African-American Transgender History-50's Style

One of the beauties of surfing the Net is that from time to time, you'll stumble across a nugget of history or some photo that you weren't even aware existed.

I've mentioned that JET, EBONY and the now defunct HUE magazines when they first started back in the day served as historical chroniclers of the Black experience in America. Google just negotiated a deal in which they will be digitizing pre-1960's EBONY and JET magazines so that you can access their content on the Net.

One of the things I discovered to my delight is that in order to fulfill their mission of documenting the Black experience, EBONY and JET also covered events and discussed Black GLBT issues.

In addition to asking pointed questions about the Black GLBT experience, they also covered the New York and Chicago drag balls as well.

The other night while searching through Flickr and other places for photos of African-American transwomen for future posts, I stumbled across some African-American transgender history.

Most of it is the coverage of Chicago's Finnies Ball and the New York ones. I chuckled when I saw the HUE article that asks if you can tell the difference between female illusionists and genetic women.

I also noted the incorrect pronouns and the 'her' in quotation marks used in some of the articles.

While it was atrocious in the 50's, I noted that by the 70's, JET was doing a better job of discussing transgender issues with accuracy and sensitivity two decades before the AP Stylebook guidelines even were published.

But unfortunately some of the attitudes reflected in those articles are still expressed by some of my people.

Some of my peeps think that me and my fellow transpeople aren't serious about this path we're taking, or think it's a joke.

It's serious business. Why would anyone subject themselves to the amount of ridicule, physical violence and abuse if they weren't serious about this?

The other fallacy that keeps popping up is that Black transgender people are a new phenomenon. These articles dating back to the early 50's and the history of the Harlem Renaissance say otherwise.

Eartha Kitt Dies

Y'all know how much I love Eartha Kitt. I was saddened to find out she died today of colon cancer at 81.

She went from being an ostracized mixed race girl from South Carolina to an internationally loved star garnering multiple nominations for Tonys, Grammys and Oscars. And don't forget that famous cat purr.

She was sent at age 8 to by her mother to live with her aunt in Harlem and auditioned for the famed Katherine Dunham Dance Troupe during her teens. She was hired as a featured dancer and vocalist and toured worldwide with the company for several years.

The stint with the Katherine Dunham Dance troupe launched Kitt into a life of roles in the entertainment field. She was a well liked cabaret singer in Europe during the 50's and performed on Broadway. That lead to a recording deal in which she produced 20 albums and acted in hundreds of movie and television roles.

In 1968, however, Kitt encountered a substantial professional setback after she made anti-war statements during a White House luncheon that reportedly made then First Lady Lady Bird Johnson cry. The resulting positive and negative public reactions to Kitt's statements was much more extreme and resulted in professional exile in the United States.

After enduring the professional ostracism by performing in Europe, once the anger faded over the Vietnam War remarks, she returned to US shores and garnered a new generation of fans that ensured she was performing almost until the end of her remarkable life.

She recently finished taping a PBS special six weeks ago in Chicago which is set to air in February. Her recording of one of my favorite Christmas songs, "Santa Baby" was certified gold last week.

Kitt was well known for her distinctive voice and made a name for herself in her portrayal of Catwoman in the television series "Batman." That role produced Kitt's recognizable sultry cat growl.



She worked in film, theater, cabaret, music and on television during her lengthy career.

Heaven just became a little more PURRRRRfect and we have just lost another iconic singer. Rest in peace, Eartha. You've earned it.

Under New Management In One Month

We are only one month away from the United States being under new management.

I can't wait to see the inauguration, the parades, the inaugural balls and all the other assorted historical pomp and circumstance that accompany our presidential change in leadership. It's also going to be cool to finally have an A student in charge of the country as well.

It's also going to be beautiful to see Air Force One (or Marine One) take off in the direction of Dallas with Bush on board for the final time as the White House finally get some peeps descended from the original builders of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue moved in.

Sorry Dallas peeps, he's not transiting enroute to the fake Crawford ranch, he's settling there. Unfortunately we'll also have to endure at least a month of furious spinning coming from the Bush misadministration trying to cleanse his odious presidential legacy.

While most schools wouldn't be caught dead with the George W. Bush Presidential Center on their campus, the schools that fiercely competed for it were Baylor University in Waco, Texas Tech University in Lubbock, The University of Dallas and Southern Methodist University.

SMU eventually won that competition because First Lady Laura Bush, presidential adviser Karen Hughes and White House counsel Harriet Miers are alums. Laura Bush also serves on SMUT's (our sarcastic nickname from my college days for that preppy Republican private school) board of Trustees, and Vice President Dick Cheney when he lived in Dallas once served on SMU's Board of Trustees.

He and Faux News can spin until they get dizzy, but nothing is going to save Junior from the harsh judgment of the American people, the world and present and future historians that this ranks (so far) as one of the worst presidencies in US history.

And we're talking historically bad ones such as James Buchanan (1857-1861) whose failures led to the Civil War that almost destroyed this country. Franklin Pierce (1853-1857) had the triple whammy of being drunk, incompetent and unfortunately preceding Buchanan. Warren Harding's (1921-23) brief term had unprecedented level of corruption, Ulysses S. Grant (1868-77) was at the helm during the 'robber baron' era and a depression, and Dubya's alter ego, 'His Fraudulency' Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-81) was questionably elected on disputed Florida votes as well and as part of the political deal that sealed his election, facilitated the introduction of racist Jim Crow segregation and an orgy of anti black violence in the South by ending reconstruction and pulling federal troops out of the region.

That's the presidential company that many people consider Bush occupies, but time will tell.

So yes, I'm happy that President elect Obama is determined to leave office being considered as one of our best presidents. He knows that future POC occupants of the Oval Office will depend on him successfully executing the job over the next four to eight years, and so far he is putting together an administration that will help him make that possible.

Because after the last 8 years, the country and the world definitely needs it.

Top 100 American Speeches of the 20th Century

As evidenced in several places here on TransGriot, I've given a few speeches here and there at various times for various reasons before and since I started this transition journey. I love reading the website American Rhetoric sometimes for inspiration when I'm asked to compile one for delivery.

Speaking of compilations, an Electronic Village post about Professor Anita Hill's opening statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee during the 1991 Uncle Thomas confirmation hearing making the list of 100 Greatest Speeches of the 20th Century led me to wonder not only who else made the overall list, but with our tradition for oratory, how many African-Americans did.

It's a fascinating journey through the last century of American oratory, and it speaks to why President elect Obama's recent campaign resonated with so many people. The list reads like a Who's Who of oratory with familiar names such as John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Eleanor Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan and Franklin Delano Roosevelt.



The Number 1 speech is of course, Dr. King's 1963 'I Have a Dream' speech which beat out John F. Kennedy's 1961 Inaugural address for the top spot. But clocking in at Number 5 is Barbara Jordan's 1976 DNC Keynote Address and at Number 7 is Malcolm X's 'The Ballot or the Bullet'.

In the Top 25 speeches, Rev Jesse Jackson, Sr. is at number 12 in the speech hit parade with his 1984 DNC Address in San Francisco and Dr. King at number 15 with the April 3, 1968 'I've Been to the Mountaintop' speech.



Dr. King makes an appearance again at Number 43 with his April 4, 1967 Riverside Church speech blasting the Vietnam War entitled 'Beyond Vietnam- A Time To Break Silence', followed closely behind by Mary Church Terrell's October 10, 1906 speech 'What It Means To Be Colored in the Capital of the U.S.' to close out African-American speech makers in the Top 50.


Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. is at Number 51 with his 1988 DNC Address delivered from the Democratic convention in Atlanta in the wake of his presidential nomination run that fell just short. Kwame Toure's (Stokely Carmichael) 1966 'Black Power' speech in Berkeley, CA made it at Number 65, and I already mentioned Professor Anita Hill at Number 71.



Malcolm X makes another appearance at Number 91 with the November 10, 1963 'Message To The Grass Roots' speech and at Number 94 Rep. Shirley Chisholm's eloquent August 10, 1970 speech 'For The Equal Rights Amendment'.

Never 'misunderestimate' the power of a great speech.

January 2009 ESSENCE Covers

January 20 is already circled on our 2009 calendars thanks to the upcoming inauguration of our first African-American president. As that historic day approaches anything that has the president elect's picture on it is rapidly disappearing off book shelves, store shelves and magazine racks.

Coming soon to a magazine rack (or your mailbox if you subscribe to ESSENCE) on December 12 are the historic covers for the January 2009 issue of the magazine. There will also be a 56 page tribute to our soon to be 44th president and the First Lady.

I'm willing to bet that those magazines will probably sell out quickly like everything else Obama has graced the cover of since November.

Shoot, that reminds me, I need to renew my ESSENCE subscription ASAP.



While you're waiting for January 20, enjoy the 60 Minutes interview.

President Elect Obama's Victory Speech

The victory speech.

Yes We Did!

It's one time I will happily say (and will write the post on November 5 if it plays out) I was wrong about an issue. I've always told friends that I believed the United States was too obstinately racist to ever put in my lifetime an African-American man in the Oval Office. I've always believed for that reason the first African-American president would be a woman rather than an African-American man.

Monica Roberts, October 1, 2008

Okay, I'll say it. I was wrong. And I'm saying it with a wide as Texas smile on my face.

What my people have been hoping, dreaming and praying for to happen for almost 150 years has finally come true. We have an African-American president.

President Elect Barack Hussein Obama, Jr.

Come January 20 the White House will have occupants who share the same heritage as the people who built it.

He didn't just squeak by. It was an electoral college blowout. He garnered 61 million votes, the most in US history. The victory was especially sweet because he also exorcised the ghosts of Florida 2000 and Ohio 2004.

In one fell swoop the election of President-elect Obama (God, I love the sound of that) has begun the repair the damage to our country's international good name severely damaged by the Bush misadministration.

It's a history making election on a lot of levels, and one which I and a lot of people around the world will be celebrating for a while. I cried when he hit the magic 270 mark at 11 PM EDT and thought about how my late grandmother would have loved to have seen this.

We African-Americans were dancing in the streets last night. We were joined by our fellow Americans and people around the world. We're standing a little taller and smiling a lot wider this morning.

It's a new morning on America. For the first time many of us have a reason to be proud of our country. I'm loving the fact that for the first time in a while I have a president I can be proud of and look up to.

I'm happy that on my niece's ninth birthday she'll get to witness the inauguration of our nation's first African-American president.

And so will I.

Lewis Hamilton Wins F1 Driving Title

Unlike my roomie Dawn, I'm not a rabid fan of Formula One racing, but I do appreciate it when anyone of African descent makes history as Lewis Hamilton did today.

After barely missing becoming the world driving champ last year in his maiden F1 season, British driver Lewis Hamilton not only became the youngest Formula One world driving champion at age 23, he is also the first person of African descent to do so. I thought it was also fitting that he won the title in dramatic fashion at the Brazilian Grand Prix in Sao Paulo.



Brazilian homeboy Felipe Massa won the race for the second time in his career (previous win 2006) and thought he'd clinched the world championship at his hometown Interlagos track with his sixth victory of the season. With Massa's win Hamilton's margin for clinching the title shrank from finishing no worse than eighth place to fifth.

Hamilton had won five races this year including the British Grand Prix, but unfortunately was languishing in sixth place on the final lap before he passed Germany's Timo Glock on the last corner to finish fifth and edge Massa by one point in the overall F1 standings 98-97.

Congratulation to Lewis Hamilton and may he win any future F1 driving titles with less drama.

Smith and Carlos- 40 years Later

Forty years ago today John Carlos and Tommie Smith stood on the Olympic medal platform to collect their gold and bronze medals for the 200 meter dash.

During that medal ceremony they both raised black gloved fists that turned an Olympic medal ceremony into an unforgettable moment of protest.

It's ALC Weekend In DC!

In a few hours the 38th annual Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's Annual Legislative Conference in Washington DC will kick off at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

It's an event that I've wanted to attend for years. Sadly, it's also one that every time it rolls back around on the calendar I bitterly remember the political knife wound stuck in my back from a certain Caucasian leader of a national transgender political organization. I've forgiven her for what she did, but I will never forget or excuse it.

But back to the post. It's a must attend event if you are a politically aware African-American. It's where CBC members, African-American athletes, African-American politicians from all over the country, African-American business and religious leaders, activists and others congregate to discuss policy and raise funds for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.

Couldn't make my schedule work to attend it this year, but it's definitely on my radar screen. I will be paying attention to the C-SPAN coverage of the seminars like I do every year.

Speaking of paying attention, during this year's event he first presidential debate happens. You can bet that the gathering will be tuned in when Sen. Barack Obama takes on Sen. McCain from the University of Mississippi campus this Friday.

One of the things that's been lost in much of the discussion is that the Congressional Black Caucus is wielding historic levels of power since its 1969 founding by it's original 13 members. It now has 43 members, and a CBC member not only will be taking part in the presidential debates, but is making a historic run for the White House that may in less than forty days achieve a groundbreaking historic dream for my people.

The CBC is known as 'The Conscience of the Congress' for its work in advocating for the predominately African-American and other ethnic groups in their districts (or states in sen Obama's case) they represent. They are also the proud heirs to the legacy of congressional representation history of African-Americans in Congress.

Here's wishing for a successful 2008 ALC and hoping that I'll be blessed to make it next year with President Obama in attendance.

Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs-Jones 1949-2008

I was saddened to hear that trailblazing congressmember Stephanie Tubbs-Jones died suddenly on August 20 of a brain aneurysm.

She was elected to Congress in 1998, representing the 11th Congressional District that was represented previously by Congressman Louis Stokes. She was serving her fifth term, was the first African-American woman to represent Ohio in the House, the first African-American woman in the history of Congress to be elected to the House Ways and Means Committee and was the chairwoman of the House Ethics Committee.


I'm watching on C-SPAN the memorial service that is happening in Cleveland as I write this. It's being attended by over 2,500 people that include the members of the Congressional Black Caucus, Delta Sigma Theta sorority, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, former president Bill Clinton, Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama, vice presidential nominee Joe Biden and a host of local and state officials.

She is definitely going to be missed on the national scene.

Barack's Acceptance Speech

Here's the YouTube video of Barack's historic Democratic presidential nomination acceptance speech in Denver last night at Mile High Stadium.

I'm signed up for his YouTube group, and if you'd like to check it out, here's the link.

What A Historical Night

It was a night I thought I'd never see in my lifetime. I saw an African-American accept the nomination of my party for president. I saw a beautiful African-American family standing on that stage at Mile High Stadium last night. I saw a rainbow sea of 83,000 people packed in a stadium to hear his historic nomination speech.

But we are two months from the election. We've come a long way folks, but the hard work is just beginning.

'I Have A Dream'

As you all know, have heard during this week's Democratic National Convention and seen me write a few times on TransGriot, today is the 45th anniversary of the 1963 March On Washington.

Here is the video of Dr. Martin Luther King's speech. Think about this one as you listen to Sen. Obama make more history later tonight at Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium tonight and accepts the nomination for president of the United States.

Thank You Again Brother Bill

This was the speech I and many others who are Obama supporters wanted and needed to hear from President Clinton back in June, but better late than never.

As you can see, he's starting to earn his 'Black like Me' cool points back, but he's still on probation.

Now we need Brother Bill, Sen. Hillary Clinton, Chelsea and the entire Democratic family to go on the campaign trail and kick some GOP azz over the next 59 days so we can see this eminently qualified brother and Sen Joe Biden take the oath of office on January 20.

Michelle Obama's DNC Speech

Here's the next FLOTUS (First Lady of the United States) speech at the Democratic National Convention last night in Denver.

Shirley Chisholm's 1972 Presidential Announcement

In honor of the 88th anniversary of the day that women first gained the right to vote, here's some YouTube video of Shirley Chisholm (D-NY) the first African-American woman elected to Congress in 1968.

She was also the first African-American and first woman to run as a major party candidate for president and a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus in 1969. She held her Congressional seat until she retired from Congress in 1982 and was succeeded by Major Owens.

Chisholm's campaign inspired a young African-American volunteer by the name of Barbara Lee to remain active in politics and eventually run for and win a congressional seat herself in California.

African-American Sibling Fencers Win Silver Medals

The Williams sisters aren't the only African-American siblings who will be taking medals back home from Beijing.

Meet Keeth and Erinn Smart. Keeth and Erinn are the trailblazing fencers from Brooklyn, NY who were the first kids that walked through the doors of the Peter Westbrook Foundation's fencing program when he started it in 1990.

Peter Westbrook was the last American man to win a fencing medal and the first African-American one to do so. He captured a bronze medal in the men's sabre event at the 1984 LA Games. The Smarts are competing in their third Olympics, and as the old saying goes, the third time was the charm. But they've had a rough year just getting to this point.

Their parents unfortunately weren't there to witness it. Their father Thomas Smart passed away in 2005 from a sudden heart attack,. Their mother Audrey Elizabeth died recently in March after battling colon cancer for two years.

Keeth contracted a rare blood disorder that put him in intensive care for two weeks while competing in a fencing tournament in Algeria. The disorder not only threatened his participation in the Beijing Games but put his life in jeopardy as well.

The Smart's roads to their respective medals were just as rocky. In the women's team foil event Team USA was ranked seventh out of eight teams. They upset Poland and then held off Hungary 35-33 in the semifinals as Erinn held off a furious late charge by the Hungarian fencer to send them to the gold medal match versus Russia.

Unfortunately Team USA lost to Russia 28-11 in the gold medal match, but in the process they earned the first US medals in the foil event since 1960.

Keeth's run to a medal was just as dramatic in the men's team sabre event.

Smart took over in the quarterfinal with the USA trailing defending world champion Hungary 40-36. In the team event, first one to 45 wins, and the Americans had their backs to the wall. Smart rallied to tie the match at 44 all, then scored the winning touch to send them to the semifinals against the Russians.

In the semifinals, Keeth found himself not only facing a 40-35 deficit, but a personal demon as well. At the 2004 Athens Games he came on the strip in the bronze medal match against the Russians with a 40-35 lead. Russia's Stanislav Pozdnyakov rallied to lead them to a 45-44 win and the bronze medal. The loss bothered him to the point that he took a two year sabbatical from the sport.

Smart was now ironically facing the same man in the reverse situation and rose to the challenge. He outfenced Pozdnyakov and led Team USA to a 45-44 win and the gold medal match against France.

Unfortunately in the gold medal match Team USA fell behind 40-28 before Smart took over. Despite the twelve point deficit, he almost pulled it out with another miracle rally against France's Julien Pillet. He outscored him 9-5, but the deficit was too much to overcome as Team USA lost 45-37 to France for the silver, the first fencing medals for the men's sabre program since 1984.

Congratulations Keeth and Erinn for making history in the fencing world, being trailblazing role models and finally earning those well-deserved medals while persevering through a tough year for both of you off the strip.

Venus and Serena Win Beijing Doubles Gold

My favorite tennis playing sisters shook off their disappointing quarterfinal singles losses and beat Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual of Spain 6-2, 6-0 to win the women's doubles tornament

They were the 2000 Sydney Games doubles gold medallists, but didn't defend the title at Athens because of an injury to Venus. They made a little history in the process by becoming only the second pair to win the Olympic doubles title twice after fellow Americans Gigi and Mary Jo Fernandez.

While they had their troubles in the Beijing singles tournament, they didn't on the doubles side of it. They only dropped two sets during the entire tournament and were rarely challenged. In fact, the sisters are now 10-0 in Olympic doubles competition.

The 2012 London Games tennis tournament venue, should the Williams sisters decide to defend their title and make the 2012 Olympic team, will be conducted at the Williams sisters personal playground, the All England Lawn Tennis Club.

Fashion Blackout

It seems incredible to hear that in a year in which we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the EBONY Fashion Fair fashion show, been buzzing about the first transgender contestant on America's Next Top Model and had a long list of African-American women who broke ground as models that we'd even be talking in the early 21st century about how racism still impacts the fashion world.

Even if Isis manages to win the upcoming cycle of the show, she may find it hard getting work when African-American biofemale models aren't rocking the runways like they used to.

The blackout in the modelling world has gotten so bad that if you want to see an African-American model strutting her stuff on stage in a fashion show, you'd better buy a ticket to the Ebony Fashion Fair when it hits your town.

The September 2008 issue of EBONY magazine contains a fascinating Constance CR White article entitled 'Black Out-What Has Happened To The Black Fashion Models?'

The February New York fashion shows were melanin-free, and in the European fashion capitals of London, Milan and Paris the situation was far worse. The article even reported that the situation is so bad that Miuccia Prada has gone ten years without using a Black model.

It's not like they can't find them. The modeling agencies have plenty of beautiful sisters that they're willing, able and ready to book, they just aren't getting called.

It's nothing like the 90's when sisters such as Iman, Tyra Banks, Naomi Campbell, Georgianna Robertson, Veronica Webb, Roshumba, Gail O'Neill, Cynthia Bailey and Phina were getting called and getting paid as well.

They were the heirs to a legacy of doors broken down by models such as Pat Cleveland, actor Kadeem Hardison's mother Bethann Hardison, Beverly Johnson, Mounia, Wanakee, Katoucha, Lana Ogilvy, Alva Chinn, and Peggy Dillard.

Today, you can count the number of superstar Black models on one hand. Liya Kebede, Jaunel McKenzie, Chanel Iman and up and comer Jourdan Dunn.

The article delves into some causes for the blackout. Bethann Hardison points out that this problem isn't a recent phenomenon, it has been a decade in the making.

In addition to the racism in the industry, it cited the flood of Eastern European models that mirror the blond hair blue eyes beauty standard into the mix. It also touched on Asian designers preference to feature Asian models in their shows, the rising power of casting directors for fashion shows and the lack of African-Americans in decision making capacities in the fashion industry.

Whatever is causing the blackout, it needs to be fixed. The people buying those high end clothes aren't exclusively of European or Asian ancestry. The models strutting those catwalks need to reflect not only that reality, but the reality that this is a diverse, multicultural world as well.