Friday, January 09, 2015

Call For The Ballroom Community And Allies To Boycott Saks

85264186-suit-is-displayed-in-the-window-of-a-saks-fifth-avenueSaks Fifth Avenue is facing a discrimination lawsuit filed by trans woman Leyth O. Jamal, that occurred when she was an employee of the location here in Houston. 

Yep, the same anti-trans discrimination our lying anti-HERO opponents claimed wasn't happening in H-town. 

Yeah, it is, and if y'all hadn't fought HERO's implementation after it passed May 28 this Saks trans discrimination BS wouldn't have happened.

Saks is now attempting a disgusting legal defense strategy asserting they have a 'right to discriminate' against trans people.

Attorney General Eric Holder, the EEOC, several federal courts and the trans community have dissenting opinions, but if y'all wanna be that stupid and waste that money fighting this, that's on y'all. 

Saks, y'all need to admit you were wrong, pay the trans lady and move on.  

Trans activist Mariah Lopez, a member of the House of Ebony, is calling on the Ballroom Community and their allies to boycott Saks.    Thanks Mariah for giving me permission to post it.


And here's Mariah Lopez Ebony's Saks boycott call to all the communities she intersects and interacts with..

  • To My Communities. ...especially the Ballroom Community,

    It is important that we stand behind Ms. Jamal and going forward, demonstrate that support by indefinitely boycotting Saks Fifth Ave.

    There are two reasons for this call to boycott Saks.


    Number one. Economic pressure is one sure way to declare our community's buying power.  Ballroom members and allies undoubtedly shop at Saks ("Labels Labels Labels!!!").

    Although we clearly do not have the numbers to hurt Saks financially, Ballroom's choice to finally get involved in the Trans Rights Movement through an all out boycott of Saks stores and affiliates nationwide may be just what we need to demonstrate Ballroom's huge following and support. The press may even take note.


    The second reason:  Ballroom without a doubt has infiltrated all levels of mainstream pop culture and contemporary media from Beyonce and Tamar's Glam Squad, to the voguing and other NYC Black/Latino GLBTQ art which is now common in both Europe and Asia.
    It's time for the so called friends and admirers of GLBTQ Of Color Culture to use their platforms, wallets and voices to do more than copy and spread our art and vernacular.

    But in order for everyone from Madonna to Nicki Minaj to stand with us, our Ballroom  community members who have access to these artists need to call in favors!
    "If you support the ballroom scene and its trans members, BOYCOTT SAKS!"

    Then and only then we will be able to see if their  (celebrity) dollars and shunning of Saks will be enough to catapult Trans issues into the mainstream conversation about GLBTQ equality and bring justice in the Jamal discrimination case.

    For any of us in the Ballroom Community or our allies to shop at Saks Fifth Ave would stink of weakness and complacency!

    Ballroom and its friends are not weak or powerless!   Let's prove it with this Saks boycott.

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