Black Trans Advocacy Statement Concerning The Trump Trans Military Service Ban

TransGriot Note:  The BTA statement concerning the reinstatement of the trans military service ban

Black Trans Advocacy is saddened to hear that President Donald Trump is continuing the Republican assault on the humanity and human rights of transgender Americans by reinstating the ban on trans military service that was rescinded by the Obama Administration just last year.

What we find particularly odious about this is that it was done exactly 69 years to the day in 1948 that president Harry S Truman issues his executive order desegregating the US military.

There are 15,500 trans people serving in our military, and many of them are doing so with distinction. In addition, the RAND Corporation study done on the costs of transition related medical care at only $2.4 to $8.4 million, a miniscule amount considering the entire military health care budget is $7.8 billion dollars.

It was past time to allow qualified trans people who met the requirements for service in our armed forces to be able to do so.  Some of those people who have or are serving in the US military are part of our Black trans family.

We at Black Trans Advocacy hope that this misguided decision is reversed as soon as possible.  

Black Trans Advocacy Statement Concerning The Senate Passage Of SB 3

TransGriot Note: The BTA Statement concerning the passage of SB 3

Black Trans Advocacy is not shocked to see our Republican controlled Texas Senate continue their misguided and reprehensible attack on the humanity and human rights of transgender Texans via the Lois Kolkhorst authored SB 3.

This unjust bill passed out of committee on an 8-1 vote July 21 and in the Senate yesterday by a 21-10 margin after 8 hours of debate.   Last Friday Texans including our Mr Black Trans International king Trenton Johnson by a 12-1 margin expressed themselves via personal appearance in Austin to deliver in person testimony or sent  written testimony to the Senate State Affairs Committee urging them not to pass the unjust SB 3 or SB 91 bills authored by Kolkhorst.

We thank Sen Sylvia Garcia who isn't a member of Senate State Affairs, but sat through the nearly 11 hours of testimony given on that bill, and Sen Judith Zaffirini who was the lone NO vote in committee.

We thank the ten Senate Democrats who stood up for the humanity and human rights of transgender Texans, and condemn Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr for disingenuously lying during the debate to claim he has never voted for discrimination while joining all 20 Senate Republicans to enable discrimination against trans Texans. .

Yes senator, you did vote for discrimination back in March when you voted to pass SB 6 out of committee and then did so on the Senate floor.

We urge House Speaker Joe Straus and the members of the House State Affairs Committee to do the right thing for our state and kill this legislative abomination before it costs us more convention business beyond the $66 million we have already lost.  

We at Black Trans Advocacy would also like to see this SB 3 bill die before we lose any more Texas trans women to anti-trans animus.

The Divine Cassadine Transition Scholarship Fundraiser

There are a few posts on TransGriot in which I discuss silicone pumping, the negative effects of it and chronicle the pumpers who get busted and brought to justice or killing people while doing so.

Tanisha Caston AKA 'The Divine Tanisha Cassadine', was born in Memphis  September 16, 1968 and touched many lives inside and outside the House of Cassadine and the pageant and ballroom community    She died on March 16 at age 48 due to complications from silicone injections.

It was a death that shocked many in the pageant world who knew her, and brought home to people the danger of silicone pumping


Miss BTIPS 2016 Taliyah Cassadine is also the founder of Say No 2 Silicone Injections to promote awareness of the danger of silicone pumping.

She created the Divine Cassadine Transition Scholarship to not only keep memories of the legacy of Tanisha alive, but also help create a funding stream to help trans women who want to transition in a healthy and safe way without using silicone.   It can also be used to remove silicone from a person's body, which can also be a costly process.

The Divine Cassadine Transition Scholarship will be awarded at future BTAC conventions.  Fundraising for the $3000 goal started April 1 with the hope that the goal will be reached and hopefully exceeded by next April 1.

If you're inclined to give $5, 10, 20 or whatever your heart moves you to do at this time, please do so. No amount is too small to give in order to reach and hopefully exceed the goal to seed this fund.  

Even $1 will help the cause, and here's the link to the fundraising page.