Ho Hum, Another Transphobic Gay White Male Advocating TBLG Separation

Another day, another not so shocking instance of a transphobic white gay male making the case to throw transpeople under the human rights bus.

On the eve of South Dakota governor Dennis Daugaard trying to make up his mind whether he is going to be a trans human rights hero or a trans human rights oppressor, another one of those 'We Want A Divorce From The T******s' pieces popped up this morning in USA Today.

This op-ed was written by Joseph R. Murray, who was a campaign official for Pat Buchanan and would be surprised if he was a member of either GOProud or the Log Cabin Republicans.

Let me get right to the heart of why I and other trans people are tired of white gay men clamoring for separation now that you have accomplished much of your gay and lesbian legislative and societal wish list by simultaneously using the trans community as legislative bargaining chips.

It was trans people, and specifically trans people of color like Marsha P. Johnson who threw the first bricks and shot glasses at Stonewall while you Fire Island gays were cowering in your closets.  And far too often in my nearly two decades of human rights advocacy,it has been primarily white gay men who have been the biggest obstacles to trans human rights progress.

If you think I'm kidding about that, LGBT history has far too many instances of trans folks being thrown under the legislative bus in the name of 'incremental progress' and LG led groups breaking those promises to come back for us.  

And who came up with the bathroom meme?  Before the right wing started using it to attack us and human rights laws in general, it was Rep. Barney Frank with his 'penis in showers' arguments in the late 90's designed to stymie trans inclusion in ENDA.

Which brings me back to talking about this latest example and the repeated ignorant line that trans rights and gay rights are not the same.   While there are some issues that are unique to the trans community. we also identify as gay, bi or lesbian in Trans World in terms of our sexual orientations.

And if our human rights as trans people aren't secured, your hard won human rights gains in Gay World are also less secure.

Now that we have the Republican Party and right wing evangelicals coming out of the closet in terms of working to openly attack our humanity and human rights, now is not the time for advocating kicking the trans community to the curb from a movement we helped build and far too much of our blood has been shed in order to make real the promises of democracy and human rights for trans Americans.

And we're tired of conservative white gay men showing their inner transphobe and making the fatally flawed assumption that your whiteness, your wallets and your eager willingness to sell out the rest of the LGBT community will protect you from the anti-LGBT discrimination that your party wishes to impose on all of us.

Happy February 29!

Happy February 29!  This is a day that you get to see on the calendar every four years.  It's also the interesting timing to me that it happens during US presidential election years and Summer Olympiads.

So we get an extra day in this month of February, and an extra day of Black History Month.  But as far as I'm concerned, every month is Black History Month, and I'll continue with my ongoing mission of exposing you to Black trans history makers of the past and present.

But the reason we have the extra day on the calendar is so our calendars stay accurate.  Planet Earth takes 365 days and roughly 6 hours to make one trip around the sun. After four of those trips the six hours part of the solar year accrues into an extra day, so in order to keep our calendars as accurate as possible we add the extra day to it,
An extra day that for the about 4.1 million people around the world is their actual birthday.   Happy birthday to all you Leaplings born on this day.   That's what people born on this day are called and who have this unique birthday.

In case you're wondering what day do the Leaplings celebrate their birthday on in non-leap years, some do so on February 28, while others do so on March 1.

But enjoy this extra day on the calendar.            

The 2016 SUF Lifetime Achievement Award Winners Are..

Well, as promised, it's time to reveal who the Class of 2016 SUF Lifetime Achievement Award losers winners are.

And because this is the tenth anniversary year of TransGriot, I'm naming ten SUF lifetime fools in this class

Just as a reminder of who all the previous winners of this honor were going back to the first one in 2010, you can click the link to read that post spotlighting their ongoing lifetime excellence in idiocy and WTF mind bending statements.

The envelope please:

The Class of 2016 winners of the TransGriot Shut Up Fool Lifetime Achievement Awards are:

Supreme Court (In)justice Antonin Scalia
Steven Hotze
Dave Wilson
Germaine Greer
Sean Hannity

The Log Cabin Republicans
Pat Robertson
Rep. Steve King (R-IA)
RNC Chair Reince Priebus
Ben Carson

Mya Taylor Makes Some Movie History

While the Oscars broadcast and the people nominated for the awards will be melanin free, there are other awards shows that are far more diverse than the whitewashed Oscars.

Was excited to find out that Tangerine actress Mya Taylor picked up an Independent Spirit Award for her performance as Alexandra in that independent film that was considered Oscar worthy but unfortunately was snubbed by the Academy for consideration.

Taylor made a little trans history when she picked up that award for Best Supporting Female. She's probably the first out trans person to do so and noted in her acceptance speech that Hollywood needs to expand opportunities for trans actors.

 

Congratulations Mya!  Hope the award results in more acting opportunities coming not only your way, but for all trans actors.

Clinton Massively Blows Out Sanders In South Carolina

After Sec. Hillary Clinton's six point win in Nevada, the next election contest in the 2016 Democratic party primary schedule is the South Carolina primary.   In this one, African-American voters would get a major say in who would become the 2016 Democratic Party presidential nominee and divvy up the state's 53 delegates.  

Tonight Black voters in South Carolina served notice that the road to the Democratic nomination comes through Black Democratic voters.  In 2008, 55% of the voters in South Carolina's Democratic primary were African-American, and they made up an astounding 61% of the electorate today

Told y'all Bernie fans that your candidate's failure to build a convincing case for Black voters to vote for him was going to cost him, and tonight Clinton has won South Carolina in a massive blowout fueled by Black voter turning out for her.

The rout was so complete networks were calling the election within minutes after the polls closed there. Sanders according to exit polling lost the African-American vote 86-14%, and it played out in the election results.   With 99% of the votes counted, Clinton leads Sanders 73.5% to 26.0%, and has swept every county in the Palmetto State.



This butt kicking has been brewing for several weeks, and anyone who was paying attention to the primary election so far could have seen this coming.  Clinton's dominance of the Black vote in South Carolina carried her to a blowout win and getting 39 of the state's 53 delegates.

And what's more ominous as we come to Super Tuesday on March 1 is that six of the Super Tuesday states, Alabama, Arkansas. Georgia,, Tennessee, Virginia and (ahem) Texas have sizable African-American populations, and I don't think that Sanders will fix his problems with African-American voters between now and Tuesday.

Carla Lewis-Note To My Young Trans Folllowers

When  marginalized groups are fighting for not only their very existence and their human rights, the discussions on how they do the advocacy work to get to the point they aren't messed with can be heated at times.  I've been in it now for 18 years and have seen how heated those discussions can get.
Carla Lewis is one of our kick butt community leaders in Tennessee, and she felt compelled to write this note on her Facebook page to all the young trans kids who follow her.  They are sentiments I share when it comes to our trans youth and I believed this needed to be signal boosted.

Our trans children are our most prized assets, and they must be protected and defended from attacks by our enemies.

And now, here's Carla.

***

There are a handful of young transpeople that follow me on social media. To them I want to state this:

You may witness frequent arguing and fighting among transwomen, in particular. We each have our own ideas about how the world should be better.

The one thing we all have in common is that we do not want your youth to be filled with shame and self hate. We do not want you to have to buy black market hormones. We do not want you to be coerced into reparative therapy. We do not want you to have to navigate in a world that wants you to die or go back in the closet. We do not want you to take your own life.

We cannot get our innocence back. We cannot erase our years of shame. We cannot erase the discrimination and loneliness we experienced. We cannot erase our losses.

We do not want this to be your future. This is why we fight in this world. This is why we bicker with one another.

We may never know a world where being trans is no big deal, but you will. I promise.

Right now, whatever you are going through, please know that anywhere in the world you are, you can reach out to a trans brother or sister and know we will help you in any way that we can.

Trans Attracted Men Revisited Panel

The trans attracted men panel that was rudely interrupted at Creating Change will be happening today on YouTube at 12 noon Eastern.

So if you wish to see the discussion on trans attracted men, moderated by Tona Brown and Bryanna Jenkins, and featuring Antwan Fields, Troy Kennedy and Jonathan Hayden, you can click on the link to hear that discussion

2016 South Carolina Democratic Primary Today

In a few hours the Democratic voters of South Carolina will start heading to the polls to determine who will win their state's presidential primary and how they will apportion the states 59 available delegates to this summer's convention in Philadelphia.

It's looking good for Hillary Clinton right now as she seeks to build on the momentum of her win a few days ago in Nevada and keep it going into the critical March 1 Super Tuesday contests.

Sec. Clinton is maintaining her huge double digit polling lead overall and her big lead with African-American voters in this state despite attempts by Sen. Bernie Sanders to reach out to this critical Democratic voting bloc.  African-American voters will comprise up to 50% of the people casting ballots in this primary contest.

But as any political observer will tell you, the only poll that matters is the one being conducted at the ballot box, and we'll see who wins when the polls close later tonight at 7 PM EST.  

Why U Mad Because Moi and Other Black People Aren't Supporting Bernie?

Ever since I put up that February 16 post announcing that I was supporting Sec. Clinton in the Democratic primary, like anyone else who is #NotFeelingTheBern, I've ended up blocking 10 people (and counting), had my cognitive abilities attacked by rabid Sanders supporters, and had comment threads n my FB page inundated at times with facts free anti-Hillary articles mixed with insults aimed at moi.

Not a smart move, people.  Never mind the fact that I pointed out in the original Clinton support article I wrote that I was moved from neutral to supporting Clinton because of the initial red flag of Sen. Sanders being supported by Cornel West, and my disgust at a civil rights icon like Rep. John Lewis being disrespectfully attacked.

Bernie Sanders has failed to make the case to me and a wide variety of Black voters, including ones from the trans, bi and SGL community as to why we should support him over a longtime Democrat in Sec. Clinton that we have seen repeatedly take the best punches the right wing can throw at her and is still standing.  

And the Republicans are 'scurred' to face her in a general election, which is why they have attacked her nonstop.   They know she came agonizingly close to winning the Democratic nomination in 2008 and made them look like fools in the Benghazi hearings last year..

They aren't scared of Sanders and are eager to yell SOCIALIST! at him from now until November, but are just holding their fire on him for now until we finish our Democratic nomination business.  

Many of us who support Clinton have serious doubts in this critical 2016 election cycle that Sen. Sanders can withstand the negativity onslaught that he would get from the GOP if he was the nominee, and that electability question matters.

Something else that matters is the fact that Hillary has been a Democrat since 1972 and is the most qualified candidate ever for the presidency, especially when it comes to foreign policy..

When did Sanders join my party again?

And now, in the wake of yesterday's launch of the Trans United For Hillary page, I'm seeing trans Bernie supporters attack people that I know and respect as 'corporate sellouts'?

Really?

Bottom line is you can support whoever you wish in this primary.  You can even attempt to continue to state your case as to why you feel Sen. Sanders is the better candidate.  But do it with facts, not insults I've repeatedly seen and heard about her in my lifetime from right wing idiots on FOX Noise and will elicit nothing but an eye roll from me and swift deletion from my page.

I'm tired of anti-Hillary people trying to paint her as a 'Republican' or worse than Ann Coulter when the facts don't bear that allegation out.

At the same time, these people who are demonizing her are trying to hold up Bernie Sanders as some kind of political messiah when he has flaws and problematic policy positions just like Sec, Clinton does.


Moi expressing my First Amendment free speech rights to call you on your loud and wrong attacks on Sec. Clinton, pointing out the fact your candidate supported the same legislation you're excoriating her on, or expressing the fact Sen. Sanders' failure to get Black voters support is going to cost him dearly tomorrow in South Carolina and on Super Tuesday is not 'bullying', it's telling it like it T-I-S is.

Funny y'all don't seem to mind when I'm calling people out on BS any other time, but now that I'm doing my job and turning my inquiring mind toward pointing out his overwhelmingly white millennial support, asking valid questions about questionable stances your candidate needs to answer or asking you to come up with reasons why you support Sanders instead of  'because I hate Hillary', y'all wanna hate.

"She's a liar" isn't going to cut it with me and any other person who bases their decisions on what candidates they support with logic and reason combined with their life experiences, or who may still be trying to figure out who to vote for in the Democratic primary

The bottom line for me is I want the Democratic candidate to win on November 8, and I want my party to get control of Congress back, starting with a Senate we are only four seats from getting out of the clutches of Mitch McConnell.

So don't hate because me and other people aren't feeling the Bern in this primary election season, and we're with her.

Sen. Franken Calls Out GOP SCOTUS Obstruction

Antonin Scalia's body wasn't even cold before Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced that he and his GOP colleagues wouldn't even meet with much less confirm any appointee that President Obama anoints as his choice to replace (in) Justice Scalia.

Sen. Al Franken  (D-MN)  put him and the GOP on blast for failing to do their duty, and here's the video of that Senate floor speech.

Enjoy.

Shut Up Fool Awards- Post H-town GOP Debate Edition

Even though it was on the campus of my collegiate alma mater, couldn't bring myself to waste precious time out of my life to watch the five Republicans they have left in the race for the GOP presidential nomination debate each other.

Besides, I had a few writing projects to complete like this one.

You know it's Friday, and in addition to getting ready to call some fools out today, check out the blog before the whitewashed Oscars telecast starts in which in honor of TransGriot's 10th anniversary, I will reveal which ten people get added to the list of people who get the TransGriot Shut Up Fool Lifetime Achievement Awards.

But first things first, let's call out this week's fools, shall we?

Honorable mention number one is a group one for all the fools on that UH Republican debate stage last night for the GOP debate including CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

Honorable mention number two is Jim Holt, who tried to go into spin mode after Kalamazoo terrorist Jason Brian Dalton was revealed to be another white guy with a gun and claim he was a ';progressive..

Honorable mention number three is Rafael Cruz.  The father of Ted took time out of trying to convince us his Canadian spawn was presidential material sent by Conservagod to rule us to aiming his special brand of hate at atheists and call them perverted.

Um Rafael, looks like the perverts I hear about are Bible thumping right wing christians like you.

Honorable mention number four is Ronda Rousey for a triple dip of hypocrisy.   Rousey rips Manny Pacquiao for his anti-gay comments, but wants you to forget that she unleashed anti-trans comment at Fallon Fox back in 2014.

She's also mentioned that she wants to play the Metroid character Samus Aran if they turn it into  movie.  Umm Ronda, not only is that character trans, you're not trans enough to play her.

Honorable mention number five is Georgia state rep Tommy Benton (R), who believes that the Ku Klux Klan 'wasn't racist and were vigilantes who kept law and order'.

And yeah, I guess you also believe they did marshmallow roasts with those burning crosses

Naw you Southern revisionist backwoods idiot, they were white supremacist terrorists.  Stop pining for those days when people like you could oppress non-whites with impunity.

Honorable mention number six is David Barton, who tried to claim that Black people were not able to free themselves, white men did.

Naw homey, we did the heavy lifting on that.   We joined the Union Army in droves and shed blood m countless campaigns on the Union side, we stepped away from th plantations and toward the advancing Union armies, and after emancipation, we organized, educated ourselves and got ourselves elected to offices ranging from the local sheriff to the US House and Senate.

And FYI, it was Black legislators who helped write the Civil Rights Act of 1875 which was struck down by a conservative leaning court, but became the basis of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

This week's fool is Colion Noir.   This NRA kneegrow is getting put on blast because while cooning it up for his podcast, claimed that paying taxes on buying a gun was ' rape'.

Really?   Naw you ignorant ammosexual, only actually being raped is equal to rape.

And this is why I can't stand and have zero respect fot Black conservafools.

Colion Noir. shut up fool!  

GOP Makes The War On Transpeople Official

Even Stevie Wonder and anyone paying attention to politics over the last few years could see this coming, and the Republican Party finally went there.  They have officially declared war on the trans community by calling for state legislatures to pass anti-trans measures.

So Caitlyn Jenner and other trans Republicans, what was that bull feces y'all have been saying about how we trans folks needed to talk to GOP politicians and get their support?

That RNC document makes it clear that's a fools errand.

Naw boo boo kitties, the legislative oppression of transpeople carries an unmistakable GOP label and stench.  I have yet to see any evidence that your fellow Republicans as a party being one that would understand the plight of trans women and would work to help aid our human rights cause.

When science and accurate information are key components to understanding us, and many Republicans are eagerly taking great pride in being 21st Century Know-Nothings, it points out the fallacy of trying to get people determined to dehumanize and erase your existence for political purposes to vote for advancing your human rights or just being less evil to you.

It also points out the critical importance of trans people not only getting involved politically and handling our electoral business in each and every election cycle, but eventually stepping up and running for election to office ourselves.

And resistance to transphobia is not futile.

It's a war we didn't need or want. but now that the GOP has declared it, we have no choice but to fight for our humanity and utterly crush them..

It's either we fight the GOP and win, or meekly submit to whatever oppression they wish to impose upon our community.

I suggest, to borrow the words of Kara Thrace from Battlestar Galactica, "We fight 'em until we can't."

Last Day Of Texas Early Voting

Today is the last day of early voting for our primary election in Texas, and if you haven't done so yet, you have from 7 AM to 7 PM today at various locations around the state to do so.  

If you are in line waiting to cast your ballots, stay in line until you get to do so.

After 7 PM, you'll have to wait until Tuesday, March 1 to handle your electoral business, and you'll need to do so at your friendly neighborhood precinct.

If you aren't registered to vote for the primary, you still have time (October) to do so and get your blue Texas voter registration card before the general election on November 8.

Time To Fight An Unjust Anti-Trans Bill In Tennessee

Well, the latest attempt by conservative Republicans to attack trans kids with unjust laws is about to be launched any day now in the Volunteer State.

Thanks to the Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition for posting the alert so I can signal boost it.

The Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition is disappointed to learn that HB 2414 by Lynn, Matlock, & Lamberth, the Transgender Student Bathroom Harassment Act, has been placed On Notice in the House Education Administration and Planning Subcommittee on Tuesday, March 1.

It is imperative that those who live in Tennessee contact members of the committee and express your opposition to this incredibly dangerous bill. It would expose transgender, gender variant, and gender non conforming students to increased levels of bullying, harassment, and physical assault.

Mark White (R-Memphis), Chair, 615-741-4415, rep.mark.white@capitol.tn.gov,

Harry Brooks (R-Knoxville), 615-741-6879, rep.harry.brooks@capitol.tn.gov,

John DeBerry (D-Memphis), 615-741-2239, rep.john.deberry@capitol.tn.gov,

Kevin Dunlap (D-Rock Island), 615-741-1963, rep.kevin.dunlap@capitol.tn.gov,

Debra Moody (R-Covington), 615-741-3774, rep.debra.moody@capitol.tn.gov,

Eddie Smith (R-Knoxville), 615-741-2031, rep.eddie.smith@capitol.tn.gov,

Dawn White (R-Murfreesboro), 615-741-6849, rep.dawn.white@capitol.tn.gov,

Rick Womick (R-Rockvale), 615-741-2804, rep.richard.womick@capitol.tn.gov,

http://www.capitol.tn.gov/hou…/committees/sub-education.html

As TTPC advises me how those of us outside Tennessee's borders can help them in their fight against HB 2414 I'll pass that info on to you.   I'll also keep tracking this latest unjust bill designed to attack the humanity of our trans kids.
.

Clock Ticking On Unjust HB 1008 Signing By SD Governor

The unjust HB 1008 has been sent to South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard's (R) desk for his signature, and he has until March 1 to act on it.

It was passed on a 20-15 vote out of the GOP controlled Senate and 58-10 a month ago in the GOP controlled house, and is now awaiting action from Governor Daugaard.

He can either: (A) veto it, (B) be a bold GOP trans oppressor and sign the unjust bill into law, or (C) take the political coward's way out and let the bill become law without his signature.

I'm expecting option C to happen.  I'm under no illusions that Republicans will do the right thing when it comes to the human rights of groups they don't like and wish to oppress.

The South Dakota trans community and their allies are hoping that their governor will do the right thing and veto the bill, and yesterday showed up in their state capitol of Pierre to demonstrate their opposition to the bill.   Petitions have also popped up with over 80,000 signatures and urging him to not sign the unjust law

Even Wayne Maines, the father of trans teen Nicole Maines who fought a successful protracted legal battle over bathroom access for his trans daughter, urged the governor in an open letter to veto the unjust legislation

“Transgender children across the nation go to school everyday afraid – a survey by the HRC Foundation found that three-quarters of transgender students feel unsafe in school settings. They sit in class and learn about powerful words, like courage, freedom and equality. Words that transgender people know well and dream will one day be true. Words that some of our leaders talk about but have forgotten how to use. If I could meet with you and your fellow governors, I would sit down with you and ask, ‘What are you afraid of?’ These kids just want to go to the bathroom, maybe visit with their friends to discuss their day, to laugh and just be kids. Why does it have to so hard? Their classmates do not care and they are not afraid. It is time to listen, watch and learn from them to understand that being transgender is not a big deal.”

A group of trans students had a closed door meeting with Governor Daugaard yesterday, and the trans community's most well known Republican in Caitlyn Jenner took to Twitter to urge the governor to do the right thing and veto it.

We'll see what happens over the next few days in Pierre if South Dakota decides to continue down the destructive road at the behest of out of state hate groups and their GOP controlled legislature to legislate oppression of trans people.