Merry Christmas 2019

Merry Christmas TransGriot readers!   This is the last Christmas Day we will celebrate in the 2010's as a new decade starts a week from now

Hope this day is turning out to be a pleasant one for many of you and the food at your holiday tables is tasty and plentiful.   i also hope that Santa brought you everything on your Christmas wish list as well.

Happy Birthday to all of you who were born on this day as well. 


What I wished for as a Christmas gift won't happen until November 3,2020.    But I did to see his azz impeached as an early Christmas 2019 gift.

If you have extra Christmas cash lying around and want to reward someone who was up to angelic trouble for our community this year, you can always hit me up on my Pay Pal at paypal.me/TransGriot or my Cash App at $TransGriot

I also have a link to my PayPal  in my TransGriot Tip Jar in the upper left hand portion of the blog

The other early Christmas gift was my transphobic Harris County Commissioner Steve Radack deciding not to run for another term.

Speaking of Christmas gifts, here's hoping that all the tarns younglings celebrating their first ones as their true selves are getting the stuff they always wanted under the tree today. 

For those of you who are not with your blood family, much love to you today and hope you are hanging out with your chosen fam. 

Here's also hoping we lose no more trans people between now and New Year's Day. 

Merry Christmas 2018!

Merry Christmas TransGriot readers!

Hopefully wherever you are in the world you had if you're west of the International Date Line or are now in the early morning hours of it, having a wonderful day.

I'm planning to hang out with some of my blood family today and give my mom her Christmas gift.
The other thing I'm planning to do is to call some of my chosen family a little later in the evening.

Hopeful I'll get another present later tonight when the MegaMillions $325 million dollar jackpot winner gets announced.  Already received one on November 6 in a bluer Harris County.

It's looking like it's going to be a slow news day, so unless Orange Foolius does something monumentally stupid I will mock him for, I'm planning on stepping away from social media for the day and either catching up on some Netflix fave shows or movies that pique my interest or firing up Cities Skylines for a while.

Catch y'all on Wednesday.

Skip The Salvation Army Kettles In 2018

This is another TransGriot remident for you when you see the Salvation Transphobic Army kettles out to ignore them for their continued anti-trans attitudes.

They have a long, ugly history of hating on the TBLGQ community, which is why I laughed my butt off during an episode of POSE in which Elektra Abundance and the House of Abundance jacked a Salvation Army kettle.   

While the Salvation Army is claiming on their website they have changed their tune and evolved, we still don't have clear evidence they have ended their historic antipathy toward the TBLGIQ + community.

It was also quite disturbing to see white supremacists ringing the Salvation Army kettle bells at an Indiana location.

While I don't recommend y'all do an Elektra Abundance stunt, you can decline to drop your change in those Salvation Army kettles popping up at stores near you.

Instead donate to trans and SGL led organizations doing proven work in our community during this holiday season and beyond or trans advocates directly via their PayPal or Cash Apps.

In case you're wondering, here's mine if you're feeling generous. 

Tona Brown Blazing Trails Again

You know my sis Tona Brown has been #BlackTGirlMagic personified throughout her music career when it comes to trans people gaining attention in the classical music world.

She has sung for a sitting US president and performed at Carnegie Hall.  Now this December she will be participating in an all LGBTQ ensemble of soloists and musicians performing Handel's Messiah. 

Tona told me in a phone interview that she's still in shock that this is happening for her.

"I didn't know if this would happen for me in my lifetime," Brown said. "They asked me, and I'm still in shock about it."   "I'm pleased to be part of this groundbreaking event," she added.

This historic performance of The Messiah will take place at the First Presbyterian Church in Arlington, VA on December 15.   Address is 601 N Vermont Street in Arlington, and if you're in the DC-MD-VA area I hope you'll support this event

Scandinavian Electronics Store's Trans Themed Holiday Commercial

While this holiday season has been a roller coaster of emotions for the trans community, had to drop some news about this heartwarming trans themed commercial that comes from Denmark and the Scandinavian electronics store Elgiganten.

Elgiganten was founded in Sweden in 1994, and has stores in Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland.

This heartwarming trans themed commercial is entitled 'Let The Gifts Talk' , and features an early transitioning trans teen in the midst of the family holiday celebration clearly struggling to fit in.

Dad walks over to give her a holiday gift, and after she opens it you could see the joy light up on her face after opening the gift that spoke volumes, even though not one word is said during this entire ad.

Here's the commercial fo you to peruse.



.

Microsoft's New Holiday Ad Featuring Jazz

This is a Christmas commercial I can definitely get into.

There have been a few Christmas commercials and ads featuring fictional TBLGQ people and families in their 2016 holiday advertising

Microsoft decided to step it up another level and feature an actual TBLGQ person in their 'Art of Harmony' ads for their Microsoft Surface Studio..

Jazz Jennings is one of the people featured in the ad that also includes 7 year old Zea Bowling, who stood up to a homophobic preacher after the Obergefell SCOTUS ruling, Zianna Oliphant, who made a heartfelt speech on racial issues to the Charlotte City Council, Florida police officer Bobby White, AKA 'the basketball cop' , West African refugee  Haws Diallo, Mona Haydar, who invites people to 'Ask a Muslim' and talk to her about a wide range of issues. and Christopher Catrambone, who launched a search and rescue group for migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea.

The people in the d are shown using the Microsoft Surface Studio to create a message of peace, love and inclusion.

And as you probably guessed the conservafools are hating on the ad.

  ,

Merry Christmas 2015

Merry Christmas, people!   Hope everyone is enjoying the day and gets a chance to spend it with your blood or chosen families.

I also hope that you received the gifts that you wished to get under your Christmas trees, and if you didn't, that what you wanted is available at a steep end of year discount

And later on tonight we'll have a Christmas Day full moon for the first time since 1977.

As for me, I'm going to focus on counting my blessings. I went to a few conferences and conventions, got to attend an historic event at the White House in March, and got to reconnect with and meet some amazing people inside and outside the community.

And I'm also blessed to know, talk to and call my friends some amazing trans people in our community

Can't forget as of next Friday my blog will celebrate its ten year anniversary.  

So what will 2016 hold in store for me and our beloved trans community?   I'll do some hard solid thinking about that later, but today I'm going to take the opportunity to enjoy Christmas Day, kick back, recharge the creative batteries, scarf down somebody's holiday home cooking and take the day off.   Now if the news cycle intrudes on this day or I get some idea for a post I have to share with the world, I'll post it.  

Yeah, yeah you'll get this week's Shut Up Fool post at noon CST per usual.  Otherwise any other posts will wait until tomorrow, subject to the news cycle.

But besides that, Merry Christmas!

14th Annual First Amendment TWCUC Toy Drive Later Today

For those of you in the Houston area who have or are aware of children from 3 to 12 years of age who are facing a toy free Christmas, you may wish to tell them to head to the Dr. Lonnie E.Smith branch of the Houston Public Library from 10:30 AM - 1:30 PM  for a toy giveaway.

Join First Amendment and Trans Women of Color United For Change (TWCUC) for their 14th annual Day of Gifts Giveaway.  Toy donations are also welcomed and you can drop them off at the Smith Library giveaway location between 10-11 AM.

Children in the targeted 3-12 age range must be present to receive a gift, and that policy will be enforced with no exceptions!

Last year Spiderman showed up as the special guest for the toy giveaway, and this year what superhero will pop up to save the day?

The Dr. Lonnie E. Smith Library is located at 3624 Scott Street on the METRORail Purple line near the Robertson Stadium/UH/TSU Station.

Hope to see you there.

Can We Please Stop Hating On Trans Women For The 2015 Holidays?

I know I've asked for this for the last several years, and I think I may have figured our why it hasn't happened and make that correction in this year's post.

I forgot to say 'please'.

The holiday season is in full swing.  Peace on Earth, goodwill toward men and all that jazz as the combat continues in the Middle East and Afghanistan and a terrorist attacks happens in Colorado.  

Something else I'm tired of that is the ongoing hatred aimed at trans women around the world.

What about the TERF's?  Those rhymes with witches are still marinating in their disco era hatred and racist desires to oppress someone and will never change.

But Christmas is a season in which we ask for the impossible to happen and hope it plays out, so I'll ask for these things to happen in the 2015 holiday season.
 
And yeah, I'll say please when I do.

Can y'all cis peeps in the 2015 holiday season please refrain for one month from killing or injuring my trans sisters or at the very least, making disparaging transphobic remarks? 

Can we trans folks please have a 2015 holiday season in which not a single transperson anywhere in the world is killed or injured? 

Can we please have a 2015 holiday season in which I or my trans fam don't have to read or hear hate speech or misgendering comments about us coming from friends, frenemies and foes.

Can we please have in the 2015 holiday season one in which we trans folks don't see anti-trans commentary from Pope Francis, anybody else in the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy or from religious leaders of other denominations? 
  

Can we transpeeps please have in this 2015 holiday season for the next 30 days, not seeing a positive story about us on the Net be polluted by a comment threads with an avalanche of transphobic, hateful and ignorant comments?

And as a final 2015 holiday gift to us, can we trans women around the world please be able to live our daily lives without drama for the next thirty days?

Merry Christmas 2014!

Merry Christmas people!  I already received my big present in terms of a roof over my head. 

Also checked out Resurrection MCC's Christmas Eve service last night.   The climax of it was when the house lights were turned down while the children's choir was singing, and the candles we had been holding were lit.

Was a beautiful way to spend a Christmas Eve night

It's my first Christmas Day in a place of my own since 2000 and I'm still diligently working to  make it a home.   The best part about starting over from scratch and moving during the holidays is that much of the stuff you need can be acquired on sale or a deep discount after Christmas..  

But enough about me.  I hope you TransGriot readers are having a wonderful holiday season.  Safe travels to and from you final Christmas Day destinations.

I'm going to take the writing day off, but if some news pops up that warrants a post, up it will go.

Can Y'all Stop Hatin' On Trans Women For The 2014 Holiday Season?

I wrote posts in 2009, 2011 and 2013 asking this question, and in light of the fact we're getting ready to start another holiday season, just thought I'd ask the question one more time.

Can y'all stop hatin' on trans women for the holidays?

I know the TERF's are incapable of doing it because it's programmed into their intolerant of trans women DNA, so no point in even directing this question at them.  

But for the rest of the planet that is capable of love and compassion for their fellow human beings, can y'all refrain for one month from killing or injuring my trans sisters or at the very least, making disparaging transphobic remarks?

For the 2014 holiday season, I would like for not one transperson anywhere in the world to be killed or injured.

For the 2014 holiday season I'd like to not have to read or hear about hate speech or misgendering comments about us coming from friends, frenemies and foes

For the 2014 holiday season, I'd like to not have to see any anti-trans comments from religious leaders.
 
For the 2014 holiday season I'd like to not see a positive story about us on the Net have a comment thread attached to it with an avalanche of hateful, ignorant and transphobic comments.

And as a holiday gift to us, for the 2014 holiday season, can we trans women around the world simply be able to live our daily lives without drama?

Yeah, it's wishful thinking, but I'm going to at least say it so it has a fighting chance of actually happening.

Hey Megyn, My Santa Is Black...

And so are the Christmas themed movies I watch, the Christmas themed romance novels I read, and the Christmas music I have listened to since I was a child.

And yes, that was vitally important then and even more so now in a world that doesn't value non-white children, to see ourselves and our culture reflected during this Festival of Off The Chain Consumerism. 

In a world of overwhelming whiteness, it's vital that non-white folks have cultural touchstones that you and you Fox Noise comrades can arrogantly take for granted Ms Kelly because the world and the dominant culture revolve around people who look like you.

So you can take that vanillacentric privileged  and racist Fox Noise 'War on Christmas' BS and shove it up you know where.

Now where are my Alexander O'Neal and Luther Vandross Christmas CD's?

Yo Hallmark Channel, Next Year Can We Get More Diversity In Your Christmas Movies?

Yes, Black people fall in love, get married, buy  romance novels, and like watching romance movies, too.   It would be nice to see ourselves occasionally represented in your made for TV romances especially since we persons of colors are part of the 87 million homes that have Hallmark Channel as part of their cable package.
--TransGriot, October 15, 2012, "Yo Hallmark Channel, Black People Fall In Love, Too"

As an incurable romantic, I do like reading romance novels and love a good romantic movie from time to time as an escape because the topic I write about are serious in terms of human rights issues.

Hallmark Channel bills itself as 'The Heart of TV'  and built its cable brand on broadcasting made for TV romance movies it produces along with broadcasting classic TV shows like Frasier and The Golden Girls.  It is part of many cable TV packages and has 86 million viewers.

It also likes to do holiday themed programming.  Its popular and highly rated 'Countdown To Christmas' lasts from the first weekend in November to Christmas Day as the network broadcasts 24 hours of Christmas themed movies. 

From December 26 to January that shifts to the 'Countdown to New Year's Day' which ends with the broadcast of the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, CA.  In February it's all romance all the time leading up to Valentine's Day.

But no matter what the theme, there is one consistent, nagging issue about that themed programming that becomes glaringly obvious in 24 hour rotation.  

The overwhelming whiteness of it.

I noted that in my post last year about it, and I see that nothing's been done to correct the problem I noticed last year.   This year's 'Countdown to Christmas' themed movies probably made Fox Noise and Megyn Kelly smile because they had the diversity of a Republican Party convention.

Black folks meet, fall in love with each other and get married during the holidays, too. As a matter of fact that simple point is what keeps royalty checks consistently flowing into Kayla Perrin's and other Black romance writers bank accounts.

As The Best Man Holiday and its $69.8 million box office emphatically continues to prove, we African-Americans do have universal stories that will appeal to a wider audience and want to see ourselves represented on the small and silver screens..

The same is true of the Latino and Asian community and movies that are performed by an all-Latino or all- Asian cast.   They would like to see themselves represented in the media they watch, too 

In fact when I do discover movies such as Nothing Like The Holidays, which was a Christmas movie released in 2008 with a predominately Latino cast, I see them as a refreshing change, because romantic movies with all white casts are so been there, bored with that.

So next year Hallmark and into the foreseeable future, what I and many non-white viewers of your channel want is so deceptively simple when 'Countdown to Christmas' 2014 rolls around.

Can we get some holiday movies made by you that reflect the diversity of this country?

And when I say diversity of this country, I don't mean an all or predominately white cast with a token Black, Latino or Asian actor in the background for half a second as the white leads are making goo-goo eyes at each other. 

If you don't have the writers on hand to produce those scripts with the (and this is vitally important) cultural nuances of my people, then get writers to produce those Christmas romance scripts who are culturally competent to make it happen and hire directors well versed in those non-white cultures to make them.

So Hallmark, can you do that for your non-white viewers, who are part of the 86 million people who watch your channel?

Merry Christmas* 2013

It's Christmas Eve on my side of the International Date line, but for all of you on the western side of it, it's Christmas Day! 

Merry Christmas to all of my TransGriot readers who are spending it with family (either blood relations or chosen family) friends, or the people you love. 

Can't thank you enough for the support that you have given to me and to my blog since its inception back in 2006, and deeply appreciate you continuing to surf by and check it out.  

Maybe one of these days I'll finally be blessed enough to be able to take those international trips I've always wanted to take to Asia, the Philippines, Australia and the rest of the Pacific Rim and actually spend some quality time with you.

Safe travels to and from your holiday destinations, and may you have a wonderful holiday season.

.  

What I'd Like To Give The Black Trans Community For Christmas 2013

We are less than nine days away from Christmas Day 2013.  The Christmas music with soul is playing on our favorite radio stations, our favorite Christmas specials are on TV, and we got an early Christmas gift with The Best Man Holiday hitting the multiplexes this year. 

We have Megyn Kelly trying to drop a lump of coal in our Christmas stockings by doing her vanillacentric privileged FOX Noise televised hatin' on Black Santa.

Remember why it's Christmas, people.

But I wanted to make sure that my Black trans brothers and sisters weren't forgotten during this holiday season, especially since we've already lost one sister to anti-trans violence in Cleveland.

I'm also worried because of the Christmas holiday season's relentless joy-joy friends and family togetherness message, it can be a depressing time for those of us estranged from our families due to our gender issues. 

I've been there, as this short story post will tell you.

I wrote one of these posts back in 2010 along with a letter to Santa Claus , and one for my Black trans brothers and sisters across the African Diaspora in 2011.  The reason I probably didn't write that post last year was because I was distracted by all the so called end of the world chatter, missing Virginia trans teen Sage Smith, and exhaling after the POTUS won his second term in an electoral landslide by spanking Mittbot 2012.

With 2013 being a rough year for our chocolate trans community in terms of us losing 12 people during this last TDOR cycle, and us getting off to a less than wonderful start for the 2013-2014 TDOR cycle, I saw the need to revisit the topic.

So if I were given the power to magically grant all these Christmas wishes for the benefit of my Black trans* brothers and sisters here and across the Diaspora, what would I wish for?

Hmm..Let me start with missing trans teen Sage Smith being returned home.  

Unshakeable pride in being trans men and women, a history we can point to, and strong role models to emulate.

Laverne Cox's acting career to continue to blow up in the wake of her breakout role in Orange Is the New Black.   Janet Mock's book Redefining Realness hitting the New York Times Best Seller List    

Carter Brown and the brothers of Black Transmen, Incorporated continue to see steady growth and establish more chapters of the organization across the country, the BTWI sister org start to see the same, and the Black Trans Advocacy Conference April 29-May 4 in Dallas be even more off the chains successful than BTAC 2013 was.  

That Kylar Broadus be joined in his Capitol Hill trans policy and lobbying efforts by an LGBT or Black civil rights organization FINALLY hiring and keeping on the payroll for longer than six months a Black trans woman.

Tona Brown have a breakout moment of her own in 2014 similar to Laverne's along with every other trans musician in the community.

KOKUMO have an even bigger crowd for TGIF 2014.

Dr. Kortney R. Ziegler's efforts to refine and expand Trans*H4CK are megasuccessful in 2014

A Black transperson running for and winning public office in the 2014 election cycle for the first time since Althea Garrison did so in Massachusetts in 1992.

Black parents on this side of the 49th parallel loving and supporting their trans children like Tracey is being supported in Canada by hers. 

No more transphobic hatred being peddled by the Black gossip blogosphere aimed at Black trans people.

Black transpeople in North America continuing to reach out to our trans brothers and sisters internationally across the African Diaspora
 
Trans human rights laws that include airtight public accommodations language and the ability to inexpensively change your documentation without requiring expensive surgical intervention. 

Universal single payer heath care that covers trans medical issues. 

Our historic civil rights organizations, churches, and political leaders finally realizing that Black trans lives matter and stepping up to the plate to include us at the policy making table. 

School districts that have anti-bullying policies that have gender identity and expression language in them so our trans kids can graduate from high school and head to college.

Transkids being able to go to school without drama or being bullied by grown azz haters or their peers..

Fallon Fox to win a few WMMA bouts and do so without  people hatin' on her.

HBCU's adding gender identity language to their non-discrimination policies and non-discrimination statements and opening LGBT centers on their campuses.

A job at good wages for every trans person that wants one.

A Black trans community with infrastructure, fully funded service agencies that last longer than the founder's lifetimes.


Respect and love for our elders and each other.

An end to my transsisters dying here and across the Diaspora.


I think that's a nice start.   Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays Y'all!

MHP's Letter To Santa

Megyn Kelly stepped in it with her vanillacentric privileged commentary over Aisha Harris' Slate article about Santa and her overly defensive assertion that 'it was an undeniable fact that Santa was white.'  

"I mean, Jesus was a white man too. He was a historical figure, that's a verifiable fact. As is Santa—I just want the kids watching to know that." — Megyn Kelly

Well, you knew Melissa Harris-Perry was going to have to drop a commentary about that, and here it is for your viewing pleasure.

Hers is much more diplomatic than mine was going to be.   

I Repeat, Can Y'all Stop Hatin' On Transwomen During This 2013 Holiday Season?

I wrote a post back in 2009 rhetorically asking if the world could (or would) stop hatin' on transwomen during that holiday season and two years later did the same.

Such a deceptively simple request to ask to be treated with dignity and respect for at least a month, but so rarely happens.

Well, I'm going to go sit on Santa's lap and ask for that Christmas wish to be granted.

For the 2013 holiday season, I would like for not one transperson to be killed or injured.

For the 2013 holiday season I'd like to not have to read hate speech or misgendering comments about us coming from friends, frenemies and foes
 
For the 2013 holiday season I'd like to not see a positive story about us on the Net have a comment thread attached to it with an avalanche of hateful, ignorant and transphobic comments.

For the 2013 holiday season, can we transwomen simply be able to live our daily lives without drama?


TransGriot Update:  Did this song rewrite in 2011 that goes perfectly with this post entitled 'Stop Hatin' Us On Christmas Day'.

Merry Christmas 2012 TransGriot Readers!

It's finally Christmas Day on our side of the International Date Line, and I want to wish all you TransGriot readers everywhere a very merry one.  Hope you receive everything you were looking for when it's time to open your presents. 

Of course, I got one of my Christmas presents back on November 6 when President Obama was re-elected and on Christmas Eve I received one in the mail from my Louisville roomies.  The other one is up to the Houston Texans, but they need to start handling their NFL business to make it happen.    

I'm also thankful and feeling blessed for all the love y'all shower me with throughout the year.     


I'm taking the day off from the blog to celebrate it with my family and I hope you are doing the same, whether it's your blood related or chosen family.  

And as your gift to me, I ask that you take a moment as you gather with the people who unconditionally love you, when it's time to pray at the dinner table or whenever you have a quiet moment to yourselves to do so,  say one not only for Miss Major who is spending this day in an Oakland hospital, but for the family of our missing trans sister Sage Smith and those families who lost trans loved ones during 2012..

Of course, if I'm moved to write something today, I'll post it. 

Merry Christmas 2012* TransGriot Readers

For those of you on the western side of the International Date Line, it is Christmas Day and I hope you are having a wonderful one.

Hope you got all the gifts you requested, have a full stomach from your Christmas meals and are enjoying the company of family and friends. 

And if you aren't with your blood family, hope you are in the company of people who love and adore you or chosen family.  


Thanks for all the love you peeps on the western side of the International Date Line shower me with during the year and taking the precious time out of your day to read my humble blog.   I deeply appreciate it.

Hope you have had a wonderful year and I pray 2013 will be just as remarkable.

The Fake FOX Noise 'War On Christmas'

Happy Holidays y'all!!

The conservafools at FOX Noise don't believe in the 'War on Women', the 'War on Non White People' or the 'War on Planned Parenthood'' that the conservafool movement engages in, but they sure do want to bamboozle their propaganda network watching sheeple into believing there is a 'War on Christmas'

Yeah, right.   

Rev Al calls the GOP network mouthpiece out on their broadcasted BS






And no, as a Christian, I don't believe the conservahype about a 'War on Christmas'.   This is the USA, in which we have no national religion.   You have freedom to worship and freedom NOT to worship if you choose as well and I respect the faith of my Muslim and Jewish friends and even my friends who are agnostic or atheist as long as they reciprocate.

So Happy Holidays y'all! 
  .    
 
.