It's Pam's Milestone Birthday Today!

Pam Spaulding that is!

Today is a milestone birthday for her, and it's kind of a bittersweet one for fans of Pam's House Blend.

After nine years of writing, she compiled her last post on it July 1.  While we miss her daily commentary on the issues of the day and understand the reason why she shut down the Blend, her voice and insightful commentary on many issues is still missed in the Blogosphere.

She still pops up from time to time on social media and I couldn't let today pass without wishing my blogging idol and shero a very happy birthday.

Happy birthday Pam!  May it be full of blessings and you continue to have more of them. 

Aww, Pam's House Blend To Shut Down July 1

Sad and surprising news coming out of North Carolina as my blogging shero Pam Spaulding announced that after nine years, she is shutting down her groundbreaking and award winning Pam's House Blend blog July 1.

Pam's blog along with the November 2005 kick in the butt from Jordana LeSesne were some of the motivating reasons I decided to get off the fence about it and found TransGriot back in January 2006.  One of the first blogs to link to the neophyte TransGriot and give it an initial traffic and signal boost was Pam's House Blend. 

As a fellow red stater and African-American I appreciated her thought provoking views and perspectives on the LGBT movement and other subjects and loved the fact she wasn't 'scurred' to talk about race and class issues inside the community either.

During the life of the Black Blog Rankings that Wayne Hicks of Electronic Villager compiled, Pam's House Blend quickly rose to the number one spot in them and stayed there for 15 months until the Villager shut it down in October 2009.

People marvel and talk about when I meet them the pace that I crank out posts here at TransGriot but Pam made me look like a slacker. There were days where she would have as many as ten posts up in a single day to my mere three or more as the news cycle dictates and many of them were long form ones. 

Pam was running the Blend, up late writing and traveling to conferences across the country while holding down a full time non LGBT activism related job and battling ongoing health issues.   

I had the pleasure of finally meeting her and one of her baristas Alvin McEwen during Netroots Nation in Providence last year and spent an enjoyable and hilarious at times few days hanging with them.   

She said in her post she's not disappearing from the scene entirely, and that good news. “I’ll continue to be active on social media and make time to mentor folks as I can. It’s just time for someone else to pick up the ball and run with the daily activist grind, and forge new ground in an ever-shifting new media.”

Pam, while I'm going to miss surfing over to the Blend on a regular basis, best of luck and megasuccess in whatever you decide to do from this point forward. 

Also looking forward to the next time I get to spend some quality time in your presence.

The Root's Trans Free Black LGBT List

Since June is Pride Month, in honor of the occasion The Root put together a list of 20 notable Black LGBT people    I was curious to see if things had progressed in the African-American blogosphere since I had to call the Grio out about a trans free LGBT leaders list in 2010. .

On the one The Root compiled many of the folks on this list I have had the pleasure of meeting and I admire such as Aisha Moodie-Mills, Phill Wilson, and Donna Payne are on it.   The others they included are familiar ones like poet Staceyann Chin, Jonathan Capehert, Don Lemon, Sapphire, Keith Boykin, Jasmyne Cannick and Wanda Sykes.

What I didn't see in this Black LGBT list was you guessed it, Black trans people.

No Janet Mock (who made the Grio's 100 list BTW).  No Laverne Cox.  No Kylar Broadus, Isis King, Valerie Spencer, Rev. Louis Mitchell, Miss Major, or even some award winning blogger who was part of the first ever trans panel at Netroots Nation 2012..

Just the same old crap, different day in terms of Blackosphere media outlets putting together these Black LGB(t) lists and not including any trans people in them.

Bottom line, if you're going to take the time to put together a list that purports to be representative of the LGBT community leadership, then I, the trans community and our allies expect that trans people be included in said list if you claim it is a TBLG one.

Far too fracking often these trans free lists are overwhelmingly LG dominated, B peeps as an afterthought with no T ones.

Black folks, y'all need to get with that include the trans community program as well because we Black trans peeps are beyond sick and tired of being sick and tired of being erased from these Black TBLG leaders lists y'all put together.  

We aren't ashamed of being Black and trans but the constant erasure and the frequency with which it happens make us wonder if you're ashamed of us.  

That erasure of African descended trans persons leads to situations in which Black transpeople haven't even been invited to discuss trans issues that impact us like the CeCe McDonald case on the Melissa Harris Perry show or NAACP convention LBG(t) town hall meetings with no trans people on those panels

Will be eagerly watching the upcoming NAACP convention next month in my hometown to see if Julian Bond keeps the promise he made in LA last year to ensure the next NAACP convention town hall has trans representation on that panel. 

And the 'we can't find any trans activists' excuse doesn't wash now any more than it did two years ago.

Sadly what I said in the post calling out the erasure and non- inclusion of Black transpeople on Black LGB(t) lists is applicable in this one as well.

My point is that if our own people don't or won't show us some love when you compile these leadership lists, and you write for one of our leading blogosphere sites directed at the African-American community gay and straight, how in the hell can we Black trans leaders who are doing the work expect the predominately white TBLG community to respect us as well?

It's bad enough that Black transpeople get shut out of the predominately vanillacentric upper middle class narrative and get very little to no media attention except when we get killed in a hate crime.   It's disappointing and hurts even more when we get ignored by our own media outlets.

Nobody Reads My Blog, Eh?

For somebody my detractors insultingly claim 'nobody reads my blog' when they tangle with me, I do find it interesting that I get quoted, Monispeak and Moni quotes end up being repeated by politicians and other bloggers, my posts are linked to, I have love and respect from international transpeople, and it seems that when I put people on blast, stuff starts happening in reaction to it.

Found it interesting that not long after I slammed Gender Rights Maryland for not having a single transperson of color on their board in a state that is 30% African American,  I hear through the trans grapevine that they've now gone out and grabbed Cydne' Kimbrough to sit on GRMD's board

Verrry innnnnteresting.

But nobody reads my blog?    Obviously somebody on GRMD does out of the 4000 hits per day I get. 

I'm just sayin'.

2011 Black Weblog Awards Nominations Open

It's nomination time for the 2011 Black Weblog Awards!   The process is getting started a little earlier than last year for these awards because they are going to have a live awards ceremony at this year's Blogging While Brown Conference taking place July 8-10 in Los Angeles, CA.

As you know TransGriot won the Judge's Category for Best LGBT Award over some stiff competition, and I want to see if I can make it back-to-back wins this year.

The nominations period opens today and runs through May 7.    The voting will commence on May 17 and run through June 17 with the winners being announced in the live ceremony for the first time in BWA history on July 9.

As to why the BWA's exist?   It started in 2005 because Black blogs often get overlooked and ignored in other online Internet award events.   To date, the Black Weblog Awards has recognized nearly 180 blogs in over 30 categories. The Awards have been featured in several mainstream and online media outlets, including NPR, CNN, and others. Winners of the Black Weblog Awards have also gone on to appear in other media outlets such as MSNBC, the Huffington Post, BET, and many others. 


On that note, time to get the nominations in for a few blogs that I know are worthy of BWA consideration, and like last year, it TransGriot is named one of the finalists, i will keep you loyal readers posted.

Happy Birthday Toni D!

There's another Toni I love even more than a certain petite diva from Severn, MD and today is her birthday.

The Toni I'm talking about is Antonia Elle D'orsay, AKA Dyssonance for those of you who have had the pleasure of reading or being on the receiving end of her commentary at various blogs and her own spot.

That is when she isn't working at her day job.

I have had the pleasure of meeting her and getting to know her since 2009, and wasn't going to let today pass without wishing her a very happy, stress free, and blessings filled birthday.

Happy birthday sis!   May you have many more so you can keep speaking truth to power and keep tellin' it like it T-I-S is!.

The 2010 Black Weblog Award Winner for 'Best LGBT Blog' Is...

Wow! TransGriot in the Judges' Category! The Skorpion Show won the popular vote.

The results for the 2010 Black Weblog Awards are up as Maurice promised at 12 noon EDT today and I was shocked to see that I was the Judges' Vote winner.

It's even sweeter because I was up against two previous winners in Rod 2.0 and Pam's House Blend and the award comes from my own people.

Hmm..don't and won't know how the voting went in the 'Best LGBT Blog' category, but didn't do much promotion of it, either. Oh well, there's always 2011 assuming I'm blessed to get a finalist nod next year.

Once again, thanks to everyone who voted for TransGriot and thanks to the Black Weblog Award judges who chose my blog over some stiff competition.

And we now return you to your regularly scheduled TransGriot blog posts

Last Day To Vote In The 2010 Black Weblog Awards

Today at 12 midnight EDT is the last day you can get your vote on for TransGriot and my homegirl at Womanist Musings in the 2010 edition of the Black Weblog Awards.

Of course you knew I was going to help y'all loyal readers out by providing the link to the ballot. ;)

I'm nominated in the 'Best LGBT Blog' category while Renee is nominated in the 'Best International Blog'. We'll find out the winners tomorrow September 1.

if you've done so already, I thank you for your support, and thanks once again for supporting and reading TransGriot.

Deadline Coming For 2010 Black Weblog Awards

The August 31 midnight deadline for voting in the 2010 Black Weblog Awards is fast approaching, and as you know I'm a finalist in the 'Best LGBT Blog' category.

This is a Republican election, so you can vote once per day until Tuesday. According to the latest newsletter I've received from the esteemed webmaster, several categories are very close voting total wise.

Renee's Womanist Musings was nominated for 'Best International Blog', so show her some ballot love as well

If you've voted for me already, I thank you. If not, I humbly ask that you take just a few moments to do so.

We'll know the winners next month, and I hope I'll have good news to report.

Voting For 2010 Black Weblog Awards

Just a gentle reminder people that I'm a finalist in the 'Best LGBT Blog' category for the 2010 Black Weblog Awards. There's also a certain Timmy's Icecap drinking Canadian bacon loving blogger who is a finalist in the 'Best International Blog' category as well.

The voting is going on there until August 31, and winners will be announced in September.

While it's an honor to be a finalist, I would like to be the bride for once and not the bridesmaid.

So if you haven't done so already, surf on over there and cast those electronic ballots.

2010 Black Weblog Awards Nomination Deadline Is Tomorrow

The 2010 Black Weblog Awards nomination period closes tomorrow July 25, so there's still time to nominate TransGriot for Best LGBT Blog (hint, hint)

You can also show our Canadian homegirl Renee of Womanist Musings some love for the Best International Blog category along with other Blackosphere bloggers who do a wonderful job tellin' it like it T-I-S is.

Yeah, I'm proud of the fact I was the first trans blogger period to become a finalist in the Best LGBT category of the Weblog Awards. But bloggers of color rarely get nominated, much less win these overall blog awards, which was why it was a big fracking deal when I got nominated in 2008.

But for the most part, if we want to show some love and recognition to our best bloggers, we have to do it our damned selves because sadly, nobody else will.



I didn't start TransGriot with the idea of garnering piles of awards. I did so because I was tired of the accomplishments and the voices of African descended transpeople being ignored and whitewashed out of trans and GLBT history.

TransGriot exists because I have a lot to say about many issues besides just trans ones, and I have a voice that needs to be heard.

So if you haven't done so already, surf on over the the 2010 Black Weblog Awards website and take a moment to nominate your favorite chocolate flavored bloggers in the categories you think they deserve to win.

The finalists will be announced on August 1, so once you nominate them, come back to the site and vote for the blogs you nominated as well.

Happy Birthday Pam!

Couldn't let this day go by without giving a shout out to one of my blogging role models, Pam Spaulding of Pam's House Blend.

She is definitely one of our leading award winning bloggers who isn't afraid to speak truth to power. She held down the number one spot in the Villager's BBR rankings for over a year and has blogged at and about the 2008 DNC convention and other events inside and outside the LGBT community.

The Blend is one of the blogs I read on a regular basis and even comment on at times.

Her influence has grown to the point that a North Carolina Democratic nominee for US Senate credited her support for his recent primary win.

I'm looking forward to one day meeting her and thanking her for the traffic boost she gave TransGriot when it was a fledgling blog in 2006 by linking to it.

Happy Birthday, Pam. May this be a blessed and low stress day for you and may you have many more.

2010 Blogging While Brown Conference

The third annual Blogging While Brown Conference stars today and runs through tomorrow at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington DC.

This conference for bloggers of color started in 2008 and its purpose according to the website is to facilitate conversations that lead to collaboration and innovation among bloggers of color, African American bloggers in particular.

Emphasis is placed on stimulating interaction between the attendees. All conference activities and events are aimed at fostering a shared experience which forms the basis of new relationships or strengthens relationships already in existence. Those relationships then form the basis of collaborations. Technology is important. The relationship between the attendees is more important.

For the most part, the Afrosphere has some blogs and bloggers who have gotten attention, but not to the extent our white counterparts do.

This conference is our way to nurture the growth of the Afrosphere, meet each other face to face, and explore ways to forge working relationships amongst each other.

This is one I would love to attend, but haven't been able to do so for various reasons.

Well, maybe next year.

Best of luck and hope this third edition of the Blogging While Brown Conference is just as successful as the previous editions.

2010 Black Weblog Awards

While I don't do what I do here at TransGriot for awards, it sure is nice when I get recognized for the hard work and the hours I put in to make TransGriot entertaining and informative.

The Black Blog Awards have been around since 2005, and are now in their 2010 nomination phase until July 25.

I would like to have the opportunity to compete in and hopefully win the Best LGBT Blog and Best Writing in a Blog categories this year.

But in order to be in a position to win it, I first have to get in it.

So here's where you come in loyal TransGriot readers.

I'll need your votes to get me to the point where I'm in contention for those categories. While you're at it, show Renee, my Womanist Musings homegirl some love for the 'Best International Blog' category because frankly, she's got it like that.

Here's the link to the Black Weblog Awards Nomination Page to get you started.

Thank you and here's hoping I'll have some good news to report about the 2010 BWA's in a few months.

Happy Birthday, Tami!

Happy Anniversary of your 29th Birthday Tami!

Today is the birthday of another one of my favorite bloggers, and I couldn't let the occasion slide by with giving her a TransGriot shoutout.

If you've surfed by her home blog What Tami Said or checked out any of her guest posts here or in the other spots she guest blogs at such as Racialicious, you know that she not only is a wonderful and thought provoking writer, she definitely isn't afraid to tell it like it T-I-S is.

And she's cool people on top of that. One of these days I'm going to have to make that drive up I-65 north and hang out with my blogging sister for the day.

Until then Tami, have a very happy and stress free birthday, and may you have many more!

Villager's Black Blog Rankings Are No More

The hot summer weather has eased into fall and cooler days. Football season at the high school, college and pro levels is in full swing and Halloween is coming

But unfortunately there will be no more posts in November and beyond on TransGriot tracking my progress up the BBR's.

Due to changes in the Technorati rankings that the Villager used as the basis for the BBR's, he's made the painful decision to shut down the Black Blog Rankings.

As I've stated in many of those BBR posts, I not only looked forward to those monthly rankings, it was one of the things I used to measure my progress in growing TransGriot.

In some cases it motivated me to push my blog to even greater heights.

I was so pissed about my tie with Bossip being broken and getting bumped out of the top 25 BBR blogs that it inspired a new burst of activity and a goal to be permanently ensconced in the BBR Top 25.

Be careful what you wish for, you just may get it.

As of the October 3 compilation date, I am back in the BBR's Top 25 at number 24 with an 88 old school Technorati ranking.

Under the new Technorati rankings I have a ranking of 592.

And yes Renee, Womanist Musings is still in the Top 10 BBR blogs at Number 8.

And what is our number one BBR ranked blog? All together now gang, Pam's House Blend!

But my joy is tempered by the fact that unless Villager changes his mind about it, I'm permanently ensconced in the BBR Top 25.

I set a goal to get a repeat nomination for Best GLBT Blog in the upcoming 2009 Weblog Awards as well. If I get another finalist nod, I want to do better than the 9th place I got voting wise last year.

I understand why Villager made the decision, it's just saddens me to know that I won't see the BBR's pop up by the 8th of the month anymore.

I thank the Village for putting together the BBR's in the first place, and hopefully someone else will come up with a system just as good or better that will rank Black blogs and give them and the Blackosphere the attention that they need.

Color Online Shows Me Some Love

Thanks to Color Online for profiling me as part of a feature they do there highlighting various bloggers.

It was the TransGriot's turn in a post entitled COLA: Transgriot: Expanding Our Ideas of Gender & Equality.

I deeply thank and appreciate the love from Color Online's editor for doing so.

If you peeps wish to see it, you can check it out via this link.

Congrats To The 2009 Best Black Blog Nominees

Thanks to JasmyneCannick.com I discovered that one of the blogs I guest post on, Racialicious, was nominated in the Best Black Blog Category for a Black Press All Star Award.

The 5th Annual Black Press All Star Awards event will take place on Friday, September 18 in Harlem, NY.

Unfortunately the September 10 voting deadline has already passed, but here's the full slate of nominees for the Best Black Blog category.

Black Agenda Report
Jasmyne Cannick
Mario Armstrong
Opinionated Black Woman
Racialicious


Congratulations to both Latoya and Jasmyne for being nominated. While we don't get into blogging for the awards, it sure is nice when people recognize the hard work you put in to make your blog a quality one that people will want to visit.

It's even more rewarding when your own people recognize the work you do.

August 2009 Villager's Black Blog Rankings

Depending on where you reside, school has either started or will be doing so shortly. Yes, it's a wonderful time of year for the parents, but not so wonderful for the children whose summer vacations have rapidly come to a close.

Just in time for back to school is the latest edition of the Afrosphere's most anticipated post on Electronic Villager, the Black Blog Rankings.

After a one month hiatus, the Villager has released the latest edition of the Black Blog Rankings, or BBR's as we fondly call them in the Afrosphere.

I'll give you one guess what the BBR number one ranked blog is. It's been holding down the Number One spot for the last year, and is still the undisputed BBR champion, Pam's House Blend.

This month's BBR ranked 1766 blogs, an increase of 62 blogs from the June 2009 rankings. To see the full list click on this link.

In my last blog post that chronicled my progress up the BBR charts, I was nine tantalizing spots away from cracking the BBR Top 25. As of the June 2009 BBR's I was number 34 with a 138 Technorati ranking.

Renee's Womanist Musings jumped to Number 6, just missing the Top 5. You can check out the rest of the Top Ten and Top 25 here.

Speaking of the BBR Top 25, you'll see a new blog listed there. As of the August 24 compilation date, I FINALLY cracked the list of BBR Top 25 blogs! TransGriot is now at BBR 24 with a 102 Technorati ranking.

I jumped ten spots to accomplish my goal and beat my Labor Day deadline for doing so.

I'm concerned like everybody else in the Afrosphere about what's happening with Technorati since it's one of the primary ways Villager compiles these rankings.

I've gone from a 159 ranking to a 102 despite having more readers from around the globe, having various blogs link to my posts and getting 1500 to 2000 hits per day.

But I'll worry about that later. Break out the Champale! TransGriot is in the BBR Top 25. I'm BBR number 24! Next stop, the BBR Top Ten.

Can't wait to see next month's rankings!

Where's The Villager's July 2009 Black Blog Rankings?

I know that like many of you, I eagerly await the revelation of the Black Blog Rankings every month.

The BBR's have become an important tool that helps me gauge the growth of TransGriot and set goals that help nurture and sustain that growth.

I'm probably not the only one who feels that way, people across the Afrosphere do as well. So when July 8 came and went without updated BBR's, that triggered concern for the Villager and made many of us in the Afrosphere wonder what was up.

In my last episode of my monthly tracking posts pertaining to TransGriot's progress up the BBR ladder, I was celebrating the fact that Renee got her early birthday present and finally cracked the BBR Top Ten. I climbed to number 34 in those same June 2009 BBR rankings despite taking a massive hit in my Technorati rankings.

I am still only nine tantalizing spots away from reaching my goal of cracking the BBR Top 25, but lost ground toward reaching a Technorati ranking of 200 by Labor Day.

So TransGriot readers, lets see how well I do next month, since the Villager has let us know he'll do his best to have a BBR post up for August.

And when he does, I'll be right behind him letting y'all know if I finally cracked the BBR Top 25 Blogs.