Happy TDOV 2018!

Today is the Transgender Day of Visibility, the March 31 day in which every year we celebrate living trans folks and how awesome we are. 

And it couldn't have come at a better time considered the haters we have arrayed against us from the TERF to white fundies to the Republican Party.

TDOV is the flip side of the November 20 Transgender Day of Remembrance which is a memorial to the people we've lost to anti-trans violence. 

TDOV is a day in which allies get to show their support for the trans community.  It's a day in which we draw attention to the accomplishments of trans people here and across the world

TDOV is also the day in which we in conjunction with our allies raise our personal and community visibility

And TDOV can also be a day, as Geena Rocero did in 2014, use as the day to not only come out as trans,  but release her viral TED Talk video to the world explaining why she did so.

So Happy TDOV! 

Make Trump, Mike Pence, Potty Dan Patrick  the TERF's, Republican Party and other fundies mad by not cowering to their attempts to oppress us, but instead give it the middle finger.

TDOV is a day in which we can get started with the process of not only building community, but helping us build community so that we can make the world better for all transkind.

Cotton Lives!

She's alive!    Cotton is alive!   #LivingBlackTransCharactersMatter .

For those of you who have been watching the FOX TV show STAR, Cotton is the name of Amiyah Scott's groundbreaking trans character on the Empire spinoff show focused on the rise of an ATL based girl group..

Amiyah Scott made history when the show debuted by playing one of the first major transgender characters on a prime time network drama series.

Had they killed Cotton off this show, I already had a  post prepared to put the show on blast, but now I won't have to do that.   Instead I can talk about why this character is so important to my Black trans community

One of the things that has become depressingly familiar to me and other people observing the trajectory of transgender characters on television is that far too often we're either killed off in the first ten minutes of the show, we're playing sex workers, the sassy drag queen or other tropes.

The other thing that has been a pain in the azz is that far too often, those characters have been played far too often by male actors in drag.   Less frequently they are played by a cis feminine actress or actual transgender people.

The television landscape is even more bleak for Black trans television characters.   You have to go back to a 1977 Season 4 episode of The Jeffersons in which Edith Stokes appeared (played by Veronica Redd) to find a non stereotypical Black trans character.

The.more recent Black trans ones are Maya Avant Forrester on the CBS soap The Bold and the Beautiful played by Karla Mosley, and the two characters both played by Laverne Cox in Orange Is The New Black's  Sophia Burset and the now canceled CBS show Doubt's Cameron Wirth. 

So you can see why I was concerned and slightly angry with the Star fall finale cliffhanger in which we didn't know if Cotton was dead or alive.

Cotton's character is important for many reasons.  Black trans women are taking the brunt of the anti- trans murders happening in the United States.  We still have people in the Black community who think that being trans is a joke, a choice, sinful or who are openly hostile to our very existence.

Because this show is being broadcast at a time in which the Republican Party at the federal and state level are openly persecuting trans people with discriminatory legislation, Star has an opportunity if they choose to take it to basically show trans women like Cotton as the complex people we are to the millions of people in their vast viewing audience. 

If you're pooh poohing that thought, it was over a decade of positive portrayals of gay and lesbian characters on network and cable television that led to human rights advances for that community and the breaking down of stereotypes aimed at lesbian and gay people.  The same was true for the African American community 

We need the same thing to happen in Black Trans World   There are many stories that can be told about Black trans people through Cotton.   You can already see the evolution of her relationship with her mother Carlotta, played by Queen Latifah.   She already loved and lost a man who she deeply cared about in Elliott. 

And unfortunately has a psycho one after her in Otis.

Some things that affect us in Trans World have been addressed in earlier Star shows.   There was one in which Cotton was attacked while with a guy outside the strip club she moonlighted at and Star ended up punching him.   Silicone pumping was addressed in another episode in which Miss Bruce was making extra money by doing it in the shop.  Another episode featured a minister laying hands on Cotton to 'pray the trans away'. 

Because Cotton lives, there will be more opportunities to tell stories like that on Star.  Hopefully I get to see an episode in which Cotton gets a name and gender marker change done because that is a BFD in Trans World.

So how would I do that on the show if I was writing the script for it?  Cotton has a conversation with Carlotta to ask her what she would have named her had she been born cis feminine, and changes it to that name.

I have other ideas specific to this trans storyline Lee Daniels, call this trans sister writer to hear them

I'm deliriously happy that Cotton lives, and I'll get to see how her character evolves over the rest of this season and hopefully many more seasons to come.

And yeah, I want to see what transpires in the lives of Star, Simone and Alex on the show too and if they are able to make their musical dreams come true as well

Run Danielle Run! Another Texas Trans Person Is Running For Office

The record breaking year of Texas TBLGQ people running for public office continues as Danielle Skidmore has decided to run for the Austin City Council's District 9.

The seat is currently held by Austin Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo, who is running for reelection and has held the District 9 seat since 2011.

I had the pleasure of meeting Danielle last year as part of the team of trans Texans and allies working hard to kill SB 6.

She has appointed Alicia Roth Weigel as her campaign treasurer, but won't be able to officially file to run for the central Austin city council seat until July 23

Skidmore is an engineer who also serves on Austin's LGBTQ Quality of Life Commission 

If Skidmore is successful in the race this November, she'd become only the second openly trans elected official in the Lone Star State and the first ever in the city of Austin, which has a statewide and national rep as a liberal progressive enclave.

I wish her the best of luck, and I'm eager to see if Danielle gets to make that history later this year.

Meet Marvia Malik, Pakistan's First Trans News Anchor!

As the Trump misadministration and their white fundie allies try to force transpeople back into the closet and strip us of what human rights coverage we've managed to achieve, other countries on this planet are moving forward on trans rights issues and making history.

Pakistan is an Islamic nation in which transpeople have been ostracized, shunned by family members, treated as a joke and at times violently attacked with a frequency only exceeded in Brazil. 

But like here in the States and in other countries, the Pakistani trans community is getting landmark legal wins that are helping to open hearts and minds in the country. 

Our trans cousins in Pakistan are celebrating as one of their own, Marvia Malik, became the first transgender news anchor in their nation.   The 21 year old Malik is no stranger to breaking barriers in her nation.  She recently became the first openly trans model to walk a fashion show runway there.

But her passion is journalism, and the private Kohenoor broadcast network based in Lahore decided to take a chance and hire her.

"I have made history in my country, and I vow to use my profession as anchor to help change the general attitude of our society towards transgender people."

"Our community should be treated equally and there must not be any gender discrimination. We should be given equal rights and be considered ordinary citizens, instead of third-gender," she said in a BBC interview.

She added: "My family knows I have modeled and they know that I work as a newscaster. It's the age of social media and there's nothing that my family doesn't know. But they have still disowned me."

She is grateful for the opportunity, and went through three months of training before she made her first on air broadcast.  Malik has done so well that the station has hired a second trans person as a copywriter   The owner of the station, Junaid Ansari, made it clear that Malik was hired for her journalism talent, not because she was transgender. 

Malik's determination to be a change agent is echoed by Farzana Jan, the head of Pakistan's Trans Action Alliance.   Jan is hopeful that Malik will not only be a positive role model, but be a catalyst for further positive change in Pakistan.

"Thank God, one of us is going on television in a serious job," Jan said. "Previously we've been presented as a joke. I hope and I believe this will help us get our rights, our protection and our respect".

Your trans cousins around the world hope that what you have expressed comes true in Pakistan. 

Congratulation to Marvia, and hope she has a long problem free career as a television anchor.   

'The State Of Black Women In America' Discussion At TSU Tonight

Looking forward to this conversation on the Texas Southern Campus tonight organized by Dr Carla Brailey and Dr Kimberly Brown Pellum.

It's a discussion entitled The State Of Black Women In America, it has on the panel attorney Cha' mira Keener, Tomiko Meeks, psychologist Dr. Alauna Curry,  Dr Michon Benson, TSU assistant professor of English, Kandice Webber, who organized the recent March of Black Women, and Tiffany Thomas, former board trustee from Alief ISD.

I am concerned that we're having a discussion about Black women in America on an HBCU campus without including the voices of Black trans feminine people, and it's a major reason why I'm attending this event tonight.

Kandice Webber is a ride or die accomplice for Black trans women, so I have no doubts at some point during the two hours scheduled for this conversation we will get to talk about the issues of Black trans women one way or the other

In case you live in the Houston area and wish to attend this event, it's happening from 7-9 PM in the Barbara Jordan - Mickey Leland Public Affairs Building in Room 114 on the Cleburne St. side of the TSU campus . 

Hope you'll consider attending this what is sure to be a thought provoking panel discussion 

Number 7- Rest In Power and Peace Amia Tyrae

Been a few weeks since I wrote my last post chronicling a 2018 death of one of our trans sisters.
Unfortunately that break is over.

TransGriot reader jade Lenore has informed of another trans sister who has been violently taken from us in Baton Rouge, LA. 

Her name is Amia Tyrae Berryman, and she was 28 years old.   Her body was found at 1:15 AM in the Shades Motel on Airline Highway with gunshot injuries.  She died at the murder scene, and the  East Baton Rouge Parish coroner will be conducting an autopsy tomorrow 

And as you probably guessed, local media stating WBRZ-TV 2 misgendered her.   

As of this writing we have no information about any suspects or persons of interest in this crime

She is the seventh trans woman killed in 2018 and the fourth Black trans woman this year.  And yes, she's under age 30.

If I'm made aware of any memorial vigils, I will pass on that information to you.

Rest in power and peace, Amia.  We won't rest until justice is served in your case 

Paris Lees Dropping Truth Bombs On The BBC's 'Question Time'

“Bigotry is bigotry, whether it’s dressed up as religion or dressed up as feminism.'-Paris Lees 

Been observing what's been happening across The Pond and the ongoing attacks against the British trans community by their TERF's, the tabloids and assorted conservative politicians.

Our trans sister Paris Lees, who made history in 2013 as the first girl like us to appear on the BBC show Question Time, once again appeared on the show to drop some knowledge on the telly and call out anti-trans crap.

And yeah, you need to see our journalist sister in action.

Not Surprised Austin Terrorist Bomber Was White Male

Color me not shocked to discover that the terrorist bomber that caused fear all over the city of Austin killed two people and wounded three others was a white male.

Maybe that explains the reluctance of the media to call the series of bombings a terrorist attack.

23 year old Mark Anthony Conditt of Pflugerville, TX blew himself up with an explosive device as SWAT officers were closing in on him.

Austin PD and the FBI tracked him to a hotel parking lot in Round Rock, TX, 18 miles  north of the ATX where they found him .inside his vehicle.   The officers on the scene wanted to wait for backup before engaging him but Conditt drove off.

Conditt stopped on the side of the I-35 frontage road and as a SWAT officer approached the car Conditt detonated an explosive device, killing himself and injuring the SWAT officer approaching the vehicle.  Shits were fired at the car in response.

After being cricket chirping silent about the terror attacks for weeks, White Supremacist in Chief Trump finally commented on the terror attacks by congratulating the officers for their 'excellent police work'

No words from Trump to the families who lost loved ones to the bombing like Draylen Mason or Anthony House, or those who are recovering from their injuries.

Then again, why expect someone like 45, who cares about no one but himself,  to have empathy for others?

Austin can exhale a bit, but officials are warning there may still be some bombs he shipped or mailed before he killed himself, so they are advising people to be alert

But once again, just proves the point the Republicans an the conservative movement tried to suppress in 2009 that domestic terrorism in the United States has a right wing, white male face.   

What Is A Democrat?

I'm sick of the Green Tea Party far left labeling anyone they don't like, especially women and people of color as 'corporate Democrats.' I also noticed that that label gets applied to any Democrat who the far left thinks is a possible candidate for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination like Sen. Kamala Harris, Sen. Cory Booker, Sen. Elizabeth Warren...

You get my drift. .Note to you peeps, the 2020 Democratic Party primary voters will determine who will be that nominee, and many of those Democratic Party primary voters look like me.

So what is a Corporate Dem? Seems like the definition of a 'Corporate Dem' is anyone who doesn't walk in lock step with non-Democrat Bernie Sanders or who doesn't pass their vanillacentric privileged goalpost shifting standards of a purity test.

Those 'purity tests' didn't work in 2016, and they damned sure didn't work in 2000 either. All your far left Green Tea Party purity tests have done is to get the worst possible Republicans elected and saddle us with a radical conservative SCOTUS because in large part you have an irrational hatred of the Democratic Party that we and the country don't have time for. First things first, we need to have a laser beam focus on the 2018 midterm elections. So what is a Democrat? Here's my thoughts concerning what a Democrat is and not the RussiaLeaks or Republican version of one is.

To me, to be a Democrat is to be someone who is in favor of human rights protection for all. It means you care about the social safety net and wish to defend and improve it. It means you care about the environment.. It means that you will fight to the death to defend Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid. and eventually universal single payer health care.

It means you fight for public education.and making it easier for people to afford a college education without breaking their family's bank accounts or putting the college grad in debt for the next 20-20 years It means fighting for science and scientific research to get the tax dollars it deserves and our school systems go back to teaching critical thinking skills and not test taking .

Being a Democrat also means you fight tooth and nail to protect the right to vote and a woman's right to choose. It means that you respect freedom of religion, and people's choice to be free from having religious beliefs at all.

It means that you are in favor of reasonable gun regulations. It means fighting for a justice system that lives up to its name. It means making our federal, state and local governments, the people who work in them and the folks in our judicial system look like America

It means you fight for working class people, not the 1%. It means fighting for a fair tax system in which corporations doing business in the United States and those who can pay more pay their fair share in taxes. It means being about creating jobs at a livable wage with regular increases in the minimum wage based on inflation, and relentlessly fighting for a strong union movement.
It means investing in infrastructure, be it our transportation networks, internet communications networks or our technological expertise in space.

It means that we Democrats serve with the highest ethical standards because character matters. It means,because believe in a government of, by and for the people, we want government to work. We should as Democrats when we have control of the government find the most qualified people to run their agencies It means that when we create governmental policy that is going to impact people's lives, we do so with facts. It means we Democrats use logic and reason based policies to make government work efficiently and better for all people

Finally, being a Democrat means that we don't fear the future, we look forward to it and plan ahead so that our kids and grandkids inherit a better world
That in my eyes, is what a Democrat is.

My Thoughts On The Houston GLBT Caucus-Baptist Ministers Assn. Initiative

People are weighing in on the what WAS a quiet effort to talk to the Baptist Ministers Association of Houston and Vicinity and the GLBT Caucus.

As one of the people considered a major unapologetically Black trans leader in the Houston, Texas and national TBLGQ community, I have also been asked my thoughts about this from multiple people including political candidates, members of the Caucus, and other thought leaders.

So here's what I have to say about it

You know from perusing this blog that I not only have been a vocal critic of the Baptist Ministers Assn, I was not in 2014-15 happy with them colluding with the Harris County GOP and our longtime assorted haters in Dave Welch, Dave Wilson and Steven Hotze.

And Moni STILL isn't happy with them and the rampant miseducation about the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance they helped grease the skids for that was critical in how it was framed and why it was rejected in the Houston Black community . 

But I also have been just as critical about the piss poor effort of Houston Unites and their Prop 8 2.0 campaign that spectacularly failed to educate about and defend the much needed ordinance in my community in large part because of the failure to listen to Houston Black TBLGQ leaders.

In order for us to pass and successfully defend a HERO 2.0 ordinance, you not only need to listen to Houston Black TBLGQ leaders, we are going to have to deal with the Baptist Ministers Assn and also the just as odious to me COGIC PAC. 

I also have some ideas about what else needs to happen, but it's going to cost you to hear what they are.  Y'all in the market for hiring experienced Black trans leaders, equality orgs?  It's kinda obvious we're needed and necessary to advance equity in this human rights movement, and not just equality.

We cannot allow Houston Black voters to ever again be hoodwinked and bamboozled into voting against a local human rights law that protects them in the Bayou City.   Neither can we tolerate sellout Black folks who collude with the Harris County and Texas Republican Party and white fundamentalists to make that miseducation happen.

It is past time for a 'Come to Jesus' Houston Black community meeting with those groups.  This is a family conversation that Houston Black trans, bi and SGL leaders need to facilitate because we need to and KNOW HOW to talk to our people. 

And as a member of Black Lives Matter HOU, I'm confident that we can successfully along with POC Caucus leaders and other Houston Black community leaders have that conversation.  Both groups are coming to the table with the common points of our Blackness and being sick of the narrative we are 'more homophobic and transphobic' than the white folks who draw high five figure paychecks working in anti-TBLGQ orgs , the white fundies ministers that get their jollies hating us, and support a Republican Party dedicated to oppressing us. 

Just before the January 2018 Caucus meeting, Mike Webb pulled me aside and asked if they could talk to me about an initiative that was being worked on.  I now know because of the drama this was the initiative they were talking about. 

I'm also not happy about the conclusion jumps being made in the article that the trans community is 'being thrown under the bus' and that Houston Black SGL leaders expressing their opinions about this situation informed by their Blackness and political knowledge of our Houston Black community and the players in it is 'cisplaining'.

Really?   Don't even insult my intelligence with that BS. 

This initiative is a Houston Black family conversation that once again, we need to and must have.  That means Houston white TBLGQ community, y'all are going to have to sit on the sidelines for this one until if and when we call for you.

It is an initiative that I definitely agree needs to have Houston Black trans representation at the table since we were the people attacked by the inflammatory anti-trans rhetoric.  Because of that anti-trans hate speech, Black trans people have undeniably taken the brunt of the anti-trans violence uptick that resulted from that 2015 campaign, the GOP efforts to pass anti- trans 'bathroom bills'  and the anti-trans rhetoric surrounding the failed dual attempts to pass SB 6.

So would I talk to a group that as you know I'm seriously pissed off at?  I sure would.   I definitely wouldn't mind talking to Max Miller, FN Williams and whoever else is leading the Baptist Ministers Assn of Houston and Vicinity as long as that apology to the trans community happens

The ministers need to know from a living breathing Houston Black trans person we not only exist, that their collusion with our longtime enemies was hurtful to Houston's trans community.

The Black ministerial collusion was harmful specifically to the Houston Black trans contingent of it, and the Baptist Ministers Assn of Houston and Vicinity need to as a starting point publicly apologize to us for their reprehensible actions to the Houston Black trans community.

And the Houston Black TBLGQ community will have a major say in how and what that looks like.

Shut Up Fool; Awards- Go TSU Tigers Edition

My alma mater isn't the only Houston collegiate team repping our city in this year's NCAA men's basketball playoffs./

For the fourth time in five season the texas Southern University Tigers are also in the Big Dance, and even better finally earned their first ever tournament win with a 64-46 victory against NC Central.

That earned them a spot to play against number one seed Xavier later tonight.   The experts may be picking Xavier, but don't sleep on this TSU team since their coach, Mike Davis, coached Indiana to the 2002 Final Four while at Indiana 

Good luck TSU!

Now let's move on to this week's usual Friday business in calling out fools

Honorable mention number one is (Mis) Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, for proving once again that Trump hires the worst people.

Honorable mention number two is Dana Loesch.   Ammosexual Barbie has gotten her azz handed to her by the Parkland kids, Black Lives Matter, CNN and now singer Neil Young.

Honorable mention number three is Dr Stacey Patton.   She stepped to me in a Twitter private message upset because i'd called her out on her transphobia

Hey if you don't want me calling you out on your transphobia, the cure is simple: don't be a fracking transphobe

Honorable mention number four iis one for defeated Bexar County DA Nico LaHood, who is upset because Lauryn Farris called him out at Tuesday's press conference for screwing up the case that allowed Keen McFadden's admitted killer to go free.

Naw Nico, don't get mad because you screwed up and the San Antonio trans community is calling you out about it..

Honorable mention number five is to now former Maine House candidate Leslie Gibson.  The Republican (what else?) dropped out of the race after referring to Parkland, FL shooting survivor Emma Gonzales as a 'skinhead lesbian'.

She identifies as bisexual you conservaidiot

Good riddance.

This week's Shut Up Fool loser winner is OJ Simpson   The Juice let his mouth run loose instead of shutting it in his first interview since he was sprung from a Nevada jail.

He threw his two cents in about Colin Kaepernick in  recent interview, saying "I thought he made a bad choice in attacking the flag"

Dude, you're the last person that needs to be talking about 'bad choices' since you are alleged to have killed two people and gotten away with it.

So keep Colin Kaepernick's name out your mouth since he's done more for Black people than you did in your entire career.

And oh yeah, shut up fool!

Moni's 2018 NCAA Women's B-Ball Bracket

Since it's Women's History Month, I also show love to the women's NCAA ballers and do a bracket for their tournament as well.  Since 2008 I've done a bracket for the NCAA women's tournament, and had much better results (6-4) thanks in large part to UConn's sustained excellence.

These are my 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 , 2014, 2015 TransGriot NCAA women's tournament brackets.here   In 2016 I only got one of the Women's Final Four teams correct, but it was the right one in the eventual national champion UConn Huskies.

In 2015 I correctly predicted the NCAA women's title game, and I've also correctly picked all four women's NCAA Final Four teams in 2008, 2009, 2012 and 2015.

Last year I got half of the 2017 NCAA women's championship game correct.   Like everyone else that watches women's collegiate basketball I was not anticipating UConn going down in the semis to an on a roll Mississippi State team and picked UConn over eventual surprise champ South Carolina.

So who will be cutting down the championship nets in Columbus?   Good question.   Time to answer who I think it will be. 


Albany Regional
First Round
UConn, Miami (FL), Duke, Georgia, South Florida, Florida State, California, South Carolina

Second Round
UConn,  Duke, Florida State, South Carolina

Sweet 16
UConn, South Carolina

Albany Regional Champion
UConn
 

Kansas City Regional
First Round
Mississippi State, Syracuse, Maryland, NC State, Iowa, UCLA, Arizona State, Texas

Second Round
Mississippi State, Maryland, UCLA, Texas

Sweet 16
Mississippi State, Texas

Kansas City Regional Champ
Mississippi State 

Lexington Regional
First Round
Louisville, Marquette , Missouri, Stanford, Oregon State, Tennessee, Michigan State, Baylor

Second Round
Louisville, Stanford, Tennessee, Baylor

Sweet 16
Louisville, Baylor

Lexington Regional Champion
Louisville

Spokane Regional
First Round
Notre Dame, Villanova, DePaul, Texas A&M, LSU, Ohio State,  Minnesota, Oregon

Second Round
Notre Dame, Texas A&M, LSU, Oregon

Sweet 16
Notre Dame, LSU

Spokane Regional Champion
Notre Dame


Final Four
UConn, Mississippi State, Louisville, Notre Dame

Championship Game
UConn,  Louisville

2018 NCAA Women's Champion
UConn 

Moni's 2018 NCAA Men's B-Ball Bracket

It's that time of year again, and once again as I've done since 2007, I'm posting a NCAA men's tournament bracket for y'all to peruse and pick apart.   2015 has been the only year I didn't do a bracket, frankly because that year I was too busy to properly do it.

And for the first time since 2010, I finally get to see my alma mater play in the Big Dance, and it may not be a one and done appearance either.

UH lost in the AAC title game 56-55 (boo hiss) to Cincinnati, but doesn't take away the fact they have had one of their best seasons since I was walking the campus and Phi S;lama Jama was slam dunking their way to three straight NCAA finals appearances

The last time the UH Cougars won an NCAA tournament game was in that 1984 Final Four in the Kingdome against Virginia, so we're way overdue for a tournament win.

This year's Final Four, thanks to SB 6 being killed twice (you're welcome) is in San Antonio. 
And yes Texas conservafools, it's more evidence of the Lone Star State getting nice things when we don't pass unjust legislation.

I got the NCAA Men's Champion right last year, and that evens my all time record to 5-5.

Here's the previous NCAA men's brackets for 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 , 2016 and 2017 

And now, my 2018 NCAA men's bracket

First Four Games
Radford, UCLA, Texas Southern, Syracuse 

South Regional 
First Round 
Virginia, Kansas State, Kentucky, Arizona, Miami (FL), Tennessee, Nevada, Cincinnati  

Second Round
Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Cincinnati

Sweet 16
Virginia, Cincinnati 

South Regional Champion
Virginia


West Regional
First Round
Xavier, Missouri, Ohio State, Gonzaga, Houston , Michigan, Texas A&M, North Carolina

Second Round
Xavier, Gonzaga, Houston, North Carolina

Sweet 16
Xabier, North Carolina

West Regional Champ
North Carolina 

East Regional
First Round
Villanova, Alabama, West Virginia, Wichita State, Florida, Texas tech, Arkansas, Purdue

Second Round
Villanova, Wichita State, Florida, Purdue

Sweet 16
Villanova, Purdue

East Regional Champ
Purdue 

Midwest Regional 
First  Round
Kansas, Seton Hall, Clemson, Auburn, TCU, Michigan State, Rhode Island, Duke

Second Round
Kansas, Auburn, Michigan State, Duke

Sweet 16
Auburn, Duke

Midwest Regional Champ
Duke 

Final Four
Virginia, North Carolina, Purdue, Duke

Championship Game
North Carolina, Duke

20
2018 NCAA Champion
North Carolina 

Moni's Getting On The Bus To- San Antonio

Didn't realize until i was asked by SAGA and TENT to come to the Alamo City for their Justice for Kenne rally tomorrow that it had been nearly five years since I last spent time in Bexar County.

The last time I was there was to speak at a TDOR back in November 2013, and got to spend some quality time not only with Lauryn Farris, but also Rev. Carmarion Anderson as well. 

Once again it's for activism, but it will be nice to see some folks while I'm there calling crap out. 

See you in a few hours San Antonio. 

Justice For Kenne McFadden Rally and March Tuesday

Kenne McFadden was murdered while we were fighting to kill the unjust SB 6 bill.   Her body was found on April 9 by a barge operator on San Antonio's famed River Walk.

Her lifeless body was found floating in the San Antonio River near East Commerce and St Mary's Streets and was the 12th murder of a trans person in 2017.   The alleged killer, 20 year old Mark Daniel Lewis was arrested for McFadden's murder while he was in the Bexar County jail for another crime and indicted by a grand jury in November on manslaughter.

Lewis pushed McFadden, who was intoxicated at the time and a non swimmer, into the San Antonio River and refused to help her as she drowned.

The Bexar County DA Nico LaHood, for some unknown reason reason decided to present this evidence during a probation hearing for Lewis in an attempt to revoke his probation for failing to register as a sex offender.

On March 8, State District Judge Joey Contreras (R) a Gov Greg Abbott appointee to the 187th Criminal District Court ruled that Lewis pushing her into the river didn't rise to the level of criminal conduct.

Unfortunately, the probation hearing became a defacto trial, and once the judge made his ruling, Lewis couldn't be tried for her murder because of double jeopardy laws.

Fortunately for us in the Lone Star State, this is an election year, so Judge Contreras and DA LaHood have to face the voters.

FYI gentlemen, trans people and our allies vote     Judge Contreras is in a GOP runoff for his seat that will take place on May 22.   LaHood has already been punished at the polls.  He went down to defeat in the March 6 Democratic primary after just one controversial term in office.. 

In addition to LaHood having a contentious relationship with the San Antonio press corps, he'd made controversial anti-Islamic comments, stating the loud and wrong claim that vaccines cause autism, and threatened to destroy an attorney's career.

The result in this botched case has incensed the San Antonio trans community, and they are organizing a Justice for Kenne rally and protest on Tuesday.   The groups involved in coordinating the protest are the Trans Education Network of Texas (TENT), the San Antonio Gender Association (SAGA) and the Pride Center San Antonio.

There will be a press conference in front of Bexar County DA Nico LaHood's office at noon Tuesday, wirth the rally and march taking place at Crockett Park starting at 6PM 

And yes, I've been asked to speak at that rally, so see you Alamo City peeps Tuesday.