Why Were Y'all 'Scurred' Of This Trans Attracted Men Panel?

'I refuse to believe that there's something wrong with a man that is attracted to me, the way that I am'.
--Bryanna Jenkins

Still not happy about the bull feces that transpired in Chicago last week that resulted in the shutdown of the Trans Attracted men panel that was supposed to take place during NBJC's Black Institute.

The peeps who shut it down were high fiving themselves and cheesing for the cameras after they did so, but now that the backlash from their ill thought out action is smacking their millennial asses in the face, now they are furiously trying to moonwalk and spin their way out of it.

Naw boo boo kitties.  Too late now.

But the questions I and a lot of people have been asking in the wake of this action is what was the real reason motivating them to shut down this trans attracted men panel in the first place?  Why was that cadre of Black trans women so 'scurred' of trans attracted men telling their stories and their truths as they see them?  

Bryanna Jenkins has an interesting take on it that I agree with that I'm going to piggyback off of it.

But I still have to ask the question why were they so  'scurred' of the trans attracted men panel enough to launch a shut down protest of it?  And spare me the lies you used to attempt to justify last Thursday's action.

I would love to find out how many of those #CC16 protest girls were post op.  I agree there are post ops who are chasing pseudo cis privilege and believe because they have genital surgery, they are 'better than' pre-op or non-op trans women.  That divide combined with unacknowledged dysphoria around our trans feminine bodies causes problems in our trans feminine ranks.

Bottom line ladies, is the Religious Reich doesn't care whether we identify as pre-op, post-op or non-op.  They hate all of us with a foaming at the mouth passion and if they had their way, would like nothing better than to throw us into detention camps and forcibly make us all detransition.

Back to the post.  

What the trans attracted men conversation would have done had it been allowed to happen would have been to blow that pseudo cis privilege up and many assumptions trans women base their lives on.  It would have revealed that yes, some trans attracted men prefer non-op or pre-op trans women, and perusing Craigslist would easily back that assertion up.  It's also worth noting that the number one type of porn that flies off the shelves is porn featuring non-op or pre-op trans women .

That  trans attracted man conversation would have allowed them to declare to the world they unconditionally love us, and that there is nothing wrong or shame inducing in doing so.

It would have allowed them to call out the trans attracted men who are abusive to their mates or have killed their partners.  And that conversation would have allowed us to hear from their own mouths what is going on in the minds of trans attracted men and how they see us.

It would also give us a window into how the trans attracted man thinks.

And as Cheryl Courtney-Evans said in a comment she posted on Bryanna's page, "This conversation desperately needs to be had...the more this is discussed with our male supporters, the less stigma will be attached to our relationships in general, which adds to the value of ALL our lives. "

Amen Cheryl!

But that conversation didn't happen Thursday. However what you misguided trans women did do is create demand for those necessary trans attracted men conversations to be held across the country

So some of y'all can be 'scurred' all you want and try to spin what you did as `defending your sisters`   What y`all did was stifle a conversation from happening, and no amount of spin will kill the reality of that,

While you were temorarily successful in doing so, the trans adults in the room are willing ready and eager  to hear that adult conversation y`all created through your action more interest in around the country.

Coming Back From Creating Change 2016

And now it's time to say the words that everyone in Harris County loves to hear.

Time for me to come back home from #CC16 Chicago style.

After some morning panels and a closing brunch we'll be gathering for the final plenary session as the Chicago Host Committee gets to the bittersweet moment of passing the hosting torch to the #CC17 host city, Philadelphia..

I won`t get to see the end of it because I have to catch my flight back to Texas at ORD.

Our Creating Change in Houston was two years ago, and all of us who were involved in putting it together still have fond memories of doing so.  We want another opportunity to host it again and want to top what we pulled off in our maiden attempt..  

Hey, Dallas has held it twice , we've only hosted it once.

But thanks Chicago for handling your #CC16 business.  It's been an amazing and drama filled at times four days here, but I'm more than ready to get back to the warmth of Houston and scarf up some barbecue when I get back home.

To my old friends I had a chance to spend time with at #CC16, enjoyed it immensely and looking forward to the next time we get to share some space together.   To my new friends and all of our youth I got a chance to talk to and take pics with, it was my sincere pleasure to do so.

And to the peeps who live for stirring up mess and drama (and they know who they are), time for you petulant children to grow up and chill with that mess because we have far more important work to do on behalf of our entire community.

Later, Chicago.

#CC16 Day 3

Day 3 of Creating Change Chicago style and the last full day of seminars after an interesting night in which a protest aimed at the A Wider Bridge reception ended up with the Chicago po-po`s being called .

Highlights of today`s agenda are the MasQUEERade Youth Ball and the 50+ and Allies Dance .  

I`ll also be tweeting at times various panels when I pop into various panels and something interesting gets said.

#CC16 Day2

The second day of Creating Change Chicago style features the first full day of seminars at the Hilton Chicago

The State of the Movemnet Plenary is happening today, and the Muslim/ Prayer service at 12:30 PM with Imam Daayiee Abdullah presiding over it.

And later this evening, the Agents of Change House Ball
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#CC16-Day 1

The moment the Chicago Host Committee has been waiting and conducting nine months of convention  planning for has finally come to pass.  Creating Change 2016 has started.

White it's the second day of #CC16, it's the first day of Creating Change Chicago style for me at the Hilton Chicago.  Today is dedicated to the all day institutes, and one of them I'm keenly interested in will be the NBJC sponsored The Black Institute in the Williford C room

It will feature a groundbreaking panel discussion moderated by Tona Brown that focuses on the trans attracted men  who love us and the issues surrounding them.

The opening plenary will hopefully be less dramatic than the one in Denver last year, but is featuring a discussion on Black Feminism and the Movement for Black Lives.

I am planning on live tweeting the action while I'm here chilling (literally) in Chicago, so stay tuned to these TransGriot pages for the #CC16 news.  You can also check out the Creating Change website to see the webcasts of the plenary sessions

You can also check out the #CC16 hashtag on Twitter to check out what people are saying about this event on social media or my @TransGriot Twitter handle.

As you noticed, in addition to the live tweeting, I'm planning on writing update posts concerning the #CC16 happenings here at the Hilton Chicago as our LGBTQ community gathers for this major conference.

And so happy to be in town for it.

In The #CC16 House!

Well, it wasn't looking good for a minute, but the stars aligned for me to finally be in Chicago for my third straight Creating Change and fourth overall.

The first Creating Change I attended was in 1999, but it took Creating Change coming to me in  Houston in 2014 for moi to be able to go to my second one.   Unlike last year at #CC15 in Denver when I had a room in the conference host hotel, this time I'll be at the Hyatt Regency Chicago up the street from the #CC16 host hotel, the Hilton Chicago.

My AA flight from HOU to DFW was delayed,  making my connecting flight through DFW to O'Hare a little tigher than I like considering the size of DFW.   But what I can`t complain/about was I had the front row of a regional jet to myself on the HOU-DFW leg (think extra legroom), and a row to myself on/ the second leg.

Even better, I got up here early along with my bag.   Buit I still like Southwest.

Walked into/ the conference hotel, and within 30 seconds after entering the doorI started bumping into people.   I`m also chilling here until I can catch up with Ruby Corado, whose flight to ORD was delayed.
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As I mentioned in a previous post, it's the first time I've ever been to Chicago in the winter, and I was hoping and praying while I was up here during the four days of this conference that neither the high or low temps would have minuses in front of them or snow would be in the forecast.  So far so good.

You're welcome.  You can thank a sistah for bringing some heat with her and the somewhat warmer winter temps (for Chicago) from H-town by hooking her up with some Giordano's deep dish pizza.

I'll also be hitting some 7-Elevens near my hotel to handle my Slurpee addiction.

I'm looking forward to during my #CC16 time here hanging out with my homegirls and 'errbody' else I know in the LGBTQ community.  I'm also looking forward to meeting in the flesh peeps I correspond with and have gotten to know via Facebook and meeting some new friends while I'm in the Windy City.

Speaking of meeting new friends, for those of you wandering around the #CC16 Hilton Chicago host hotel, just want to let y'all know to don't be shy, say hi to Moni.  I remember what it was like when  I was attending my first Creating Change back in Oakland in 1999 and I was the neophyte activist in awe of my trans elders at the time.

While I may have a lot of people around me at different times due to being in the movement now for 18 years and counting, I don't bite unless you're a right wing Teapublican or a Trump supporter.

Just stop me in the hall or after the panel discussion and say hello when you see me.  If I'm not rushing off to a meeting, to grab food with someone or another panel, I'll be happy to take a few moments to chat with you.

For those of you here in the Windy City for #CC16, here's the link to the program book.   I'm also planning to tweet different panels I find interesting to attend and report about what's happening here when we're not getting our learn on.  

And yeah, I did pack plenty of warm clothes for the time I'll get to spend here..

 I'm taking some time tonight to get some preliminary writing done so I have more time to hang out.  Once I get through doing that, I might go swing by the bar later and see who is in town.

But if y'all don't see me tonight, see y'all at the Hilton Chicago in the morning.

#CC16 Pre-Conference Drama

Assuming my flight left DFW on time, I'm winging my way to Chitown as your read this.

One of the things about every Creating Change is that when you have a conference in which 4000 advocates come to town for a major conference that has the goal of training LGBT advocates to do the work, we shouldn't be surprised if people take the tactics they learned and aim them at you or decide to use the heightened media spotlight this convention gets in the LGBT and local media to advocate for various causes. ..

Drama is already happening in advance of the start of Creating Change 2016.

We already had ICE cancel a problematic #CC16 panel back on January 12, and now a kerfuffle has erupted over the cancellation and now reinstatement of a January 22 reception sponsored by the group A Wider Bridge.

Dean Spade and Dark Matter were openly critical of the reception, calling the group Zionist and an Israeli government front organization trying to pinkwash the ongoing conflict and Israeli treatment of the Palestinians.

When the reception was canceled on January 15, Jewish LGBT people responded in outrage, accused the Task Force of being anti-Semitic and began the noisy push to get the event reinstated on the #CC16 calendar.

The increasing rancor between the two groups resulted in National LGBTQ Task Force Executive Director Rea Carey to issue this statement Monday about the reinstatement of the reception.

Having taken in a range of information and seeing what has happened over the last couple of days, I have decided to reverse our decision to cancel the ‘Beyond the Bridge’ reception hosted by A Wider Bridge with guest speakers from the Jerusalem Open House. It is our belief that when faced with choices, we should move towards our core value of inclusion and opportunities for constructive dialogue and canceling the reception was a mistake. Our decision was made by staff; neither our board members nor the local Host Committee were involved.  We are aware that our original decision made it appear we were taking sides in a complex and long-standing conflict, which was not the intention, and that in cancelling the reception we deeply offended many people, and our reversal will offend others.  In reversing the decision today, we want to make it quite clear that the Creating Change Conference will always be a safe space for inclusion and dialogue for people with often widely different views.  It was not at all our intention to censor representatives of the Jerusalem Open House or A Wider Bridge at Creating Change and I apologize that our actions left people feeling silenced.

Stay tuned, because the drama over this event probably isn't over, and we'll see how this plays out on Friday.

Moni's Leaving On A Jet Plane...

To Chicago!

The first trip of the New Year for me leaving out of Hobby in a few hours to the chilly Windy City to attend and cover Creating Change 2016.   It's not only the third straight Creating Change I've had the opportunity to attend and my fourth overall, it's going to be the first time I've flown into O'Hare since my Air Marshal days.

It's also the first time I'm traveling to Chicago in the winter.  I usually despise air travel during the winter months, but gots to do what I have to do to be in the #CC16 house including enduring a connection and DFW layover up and back.

I'm so looking forward to seeing the Chicago peeps who are in attendance, my trans sisters and brothers and  'errbody' else in the national and international TBLGQ community that are traveling by land and air to get to the Hilton Chicago host hotel and other nearby lodging spots in the Chicagoland area starting tomorrow.

But I'm not looking forward to the 40+ degree winter temperature difference between Houston and Chicago.

I need to stop whining about it and count my blessings. The temp will warm up to a high of 31 degrees F by this weekend.  Until a few days ago, it was looking like I was going to miss it and moping in Houston about not being there.

Creating Change not only is an event in which we get our learn on and hone our activist skills, it also serves as a big impromptu TBLG family reunion and one in which much of the community's business is conducted during the time everyone is in the Creating Change host city.  

But some positive things happened for me over the weekend that made moi being in the #CC16 house possible, and I thank Brock and Ruby in advance for making it happen

Well Chicago, see y'all in a few hours.  Save some Giordano's meat lovers deep dish pizza for me.

3rd Annual NBJC The Black Institute Features Groundbreaking Panel Discussion

One of the highlights of any Creating Change event is the daylong institutes that are eagerly anticipated parts of the conference programming.

Since the 2014 Creating Change hosted in Houston, The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) has organized The Black Institute, which focuses on the issues impacting the Black TBLG/SGL community and also functions as a space to foster policy discussions on a national and local level.

I've been blessed to be part of the conversations at the Houston and Denver events in 2014 and 2015, and the daylong The Black Institutes have been informative and needed substantive family conversations about the various issues that ail the Black gay, lesbian, bi, trans and SGL community

The #CC16 edition of the Black Institute once again in coordination with the Trans Persons of Color Coalition (TPOCC) will have the theme of Healing, Healthy and WHOLE and features another one of those groundbreaking panel discussions it is renowned for.

This year at 11 AM will be a discussion moderated by trailblazing musician and trans advocate Tona Brown that discusses the men who love trans women with a panel of trans attracted men.

One of the men taking part in that panel is one you TransGriot readers are familiar with from his Trans Attracted man videos in Troy.

In addition to discussing the dearth of visibility, support and resources from trans attracted men, it will also discuss the role that cisgender trans attracted men have had in perpetrating the intimate partner violence that has lead to the deaths of Black trans women when those secretive relationships are discovered.


The Black Institute will also discuss what holistic health looks like for the Black SGL/ LGBT community among other subjects they can squeeze in during that programming day  .

The NBJC The Black Institute will take place on January 21 from 9 AM-6 PM  CST at the host hotel for this year's Creating Change Conference, the Hilton Chicago.

Hope those of you headed to the Windy City will check it out.