2012 OUT on the Hill-Day 3 Recap

Well, today's the day I've been eagerly waiting for ever since I received the invitation letter for it.

The National Town Hall meeting I was slated to participate in along with Danielle King, my fellow Texan Rev Carmarion Anderson, Valerie Spencer and our moderator Laverne Cox was finally happening .

It was a double treat for me because I was FINALLY getting to meet Laverne and see Carmarian, Danielle and that fun loving diva Valerie again.

I've done more than a few panel discussions over the years, but for some reason I was nervous before this one.   Maybe because unlike the historic first ever trans panel I was proud to be part of earler this summer at Netroots Nation, this historic first ever trans themed Town Hall discussion was happening in front my trans and SGL peeps and NBJC family, and I wanted to make certain it went well. 

The theme was 'Honoring and Protecting the Lives of Black Trans Women'.  After sending out some tweets and Facebook comments noting my nervousness, I headed to the Wilson Room for this 9 AM town hall.  

Commissioner Earline Budd, AKA 'Number 4' was on hand and it was also videotaped.   As usual the panel had a lot of informational ground to cover and not enough time to do so, but it was expertly moderated by Laverne.   As we stayed behind to take photos and get interviewed.  Laverne headed to the Walter Williams Convention Center to take part in a media panel at the CBCF-ALC while Carmarion, Valerie, Danielle and another local DC resident joined us for lunch along with Ace Portis of NCTE.

After some lively conversation over lunch we headed to the Convention Center on this beautiful DC weather day to check out the CBCF-ALC forum moderated by Jeff Johnson entitled ' How the LGBT Movement Has Impacted Black America and the Media Landscape.'

Joining Laverne on that panel was MSNBC's Jonathan Capehart, Clay Cane, Keith Boykin, and our summit chair LZ Granderson.

There was some mini drama near the tail end of a lively discussion when a person identifying himself as a heterosexual veteran asked a problematic trans related question that Laverne and Keith diplomatically answered.   I was three spots in line behind homey and even i didn't understand what in Hades he was talking about, but after the panel was over I noted three people politely talking to the brother and 'ejumacaing him about our issues.

I was in line three spots behind homeboy.  I got to ask my question about white trans people speaking for POC trans folks and what Black LGBT journalists could do to stand up for their trans sisters, using the example of the recent Melissa Harris-Perry show that had an all white panel discussing the Cece McDonald case as an annoying example.

While I was at the CBCF-ALC forum, continued to get compliments about that morning's town hall and my contributions to the discussion.

When it was over, hung around the room for a few moments, talked to Jeff Johnson, Clay Cane and finally met the other half of the Moodie-Mills power couple in Danielle, who was going to participate in a bloggers roundtable with me tomorrow.

Hit the METRO to head back to the hotel, get out of my paltform pumps and go to the Board of Directors reception before I crashed around 1 AM

Three days gone, one to go.