and some are not.

McKinney: Has a dialogue been attempted with clergy?

MR: That is why we would like to become involved with SCLC

DJW: Religion is still vital to the African-American community, it is the center of it. Everyone needs something to believe in, and the racist and homophobic statements of Falwell and his friends have given Christianity a bad name in the T community.

DO: We know that our struggle for civil rights parallels that of African-Americans, and to a lesser extent Hispanics and Asians. It is our outward appearance that causes the discrimination.

MH: State Bill HB941 is pending in Georgia's legislature. It covers employment and housing rights, and includes gender in its language. It would not be a surprise if it passes before the Federal ENDA.

DO: 46 cities have protections in place for employment rights, and it is now 10% of the US population. Cities include New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Seattle, New Orleans, Louisville, Houston, Lexington, and San Francisco.

MR: One clarification: Houston's protection only covers city employees.

DJW: Barney Frank's problem with T inclusion remains the bathroom issue, yet these cities have solved that, proving that it can be done.

McKinney: So, why is gaining GLB support for T rights so difficult?

DO: They need more education on T issues, they have some common ground, but sexual orientation is not an appearance issue, like T is.

MH: Dana and I recently attended an HRC town hall here in Atlanta, and much of the discussion focused on T inclusion in ENDA. I was asked to join the panel. We have worked to educate HRC's members at dinners and town halls across the country.

DJW: We work to educate college faculty and students, and have been involved with conferences for young people, who in turn change the minds of the older folks in the movement.

McKinney: Did HRC's nonsupport of T inclusion in ENDA predate Elizabeth Birch?

DJW. No, it did not, it dated to 1995. Birch clearly is hired help,hired to deliver a message from HRC's board, although one she probably agrees with.

DO: There is talk that some HRC board members do support us, but we have no way to know which ones do not, and they are not willing to tell us who.

McKinney: Have you considered having a rich T person buy their way onto HRC's board?

DJW. Unemployment is the problem in our community, and few have the funds to do this. Why should we have to buy our civil rights?

MH: One weapon we have against HRC is a survey they funded in NC, that shows that a majority of the GLB community there sees a greater need for rights for T people than for rights for GLB people.

DO: Many Fortune 500 companies support rights for GLB people, and a growing number also add T to that.

McKinney: How much money would it take to get on HRC's board?

DJW: It takes about $50K in donations raised. Most T people are using their funds for the costs of transition, and don't have access to this type of money. That is why we wish to bypass HRC.

McKinney: Who are the main 501c3 orgs who are doing T advocacy in Georgia, Atlanta, and DeKalb County?

MH: There isn't one yet. Georgia Equality is T-inclusive. Trans-Action isn't incorporated.

McKinney: I want to find a 501c3 that we can help obtain funding to work with T youth.

DJW: It would be nice to be able to set up a training so that people in the T community could learn how to obtain grants. In particular, I would see a grant program set up for T students.

DO: Many T activists regularly do presentations before college groups.

McKinney: Gender Inc. doesn't have 501c3 status, do they?

MH: Would a national 501c3 be adequate for the purpose?

McKinney: Yes.

MH. NTAC has 501c4, rather than c3, status.

McKinney: We regularly help 501c3 organizations get started with grants by sponsoring workshops. Rhonda, in my office (intro's Rhonda), is my staff expert on nonprofit organizations, and she regularly helps groups apply for and obtain grants.

Here's what I will do for you: I will try to get a meeting set up for you with Marty King (Martin Luther King III) at the SCLC – I don't think that will be difficult. I will also try to set up a meeting with NAACP's staff – it is difficult to meet with Kweisi Mfume. I also am formally inviting you to Washington for CBC weekend September 11, and I will see that you get to address the CBC at once.

The NTAC 2002 CBC Initiative

You'll notice if you peruse my TransGriot blog that I don't post ANYTHING from NCTE. Contrary to what some people might think, it's not because I was a founding member of NTAC.

Let me take you back in time to July 2002. One of the keys in the political strategy I worked out with the rest of the NTACers during my term as Lobbying Chair is about to happen.

AC gets a call from Monica Helms informing him that she's secured a meeting with then Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) and wants me and Dawn Wilson to be a part of it. She told us she needs the assist and wanted me and Dawn in that room to ask the questions that needed to be asked on behalf of our community.

Rep. McKinney at the time was fighting a major primary battle with Denise Majette to keep her seat. She'd been targeted by the GOP right wingers after she questioned in a televised committee hearing the faulty intelligence that would later be used as the pretext for jumping off the war in Iraq. Despite being in a tough campaign that she eventually lost due to massive Republican crossover voting in the district for Majette, she took time out of her busy schedule to meet with us.

So on July 13, the three of us, after driving six hours from Louisville, met with Monica Helms and Dana Owings outside of McKinney's office in Decatur, GA on a hot summer Georgia afternoon.

During a meeting that lasted several hours, we presented the transgender community's case. Rep. McKinney was very familiar with our struggles with HRC and the GLB community. As the meeting came to a close Dawn and I ended up with invitations to the approaching Congressional Black Caucus ALC (Annual Legislative Conference) in Washington DC. The major purpose of me and Dawn's trip was going to be teaching Transgender 101 to CBC congressmembers.

Being that we were only a few months from the 2002 midterm elections, and the ALC was happening in late September, one of the provisos for our invite was that we keep it secret until after the event concluded.

The meeting concludes on a high note, we go back to Marietta to do the post mortem debriefing, cross check our notes, and we go back to Louisville to begin working on the most important Transgender 101 presentation in U.S. history.

But that Power Point presentation Dawn and I created for that Transgender 101 session is still on my computer because a Caucasian transgender leader leaked the details to her paymasters at HRC.

Once those details got leaked, HRC lobbyists barged into CBC offices demanding to know why the trannies got an opportunity to make that type of presentation and the CBC had shied away from allowing them to do the same thing. The CBC offices were pissed at the HRC lobbyist's arrogance, and told them in no uncertain terms that THEY would decide who they talked to as the elected representatives for African-Americans.

Dawn and I got a shocking phone call a few hours later that our CBC presentation had been cancelled. I spent the next hour after hanging up the phone crying about it because I knew what the cancellation meant.

More of my people would die and our push for transgender civil rights would be delayed once again.

Once my tears dried, I began to get angry as I began to piece together the details of what happened and who leaked the info that killed the transgender community's best chance to wean itself from dependence on the gay community and HRC's control.

A few weeks later I got my answer. The Caucasian transleader who leaked the details of that meeting to HRC announces the formation of NCTE.

She also bragged at a transgender community event about being responsible for torpedoing the NTAC CBC Initiative. She's quoted as saying to another person at that transgender community event, "I'm glad we stopped those uppity n-----s".

At that point that's when I decided to concentrate on building up the African-American transgender community and get out of the backstabbing, amoral, double-dealing, selfish infighting that permeates the white-dominated culture of transgender politics.

It's a self-imposed exile that I didn't end until I picked up my Trinity award in April 2006.

So why am I pissed at this person? It's not the fact that a lot of work went into putting together the presentation that would never be seen. It's the fact that the ALC is a must-attend event for any African-American activist. Everyone from African-American politicians at the state, federal and local level attend this event and its seminars are led by CBC members. African-American activists, athletes, African-American Hollywood stars and recording artists are also in attendance at the ALC.

And Dawn and I would have been in position to interface with all of these people.

We also had meetings set up to talk to other power brokers within the African-American community during that ALC event that not only would have opened the door to the transgender community having more powerful friends to keep HRC in check, but would have possibly opened the door to funding sources outside the control of the gay community.

This would have made the Hi Impact Leadership Coalition's job driving a wedge in the CBC much harder because we would have already done the educating THREE years before the founding of this organization and possibly had working relationships set up and in place to ward off the strong-arm twisting that Barney's been doing.

But that died because of a certain transperson's racism, jealousy, ambition and greed. She sold out my people to get her organization up and running.

So if you wonder why I can't stand being in the same room with this person, now you know.

And I'm left wondering as I stare from time to time at the Power Point presentation that Dawn and I compiled a few years ago what would have happened if we'd actually had a chance to deliver it.

2007 Miss Amazing Philippine Beauty Pageant

Competition is now underway at a hotel just outside Manila for the fifth annual Miss Amazing Philippine Beauty pageant.





The transwomen-only pageant kicked off with a press conference on October 2. The weeklong competition commenced October 12 at a hotel in Pasay City with 24 contestants vying to be selected as the most beautiful transwoman in the Philippines. The 2007 Miss Amazing Philippines pageant winner will be crowned on October 19.

The Phillipines, like most of Asia has always been wild about beauty pageants and this all-transgender one has steadily been growing in popularity. Last year's pageant drew 28 contestants and the winner, Patricia Montecarlo, went on to compete in the Miss International Queen pageant in Pattaya, Thailand. She finished first runner up to my fellow Texan Erica Andrews, who was representing Mexico.







This year's Miss International Queen Pageant will take place November 9-10 once again at the Tiffany's Show Lounge in Pattaya, Thailand. If you happen to be travelling in that part of the world at that time you may want to check it out. If you can't get to Pattaya, the pageant will be televised live on Thai television.





Which one of the 24 ladies competing will be this year's winner? We'll know for sure on the 19th.

TAVA Press Release on ENDA

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act
From: Monica F. Helms, President and Co-Founder
president@tavausa.org
Transgender American Veterans Association (TAVA)
www.tavausa.org
October 13, 2007

There has never been a moment in the five-year history of this organization where we had to step forward and put our very existence on the line. The events of the last three weeks have changed all of that.

As a 501 (c)3 organization that specifically focuses on veterans’ issues, we are not allowed to be “political.” Some people may say that supporting a fully-inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act and opposing any bill that excludes transgender people maybe consider “political.” The Board of TAVA disagrees. We see this as a matter of survival for the transgender community and TAVA will do what we can to fight for that survival.

History has shown us that since this country has begun, transgender people have fought in every war this country had. Some crossed gender lines so they could fight for this country, and others cross gender lines after they fought in various wars. No matter what, they were proud of their service our nation.

“Honor, duty and country.” Everyone who has served America proudly understands these words all too well. However, we are now witnessing people who have no honor, show only the duty to serve themselves and envision a country where their needs are met over everyone else’s. As veterans, this saddens us greatly.

There are estimated to be three million Americans who happen to be transgender people, with 300,000 of them being veterans. Many of them are without jobs and are living on welfare. Some, who retired from the military are surviving on their retirement check that comes once a month, but that hardly pays for much in this day and age.

The Transgender American Veterans Association implores all who read this that on Monday, October 15 to start calling the Democratic Party members of the House Education and Labor Committee. You can find them at: http://edlabor.house.gov/about/members.shtml. Ask them to send only a fully-inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act (HR-2015) to the House floor for a vote in Thursday instead of the flawed version, HR-3685 (Frank's Folly). That version will not only leave out Transgender Americans, but many others who do not confirm to society’s gender norms, regardless of their sexual orientation.

We especially would like to see all veterans, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, contact the House Education and Labor Committee to help save those veterans who may have saved your life in the heat of combat. We put our lives on the line to give time to this country. Now, we ask you to put time on the line to save our lives. TAVA thanks you.


***

Founded in 2003, the Transgender American Veterans Association (TAVA) is a 501 (c) 3 organization that acts proactively with other concerned civil rights and human rights organizations to ensure that transgender veterans will receive appropriate care for their medical conditions in accordance with the Veterans Health Administration’s Customer Service Standards promise to “treat you with courtesy and dignity . . . as the first class citizen that you are.”

Further, TAVA will help in educating the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) on issues regarding fair and equal treatment of transgender individuals. Also, TAVA will help the general transgender community when deemed appropriate and within the IRS guidelines.

Your GLB Movement Is NOT Like Mine

As much as I despise Bishop Harry Jackson and his like minded band of homobigots in the Hi Impact Leadership Coalition, it pains me to say it, but I now agree with them on one argument that they've been making over the last few years.

Your GLB movement is NOT like mine.



I know the late Coretta Scott King said otherwise a few years before her death, but the reprehensible actions of Rep. Barney Frank and HRC have stripped whatever tenous claims to the moral high ground the GLB movement once had.

So from now on I don't wanna hear or see ANY GLB leader try to claim that 'they' are the heirs of the 60's Civil Rights movement.

The GLB movement has taken off its cloak and revealed its true nature. It is a movement for straight-acting white gay men and women only and screw 'errbody' else.

Yeah, they want rights. They want rights for themselves only. And just like some of their misguided straight white male and female brethren some GLB people want the 'special right' to discriminate against someone to make themselves feel superior.

If you really were an inclusive, morally upright movement, you would have never thrown transgender people out of it or treated us like unwanted stepchildren.

The 60's civil rights movement wasn't an 'incremental movement', so you can drop that spin line right now. Even if they had to take 'half a loaf' as they did with the 1957 Civil Rights Act (which by the way was just as controversial back in the day as the current furor over Frank's Folly), they made sure that no one was left out and that whatever compromises were made put them in a better position to get what we African-Americans needed the next time.

This is the first civil rights movement in history that has not only cut people out, but doesn't even want to pass legislation that will help all of the people in their OWN group.

So a memo to you GLB peeps who agree with Barney. Until you've waited 246 years to get your rights, start working to craft and pass legislation that considers other people worse off than you and make them an equal partner in writing that legislation, please refrain from comparing your selfish civil rights push to mine.

Dear Oprah

Dear Oprah,
While many of us in the transgender community are estatic that you have finally turned your formidable media spotlight on the transgender community and given some of our issues some attention, there's one thing that bothers me and many of your African-American transgender fans and our supporters.

Many African-American transpeople over the years have e-mailed and written letters humbly asking for a chance to tell our stories on your stage. We've been told by your staffers in reply that your show wasn't interested in doing transgender topics.

So now that you are doing these shows, the folks that need the airtime most desperately, your African-American transgender brothers and sisters feel hurt and left out.

White transpeople have had the attention of the United States media ever since Christine Jorgenson stepped off the plane from Denmark in 1953. The media face of transgender people over the last fifty years has overwhelmingly been a white one.

Even African-American publications such as Jet, Ebony, or ESSENCE rarely cover our issues. That has led to a knowledge vacuum that combined with negative preaching from the pulpits has opened many of us up to anti-transgender violence, discrimination and hatred in our own community. About 70 percent of the people on the Remembering our Dead list that memorializes victims of anti-transgender violence are disproportionately African-American and other people of color.

There are too many times that African-American transpeople's images have been tied to the adult entertainment industry, female illusionists and shows like Jerry Springer. There are far more African-American transpeople that like myself have college educations, good jobs, are proud of our heritage, have families who love them, and want to do our part to uplift our society.

But you'd never know that based on the media coverage that African-American transpeople get.

I was approached by Jerry Springer's people back in 1998 to appear on their show and turned them down. As someone who is considered an award winning leader in this community, as you can tell I'm greatly concerned about our image. I personally will not be a party to appearing on a show who's only interest in transgender topics is reinforcing stereotypes and exploiting them for sweeps month ratings points.

Your show is one of the three that should I be blessed to get that call, along with Tyra and Montel that I would drop whatever I'm doing to talk to this nation about transgender issues from an African-American perspective.

I know that your show, along with the other two I mentioned are not only high quality productions, but will take what I have to say seriously, it will be received in the spirit of imparting information to a vast audience and I (or any other transperson who appears on the show) will be treated with the utmost respect and dignity by you and your audience.

While any positive coverage of transgender issues is greatly appreciated, it does make your African-American transgender brothers and sisters wonder when we are finally going to get some face time?


Respectfully yours,
Monica Roberts
The TransGriot
2006 IFGE Trinity Award Winner

Stealth Transpeople, C'mon Out!

C'mon Out! C'mon Out!

Let your words do the talkin'
Let your actions do the walkin'

C'mon out! C'mon Out!

Break down the door; you can't hide no more
If your friends disrespect, you need to reject

...kids committing suicide
Parents kick 'em out-- ain't no place to hode

In this fucked up society
Gotta be real with your sexuality
Don't let their shitty asses call you a fag
You're the greatest asset God ever had

C'mon out! C'mon Out!
lyrics by Foxxjazell
courtesy of the book Transparent by Cris Beam

-----------------------------------

Over the next few years, we are going to need the silent transgender majority to step up to the plate and become more active in this fight to gain our rughts.

I'm talking about the what we call in the community the stealth transpeople. These are the folks who for various reasons transition and never let anyone know that they are transgender.

Well, folks, if you want your rights, you are gonna have to do something you may not want to do but may become necessary in the near future.

Out yourselves.

How and when you do that is up to you, but the time has come in which we activists who have put our necks and careers on the line and suffered the slings and arrows of the Religious Right, Mattachine gay people, bigoted black preachers and idiot savants who regurgitate their hate speech, have to ask you to make a sacrifice as well for the greater good.

We need you to sacrifice your anonimity in the name of not only showing the world that the transgender community is far larger than people have been told that it is, but forever blow up the fiction that peeps say when they oppose transgeder rights, "I don't know anyone who's transgender."

Sure you do. We're all around you. We may be the accountant who did your taxes. The sales clerk who waited on you at the department store. Your supervisor at your job. The pilot who flew you to your vacation destination or on your recent business trip. The nice lady that lives next door to you in the 'burbs. The model that's featured in your catalog. Your college professor.

The problem is that because many of those people are stealth, it has hampered transpeople who are growing up now from not only knowing their transgender history, but deprived them of role models as well.


Did you know for example, that the personal computer that you are reading this blog posting on got a major evolutionary design boost in chip design courtesy of a transwoman? Well, until Dr. Lynn Conway came out, I didn't know that either.

Dis you know that the first transwoman to win an Olympic medal won't be at next summer's Olympic Games in Beijing but was Stella Walsh in 1932? After she was tragically killed by a stray bullet in 1980, the autopsy revealed she had male genitalia. So it's probable that she's more intersex than transgender.

It's a win-win situation for both parties. In addition to the out transpeople getting to know, love and embrace another member of the transfamily, the stealth peeps get to interact with people who have been interfacing on a regular basis with other transgender people and the community's history. We can get you up to speed on getting better connected with it and you now have a firend who not only understands your drama, but has walked in your pumps as well.

The point is that this battle to gain our rights isn't about us. It's fighting for inclusion NOW so that transkids that are growing up now don't have to go through this crap 10, 25 or 50 years from now.

As for the Mattachine gay folks who are quick to holler 'wait your turn', when you've waited 246 years for your rights, talk to me then, okay?

Barney Come Clean

Today is National Coming Out Day. In the spirit of that and in the midst of this ongoing family feud over ENDA, we've had some folks in the GLB community have a coming out of sorts as well.

The transbigots.

Their poster child just happens to be the guy who is quarterbacking ENDA throughout the House, Rep. Barney Frank.

The transbigots, like their kissin' cousins in hate groups and the Religious Reich use their power, White Male Privilege and media bully pulpits to thwart the progress of a minority group for their own selfish gain.

It should be clear at this point who the leading transbigots are in this community. John Aravosis and Chris Crain along with Barney head the list. There are other transbigots that operate on a national, state and local level who see it as their mission to make the GLB community rainbow pure and transgender free.


But as I know from my African-American history, nothing is more dangerous to civil rights than having bigots in charge of writing and enacting civil rights law.

So Barney, come clean and stop prevaricating. You hate transgender people and have since your days in the Massachusetts Legislature. You're not a friend to our community.

Can you handle that truth?

A friend of our community would fight just as hard or harder to include us in legislation that we need, instead of engaging in Orwellian doublespeak and blaming the transgender community for the failure of your 'with all deliberate speed' approach to including transgender peeps inro federal law.

If you were the transgender community's best friend, you'd be honest with the GLB community and tell them, like Lambda Legal did that transgender inclusion in ENDA is necessary for this bill to cover 'errbody' in this community.


Khadijah Farmer's suit is Exhibit A to the fact that discrimination based on 'gender identity' happens not only to transgender peeps, but gay, lesbian and straight people as well.

If you were the champion for transgender people you claim you are, then you need to stop telling the lie that we haven't done the education on the Hill. We been educating folks on the Hill since 1994. I've personally taken part in lobbying efforts in 1998, 1999 and 2007 and helped plan NTAC's 2001 lobbying effort.

Maybe that education isn't getting through because of the HRCites that inhabit many of the congressional staff positions on the Hill in liberal-progressive offices. It wouldn't shock me if these aides are conveniently failing to pass on the information from transgender people that visit their offices or shield you congressmembers from it.

There are reams of information on the Internet and elsewhere about the violence, the unemployment/underemployment we face, and the general lack of respect for our civil rights that transpeople face. If you claim there are legislators who need 'more educating', who are they?

You're not going to tell us that because you know that 24 hours after you utter their names, they'll be flooded with calls from the transgender community and our allies.

Barney, you don't want that education to happen because you and the Mattachine clones in the GLB community DON'T want a transgender inclusive ENDA to pass. You have been duplicitous and underhanded not just during this entire sorry affair, but the entire time you've led the effort to pass ENDA.

So why should we transgender people trust you, much less believe anything you say now? You have let your personal hatred of transgender people get in the way of doing what's morally right and just. Having you as the lead legislator for the efforts to pass ENDA is the equivalent of asking the KKK Grand Wizard to pass federal legislation that would benefit African-Americans.

He'd do to African-Americans exactly what you're doing, Rep. Frank. Cut us out of the bill, then come up with some tortured logic and spin to try to justify it.

Oh snap, that was the modus operandi for the Dixiecrats.

It's past time for somebody that doesn't have a personal hatred for transpeople to become the lead legislator for getting ENDA passed.

Help A Sistah Out

TransGriot readers,
I have some of my peeps that need some 'ejumacation' and some calls as well. Help some the members of the 'Conscience of the Congress' get a clear idea that this is a civil rights issue, not a religious one as the Hi Impact Leadership 'ministers' are falsely trying to paint this.

This is a list of Congressional Black Caucus offices that voted for the hate crimes bill, but are not cosponsors of HR 2015, the inclusive ENDA.

Thankfully there are NO CBC cosponsors of Frank's Folly, HR 3685. We need to call
these peeps now. Word is that both ENDAs are rolling late this week and will probably be voted on October 15.


Tell them to vote YES on HR 2015, and NO on Frank's Folly, HR 3685

Congressional Black Caucus
2264 Rayburn Building
Washington, DC 20515
Telephone: 202-226-9776
Fax: 202-225-5730
congressionalblackcaucus@mail.house.gov

They claim that normal mail takes 4 weeks to process, due to security.
So that means call 'em early and often. Faxes will work as well.

Rep. Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA)
2429 Rayburn
(202) 225-3631

Rep. Corrine Brown (FL)
2336 Rayburn
(202) 225-0123

Rep. G.K. Butterfield (NC)
413 Cannon
(202) 225-3101

Rep. James E. Clyburn (SC) The House Majority Whip
2135 Rayburn
(202) 225-3315

Rep. John Conyers, Jr. (MI)
2426 Rayburn
(202) 225-5126

Rep. Artur Davis (AL)
208 Cannon
(202) 225-2665

Rep. Al Green (TX)
425 Cannon
(202) 225-7508

Rep. David Scott (GA)
417 Cannon
(202) 225-2939

Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (MS)
2432 Rayburn
(202) 225-5876

Rep. Bobby L. Rush (IL)
2416 Rayburn
(202) 225-4372

Why The Transgender Community Hates HRC

Why does the transgender community hate HRC? It’s a question I get frequently asked in GLBT settings. Considering the recent GLBT family feud erupting over ENDA, it's an appropriate one to ask as well.

Before I get started trying to shed light on it, I need to point out in the name of journalistic integrity that I was the Lobby Chair for the National Transgender Advocacy Coalition (NTAC) from 1999-2002.

The roots of the animosity start after Stonewall. In an effort to appear more 'mainstream' to the straight community, Jim Fouratt and friends bounced Sylvia Rivera and other transpeople out of New York’s GLF (Gay Liberation Front). Jim Fouratt’s anti-transgender comments culminating in a 2000 one at a Stonewall observance in which he called transpeople 'misguided gay men who'd undergone surgical mutilations' also added insult to the injury.

In a pattern that persists to the present day, The GLF had protections for transpeople removed from a proposed 1971 New York GLBT rights anti-discrimination bill under the pretext that it wouldn’t pass with such 'extreme' language.

Ironically the bill failed anyway and the New York City GLB-only rights bill wouldn't pass until 1986. Transgender inclusion was fought at that tome by Tom Stoddard, who would later head Lambda Legal. Transgender people didn't get added in the New York City bill until after Sylvia Rivera's death in 2002.

In 1979 Janice Raymond poured more gasoline on the fire with her virulently anti-transgender book The Transsexual Empire. Raymond also took it a step further in 1981 and penned a quasi-scientific looking report that was responsible for not only ending federal and state aid for indigent transpeople, but led to the insurance company prohibitions on gender reassignment related claims. Germaine Greer’s anti-transgender writing combined with Raymond’s led to involuntary outing and harassment of transwomen in lesbian community settings. It also sowed the seeds for the anti-transgender attitudes in the lesbian community that persisted through the late 90’s.

So what does this have to do with HRC since it didn’t get founded until 1980?

The problem is that the senior gay leadership is still influenced by the Fouratt-Raymond-Greer negative attitudes towards transpeople. That sentiment is concentrated disproportionately in California and the Northeast Corridor. The early gay and lesbian leadership also sprang up from those areas as well.

The transgender community around the late 80’s renewed its organizing efforts to fight for its rights. The early leadership was also concentrated in the Northeast Corridor and California as well and regarded the gay community as natural allies.

One thing they didn’t take into account was how deeply entrenched the anti-transgender attitudes and doctrines were amongst gay and lesbian leaders. Barney Frank (D-MA) is a prominent example of it. They still persisted in holding the view that transgender people were ‘crazy queens’ who would cost them their rights. Gay leaders were still trying to use the 70’s assimilationist strategy to counter the Religious Right campaign against gay civil rights fueled by fear of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

In the 90’s the transgender leadership became more national in scope and more diverse by the end of the decade. In addition to the founding core leadership from California and the Northeast corridor, transleaders emerged in Arizona, Colorado, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio, and Illinois. The emergence of leaders from what was derisively called ‘flyover country’ by the peeps from Cali and the Northeast Corridor changed the dynamics of the transgender rights movement.

The addition of leaders from these states brought people into the movement who not only believed in the principles of Kingian inclusion and non-violence, they practiced those values. The rise of the Internet gave them efficient communications links to exchange information and tactics, coordinate strategy and inexpensively talk to each other.

They were also people of faith who had ringside seats to the Religious Right takeovers of the Republican parties in these regions. The Texans watched their state be used as a laboratory for the tactics that would be used in the South and later the rest of the country.

As people of faith who were mostly Southerners, the new transleaders correctly perceived that the Religious Right was the same coalition of 60’s racist anti-progressive forces masquerading in ‘family values’ drag and urged coordinated efforts to defeat them.

Unfortunately, while the Religious Right was using the 80’s and 90’s to organize for culture war and develop their Machiavellian playbook to power, transpeople were fighting a pitched battle with the gay and lesbian community just to be included. This civil war against the GLB transphobes sucked time, energy and money from the transgender community that could have been better spent combating the Religious Right.

The predominately white and bicoastal-based gay and lesbian leadership didn't see the Religious Right as a threat because they not only didn't have fundies in their backyards, they let their anti-transgender biases color their perceptions. They dismissed the threat because it was transpeople who were sounding the warning bells about it. At the same thime they were cavalierly dismissing their concerns about GLBT unity and the Religious Right threat, they arrogantly demanded that transpeople work to pass gay-only rights bills.

According to legal scholar Kat Rose, such laws have the effect of creating a regime in which the same gays and lesbians who fought to prevent trans-inclusion have the de facto right under the resultant non-inclusive law to discriminate against trans people. It also allowed them to keep their leadership ranks and employee populations in these organizations transgender-free without fear of facing discrimination lawsuits.

When transgender leaders would balk at those demands or point out the hypocrisy of leaving us behind, they would state they would ‘come back for us’.

So far the only states in which the gay and lesbian community has ‘come back’ for transgender people are Rhode Island (2001), California (2003), New Jersey (2006) and Vermont (2007). In New York they are still having a difficult time passing GENDA after transgender people were cut out of SONDA by gay rights advocating the same 'we'll come back for you' incremental rights spin.

The first gay only rights bill, passed in Wisconsin in 1982 has been that way for 25 years now. There's no indication by the GLB leadership in that state if they'll move to rectify the omission of their transgender brothers and sisters or if they'll assign it a priority as high as the one they place on marriage equality.

We also heard the excuses during the 90’s to justify the gay and lesbian strategy that ranged from ‘the country needs more education on transgender issues’, we need 'incremental progress' to the mean-spirited ‘it’s not your turn to get rights yet’. Ironically there are now more transgender inclusive laws on the books than gay-only ones, and those numbers are increasing.

And where does HRC fit into this equation?

One of the people most responsible for excluding transpeople from an attempt to pass a gay rights law in Minnesota in 1975 was a gentleman by the name of Steve Endean, who in 1980 would leave Minnesota to help found the Human Rights Campaign Fund, the proto organization that later became HRC. Some Minnesotans assert that it's not a conicidence that the same year HRCF was born in DC, Minnesota's gay rights proposals became T-inclusive and eventually lead to the first T-inclusive law in 1993.

In 1995 Elizabeth Birch took over as Executive Director of HRC at a time when there was an epidemic of gays and lesbians cutting transpeople out of civil rights legislation.

In many cases gay people who sat on various HRC boards either nationally or regionally led the efforts. In 1999 Dianne Hardy-Garcia, who was the executive director of the Lesbian Gay Rights Lobby (now Equality Texas) at the time and an HRC board member, led the successful effort to cut transpeople out of the James Byrd Hate Crime Bill (to mine and TGAIN"s vehement opposition). That bill was eventually killed in the GOP-controlled Texas Senate but passed in 2001 as a GLB only bill and was signed into law by Gov. Rick Perry.

Elizabeth Birch for a while eclipsed Janice Raymond as Transgender Public Enemy Number One when she was quoted at a Chicago GLBT event as stating that transinclusion in ENDA (the Employment and Non Discrimination Act) a top legislative priority of transgender leaders would happen ‘over her dead body’.

That sowed the seeds to the growing perception amongst transpeople that HRC was ‘The Enemy’. It got worse when transgender lobbyists were told by sitting senators, congressmembers and various staffers that HRC Capitol Hill lobbyists Nancy Buermeyer and Winnie Stachelberg showed up on the Hill accompanied by GenderPac’s Riki Wilchins before transgender lobby events in 1997, 1998, and 1999. They asked those members and staffers to tell the transpeople coming to Washington that inclusion in ENDA wasn’t possible, but hate crimes was. That revelation so enraged the transgender community that a group of activists that included yours truly founded NTAC in 1999.

After doing an investigative report during the summer of 1999 that determined the extent of HRC co-option of GenderPac leaders, NTAC decided to pursue a multi-pronged strategy to deal with it. They decided to explore partnerships with other GLBT organizations, made it clear that transinclusion in federal ENDA and Hate Crimes was non-negotiable and during my time there I helped author a legislative strategy designed to go around the congressional barriers set up to block transgender inclusion in ENDA

In 2000 NTAC also began the ‘Embarrass HRC’ campaign to call attention to the hypocritical nature of the relationship between HRC and the transgender community. Activists across the country began protesting HRC dinners and calling them out at GLBT community events about their resistance to adding transpeople to ENDA. The campaign got the attention of people to the point where they started asking HRC leadership tough questions and their contributions started taking hits.

Despite this success, the transgender community didn’t embrace NTAC. It was a multicultural organization whose early leadership was predominately Southern. NTAC was relentlessly savaged by people for fostering what they called ‘horizontal hostility’. A group of white northeastern activists that wanted to push accomodation with HRC formed the National Center for Transgender Equality in 2003 and named Mara Keisling as its executive director.

But NCTE to some transpeople had uncomfortably close HRC links that caused people to question not only NCTE's effectiveness in lobbying for transpeople but its independence. Transgender historian and legal scholar Kat Rose bluntly said that "I simply do not trust NCTE or Mara Keisling".

The interesting thing was the timing. NCTE came into existence after HRC loudly proclaimed that they didn't want to talk to NTAC. There were unconfirmed rumors that some of NCTE's startup money was provided by HRC supporters.

Not long after NCTE’s startup, the shift of the gay and lesbian rights priority from successfully passing inclusive rights laws on a state by state basis to marriage equality started. Transgender leaders such as NTAC’s Vanessa Edwards Foster warned that this was a mistake to push the issue a year before the 2004 elections, but once again transgender concerns were brushed aside.

When the Religious Right backlash resulted in gay marriage constitutional bans overwhelmingly passed in 18 states during that election year, the transgender community was proven correct once again.

This irritated the transgender community on multiple levels. The marriage-as-a-priority gays refused to acknowledge that not only did their actions cause the backlash to gay marriage and possibly generated enough conservative voters at the polls to help propel George W. Bush to a second term, despite the evidence of dozens of state DOMAs and anti-marriage constitutional amendments, they are in severe denial about it.

Transpeople are also miffed at the lack of HRC concern as to how this backlash specifically affects our lives. Transpeople were never consulted and had no input whatsoever regarding the push for gay marriage, but the Religious Right anti-gay marriage laws get interpreted by the courts in such a way that they had the negative affect in some cases of wiping out existing pro-trans marriage and even identity rights.

We're also pissed that the same people who demanded (and still demand) that we accept 'incremental progress' when it comes to trans rights hypocritically have no intention of accepting 'incremental progress' when it comes to legal recognition of same-sex relationships.

In conclusion, the drama between the transgender community and HRC (which sadly flared up last week after Rep. Frank introduced a non-inclusive ENDA) is a forty-year-old stew flavored with historical hatred, arrogance, political miscalculations, communication failures, misunderstandings, mistrust, and Machiavellian duplicity.

HRC also has a pathetic history of refusing to deal with trans people as equals not only in terms of civil rights legislation but even in hiring talented transgender people for their organization. This historical negativity keeps transpeople from working with HRC in any capacity. (Don't even get me started about the African-American community beefs with HRC, that's another post.)

The sad part is that this animosity is preventing HRC and the transgender community from effectively working together to defeat their common enemy despite the desires of people on both sides to do precisely that.

The flare up this time may have not only burned the bridge that people like recently resigned HRC board member Donna Rose and others were trying to build towards a working partnership with HRC, but made any talk of doing that in the transgender community moot for years to come.

2007 Weblog Awards Nominations Are Open

The nominations are now open until October 15 for the 2007 Weblog Awards. I'm going to shoot for the Best LGBT Blog award and Best Individual Blog. I'm also going to be nominating a few blogs that I believe are worthy of garnering recognition as well.

While getting awards isn't the motivation I had for starting TransGriot, it doesn't hurt to be recognized either. I'm told that this is a quality blog that has inspired and motivated people, and awards tend to verify that.

So may the best blogs win.

A View To A Protest

Got back a few hours ago from my business ttip to Washington DC protesting the HRC national dinner.

These are Vanessa Edwards Foster's observations of the HRC protest.

I've been an activist for a long time, but believe it or not that was my first protest.



I left The Ville with AC at 6 AM and literally got dropped off on the steps of the convention center at 4 PM wih signs in hand while AC parked the car. We spent the next three and a half hours engaging HRC dinner attendees, various citizens, and attendees of other conventions talking place the same day at the convention center.

I spent most of the protest laying out the history to young transgender people, curious convention center employees, passerbys and explaining why we were there. I pointed out that the battle over HR 2015 is not just a transgender issue. I gave numerous examples of why it was important to have 'gender identity' in ENDA.

Without 'gender identity' in ENDA, it's a worthless piece of paper. Lambda Legal has said as much. Frank's Folly (HR 3685) not only doesn't cover us, it won't cover 90% of the GLB population or straight people. We all know women who have masculine body builds and upper lips they have to ruthlessly wax and shave and uncles who are slight of build and femme looking.

I also threw an occasional sarcastic comment or two into the chant mix.

I had a wonderful conversation with James, a gay man who exemplifies HRC's dilemma. Basically the young GLB people have interacted with transgender people their whole lives. The problem is the Mattachine gays who run HRC right now disproportionately come from my generation and hate transpeople.

I enjoyed the conversations I had with straight folks as well. Some absolutely get it. It's too bad that some of the peeps inside the Washington Convention Center that night and a purple congressman from Massachusetts don't.

Morally Bankrupt

TransGriot Note: This is a guest post by 2000 IFGE Trinity Award winner Dawn Wilson

You may be wondering why I've been selective in terms of picking and choosing the times that I commit myself to helping the transgender community over the last few years.

Frankly, the reason is that I don't do business with morally bankrupt leaders or paper tigers.

I say this because at this juncture in our history Washington DC is in a state of confusion these days. It started with arrogance and pride, and has led to a downfall of serious proportions.

For the last ten years we've been struggling to not only get into ENDA, but stay there. Unfortunately due to the arrogance, pride, ineptitude and ignorance of some people the TG community was sold a bill of goods that turned out to be counterfeit.

What am I speaking about? The fiction that was being pushed by certain transgender leaders that HRC was our friends.

When NTAC was pushing HRC to do the right thing in 2002 and include us in ENDA, some people decided to collaborate with them after being told they didn't want to talk to NTAC.

But as author Alice Walker pointed out, "No person is your friend who demands your silence or denies your right to grow."

The transgender community decides who our leaders should be. It was pure arrogance on HRC's part to think that they have the power to dictate to the transgender community people who they deem acceptable to meet with. If HRC were truly our allies, then they needed to talk to whomever WE chose as our leaders.

Unfortunately some people fell for that 'okey-doke' illusion of inclusion strategy and instead of giving a multicultural NTAC a chance to represent us, went out and formed another white-dominated organization and anointed its leader as THE spokesperson for the community.

Because of this, the tranquilizing drug of complacency was injected into the transgender community and put us in the position once again of being sold out. The community was jolted out of that haze as a result of Rep. Barney Frank's recent actions to cut transpeople out of ENDA.

As reprehensible as those actions were, there was a silver lining in all of this. While it exposed some of the paralyzing inaction and lack of political vision of some of the TG leadership, others rose to the occasion. I was pleased to hear that five Trinity winners and a Virginia Prince winner were present at this weekend's protest of the Washington HRC dinner.

One of the lessons I was taught by my Sunday School teacher Sister Willie Mae Lewis was a mantra drilled into us that I remember to this day that resembles a math equation.

Accountability + Responsibility = Credibility

She also reminded her students that before one can lead, one must be willing to follow and hold themselves accountable for their actions.

It seems that some TG community leaders and other people inside the Beltway have forgotten that lesson, much less been taught it.

We need profiles in courage more than ever. Donna Rose's resignation from the HRC board was not only courageous and principled, she exemplified what this community desperately needs: Moral leadership.

Before we start castigating HRC and Rep. Frank for their failures of moral leadership, we need to take a look in the mirror ourselves. We need visionary, intelligent, morally upright, and scrupulously honest people of integrity to step forward to represent us.

But what we get is misbehaving egocentric kindergartners that refuse to play nice and work well with other transgender leaders that may be more skilled than they are. In some cases personal issues such as racism and jealously factor into this equation.

It not only makes us look bad and puts us at risk of undoing all the hard work of our transgender pioneers, it nearly had catastrophic political repercussions for our community. Had it not been for the timely interventions of NTAC, TAVA, IFGE and other individuals providing courageous and decisive leadership in our time of need, I submit that our community's political viability would have been destroyed. This debacle causes us to question the perceived political acumen of a certain highly touted TG political leader.

The moral leadership point is critical to garnering and keeping the support of the African-American transgender community. We take civil rights seriously. We want and need to have leaders and allies we can trust. If you say you're going to do something, we expect you to follow through on it. If you tell us one thing, then stab us in the back to cut a deal, we may forgive you for it, but we won't forget it either. We will NEVER trust you again and to compound your problems, we'll make sure to tell our peeps to avoid you like the plague as well.

We also have a severe problem with incompetent leaders as well. If you show by your actions that you don't have a clue as to how to acquire them (civil rights)or zealously protect them, we aren't down with your cause.

I will also step up as my schedule allows and do more to not only talk the talk, but walk the walk. If you need a poster child for the type of leadership we need in this critical time, I'm willing to provide it, but I also need others in the transgender community to step up their game as well and provide the type of leadership we all deserve.

Who's with me?


TransGriot Note: Dawn Wilson in 2000 became the first African-American transperson to win the IFGE Trinity Award, and was a founding member and first board chair of NTAC.

Gone Protestin'

The TransGriot is joining her transgender brothers and sisters and our allies in raising some hell at the HRC dinner in Washington. Tell y'all about it when I get back.




Y'all can help us out by continuing to keep the pressure on Congress. Please call your congressmembers and tell them to vote YES for HR 2015, the transgender-inclusive ENDA and vote NO for Frank's Folly, HR 3685, the non-inclusive one.

Another Stereotypical TV Transsistah

In a 2007-2008 TV season which continues last year's trend of having transgender characters, in 2007-08 we have the novel concept of a transwoman playing a transwoman

Unfortunately we transsistahs are still getting the short end of the stick.

While many people in the transgender community are excited about Candis Cayne playing Carmelita on ABC's Dirty Sexy Money, and are looking forward to the continued Season 2 exploits of Rebecca Romijn's character Alexis Meade on Ugly Betty, there was another transgender character that debuted this week as well.

On the ABC show Big Shots, it intrduces us in the debut episode to a character played by a transsistah named Jazzmun.

But before we hail that as progress, Jazzmun is playing Dontrelle, a transsexual hooker.

It figures that we transsistahs once again get stuck being painted by the hooker brush while white transwomen are seen running a magazine or being the love interest of a US senator.

As the late Esther Rolle said in her Good Times role as Florida Evans, "Damn, Damn, Damn!"

Memo to Hollywood: Is it so hard for you to create an African-American transgender character that fits the reality of the 90% of us who don't partake of sex work to make our living? Is it that difficult for you to craft an African-American transgender character that isn't the punchline of a joke or doesn't end up dead in the first five minutes of the show?

If it is, may I suggest calling Sheryl Lee Ralph, who played a transsistah named Claire on Showtime's short lived Barbershop: The Series. I think she'd be happy to give y'all some pointers on creating a non-stereotypical transwoman of African descent. If she's not available, dial up Norman Lear, who in addition to creating All In The Family's Beverly LaSalle, created Edith Stokes, the first realistic transsistah character for The Jefferson's back in 1977.

If they aren't available, just e-mail me and I'll be happy to do it if the price is right.

I'm sick of seeing transsistahs being portrayed as hookers or murder victims. We have enough problems in the African-American community trying to dispel that negative image. Just when we're starting to make a little progress, here comes a TV show that reinforces the negativity that we've worked so hard to counteract.

I'm looking forward to the day when I see an African-American transgender character on TV again that reflects my values and the way that I live my life.

I guess if I want to see that type of positive transsistah character, I'm gonna have to dust off that script I was working on and do it my damned self.

Mother Speaks Out For Wounded Trans Child

TransGriot Note: Not having transgender protections codified in federal law leads to a climate in which thugs repeatedly do this type of crap to transpeople because they feel they can get away with it.
----------------------------------------------------
Mother speaks out on behalf of wounded trans child

By Timothy Cwiek
PGN Writer-at-Large
© 2007 Philadelphia Gay News

As a young transgender woman clings to life with a bullet in her head, her mother is speaking out about violence against the trans community.

"I'm speaking out for Tiara, and for her community," said Arlene Coleman-Powell, mother of Tiara Coleman, a trans woman who was shot in the head inside her Frankford apartment Sept. 22.

Coleman, 25, remains comatose, in critical but stable condition, at Hahnemann University Hospital, unable to tell investigators what happened. She also was stabbed repeatedly about the head and face, her mother said.

"I want everyone to know about this brutal attack," Coleman-Powell said. "People don't understand the hard life that trans people have. I'm learning more about this every day."

Coleman-Powell expressed hope that other parents of transgenders will avoid the anguish she's enduring.

She heard of the incident at about 7 a.m. Sept. 22, when a friend notified her that her child had been taken to the hospital as a gunshot victim.

"The first week, I was just in a daze," she said. "I was totally lost."

Police said they don't have a suspect. "There are no arrests and the job is still under investigation," said Officer Raul Malveiro, a police spokesperson.

A resident of the Olney section, Coleman-Powell rented a hotel room near Hahnemann so that she could be closer to her child.

She said Coleman cannot speak, but she recently made a movement to acknowledge her mother's presence.

"I got some acknowledgment that she knew I was there," the parent noted.

Coleman spent most of her youth in Virginia, but returned to Philadelphia as a teenager and attended Strawberry Mansion Junior High and Northeast High, her mother said.

She became a talented hairstylist, who always brought joy to her mother.

"She was always saying things to make me laugh. When I would come home from work, tired, she was so good to me. She'd do things to make me feel better."

Jaci Adams, an advocate for Coleman, hopes the victim will regain consciousness soon. "My hope is that she can recover in some capacity to tell us what happened," Adams said.

Coleman-Powell plans to continuously prod detectives until the case is solved.

"I will not let this drop," she said. "You have to get involved. You can't sit back and wait for someone else to do everything."

In addition to regular visits from her mother, Coleman frequently receives visits from her older sister, Tara, and members of her large extended family, including nine aunts and uncles, her mother said.

The assault has been life-altering, not only for Coleman, but for her mother.

"My life will be forever changed because of this," she said. "I'm going to take care of my child forever."

www.epgn.com

Kitchen Challenged

One of the things that bugs me (and my roomie Dawn never fails to needle me about it) is my perceived lack of culinary skills.

In reality, I do know how to cook some of the foods I like, ain't 'scurred' of a stove and some of my skills do go beyond boiling water and sticking things in the microwave for three minutes.

I've peeled and sliced potatoes, prepared fried oysters complete with rolling them in a seasoned corn meal batter, cleaned and cooked my own shrimp, know how to season and fry chicken and I make my burgers complete with cheese, pan toasted buns and draped with bacon.

But I'm nowhere near B. Smith's level. Put an uncut chicken in front of me and I'm lost. Don't even ask me to prepare an elaborate meal from scratch.

The interesting part of this scenario is that I'm surrounded by great cooks in my family. Mom, my grandmother Lou Ella, my late grandmother Tama and my late great grandmother Emma could burn. My late Aunt Jen ran a catering business and cooked the food for my brother's rehearsal dinner in 2005. Mom also makes pancakes from scratch that are so delicious that I avoid them on most restaurant menus when I eat out because I don't like the taste of them.

My dad, being an only child is also an excellent cook as well. He'd kick my mom out of the kitchen on Sundays and cook dinner for us. Ironically his meatloaf is better than my mom's. Don't even get me started on my dad being a grillmaster par excellance. When I asked him one day about how he acquired his culinary skills, he said, "I either had to learn how to cook or starve. I like to eat."

Mom can also bake as well. One of the reasons I get homesick during the holidays is because I have visions of mom's homemade peanut butter cookies and German chocolate pound cake dancing in my head.

I think a few reasons my culinary skills haven't developed to the level I'd like them to be is because I'm a picky eater. I also spent a decade by myself in my own place, worked long hours sometimes at IAH and rarely had someone else besides moi to cook for.

In my childhood I ran from one of the few opportunities that would have allowed me to do something perceived in those days as 'feminine' without getting any flack for it when mom offered to show me some of her culinary secrets. It was gonna be a while before she could do that for my sisters since they were toddlers at the time.

Never mind the fact that during my teen years in the 70's 'the cooking is for girls' stereotype was being shattered. I remember the ribbing my classmate Barry used to get when I was in junior high for being the only male in home economics. That laughter ended when he won a school baking contest and made it to district championship level. For the rest of the time we were at Thomas a class party wasn't complete without my music collection and Barry's cookies or cakes being a part of it.

My tormentor Dawn is fortunate that she grew up working in her home church's kitchen in Lexington that her late great aunt ran with military precision. At her church everyone regardless of gender was expected to know how to prepare the Sunday dinner staples. That training helped her become the excellent cook she is.

I'm already counting down to Thanksgiving Day. I'm looking forward to once again tearing into her perfectly moist turkey and dressing balls. From time to time she gets an assist from AC, the other excellent cook in my life.

I know there's no shame in being kitchen challenged. There are plenty of biowomen out there who couldn't boil water without detailed instructions and my late ex-girlfriend was one of those peeps.

But I've resigned myself to the fact that you can't be proficient at everything. There are things that I excel at that Dawn doesn't and I give her crap about it in retaliation for her picking on my culinary skills. But that's my homegirl and I love her.

I also love her cooking as well.

International Federation Of Black Prides Supports HR 2015

Dear Black Pride Organizers/Attendees:

As you may know, a critical discussion regarding the rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Same Gender Loving people (LGBT/SGL) is being debated in our nation’s capital, Washington, DC between the congressional leadership, its members and representatives from various LGBT/SGL related national organizations, including the International Federation of Black Prides (IFBP).

The discussion centers on language contained in the Employment
Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), drafted by the Congressional Leadership. Currently there have been two different bills drafted. One bill (HR 2015) includes language offering protections to all members of LGBT communities from employment discrimination and another offering protections from employment discrimination to members of only the LGB communities.

The IFBP has joined a majority of the national LGBT related organizations and civil rights organizations by declaring our vehement opposition to the language contained in the bill (HR 3685) offering protections from employment discrimination to members of only the LGB communities and excluding our Trans brothers and sisters.

Some have gone as far to say that “blacks didn't get civil rights over night” and we shouldn't expect that LGBT communities would get protections from employment discrimination in that way either. This is at best a “losers game” in political maneuvering that threatens to further harm members of our communities who have already been harmed the most by our various discriminating systems, including unfortunately by some in our communities.

We all know that members of our communities whether or not we are members of Trans communities, have been harmed by gender role stereotypes in employment and many other public interest areas. We also know that members of the LGB communities even with discrimination still happening, often have roads of recourse not yet available to members of Trans communities because of certain local laws offering such protections. In addition, we all know that members of Trans communities have been some of our brightest “torch barriers” on our road to many of the rights we enjoy today as members of LGBT communities. Further, in 31 states, it's still legal to fire someone because they're gay and in 39 states it is legal to fire someone for being Transgender.

The IFBP is clear that the exclusion of Trans people in the language of ENDA will represent a loss that will have a grave affect on members of African American/Black Trans communities and LGB communities given the high rate of discrimination, unemployment and poverty already present in these communities. Additionally, splitting the community on this issue only plays into the plans of those who want no bill to pass and wastes the resources the community could be devoting to passing this bill while disillusioning people; making them less motivated to become in resolving the many other issues facing our communities.

So today we are calling on you to lend your voice of support to the full inclusion of LGBT communities in the ENDA Bill that will be voted on by Congress.

ACTION STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TODAY:

1.Send an Email to your Congressional Representative by clicking;
http://eqfed.org/campaign/keepENDAinclusive_clone_8?rk=g1AEcKp1BlY-W

2. Individuals can sign onto the two online petitions, and groups can
encourage individuals to sign them.

a. http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/transgender_inclusive_ENDA/ developed by the National Center for Transgender Equality and the Transgender Law Center.

b. www.nosubstitutes.org developed by
National Stonewall Democrats

3. Individuals/Organizations can also join the Facebook group “One ENDA: For the Employment Protections of All LGBT People”:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5065064220

Thanking you in advance for raising your voice and raising our Pride!

Earl D. Fowlkes, Jr.
Michael S. Hinson, Jr.
Founder/CEO, IFBP Chair,
Board of Directors, IFBP,

Your Transistion Ain't Like Mine

A few months ago I had someone post a comment to a blog post I'd written and ask the question, 'Is transition for an African-American versus a white person really that dufferent?

Yes, it is.

I say that because we start from two very different places on the social scale. A white male to female transperson is coming from a position of privilege, whether they acknowledge it or not. The society revolves around you. Because of that, many feel they have too much to lose if they transition, and tend to do it later in life.

It adds complications once they do so. Many tend to be married and deep into careers. It also impacts passability. The later you do a gender transition on the M2F side, the more testosterone buildup you have to overcome. In addition to that most white women on average tend to be shorter.

An African-American male to female transperson comes from a position in which they are reviled by society. For an African-American M2F it's an improvement in status because Black women tend to run thangs in our community. We also deal with our issues at an earlier age, which helps with passability because there's less testosterone buildup to impede feminization. Another thing that helps enhance our passability is that it's not unusual to see full figured sistahs or sistahs over six feet in height with broad shoulders.

I honestly believe that one of the reasons transpeople receive so much flack is because in addition to confounding rigid gender boundaries and making peeps insecure and uncomfortable with their gender identity or sexual orientation is WMP (white male privilege).

I think some white males find the idea of one of their own willingly stepping down from white malehood and all the perks that it bestows upon them to become a white woman so incredulous that they take it upon themselves to punish this 'deluded' individual for the 'crime' of abandoning white manhood.

The elements of the gay community that bought into Jim Fouratt's rantings tend to believe this as well.

It's more odious to the peeps who feel that 'whiteness' is under attack by the demographic trends stacked against them. They feel that EVERY white male is valuable and must not only stay in that gender role, but help produce their share of babies to perpetuate the race or get assimilated out of existence.

If you think I'm off base about this, then explain to me why white fundamentalists have basically been preaching this message since the early 90's, have a virulent hatred for gay people, have savagely attacked immigration with disgusting racist rhetoric and pressure their wives to leave the work force and have multiple children?

Black transpeople not only get the residual fallout from the attacks on white transpeople, but we get attacked by segments of our own community as well. We have to deal with the sellout ministers preaching anti-gay sermons in order to keep their faith-based bucks flowing into their pockets. That message gets interpreted by the nekulturny elements as 'it's okay' to attack transpeople.

Since we are the most visible spectrum of the GLBT community, and because one of the tragic instances of early transition sometimes results in some kids being tossed out of their homes by 'christian' parents, it leaves many of my sisters more vulnerable to the violence stirred up by these hatemongers.

While we do catch hell from some portions of the African-American community, on the other hand, we receive love and acceptance from the parts of it who correctly believe that our solidarity as African-Americans trumps the BS. They feel that people who have been historically hated for who they are shouldn't be doing the same things to transpeople, who are also being hated for superficial reasons as well.

In the African-American GLBT/SGL community, for the most part we don't have the gays and lesbians vs transpeeps or transpeeps vs. crossdressers battles that roil relations in the white GLBT community. One thing that keeps it in check for all of us SGL community members is the realization that 25% of this country hates us no matter if we're straight or gay.

We African-American transwomen have our own cross to bear when it comes to our images. We transsistahs have the double whammy of getting saddled with the hypersexy vixen image that burdens our biosisters, the angry neck-rolling SWA (sistah with attitude) stereotype and being considered less attractive when we are compared to European beauty standards.

We are also disproportionately saddled with the burden of having African-American transwomen images (along with Latina and Asian transwomen) and sexuality linked in some people's minds to transgender porn and the sex industry.

So no, our transgender journeys are not alike. We have common interests in terms of having our civil rights protected, codified into law and respected. We are both concerned about unemployment/underemployment issues. We have to continually work on educating the public about our issues and understand each other enough to build a larger transgender community as well.

But on others, we must bear that burden alone.

Whip Count Questions

Barney's excuse for this ENDA mess is that a whip count was called that precipitated the removal of the transgender inclusive ENDA (HR 2015) to be replaced with Frank's Folly (HR 3685).

Did anyone in the media, gay or straight or the blogosphere ask the guy who IS the House majority whip whether he actually called that whip count?

The House majority whip is Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC). I'm still trying to confirm it, but I have a strong suspicion that Frank is lying about it. I'm making that assertion because what a lot of people missed is that the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's Annual Legislative Conference started on September 26 and concluded on the 29th.

All 42 CBC members voted for passage of the Hate Crimes Bill despite intense browbeating from the Lo Impact Misleadership Coalition. I was also told when I visited many CBC offices in May that they were in favor of voting yes on HR 2015 as well.

The ALC is a must-attend event for any African-American that's politically active and is the premier African-American conference for discussing policy issues. This is where in one event you'll have politicians from all over the US at all levels of government, athletes, actors, activists, and academics getting together in one place.

In 2002 I had an invitation extended to attend the ALC in order to teach a Transgender 101 presentation to the CBC. There was a proviso that it stay secret since the 2002 midterm elections were a few months away.

A well-known white activist leaked details of the event to HRC, who sent lobbyists into CBC offices demanding to know what was going on. My invite to the ALC got cancelled as a result. I'm still pissed to this day at that activist.

But back to the regularly scheduled post. I find it very interesting and highly unlikely that this alleged whip count was called, but I'm trying to confirm that as well. The ALC was taking place in DC and as some of you may have seen on C-SPAN over the last few days many of those seminars are hosted and conducted by CBC member reps.

The seminars and brain trusts started on Thursday and Rep. Clyburn was conducting one on Enviromental Justics Friday morning. It's not just a Black thang either. The House recessed early so that members could attend and take part in that event. Sen. Ted Kennedy spoke during the ALC.

I have my doubts concerning Barney's version of events. I have to consider the timing. This happens during the ALC weekend and a week before a major HRC fundraiser in Washington that Speaker Pelosi is slated to attend. I also know that there are some HRCites in Dem offices that work as aides and staffers who hate transpeople as much as the Purple One. They were definitely feasting on Hater Tots when they pulled this stunt.

Congress adjourned on Wednesday afternoon. The whip count took place at 8 PM later that night. Rep. Clyburn was speaking at the Washington Convention Center during the opening ceremony for the CBC ALC Weekend that kicked off at 6 PM, so unless he has a clone I don't know about, he couldn't be on the Hill and at the convention center at the same time.

Hmm.

ENDA Update

The news has been coming fast and furiously since transphobic Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) tried to pull HR 2015, the transgender-inclusive ENDA and split it into separate bills. He created a firestorm of controversy, a political black eye for Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and almost touched off a GLBT civil war.

I'm reminded of an old African-American community saying that's apropos in this mess.

If you dig a grave for someone else, better dig one for yourself.

In Barney's haste to screw the trannies, he screwed his OWN community. It turns out that Lambda Legal did a preliminary analysis of HR 3685 (which I'll call Frank's Folly).

Lambda Legal is an organization that has worked on employment discrimination issues for a long time in the GLBT community. They have also represented clients who have faced discrimination or harassment at work based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Lambda Legal's preliminary assessment of the revised version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (HR 3685) shows the bill to be riddled with loopholes in addition to failing altogether to protect transgender people against discrimination.

"Leaving out protections for transgender people is unacceptable, and passing a bill riddled with loopholes will make it harder to achieve equality on the job," said Kevin Cathcart, Executive Director at Lambda Legal. "You can't be fired for being a lesbian or a gay man, but you can be fired if your boss thinks you fit their stereotype of one."

"After working together for so many years on a bill to provide protections for the LGBT community on the job — we can do better than this," Cathcart added.

Preliminary Analysis Summary:

*As a point of clarity for the community: The recent version (HR 3685)is not simply the old version with the transgender protections stripped out — but rather has modified the old version in several additional and troubling ways.

*In addition to the missing vital protections for transgender people on the job, this new bill also leaves out a key element to protect any employee, including lesbians and gay men who may not conform to their employer's idea of how a man or woman should look and act.

This is a huge loophole through which employers sued for sexual orientation discrimination can claim that their conduct was actually based on gender expression, a type of discrimination that the new bill (HR 3685) does not prohibit.

*This version of ENDA states without qualification that refusal by employers to extend health insurance benefits to the domestic partners of their employees that are provided only to married couples cannot be considered sexual orientation discrimination.

The old version (HR 2015) at least provided that states and local governments could require that employees be provided domestic partner health insurance when such benefits are provided to spouses.

*In the previous version of ENDA (HR 2015) the religious exemptions had some limitations.

The new version has a blanket exemption under which, for example, hospitals or universities run by faith-based groups can fire or refuse to hire people they think might be gay or lesbian.

You're Under Arrest

I'm not a big anime fan, but I've gotten hooked on this particular anime series thanks to Dawn.

It's called You're Under Arrest and ran for two seasons on TV in Japan. The show centers on Miyuki Kobayakawa and Natsumi Tsujimoto. They are roommates, friends and partners who are Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department officers. They are stationed at the fictional Bokuto Station in the Sumida Ward of Tokyo.




Miyuki is a computer whiz who is shy, polite, punctual, proficient at her job and not as physically strong as her best friend. They are traits not shared by her partner Natsumi. She's tough, brash, a slacker, loves to excessively eat and drink and is chronically tardy. But despite that she's an excellent officer. She and Miyuki make an unbeatable team that has garnered a reputation around Bokuto Station for solving many cases.

The show focuses on their lives on and off duty and includes some of the other officers at Bokuto Station. There's the whiny Yoriko Nikato, the dispatcher and station gossip. She's a klutzy bumbler who gets her fellow officers in awkward situations, but her lucky streak gets them out of the trouble she inadvertently creates. When she was at the police academy she managed to graduate at the top of her training class and earn the ire of rich witch Chie Sagamiono in the process.

There's the 'White Hawk', handsome motorcycle cop Ken Nakajima. He's an expert rider who is good enough to where he could have had a pro racing career, but loves his job. He also likes Miyuki, but just like her is too shy to express his feelings to her. They actually made progress towards kindling a relationship at the end of Season 1

There's Strikeman, the local costumed vigilante that fancies himself as a superhero. He's the bane of drunks, peeping toms, perverts, parking violators and people who are disrespectful to seniors. They usually find themselves at the other end of one of his fastball pitches

He's an annoyance to not only the citizens of the Bokuto precinct, but the officers of Bokuto Station as well. Strikeman refers to Natsumi as 'Home Run Girl' due to her ability to whack Strikeman's pitches into orbit.

The character I really love is Aoi Futaba. Prior to joining the police force he was an accomplished high school basketball player. After becoming a police officer Aoi was assigned to the vice unit. In order to crack a case involving a serial rapist, Aoi crossdressed as part of the investigation and assimilated into womanhood so thoroughly that Yoriko said about her in one episode, "she's more woman than we are".

Yes, peeps Aoi is transgender.

Aoi's arrival at the station was initially met with resistance, with Yoriko being the most vocal about it, but over time the Bokoto officers accepted her as part of the family, began using the correct pronouns to address her and she became one of the girls. Yoriko overcame her initial resistance to her and became Aoi's patrol partner when she transferred to street duty.

She basically says that her spirit is female, and she's more girly-girl than many of the female officers she works with. There are numerous episodes where Aoi ends up in situations in which her gender issues rear their head at inopportune times. A famous actor fell for her in one episode, and despite the fact she was falling for him, had to reluctantly tell him that she's still pre-op.

There was another episode when she was on Christmas vacation with her fellow Bokuto officers and a local mountain kid invaded her room while she was asleep. He tried to force himself on her and ended up with a surprise when he grabbed between her legs.

He also earned a beat down from Natsumi as well.

I found You're Under Arrest fascinating. I love the characters, it's beautifully drawn and illustrated and for the most part does an excellent job in depicting the day to day realities of police work.

Strikeman is a trip as well. ;)

I Ain't Hatin' I'm Appreciating

I Ain’t Hatin’, I’m Appreciating This was the column I submitted to THE LETTER for printing in September for the October issue.


I have much love, admiration and respect for the illusionist community.

Yes, there are certain things about it that irritate me and people involved in it that I won’t be breaking bread with anytime soon, but hey, they are my sistahs too.

And for you illusionists, don’t assume that activists don’t know about your issues, don’t care or haven’t walked in your pumps. Some of the best activists I know used to perform (or still do) on various stages or were pageant titleholders. Some are leaders in their local GLBT communities when they’re off stage.

In the early 80’s, I was a scared kid first starting to venture out in Houston’s gayborhood called Montrose. I didn’t know anybody, was still trying to sort out things and nervous about whether my femme presentation was up to snuff. It was Houston’s legendary drag queen and show emcee Cookie LaCook who took a few moments out of her busy evening to speak to me when other peeps wouldn’t. It jump-started a conversation that put me on the road to becoming the Phenomenal Transwoman you see today and earned me ‘cool points’ with the regular patrons of Studio 13.

Over the next two decades Cookie and I would get into some deep conversations over the years. She sometimes incorporated me into her monologues as “Soul Sister Number One.” I was saddened to find out she passed away July 27

I know what illusionists do isn’t easy. It takes a lot of work, time, talent and effort to perfect the onstage persona, much less perform. I found that out firsthand when I went on stage at small club back home as a favor to a Latina illusionist friend of mine named Brittany Paige. She’d been asking me to do a Talent Night for two years before I finally said okay. It’s not my cup of tea and I’m more comfortable on a stage with a podium, a microphone and a speech in front of me and she knew that. The joy that lit up Brittany’s face is one image that brings a smile to my face whenever I think about her. A week after my one time performance she lost her battle with AIDS.

My illusionist friends helped me polish my feminine presentation. They taught me a few tucking techniques and trade secrets that aided my transition. For the ones that only did girl onstage I got the pleasure of sitting backstage, watch them morph into the gorgeous divas that you peeps tip and learn some makeup secrets in the process.

And speaking of tips, if you like the performer, give ‘em a little somethin’ somethin’. Makeup and all the things ‘the gurls’ need to transform themselves into the beautiful peeps you see ain’t cheap.

They were generally cool people to be around and the source of some entertaining moments as well. I’ve watched illusionists read each other, trifling boyfriends, and hecklers. I’ve seen them beat the crap out of suburban bigots who thought they were easy targets outside of clubs and get into wig-pulling fights. But these same people when I was kicked back and chilling at their cribs challenged and expanded my worldview. They inspired me to check out my African-American LGBT history, helped me sort out my gender issues and kicked knowledge to me about a wide range of subjects.

I can’t forget the greatest gift the illusionist community gave us in conjunction with transgender peeps. They jump started the GLBT rights movement with the 1967 Compton’s Cafeteria riot in San Francisco and Stonewall two years later because they were mad as hell and tired of being jacked with by the police.

So no, I’m not hatin’. I’m appreciating all the things the illusionist community does in their own way to make this a better world for all of us.


TransGriot Note: I discovered after I sent it off to be printed that the Compton's Riot actually happened in August 1966. I also discovered that my editor refused to print this one as well. More details on what's transpiring in regards to my newspaper column in an upcoming post.