The Air Marshal Is In San Diego!

After an uneventful three  hour flight to get to the Left Coast, the Air Marshal has landed after her first out of state trip of 2020 and this new decade.

I'm here chilling in San Diego getting ready for a Queer Black History Month event I'll be speaking at tomorrow.  It will be at the San Diego History Center from 11-4 PM PST, and so looking forward to seeing all my San Diego trans family in the house.

The San Diego History Center is located at 1049 El Prado St, and hope you will check out this event centering the voices of Black trans people.

This isn't my first time visiting San Diego.   The last time I was here was for the 2017 San Diego Comic Con, in which I not only got to do two panels, but call out along with Faith Cheltenham someone who was doing a blackface Guinan.

Hopefully this trip will be less drama filled.

I also discovered I have a 7 Eleven in easy walking distance of this hotel, so I'm about to go on a Slurpee run.

But looking forward to the event tomorrow and doing my TransGriot duty dropping knowledge about your Black trans history

Moni's Headed To San Diego

You Cali folks and other Left Coasters keep asking me when will I start showing up in your state.  Well, the Air Marshal is about to be in Southern California soon.   

Looking forward to making my first trip to San Diego since 2017 for this event.

I'll be joining Tracie Jada O'Brien, Libra Audacious Valentino,  Jelecia King,  Amber St James,  Samsara, Pamuela Halliwell, Savion Cooper and Kenya Trahan for this Black History Month event fousing on honoring and protetcing the lives of Black trans women.   

Deeply appreciate the opportunity to spend some quality time with my San Diego fam and my trans elder Mama Tracie. thanks to the Gender Phluid Collective.

Always love to talk to my trans elders about what it was like back in the day to transition, and honor peeps like her who paved the way for my generation of trans peeps

And yes, always down to talk to the new generation of trans and GNC peeps as well

It will be taking place next Saturday, February 22, at the San Diego History Center from 11 AM-4 PM PST.   I hope to see many of you peeps in the San Diego area either there at the event or while I'm in town. 

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. 

   

I'm Chilling In San Francisco!

After a crowded flight, I'm now in my hotel and chilling as I get ready for my TDOR event tomorrow.

The interesting thing about San Francisco is that it has a lot of small hotels sprinkled throughout its downtown area, and I'm staying at one called the Herbert Hotel.

It opened in 1909, and definitely has been renovated since then with a flat screen TV in my room and comp WiFi.

It's on Powell Street, overlooking Union Square and two blocks from the turnaround for the San Francisco cable car line.   The Powell Street BART station is two blocks from here, which was definitely a blessing that meant I didn't have to schlep my bag too far from the subway station to the hotel 

Since I arrived a little after noon Pacific time, have the rest of the day and evening to hang out, and that's the plan so far.

Leaving On A Jet Plane To: SFO

If my flight left on time, I should be as you're reading this airborne and headed toward San Francisco and a TDOR event taking place on Thursday thanks to United.

This time I had to go to the big airport as we refer to IAH down here because the org sponsoring the trip had United vouchers for me to travel on, and United has a hub at IAH.

And yes, I love it any time I get to see my former coworkers that are still working at IAH and counting the days to retirement in some cases.

But traveling on United also means it's necessary for me to get there an hour to two hours earlier than I normally would for a flight because I still know half the airport.  I'm stopping every five to ten minutes running into Houston based flight attendants, coworkers, and even the shoe shine guys on my way to my departure gates in either Terminal C or Terminal E.

It's also a deja vu experience because I transitioned in that building.  While the south side of Terminal C is basically the same as when I was working there, the renovations they have done since I left in 2001 have also made it look vastly different from the Terminal C I used to know.

The bars and shops in there now remind me of a shopping mall.   Even the food courts and what they offer are light years different from when I was working there.    When I was working there, we had more locally based chains contracted to be in our airport terminals.

The new Terminal C north side gates are close enough now to Terminal B that you can walk to them from the north side C gates.

That's especially true when I have a flight out of the north side of Terminal C, which is not even close to the one I used to work in.  The massive Terminal E, which connects to the south side of Terminal C and Terminal D (AKA the International Arrivals Building) on its north side, didn't even exist when I was there,

But back to discussing my trip.   Destination this time is San Francisco, and this will be the first time I've been back since 2016, when I attended the GLAAD Gala San Francisco, picked up an award and made a little speech at it.

Thus time I along with Toni Newman will be speaking at a Commonwealth Club of California, Gilead Sciences and SFPride sponsored TDOR event taking place on November 14.

looking forward to spending some time in the Bay Area, and hope i get to see some of my trans fam living here while I'm in San Francisco.

A Californian's Thoughts On Sen. Kamala Harris' Candidacy

I've been getting sick of hearing the borderline racist at times vitriol being aimed at Sen Kamala Harris and the BS 'Kamala is a cop' line.   I'm leaning toward supporting her in large part because I've been keeping an eye on her political ascent since 2010 and I'm tired of the anti-Kamala rhetoric.

Is her record perfect?  Nope.  Neither are the other 20 people running for the Democratic nomination either,

One of Harris' constituents, Viktor Kerney wrote this on his Facebook page explaining why he enthusiastically supports her 2020 candidacy for president.

 ***

So, someone asked me why I ride hard for Kamala Harris, especially since was a prosecutor. Well, I don’t see being a prosecutor a bad thing. I think people have to realize that a prosecutor is not a simple job, like working at Target. It takes someone who can make tough decisions and look at things through a critical lens. But here are my reasons.

Kamala has fought for people of color during her time as DA and AG in California. She’s worked on initiatives to get people back on track after being incarcerated, making sure the children had a proper education and opportunities to succeed. Yes, the truancy policy was not ideal, but with the research about children missing school and later becoming incarcerated, she had to do something.

Kamala is comfortable making tough decisions. I want a president who can make these decisions with proper caution.

Kamala’s policies for America helps middle-class workers as well as Black people. I’ve seen people say what is her Black agenda. It is my belief that the Black agenda is healthcare, jobs, education, shortening the pay gap and the ability to have home security.

She has a strong list of successful receipts through her time in office and a high approval from President Obama himself.

Kamala has fought the big banks, predators, corporations in the world to make life easier for her constituents.

She understands hard work and does not shy away from big tasks.

She understood that being a prosecutor will bring negative views about who she is. However she used her experience to improve criminal reform.

While there are many rumors about her record, the facts state that she has been successful. I encourage people to read her records from California.gov versus some blog post from these descendant of slaves (ADOS) or her rivals’ fan base.

She has taken on men like Trump and not afraid to call them out and hold them accountable. That’s what I want in a president and I think she can do it.

'Trans People Deserve To Live' Banner Displayed During World Series Game

I wasn't watching Game 5 of the 2018 World Series in Los Angeles because I'm still salty about what happened to my Astros.   But when chatter started popping up online about something happening at the game, I took a few moments from the writing assignment I was working on to check it out.

My online social media search was rewarded with the glorious sight of a trans flag themed banner being unfurled in Dodger Stadium with the words 'Trans People Deserve To Live' on it.

The question that crossed my mind when I saw it was,"I wonder if the trans Latinas were behind this?" It didn't take long to have my hunch confirmed that it was indeed the Trans Latina Coalition handling their Dodger Stadium protest business.

Bamby Salcedo and Maria Roman were at the Red Sox- Dodgers game and during the fifth inning, dropped the banner from the left field upper deck seats of the stadium.

Even if I had been watching the game, would have found out about it until later because the banner according to multiple reports, wasn't shown during the FOX broadcast of the game.

It did hang for a few minutes before security personnel intervened, removed the banner and escorted Salcedo and Roman out of the ballpark without incident and without being arrested .

“I felt my heart was dropping along with it,” said Salcedo,  the president of the Trans Latina Coalition in an interview with INTO. “I was kind of exploding because of the adrenaline. You don’t know what’s going to happen with the police and security and all of that.”

Even though the banner drop didn't make it on the FOX broadcast of what turned out to be the final game of the World Series, it is blowing up on social media.

Salcedo is calling for trans people in other communities to take up space in mainstream community events and replicate the action just conducted in Los Angeles as a show of resistance to the anti-trans actions being aimed at us.

“I hope that this action will motivate members of the trans community, our allies and our comrades to really activate and to really understand that we have power,” Salcedo said. “We can demonstrate our power anywhere and everywhere.”

Yes, we can.    What it also demonstrates is that we will not be erased, either. 

Moni's Thoughts About The 2018 NLGJA Convention Closing Reception

As you TransGriot readers are aware of, I've spent the last several days at the just recently concluded 2018 NLGJA Convention in Palm Springs as part of the LGBT Media Journalists Convening that was embedded in it. 

This was also my first time at the NLGJA Convention.  While I always enjoy my down time with my LGBT Media Journalists fam, getting to know them on a more personal and professional level, and the mutually beneficial networking that happens while there, the reality is that the LGBT Media Convening space I've been interacting with over the last six years has been far more diverse than the NLGJA convention itself.

That's not just an NLGJA problem, it's a problem consistent across many LGBTQ community convention spaces because of the fiscal barriers that lock many POC and trans people out. 

As someone who was a panelist during the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) convention in Boston in 2014 and attended the Unity NABJ-NAHJ one in DC in 2016 as part of their efforts to reach out to trans people and learn how to respectfully cover us, the contrast between those media conferences and the NLGJA overwhelmingly white cis gay male one is jarring. 

The microaggressive and macroaggressive reminders it wasn't going to be like those NABJ-NAHJ events started when I opened the convention program book in my Hotel Zosa third floor room to encounter my first Maya Wilkes moment.   Several pages into it was a full page ad from FOX News along with a FOX News branded item in the swag bag.

FOX Noise since its founding has been anti-Black, racist and hostile to people who look like me.  It has been ramping up since 2014 the on-air hostility to trans, nonbinary and GNC people. 

What person or persons within NLGJA thought this was a wonderful idea to have them as a corporate sponsor?  Did they not consider the optics of that sponsorship, much less how the Black trans, bi and SGL journalists you're trying to attract to this conference would see this?

FOX Noise doesn't like Black people, the feeling is mutual, and when I'm looking for credible news sources, they definitely aren't it 

So imagine my shock and awe level surprise when I hear and have visual evidence of a network hostile to my existence on multiple levels being a 'proud sponsor' of this NLGJA convention. 

That was deeply troubling, but I was already here in Palm Springs and needed to focus on what I needed to do to be ready for the plenary I was participating in on Friday. 

Guess I did alright, since I kept hearing congratulatory commentary about it from other attendees from 3 PM PDT until I left yesterday morning for the Palm Springs airport. 

But Friday inexorably moves to Saturday and the conference's closing reception which was also sponsored by FOX News.  I almost skipped it to hang out with a trans sister who lives there, but decided I needed to be in that room.

So while I'm helping myself to some of the food at this reception the program starts and one of the emcees, later identified as Marshall McPeek  makes the 'things and its' comment that has been reported in Mary Emily O'Hara's story that I immediately called out and will repeat again.

While I am happy McPeek came back later and apologized and NLGJA an organization I've been a member of for several years has released a statement about it, the damage was still done.

No Mr. McPeek and by extension, NLGJA and FOX News, there were no 'things and its' in that Hotel Zoso room that September 8 night.   There were trans, gender non-conforming (GNC) and non-binary (NB) people in there    There were your trans, GNC and NB media colleagues in that room. 

Most importantly, there were your trans, NB and GNC identified journalism students in that audience who are aspiring to and working diligently towards getting to the level when you are. 

How do you think that 'things and its' comment, which has been derisively and sometimes violently spat at the trans community by all transphobic comers over the last few years made us feel? 

How do you think it made me personally feel as the lone representative at NLGJA 2018 of the demographic group who is taking the brunt of the anti-trans violence in this country?

And to underscore that last point, I was made aware of the latest trans feminine murder victim of 2018 as I was in transit to attend the NLGJA conference and waiting for my connecting flight from Phoenix to Palm Springs

Far too often, that derogatory 'things and its' comment has been hurled at us by gay men and our detractors.   It definitely shouldn't have happened during a journalism organization convention dedicated to ensuring accurate and respectful coverage of the TBLGQ community, and problematically hosted by a 'news' organization that routinely demonizes trans, NB and GNC people.

Trans, NB and GNC peeps are not 'things or its', and that is an unacceptable thing to say at any time, even inside the TBLGQ+ community..  It is also unacceptable to say during a time when the trans, NB, and GNC community is under legislative assault and their humanity is under attack by the Republican Party, trans eexterminationalist radical 'feminists' and the conservative movement .


The lack of diversity in media is not just an NLGJA problem.   It's a problem that needs to be fixed across the American media landscape, not just in LGBTQ media circles. 

The lack of trans journalists in the overwhelmingly white male dominated newsrooms of the country also needs to be addressed

LGBTQ media can lead the way in demonstrating what a diverse and inclusive newsroom looks like and pointing out that diversity is good for your news outlet's bottom line.

Trans folks are 1-3% of the US population, and we read and watch the news, too.

As demonstrated by my 2016 Netroots Nation Pundit Cup title and later getting the opportunity to do political punditry on my hometown ABC13 station during Election Night 2016, and others doing so on various national shows here and around the world, trans journalists can discuss more than just trans issues. 

One of us even got elected to the Virginia House of Delegates last year.
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But we need to get more opportunities to demonstrate that ability, and more importantly, get paid a regular check for doing so.

NLGJA has been handed a moment in which it can be a leader in addressing and helping to solve the dearth of trans journalists problem. 

The question is will they seize that opportunity?  Will we see progress in increasing the abysmal numbers of trans, NB and GNC journalists before we gather again a year from now in New Orleans?

That remains to be seen. 

I'm In A Hotel In California!

The Hotel Zoso in Palm Springs to be precise.

After my early AM flights from IAH through Phoenix, I'm finally here and ensconced in my room getting ready for the first day of the 2018 LGBT Media Journalists Convening and the 2018 NLGJA convention.

But I'm doing so with a heavy heart.   While I was in Phoenix waiting to board my maintenance delayed flight to Palm Springs, I received word that we'd lost another young Black trans woman to anti-trans violence in Philadelphia    Rest in power and peace, Shantee Tucker.

While this is the first time I've stayed overnight in Palm Springs, I've been through here a few time back in 1988 and 1992 for gas stops.   The 1998 trip was one in which I was helping one of my mom's sorors move back to Texas.   The 1992 one was one in which I was helping my cousin move to LA.   

So yes, Palm Springs has changed a lot since my last time in the area.  Probably won't get much time to explore it, but looking forward to spending some quality time with all my friends and colleagues in the NLGJA and during #LGBTMedia18

Leaving On A Jet Plane To.....

Palm Springs, CA.

I'm headed there for another LGBT Media Journalists Convening.  This one is going to be interesting because it was not only pushed back from its normal early-mid March weekend, we're also going to be in the middle of the National Lesbian Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA) Convention.

And I'm going to have to get up at 4 AM Houston time to catch an 8:10 AM departure out of IAH.

While we have nonstop service out of Houston on United to Palm Springs, I got booked on American, which means I'm going to have a brief 40 minutes going through Phoenix to get there.

But it's also mind blowing to me that I'll be hanging out in a city way out west on the same I-10 that rolls through my hometown. 

But hey, it's another trip out of town for a few days, and I get to hang out with my #LGBTMedia fam once again.   I'm also looking forward to being at my first NLGJA convention and seeing what that is like   

If I like the event, the 2019 NLGJA one will be just down I-10 east from me in NOLA. 

One thing I'm not liking is the forecast.  While it is going to be sunny the whole time I'll be there, I'm actually going somewhere that is hotter temperature wise than Houston.  Temps will be in the triple digits for every day I'm there.

Dry heat, my azz.  Gimme my home sweet humidity any time 

But first things first.  here's hoping both my flights leave on time and my bag gets there in one piece.

Breanna Sinclaire Sings The National Anthem At Another MLB Game

As an Astros fan, I'm enjoying the 2018 Major League Baseball season almost as much as I enjoyed last year's 2017 World Series championship run.

One other thing I'm enjoying is hearing about my talented opera singing sis getting the opportunity to sing the national anthem at another Bay Area baseball game.

She first did so three years ago on June 18, 2015 at an Oakland Athletics game.  By doing so, Sinclaire made some trans history became the first out trans person to perform the national anthem before a Mator League Baseball game.

Sinclaire is also featured in the Nicole Opper documentary Mezzo, that chronicles her life.

Now the San Francisco Conservatory of Music grad on Friday has received another opportunity to sing the national anthem on the other side of the Bay.

Sinclaire on Friday sang the national anthem before the San Francisco Giants game at AT&T Stadium against the San Diego Padres.   

Congratulations again Breanna!   Continue to blaze trails and be a possibility model for our trans kids out there.

Denny's LA Trans Fail

One of the questions still resonating from Jazmina Saavedra's gleeful harassing of a trans woman using the restroom in a Los Angeles Denny's is what was Denny's reaction to it?

Here's their statement about the incident:

We are extremely disturbed by the incident that took place at our Los Angeles restaurant this week. At Denny’s, we do not tolerate discrimination of any kind, inclusive of gender identity and sexual orientation.

We are dedicated to providing a welcoming dining environment for all our guests and believe that our transgender guests and team members should be allowed to use the bathroom of the gender they identify with. Our restaurant teams attend training which covers our policies against discrimination and promotes respect for all guests. 

In this case, the video of this incident does not tell the full story. Our manager was approached by a guest complaining that a man was in the women’s restroom. Once a female team member checked that no one else was in there, the manager entered. 

Before seeing the guest, the manager observed drug paraphernalia on the floor near the guest and asked the guest to leave based on that observation, and not on her gender identity.

 There is no place for discrimination of any kind in our restaurants. We apologize to our transgender guest and others in the restaurant that had to endure another customer’s disrespectful behavior.

-Denny's

Yeah right,  Denny's.   I am skeptical about the all too convenient allegation that the trans woman was being thrown out for 'using drugs' in the restroom. 

What about your failure in throwing the person out (Saavedra) who instigated the incident, possibly committed several crimes and violated the human rights of this trans person peacefully using the restroom while doing so? 

Why wasn't Saavedra thrown out as well?

And naw Jazmina, you have a long ugly history as the spokessellout for Latinos For Trump of parroting anti-LGBT slurs, so spare us the 'I'm not a transphobe' rhetoric, because you ARE what we say you are and happily demonstrated it for the world to see.  In addition, your reputation as an unrepentant homophobe and transphobe precedes you. 

So don't get mad conservasnowflake because we are expressing as a trans community our First Amendment rights to call out your reprehensible behavior.

We're tired of peeps like you dehumanizing us.   Our humanity and human rights are not up for debate or discussion.  Neither are we tolerating anti trans bigotry being aimed at us.  We have no problem calling it and you out for being a transphobic jerk.

Hoping that Saavedra will be punished at the ballot box June 5 for her behavior.  The LA trans and gender non conforming community will have their say tomorrow at a peaceful protest being organized and sponsored by the Transgender Rights Movement from 11 AM -5 PM PDT at the Denny's located at 635 S Vermont Ave. 

It appears to me that some trans sensitivity training is needed and necessary so that Denny's actions match the lofty words in this statement.

Cali GOP US House Candidate Peddles Transphobia In Her Race

The Republican Party seems to think that peddling transphobia in this 2018 midterm election cycle is the way to primary and general election success . 

They need to talk to former North Carolina governor Pat McCrory, former South Carolina state senator Lee Bright, and former Texas state representatives Debbie Riddle and Gilbert Pena about the wisdom of that strategy.

All of them tried to peddle anti-trans legislation in their various states and paid the ultimate political price for it.   

We have Phillip Aronoff trying it in his runoff election for the Texas 29th US House District Republican nomination against Carmen Montiel, and now I am hearing it being taking to another disgusting level in California

Meet Jazmina Saavedra.   This GOP transphobe and Nicaraguan immigrant has drunk the Trump Kool-Aid.   She is running for the same 44th Congressional District seat held by freshman Congresswoman Nanette Barragan (D) that Stacey Dash was originally vying for. 

Dash suspended her campaign after it became clear no one was supporting her in the Los Angeles County congressional district that includes the cities of Compton, San Pedro and the Watts neighborhood.

Saavedra took to Facebook Live to film, misgender  and harass a trans woman trying to handle her bathroom business in a Los Angeles Denny's ironically on the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOT)

Saavedra is filming as the Denny's manager is outside the stall for the trans woman.   As the trans woman is humiliatingly being led out of the restaurant located at Vermont Ave and Wilshire Blvd by the manager, the Trump sellout supporter is going on an anti-Obama and anti-trans rant.

The Denny's in question is less than five miles from the LA LGBT Center, and while they commented on the disgusting discriminatory display, Denny's hasn't issued a statement as of this moment. .

"Ignorance is not the sole province of one party or political perspective," Los Angeles LGBT Center Executive Director Darrel Cummings said in statement.

"But the current Administration has emboldened people to express their ignorance and hatred in a way that is so odious and shameful that we are required time and again to actively resist. That a candidate for Congress can express such outrageous and callous disregard for another human being clearly demonstrates that she is not fit for public office." 

"But just to be clear in case Ms. Saavedra does not get the message, ignorance, fear-mongering and harassment have no place in a country founded on principles of equality and mutual respect. On this International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia, let this candidate’s disgraceful behavior be a rallying cry for us all to stand up for what is right."

Congresswoman Barragan also released a statement reported by The Daily Beast concerning what happened at the Denny's to the still unidentified trans woman in question.

"I was appalled by the treatment that this woman received for simply trying to use the restroom. Everyone has the right to their own identity, and the right not to be discriminated against for who they are," said Rep. Barragan.

I'm appalled as well Rep. Barragan.  The trans woman in question is owed an apology by Denny's.

I hope that my LA trans siblings protest not only that Denny's if that apology doesn't expeditiously happen, but unfit for any political office GOP transphobe Jazmina Saavedra's campaign headquarters

May Saavedra discover on June 5 like Jeanne Ives did in Illinois that transphobia is NOT a winning campaign strategy.