PRIDE Houston Juneteenth Parade Conflict Update 2

This screenshotted comment from PRIDE Houston board member Jason Gallegos is a sterling example of the cluelessness, arrogance and vanillascented privileged hubris we are trying to reason with in terms of getting them to see the error of their ways and change the 2015 Houston Pride Parade date back to the traditional last weekend in June.

PRIDE Houston, just in case you didn't get the memo, African American LBGT people exist. ‪#‎WeExist‬

The question that is on many people's minds in LGBT Houston and beyond is that Stonewall is on June 28. Why move the pride parade date, which celebrates that event from the last weekend in June?

You claim you didn't want a conflict with the 4th of July weekend, but have no problem causing a conflict with another holiday in Juneteenth.   Unless your intent was to stick the middle finger to the Houston African-American community in retaliation for all the vitriol aimed at the Houston LGBT community from some misguided kneegrow pastors.

But it's a stunt that puts the African-American SGL, trans and bi community in the middle of drama we didn't ask for, but will unfortunately have to clean up.

I've been asked who were the community members that tried to get the PRIDE Houston board to see the big picture ramification of this move at that October 22 meeting.   The LGBT community members and allies in that meeting were Ashton Woods, Synthia Walton, Marshella Abrams, Michael Webb Jr, Christina Gorczynski, Melanie Espinosa Pang, Fran Watson, Kim Watson and Ryan Leach.

So much for Frankie Quijano's' lie he's been  pimping.that the people requesting the change were 'unaffiliated with any group'.

You assumed they were unaffiliated with any group, and you know what they say about when you assume.

I've also been asked about the letter that Quijano sent to the community reps trying to get PRIDE Houston to see they had a problem that needed decisive action to solve.  Here it is:

***

November 11, 2014

Re: Request to move the Houston LGBT Pride Celebration

To Whom It May Concern:
The Board of Directors for Pride Houston® have discussed in length the recent request to move the Houston LGBT Pride Celebration® from Saturday, June 20, 2015 to the following week on Saturday, June 27, 2015 by a group of local individuals that are unassociated with any one (1) local group.

With a 6-2 vote the Board of Directors have decided to continue with the current date of Saturday, June 20, 2015 for the Houston LGBT Pride Celebration.

There have been previous instances where the Houston LGBT Pride Celebration has fallen on the third weekend in June around the 20th of the month and similar requests were not made during those instances. Furthermore, a substantial amount has already been invested into the Houston LGBT Pride Celebration for its current date that would un-recoupable which can be crucial for any non-profit organization.

As was recently confirmed by the Mayor’s office of Special events, currently on June 20, 2015 the only parade listed is set to begin at 10:00 AM CST and end around 11:00 AM CST. With the Houston LGBT Pride Celebration beginning its parade beginning at 8:30 PM CST it would show minimal impact on that parade. Pride Houston is willing to work with any organization that could be producing a parade on the same date so that both can be equally marketed and supported by the Houston community.

Pride Houston also hosts public production meetings on the 2nd Tuesday of every month where our volunteers discuss logistics, its events and of course the Houston LGBT Pride Celebration. This has been an ongoing tradition for over 15 years and would be an excellent opportunity for those not associated with the organization to observe, provide external insight, brainstorm new ideas and even volunteer for the organization. For more information on these meetings please email volunteer@pridehouston.org.

Sincerely,
Frankie Quijano President and Chief Executive Officer Pride Houston, Inc.
fquijano@pridehouston.org

***

Can you say, dissed and dismissed?   Thought you could.  Because that was the way this tone deaf letter was received.   It also turned out Quijano was mistaken when he claimed thee were other occasions that the Pride parade was held on Juneteenth weekend, and reviewing the history of past Pride parades going back to 1994 shows ZERO dates that the parade was Held on June 18, 19, 20, or 21.

One thing we predicted that has sadly come true is that this was going to cause drama if they didn't make the right decision, and unfortunately only two people on that eight member board had the vision enough to vote to do the right thing

Later tonight at the Montrose Center the PRIDE Houston perspective meeting will take place at 7 PM   Let the board members who aren't 'scurred' to show up know that it isn't okay to dismiss folks when they bring you information you may not want to hear but it will save you drama if you heed it.

And if you think the Houston Black SGL, trans and bi community and our allies are upset about the disrespecting of Juneteenth, wait until the rest of the African-American progressive coalition and those sellout ministers start talking.

PRIDE Houston Juneteenth Parade Conflict Update

Just an update to the boneheaded vanillacentric privileged PRIDE Houston decision to not move it from conflicting with the Juneteenth parade on the same June 20, 2015 day.  

This is after having it pointed put to them by Houston Black LGBT leaders and our allies that the date is problematic and could put the HERO in jeopardy if they don't wake up and see the big political picture aspects of this.

It has also put the Houston African-American SGL, trans and bi community once again in the uncomfortable position of having to not only choose between the events, but choose which community they intersect and interact with to support.

And on this one, we're going to choose our people.

First up, PRIDE Houston President and CEO Frankie Quijano misspoke lied about the pride parade being held on Juneteenth (June 19) in the past.   Here are the June dates of past Houston pride parades going back to 1994:

2014: 28
2013: 29
2012: 23
2011: 25
2010: 26
2009: 27
2008: 28
2007: 23
2006: 24
2005: 25
2004: 26
2003: 28
2002: 29
2001: 24
2000: 24
1999: 26
1998: 28
1997: 28
1996: 23
1995: 25, a Sunday
1994: 12, a Sunday, held on that date to not conflict with NYC's Stonewall 25 anniversary at the suggestion of legendary Houston gay activist Ray Hill.

So as you can see, the Houston Pride Parade has since 1994 NOT been held anywhere close to the June 19 date of Juneteenth.    Why now?   Is it simply cultural incompetence?   Or was it a deep seated need from the predominately white PRIDE Houston board to get back at the Black community for all the drama and animus stirred up in the HERO battle?

The news is spreading fast since I posted it at midnight.  Edward Pollard, the president of the Houston Black Area Democrats (HBAD) penned this letter to Frankie Quijano:

***
Mr. Quijano,
My name is Edward Pollard and I am the President of the Houston Black American Democrats. I am also an attorney and member of the historic Antioch Missionary Baptist Church downtown (oldest black church in Houston built by the newly freed slaves in 1866).I am writing you because I have received news that PRIDE Houston has decided to change the date and location of the PRIDE Parade to Juneteenth weekend downtown. I am not sure if you are aware of the significance of Juneteenth Holiday/Weekend in Houston but it is arguably the most highly recognized and celebrated weekend for Blacks, especially in Houston.
Juneteenth is the weekend Texans remember and celebrate the abolishment and emancipation of black slaves in our state. The holiday is celebrated because although the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Lincoln in 1862 and went into effect on January 1, 1863, slaves in Texas did not get news of their freedom until June of 1865.
Leaders in Houston have fought for Juneteenth to be a recognized and celebrated holiday in Texas and our community deserves for that celebration not to have to compete with the attention and coverage of the PRIDE Parade.
The black community understands more than any community what it feels like to be discriminated against. We understand what it means to fight for equality. That is one common bond we share with the LGBT community. Many efforts, sacrifices, and lost lives of our ancestors have afforded the civil rights that you and I have today.
It is my hope that you will not move the PRIDE parade to our historic Juneteenth celebration and respect that it is a weekend we want all people around Texas to reflect on our past and celebrate our present.
I would not be opposed to speaking with you further on this topic in person and I look forward to your response.

***.

I received a call at 1 PM from former Houston City Councilmember Jolanda Jones, who was alerted to the clueless decision of PRIDE Houston.  She is working to ensure that progressive African-American community leaders impress upon Mr. Quijano and his friends what they just set off could imperil the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance if it goes to a repeal vote during next year's city elections.

This is not a simple dispute about a parade date.   This is about cultural respect that sadly, the PRIDE Houston board has demonstrated it lacks.

So let them hear your thoughts at tomorrow's PRIDE Perspective meeting  at the Montrose Center 401 Branard St.    It starts at 7 PM, so let them know your thoughts on this issue.

#CHANGEtheDATE #RESPECTus #RespectJuneteenth

PRIDE Houston, What Were You Thinking?

Last month I attended a meeting in which we tried to resolve an issue not of our own making that once again has the Houston Black LGBT community stuck uncomfortably in the middle.

A few weeks ago the Houston pride parade was controversially moved from its longtime location in the Montrose gayborhood to downtown. 

It was controversial because while the now 37 year old  nighttime parade has probably outgrown Montrose's ability to handle the crowds that attend it, the disagreement has been between folks who want to keep that piece of Houston LGBT history there versus the folks who thinks it is past time our diverse city have it downtown.

The PRIDE committee's move of the parade to downtown  without community input pissed a lot of people off in the Houston LGBT community. 

The tone deaf responses of several PRIDE Houston committee members at a contentious October 4 town hall meeting conducted after the move only added to the community pissivity over the move.

One of the other things that was done by PRIDE Houston was the parade date was moved from the traditional last weekend in June that coincides with the historic June 28, 1969 date of the Stonewall Riots, to the third weekend ostensibly so it wouldn't be so close to the 4th of July weekend.

Well, the problem with that date is that it conflicts with Juneteenth, which is a sacred holiday to Black Texans. 

Frankly I'm stunned that white LGBT Texans would NOT know about Juneteenth, the history of it, or the fact that the efforts to make it a state holiday originated here in Houston with former state Rep. Al Edwards spearheading them.  

But then again I shouldn't be surprised anymore about the stunning depths of vanillacentric rainbow flag waving cluelessness to anything that doesn't revolve around them.

A group of Houston Black LGBT leaders and allies with multiple ties to mainstream African American community organizations, sensing the potential political and PR problem with this parade date conflict, asked for a meeting with the PRIDE Houston board.   A meeting was arranged with three PRIDE Houston representatives that took place at the Houston Urban League's downtown headquarters on October 22 in an attempt to reason with them and get them to see why this June 20 date was a terrible idea..  

The Black LGBT leaders and allies compiled the following statement at our Strategic Working Group meeting on October 15 articulating on behalf of the Houston Black LGBT community and our allies why this was a bad idea.

***

As Black LGBT and allied leaders and activists, we strongly and collectively oppose the June 20, 2015 date  of the Houston  LGBT Pride Celebration.  We urge Pride Houston to move the celebration to June 27, 2015.  

Holding the Pride celebration on June 20 is a mistake for several reasons, but the top two reasons are 1) it directly interferes with Juneteenth, the oldest known nationally recognized celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the US and 2) it undermines the meaning of the Pride celebration, which at its core commemorates the Stonewall riots, the catalyst for the LGBT movement we know today. The effect of not moving the June 20th date will be disastrous, as it will erode the relationship built among the LGBT community and communities of color, specifically the Black community.

The erosion of these relationships will be detrimental to the Houston LGBT community with respect to the fight to keep the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance. Opponents of the ordinance have vilified it since its inception stating in hateful terms that the ordinance is an underhanded means to grant more rights to LGBT persons while denying others. Because leaders from the mainstream black community feel they were not consulted, they were inclined to believe this false rhetoric of the HERO opposition. It took many long nights from LGBT and allied leaders to correct that misinformation. By holding the Pride celebration the same weekend of the Juneteenth celebration, communities of color will likely be inclined again to believe the misinformation, thereby unraveling community trust and HERO support.

Politics aside, maintaining the June 20 date excludes the Black LGBT community.   At the very least, Black LGBT persons are put in a situation where they have to choose whether to celebrate Pride or Juneteenth with the corresponding communities. Far too often, people who live an intersected life must choose which part of their identity fits the occasion. During the Pride celebration, people, including those who live at those intersections, are able to bring their whole selves to the celebration. Why? Because the LGBT community contains all races, abilities, and identities. Moving the date to June 27the maintains the tradition of inclusiveness, something the LGBT community is continuously striving to attain.

Practically speaking, moving the date now will not cause any confusion and doing so quietly will prevent community uprisings.  At this time, the June 27th date is free, which means the process to change it should be simple.. However, not changing the date will definitely cause more problems than necessary.

So again, we urge you to move the Pride celebration back to the last Saturday of June, specifically June 27, 2015.

***

And what was the response of the predominately white PRIDE Houston board?  After the October 22 meeting, their representatives said they wanted to present this to the full PRIDE Houston board, and then we didn't hear anything but radio silence from them for two weeks.

We found out via an e-mail dated yesterday from Frankie Quijano, the President and CEO of PRIDE Houston, the board voted 6-2 to keep the June 20, 2015 parade date.

The Houston Black trans, bi and SGL community and our allies are not happy because we know the traditional last Saturday in June parade date (June 27) is available.  

While Quijano stated in his tone deaf November 11 email that the pride parade was held on other occasions on that date with no request to move it at that time, neither did we have at the time as we do right now the heightened negativity in the Houston African-American community toward the Houston LGBT community in the wake of a passed human rights law stirred up by anti-gay ministers and conservative activists.

They will see this as another slap in the face to the Houston Black community and I predict it will be spun by the haters as an attempt by the gay community to 'hijack Juneteenth'.

With this boneheaded decision, which is a sadly predictable one from an organizational board that is predominately monoracial and insular in its thinking, PRIDE Houston has just unnecessarily set off some drama that will only inflame the homophobic animus elements of the Houston Black community have for the LGBT community.

It is an animus that Dave Welch, the sellout pastors of the Baptist Ministers Assn. of Houston and Vicinity will eagerly pour gasoline on as the Black LGBT community shakes its head and gets out of the middle of the coming public relations nightmare between these two groups.

Meanwhile the Texas Republican Party and conservative movement foot soldiers will be smiling as they observe their plan working to drive a wedge between key members of the Houston liberal progressive coalition in the African-American and LGBT communities.  .

And once we in the Black LGBT community are forced to choose sides in this no-win situation, we will stand with our people.  The reason we will do so will be simple.  You had a chance, PRIDE Houston to defuse this situation.   But instead you dismissed our concerns as fellow LGBT community members and by extension dissed the  African-American community by not listening to and heeding what we had to say as Houston Black LGBT leaders better positioned to know the pulse of our community.

And now because of your lack of vision PRIDE Houston, a hot political mess has potentially been created, in the wake of the mayoral subpoena controversy and the hate sermons at Riggleworld that will has a deleterious effect on the entire Houston LGBT community and possibly put the survival of the HERO at risk..

PRIDE Houston, what were you thinking?     Obviously you aren't.

TransGriot Update:  Received another e-mail from a TransGriot reader that calls into serious question what Quijano said about the Pride Parade being held on or near Juneteenth.   In fact the earliest date the Parade has been held since 1994 was June 12.

Been Nominated For Another Local Award!

Wasn't expecting this one either, but thanks to Suezen Hoza, another nominee, I was advised that I was nominated in the  2014 edition of the First Achievers Community Excellence or FACE Awards.

They are being coordinated by AbOUT Magazine and the Montrose Star, and the awards ceremony will be held at Neon Boots Dancehall on December 8 starting at 8 PM.

The awards are currently being voted on right now.   I'm nominated in the Activist of the Year category along with Ray Hill, Noel Freeman and Lane Lewis.

I'm honored just to be named with such distinguished company, and we'll see how it plays out on December 8.  

Congratulations to all the nominees, and we'll see who walks home with the awards in the various categories on that date.

Houston LGBT Positive Impact Day Meets Hate With Love

While our right wing opponents brought their all star team of national hatemongers to Steve Riggle's Grace KKKomumnity Church (and they are livestreaming it BTW)  the Houston LGBT community and our allies executed a different response to their hate rally.

From 2-4 PM members of the community, our allies and simply people living up to their personal values showed up at Grace Lutheran Church on Waugh Drive to donate clothing and other items for homeless LGBT youth.

Didn't take long for the room to start filling up with clothes and supplies, and two TV news stations and a HCC student reporter were there to record the happenings.  And yes, it's always good to see my Houston LGBT community and Team HERO peeps doing good in our Houston 'hood as usual.

This was the needed pile of winter clothes collected in just two hours as the haters gathered at Riggleworld to lie to the country about the fact they screwed up collecting signatures on their HERO repeal petition and they are trying to bully the city of Houston into overlooking it.

Um nope, rules are rules.   Even your boy Dave Welch spelled it out what the consequences were for not doing thangs to the letter.

One thing I'm certain you won't be seeing at the hate rally is them living up to their Christian values the way that was demonstrated at the Houston LGBT Positive Impact Day this afternoon

Houston LGBT Positive Impact Day On Sunday

On Sunday night, the opposition to HERO will be meeting in a rally at Grace KKKomunity Church that as usual will be full of anti-LGBT bile, hate and anger.

Our Houston LGBT community will be meeting, too, but with a very different goal in mind.

At 2 PM on Sunday, we’ll be meeting at Montrose Grace Place (at 2515 Waugh, housed in Grace Lutheran Church). Grace Place provides services for LGBT homeless youth. Please bring canned goods, nonperishable food items and gently worn or new clothing items, which we will donate to Grace Place. While the HERO opposition is creating noise about taking rights away, we’ll be creating a positive effect on the lives of people in Houston.

But we’re not only going to be creating a better present for people in our community Sunday – we’ll be working for a positive future, too. Wear comfortable shoes, because after you drop off your donation, you can pick up a walk list to go speak to voters in the surrounding neighborhoods to make sure they get out to vote on Tuesday for candidates who share our values. We’ll be pushing the endorsement card of the Houston GLBT Political Caucus PAC.

The HERO movement has always been about creating a better future for all Houstonians. We’ll be doing that Sunday, and the contrast between our efforts and the negativity of the opposition will send a strong message. Please join us.

UPDATE: We have received some specific requests from Grace Place. Please bring:

Winter clothes, Socks, Sleeping Bags, Toiletries, Hand-warmers, Mini-flashlights, blankets,
Also, we will be collecting for Bering Omega Hospice.

We are asking people to bring:
Towels, wash clothes, robes, handi-wipes

OutSmart 2014 Gayest and Greatest Awards Party

You know for me to miss Scandal, this had to be pretty darned important.

I  mentioned in a previous post that I had been honored with two 2014 OutSmart Readers Choice Award wins for Favorite Blogger (Female) and Favorite  Tweeter (Female).  

I was also a finalist along with Kristen Capps for the Most Prominent LGBT Female Activist award that was won by Christina Gorczynski

Tonight at FBar was the event in which all the awards winners and finalists picked them up.  Since I was in need of a night considering the drama I've been through lately to put my nice clothes and other face on, I happily headed in that direction for the event that started at 7 PM .

Didn't take me long after arriving at the venue before I started running into my Houston activist community peeps congratulating me for the multiple wins. 

It was nice to have the acknowledgment was  of the community of the hard work I put into creating an informative blog and the activism I do to advance our human rights cause.

But for me, I'm motivated to do what I do for the next generation.   I want to make sure that the next generation of trans and SGL kids now growing up aren't having to fight tooth and nail just for basic human rights coverage.


It was also nice to see Mayor Annise Parker and First Lady Kathy Hubbard there along with Councilmember Robert Gallegos.

And it also great seeing Brandon Mack, Augie Augustine, Ashton Woods, Jacques Bourgeois, Brad Pritchett, Noel Freeman, Bryan Hlavinka, JD Doyle, and Kristen Capps.

It was also cool talking to many new peeps I met tonight about a wide variety of issues as the night wore on.

Once again, megathanks for all the OutSmart readers who voted for me in all three categories.  I'm honored and humbled by it.
 
Will be interesting to see how these Readers Choice awards shake out in 2015

HERO Updates,Notes and News-October 14

While we wait for the January 19 court date and trial to take place, the HERO is unfortunately not being implemented until the legal issues get sorted out.

In the interim, more evidence just keeps on surfacing in Houston why HERO is needed and why it was pushed for and passed in the first place.

Interesting news broke here recently about a gay male couple tossed out of a Yellow Cab last weekend because of a PDA the homophobic cab driver didn't approve of.

He should have had a clue because he picked up Travis Player and Andres Orozco in front of FBar, a gay club on Tuam Street.

As they shared a PG kiss on their way to their Museum District area home,  Orozco told ABC 13 "The man just turns back to us and tells us that he doesn't give gay people rides. And he proceeds to tell us we're going to hell for being gay."

The homophobic cab driver then kicked the couple out of his vehicle a few blocks from their home.

Yellow Cab had this to say about the incident.

"Yellow Cab immediately investigated this allegation of discrimination, including talking to the independent contractor driver. the driver stated that he would have taken the same actions if it was a man and a woman in the taxicab. Evidently, the driver was overly sensitive to passengers kissing. Yellow Cab does not have a policy about passengers showing affection in taxicabs. in fact, we encourage kissing in our taxicabs."

Yeah right.  If it had been a heterosexual couple locking lips in his backseat, the homophobe probably would have been hi- fiving and grinning at homeboy when he dropped them off.

Because Texas doesn't have a state law banning this type of discrimination and HERO is on hold pending the court case, what the homophobic cabbie did is legal.   But it ain't morally right.

"The sad reality is that it is completely legal," said GLBT community advocate Noel Freeman.

Freeman said in the ABC 13 interview that in the last six months, he's heard 4 other similar stories: gay couples getting kicked out of Yellow Cab taxis, for being affectionate.

"There are no laws in the state of Texas that protect people from discrimination in public accommodations like cabs. So someone can be kicked out of a cab because they're gay, black, because they're a woman," Freeman said.

Even though HERO isn't being implemented yet, if you run into any discrimination inside the city limits of H-town, go to the Office of Inspector General at City Hall and file a complaint so they can have a record of it.  

These haters need to buy a vowel and get a clue that discrimination's time in Houston has expired.

And Yellow Cab, don't forget you now have LGBT friendly competition from Uber and Lyft..  If your  drivers want to keep handing business to them, I'm sure the Uber and Lyft people will definitely be happy to take those LGBT customers off your hands and drive them wherever they need to go inside the Houston city limits.

But this is another concrete reason why the HERO needs to be implemented without delay.

HERO Updates, Notes And News- August 20

Last night Team HERO took a moment to celebrate and recognize the team of folks who helped get the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance passed back on May 28, verified the oppositions petitions, or did whatever it took to make the HERO a reality.  

In addition to just being in the same Resurrection MCC church space with each other, we had the pleasure of hanging out with Mayor Annise Parker and State Rep Sylvester Turner.

As you can see by the photo, a certain blogger was there, and I got to hear Mayor Parker thank us for collaborating in the effort to get it passed and showing the world that Houston doesn't discriminate.



Mayor Parker in addition to thanking us provided an update on HERO's status.  The implementation of it is unfortunately on hold pending the legal case, but she also stated that if you are discriminated against, bring your cases to the OIG anyway so they can start tracking them,deal with them and have documentation to bring to the January 19 trial that HERO is needed to tackle the discrimination that does happen.

As for what the faith-based haters were up to?  Probably licking their wounds after the dual legal setbacks they received on Friday.   But the biggest loss for them is that the HERO repeal vote will not be on the November 2014 ballot. 

It gives us time to educate and fundraise should it hit the November 2015 one, and the money they're wasting on the lawsuit is cash that won't be going to right wing candidates in this election cycle.


Speaking of that education effort, the Houston Forum will be having at 6:30 PM their event tonight at Social Junkie entitled '10 Things I Hate About You: Why Houston Needs HERO.   Featured speakers will be Councilmembers Ellen Cohen and Ed Gonzales (who sponsored and voted YES for the HERO).  

I won't be at that one because of a scheduling conflict (darn) but if you wish to attend it,  Social Junkie is located at 2412 Washington Ave.   You'll need to e-mail an RSVP to Lillie Schechter at rsvp@lillieschechter.com in order to do so.


On Houston Media Source TV tomorrow at 6:30 PM is another in their series of HERO conversations hosted by Fran Watson and Durrel Douglas. 

I'll be a panelist along with Brandon Mack, Michael C. Webb, Jr and Tarah Taylor in that discussion from the perspective of Black allies and supporters concerning the issues that cropped up during the unnecessarily contentious HERO debate in the African-American and mainstream communities.

The reason I won't be there for the Houston Forum event is because I'm signed up to participate in a African-American specific training that starts an hour later several miles away at the Montrose Center.
The Real Talk: A Message Of Equality training is jointly sponsored by the Movement Advancement Project and Equality Texas

The rationale behind this messaging training is that the best messengers to get the HERO word out amongst African-Americans are other pro-human rights minded African-Americans. 

It's past time that happened, since our predominately conservative white male opponents have been playing the game of using sellout kneegrow pastors to christopimp their message of hate and claim they have 'broad based support'.

If you wish to attend the event, it will happen at The Montrose Center, located at 401 Branard St.   An RSVP is required for your attendance.  Please go to this link: http://tinyurl.com/realtalktraining to register for it and hope to see you tonight starting at 7:30 PM

Finally on Sunday, August 24, the Educating Us About Us Forum facilitated by Austin D.Williams will take place starting at 3:30 PM.  Yep, I'll be at that one too and hope you'll be in attendance for this much needed conversation.   

This facilitated conversation will do some HERO mythbusting liebusting, break down misconceptions about different groups in the African-American SGL, trans and bi community and facilitate community building    Should be an interesting and much needed three hour discussion.
The fight to keep the HERO continues.

HERO Updates, Notes And News- July 28

The HERO is two months old today! 

As of yet no Houston bakers have been forced to bake swastika cakes against their will, we haven't had an epidemic of crossdressing predators flooding Houston bathrooms, and neither have the other parade of horribles and lies espoused by our faith based haters have come to pass. 

And yeah HERO haters, if you don't like me calling you faith-based haters and human rights oppressors, stop acting like it.  

And for you Houston area Black folks bristling because I'm calling your asses out about your unbelievably stupid and jaw dropping opposition to a human rights ordinance that protects you, if you lie down with lying right wing dogs, don't get mad when their fleas bite you and I call you out for associating with them. 

Speaking of right wing liars, Dave Welch and his prevaricating preachers continue to claim that since the May 28 HERO passage, there have been four people caught in opposite gender bathrooms.

Yeah right.  Show me the police reports.  

The checking of HERO petitions continues, and another combined training and petition checking event was held last Saturday afternoon in which we had the pleasant surprise of our next governor, state Senator Wendy Davis visiting Resurrection MCC Church where it was held. 

Sen..Davis was in town to do a block walking event organized by state Rep. Alma Allen and stopped by to thank the volunteers for their efforts.

Deadline to have the petitions checked to determine if there are enough signatures to place HERO on the ballot is August 3 and the clock is ticking.  The visit of Sen. Davis also reminded us we are getting closer to our November 4 election day in the Lone Star State.  

Dee Dee Watters will be facilitating a sisterhood discussion at the Montrose Center on July 31 from 7-9 PM CDT.   The Transgendered Women of Color United for Change and the Legacy Community Health Services Positive Organizing Project cordially invites you to an important meeting that will include a panel of Trans women who will share about a wide range of topics including 'What is Sisterhood? Why Should Trans Women be Included?'

The Montrose Center is located at 401 Branard Street, Houston, TX 77006.  Light refreshments will be served. All women are welcome. Contact Venita Ray for more information at 713-299-6123 or vray@legacycommunityhealth.org. 

And Dee Dee, congratulations on capturing MSociety's Activist of the Year Award!.  Well deserved.


The struggle to protect the HERO continues

HERO Updates, Notes and News-July 25

I spent an interesting Thursday night over at Resurrection MCC with Dee Dee Watters and 25 leaders leaders in the Houston African-American trans bi and SGL community.  

We spent two hours having a much needed tell it like it T-I-S is discussion about issues in our community that needed our attention.

We were hit with the sobering news that many of the petitions to repeal the HERO were signed by people in Districts B, D and who lived in Rep Sheila Jackson-Lee's congressional district.  

Never mind the fact the push to pass the HERO started because a straight Black female judge was denied entrance to a Washington Ave club along with members of the Houston Dynamo MLS team in a separate incident.   

We also talked about the demonization of the trans community that even elements of the  Houston Black SGL community are complicit in engaging in, the lack of engagement on our end with the non-gay Black community and our legacy orgs, the invisibility of our Houston Black TBLG community and the complicity of the white Houston LGBT community in that invisibility.  

We spent that two hours doing an overview of the HERO, its history, who it covers, and where to find accurate information about it.   We also discussed some problems in our own ranks.  Strategies to deal with the diagnosed problems short and long term were envisioned.   The leaders in attendance also came up with suggestion and concrete steps to engage our SGL, bi and trans ranks to get more involved in ours and the African-American community and engaging the local Houston media to deal with the Black LGBT invisibility issue.    

Much of what we discussed is in the 'Houston Black GLBT Revolution Will Not Be Televised' territory, but you will see action occurring over the remainder of the year and into 2015 to solve the identified problems.  

As for other HERO news, more events to do training and petition checking  are on the agenda.    A HERO petition training and work session will happen at Resurrection MCC tomorrow starting at 1 PM.  If you've got a spare two hours, come on down to 2025 W.11th St and the Gathering Place.  The verification process training is quick and easy, and once you're trained, you can get busy verifying the petitions because the deadline to do so is August 3.

Please bring a laptop (or tablet if you are comfortable with that). Resurrection will also provide a limited number of laptops for use and snacks.

There will also be a sisterhood discussion on July 31 at the Montrose Center designed to help cis and trans women break down barriers that inhibit sisterhood amongst each other.  More details coming soon in this TransGriot space.  

The struggle to protect the HERO continues..

HERO Updates, Notes and News-July 4

Now that the faith-based haters have made their latest move to hate on the month old Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, it's time for me to do regular updates on the blog again of all the news and issues surrounding  the HERO.  

I'm still getting a lot of questions as I travel the nation about our HERO, and that's part of what's driving this decision to once again create a post consolidating all the HERO related news and my commentary about it in one spot.   

The big news yesterday was the anti-HERO haters 3 PM CDT press conference in which they turned in their alleged 50,000 signatures to the City Secretary's office and claimed they verified 30,000 of them..

Yeah right.  We'll see in 30 days.  I received a copy of an e-mail in which you urged your hate pastors to pump up the petition in their sermons and get signatures in your June 29 Sunday services.

It was also interesting to note that just nine days ago (June 24) , according to our intel sources, the haters only had 8100 signatures.  So how did that morph to 50K in 9 days?   I'm also aware of the fact you haters hired an outside firm to boost your flagging signature collection effort in addition to one of your repeal petition signature takers getting busted committing election fraud while doing so.  

Meanwhile over at the City Hall annex across the street Dave Welch was getting Rev. Max Miller to do his dirty work for him and be the useful fool fronting the anti-HERO effort. 

Had to laugh when he claimed at their anti-HERO press conference he and his little cadre of hate ministers aren't anti-gay because they have gay family members.

Um, yes you are.   You are a homophobe when you are pushing a repeal effort that would take human rights coverage away from your gay relatives and the other 14 categories of Houstonians protected by HERO at the behest of right wing conservatives.

You also earned an SUF nomination for your repeated violations of Exodus 20:16 yesterday.

I also noticed that Rev. Kendall Baker was in the house, but nowhere to be seen in the photo ops.  What, was he the man cruising women's restrooms y'all falsely claimed to have four instances of occurring since the May 28 HERO passage?    Police reports proving it, please since y'all faith based haters have a proven propensity for prevarication.

And yeah, no Houston bakers have reported being forced to make Steve Riggle's swastika cakes. 


Max, one other thing I have to say before I move on.   If you're shamelessly christopimping for conservative white people a repeal effort that rolls back the human rights of everyone in Houston, you and your friends in the Baptist Ministers Association of Houston and Vicinity are bigots and even worse, cookie chomping sellouts to our people who are survey says, protected by the HERO.

Another question I have.  If y'all have so much support to repeal HERO, why is it when you faith-based haters have events, nobody shows up for them, or you have to bus them in from The Woodlands and Grace KKKommunity church? 

Those gross violations of Exodus 20:16 and several other commandments were countered at the HERO press conference Mayor Annise Parker held in the City Hall rotunda.   An enthusiastic Team HERO was there in full effect to hear our mayor bust lies and point out that the Houston we know and love doesn't discriminate.

"I have every expectation that this petition drive will be defeated, if they have sufficient signatures, in November, then we will have shown that Houston does not support discrimination.  I have every expectation that this is an ordinance that will live in Houston for many years to come and make Houston a better place in which to live."
--Mayor Annise Parker

All eyes in H-town will be turned to the City Secretary's office this month.  We'll find out if Max, Dave and the gang were selling woof tickets (which I suspect) about their petitions.   If they have enough signatures to force a vote, we are prepared and confident that once we lay out the facts about the HERO and debunk the lies, we will win.    

HERO: Next Steps Meeting

You know I thought is was important if I tore myself away from the USA's initial World Cup match to head over to Resurrection MCC to attend a community meeting concerning the HERO and our next steps in defending it.

It was another one of the frequent questions I received while I was in Philadelphia for the PTHC in terms of how the haters petition drive was going.

In a fast paced one hour meeting in their Gathering Place room that seemed more like a reunion, we got updates on the current situation from Januari Leo, Christina Gorczynski, Brad Pritchett, Lou Weaver and Ryan Leach with major assist from Kristen Capps .

Christina reminded us in her presentation that our greatest asset in this fight to defend the HERO is the truth is on our side.   She pointed out the HERO covers 15 protected classes of which only two are sexual orientation and gender identity.  The HERO also addresses discrimination based on sex, race, color, age, ethnicity, national origin, marital status, familial status, genetic information, military status, pregnancy, disability and religion. 

The exempted classes are private clubs, religious organizations, private schools, senior citizen and military discounts and federal, state and county governmental entities. 

The private employers threshold is stairstepped.  I would have rather had it be 15 from the outset, but it goes from 50 employees in the first year to 25 in the second year and 15 in the third and subsequent years. 

It not only protects Houstonians but visitors to our city as well.. 

Brad's presentation covers the HOUequality website which is designed to be an informational clearinghouse concerning all things HERO related.   If you need to do some faith-based lie busting, you can whip out your mobile device and have at your fingertips all the factual information to crush the lie in an avalanche of information. 

Lou's portion of the presentation busted the anti-trans myths the haters are using to stir animus toward the ordinance and what to do to help Houston trans community voters get registered and a early voting polling place they can go where they will be respected. 

Ryan closed it out with our game plan if the faith based haters get enough signatures to place it on the November ballot.  Who gets to write the repeal ballot language, fundraising and PAC's.

So yep, definitely needed to be there.  Besides, the USA-Ghana game will be replayed on demand  anyway.      

HERO Updates, Notes and News-May 24

We kick off today's HERO update with last night's phone bank at Harris County Democratic Party Headquarters.

Three council districts were targeted, and I'm still waiting for the final stats as to how many supporters were called and contacted as the folks participating urged them to contact their councilmembers and support the HERO.

One of the questions I'm getting from people is where do our Houston based US reps Gene Green,  Sheila Jackson-Lee and Al Green stand when it comes to supporting the HERO?

As of this writing, none of them have released statements indicating their support for the HERO.

Going to be a busy day for many of us as the Dr MLK Jr statue is unveiled.  Since it is right up the street from me at MacGregor Park I'm planning to check the event that starts at 11 AM before heading off to get ready for the Trans Town Hall taking place at Grace Lutheran Church from 3-5 PM.  

Invited panelists are Tye West, Katy Stewart, Cristan Williams and some blogger y'all know.  Address of the church is 2515 Waugh Dr in Montrose, and hope to see you there.  .

We're creeping closer to the big May 28 day in which the HERO will be voted on, and the faith based haters are getting more desperate as it gets closer.   They are now threatening to collect petitions to force recall elections on Mayor Parker and any council member who vote for the much needed human rights law. 

Whether they can actually do so is questionable, but it speaks to their level of desperation and it's typical conservafool crap.  If you can't beat 'em, bamboozle, bully and browbeat them.  

What they fail to realize is by their nekulturny actions they are our best arguments for passage of the HERO.
Swastika Cakes?    Seriously Steve Riggle? 

Ed Young, the pastor of the Second Baptist megachurch who threw stones at the trans community in his Sunday hate sermon, better be focused on what's going on in his own church instead of eagerly bearing false witness against the trans community.

I'll close with a quote from Harvey Milk, whose birthday was May 22 and is apropos to this HERO human rights struggle.    

“It takes no compromise to give people their rights...it takes no money to respect the individual. It takes no political deal to give people freedom. It takes no survey to remove repression.”  

HERO Updates, Notes and News -May 22

It's Thursday and we're creeping closer to the May 28 session that will hopefully result in a historic human rights win.  I'm enroute to the KPRC-TV 2 studios to tape an interview for the Houston Newsmakers show that will be broadcast on Sunday.

Amelia Miller will also be in the studio with me representing our community along with show host Khambrel Marshall 

We are still having meeting across the city and gearing up for the big day.    There's an upcoming trans town hall on Saturday afternoon and the unveiling of the Rev. Dr MLK Jr. statue that will bring out the Houston Black politicos and allies.

Interesting poling numbers to note in this update.  Despite the faith based hate sermons of pastor Ed Young and Steve Riggle, 78% of Houstonians support the HERO.   In the African-American community despite Rev. Max Miller's best efforts to unleash the anti-trans hate at the behest of his controllers Dave Welch and Dave 'Fake Black Man' Wilson, that number is 85% support in the African-American community.

Yep boys, you're still on the wrong side of this human rights issue, and bussing in more peeps from The Woodlands, Tomball and whatever other Houston exurbs won't help.  

I also needed to show y'all me and other Houston trans peeps handling our HERO business at last Tuesday's hearings.




Interestingly enough, Dee Dee Watters and I have been mysteriously paired up to where we end up speaking immediately behind each other.    That happened last Tuesday, but in this case Dee Dee took everybody to church.   She is a POD deaconess, so I wasn't surprised when this happened.




Lou Weaver's testimony.



and I'll end it with the person I'll be sharing the KPRC-TV stage with in Amelia Miller.


 
  

Vote Day For The HERO

It was a long tough day at City Hall, and I'm getting my beauty sleep in preparation to go back to City Hall to hopefully witness history

I left City Hall last night around 9:00 PM with speakers still waiting to speak for and against the HERO,and it was a fun day.    Haters inside and outside the City Hall chambers, and the boringly predictable and head scratching arguments trying yo justify their hatred fueling their opposition to the HERO. 

The good news was that I got what I asked for when I spoke last week in Council dropping the problematic gender policing Section 17-51 (b) part of the public accommodations in which we would have had no recourse for an erroneou sr

Had the pleasure of sitting next to William Loyd for most of the afternoon until he had to leave to pick up his kids.   It was a little after 7 PM before I finally got my turn to speak, and Dee Dee Watters followed me with a rousing sermon like speech that even the faith-based haters found themselves saying Amen to.

At 9 AM CDT City Council reconvenes to vote on amendments and eventually the HERO as the haters desperately try to stall it so they can lie their way to more opposition of the much needed human rights ordinance. 

We could use some calls in favor of the HERO.   When you call, say that you support the Equal Rights Ordinance, that you support the amendments offered by Council members Gallegos and Gonzalez and that you oppose the Pennington amendments!

Mayor Annise Parker: 832-393-1012
Brenda Stardig: 832-393-3010
Jerry Davis: 832-393-3009
Ellen Cohen: 832-393-3004
Dwight Boykins: 832-393-3001
Dave Martin: 832-393-3008
Richard Nguyen: 832-393-3002
Oliver Pennington: 832-393-3007
Mayor Pro-Tem Ed Gonzalez: 832-393-3003
Robert Gallegos: 832-393-3011
Mike Laster: 832-393-3015
Larry Green: 832-393-3016
Stephen Costello: 832-393-3014
David Robinson: 832-393-3013
Michael Kubosh: 832-393-3005
C.O. 'Brad' Bradford: 832-393-3012
Jack Christie: 832-393-3017

Will be at 901 Bagby Street to check out the action tomorrow...

The Last HERO Hearing

I'm at City Hall preparing to do battle with the Forces of Intolerance in our last public comment session before the vote happens tomorrow on our Houston Equal Rights Ordinance.  

We supporters of the HERO will be easy to spot in the crowd today.   We have been asked to wear red for the hearing and are hoping for another big turnout when it starts at 1:30 PM CDT. .

We have outgunned them 127-38 in pro-HERO vs anti-HERO speakers in the two previous hearings, and the haters are desperate to change that dynamic.

In addition to getting Mike Huckabee to try to fire up their stormtroopers,  the Forces of Intolerance are planning to have a rally on the steps of City Hall to juice their turnout.

But with the Houston area weather forecast calling for a 70% chance of rain and the rain starting and consistently falling since 1:00 AM , they may be forced to cancel it (snicker snicker). 

Hey, God don't like ugly, and they've been wallowing in it like pigs in slop over the last several weeks.

The battle between us and the haters will be on local cable and livestreamed for those of you not in the Houston city limits, and you can watch it here. 

The final vote on the HERO and the amendments to it will take place tomorrow and I'll be in the City Hall house tomorrow for that one as well..

Send us your prayers, warm thoughts and well wishes as we fight for truth, justice and human rights for my hometown..

TransGriot Update:  Houston City Council voted to delay to HERO vote two weeks to May 28.

Handling My HERO Business Again

Once again I made the trek to 901 Bagby Street and our art deco designed City Hall to speak at and attend another meeting concerning the HERO in front of the full council. 

I was expecting it to be as contentious as the Quality of Life Committee hearing last week,  but those expectations died because many of the misguided African-American pastors who loudly expressed their opposition to it along with some of their not so righteous flock at that hearing were MIA yesterday. 

It's probably because they realize that the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance has momentum, it's the right and morally correct thing to do, and they might be coming to the realization they were played for suckers by the Pastor's Council.

In addition to myself, 77 other multiethnic speakers from our TBLG community and our allies took to the podium in front of our city council members to declare they were in favor of HERO passage   19 were against it including the usual haters like Dave 'Temporary Black Man For Electoral Purposes' Wilson and perennial council gadfly President Joseph Charles.

The local chapters of the NAACP and the Urban League also announced their support at this council hearing for the HERO. 84% of the Houston African-American community supports it.   State legislators like Sen. Rodney Ellis, Rep Garnet Coleman support it.   And in my capacity as the head of the Houston chapter of Black Transwomen, Inc., my org supports passage of the HERO

So those ministers who unleashed their faith based bigotry last Wednesday look even more foolish as this effort to pass the HERO moves forward and they realize they are on the wrong side of history. 

One of the other interesting and tear jerking moments of the HERO council hearing yesterday is that a Latino and African-American man both came out during their testimony.

The trans community was also there.   In addition to myself testifying in front of city council,  Nikki Araguz Loyd , Dr Colt Keo-Meier and Amelia Miller also did their part  to ensure the 'T' was represented. 

Another council meeting is happening today, in which we expect it will be tabled until next week.   Amendments are being offered, including to the problematic Section 17 51 (b) I expressed my concerns about in my testimony. 

We are one step closer to adding Houston to the long list of cities that protect its citizens from discrimination, and I couldn't be happier as a native Houstonian for that. 

HERO Rally and Quality of Life Committee Hearing Today

The battle to pass the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance continues as we have a public hearing on the HERO at 2 PM CDT today.

The Houston LGBT community and our supporters will gather on the steps of Houston City Hall for a rally that will start at 1:15 PM prior to the start of the Quality of Life Committee that will be conducting the hearing in city council chambers.

After this committee hearing, the HERO will go before the full council on May 7.

and for consideration by the full council on May 7. If approved, the ordinance would go into effect immediately. - See more at: http://txvalues.org/2014/04/25/religious-freedom-free-speech-threatened-by-houstons-lgbt-ordinance/#sthash.HiuT4HJU.dpuf

and for consideration by the full council on May 7. If approved, the ordinance would go into effect immediately. - See more at: http://txvalues.org/2014/04/25/religious-freedom-free-speech-threatened-by-houstons-lgbt-ordinance/#sthash.HiuT4HJU.dpuf

I'm expecting our Pastor's Council haters to be there in full in effect bearing false witness and pimping their usual lies of how this will 'stifle their free speech',  'suppress their religious freedom' and fling the bathroom meme for good measure.   

Naw conservafools, you don't get the special right to discriminate.   I'm already mad you peeps are exempted from the provisions of this ordinance, so don't even try to go there.


Should be fun to watch the haters squirm.

LGBT Town Hall On Houston ERO

Councilman Michael Kubosh's campaign slogan during the 2013 election cycle was 'Fighting For You', and he used it along with being the vocal leader of the coalition that took down the hated red-light camera ordinance to vault to a Houston City Council at large seat. 

With the release of the Houston Equal Rights Amendment by Mayor Annise Parker, the push by the Houston LGBT community to get it passed and then pivot to defend it against a possible repeal referendum spearheaded by our right wing haters, one of the things we weren't sure of as a community was whether Councilmember Kubosh would fight for our segment of the community and vote for its passage.  

So there were eyebrows raised by many including myself in the Houston LGBT ranks when Kubosh decided to hold his first town hall as an elected council member in the gayborhood.about the HERO. 

I joined the assembled crowd Saturday afternoon at Haven's Center of thirty people for the event moderated by Jenifer Rene Pool to ask questions about where he stood on this issue.

Over the next two hours, Councilman Kubosh not only told his personal stories about his father and his encounters with Jim Crow growing up in SE Texas, he listened as myself and many of the people and community LGBT leaders in attendance told their personal stories about the discrimination they had faced and urged him to vote to pass the HERO.  

Those of us in attendance made the points about why it was necessary to protect our human rights.  We made the facts based case why it would be a win-win to pass the HERO and expand human rights for us and all the citizens of Houston.  We debunked the lies of the opponents.   We pointed out how passage of the HERO would spur economic development but say to Texas, the nation, and the world that we value ALL Houstonians.   

When I got the chance to speak, I discussed the Izza Lopez and Tyjanae Moore cases as examples of the anti-trans discrimination in town.  Formed councilmember Jolanda Jones talked about the experience of the  former trans intern on her staff and the bathroom drama she experienced at City Hall.   I also pointed out that if Houston still wanted to make its dream of hosting an Olympic Games a reality, with the IOC moving to prevent future Sochi situations and require all candidate cities to have human rights legislation in place, might be a great idea to pass the HERO now.


We also pointed out that Houston was embarrassingly behind on this issue of expanding our non-discrimination ordinance to cover gender identity and expression and sexual orientation, and many of the cities that we compete with have it.     

It was an interesting two hours, and with what is sure to be a contentious public hearing on Wednesday at City Hall, the political fun is just getting started as the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance moves to a vote next month.