Rest In Power, Mercedes

Once again, it's my sad TransGriot duty to announce that we've lost another trans sister due to senseless violence.

We move to Haines City, FL to talk about the death of 32 year old Mercedes Successful, whose body was found on Sunday at 7 PM in the parking lot of Big Lots and Tractor Supply Company at 35884 US 27.

And as you probably guessed, Mercedes got misgendered in the initial reporting by Bay 9.  While I know the deadname, I'm not using it in this post so that I can give her the respect she deserves of being seen in death as she was during her all too brief life.

And once again, we have lost another Black trans sister before her 40th birthday.  I'm beyond sick and tired of being sick and tired of this crap happening.  The conservative movement's facts free anti-trans rhetoric and transphobic hatred has real world costs, and trans women of color are paying in blood those costs.

Haines City Police are investigating her death as a homicide, but the extent of the injuries and cause of death are unknown pending the autopsy that was performed on Monday.

If you have information that will get us closer to solving this crime and apprehending the person or persons who killed our trans sister, you are urged to call the Haines City Police at 863-421-3636 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-226-TIPS (8477)

Mercedes was born in Kingston, Jamaica but resided in Haines City.  She was involved in the drag and pageant world, but according to various Facebook posts had recently started her transition two months ago and was on HRT..

This is a developing news story, and as I continue to get details about this heinous crime, I'll pass the details on to you TransGriot readers.

Rest in power and peace, Mercedes.  Your trans siblings, family and all who loved you will not rest until the person who took you from us is brought to justice.

TransGriot Update:  Results of the autopsy showed that Mercedes died from a gunshot wound.

Two Arrests Made In Keyonna Blakeney Case

Good news to report in the case concerning our departed sister Keyonna Blakeney, who was found on April 16 beaten and stabbed to death in a Rockville, MD hotel room days after celebrating her birthday.  

 Two arrests have been made in the case.  Montgomery County. MD police with the assistance of US Marshals have arrested 21 year old Keith Christopher Renier and 17 year old juvenile Arbra Arnie Bethea in SE Washington DC yesterday and charged both of them with first degree murder..  

Bethea has been charged (and rightly so) as an adult in this case, but because he is a juvenile, a photo of him was not released to the media.  Renier and Bethea are also facing charges of armed robbery, conspiracy to commit first degree murder and conspiracy to commit armed robbery.

Both are being held in the custody of the district of Columbia Department of Corrections and are both awaiting extradition to Montgomery County, MD.

Stay tuned to these TransGriot electronic pages to get more information about this ongoing Blakeney case as I receive it.  Let's also hope and pray that justice is properly served.

RIP Tyreece Walker

One of the things I've been afraid of with all the anti-trans hatred being pushed by Republican politicians and the conservative movement, that it will result in a spike in anti-trans hate crimes, assaults and murders.

We've lost another of our trans sisters this week when 32 year old Tyreece Walker was stabbed to death in Wichita, KS  on Sunday after an altercation in her apartment complex in SW Wichita with a 16 year old.

The 16 year old boy was arrested and charged with second degree murder, and Wichita police have ruled out hate crime charges.  Meanwhile, the mother of the arrested teen is claiming that the deceased tried to sexually assault her child.

Gee, wonder where she got that idea from?

According to Walker's friend Victoria, she told KAKE-TV that not only was that allegation false, Reecey dreamed of one day becoming a counselor so that she could help other people going through the same trans related drama she was dealing with.

"(She) wanted to get a degree in psychology or social work to try to become a counselor to help other people try to get through some of the same struggles (she) had been through," Victoria said.

Unfortunately, a 16 year old transphobe ended those dreams for her.  

And once again we have another Black trans woman under 40 who has had her life cut short due to anti-trans ignorance and hatred.  .I'm so tired of my young trans sisters being killed and the ongoing silence from mianstream Black orgs about it.   Don't our Black lives matter, too?   
Rest in power and peace Reecey!  Your trans brothers and sisters will do what we can to ensure that justice is served in this case, because your Black trans life mattered..

Islan Nettles' Confessed Killer To Be Sentenced Today

James Dixon, the confessed killer of Islan Nettles will be sentenced staring at 9 AM EDT.

As part of a plea deal, he's getting a 12 year sentence for the brutal killing of our trans sister, and many local activists are not happy about that development.

I agree with my New York trans family, 12 years in jail is a joke considering the level of brutality of the crime, and really don't care if it was his first offense.  He killed somebody.

Dolores Nettles, the mother of Islan Nettles is requesting that trans community members able to do so join her in the courtroom for the sentencing.   If you live in the New York metro area and can take the time out of your busy day to be there in solidarity with Ms. Nettles, I urge you to do so.

And here's hoping the New York media covers it this time.    

Another Trans Woman Murdered- RIP Keyonna

Well, we've lost another trans woman to violence, this time in the Washington DC area.

22 year old Keyonna Blakeney, who just celebrated her birthday on April 11, was found dead at a Red Roof Inn in Rockville, MD on Saturday at 11:49 AM EDT.

Montgomery County, MD police reported that Blakeney suffered 'upper body trauma' , and they are still searching for her killer.  

They also flung specious allegations she may have been engaged in sex work at the time of her untimely demise.

And on top of all that shadiness, the local DC area FOX and ABC news stenographers misgendered and deadnamed Keyonna.

If you have any information that will help lead to the person or persons who killed her, detectives are urging you to call 240-773-5070.  

Anonymous tipsters can call 866-411-8477, and a reward of up to $10,000 is available for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Keyonna's killers.

And yeah, I'm sick and tired of losing our trans younglings to violence. It's got to stop because #BlackTransLivesMatter too.
.
Rest in power and peace sis.  Meanwhile your trans siblings in the Washington metro area will be watching to ensure the person or persons who did this are brought to justice.

   

Dixon Takes The Plea Deal In The Nettles Murder Case

Just before jury selection was slated to start this morning in the trial of James Dixon, the killer of Islan Nettles decided to reconsider his previous decision to reject a plea deal and take his chances on a jury trial.

After adverse legal developments in the pretrial hearings on Thursday and Friday, Dixon decided to take the offered plea deal.   He was facing 25 years in prison if he had been convicted during the jury trial.

His defense attorney Norman Williams tried and failed to block a videotaped 2013 confession by Dixon to NYPD detectives that was played during Friday's pretrial hearing for the press and the public. The hour long confession was ruled admissible for trial by Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Daniel P. Conviser.

On Thursday the video statement and two written confessions were read in court in which Dixon admitted to punching Nettles so she fell and hit the pavement because 'his manhood was threatened'.after he tried to hit on Nettles and realized she was a trans female.

Yeah, Dixon and his defense attorney tried to deploy the 'trans panic defense'.  And naw homes, if you didn't want to deal with a trans female, all your trifling azz had to do was step and be on your merry way.

The District Attorney's Office initially recommended 17 years for the guilty plea, but the judge who previously presided over the trail, Robert Stoltz, reduced it to 12 years.

"With this conviction, James Dixon has finally been brought to justice for this vicious and lethal assault," said Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr in a statement. "Members of the transgender community are far too often the targets of violent crime."

Dixon will be sentenced on April 19.

State Of Black Lives Convening Day 2

Spent an interesting first day at the State of Black Lives Convening sponsored by Freedom Bound Texas and #Black Lives Matter at the Emerson UU Church near the Galleria area yesterday.

I took part in a discussion moderated by Dee Dee Watters entitled "Before I'm Trans, I'm Black' that was merged with one conduced by Dr Rachel Afi Quinn and Eesha Pandit that focused on gender based violence.

It was also wonderful to spend some quality time talking with one of my JJ Falcon classmates in addition to the other first day attendees.

Dee Dee felt that the two topics needed to be merged since gender based violence is an all too real part of trans feminine lives.  It led to a dynamite panel that could have gone on for another hour.

Another event anticipated today is the keynote speech from Elaine Brown, th former president and Minister of Information with the Black Panther Party.

You can check out the hashtag #FreedomBound to see some of the tweets about today's panels and other discussions that take place today, or even better, if you can, show up.
     

H-town State Of Black Lives Convening Tomorrow

On tomorrow and February 13 here in Houston there will be a State of Black Lives Convening in which I will be part of a 10:45 AM panel moderated by Dee Dee Watters in which we discuss Black trans lives.

This two day event is sponsored by Freedom Bound Texas and #BlackLivesMatter, and will be hosted by the Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church, 1900 Bering Dr.

It starts at 8 AM on Friday and will run through Saturday, and the keynote speaker is Elaine Brown, the former head of the Black Panther Party on an intergenerational panel entitled The Movement: Then &Now with Deloyd Parker, Kaleb Harris,  Roz Pelles and Aurora Harris  

There will also be a panel moderated by Fran Watson discussing LGBTQ people in the movement, and another by Eesha Pandit and Rachel Afi Quinn on gender and violence at 3 PM

Stop Killing Us, Po-Po's

In the wake of once again, another white district attorney failing to indict a white police officer in a death by po-po killing of a Black person, this time in the wake of killing Tamir Rice in Cleveland, I was asked what are my thoughts about what has been happening.

I'm tired of seeing the non-indictments happening and vanillacentric privileged people racistly trying to justify it.

I'm going to link to another post from Ashton Woods' Strength In Numbers' blog that says it more eloquently than i can right now about this subject.

Here's a taste of it:

The United States has always been a society that generally treats African Americans as less than second class citizens and often less than human. History is right now, MF! Any elementary level knowledge of and understanding about the historically white supremacist and violent culture of the United States of America would help the willfully ignorant get it, get it? Or are you suffering cognitive dissonance? That's it, but it makes you complicit if that ugly hat fits! Duck fat! Get your mind right and you don't have to wear it...

For the rest of the thought provoking post, click on the link..

Champion Gets Life For Killing Ty Underwood

It only took the jury 45 minutes to determine in the punishment phase of the trial yesterday that 21 year old Carlton Champion, Jr would be spending the rest of his life in jail for the murder of his onetime girlfriend Ty Underwood.

After several hours of testimony, the jury retired to the deliberation room around 2:15 PM and returned at 3:30 to let Champion and the world know his fate.

The jury sentenced Champion to 5 to 99 years in prison with a fine of up to $10,000.  Guess that little outburst Thursday in court after the verdict was read cost you, homes.

So naw, you won't be back on the streets, you'll be in a TDC facility until at least until 2045 when you'll be eligible for parole.

Of course, he plans to appeal his sentence, but he definitely won't be on the streets for a while.

Trans Undocumented Immigrants Also Look Like Us

One thing we have been aware of is the face of trans undocumented immigrants being a Latina one.   We know that many trans Latinas are here in the US because of anti-trans violence directed at them in their Latin American and Central American nations.

But the Caribbean nations also have problematic levels of anti-trans hatred that drives people from those nations to move elsewhere to escape it.

New York based activist Kim Watson was born in Barbados in 1964, and left at age 23 to attend fashion school and avoid the anti-TBLG abuse she experienced from family and other people there

When her tourist expired in 1988, she stayed here in New York City and after some personal struggles, earned a degree from Pace University, began grassroots organizing for trans and HIV issues. Eight years ago she met and married her husband, and is now a wife and mother in addition to being a kick butt award winning advocate.

But she still faced the real possibility of being deported back to Barbados until she received the good news after a November 19 immigration hearing that she can stay in the United States.

Kim's story is one that comes at a time in which we need to to be paying attention to the lives of undocumented African, Caribbean and Afro-Latinos.  Their #BlackLivesMatter,too  and we need to be as unapologetically Black people who love all Black folks also standing up for their humanity and human rights as well.

Interestingly enough there is a first ever convening being organized to take place in Miami from January 15-17 called Undocumented and Black that seeks to create a safe space for conversations, own and tell their stories, create acceptance and awareness and become active in creating movement in Blacks for getting involved in the immigration issue.

Because as Kim's story tells us, some of the undocumented immigrants look like us.

Arrest Made In Zella Ziona Smith Case

That was quick!  Montgomery County,MD police have announce they have made an arrest in the Zella Ziona Smith murder case..

20 year old Rico Hector Leblond of Germantown was arrested and charged with first degree murder in the Zella Ziona Smith case.   She was shot in the head Thursday at 5:49 PM during an altercation between herself and Leblond while in a service alley between the Montgomery Village Plaza and Montgomery Village Crossing and died at 8:12 PM at a nearby hospital.

Police said that Ziona and Leblond knew each other and had 'some degree of friendship' prior to her murder. Her death was ruled a homicide by the Montgomery County Office of the Chief Medical Examiner

Leblond is being held without bond, and has a Monday bond review scheduled in Rockville, MD at 1;00 PM.

Will be keeping an eye on this case to see if justice is served in it.  

Number 21-Rest In Power Keisha

We have lost another Black trans woman, and it happened in Philadelphia.

22 year old Keisha Jenkins was ambushed and beaten by five to six males as she got out of a car in North Philadelphia at 13th and Wingohocking Streets early Tuesday morning at 2:30 AM EDT.   One of the males then pulled out a gun and shot Jenkins twice in the back.

Jenkins was taken to Einstein Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead upon arrival.  As of yet there has been no arrest in the case..

Nellie Fitzpatrick, Mayor Nutter's LGBT community liaison, called Jenkins' death "a tremendous and tragic loss for the entire city, our LGBT community, and, more specifically, our trans community."

"This type of wicked, inhumane violence just has no place here," Fitzpatrick said. "We can't take anymore. It's just too much."

Jenkins is the 21st American trans woman killed in 2015, the 16th Black trans woman, the second killed in Philadelphia, and the 11th under age 40, and I'm beyond sick and tired of being sick and tired of reciting these stats.

When will our #BlackLivesMatter, Black community?   When will #BlackTransLivesMatter?  When will it NOT be okay to indiscriminately kill a Black trans woman?  

And I'm tired along with everyone in Black Trans World of repeatedly asking those questions.

When I receive information about her homegoing services, I'll pass them along to you folks in the Philadelphia metro area who may wish to attend them and pay your respects.

Speaking of information, the Philadelphia PD needs it to help solve this case.

Anyone with any information on the killing is asked to call the PPD homicide unit at 215-686-3334 and 215-686-3335, or the department's anonymous tip line at 215-686-TIPS.

Stay tuned to these TransGriot pages for updated news about this latest trans sister who has been brutally taken away from us.  

Search Underway For Missing Houston Trans Man Darius Gatlin

I have been afraid that the ramped up anti-trans hatred the HERO opponents have been spewing into the atmosphere, and especially on Black radio stations would eventually come back upon the Houston trans community in the form of increased anti-trans violence and hate crimes visited upon us.

I hope what I have feared isn't starting to happen, but I've just been made aware of a missing trans man.

28 year old Darius Gatlin was last seen on September 11 at his home in southwest Houston wearing a pink and white tank top, blue jeans and pink and white shoes with flowers on them.

He has been missing ever since that date, and a search began on Friday to find him with volunteers in the Alief area on foot and on ATV s.  His car, a 2013 dark burgundy Nissan Maxima with Texas license plates BWH 0539 is also missing..

Gatlin also had a tattoos on his neck with the word 'Darius', and 'Brandon'  in addition to tattoos of a panther and the word 'Aquarius' on his chest.

If you have any information concerning the whereabouts of Darius Gatlin,  please call the Houston police Department at 713-731-5223

Waka Flocka Flame, Shut The Fucka Uppa

One of the things I'm really getting sick of along with the Black trans community is Black cis folks acting like we Black trans folks don't exist.   The latest to fall into this trap is rapper Waka Flocka Flame, who opened mouth and inserted foot in it while on the syndicated The Breakfast Club radio show in New York on Friday

He went on a rant during the interview attacking Caitlyn Jenner as an 'affront to God' and then kept going to attack the entire trans community.

The transphobic comments start at the 9:15 mark



'Transgenders, they're marketing evil, man" he said on air before he went on to accuse the trans community of 'doing the devil's work' and as a test of society that we needed to 'outbeat'.

Back in the day there were church folk that claimed (and still do) that rap music was 'marketing evil'. If you're so concerned about the culture. then you and your fellow rappers as people who have negatively contributed to the culture you decry need to stop disrespecting women in your alleged recordings and go back to producing rap music that uplifts the community.

Not gonna hold my breath that will happen anytime soon.

And speaking of 'rebellions against God', by you having tattoos and long braided hair, you are hypocritically doing the same thing you falsely accused trans people of.

And before you start trying to Bible beat trans folks, I suggest you read Matthew 19;12, Acts 8:26-40, Isaiah 56:5 and Galatians 3:28 for starters.

Comments like yours also amp up the anti-trans hate in the Black community that lead to anti-trans violence and murder of our people.  Of the 20 trans people that have been murdered this year, 14 have been Black, and 10 of those murders were trans women under age 40.

By the way, Waka Flocka Fool, in case you didn't know it, and based on that radio interview you don't, there are millions of transpeople around the world not named Caitlyn Jenner, and surprise surprise, some of them are Black.  

We did not lose our Black cards when we transitioned, and many of those Black trans folks are doing amazing things and have been part of the kente cloth fabric of our community for over a century.  In addition to New York Times best selling authors, Emmy Award nominated actresses, and a GLAAD award nominated blogger, we have doctors, lawyers, college professors, athletes, models, classically trained singers, soldiers and parents raising kids in our ranks.

All we want to do is live our lives to the best of our ability and contribute our talents to uplifting the Black community without drama.  But far too many of you are bringing the faux faith based negativity and drama to us instead of hitting Google and educating yourselves about our lives.

If you make negative transphobic comments on a 100,000 watt radio station, we trans people who are negatively impacted by those comments have no other choice but to infer about you based on those comments that you are a transphobic idiot.

You cannot claim Waka Flocka Flame you have 'nothing against transgender people' after you spew transphobic comments in a Friday radio interview and then say you stand by those comments.

I'm not a fan of judgmental rappers who seem to think they know more about trans lives than the folks who actually live them and the scientists who have done decades of research about them.  We trans folks are superheroes and supersheroes just for getting up in the morning and living our lives to the best of our ability in a world that irrationally hates on us.

And Waka Flocka Flame, giving a half-assed non apology apology doesn't erase the real damage those The Breakfast Club comments unleashed to the psyche of a child or person in our community struggling with gender identity issues.  

Hate thoughts + hate speech = hate violence,  and those comments can lead to a trans kid being bullied at school, suicide or to a trans adult who has to deal with the real threat of anti-trans violence fueled by the anti-trans hate speech of you and your buddies in the rap world. .

I am what God made me, an unapologetically Black trans woman, proud of being both Black and trans.  If you don't like that, tough.  I don't give a rat's anus whether you do or not.  But what I will not stand for as a longtime advocate for the human rights of trans people for nearly two decades is you and other misguided Black people demonizing the trans community, and by extension, African descended trans people without calling your behind out on it because our Black trans lives matter too.

 #WeExist, and it's because of unnecessary transphobic comments like yours that our lives are a struggle.  

So Waka Flocka Flame, shut the fucka uppa and have several sections of seats at Madison Square Garden when you do so.

Trial Postponed For Accused Murderer Of Ty Underwood

Right on the heels of the bad news we received out of Dallas in the Tovar case comes word from Smith County east of Dallas.

Jury selection in the trial of 21 year old Carlton Ray Champion, Jr has been postponed and the trial date continued until December.  

Champion was arrested January 29 on a parole violation in Gregg County, transferred to Smith County and charged with first degree murder in the killing of 24 year old Ty Underwood.

Underwood and Champion had been dating prior to her murder

Champion's defense attorney asked the judge for more time to prepare a defense in the murder case. and the request was granted.

We'll definitely be keeping an eye on this case as it develops to see if Ty gets justice, or like Kenney, Carlton Champion gets off for killing a trans woman.

Roland S. Martin Drops The Mic On Bill O'Reilly

Roland S. Martin tore Bill O'Reilly a new anus after O'Reilly used his Fox Noise show to bash #BlackLivesMatter, call them 'a hate group'  and vow in his white supremacist arrogance he was going to ' put Black Lives Matter out of business.'

And yeah, my fellow Houstonian let him have it .




I agree with Roland.  Until you, O'Reilly, are calling out the police with the same venom you spewed at Black Lives Matter, and by the way, I met the founders of the BLM movement in February, you do need to shut your racist, vanillacentric privileged ass up.

Ashton's Open Letter To HPD Police Chief McClelland

About the same time I was unleashing my post blasting Harris County Sheriff Ron Hickman (R) for his problematic comments in the wake of the Deputy Darren Goforth murder, HPD chief Charles McClelland was making some problematic comments of his own that Ashton Woods called him out about at his Strength In Numbers blog.

Here's a taste of what Ashton had to say in his open letter to Chief McClelland.

t is sad that many people who look like us share the same same sentiments, until it happens to them. The reason why the phrase "all lives matter" is such a triggering flash point is that it is born out of racism. WE say BLACK LIVES MATTER because we live in a legal system designed for, around and to benefit WHITE PEOPLE. The critical infrastructure that supports all levels of government is inherently RACIST.  You, of all people should know this, but I cannot assume that this is part of your thought process. We will say all lives matter when the systems of institutional and systemic racism, classism, and economic discrimination comes to a full and complete halt. 

If you wish to read the full letter, click the link here.

Sheriff Hickman, Stop Blaming Black Lives Matter For A Problem White Dominated Police Forces Created

As many of you TransGriot readers are aware of, we had a Harris County sheriff's deputy named Darren Goforth murdered as he pumped gas in his police cruiser Friday night.   Shannon Miles, the suspect in the killing was captured Saturday, charged with capital murder, and arraigned in court this morning

But what has pissed me and many folks in H-town off was our appointed Republican sheriff Ron Hickman using his Saturday press conference about the Goforth killing to attack Black Lives Matter.

The motive for the killing has not even been established by detectives investigating the murder of Deputy Goforth, but Hickman was quick to blame the Black Lives Matter movement and suggest Shannon Miles did so in retaliation for unpunished death by po-po killings of African-Americans around the country..

Hickman claimed the "dangerous rhetoric" against law enforcement has "gotten out of control," and went another step too far . "Cops' lives matter, too," Hickman said, "So why don't we drop the qualifier and say lives matter."

Because as far as you and your fellow white conservatives are concerned Sheriff Hickman, white lives are the only ones that matter, which is what you demonstrated when you selected an all male predominately white command staff mere weeks into taking over for former Sheriff Adrian Garcia.(D).  

It's why we Black folks have to remind your asses constantly about our humanity.  It wouldn't be necessary to quantify that Black Lives Matter if your fellow police officers around the country didn't show so much contempt for those Black citizen lives of all ages and genders they are supposed to protect and serve.

Sheriff Hickman, since you`re decrying inflammatory rhetoric, how about you start in your own vanillacentric law enforcement house?   How about you calling on your brothers in blue to chill with the racist rhetoric they spew every time they mount over the top defenses of those predominately white `bad apple` police officers that get away with killing civilians that far too often share my ethnic heritage?

And how about taking the step of ending the practice of being Officer Friendly in white areas of town but Officer Oppressor in mine and other non-white neighborhoods?   Black Lives Matter is not anti-police as far too many white GOP voting law enforcement people and FOX Noise has tried to paint them.   They are anti police abuse and want accountability and transparency in police policies, practices and punishment for rogue officers.

That's a problem that has existed well before the formation of Black Lives Matter.  This negativity between Black people and the police didn't just pop up since Ferguson, it has historic roots that predate it, and you need to get out of your vanillacentric privileged bubble along with DA Devon Anderson and recognize that.

So Sheriff Hickman,  how about you recognize the fact that Black Lives Matter didn't create the problem that white dominated police forces have created.for over a century and demonstrating the leadership you so far haven't done so to help solve it? 

Why Is This Trans WH Petition Lagging In Getting The Necessary 100K Signatures?

When a White House petition posted on January 3 in honor of the departed Leelah Alcorn called for the passage of Leelah's Law to ban all conversion therapy aimed at TBLG Americans, it easily garnered its over 100,000 signatures, and got a WH response from Valerie Jarrett

Now we have a Fran Watson created White House petition posted on August 10 calling for the federal government to investigate the anti-trans violence that leads to the unacceptable slaughter of trans women of color.  

And how close are we to hitting that 100,000 signature threshold that we need to reach by September 10?   As of this writing, it has only 4735 signatures, well short of the number needed.

Ii this signature rate doesn't ramp up soon, we are probably NOT going to hit that 100,000 signature target required by September 10 to get an official White House response on this .

 And that's irritating and depressing to the trans communities of color reeling from the off the charts murders and anti-trans rhetoric being aimed at us.   I have no doubts if the racial composition of the trans murder victims was switched, and it was overwhelmingly white trans women under 30 being eviscerated, this would be 'State of Emergency' news and we would have already hit that signature target.

But since its predominately Black and Latina trans women, note it's now August 25 and we haven't even gotten to 50,000 signatures, much less 10,000.
This disappointing response is sending us in Trans POC World and our allies the unmistakable impression that All Trans Lives Don't Matter, and that the lives of the 17 murdered trans women of color we've lost in 2015 don't matter as much as one non-POC teen that committed suicide.  

The differing signature rates between the WH Leelah's Law petition and the current one aimed at trying to get action on a trans issue that overwhelmingly affects trans women of color is striking and a problematic look.  

So come on trans community and allies.  How about you showing as much love for murdered non-white trans women as you did for Leelah Alcorn earlier this year?  Black Lives Matter, how about you encouraging people to sign this WH petition?    Where you at NAACP?  Congressional Black Caucus?
 
Sign it and share it...Talk this petition up and also get people to understand why this is important to get 100K signatures for it so we can hit and exceed the signature target before that September 10 deadline. 

The clock's ticking.