Happy Thanksgiving 2016

It's a bittersweet Thanksgiving for many of us in Trans World today.

While we've made some amazing progress this year, the adverse results of the 2016 presidential election will put much of that progress at rsk starting on January 20 with an incoming (yuck) Republican administration  

But today, not going to focus on that looming political drama, will have time to do that later.  I'm going to just focus on counting my blessings.

I am blessed to have good health, loyal friends, and my family blood and chosen in my life.  I have had the blessings in 2016 of traveling to every corner of the country except the Pacific Northwest and the southeast US.

I have been blessed with multiple awards and making history in getting one of them.  I have in 2016  stood inside the White House (for the fifth time), on the campus of Harvard University, outside of the site of San Francisco's Compton's Cafeteria, and on the historic Chautauqua Institution amphitheater stage with Janet Mock.

I got to attend Creating Change for the third consecutive year, the Black Trans Advocacy Conference at their new hotel, the Philly Trans Health Conference and Netroots Nation for the first time since 2012 and another Texas Transgender Nondiscrimination Summit as its keynote speaker.  I even got the opportunity on Election Night to talk politics on live television on a TV station I grew up watching in ABC13.

One of the blessings I received in 2016 is getting to meet and talk to our trans youth in Houston and around the country along with their amazing parents.

The blessing I want for our community here in the United States and around the world is to have our humanity and human rights recognized, respected and protected .

Don't know yet what 2017 has in store for me besides some trips to Austin staring in January, but hope I finally get to meet more of the transpeople on my bucket list like Lauren Foster and Caroline Cossey for starters, get to speak at a few more events on college campuses, keynote some conferences, and finally get to put my GLAAD media training and Pundit Cup Championship punditry skills to good use on behalf of this community on a regular basis.

And oh yeah, did I mention the amazing people in my life that I call my friends?

Happy Thanksgiving people!   May your holiday meal be tasty, the people you share it with be full of grace and good cheer, and you have safe travels to and from your holiday destinations.

And for those of you who will not be breaking bread with your families, may you do so with chosen family, friends and people who love you..