TransGriot 5th Anniversary-Now What?

January 1 marked the fifth anniversary of the founding of my blog.   It has grown far larger and more influential as to what it was when I first started it.

Back in 2006 when I founded it, I was looking at a blogging landscape of there being plenty of blogs in the Transosphere, but not one that addressed trans issues from an African-American perspective or that talked about transition from our chocolate flavored viewpoint.    There weren't trans oriented blogs that discussed our history, our trans heroes and sheroes, our leaders, or simply discuss the nuts and bolts of a gender transition rooted in our culture.and how to successfully navigate the process..

They also didn't talk about or ignored how race and class impact a gender transition. 

I noted that the Black transpeople who do start blogs have them quickly fall by the wayside for various reasons.   One of the other problems is that those Black trans blogs that did get started published so infrequently they can't garner a following or build critical mass, much less be in the running for any blog awards..

Well, I've been blessed to be publishing posts on a consistent basis since 2006, be honored with awards from my blogging peers, and be considered as the go to blog when you want info on the African-American trans community or our thoughts about an issue. .

So where do I go from here?  

What, y'all didn't think Moni has a plan?

One of the things I'm planning for this year is to do more guest posts from trans African-American writers.   You've already seen the beginning of that with the Pam's Ponderings posts from Pamela Hayes. I wish to have other African American transvoices speaking through this blog as well.

A priority of mine is to definitely have and get the inputs of African-American transmen in this blogging mix as well.


The TransGriot Ten Questions interviews I've done so far will become a regular feature on this blog.  I have already sent Ten Questions to people such as Kylar Broadus, Ashley Love and have more of them coming so that you can see and get to know the people we consider as our leaders.

And one of the things I'm going to do with this series is to talk to a wide variety of leaders across the country.   There are African-American transleaders on the West Coast, in the Midwest and South who don't get the attention they deserve.    

One of the things my African American trans younglings have asked for is more posts about our trans history makers.  Who are our icons?   What did we do to shape trans, Black and American history?  What did they do to help us get to this point in the 2K10's?   It's a wonderful suggestion and I'll be doing more of that this year and beyond as long as I'm blessed to do it. 


I also want to talk more about the emerging from the shadows trans communities in other parts of the African Diaspora on the African continent and the Caribbean.


And since I'm tired of my transpeeps being ignored and disrespected every time these so called African-American LGB/SGL leadership lists get posted by BET, the Grio and others, and when I call your behinds on it I hear the weak excuse of 'we don't know any African-American trans leaders', I'm going to eliminate that excuse for you this year and beyond.     For the first time the TransGriot is going to compile her own.

And of course, I'm going to continue to speak truth to power inside and outside of the community,  keep talking about race and class issues and the  world outside of it and how we transpeople of African descent fit in it..

As y'all have probably noted here, I can and will talk about a great many things and issues besides trans ones and won't back away from controversy..

And speaking of talk, if you want the TransGriot to speak at your events, conventions or on your college campuses, let me know and we can work out the details to make that happen this year.  

May even get around to doing a little more of that occasional creative writing you'll see on the blog in conjunction with my 2011 resolution to set aside more creative writing days.

And of course there will be some surprises along the way as well.   

Yeah, there are some personal blogging oriented goals in addition to living up to the mission that I articulated in a earlier anniversary post.

That mission is to talk about trans issues from an African American perspective, give voice to my African descended cousins across the African diaspora, document our history, and serve as a platform for me to talk about the issues of the day inside and outside the TBILG community.

I'd like to get my repeat hits up to the 60% level from the 40% it's at now.   I would like to be a repeat winner in the Best LGBT Blog category for the Black Weblog Awards and take a few more in the process.   So to make that happen, I have to step up my blogging came and come up with content that will make y'all  not only want to surf by here on a regular basis and stay a while to read these over 3500 posts and counting  you'll be proud to tell your friends, family and people who unconditionally love you to do so, too.

I'm cognizant of the fact that I picked up the torch and I'm continuing along the trail that the late Roberta Angela Dee started blazing.   I'm just taking it to another level and hope that when I can no longer carry it forward, someone will care enough to pick up the torch where I left off and continue the journey.      


So yeah, have some big plans for the blog this year, and with God's help and your continued loyal support, it's extremely possible that I will be blessed enough to accomplish those lofty goals and exceed them
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