Tommie Ross Makes Houston Pride History!

In the over 42 year history of Pride Houston, while we have had trans people be elected or named as  honorary grand marshals, we have never had a Black trans person be elected as one.

Phyllis Frye (2006) and Jenifer Rene Pool (2012) were the first and second trans women elected as  Grand Marshals, while Lou Weaver was the first trans masculine person elected as a Pride Houston Grand Marshal in 2017.

I tried to make that historical breakthrough happen in 2017, but something else that was far more important forced me to divert attention from that potentially historic grand marshal campaign. 
I ended up having to make multiple trips to Austin to help kill Potty Dan's and Lois Kolkhorst's anti-trans SB 6 bill.

Last year Dee Dee Watters, Atlantis Narcisse and I were named along with Ana Andrea Molina as honorary grand marshals as Shannon Baldwin became only the third Black woman ever elected as a Houston Pride Grand Marshal. 

Carolyn Mobley (1993) and Fran Watson (2016) preceded Baldwin in making that history..

Last year also saw Harrison Guy become the first ever Black person elected as a male identifying  Pride Houston Grand Marshal while Mike Webb became the first ever nonbinary one.

Congrats to Austin D Williams for becoming only the second ever Black male identifying Grand Marshal.

The Black trans breakthrough happened this year, as Tommie Ross became the fourth Black woman overall and the first ever Black trans woman to be elected as a female identifying Pride Houston Grand Marshal!.   Nikki Araguz Loyd was posthumously named as a 2020 honorary grand marshal.

So including the honoraries, we have now seven Black women, four of them trans identified, serving in the expanding sorority of Pride Houston Grand Marshals. 

The total number of trans people who have either been elected or named as honorary Pride Houston Grand Marshals is now up to nine people.

But back to talking about Tommie making history. I couldn't be happier for her.   Not only do I have much love and respect for her, she is the epitome of elegance and class for our community.

She also has much love and respect in our Houston TBLGQ+ community as evidenced by her grand marshal win..

The 2020 Houston Pride has been delayed until this fall, but I do want to congratulate Tommie for once again being an elegant history making trailblazer for our community.

Rev Lawrence T. Richardson Set To Make History As Next Linden Hills UCC Senior Pastor

"My message to every trans and gender non-conforming person is this: God is love and you were made in the image of perfect Love.  There is space for you in this world.  There is space at your church, in your desired career, in your family, on sports teams...and it is time to take your space.  Show up!  In large number or in small...your presence is valued and necessary.  So what, they stare or ask questions, answer them.   Look them in the eyes proudly with your beautiful, handsome, artsy, brilliant, capable, transgender self.  Claim your space. Rearrange the seating to make room at the table.  Correct people when they use the wrong pronouns.  Hang up your own sign on the bathroom door.  Tell them who you are and who you are not. Be bold.  No one is going to understand what they cannot see, cannot hear or cannot know. "  -Rev Lawrence T, Richardson, 2013 

One of the best things about being a advocate over 20 years is that you get to meet some amazing people along the way.

I met Rev. Lawrence T. Richardson during a BTAC conference back in 2013, and saw him again during my recent April trip to Minneapolis and on the University of Minnesota campus.

For the last five years he has been the associate pastor at Linden Hills United Church of Christ in Minneapolis under the Rev Eliot Howard, who has been the senior pastor at Linden Hills UCC for the last 26 years. 

Rev Howard, along with everyone else Rev. Lawrence has encountered, has recognized that he is an amazing leader who is well respected not only in the local and national faith communities, but in the trans one as well.

Rev. Howard has decided to retire, and in an overwhelming affirmative vote by the membership of Linden Hills on October 27, chose Rev Richardson to be their next leader.  It makes him the first out Black trans cleric in his home state of Minnesota

Rev Richardson is excited about the new opportunity, and one of his his missions will be to have Linden Hills UCC continue to be a welcoming church community, just as it was when he encountered it.

Congratulations Rev. Richardson!  I'm extremely proud of you and the history you're making!   I hope that I'll get a chance to visit Linden Hills the next time my travels bring me to the Twin Cities.     

Taj Jackson Attempting To Make More Black Pageant History

Earlier this year Jazell Harvey became the first Black person ever to win the Miss International Queen trans pageant in its 15 year history.

While we have had since the Miss Universe system opened their doors to trans women in 2013, several trans women from around the globe have attempted to make it to the Miss Universe pageant stage,. starting with Canada's Jenna Talackova.

The only one so far that has successfully done so, although she didn't make it to the 15 semifinalist round, has been Miss Spain Universe 2018 Angela Ponce. 

We have had trans women from Canada, Mongolia, Chile and Norway make it to their national pageant stages.   Trans women in China, Belgium, Brazil and Puerto Rico fell short of making it to their national pageant stage.

None of those trans contestants attempting to make it to a Miss Universe stage or compete in a US state pageant has been Black until now.

Taj Jackson is the person who attempt to do so, and she couldn't have picked a tougher pageant challenge.  The Miss Inglewood delegate is competing in the Miss California Universe 2020 pageant, which sends its winner to the Miss USA one and is part of the Miss universe pageant system. 

Miss California Universe along with Miss Texas Universe are considered two of the toughest state pageants to win and qualify for Miss USA in because both have more than 200 contestants competing in them.  That is triple the number of contestants Miss Universe has had in recent years. 

Miss Universe 2019 only had 90 contestants in this year's pageant won by South Africa's Zozibini Tunzi. 

These pageants also have a proud history of sending their winners on to Miss USA and Miss Universe glory.   Miss Texas USA and Miss California USA also rank numbers one and two in terms of the number of winners of their respective pageant who have gone on to win Miss USA

A Miss Texas USA has won nine times, with a streak of five consecutive winners in the 1980's.  Miss California Universe has had six women win Miss USA.

Jackson won't be the first out trans woman to ever compete in Miss California Universe.  That distinction already belongs to Kylan Wenzel, who competed back in 2013.

But Taj is undaunted by the odds, and proud of the history she is making as the first out Black trans contestant at any Miss Universe system pageant in the US and across the Diaspora..

As Miss Inglewood, Taj is looking for fiscal sponsors as the January 26 date of this Miss California 2020 pageant rapidly approaches.

Good luck to you Taj and here's hoping you make history. 

   

Mister Brown Goes To Washington!

Back on April 2 BTAC Founding CEO Carter Brown traveled to Washington DC as part of an event sponsored by HRC. He recorded a video telling his story, and while there got the opportunity to make history.



He ended up in front of the House Judiciary Committee testifying in favor of the Equality Act. 

He also became by doing so the first Black trans Texan to testify in from of any Congressional committee 

Congrats Carter for not only making that history, but telling a story that's familiar to far too many people in Trans World. 

Looking forward to hearing about your trip to Washington DC during BTAC.

Laverne's Historic Cosmo Cover

Just in time for Black History Month, Laverne Cox continues to blaze trails and make me and other Black trans peeps proud of her.

Her latest history making endeavor is to become the first out trans woman of any ethnic background to be featured as a cover girl for Cosmopolitan magazine. 

Cosmo South Africa decided to focus their February issues on the TBLGIQ+ community and love, and tapped Laverne to be on the cover of it.

In her letter to the magazine, she also continued to speak about trans women  dating and finding love.

'Trans women need to be loved out in the open and in the light,' she said.    I agree with her.  I also believe that if their wasn't a stigma toward dating trans women and the people who love us could do spenly, it would go a long way toward cutting our murder rates and the domestic partner violence we see.

But that's another post.

This one is all about celebrating Laverne's historic Cosmo cover achievement.   

Hope she also gets some solo covers on ESSENCE (she's done two group covers) and EBONY magazines this year as well

It's Inauguration Day For Councilmembers Cunningham and Jenkins!

Today was the public inauguration in Minneapolis for Councilmembers Phillipe Cunningham and Andrea Jenkins, Mayor Jacob Frey and their council colleagues in the Minneapolis City Hall rotunda. 

After the public inauguration, and the mayor's inauguration speech,  they and their city council colleagues immediately went to the council chambers to meet and elect a new council president and determine who the various committee chairs would be.

It's going to be an exciting but busy day for Andrea and Phillipe in Minneapolis today.  They'll find out their committee assignments, and after that get busy with the nuts and bolts work of helping to run Minneapolis.

And looking forward to hearing them talk about it the next time I get to spend quality time with either of them.

Historic Dewey's Lunch Counter Sit In Site Permanently Closing

When the LGBT Media Journalists Convening happened in Philadelphia in 2014, the host hotel for it was right across the street from a trans historical site in Dewey's Lunch Counter.

52 years ago today a successful sit in a protest jumped off by African-American gender variant teens who were told they would be refused service if they were not in gender appropriate attire happened here.

This happened a year before Compton's Cafeteria in San Francisco and four years before Stonewall. The Deweys protest was also another instance of a trans themed protest happening in the US and one that we know of with significant African-American involvement.

Since 1978 a 24 hour eatery has been open in the former Dewey's space called Little Pete's.  I'd eaten there with a strange sense of deja vu not long after I arrived in Philly and got settled into my #LGBTMedia14 hotel room.   I spotted it while gazing out the window of my room, was still hungry from my travel day, and just decided to check it out and grab something to eat there since it was close.

I was told a few hours later at the opening LGBT Media mixer event by a Philadelphia attendee who knows my love of history that we were across the street from the old Dewey's, and subsequently told all the trans journalists we were right across the street from a trans historical site.

During a break in Saturday's LGBT Media programming, all the trans journalists in attendance,  myself, Gwen Smith, Dawn Ennis, Gretchen Hammond, Jos Truitt, Cristan Williams and Becky Juro along with NLGJA executive director Adam Pawlus walked across the street to take a photo in front of Little Pete's and pay respects to our sadly unknown elders who participated in that trans humanity centric protest.

Well peeps, if you wish to replicate that photo, better do it soon because the sad news I'm hearing is that Little Pete's will be permanently closing next month,   Its last day of business will be May 29, and after that it has a date with a wrecking ball to make room for a Hyatt Centric hotel.

It's always sad to me when a historic site closes,   Here's hoping that someone in the Philly LGBT community will work to have a historical marker placed at that spot where Black trans history was made once the new hotel is completed.

Sharron Cooks Makes History Again

Last summer Sharron Cooks made history by becoming the first out trans person in the state of Pennsylvania to become a DNC delegate.  She's made history once again by becoming the first out trans person to chair a city commission in Philadelphia.

 On Thursday she was elected as chair of the 23 member Mayor's Commission on LGBT  Affairs.

"As chair of the Mayor's Commission on LGBT Affairs, I am committed and dedicated to serving the needs of the City of Philadelphia's LGBTQ community.  I am committed to advocating for equality and building and maintaining positive and supportive community relationships with trust, honesty, transparency and integrity, " Cooks said in a G Philly Interview.

"This is a new role for me as a Black transgender woman.  I am open to learning and receiving respectful feedback, and I am looking forward to working with all members of our LGBTQ community and allies here in Philadelphia and abroad as well as working with other organizations and institution to help address the needs of our community."

Congrats Sharron for making history once again and being a trailblazing leader for your community.   Have no doubts you'll do a wonderful job in that chairperson's role.   

Moni's 2016 PBHA Robert Coles Call Of Service Award Lecture

As many of you are aware of, I went to Boston last week and the Harvard University campus to accept the Phillips Brooks House Association's Robert Coles Call Of Service Award.

The award has been given out since 2007 and it didn't occur to me until arrived at my hotel in Cambridge to see to hit Google and see who the past winners of this award were.

That's when I discovered that i was in some pretty serious company in terms of past recipients of it.   Marian Wright Edelman won the inaugural award in 2007, Vice President Al Gore and BLM co founder Alicia Garza last year.

I also discovered that I am the first trans person ever to receive this award.

Here's a link to the transcript of my 2016 PBHA Coles Award lecture, and the video.  I also answered some questions from the audience concluding the lecture before yielding to a panel of local advocates.



Thanks once again to Maria Dominguez Gray, Shaquanda Brown, Robert Bridgeman, David Dance, Jalem Towler, Dean Katherine O'Dair and the students of the Phillips Brooks House Association for making my time on the Harvard Yard a memorable time.

Hopefully I'll have a chance to come back for a future visit.
.

Arisce Wanzer's Making History

The long stylish line of trans models has led the way in breaking ground for our community not only in the modeling world, but at times through their activism on behalf of themselves and this community.

Proud to announce that for the first time in the 111 year history of the iconic Spiegel catalog, a girl like us will grace the cover of it.

Arisce Wanzer, who recently appeared as one of the stars of the reality show Strut, is the model who will be making this inevitable breakthrough.

Congratulations to her, and hope to continue seeing her do her thing in the modeling world.  It also proves once again if given an opportunity to do so, we can don anything and excel at

Meet Our DNC 2016 Black Trans Delegates

Trans people have been part of the DNC convention landscape since 2000, but it wasn't until 2008 that we African American trans folks got our first out trans delegate  in Tennessee's Marisa Richmond.  She was in the Mile High City for that historic convention that Sen. Barack Obama was nominated at, and eventually won the presidency while carrying our party's label a few months later.
 

In 2012 Richmond was joined in Charlotte by another person used to making history.   Trailblazing trans leader Kylar Broadus of Missouri became our first out Black trans masculine delegate.

This year in Philadelphia we have a record contingent of 27 trans people in the Wells Fargo Center house and attending the various events and panels  Marisa Richmond is attending her third consecutive DNC convention, but this time she is making history again by serving as the DNC convention's official timekeeper.

But fear not dear readers.  Just as in 2012, the #DNCinPhilly event will have Black trans masculine and Black trans feminine delegate representation in the house for the second consecutive event as part of this record trans DNC contingent thanks to Pennsylvania homegirl Sharron Cooks and Merrick Moses of Maryland.

Both Cooks and Moses will be attending their first DNC convention, and both of our trans siblings are excited to be at another historic Democratic convention as we nominate Sec. Hillary Clinton for president.

"It is an honor and a privilege to be a part of the democratic electoral political process. I am so excited and thrilled to be a first time delegate for Pennsylvania Congressional District 1 especially since Philadelphia is the DNC host city," Cooks said.

She's also proud to be representing the Black trans feminine community here at #DNCinPhilly, and is cognizant of the importance of being here.

"This experience is so humbling, educational and is an amazing opportunity to network with lobbyists and legislators, which I believe is very valuable, because as a community organizer, advocate and activist; it helps when it comes to securing the rights and protections for the LGBTQ community," she added.

Merrick Moses echoed Cooks' excitement about being at his first convention/  He felt honored to be there in Philadelphia and part of the record trans DNC contingent and the Maryland delegation..  He's proud of representing the Black trans community and the state of Maryland. He also been pleased about the diversity being showcased to America an the world at this #DNCinPhilly event. "We have a large number of LGBT delegates, and I am so happy the party has been intentional about showing our diversity." he said. "It's been interesting, I'm loving the experience and hope that more Black trans folks join us in 2020."
Well, I'm working on it.

Both Cooks and Moses have also expressed interest in wanting to meet each other, exchange information and take photos with each other before the convention closes Thursday

Thanks to you and Sharron for repping our community in Philadelphia and making a little Black trans history while doing so.

Thanks to both of you for not only being witnesses to American history being made at this DNC convention, but actually playing a part in making it happen on behalf of the people you're  representing  in Maryland and Pennsylvania.

TransGriot Update: Sharron and Merrick finally met on Wednesday ...

Marisa Richmond Named Official 2016 DNC Convention Timekeeper

This #DNCinPhilly convention is tuning out to be even more historic for trans kind than I anticipated.  In addition to having a record 27 trans delegates attending the event and the American trans community eagerly awaiting Sarah McBride's Thursday podium speech, there's more news cementing this Philadephia DNC convention as one of the most trans friendly events in American political history.

Longtime Nashville based trans advocate Marisa Richmond has been active in Democratic Party politics for years and has been a delegate to several DNC conventions including the 2008 one in which she witnessed history in then Sen. Barack Obama's historic nomination.

She'll have a lot closer seats than she did in 2008 to witness another historic nomination this time, like on the convention stage.

She was tapped to become the official timekeeper for the 2016 Democratic National Convention. This makes Richmond possibly the first out trans person to be named as a major party convention podium official, which is also a big deal.

Marisa's task as the convention's official timekeeper is to keep all the speakers on schedule and within their allotted time limits.  Through her roles with Trans United For Hillary and the Democratic Party's  LGBT advisory board she was contacted and subsequently offered the position.

"It's a personal honor and privilege to be up there on the stage," said Richmond in an interview with The Tennessean.  "I'll be just a few feet away from all of the speakers all four nights.  it's literally one of the best seats there."

"It shows that this is easily the most trans friendly convention ever, " she said.  "It shows that this party has really made progress in terms of inclusion and diversity."

Speaking of seats, if you're looking for her, during the television telecasts, where the arrow is in the photo by Mara Keisling is where Marisa will be sitting and doing her timekeeping duties during the convention.

The Tennessee Democratic Party was also pleased about Richmond being chosen as the 2016 DNC convention timekeeper, and Tennessee State Democratic Party Chair Mary Mancini said she was thrilled by her selection.

Mancini noted that Richmond, the former chair of the Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition, has been one of the strongest LGBTQ advocates in Tennessee and across the country for many years."

And yes, I'll definitely cosign that sentiment.  I've had the pleasure of knowing her trailblazing self since the late 90's, and I'm proud of her for getting this amazing honor.

Black Trans History Is A Fascinating And Evolving Story

I was surprised, pleased and honored to see a meme created by TransMusePlanet that quotes me on the importance of Black trans history. 

It's why my blog is named TransGriot and one of the reasons it exists.   While I'm writing many of the posts here to chronicle it and pass it on to my transpeeps that wish to get acquainted with it, it needs to also be seen by my cis Black family and our human rights allies.

I come from a family of historians.  My late godmother Pearl Suel was the founding president of the Houston chapter of the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life, wrote the first Black history curriculum for HISD and taught history at the collegiate and high school level.  

That's where she encountered my mother, who was one of her star students, and my late father.   My mom got her bachelors in history, and passed that love of history to me.  I was involved in History Prep Bowl academic competitions in junior high as was captain of the team in my 8th grade year.

My dad was an admirer of Marcus Garvey.   I also count amongst my friends several collegiate history professors teaching at institutions across the country.

The love of history runs deep in my life, and I am keenly aware of the importance of it for marginalized groups and how it can be used to empower them.

Our opponents are aware of the power of history as well, which is why they work hard to keep you from not only having knowledge of your history, but seek to whitewash or eradicate any mention of it every chance they get.  It is no accident that one of the things our Texas conservafool majority is up to is trying to rewrite the history books so that their misdeeds and failures are glossed over.

One of the first questions I pondered when I transitioned in 1994 was about trans history and Black trans people's contributions to it.  Who are our heroes and sheroes?   Who are the people who preceded me and set the table for our community at the time I encountered it?   What can I do to help make this community better than when I first started hearing about it in 1975?

This blog is one part of the answer to that question.   We not only need to know our Black trans history, but Black cis people ignorant of our trans existence and the contributions we have made to the Black community.   Black trans people are part of the kente cloth fabric of the African-American community and the African Diaspora, and just didn't pop up out of nowhere in the second half of the 20th Century.

While we have known that trans actresses like Alexandra Billings, Alicia Brevard, Candy Darling, Holly Woodlawn and Candis Cayne existed, it was a current actress in Laverne Cox, no stranger to making history and blazing trails, was thrilled to find out that she was walking in the path of a girl like us actress named Ajita Wilson. 

Diamond Stylz and I still chuckle about the time she busted a cis woman on the Net who made the erroneous comment as a joke there would never be a transfeminine JET Beauty of the Week, only to be informed by Diamond, armed with the links to the info,  that Ajita Wilson had done that as well.

There have also been some colorful characters in our history such as Lexington, Kentucky resident James 'Sweet Evening Breeze' Herndon, Georgia Black, Lady Java, Jim McHarris, and Lucy Hicks Anderson to remind us they were fighting to be their true selves in conditions and a time period far more hostile to Black people be they cis or trans.

Back in 1992 we had a transperson named Althea Garrison elected to the Massachusetts state legislature, and hopefully that will happen again in my lifetime.

And while trans models of all ethnic backgrounds like Geena Rocero, Lea T and Andreja Pejic are probably aware there has been a long stylish line of  trans models dating back to the 60's starting with April Ashley. our current Black trans models like Isis King and Arisce Wanzer are also aware of and hopefully inspired by the fact they were preceded on the catwalks and magazine covers by Tracy Africa Norman. 

We know that Miss Major and Marsha P Johnson raised hell at Stonewall a mere 4 years after a group of African-American gender variant kids in Philadelphia kicked off a trans-themed protest at Dewey's Lunch Counter.

And speaking of Black trans leaders, it isn't just Black trans women who have been fighting for and shaping the direction of our movement.   Black trans men like Marcelle Cook-Daniels, Alexander John Goodrum and Kylar Broadus have also been handling their human rights business.

We have people who were plaintiffs in human rights court cases like Patricia Underwood and Patti Shaw, just to name two of them.

We have people in the religious leadership ranks like Rev. Yeshua Holiday, Rev. Carmarion Anderson, and Rev Lawrence T. Richardson among others making the case that Black trans people are also people of faith.

We have had trans trailblazers in the music world like Wilmer Broadnax, Jordana LeSesne, Jaila Simms and Tona Brown who cover many types of musical genres with others following in their trailblazing footsteps..

Black trans history isn't just a recitation of past accomplishments. We have people making history today in tech entrepreneurs like Dr. Kortney Ziegler and Angelica Ross.  We have people in academia like Dr Van Bailey, Dr Kai Green, and Dr. Marisa Richmond.  

And I can't forget Kye Allums and my WMMA sis Fallon Fox.   Kye broke ground as a NCAA Div I collegiate basketball player, and Fallon is kicking butts and taking names in the octagon while representing our community and our athletically inclined transpeeps blazing trails and busting stereotypes in the sports world

And I'm still doing my part to not only help chronicle our Black trans history, but help make some of it as well.  Stories of back in the day Black trans people  that once were untold are now being discovered and told to a new generation of trans people to educate and inspire them to greater heights.

And that telling of our Black trans history is a crucial piece of building up our Black trans kids resistance to the urge to end their lives prematurely, and reinforce the point that #BlackTransLivesMatter.

We still have much human rights work left to do and much left to accomplish.   We have an amazing and evolving story to tell as Black trans people.   I'm proud to do my part as a trans writer walking in the footsteps of Roberta Angela Dee to bring it to you.

Laverne's Madame Tussaud's Wax Figure Revealed

While many of you were partying during Pride last weekend, a little history was taking place in San Francisco as Madame Tussaud's unveiled the wax likeness of her.

She is the first out transperson ever to be so honored, and Laverne was on hand for the June 26 ceremony.

“I hope that it gives people a sense of possibility. I think that it’s important that yes, I’m transgender, but I’m also a Black person in America. And I was raised African Methodist Episcopal,” Ms. Cox said in her speech. “So I’m standing here at the intersection of multiple identities, and so I hope that people will be inspired to believe that anything is possible.”

The wax figure will be part of the Madame Tussaud's San Francisco permanent collection, and was part of a special display for pride.

Madame Tussaud's San Francisco is located on Fisherman's Wharf, so check it out the next time you are visiting the city.

50th Anniversary Of Dewey's Lunch Counter Sit In

50 years ago today an event took place in Philadelphia that was not only a protest that was focused on gender variant issues, it was one kicked off by African-American gender variant people.

The flashpoint of this protest that took place starting today and through May 1965 was a 24 hour Philadelphia diner and coffee shop called Dewey's Lunch Counter.  (now Little Pete's)

In 1965 the Dewey's location on S. 17th St. across the street from our hotel that me and several friends took the picture in front of during the recent LGBT Media Journalists Convening back in March was a popular late night hangout for the African American gender variant teens who hung out in the nearby Philadelphia gay clubs. 

The ownership of Dewey's, transphobically concerned the predominately LGBT clientele at this location were driving away straight customers, declared that people not in gender appropriate attire would not be served.

This happening during the middle of African-American civil rights movement meant it was on like Donkey Kong, and on April 25, 1965, more than 150 kids showed up at Dewey's in 'non conformist clothing ' in protest of the transphobic policy..  

They were denied service by Dewey's management,  and two male and one female teen refused to leave Dewey's after being denied service.   They were arrested by Philadelphia police officers along with a gay activist advising them of their legal rights, charged and later found guilty of misdemeanor disorderly conduct..

That jumped off a sit in and informational picket of Dewey's that lasted until the second sit in on May 2.   Following that second sit in protest, the Dewey's management backed down and began an immediate cessation of indiscriminate denials of service.

I've had to fight tooth and nail the attempted gaywashing and whitewashing of this predominately gender variant African-American protest that occurred four years before Stonewall, organized on 1960's Civil Rights Movement principles, and one of the examples of a protest organized about and centered on transgender issues.

These are the people whose shoulders I stand on as a proud African-American trans person, and it was wonderful to know this is part of our history that I get to share with others.

And I hope that the city of Philadelphia will be celebrating what happened at that location today.

TransGriot Note:  Been notified by Christopher Bartlett there  will be a 50th anniversary commemoration of the sit in at 10:30 PM EDT ay Little Pete's (the current incarnation of Dewey's Lunch Counter)   Location is 219 S. 17th Street in Philadelphia.

The 5th Annual TransGriot Black Trans History Quiz- The Answers

Since I was a little late compiling and putting it up on the blog because of other breaking news, I decided to give y'all a few extra days to ponder the answers to these questions.

Hey, it was an open Internet test.

So here they are, the answers to the 5th Annual TransGriot Black Trans History Quiz.

1.  This organization founded by Kylar Broadus is celebrating its 5th anniversary this year.  Name it.
The Trans Persons Of Color Coalition

2.  The Dewey's Lunch Counter Sit-In and Protest took place in what city 50 years ago?
Philadelphia

3.  Which one of these gospel groups was Wilmer Broadnax NOT a part of?

a: The Blind Boys Of Mississippi
b. The Golden Echoes
C. The Houston Heavenly Chorale
d. Spirit of Memphis

4. What is the name of the show in which Laverne Cox will play an Ivy league educated attorney?
Doubt

5. True or False.  A transwoman has appeared as a JET Beauty of the Week Centerfold.
True.   Her name is Ajita Wilson

6. Angelica Ross founded this Chicago based organization to provide job training for trans people.  Name the organization.
TransTech Social Enterprises

7. Model Ines Rau because the first person since Caroline Cossey to do this in May 2014.  What was it?
Appear as a Playboy magazine centerfold

8.True or False    Janet Mock has an MSNBC show entitled So POPular.
True

9. This activist scored a groundbreaking legal win for herself and trans people in her nation   Name her and the nation.
Audrey Mbugua in Kenya

10. This now annual award event was conceived and created by this trans woman.  Name it.
The Trans 100 by Antonia D'orsay

11. What do Dee Chamblee, Tracee McDaniel, Toni-Michelle Williams and Cheryl Courtney-Evans have in common besides the obvious fact they are African-American trans women?
They are all based in Atlanta

12.  True or False.  Rev Louis Mitchell was part of Dr Kortney Ziegler's groundbreaking documentary Still Black: A portrait of Black Transmen.
True

13.  Trans advocate Ashily Dior is from what Caribbean nation?
Trinidad and Tobago

14.  What do Jonathan Thunderword, Yeshua Holiday and Lawrence Richardson all have in common besides being trans men?
They are all ministers

15.  Who said this quote?   As long as there continues to be these petty folk, playing at activism while still harboring their superior attitudes toward the transgender community, we won't have the hard honest conversations and we'll NEVER have complete unity in the so-called "community".
Cheryl Courtney-Evans

16. True or False.  Valerie Spencer was Kerry Washington's trans advisor when she played Marybeth in the movie Life Is Hot In Cracktown.
True

17.  Last year Tona Brown because the first African-American transwoman to have a concert at this historic music venue/  Name it and the city it is located in.
Carnegie Hall in New York City.

18. What award will the TransGriot be receiving this October?
The Virginia Prince Transgender Pioneer Award

19. Who said this?  Those irrelevant articles TERFs tend to write give those of us on the right side of history something to point at and say, "Now, look at the utter ridiculousness of what they are saying. Go ask those in the medical communities who actually study transgender bodies on a day to day basis the reality of trans women's bodies. Go ask the psychologist who actually work with transgender women on a day to day basis. They will disagree with these insane statements."
Fallon Fox

When you are a person of privilege, it can be hard to imagine that the playing field isn’t leveled; but when you are a woman, or a person of color, or a transgender person, or a person from a lower socioeconomic bracket, you are familiar with the ways in which having privilege colors your reality. - See more at: http://thesaltcollective.org/6-things-people-with-privilege-never-have-to-worry-about/#sthash.3gYGfu2s.dpuf

When you are a person of privilege, it can be hard to imagine that the playing field isn’t leveled; but when you are a woman, or a person of color, or a transgender person, or a person from a lower socioeconomic bracket, you are familiar with the ways in which having privilege colors your reality. - See more at: http://thesaltcollective.org/6-things-people-with-privilege-never-have-to-worry-about/#sthash.3gYGfu2s.dpuf

20.  Which city did trans masculine leader Alexander John Goodrum NOT live in?
a. Chicago
b. San Francisco
C. New York
d. Tucson

21.In what year was the National Transgender Advocacy Coalition, the first multicultural national trans organization founded?
June 1999

22. What was the title of Sharon Davis' autobiography?
A Finer Specimen Of Womanhood.

23.  True or False.  Isis King's appearance in the movie Hello Forever was her first ever movie role?
False   She appeared in the movie Bella Maddo

24.   This event is going to happen in the near future for Myles Brady and Precious Davis.   What is it?Their wedding

25.  Lady Java was photographed picketing Rule Number 9 outside the LA club owned by this legendary comedian?
Redd Foxx

The 5th Annual TransGriot Black Trans History Quiz

Here it is as promised, the fifth annual TransGriot Black Trans History quiz.   As with the four previous editions of it, it is an open internet test, and I'll give y'all the weekend to peruse it and actually try to answer the questions that are a mix of historical, and current events stuff before I post the answers.

Good luck and time to get your Black trans history learn on.

1.  This organization founded by Kylar Broadus is celebrating its 5th anniversary this year.  Name it.

2.  The Dewey's Lunch Counter Sit-In and Protest took place in what city 50 years ago?

3.  Which one of these gospel groups was Wilmer Broadnax NOT a part of?

a: The Blind Boys Of Mississippi
b. The Golden Echoes
c. The Houston Heavenly Chorale
d. Spirit of Memphis

4. What is the name of the show in which Laverne Cox will play an Ivy league educated attorney?

5. True or False.  A transwoman has appeared as a JET Beauty of the Week Centerfold.

6. Angelica Ross founded this Chicago based organization to provide job training for trans people.  Name the organization.

7. Model Ines Rau because the first person since Caroline Cossey to do this in May 2014.  What was it?

8.True or False    Janet Mock has an MSNBC show entitled So POPular.

9. This activist scored a groundbreaking legal win for herself and trans people in her nation   Name her and the nation.

10. This now annual award event was conceived and created by this trans woman.  Name it.

11. What do Dee Chamblee, Tracee McDaniel, Toni-Michelle Williams and Cheryl Courtney-Evans have in common besides the obvious fact they are African-American trans women?

12.  True or False.  Rev Louis Mitchell was part of Dr Kortney Ziegler's groundbreaking documentary Still Black: A portrait of Black Transmen.

13.  Trans advocate Ashily Dior is from what Caribbean nation?

14.  What do Jonathan Thunderword, Yeshua Holiday and Lawrence Richardson all have in common besides being trans men?

15.  Who said this quote?   As long as there continues to be these petty folk, playing at activism while still harboring their superior attitudes toward the transgender community, we won't have the hard honest conversations and we'll NEVER have complete unity in the so-called "community".

16. True or False.  Valerie Spencer was Kerry Washington's trans advisor when she played Marybeth in the movie Life Is Hot In Cracktown.

17.  Last year Tona Brown because the first African-American transwoman to have a concert at this historic music venue/  Name it and the city it is located in.

18. What award will the TransGriot be receiving this October?

19. Who said this?  Those irrelevant articles TERFs tend to write give those of us on the right side of history something to point at and say, "Now, look at the utter ridiculousness of what they are saying. Go ask those in the medical communities who actually study transgender bodies on a day to day basis the reality of trans women's bodies. Go ask the psychologist who actually work with transgender women on a day to day basis. They will disagree with these insane statements."

When you are a person of privilege, it can be hard to imagine that the playing field isn’t leveled; but when you are a woman, or a person of color, or a transgender person, or a person from a lower socioeconomic bracket, you are familiar with the ways in which having privilege colors your reality. - See more at: http://thesaltcollective.org/6-things-people-with-privilege-never-have-to-worry-about/#sthash.3gYGfu2s.dpuf

When you are a person of privilege, it can be hard to imagine that the playing field isn’t leveled; but when you are a woman, or a person of color, or a transgender person, or a person from a lower socioeconomic bracket, you are familiar with the ways in which having privilege colors your reality. - See more at: http://thesaltcollective.org/6-things-people-with-privilege-never-have-to-worry-about/#sthash.3gYGfu2s.dpuf

20.  Which city did trans masculine leader Alexander John Goodrum NOT live in?
a. Chicago
b. San Francisco
c. New York
d. Tucson

21.In what year was the National Transgender Advocacy Coalition, the first multicultural national trans organization founded?

22. What was the title of Sharon Davis' autobiography?

23.  True or False.  Isis King's appearance in the movie Hello Forever was her first ever movie role?

24.   This event is going to happen in the near future for Myles Brady and Precious Davis.   What is it?

25.  Lady Java was photographed picketing Rule Number 9 outside the LA club owned by this legendary comedian?

Black Trans History Is Inspirational

TransGriot Note: This is a Black History Month post I wrote for the Transgender Law Center blog.

***

'Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history."
Dr. Carter G. Woodson


I come from a family of historians that includes my late godmother Pearl Suel, who ran the Houston chapter of the Association For The Study Of Afro-American Life and History that Dr Woodson founded.   The local chapter is named after her.  As my mother and late father's high school history teacher, Ms Suel passed that love of history to my parents, and as their eldest child I was instilled with a deep love of my people's history and an insatiable curiosity to continue to seek it out.

One of the first questions I asked after my 1994 transition that wasn't gender related was, where is the history of African-American trans people?   What did my forebears accomplish?  What did they do to contribute to the advancement of trans human rights and knowledge of trans people while living their own complex trans lives?

These are questions that led me to seek out that history and eventually found TransGriot in 2006 as part of my ongoing effort to disseminate that history and tell the stories of trans people who share my ethnic background.

#WeExist., and what better time to point that unassailable fact  out than during Black History Month?

In a community which is being ravaged right now by over 18 murders since June, it's comforting to know that one of the people who jumped off the Stonewall Riots in 1969 was a girl like us in Marsha P. Johnson.    It's fantastic to note the story of African-American gender variant kids who 50 years ago this April launched the Dewey's Lunch Counter Sit In and Protest in Philadelphia to strike a blow against anti-trans discrimination.

It's fascinating to read the story of trans man and gospel singer Wilmer Broadnax, know that we had a trans girl like us in Althea Garrison elected to the Massachusetts state legislature in 1992, a JET Beauty of the Week in actress Ajita Wilson and had trailblazing leaders like Marcelle Cook-Daniels, Alexander John Goodrum, Dawn Wilson, Dr. Marisa Richmond, Lorrainne Sade Baskerville and Gloria Allen just to name a few.

Cant' forget that when the first all-trans performance of The Vagina Monologues happened in LA back in 2004, Valerie Spencer was part of it.

It's also wonderful to know that Black trans women rocking runways and photo shoots didn't start with Isis King or Arisce Wanzer, but Tracy Africa Norman who shot five ESSENCE magazine covers and had major print ad contracts in the late 70's and 80's.

It was also a revelation to find out via the Google Books online JET and EBONY electronic archives the first ever person that completed the now closed Johns Hopkins gender program was an African-American trans woman named Avon Wilson.   It was also inspiring to read the story of Carlett Brown as she attempted in 1953  when the world's attention was focused on Christine Jorgenson to become the 'First Negro Sex Change'.  

While we never found out if it happened for Carlett, we do know it did happen for Delisa Newton..

It's also inspiring to note the stories of people like Jim McHarris, Georgia Black, Lucy Hicks Anderson in an era in which the trans word wasn't around to label their lives.

We also have the stories of people like Lady Java striking the first blows against the odious LAPD Rule Number 9 and Miss Major, which will soon be documented for posterity on the silver screen.

Black trans history makers are in our midst today like Janet Mock, Laverne Cox, Kylar Broadus, Diamond Stylz, Dr. Kortney Ziegler, Kye Allums, Fallon Fox, Tracee McDaniel, Dee Dee Chamblee, Tona Brown,  Rev Louis Mitchell, Angelica Ross and some Texas based blogger y'all may have heard of.

And yes, Black trans history also includes the stories of my trans sisters across the African Diaspora like Audrey Mbugua of Kenya, and my trans sisters of African heritage in Brazil, Great Britain, Canada, and the Caribbean.

Black trans history is also vitally important to point out to cis Black people, our allies, and our detractors we not only exist, but our lives are part of the kente cloth fabric of the African-American community.

We also need to pass this history down so that it serves to inspire the next generation of trans kids who are following in our footsteps, and point out Black trans people have a legacy and possibility models they can be proud of..