Fundraiser For Our Black Trans Masculine Elders

Our Black trans masculine elders have done much to advance the human rights of our trans community, but unfortunately don't get the props and praise they deserve for it.

Dr Kortney Ziegler is raising $100K to split between three amazing trans masculine leaders in Ethan Thomas Young,  Rev Louis Mitchell and Kylar Broadus.

While I'm not familiar with Ethan or his work (and that's the impetus for me to get familiar with it)  , I am however quite aware of Louis and Kylar,   I have known both for over a decade, and I am proud to call them friends and colleagues in the struggle.

I have witnessed both Louis and Kylar contribute their time, talents and sweat equity into building out community and organizations like the Trans Persons Of Color Coalition that Kylar founded in 2010.   Louis has been involved in faith leadership in our community and being a mentor to our trans masculine community. 

All three of our elders deserve your support, and if you can contribute something, please do so. .

Here's the link to donate to the fundraiser.    You can also hit Kortney up on Cash App if you wish to do so that way at $fakerapper

Thanks to Kortney for organizing it, and please show our trans masculine elders some love and help Kortney reach that $100K goal .

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.     

LaDon Henry's Nevada Legislative Bid Falls Short

I wrote a post back in April in which I talked about Ladon Henry's attempt to become the first ever trans state legislator in Nevada and the first ever trans masculine one in any state legislature..

He was seeking the District 42 state assembly seat, which is in the Las Vegas area and a undeniably blue one with a 2-1 Democratic registration advantage. 

Henry and the other candidates in the race for the Democratic nomination in this district were seeking to replace retiring Assemblywoman Irene Bustamante Adams (D) who declined to seek a fourth two year term.  The winner of the primary would become the next representative of this district because no Republican filed to run for it.

The Nevada primary election was held on June 12, and unfortunately Henry didn't win.   Alexander Assefa captured 55.32% of the vote (1399)  to become the next District 42 representative with Kathleen Lauckner getting 34.12%  (863) of the cast ballots.

Henry did get a respectable 10.52 % (267) of the ballots cast in this race, but I'm sure he'll tell you he would have rather won this race.

Will he run again two years from now?   That's a question only Henry can answer.   

Rest In Power Bishop S.F. Makalani-MaHee

'I have to tell you as an African-American transgender man of faith that it is crucially important that the dignity of every citizen  not only be provided for, but affirmed."
-Bishop S.F. Makalani-MaHee , 2014    

I first met Bishop S.F Makalani MaHee when I was tapped to deliver the keynote speech for the TransSaints Conference in Charlotte, NC in 2012.  We were connected on Facebook, and he, like myself was a contributor to the Bilerico Project.   I kept up with him as one of the amazing people speaking up for the trans community of South Florida and being a transgender man of faith .

I was shocked to hear that Bishop had suffered a heart attack on November 2 and after a valiant struggle to recover, passed away on November 20 at the age of 45.

Bishop Makalani-MaHee born in New York, and was the founder of Black Gay Pride South Florida in addition to his day job of being the Transgender Programs Coordinator for the Florida Department of Health in Broward County. 

In addition to becoming the youngest commissioned pastor at Unity Fellowship Church, he was a strong voice for the empowerment of the South Florida transgender community and a strong critic of proposed policies and unjust laws that would harm it

.

A memorial service is being held for Bishop Makalani-MaHee later today starting at 4 PM EST at the Sunshine Cathedral, located at 1480 SW Ninth Avenue in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

But there is no denying the fact that we have lost one of our community's powerful soldiers for human rights, and he will be missed not only by all who loved him, but his trans family in South Florida and around the country.   

 

'Queen Sugar' Actor Comes Out As Trans Masculine

The critically acclaimed Ava DuVernay produced show Queen Sugar on OWN, debuted on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) on September 6 for a thirteen episode run and was renewed for a second season that started on June 20.

The show is garnering an ever increasing audience with its diverse and complex characters, is based on the 2014 debut novel of the same name by Natalie Baczile, and tells the story of a woman who unexpectedly inherits a struggling Louisiana sugar cane farm.

Queen Sugar was nominated for five NAACP Image Awards, and won the Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Writing In A Dramatic Series one.

One of the characters on this show, Antoine 'Toine' Wilkins, recently debuted as the high school friend of major character Ralph Angel Bordelon, played by Kofi Siriboe.

Ralph protected Toine from the bullies during their high school days, and Toine feels a sense of loyalty to him as a result.  We'll see how this plays out during the rest of the Queen Sugar season two.

Toine is a trans masculine cop, and you know I and a whole lot of trans people inside and outside of Hollywood have complained about cis actors playing trans roles.

Interestingly enough, Brian Michael Smith, the actor who plays Toine, has recently come out as trans masculine.   Tiq Milan interviews him here.  

Smith has been performing since childhood, but acting professionally for five years.   He has played cisgender roles prior to this announcement.  He was also in this Toyota commercial featuring Eli Manning.  He's also appeared on the shows Detour, Girls, Blue Bloods and Law and Order : SVU

Smith is hoping not only to bring more authentic trans characters to life on screen and stage, he also wants to play a wide variety of trans and cisgender roles.

Have another show I need to watch and support when I have time to do so.

Another Trans Person Lost-RIP Demarkis Stansberry

It's sad for me to announce that we have lost another trans person to violence in 2016

30 year old Demarkis Stansberry was fatally shot in the head on Saturday in Baton Rouge by 24 year old Nicolas Matthews, who turned himself in to the police the day of the shooting and confessed to killing him.

And in case you're wondering if Stansberry was misgendered and deadnamed by the media as does routinely happens for trans feminine people who are killed, unfortunately it happened to Demarkis.

Once again media peeps, the AP Stylebook standards for reporting on trans people exist for a reason. How about you follow them?

Rest in power and peace, Demarkis

Search Underway For Missing Houston Trans Man Darius Gatlin

I have been afraid that the ramped up anti-trans hatred the HERO opponents have been spewing into the atmosphere, and especially on Black radio stations would eventually come back upon the Houston trans community in the form of increased anti-trans violence and hate crimes visited upon us.

I hope what I have feared isn't starting to happen, but I've just been made aware of a missing trans man.

28 year old Darius Gatlin was last seen on September 11 at his home in southwest Houston wearing a pink and white tank top, blue jeans and pink and white shoes with flowers on them.

He has been missing ever since that date, and a search began on Friday to find him with volunteers in the Alief area on foot and on ATV s.  His car, a 2013 dark burgundy Nissan Maxima with Texas license plates BWH 0539 is also missing..

Gatlin also had a tattoos on his neck with the word 'Darius', and 'Brandon'  in addition to tattoos of a panther and the word 'Aquarius' on his chest.

If you have any information concerning the whereabouts of Darius Gatlin,  please call the Houston police Department at 713-731-5223

Registration Now Open For BTAC 2016!

Dee Dee Watters and I zooming past our old hotel on the DART  light rail (and I'm not kidding about the zooming part) on our way to and from Richardson and the just concluded TTNS reminded me that the clock is ticking toward the next time the BTAC family gathers in the Dallas Ft.Worth area for the 2016 Black Trans Advocacy Conference.

The theme for 2016 is 'Thinking and Speaking A Better World' and the dates are April 25-May 1 for this fifth annual edition of it.   The BTAC will have a new hotel hosting it.the Dallas/Addison Marriott Quorum by the Galleria.   Personally I'm gonna miss the Doubletree Campbell Center, especially since it was on the DART Red and Orange light rail lines, had great views of the downtown Dallas skyline and was an easy trip from the downtown Dallas Megabus dropoff point for me, but sometimes change is necessary for your event to evolve and be positioned for greater success and growth.

Wow, it has been five years for this growing event in which I have been a part of since 2013 when I was asked to be a keynote speaker that year. 

Since it happens so close to Cuatro De Mayo (my birthday) and it's just a four hour drive or Megabus ride up I-45 from me, it has quickly become one of my fave conferences. 

It's also one of the few national conferences in which you get to meet many of our Black trans masculine and trans feminine leaders.  We were also honored to have some trans folks from Brazil, Panama and other places in the African diaspora in the house in 2015, and hope that trend line continues.

And trans women, did I mention all the handsome trans men that will be in the house?  Okay, just wanted to make sure I pointed that out.

I'm not only planning on being there but hopefully taking a more active role in BTAC 2016.  I plan on doing two seminars in 2016 and looking forward to administering more dominoes beatdowns at Family Fun Day  

You have been warned. 

And yes, it goes without saying that cis and trans community allies are also enthusiastically welcomed to attend BTAC 2016.  If you wish to have further information about BTAC 2016, you can click on the following link to do so.

Hope i do see y'all in the BTAC 2016 house.

See y'all in Dallas in a few months for BTAC 2016.  Looking forward to checking out the new hotel, seeing my.BTAC family and meeting more allies during that extended birthday celebration weekend for me.