This is definitely not the way I wanted to spend our tenth anniversary celebration of the Transgender Day of Visibility, but it is a sobering reminder of how our visibility can come with a high price.
It's also something I've been concerned about as we transition out of the colder winter weather into the spring. When the weather warms up, the anti-trans violence incidents rise along with the warmer temperatures.
We travel to the Washington DC area for news concerning the second trans murder of 2019.
The 20 something year old Ashanti Carmon was found dead after Fairmount Heights police responded to multiple shots fired calls in the area of Aspen and Jost streets around 6:23 AM EDT Saturday morning.
The area is near the DC-Prince George's County line. Police arrived at the scene seven minutes later, located Carmon, and pronounced her dead at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds.
It was the first murder in Fairmount Heights in five years according to its police chief. The homicide investigation will be turned over to the Prince George's County Police.
As of yet, no word on a memorial vigil or a funeral, but once I find out that information, I will pass it on to you TransGriot readers once I receive it. .
And I have to ask once again, especially on this TDOV day, when will our Black trans lives matter to the Black cis community?:
Both the trans people we have lost to anti-trans violence in 2019 have in common they are Black trans feminine people and under age 35.
Rest in power and peace Ashanti. May the person who committed this heinous crime be swiftly caught and punished for it.
Today is not on the Transgender Day of Visibility, it is the tenth anniversary celebration of this day
It is a day that Rachel Crandall-Crocker created in 2009 to celebrate our trans successes and those of us visibly living and unapologetically being our awesome trans selves. It has grown from a Michigan centric event to one that now spans the country and increasingly the world.
In four days I will mark the 25th anniversary of my nervously walking into IAH's Terminal C clocking in for work that day as me for the first time.
My life began on that April 4 day. It has been an amazing 25 years full of ups and downs, but it hasn't been boring. I get to do some amazing things, and I have gained an international family of trans people and supporters as a result.
I am also blessed to have a cadre of amazing cis women that have my back and were instrumental in helping me understand the journey I was about to embark upon.
I'm blessed that in these 25 years since I transitioned, I've been able to blaze trails and make history as I navigate my amazing life while evolving to become a better version of myself.
I don't have any kids, but I gained a whole lot of trans nieces and nephews along the way in addition to my two biological nieces.
I'm also pleased and proud to be considered a role model and mentor to the generations of trans people coming behind me.
By stepping into Terminal C 25 years ago, I began to own my power and become the unapologetic Black trans woman you see standing before you today .
We can't forget on this TDOV day the trans and gender non conforming people who are non-disclosed for safety or other reasons. You also play an important role in helping all of us gain our human rights and defending our humanity against all who would attack it for their own nefarious political gain.
When you are ready to take that visibility step,, your community will be waiting with open arms. In the meantime, those of us who are visible will continue to fight to make the world a better place so that you can feel comfortable in taking those steps into unapologetic trans visibility.
Trans right are human rights. And on this tenth TDOV, we are once again shouting that message as loud as we can until people get it.
Was happy to discover that we actually have an event scheduled to happen in Houston on the 10th anniversary of TDOV.
The Transgender Education Network of Texas and Transform Houston are hosting a panel discussion tomorrow that will discuss the importance of trans and non binary visibility.
The panel will feature Atlantis Narcisse, Rylie Jefferson, Nick Arvizu and Mike Webb. They will discuss what visibility means to them and the different types of visibility we have in the community.
This panel discussion will take place at 4212 Emancipation, at that address on Emancipation Ave in Houston's Third Ward and run from 7 - 9 PM CDT.
Hope you can attend this event and see this group of panelists .
I met Daniel Villarreal during an LGBTQ Media Journalist Convening event several years ago, and have a lot of respect and love for him and his journalism work.
He recently gave a talk at the 2019 SXSW on the subject of 'Ten Emerging Topics In LGBTQ Media'. I was in Austin during SXSW for TENT's Lobby Day on the march 7, but had to return home on the date of his talk..
While 70 people attended his talk, there have been a lot more people who expressed interest in the subject, so Daniel has decided to record it so more people can see it.
I cancelled Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson a long time ago, and am proud to say that not one of his CD's desecrates my collection. His most recent anti-trans comment makes it crystal clear why I just say hell no to 50 Cent.
He took to his Instagram page with 22 million followers yesterday to say to the rapper Young Buck, who was formerly part of his G-Unit group this transphobic comment. “If your [sic] in a relationship with a t****y your [sic] gay. that’s a boy, Boy!!!
“It’s cool Buck you gonna be big down at the gay bars Give me a call,
He also posted a video of Young Buck in which the rapper is saying 'take that s**t down' to a woman who wrote an article alleging he had sex with a trans woman.
Um no Curtis and other like mined transphobes, that's not how this works. Let me make this real simple and plain for you trans ignorati because I'm not feeling your transphobic BS and my patience with it is nonexistent today.
A trans women is a woman, a trans man is man. That trans man is also a better version of a man than you could ever hope to be.
If you as a cisgender man are attracted to a trans woman, that makes you STRAIGHT. If you are a cisgender man that is attracted to a trans man, that makes you GAY.
Curtis, your use of the 't****y slur and the BS perpetuation of the 'that's a man' crap to describe trans women not only contributes to the toxic masculinity problem, it contributes to more Black trans women getting attacked, hurt or killed.
There are cisgender men who love them some trans women, be they pre, post or non op. Your comments and the internalized transphobia it feeds in trans attracted men and the Black community at large makes it harder for those men to be open and honest about being ride or die attracted to trans feminine people.
Curtis, if being with trans women is not your cup of tea, we get it. You ain't all that to some of us either. But you and your buds in Rap World need to stop demonizing Black trans women, especially when some of you are desperately trying to hook up with trans women on the down low.
If you are in the Houston area, and looking for an opportunity to chat with your state legislators, your opportunity to do so will take place on (no joke) April 1.
The Houston GLBT Caucus along with their partner organizations United We Dream, Transform Houston, Your Houston PAC, the New Leaders Council and Indivisible Houston will head to Austin on April 1 for their second annual Houston's Advocacy Day at The Capitol
Bus will leave the Montrose Center at 6 AM on Monday from the Montrose Center at 401 Branard St to head to the Pink Dome, and return to H-town at 8 PM
So if you wish to lobby your state reps, register now, because the Caucus and all these amazing orgs would love to have you there in Austin with them and your fellow citizen lobbyists,
While Pauline Ngarmpring failed in her bid to become Thailand's prime minister, it was still a historic election night in the Land of Smiles.
Filmmaker Tanwarin Sukkhapisit on March 24 became the first genderqueer person elected as an MP in the Thai House of Representatives. LGBT Thai's make up 13% of the electorate in the country.
Sukkhapisit was initially announced in many media outlets as trans, but in a subsequent interview made it clear they identified as genderqueer and used they-them pronouns
They ran as a candidate with the Future Forward Party, which is projected to become the third largest party in the Thai government after all the ballot are counted.
If their name sounds familiar, it's because they just fought a successful five year legal battle to get their film Insects In The Backyard on the Thai silver screens after it was censored and accused of moral indecency. Once an agreement to cut a three second nude scene of struck, the film was allowed to be shown.
After that negative experience fighting film censorship, Sukkahpisit decided to run for office with the Future First Party, and said that the desire to fight for TBLGQ rights in their nation drove them to run for public office.
Tanwarin has been discussing political themes in their movies for over 20 years, and now feels it's time to establish new laws that address the changing mores in Thai society, starting with changes to Section 1448 of the Civil and Commercial Code to allow marriage equality
We'll see what happens as Sukkhapist begins their new role as an MP. It will also be interesting to see is a Thai trans person finally breaks through and gets elected to the Thai House of Representatives .
One of the things about odd numbered years is that going into them, I know I'll be doing a lot of travel inside and outside of the state of Texas.
An odd numbered year on the calendar means that the Texas Legislature is in session, and I'll be doing a lot of scheduled and unscheduled trips to Austin to lobby or testify for and against bills.
Monday afternoon was one of those unscheduled trips, as TENT's ED Emmett Schelling invited me to come to the ATX to do battle against SB 17.
It is the unjust bill sponsored by Sen.Charles Perry (R-Lubbock) that would allow anyone with a professional license to discriminate against people based on their 'sincerely held religious beliefs' and not face repercussions for doing so.
Translation, it's the 'religious freedom' BS once again. Perry is also the conservafool who stated that 'being Christian in America is like being Jewish in Nazi Germany.'
Yep, that was the level of conservaidiocy we were taking on Monday.
That meant for the fourth time this session I would make the 175 mile trip from Houston to Austin to handle some political business under the Pink Dome. This was the first time this session I would get to testify for or against a bill.
In case you're wondering, my personal record for Austin trips during a session is eight, set during the 2017 session. I 'missed a ninth trip because I was handling San Diego Comic Con business during the special session, and Senate State Affairs called for a hearing on SB 6 while I was on the Left Coast.
The joke running around in the Texas activist community about me not being there for that ninth time is that the TXGOP heard I was leaving the state for a few days and decided to call that SB 6 hearing while I was in Cali because they didn't want to see or deal with me calling their conservaazzes out
Emmett, his family, Brad Pritchett, Lou Weaver and I piled into a minivan and rolled from Houston late Sunday afternoon for the hearing that was scheduled to take place at 9 AM the next day in the Senate State Affairs Committee.
But interestingly enough, this hearing took place on the floor of the Texas Senate chamber since as you probably guessed, committee hearing rooms are hard to get this time of year.
You can watch here as I said my piece along with other Texans opposed to it about that unjust bill. It was also nice to spend some quality time talking to peeps in the community like Ashley Smith, Claire Bow, Finn Jones, Ash Hall, Fran Watson and my high school classmate Lawrence Allen, Jr
He was with his Omega Psi Phi frat brothers for their advocacy day, and also sits on the State Board of Education. It was also nice bumping into Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo, Rep. Ron Reynolds, Rep Shawn Thierry, and spending some quality time with my own state senator Borris Miles.
In case you're wondering, he's opposed to SB 17
The next day instead of going back to Houston, since I was riding with Emmett and had nothing important scheduled back home, I made the short drive down I-35 south with them to San Antonio.
It was actually the first time I'd done the drive to San Antonio from that direction, and noted all the home and other construction going on along I-35.
While I was in Bexar County, Emmett, Andrea and I stopped by the northwest San Antonio campaign office of Frankie Gonzales Wolfe, who is running for the District 8 seat on the San Antonio City Council against an unpopular incumbent.
Frankie, should she be successful in doing so on May 4, would become the first out trans person elected to public office in the Lone Star State. She'd also become if it happens the first trans Latina elected to public office anywhere in the United States.
Was happy to hear that her campaign is starting to pick up positive momentum in the Alamo City, but our trans sister could still use some donation dollars from y'all who pride yourselves on helping to build trans political power.
So after allowing for some time for Andrea to hang out with her mom Elsa, and grabbing a bite to eat to allow for San Antonio rush hour traffic to die down, we hit I-10 east for the journey back to Houston and to get a few days of rest before it was time for me next Monday to head back to Austin for another lobby day.
And nope, I didn't get to destroy any Slurpees in either Austin or San Antonio despite the plethora of 7 Eleven locations in both cities.
When I started TransGriot back in 2006, one of the problems I had was trying to find photos to illustrate the trans-specific concepts I wanted to talk about or even photos of our trans events.
As the years went by, that got better in terms of the trans event coverage, but there are still times when editors mistakenly use the rainbow flag instead of the trans pride flag to illustrate a specifically trans themed article, or they resort to the insulting right wing practice of using unflattering drag queen photos to do so.
Because there has been an increase at stock photo sites of inquiries for transgender themed photos, was happy to discover that Broadly has launched the Gender Spectrum Collection.
It is a photo library of over 180 images taken by Zackary Drucker of trans and non binary models that we can use to better illustrate our written work.
This started because of an issue that cropped up in an article that Diana Tourjee wrote in August 2015 for Broadly a few months before she later joined them as a writer concerning tucking. Because there was a still surprising dearth of stock trans themed photos at the time, the editors went with a bottom shot of a man.
That's a problem as a trans feminine writer, When Tourjee later joined the staff she asked them to change the photo on that article.When I had that dilemma with TransGriot articles, I would use cis feminine photos to illustrate those concepts, and cis masculine ones for trans masculine discussions
The Gender Spectrum Collection is a much needed and necessary step forward toward more inclusive media coverage of trans and gender non binary people. It is also a blessing that some of the photos are of trans masculine people because far too often they are erased from the stories and narratives talked about in our community.
I was also happy to note as I perused the collection that there are images of trans and non binary people of color as part of it
The Gender Spectrum Collection is also important because representation matters. We also have to consider that when I or any person writes an article about a trans person, it may be the first time the individual reading the article sees a trans or gender non binary person.
That's why the images used to illustrate those articles are just as important as the words written by the writer to convey those concepts talked about in the article.
First impressions matter, especially when we are now in a time in which evilgelicals, the TERF's, the Republican Party and conservative media are openly colluding to sow as much disinformation and lies about transgender people as they can get away with.
I hope this image library continues to grow, and I know I will be using the photos that are applicable to this and any future TransGriot posts.
On March 31, 2009, Rachel Crandall created the International Transgender Day of Visibility as a counter to the Transgender Day of Remembrance, that takes place in November and focuses on the people we've lost to anti-trans violence.
"The day of remembrance is exactly what it is. It remembers people who died," said Crandall. "This focuses on the living."
TDOV went from being a Michigan centered event to like TDOR, one that is rapidly becoming celebrated here in the United States and and increasingly around the world. With a federal administration in place that is openly hostile to trans people, TDOV is also a day that is rapidly gaining in community importance as it approaches its tenth anniversary this Sunday. |
Trans pride flags in the runup to International Trans Day of Visibility are appearing outside the Capitol Hill offices of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi( D-CA), Rep Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Rep Yvette Clarke (D-NY) Rep.Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY), Rep Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) and countless other members of Congress.
Rep Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) and Rep Deb Haaland (D-NM) have been flying those trans pride flags long before TDOV made it cool to do so.
There are also Trans Awareness Week events taking place on college campuses and venues around the country as a way to show solidarity with transgender people. These events are also taking place to allow trans folks to celebrate our successes and unapologetically celebrate our trans lives.
One month from now, me and a few hundred friends and BTAC family members will gather in Dallas, TX once again for the 8th annual Black Trans Advocacy Conference and Awards Gala.
The theme this year is Level Up! Elevate The Revolution
BTAC 2019 will be taking place once again at the Wyndham Dallas Suites Park Hotel in North Dallas, and I'm looking forward to spending a week there to recharge, reconnect with my BTAC family, bask in the wisdom of my trans elders, get my learn on, and dish out some well deserved domino butt kickings.
I'm also looking forward to the other events that are part of a BTAC conference in the Trans Manifest Live, the Mr, Ms and for the first time Mx Black Trans International Pageant, the Awards Gala, our Family Day and the Black Diamond Ball..
And oh yeah, it's the kickoff to my birthday celebration week.
I also want to challenge my Houston area Black trans siblings to show up in numbers to meet your Black trans siblings from around the country and the world.
Still not too late for you to join us in Dallas for this conference, and if you need information as to how you can join us or be a sponsor of the event, check out btac.blacktrans.org for further info.
Five days after a white supremacist unleashed a terror attack on two mosques with an assault weapon in Christchurch, NZ that killed 50 people, New Zealand has taken action to fix the problem with their gun laws that allowed it to happen.
On March 20, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced a ban on all military style assault weapons. This took just ten minutes.
And here's PM Ardern's speech announcing the ban and other adjustments to NZ's gun laws, including a buyback for already purchased weapons.
Welcome, everyone. On 15 March, the nation witnessed a terrorist attack that demonstrated the weakness of New Zealand’s gun laws. New Zealand’s regulation of arms primarily dates back to 1983. Sadly, since that time, the most substantive changes to our laws came following the Aramoana shootings. Those changes, however, did not go far enough. Successive attempts have been made, and failed, to change our laws since then. Those attempts were in 1999, 2005, 2012, and more recently though a select committee inquiry in early 2017. And still, none of the changes that have been made in the past dealt with one of the most glaring issues we have that sets New Zealand apart from many other nations: the availability of military-style semi-automatic weapons.
The attacker on 15 March took a significant number of lives using primarily two guns. They were assault rifles, and they were purchased legally on an A category gun license, the standard license held by gun owners in New Zealand. The capacity of these assault rifles was then enhanced using 30+ round magazines, essentially turning them into military-style semi-automatic weapons. While the modification of these guns was illegal, it was done easily, through a simple online purchase.
The guns in this terrorist attack had important distinguishing features. First, the capacity, and also, the delivery. They had the power to shoot continuously, but they also had large-capacity magazines. I absolutely believe there will be a common view amongst New Zealanders, those who use guns for legitimate purposes, and those who have never touched one, that the time for the mass and easy availability of these weapons must end. And today, they will.
Today I am announcing that New Zealand will ban all military-style semi-automatic weapons. We will also ban all assault rifles. We will ban all high-capacity magazines. We will ban all parts with the ability to convert semi-automatic or any other type of firearm into a military-style semi-automatic weapon. We will ban parts that cause a firearm to generate semi-automatic, automatic, or close-to-automatic gunfire. In short, every semi-automatic weapon used in the terrorist attack on Friday will be banned in this country.
These changes will require legislation. That legislation is now being drafted and will be introduced under urgency. A short and select committee process will apply, so I encourage all those who wish to submit to start now. My expectation is that the law will be in place by the end of the next two-week sitting session, which is by the 11th of April.
As a government, however, we did not wish to allow a situation where irresponsible dealers continue to sell weapons that will be banned within a few weeks. That is why we have taken an interim measure. As at 3 p.m. today, an order-in-council took effect. These changes to our regulations will ensure virtually all of the weapons I have announced as being banned will be categorized as weapons that require an E-Class endorsement. The effect of this will mean that no one will be able to buy these weapons without a permit to procure from the police. I can assure people that there is no point in applying for such a permit. This is an interim measure to ensure the trade of these weapons ceases from 3 p.m. today.
As a government, we acknowledge that there will be gun owners who have legitimately purchased weapons we have now moved to ban. Some, for instance, will use them for large scale culling, such as dog. We will as a cabinet work through legalized exemptions for these purposes, but they will be tightly-regulated. For others, these guns will now come out of circulation. I acknowledge and thank those retailers who have voluntarily ceased to sell military-style semi-automatic and assault rifles. You have seen the collective issues we face as a country and I thank you for that. For other dealers, sales should essentially now cease. My expectation is that these weapons will be returned to their suppliers, and never enter into the New Zealand market again.
For current owners of the weapons we have moved to ban, I acknowledge that many of you will have acted within the law. In recognition of that, and to incentivize their return, we will be establishing a buy-back scheme. The details of the scheme are being developed in parallel to the drafting of the legislation to enforce the ban.
In the meantime, we are asking all current holders of military-style semi-automatic weapons and assault rifles to visit www.police.govt.nz. There they will find details of the weapons included in this ban. In the next 48 hours, a form will be available on this site that we are asking these gun owners to complete, identifying what banned guns they hold. The police will then arrange for these weapons to be handed over, and eventually destroyed. Details of the weapons handed back by owners that are covered by the ban will also be taken to ensure that fair and reasonable compensation is paid once the buyback is in place. If owners are unable to complete the online form, they are able to contact the police on the phone to arrange the handover of these now-banned guns. I do want to emphasize, to manage the flow of information to the police, online is the best way to arrange the return of your weapons. Do not arrive at the police station unannounced with these weapons in your possession.
As the legislation is developed, we will determine the time available for the return of military-style semi-automatic weapons and assault rifles, and the duration of the buyback scheme. I can assure people that there will be time for the returns to be made, and that they will not be criminalized overnight. After a reasonable period for returns, those who continue to possess these guns will be in contravention of the law. Currently, the penalties for this range from fines of up to $4,000 and or three years in prison. The draft legislation will look to increase these penalties.
I want to acknowledge that the weapons available in New Zealand are only part of the problem, and loopholes with our current law continue to exist. On Monday, Cabinet will receive and consider further amendment to our gun laws. These proposals will however go through a more fulsome process. But be assured, this is just the beginning of the work we need to do.
Finally, I want to repeat a message I have consistently shared since announcing our laws would change. We do have guns in New Zealand that are used for legitimate purposes by responsible owners every single day, and that includes our rural community. They manage pests, they’re used for animal welfare, and also for recreation. I’ve been steadfast in my belief that the vast majority of these owners will support what we are doing here today, because it’s about all of us, it’s in the national interest, and it’s about safety. I will work hard to retain that support as we work on the remaining tranches of reform that we must make to prevent an act of terror happening in our country ever again. I will now hand over to the Minister of Police
Brava PM Ardern and New Zealand.
Imagine what we could do in the US with the political will and no NRA
The book is focused on the Houston Black trans community, and interviews some local trans women for it. It also offers some suggested action steps that need to be taken to reduce anti-trans violence aimed at Black trans women and is on my personal bookshelf.
I was happy to discover that Toxic Silence has been nominated for a Lambda Literary Award in the LGBTQ Studies category
The Lammys as they are nicknamed, have been around since 1988. They are given out by the US based Lambda Literary Foundation, and honor published works that celebrate or explore LGBTQ themes.
To be eligible for the Lammy. a book must have been published in the US in the year current to the award The Lammy categories have grown from 14 to now 24, and cover fiction, nonfiction, biographies, and LGBTQ studies just to name a few of them.
The finalists for this years Lammy Awards were selected by a panel of over 60 literary professionals. Those literary professionals then sorted through over 1000 book submission from over 300 publishers to get down to the finalist books.
The 31st annual Lammys award ceremony will take place on June 3, and is being hosted by a Lammy award winning author and performer in Mx Justin Vivian Bond
Congrats on your nomination Dr Hoston! I'm hoping the Houston area, UH-Clear Lake and you have reasons to celebrate on that evening.
Sylvester Turner succeeded Annise Parker as mayor of Houston after narrowly defeating Bill King in a December 2015 runoff. His first term has been a contentious and rocky one because of budgetary issues and the hard revenue cap that has forced him to make unpopular cuts.
There's also the contentious fight over Prop B. Despite his repeated warnings that the city didn't have the money to pay for it, people passed it anyway, and now that has devolved into our own local Brexit style mess pitting him in a messy public battle against the firefighters.
Homeless advocates don't like the initiatives coming from the mayor's office they contend are anti- homeless. I'd need another post to discuss the other groups who are big mad at Mayor Turner right now and want to fire Mayor Turner in November, and some of it is personal animus with him.
The Harris County Republicans are also big mad because the Blue Tsunami swept them out of power. They went 0-59 in the Harris County judicial races, lost control of Harris County Commissioner's Court thanks to the wins of County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Commissioner Adrian Garcia, and haven't held the Houston mayor's chair since the early 70's.
They would love to get some political payback for their massive Harris County losses by taking the Houston mayor's chair away from him.
There are several candidates who have stepped up to run against him, but they are far from the top tier candidate that is necessary to beat an incumbent mayor.
Turner has my vote for now because none of the declared candidates are demonstrably better than him, which is my standard to fire an incumbent ,mayor. These declared candidates are all flawed in major ways, and are actually WORSE than the guy currently in the mayor's chair.
Tony Buzbee?
Doing fundraisers for Trump at your River Oaks mansion and donating $500K to Orange Fooluis automatically calls his judgment into question. And he's a Republican.
Hell naw
Kendall Baker?
Please, that faux faith based HERO hater and transphobe who got fired from his city 311 director job for sexual harassment while falsely demonizing the Houston trans community at the behest of Dave Welch during the HERO passage and repeal fight?
Naw player, I haven't forgotten about that, and neither has the Houston trans community, and FYI dawg, we vote.
Definite Hell Naw.
Booker T?
Really People? Did y'all not learn anything from 2016?
Not a viable candidate, and too many questions about who is pushing him to run and why. Not gonna let 'em have the mayor's chair.
Nope, not today.
Demetria Smith?
NOT an option either. She not only hated on HERO, she told me to my face she voted against it because I quote ' she didn't want 'men in women's restrooms' and was clueless to the fact it covered 15 categories. Also wasn't smart to say that to a nationally known trans advocate who fought like hell to pass HERO.
I was in the room when she had the meltdown at the January 2018 GLBT Caucus meeting in large part because she got mad she couldn't get more than 1 minute to speak, and then tried to spin it as 'The GLBT's wouldn't let me speak and tried to bully me'
Naw Miss Thang, you thought we forgot that you hated on HERO? You had nerve to even step your behind in that room to ask for our endorsement after demonizing our community.
She's a perennial candidate not ready for mayoral prime time or ANY elected office, and an . .
Unequivocal HELL NAW
Bill King?
Another GOP HERO hater who lost to Turner in 2015, couldn't run Kemah without drama, but y'all think he's Houston mayoral material? Did I mention he's a Republican?
Hard pass
What some of you peeps big mad at Mayor Turner are failing to realize is that the Houston mayor's office is now a four year term with a term limit of eight years. The mayor's office combines the ceremonial functions of a mayor's office with the administrative duties of a city manager, and the mayor gets a vote in our strong mayor form of civic government on council .
It is a powerful office, with the mayor having lots of power to dictate how stuff gets done around The Horseshoe and at City Hall. The mayor selects the committee chairs. He dictates the legislative agenda and how, if or when issues come up.
It's no longer a two year term. If we pick the wrong person this November, we can't correct it until 2023.
As part of a community taking the brunt of the anti-trans animus stirred up by the contentious passage of HERO five years ago and the 2015 HERO repeal, I'm majorly concerned that three HERO opponents are running. and we don't know Buzbee's or Booker T's public stances about it.
Based on who Buzbee has been palling around with, HERO 2.0 is probably a NO with him as well. .
You may not like Mayor Turner right now, but as far as I'm concerned, unless someone majorly qualified steps up to run by July who is demonstrably better than Turner, I'd rather have him in office for his second and final four year term running this city than these currently declared candidates.
Not a viable candidate, and too many questions about who is pushing him to run and why. Not gonna let 'em have the mayor's chair.
