One Week To BTAC 2019

It's T-7 days and counting until the 8th annual Black Trans Advocacy Conference takes place in Dallas April 23-28, and I can't wait.   It is shaping up to be our biggest and best ever, with the Friday awards gala already being sold out.

The best part of BTAC for me in addition to the fact that this conference centers Black trans and GNC people,  is that y'all get to come to my Texas turf and hang out for a week. 

Level UP-Elevate The Revolution is the theme for this years conference, and it will be an empowering and interesting week in Dallas for everyone in attendance.

And yes, I get to see you peeps from around the country.   I also get the pleasure of administering dominoes beatdowns at the  Family Fun Day on Saturday.and during the week in the hospitality suite. at the host hotel.

You have been warned.

But on a serious note, we are gathering in Dallas literally days after the horrific hate attack on our sibling Muhlaysia Booker, and there will be some discussion about that at our community summit along with other topics.

I am so ready for this week to be over with so I can witness what's happening at this 8th annual edition of the Black Trans Advocacy Conference..

Arrest Made In Dallas Trans Hate Attack

Gotta love the Dallas Police Department swiftly handling their business and catching one of the perps involved in the Muhlaysia Booker hate attack.

29 year old Edward Thomas was arrested last night by DPD.   They are continuing to canvass the Oak Cliff neighborhood for other participants and witnesses to the hate crime that happened on Friday.

Meanwhile Booker is recovering at home from her injuries suffered in the attack.   She was knocked unconscious during the assault and was dragged to safety by several cis women.

Muhlaysia's father Peirre Booker spoke to a local Dallas television station about how upset and angry he was about what happened to his daughter.





Here's hoping that the Dallas Police Department not only finds all of the wastes of DNA involved, but the Dallas County DA prosecutes them to the fullest extent of the law to send a message that violence aimed at trans people will not be tolerated.

One Month To BTAC 2019

One month from now, me and a few hundred friends and BTAC family members will gather in Dallas, TX once again for the 8th annual Black Trans Advocacy Conference and Awards Gala.

The theme this year is Level Up! Elevate The Revolution

BTAC 2019 will be taking place once again at the Wyndham Dallas Suites Park Hotel in North Dallas, and I'm looking forward to spending a week there to recharge, reconnect with my BTAC family, bask in the wisdom of my trans elders, get my learn on, and dish out some well deserved domino butt kickings.

I'm also looking forward to the other events that are part of a BTAC conference in the Trans Manifest Live, the Mr, Ms and for the first time Mx Black Trans International Pageant, the Awards Gala, our Family Day and the Black Diamond Ball..

And oh yeah, it's the kickoff to my birthday celebration week.

I also want to challenge my Houston area Black trans siblings to show up in numbers to meet your Black trans siblings from around the country and the world.

Still not too late for you to join us in Dallas for this conference, and if you need information as to how you can join us or be a sponsor of the event, check out btac.blacktrans.org for further info.

Hope to see y'all there in four weeks.

Dale Hansen Calls Out Jerry Jones Anthem Hypocrisy

"The young, black athletes are not disrespecting America or the military by taking a knee during the anthem. They are respecting the best thing about America. It’s a dog whistle to the racists among us to say otherwise.

They, and all of us, should protest how black Americans are treated in this country. And if you don’t think white privilege is a fact, you don’t understand America."
-Dale Hansen, September 2017 

As someone who lives on the southern end of I-45 and unapologetically roots for every Houston sports team, I've always had my hate on for the Dallas Cowchips.  One NFL game I'll definitely be watching in this 2018 season is on October 7 when my beloved Texans play the Cowchips in a nationally televised game at NRG Stadium 

It's not about as Cowchip fans like to crow Houston envy for their Super Bowl titles they won in the last century, but their faith based arrogance in running with the 'America's Team' moniker bestowed upon them by NFL Films.

And Jerry Jones has given me more ammo to despise them with. 

Despite the fact the NFL Players Association and the NFL are currently in talks to come to a happy medium on the anthem protests, Jones decided to kiss Trump's anus and declare along with his son Stephen Jones that Cowboys players would not be allowed to sit in the locker room during the anthem.    He also declared that any Cowboys player who protests during the anthem will be fined or cut from his team. 

But Jerry loves America so much that when the anthem was played before a Cowchip practice last Saturday, he left his cap on.   When told about his mistake, he left it on anyway.

Dale Hansen made an eloquent statement last year in one of his Hansen Unplugged segments concerning why the NFL anthem protests are happening. 

Here's Hansen again calling out Jerry Jones' anthem hypocrisy

Moni's On KNON-FM's Lambda Weekly Tomorrow!

Been a while since I was on Lambda Weekly, the radio show hosted by David Tafet, lerone Landis and the late Pati Fink on KNON-FM 89.3 in Dallas.

I get to do the show again at 1 PM CDT tomorrow.

For those of you who don't live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area or the broadcast range of KNON-FM, you can hear the show by going to the website and listening to the livestream of it  or downloading the phone app and listening to it that way.

No matter what way you do so, hope you tune in for it .

Rest In Power Nicole Hall

As many of you TransGriot readers are aware of, the severely decomposed body an unidentified Black trans woman was pulled out of White Rock Creek in Dallas on May 12.

In order to facilitate identification of our losts trans sister, the Dallas PD created a sketch of our trans sister in order to get public assistance in identifying the body.

Dallas PD asked anyone who had information that would help identify her to contact Detective Chaney with the DPD Homicide Unit at 214-671-3650

Our sis has finally been identified, and her name is Nicole Hall.   She was 39

The Dallas County Coroner has not yet determined a cause of death, so we can't officially call this a murder until that official determination is made by the coroner. 

Nicole was a Dallas native and involved in the local Dallas trans community.according to her longtime friend Shannon Walker. 

As we wait for the cause of death determination, a memorial vigil is being planned for Nicole that will take place on Saturday at 7 PM, with a location to be determined .

A Gofundme  has also been set up for her.  he goal is to raise $900 for her final expenses for transport, cremation and an urn for her ashes. .

Rest in power and peace Nicole.

BTWI Statement On The Trans Murders In Dallas and Atlanta

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 17, 2018
Contact: Monica Roberts BTWI Media Chair
Carmarion Anderson  BTWI Founding National DirectorDee Dee Watters BTWI Board Chair 
855-255-8636 Ext 11media@blacktranswomen.org

We at Black Transwomen, Inc are dismayed and saddened about the murders of our trans siblings occuring in our headquarters city of Dallas, TX and in Atlanta, GA where we have a BTMI chapter.

Our condolences and warm thoughts go out to the friends and families of Carla Patrica Flores-Pavon, the still unidentified Black trans sister whose body was pulled out of White Rock Creek on May 12, and Nino Fortson.

The Dallas County Medical Examiner's Office is still working to ascertain the cause of death for our unidentified sibling, and once that is determined we will pass that information along as quickly as we receive it.

We also mourn the untimely passing of our Latinx sister Carla Pavon, and thank Ana Andrea Molina and the Organizacion Latina de Trans en Texas (OLTT) for the opportunity to be present at the vigil organized by OLTT for Ms Pavon at the Cathedral of Hope on May 13.

Ms. Pavon was the ninth trans person we have lost to anti-trans violence in the US, and we join OLTT in expressing our desire for the swift capture, prosecution, and punishment of the person who killed Carla so that justice can be served for her family and all who loved her.   

BTWI leadership has been working in close cooperation with the Dallas Police Department to help get accurate information out as expeditiously as possible in these cases.  We are diligently working to ensure that we identify our sister so that the investigation into her death can commence and the perpetrator can be brought to justice. 

In Nino Fortson's case, there are many members of our Atlanta BTMI-BTWI family who knew Nino  personally and are devastated after hearing the news of his tragic May 13 murder.

Fortson was unfortunately the tenth trans person and first trans masculine person killed in 2018, and we mourn his loss as well.   Our transmen also face anti-trans violence aimed at them, and his murder is an unfortunate reinforcement of that reality. 

We at BTWI along with our BTMI brothers in Atlanta and beyond are hoping that the perpetrator of our fallen brother's May 13 murder is swiftly captured and punished for his crime.

Number 10? Deceased Black Trans Woman's Body Found In Dallas

Turns out while I and Ana Andrea Molina were in Dallas over the weekend for Carla Pavon's vigil, a few miles away from where I was staying on Saturday they were fishing the body of a deceased Black trans woman out of White Rock Creek 

At 7:30 PM CDT on May 12 a kayaker called Dallas PD to report a body in the creek near the 6900 block of Merriman Parkway in Lake Highlands that Dallas Fire- Rescue officials pulled from the creek.

The person in question was 5'3' and weighed 130 pounds.  Body was in a severe state of decomposition, and wearing a black t-shirt and black scrub pants with no tattoos or identifying marks on the body

Dallas PD is seeking the help of the public in identifying this person since the body didn't match the description of any current missing person's cases. 

If you have information regarding the identity of this individual, please call Detective Chaney with the DPD Homicide unit at 214-671-3650

The death is currently classified as an unexplained one pending cause of death determination from the Dallas County Medical Examiner's Office.

It has not been classified by DPD or a Dallas County Medical Examiner as a homicide yet. 

If that happens, she would become the 10th trans person we have lost to anti-trans violence in the US, the sixth Black trans person we've lost in 2018 and the second in Texas this year.

And yes, Texas Republican Party, your anti-trans rhetoric is responsible for this happening.

First let's get this sister identified as expeditiously as possible, so that we can then focus on the task of obtaining justice for her .

Vigil For Carla

It would have been nice to not have to spend Mother's Day having to memorialize another one of our fallen trans sisters, but unfortunately that's exactly what we found ourselves doing today in the International Peace Chapel on the campus of the Cathedral of Hope.

It was organized by the Organizacion Latina de Trans en Texas (OLTT) ED Ana Andrea Molina, which has a chapter in the DFW area .

I was invited to speak during this vigil which had Dallas City councilmembers Omar Narvaez and Adam Medrano in attendance, Dallas PD assistant chief David Pughes, Cathedral of Hope senior pastor Rev Neil Cazares-Thomas, Pastor Yinessa Romera and Carla's mother.

In addition to remarks from Rev Cazares-Thomas, Ana Andrea Molina, and Chief Pughes, there were musical selections performed in honor of Carla.

I had an opportunity to briefly talk to Carla's mom's, and she thanked the community for remembering her daughter that she loved dearly. 

I wish I'd gotten a chance to meet Carla.   But unfortunately that's not going to happen.   All we can do now is ensure that Carla and her family receives justice. 

Vigil For Carla Tomorrow

Well TransGriot readers, didn't expect to be back in Dallas this soon. 

I'm back in town to speak at a vigil for Carla Pavon, our sister we just lost way too soon on Wednesday.   

It's being held in the Interfaith peace Chapel on the Cathedral of Hope campus at 5910 Cedar Springs Rd on Sunday starting at 2:30 PM.

Hope we get a nice turnout for it, and see you there . . 

Number 9- Rest In Power Carla Patricia Pavon

Once again it's my sad duty to inform you that we have lost another trans woman due to anti-trans violence.

The location for this latest trans murder is right up I-45 from me in Dallas, TX.   Our sister we lost far too soon is Carla Patricia Flores-Pavon and she was just 26 years old. 

Her two Facebook pages have her name starting with a 'K', but the Dallas PD crime report has it starting with a 'C'.   

According to Dallas Voice reporting by David Taffet, the Dallas PD and Dallas fire department emergency units were called to her apartment in the Citadel at Preston complex at 6104 LBJ Freeway near Preston Rd at 4:17 PM. 

A Latinx male was seen running from her apartment before Dallas fire department emergency response and police units were called.  Her body was found strangled inside her apartment, and she was taken to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.

DPD confirmed at a 3 PM CDT press conference Pavon died from homicidal violence, but there is according to them there is not enough evidence at this stage to investigate this case as a hate crime. 

Carla is the 9th person we have lost to anti-trans violence this year in the US.  She's the seventh trans person of color and the second trans Latina we have lost in the US in 2018. 

She also the first trans person in Texas we have lost this year.   This murder also is infuriating me not only because it happened in my home state, but because she was just 26 years old. 

She was just beginning to embark on her life journey, and who knows what Carla could have accomplished had she been allowed to simply live her life.

This is still an active DPD investigation, and as of yet there isn't a designated person of interest in this case or any suspects at the time I'm writing this.

I'll update the post as more news becomes available.   If you're in the DFW area and you have any information that will help solve the crime and bring Carla's killer to justice, please call the Dallas Police Department or Dallas Crimestoppers at 214-373-TIPS (8377)   You can also call DPD Detective Tommy Raley at 214- 283- 4856


TransGriot Update:  Age that was written in the DPD report was incorrect according to the recently concluded press conference.   Carla's correct spelling on her name is with a C.  Someone was spotted running from her apartment prior to Dallas police and fire department emergency response units being called. 

If a vigil is being planned, will pass on that information.    Post has been updated as of 3:45 PM CDT to reflect the latest info 

     :

BTAC 2018- Day 6

This day arrived way too soon and it always carries for me a mix of sadness and disappointment.

Sadness and disappointment that comes with the realization that BTAC 2018 is over and we all have to go our separate ways.   Some of us had to leave and board at the crack of dawn flights back home before the closing ceremony starts.

I've got a four hour Megabus ride back to Houston with Dee Dee Watters. 

But it is also a day in which we revel in the new friends we've made, gotten to hug and hold tight old ones, and look forward to the future recharged and energized to take on the world. 

Already know the dates.   It'll be April 22-28 once again in Dallas, and we'll announce the hotel and reservation details once the staff recovers from putting this year's event on.

At 11 PM the closing interfaith service led by when we now call our Golden Flames, our elders from age 55 and up will be conducted.  Once it's over, the countdown starts for BTAC 2019.

And I can hardly wait fir it to get here.

BTAC 2018 - Day 5

The Awards Gala was amazing last night.   Everybody was looking fly last night including our emcees for our gala Dezjorn Gauthier and Jessica Zyrie

It was priceless to also see the surprised looks on both their faces when they also received awards .

Speaking of awards, congrats to Kayla Gore who is the 2018 recipient of the BTAC Monica Roberts Advocacy Award, our BTMI Man of the Year Trenton Johnson and BTWI Woman of the Year Jade Lenore.  Congrats as well to our 2018 award recipients in our Rising Star and other categories..

Y'all have time to think about who will be next year's award recipients when the nominations ballot goes up on the website.

In the interim, today is Family Day.   We're headed out to the Circle R Ranch in the Dallas suburb Flour Mound, TX where we get to chow down on barbecue, chill out, and play games. 

It's also the time I get to dispense more domino beatdowns as the defending BTAC domino champion Syria is back this year to reclaim her crown from Jade as the queen of the spades players 

Once we get back from our trip to the Circle R Ranch, we get ready for the Black Diamond Ball with the theme this year of Wakandan Realness.

We'll see who came close to that theme later tonight in that and other categories and who got chopped for not doing so.

BTAC 2018- Day 4

The new BTIPS king and queen have been crowned in Malaysia Black as our 2018 queen and Sybastian Smith as our 2018 king as another spectacular pageant hosted by Taliyah Cassadine took place.

Major props to 2017 BTIPS king and queen Trenton Johnson and Tiffany Starr who raised the BTIPS advocacy bar once again during their reign as BTIPS royalty.

Earlier in the day we heard inspiring keynote speeches from Diamond Stylz and Jonathan Thunderword at our 2018 keynote luncheon

We awaken in a few hours at out Wyndham Dallas Suites  host hotel to handle our last day of seminars, part three of our Black Trans Summit conversation, and conclude this day with our awards gala hosted by Dezjorn Gauthier and Jessica Zyrie.

Tonight I get to find out who won the BTAC Monica Roberts Advocacy Award

Still not too late for you to join us for BTAC 2018 and meet your trans and Gender non conforming fam from around the nation.

BTAC 2018 - Day 3

The big event today is the 2018 Mr and Miss Black Trans International Pageant later tonight

Mr.Black Trans International 2017 Trenton Johnson and Miss Black Trans International Tiffany Starr will crown their successors from the group of contestants vying for their crowns.

While those contestants are undergoing another step to hopefully snatching the BTIPS crowds with their interviews, the seminar tracks continue.

As those of you who got to see the live feeds witnessed, the Trans Manifest Live was off the chain.  It gets better and better every year, and next year I'm coming with some original poetry

At noon we also have another highly anticipated event with the BTAC 2018 Empowerment Keynote Luncheon

The Black Transmen, Inc Keynote speaker this year will be Jonathan Thunderword, and the Black Transwomen, Inc .Keynote speaker is Diamond Stylz.

At 2:00 PM we pick up with Part 2 of the Black Trans Community Summit in which we will have a chance to talk with the Dallas PD's LGBTQ Liasion Amber Roman as past of the discussion on Dating, Love and anti-Trans Violence.

If will be followed by the pageant at 8 PM to crown the new Mr. and Miss Black Trans 2018.

And oh yeah, Happy Birthday Tiffany Starr!

BTAC 2018-Day 2

The first full day of seminars is on tap for BTAC 2018 starting at 10 AM.  Registration for the Mr. and Miss Black Trans International pageant is also happening today as well.

The seminars this year are organized into three tracks.   One track for trans masculine attendees, the second for trans feminine attendees, and one for significant others and spouses of trans people.

Each will have their own dedicated meeting room and breakout group.   The Akanni for the trans men, the Ayombi for the trans women, and the Anchors group for spouses and significant others.

From 2-4 PM the first of the Black Trans Community Summit conversations will happen in which we discuss the data and results from the 2015 US Trans Survey that Black Trans Advocacy was in partnership with NBJC and NCTE to conduct 

The data for Black trans people has now been released, and  there were also enough participants to break down the US Trans Survey date by state, with Texas being one of those states.

The conversation will focus on the national data, and talk about employment, housing and healthcare.

The big event to close out Wednesday is the always popular Trans Manifest Live hosted this year by the reigning BTIPS king and queen Trenton Johnson and Tiffany Starr that starts at 8 PM.   

BTAC 2018- Day 1

We've been eagerly waiting since the last BTAC Conference closed out for the 2018 edition of the Black Trans Advocacy Conference.

This year its at a new hotel with a new theme in 2018 as we gather from across Texas, the US and increasingly the world with attendees last year from Brazil and Jamaica .

The conference officially opens with an interfaith service with an Afrocentric flavor that will take place starting at 7 PM,  For those of you who couldn't make it this year, we will be tweeting at the hashtag #BTAC2018

We will still have the Trans Manifest, the keynotes from Diamond Stylz and Jonathan Thunderword, the Mr and Miss Black Trans Pageant, the Awards Gala and the Family Day still ahead of us.

And yes, Moni is still lurking in the shadows of the hospitality suite waiting to to dish out dominoes beatdowns to all who dare step to her when I'm not handling media issues.

Welcome to Dallas, and welcome to BTAC 2018



 

Moni's In The MIddle Of BTAC 2018!

After a Megabus ride, that was delayed almost an hour in the Houston exurbs due to a chemical spill cleanup in Montgomery County, I'm on the other end of I-45 for my annual trip to hang out with my Black trans fam and attend the 7th annual Black Trans Advocacy Conference.

And yeah, it also serves as the kickoff to my upcoming Cuatro de Mayo birthday 

This year's BTAC Conference theme is Journeying Together: Living In Greater Truth and Healing.  In a time when trans people are under attack from a hostile federal government and depending on where we live, Republican state governments adding to the macroaggressive hostility, now more than ever Black trans people need to be pulling together, living our truth, and saying in a loud collective voice that our humanity and human rights are not up for debate or discussion.

It's also one of the few trans conferences that is centered on our heritage

We also have a new host hotel for this event in the Wyndham Dallas Suites Park Central, so once again we'll have to learn a new Dallas neighborhood and what off hotel property eating establishments and attractions are in the surrounding area. 

One the Cali crew is already salivating about is the nearby In and Out Burger just across the parking lot .  Nah, I'll stick to Whataburger

We're also going to be there as the NFL conducts its 2018 Draft at Jerry World (AKA AT&T Stadium) and The Star Complex in the nearby exurb of Frisco, TX.

And yeah, Moni will be looking to defend her domino championship at the upcoming picnic on Saturday.   But for those of you headed to BTAC, if y'all want a domino beatdown before that day, I will happily oblige you.

And naw, I did not stutter when I said that.  #BTACDominoChamp

Looking forward to a week of seeing the lovely Demetria Obilor doing the traffic reports on WFAA-TV along with Dale Hansen's on point commentary and my friends in the DFW area like Rachel Adams Gonzales, Rafael McDonnell, Councilman Omar Narvaez and countless others.

I'm also looking forward to the Dallas BTAC week of learning, fun and bonding at this Black trans family reunion that in seven years has become one of my favorite conferences to attend.   

Getting On The Bus- To Dallas

It's that time again, and I'm getting on the Megabus once again for the second time this year to do an instate trip. 

This time I'm headed up I-45 to hang out with my transpeeps for the 7th annual edition of the Black Trans Advocacy Conference 




Much of the reason I enjoy it is not only because I get to hang out with my Black trans family from here and around the world, it also acts as a kickoff to my Cuatro De Mayo birthday celebration.

So ready to see everyone, the new hotel, and my DFW peeps.

Time to settle into my seat and roll over for some sleep, and I'll catch up with you peeps in a few hours.

BTAC 2018 Is Coming Soon

In case you're wondering why I haven't posted much about the 2018 Black Trans Advocacy Conference, it's because I haven't had much information to share lately about it until now.

The BTAC 2018 theme is Journeying Together: Living In Greater Truth and Healing.

I've known since BTAC 2017 closed out that the dates for the 7th annual event were April 23-29.  What I didn't know is that the conference will have a new host hotel for 2018, the Wyndham Dallas Suites-Park Central after two years of being in suburban Addison, TX.

The Wyndham Dallas Suites- Park Central host hotel is located at 7800 Alpha Road not far from the intersections of the LBJ Freeway (I-635) and the North Central Expressway.   I also noted when I pulled it up in Google Maps there's an In and Out located nearby and like the old hotel, it's not far from the Dallas Galleria for those of you who like to shop.

BTAC has people from across the state of Texas, the country and even our international trans fam attend this event.   It's always a pleasure to see Neish McLean from Jamaica and Dora Santana from Brazil there to bring their African Diaspora perspectives of being Black and trans to our panel discussions and general conversations. 

And it's the conversations and fun we have in our hospitality suite that make this week in Dallas even more memorable   

Some attendees have stated post conference that attending BTAC has led to a positive change in their own lives.  That week in Dallas is a welcome oasis from the desert of negativity we face as Black trans people.

Even if you can't come for the entire BTAC week, show up for the weekend  or a day or two.

In case you're concerned about SB 6, it is NOT law in the state of Texas because Black Trans Texans were part of the coalition last year  that helped kill it twice in the regular and Special Oppression Session.  Dallas has had since 2002 a nondiscrimination ordinance in place that protects trans people from discrimination. 

So come on down to the Lone Star State, see and meet your Black trans fam and our allies, get your learn on and have some fun.

BTAC 2018 will not only comprise 50 seminars, but have the features you all love like the  TransManifest Live! talent show, the Black Trans Advocacy Awards Gala, the Mr and Ms Black Trans International pageants, the Black Trans Family Reunion day and the Black Diamond Freedom Party and Rumble Ball. 

For those of you considering attending BTAC 2018 who care about sporting things, while we are  having fun at our host hotel getting to chill out, get our learn and grub on and spending quality time together, the Dallas area will also be playing host to the 2018 NFL Draft at Jerry World (AKA AT&T Stadium), and The Star, the Dallas Cowboys world headquarters in nearby Frisco, TX .

The BTAC conference is usually the start of my extended Cuatro de Mayo birthday week celebration. 

It's one of my fave conferences in large part because it's one of the few that centers my people and our culture.   I've been coming to it since I was honored to give a keynote speech at it in 2013, which was the first one opened to trans feminine participation. 

I'm looking forward to administering more domino beatdowns during that week in Dallas. 

Yeah, I said it.  And I'm more than prepared to back it up as people found out last year during Family Reunion Day.

So this year's BTAC 2018 conference not only is in a new hotel, but it is positioned to be the biggest and best one ever. 

Hope to see y'all in my home state for this one  .