Phillip Aronoff Peddles Transphobia On The TX 29 Campaign Trail

The Texas 29th Congressional District was created in 1991 to ensure that a Latix person got elected to the US Congress.   But due to the Latinx vote being split among several candidates, Gene Green got the Democratic nomination and was elected to the seat in 1992. 

He has been its only congressmember ever since, as has comfortably been reelected in every election cycle since. 

Rep. Green announced in November 2017 that he is retiring and not running for reelection in 2018.
That set off a scramble in both parties for the seat and raised hopes in the Latinx community that they would finally get one of their own people to rep the congressional district that was drawn for them by the Texas Legislature to send one of their own to Congress.

State Sen. Sylvia Garcia is considered the frontrunner to get the nomination on the Democratic side, in a crowded field of seven candidates. 

There are four candidates vying for the Republican nomination, with one of those Republican candidates being Phillip Aronoff.   It's obvious based on his recent Meet The Candidate interview he hasn't gotten the message that transphobia is not a winning campaign issue, even in the Lone Star State.

If Aronoff thinks I'm kidding about that, ask former state representatives Debbie Riddle and Gilbert Pena.  They tried to pass anti-trans legislation in the 2015 session and found themselves  on the outside of the Pink Dome at the start of the 2017 Texas Lege session.

This is what he had to say about transgender people during his interview  and you can see it starting at the 33:20 mark

Phillip Aronoff – Republican US Congressional Candidate District 29 Texas

“I think the whole transgender thing is a fraud. I think that if you’re a man; you’re a man physically. They say that we who think that Global Warming is a fraud don’t believe in science. What could be less believing in science when a man can become a woman. To say that a man can have a baby, can identify as a man and have a baby; I find that absurd, and disingenuous. I mean, how can you change like-you can’t. So, so, so the science deniers are the people who say if you have XY chromosomes, you can still be a woman. That’s not the case. You don’t see that happening in the animal world. So I think that it’s pandering to a group of people who may have I think maybe an emotional problem … overcome it pandering to them. You didn’t expect that answer did you? “

That comment is not only transphobic, it's intersexphobic as well as exposing your ignorance of science to the world.    Ever heard of intersex people?  XY women exist due to transsexuality and an intersex condition known as androgen insensitivity syndrome

In the animal world, clownfish are just one of the species that can change their gender orientation.

The anti-intellectualism in the Republican Party has got to be stopped.   

I hope someone other than Aronoff gets the GOP nomination, but if he does manage to walk away with it.  I definitely will be doing my part along with trans folks and our allies who live in the 29th Congressional District to ensure that the Democratic nominee wins this seat.

At this crucial time in our country's history, we don't need a wilfully ignorant transphobe and intersexphobe in Congress.  .

Texas Bullet Train Preferred Houston Station Location Named

"One of my international bucket list things I want to do is ride one of the bullet trains in either Japan, China or France.  Hopefully before I leave this planet I will see that type of high speed intercity rail service operating here in the United States."-TransGriot, March 9, 2014

Well, looks like I may see and get to ride a bullet train in my lifetime, and right here in my home state if things keep progressing with the 240 mile (386 km) Texas Central Railway bullet train line getting closer to actually being built.

If built, the normally four hour drive by car between Houston and Dallas would be cut to a fast 200 mph 90 minute train ride, with departures every 30 minutes.

The preferred Dallas station location was already announced a month ago as a 60 acre site near the intersections of Interstates 30 and 35E  just southwest of downtown Dallas. 

The Brazos Valley stop in eastern Grimes County will be built in Roans Prairie, a town of 50 people halfway between College Station and Huntsville.

Texas Central Railway announced the preferred location for the  Houston station yesterday, and it's on the site of the nearly deserted Northwest Mall near the intersection of Loop 610 and US 290.

“Houston continues to grow. Growing the smart way includes providing a wider choice of transportation options that goes well beyond more private vehicles and more roads. The Texas Bullet Train project fits the transportation paradigm shift I have called for, and now with the selection of a preferred location for the Houston station, we are one big step closer to boarding for an exciting trip to the Brazos Valley and on to Dallas,” — Mayor Sylvester Turner

The Northwest Mall site was chosen because it would cause minimum disruption of the nearby neighborhoods, easy access to the railroad right of way, access to existing road networks currently under construction and access to METRO's nearby Northwest Transit Center


Public comment is happening at various sites along the length of the rail corridor, with how you feel about the train split along urban and rural lines.  In Houston and Dallas there is widespread support in both cities for the project, but vehement opposition to it in the rural areas that the elevated trains will pass through on the way to Dallas and Houston

We'll see if the construction on this train actually gets cranked up next year.   If it does, I'm one step closer to crossing a bucket list thing I've wanted to do in terms of riding a bullet train off my list.

And the best part is I won't have to leave Texas to do it.

Houston Victory Fund Campaign Training Happening This Weekend

One of the important political things that is also going on in Houston this weekend that I was bummed I couldn't take part in was the Victory Institute Candidate training that started February 1 and will end today.

The Victory Institute is the training arm of the Victory Fund now headed by my former mayor Annise Parker, who is the first elected official to every head the group.   The campaign training is a nonpartisan intensive multi day course offered by the Victory Institute, and the first one for 2018 happened in my Houston backyard.

Personal circumstances kept me from participating in it, but some of my trans family is here from different parts of Texas and the country taking part in it so that they can go forth from here and do their part to #TransformPolitics.

But I do want to take part in one of these training in the near future.

So if you're wondering whether Del. Danica Roem in Virginia or Councilmembers Andrea Jenkins and Phillipe Cunningham in Minneapolis aare one hit trans political wonders, nope they aren't

The trans community is serious about being the chefs of our political destiny and not being on the right wing political menu.

Perv Watch- HERO Hater Named In Lawsuit

One of the patterns that keeps emerging as I do these TransGriot Perv Watch posts is that they are predominately white, male, Republican and fundamentalist Christian.

In the first Perv Watch post of 2018, I stay close to home, and we discover something that shouldn't have been a surprise to me as we successfully fought to pass the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance in May 2014  and went through the repeal fight in 2015. 

One of our HERO haters possibly engaging in the behavior he was falsely accusing the Houston trans community of. 

Meet Jared Woodfill,  the president of the SPLC certified hate group the Conservative  Republicans of Texas.    Woodfill is the former chair of the Harris County Republican Party who made an unsuccessful bid to get the chairmanship of the Texas Republican Party

Seems that Jared was named as a defendant in a lawsuit against his law partner, former Republican state rep Paul Pressler      Pressler is accused of sexually assaulting Gareld Rollins over a period of 35 years, beginning when that person was just 14 years old.

#StillNotTrans     

In addition to Woodfill being named in the lawsuit, it also lists as defendants Pressler's wife Nancy Pressler, First Baptist Church,  the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and SBTS president Rev. Paige Patterson.   

Pressler claimed this is just an attempt to 'extort money from the Southern Baptist Convention ' and he will fight it tooth and nail.

Umm hmm.   Will be interesting to see how this turns out 

   

Not Going To The Houston Women's March

Tomorrow should have been a day in which women across the Houston metro area gathered to march from the Buffalo Bayou Waterworks Building to Houston City Hall, rally, network and build momentum toward flipping this state blue during the November 6  elections

That's not going to happen because the white fauxminist organizers continued last year's problematic pattern of refusing to #TrustBlackWomen and erasing trans women.   Because they didn't correct last year's mistake and invite Houston Black feminine leaders to the table to help plan the event,  it is not going to be a gathering of all the women in the Houston area.

Houston's Black women, cis and trans are sitting this one out and planning their own event on March 3 at Emancipation Park.

The white women running it declined to work with Houston Black feminine leaders from the outset, and don't .even get me started about their lack of outreach to the Houston trans feminine community.

Did you not get the lesson that if your feminism isn't intersectional, you're doing it wrong?
Obviously you didn't, and that's why I and many Houston Black feminine leaders and our allies WON"T be at your little party

I find it laughably ironic one of your slogans for the Houston march is 'Hear our vote' when the women voters that have been speaking the loudest are the votes of the Black women who are the base of the Democratic Party. 

It is Black women's votes that powered Hillary Clinton toward capturing the 2016 Democratic nomination and nearly got her the presidency.   It was Black women's votes that powered the blue wave wins in Virginia and Alabama in 2017, and that will carry the Democrats to victory in November because far too many of you white women are voting for Republicans like Trump and Abbott. 

So when y;all kick that march off, I'll have something else to do.

It's -3 In Houston....

Minus 3 celsius that is.   That's 26 degrees on the Fahrenheit scale.

Every few years Houston actually experiences winter weather with snow, ice, freezing rain and below freezing temps.   After we had a warmer than normal winter of 2016-17, I just had a feeling we were going to get some serious cold weather in H-town this year

The temperature was 52 degrees (11 C) at midnight but as the arctic blast settled over the Houston area, the temperature quickly plunged to 29 degrees (-2 C) by 4 AM CST as the light rain, sleet and snow wintry mix moved in early Tuesday morning.

The wintry mix compained with the steady temperature drop coated roads, freeways, bridges and overpasses with a layer of ice at over 100 spots across the Houston area that snarled and backed up traffic on I-10 in Chambers County for the folks trying to go westbound.

I-69 in Fort Bend County where it crosses the Brazos River was also closed   There were over 300 accidents in a 9 hour period despite lighter H-town traffic as people heeded Mayor Turner's call to stay off the roads  Over 900 flights were canceled at IAH and Hobby airports.

While the rest of y'all around the country may be laughing about us being shut down because of the icy weather, we've already lost two lives so far because of this arctic blast.  A homeless person died on Houston's southeast side behind a dumpster due to hypothermia along with one fatal car accident in Montgomery County. 

And the arctic air and hard freeze is going to stick around for the next fourteen hours along with a wind chill in the single digits ..

'The Icepocalypse' as they're calling it forced METRO to shut down transit operations at 5:30 PM because of the increasingly dangerous traffic conditions.   Government offices and business including The Galleria mall shut down at 3 PM.   HISD and other area school districts were closed today and already announced they would do so tomorrow along with UH and some area colleges.

And as long as I have heat and power, I'm good.

March For Black Women Houston Is Happening!

You would think that Texas white women, after voting for Greg Abbott in 2014 at a 67% clip, and Trump in 2016 would at least be trying in 2018 to atone for their past mistakes and learn what the word intersectionality means.

But nope, still making the same bullheaded white feminism fueled mistakes.  After failing to address concerns by various Houston Black and women of color leaders that women of color representation is still below reasonable expectations, Houston's Black women have said enough and are skipping the Houston Women's March scheduled on January 20.

Black Lives Matter Houston and Houston Rising are organizing the March for Black Women HOU that will take place on February 24 at Houston City Hall.

Black Women!!!! We are a power like no other when we are joined together. We have suffered the most heinous maltreatment in this country and we are still here. Standing. Proudly. Let us gather together to celebrate each other. There is no one that understands us like us. We will celebrate the African Diaspora of womanhood in all the ways it exist. Experience the music and poetry of sisters from dynamic perspectives. Engage in the advancement of Black Lives. Connect.

 This event is Black woman centered. We welcome all allies in support of black women. Be mindful that this is for us. This event will be continuously updated with artist and speakers who will be present at the march.

I've been asked to be part of it and have accepted the invitation.   As we get closer to the date of the March For Black Women HOU, I'll keep you posted on the developments. 

   

Congratulations To New Caucus Prez Mike Webb!

It was a packed January meeting for the Houston GLBT Caucus to start this 2018 political season which had a dual purpose tonight.

In addition to the many Houston area candidates seeking the prized Caucus endorsements in their state legislative, congressional and state judicial races, the Caucus membership was also meeting to elect a new president and board.

A long list of speakers that snaked around the Montrose Center room took turns getting one minute to explain why they were seeking the Caucus endorsements for their various races.

One candidate I was shocked to see walk through that door was Demetria Smith.  She had a failed run for the District D council seat in 2013 and for Houston mayor in 2015.  She's now running for the Democratic nomination for Texas governor.. 

She was also a transphobic HERO opponent during that failed 2015 mayoral run, but was allowed to come to the mic and address the crowd.  She had a meltdown after her time expired and is now trying to claim she was 'excluded' from the event.

Did Demetria Smith really think the Houston TBLGQ community would forget she opposed HERO and dissed the trans community while doing so? 

Naw boo boo kitty, we didn't.   And Moni is an unapologetic part of the trans community you dissed to oppose HERO.  I damned sure haven't forgotten who my enemies are from the 2015 HERO repeal fight.

Smith had the nerve to come ask for the Houston GLBT Caucus endorsement tonight in her doomed Democratic governor's primary race, and act a fool when her one minute ran out with a line of speakers snaking around the crowded room patiently waiting their turn to do so. 

FYI- 25% of the vote in a Texas statewide election comes from the Houston area.   The other fact is that if you're seeking to win a Democratic primary, the endorsement of the Houston GLBT Caucus (of which I am a member BTW) is a major Houston area political step towards making that happen. 

So have several sections of seats at Toyota Center.  I didn't forget you were anti-HERO and you hated on the Houston trans community while doing so.  And yeah, she's a SUF award nominee.

But back to the post.   Once the speeches were over, it was on to the main business of the night.

Caucus VP Mike Webb was elected as the organization's new president to succeed Frances Valdez,it's first ever Latina one.   Valdez decided not to seek a full term of her own, and was finishing the remainder of Fran Watson's term after she resigned to run for the Texas Senate.

Congrats Mike!  The Caucus leaders once again is in good hands.

Keeping My Houston City Council First Meeting of the Year Tradition Going

One of the New Year's traditions I've been observing that's a fairly new one for me is to attend the first Houston City Council meeting of the year.

It started out of necessity in 2014 when in the wake of Mayor Annise Parker's election to her final term in November 2013, the chatter about a Houston non-discrimination ordinance started ramping up.  Dee Dee Watters and I were concerned that transgender Houstonians would be left out of it because we had no elected trans representation on council, and we showed up at the first Council meeting of 2014 with several Houston Black trans peeps in tow.

At that January 2014 public comment meeting we insisted that any Houston non-discrimination ordinance being considered for adoption cover gender identity in order to protect the trans community. 

We also served notice at that January 2014 meeting that any attempt to pass a HERO without trans protections would leave the Houston trans community with no choice but to work to kill it. 

That's how it started, and ever since then either both of us or one of us will make certain that we are in the council chambers for that first council meeting of the year. 

Today it was my smiling face bringing Happy New Year greetings from the trans community, thanking Mayor Turner, HPD Chief Art Acevedo and his command staff for attending the vigil we held at City Hall for Brandi Seals, our Houston trans sister who was murdered last month. 

I also called for a renewed push to pass HERO 2.0 since in the wake of the November 2015 repeal of HERO, discrimination incidents, especially aimed at the Houston TBLGQ community have been rising.

And as soon as the video pops up, I'll post it.

We'll see what happens as the rest of 2018 transpires, but I definitely will be keeping an eye on Houston City Hall and won't rest until it does.

And yes, I'll be at the first meeting in January 2019.   That's an election year in H-town.

Where's President Joseph Charles?

Houston City Council public comment sessions can be entertaining at times with people from all walks of life able to speak for up to three minutes on whatever topic they choose. 

That means that in addition to having people come to City Hall to comment on issues like flooding, potholes, public safety and other issues germane to life in a large city, we also get our share of peeps who use their time to discuss conspiracy theories worthy of an Alex Jones InfoWars episode.

One way we regulars who speak at Houston City Council meetings definitively know that we have come to the end of a public comment session is when President Joseph Charles comes to the podium to get his one minute to say whatever he wants until his time has expired.



He's been a fixture at every City Council public comment session for over a decade, but during my last visit to City Hall I noticed that somebody was missing:  President Joseph Charles.

No one at City Hall has seen or heard from him over the last several months, so that has my inquiring mind asking the question where is he?   

Is President Joseph Charles still in town?  Has an illness or medical issue cropped up that has kept him from coming to City Hall?   Or has he passed on? 

It would be nice to have a definitive answer to these questions I'm posing.

Number 24- Rest In Power Brandi Seals

Still haven't hit Christmas Day yet and my sisters are still dying due to anti-trans violence. The latest trans person to die in 2017 not only is in my home state, but my hometown of Houston

26 year old Brandi Seals was found dead in front of a SE Houston home under construction at Brandon and Red Bud Streets in the Sunnyside neighborhood early Wednesday morning at approximately 6:00 AM.   One person reported hearing six gunshots before Brandi's body was discovered.

As you probably guessed, FOX 26's John Donnelly  horribly botched the reporting in this story.  The initial reporting was so horrible he neglected to get Brandi's age, or say in the story where her body was found. 

A mere blogger found that out doing the basic 101 level reporting Donnelly failed to do.

But Donnelly sure had no trouble misgendering Brandi or shadily injecting prostitution into it .

I also had a serious problem with the HPD detective Fil Waters referring to Brandi on air as 'a man dressed in women's clothes'   Brandi is not a 'he' or a 'man dressed in women's clothes', she is a transgender woman.

Brandi is the 24th trans person killed in the US in 2017 . She was also the 18th Black trans person (17 trans feminine) killed in 2017 and the fourth trans person in Texas this year. 

And once again in a patter that continues to infuriate and disgust me, she was under age 30.

As of yet, speaking of HPD they have no leads in finding Brandi's killer, so if you do have any information that will lead to the expeditious arrest, prosecution and incarceration of her killer, you can call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477)

Two vigils are being planned.   One is being organized by Dee Dee Watters at  the Sunnyside location where Brandi died starting at 7 PM tonight.   Another will take place at City Hall at 5 PM Friday 

Rest in Power and peace Brandi.   We will not rest until the person who killed you is apprehended, prosecuted and is rotting away in a TDC jail cell. 

What's Nikki Araguz Loyd Up To? Running Nectar

You know that some of my archived posts track the progress of Nikki Araguz Loyd's landmark marriage case that overturned Littleton v Prange and established the marriage rights for trans Texans

Since that Araguz v. Delgado case successfully concluded, she has been busy selling her husband William Loyd's amazing artwork, being a mom, doing some trans advocacy work of interest to her and most recently the PTA president , 

Nikki is now flexing her entrepreneurial talents in running Nectar.

So what's Nectar?   It's a cafe that serve delicious waffles, baked goods, nitrogen infused cold brew coffee and nitrogen infused ice cream in the Humble- FM 1960 area.

Nectar features a full traditional coffee bar including nitro cold brew on tap, nitro ice cream as well as nitro infused sweet and savory treats whimsically referred to as dragon's breath. The center of the café is a full waffle bar including their signature gluten free Nectar waffle reminiscent of a Brazilian cheese bread,  They also serve traditional waffles topped with items like BBQ beef, air fried chicken and for you adventurous foodies, escargot.

The nitrogen infused ice cream comes in 45 flavors and looking forward to checking it out along with some of the other offerings on Nectar's menu.   Nectar's interior is also decorated with William Loyd's  amazing artwork

Nectar's Grand Opening happened back on December 2, and so far the unique to the area family friendly cafe is receiving positive reviews..

Nectar is located at 7576 FM 1960 E in Humble, TX.   Will and Nikki would love to have you stop by and check out what they have to offer. .

Jose Altuve and JJ Watt Named SI Sportspersons Of The Year

The SI Sportsperson of the Year has been chosen by Sports Illustrated since the magazine's 1954 founding to 'honor the person or team whose performance most embodies the spirit of sportsmanship and achievement'.

Even though Sports Illustrated is a US based publication, non American athletes are also eligible to win that year award.  There have also been several years in which multiple athletes have won the award.

This wear we finally had athletes who represent two Houston sports teams win the SI Sportsperson of the Year award in Jose Altuve and JJ Watt. 

We all are aware of the awesomeness of the Houston Texans all world defensive lineman, but he also has a heart as big as the over 600 square miles of Houston.

As H-town was reeling in the wake of Hurricane Harvey's devastation, Watt raised $37 million for relief efforts here. 

Altuve is not only a humanitarian who devotes time to several causes here in the Houston area, also led the Houston Astros to their first ever World Series title in a memorable playoff run for this team.  Altuve also captured the American League MVP along the way   

It has been an amazing sports year in Houston with the Astros title, the Dynamo making it to the MLS Western Conference finals and the Rockets getting off to a strong start in the 2017-18 NBA season.   Altuve and Watt winning the SI Sportsperson of the Year just adds an exclamation point to it.

Lina Hidalgo- People's State of the County Speech

Despite Harris County going undeniably blue in the 2016 election cycle, we unfortunately have a 4-1 Republican majority on the Harris County Commissioners Court.

County Judge Ed Emmett, knowing that he is up for reelection in a few months  in a county that is increasingly Democratic and pissed off at GOP controlled Austin and Washington DC, has been trying to play the 'I'm a moderate Republican' card.  She's dhowed up at this year's Transgender Unity Banquet.

But where was his azz when we needed a Republican to speak up about the unjust SB 6?  HERO?  SB 4?   He was fundraising for the same reprehensible Texas Republicans he's now trying to riverdance away from .   

It's one of the reasons I would love to see Lina Hidalgo #FireEdEmmett and become the next Harris County Judge.

Since Emmett recently gave a state of Harris County speech, I'm giving Lina Hidalgo some time on my blog for you to hear her commentary about the county and her opponent.

'No Letter Left Behind' Conversation Tonight At Obsidian Theater

One of the things I've been saying for a while is that we need to have ongoing conversations and information dissemination events in Houston concerning TBLGQ issues.

Later today the group A Conversation For Colored Girls is sponsoring this event at the Obsidian Theater that seeks to jumpstart a dialogue about the lesbian, gay, bi, trans, queer/questioning , intersex and asexual+ community.

So what's A Conversation for Colored Girls?  It's a community nonprofit that meets once a month to present invigorating conversation that aims to create a safe space for all of those who identify as women, and women of color, to come together for transformative conversation.

It also asks the very valid question how can we move forward as a people if we leave so many people, and specifically people in the TBLGQIA community behind?

This month's 'No Letter Left Behind' conversation hopes to dive into the semantics behind the LQBTQIA+ community and seeks to understand the significance of every letter representing the community and the people those letters represent

I agree with A Conversation For Colored Girls in the expressed sentiment that a lack of knowledge will never be an excuse for cruelty. As we explore each letter we gain a better understanding of everyone who lies on the spectrum. Opening our minds to appreciate the distinct people within the TBLGQIA+ community while showing the respect that is so seldom given, but always deserved.

This is your chance to ask questions and gain knowledge!

A Conversation For Colored Girls provides a safe space for such conversations as these. Come, share, and learn.  The doors open for the Obsidian Theater and this AC4CG sponsored conversation start at 6:30 PM.

If you can, bring a friend.  because this is a conversation that has needed to happen since the passage of HERO in May 2014 and its repeal with the help of sellout Black pastors colluding with white fundamentalists and Republicans in November 2015.

The Obsidian Theater is located at 3522 White Oak Dr, and hope to see you there.

Major! Documentary Screening And Panel Tonight At UH

I enjoy the opportunities I get to walk the grounds of my collegiate alma mater, and what's bringing me back to UH again  is a screen of the documentary Major followed by a trans rights panel discussion with my fellow panelists Jessica Zyrie and Reagan White

Since I was on the advisory board for the movie,  I've already seen it.   But for those of you who haven't, you'll definitely want to roll by the UH campus to see this documentary about one of our amazing trans elders who in her words is 'still f*****g here. 

It'll be running from 6-9 PM  at Agnes Arnold Hall Auditorium 2, and hope to see you there.

Take A Knee Protest At NRG Stadium

If Bob McNair thought that the passage of time and ignoring it would eliminate the anger myself and many people had at him about his racist 'inmates running the prison' comment,, no it hasn't.

During the Texans game at NRG Stadium yesterday with the Arizona Cardinals, several groups led by the ACLU and the Texas Organizing Project 'took a knee' in solidarity with Houston Texans and other NFL players who continue to take a knee during the national anthem to protest injustice aimed at Black Americans.

The Texans were intially refraining from joining the protest out of respect for McNair, but once news of his infamous NFL meeting comments got out. took a knee before their October 29 game with the Seattle Seahawks..

Three buses full of protesters showed up yesterday actross the street from NRG Stadium to call on McNair to either step down as the Texans owner or make meaningful progress on his stated position of making progress on social,justice issues 

Some also called out his participation in the blackballing of free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick in light of the fact Texans starter Deshaun Watson has been lost for the season with a knee injury.

There was also a call during yesterday's rally for McNair and other NFL owners to respect the ability of players to exercise their First Amendment rights.   They also pushed back against the right wing lie that the NFL player protests were 'disrespecting the flag'  or 'disrespecting veterans'

The press conference was followed by a short march that ended with the protesters taking a knee in the right lane of Kirby Drive.

Memorial Hermann Has A Medical Transphobia Problem

Went to visit my friend Samantha yesterday who was taken to Memorial Hermann in the Texas Medical Center after having several grand mal seizures on Tuesday morning.

And I was not happy to find out when I arrived late Wednesday morning that what she has experience runs counter to what Memorial Hermann posts

One of the fears we have in Trans World is when we must access the medical establishment while trans is being mistreated. 

We trans peeps have to access the medical world for things besides transition related health care for things such as flu shots, general healthcare exams, mammograms and pap smears   Some of us have had to access emergency health care as well for broken bones or other issues.

Some of us have experienced everything from being repeatedly misgendered by hospital personnel to being hit with outright refusals of doctors and other medical personnel to treat us based on their faux faith based prejudices. 

Medical transphobia can have deadly consequences for us as we transpeeps and our allies are all acutely aware of and has been documented in the 2015 US Transgender Survey.

23% of the respondents in the USTS survey have declined to see a doctor or seek medical treatment because of the fear of being mistreated as a transgender person.

When Samantha recounted to me what had transpired since she was admitted to Memorial Hermann, combined with the misgendering I personally witnessed,  pissed me off.  It also pissed off Kandice Webber, Mo Cortez, Ana Andrea Molina and a long list of people in the Houston advocacy community.

The fact this is happening during Trans Awareness Week in what is considered one of the best medical centers in the United States adds another level of pissivity to what is going on .

Samantha has been repeatedly misgendered by doctors, nurses, and the staff.  The Patient Advocate, after being requested by Samantha Tuesday, wasn't grasping the gravity of the situation and didn't see her until Kandice, who when not doing activism is a supervisory nurse, put them on blast about their piss poor care of her. 

The question that is running through all of our minds as we battle for Sam to have the respectful trans competent healthcare she deserves is  how man other Houston area trans people have suffered through the same crap?

To borrow Kandice's words to the Patient Advocate and other as we witness continues screwup in relation to Samantha's care, "Don't apologize for your mistakes, do better!"

But it is blatantly obvious to me and everyone else who has visited Samantha that Memorial Hermann in the Texas Med Center has a serious case of virulent transphobia, and it's a problem that needs to be rectified immediately.