WFPL-FM 'Strange Fruit' Show Premieres

I'd heard this show was in the works, but WFPL-FM 89.3, Louisville's public access radio station is kicking off a brand new podcast radio show dedicated to the issues facing the local community.

It's entitled Strange Fruit: Musings on Politics, Pop Culture and Black Gay Life  (after the Billie Holiday song) and features as its hosts two of my fave people in my other hometown in Dr. Kaila A Story and Jaison Gardner.  And yes, in the interest of journalistic integrity 'Nephew' Jaison refers to me as Auntie Monica..

But back to the post. 

The first episode is entitled, "Does Your Mama Know?" and looks at the coming out process for LGBT people of color.  They started a roundtable discussion with young people who have come out to their families, talked to some mamas about their reactions to their children coming out, then had a conversation with Lisa C. Moore, editor of Does Your Mama Know?: An Anthology of Black Lesbian Coming Out Stories.   

You can keep up with what's happening on Strange Fruit via Facebook and Twitter, and the show's hosts  enthusiastically welcome your feedback.  They post a new podcast episode each Saturday; so stay tuned.

I know I definitely plan on doing so, and congratulations Dr. K and 'Nephew'.   May your show be a major success.

Anniversary Vigil For Nakhia Today

I recently wrote about justice finally being served in my friend Nakhia Williams' case in Louisville with the wastes of DNA who committed the crime being punished for doing so .

Today is the fourth anniversary of  Nikki's death and there is a vigil being planned for her at 10:30 AM EDT.  She was a good friend that I miss and I wish I could be there for it.  

Here's the press reease from the Fairness Campaign for the vigil

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Nakhia "Nikki" Williams was a proud transgender woman, a writer and painter, who was deeply involved in her community. She was brutally murdered in Louisville on August 20, 2008, a few days shy of her 30th birthday. This Monday, August 20--the anniversary of Nikki's murder--the Fairness Campaign will join her family to remember Nikki, and all victims of bias-motivated violent crime, at the site of her murder, 15th and Market Streets, 10:30 a.m.

Pinwheels will be distributed at the gathering symbolizing hope of ending all bias-motivated violent crime.

"With the recent Sikh temple shooting, the assault on a young lesbian girl in Louisville, and the brutal attack of a Nebraska lesbian, it is necessary to further the discussion of ending prejudice and bias-based violent crime in America," shared Fairness Campaign co-coordinator Keith Brooks.

WHAT: Pinwheels of Hope--A Remembrance of All Victims of Bias-Motivated Violent Crime

WHEN: Monday, August 20, 10:30 a.m. (anniversary of Nakhia's murder)

WHERE: 15th & Market Streets in Downtown Louisville (site of Nakhia's murder)

2nd Annual Kentuckiana Black Gay Pride

TransGriot Note: The second annual edition of Kentuckiana Gay Black Pride kicked off yesterday and will continue with events all around the Louisville area through Sunday    So if you folks in the area or in driving range of Louisville are looking for something to do this weekend , check out the various events.

Thursday, 8/9/12:

8:00 p.m. - 3:00 a.m. at Purrswaytions (2235 South Preston St): Open Mixer

Friday, 8/10/12:

12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. at Central Presbyterian Church (318 W. Kentucky St): "Can't Take My Greatest" -- Summit helping teens deal with the issues of bullying and coming out.
3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. at Central Presbyterian Church (318 W. Kentucky St): "Love, Sex, and Protection" -- Educational Conference to teach new and old couples how to protect themselves. On site testing will be available.
8:00 p.m. - 3:00 a.m. at the Rudyard Kipling (422 W. Oak St): KGBPA 2nd Annual Pageant
2:00 a.m. at 1203 South 12th Street: Rainbow Licks Ent. After Hours (Black Pride Edition)
Saturday, 8/11/12

Noon till 9:00 p.m. in Central Park (1340 S. 4th St): 2nd Annual KGBPA Pride Festival

Sunday, 8/12/12

5:00 p.m. at Christ Hope Church Louisville (2231 Payne Street): Sunday Worship & Fellowship Dinner
10:30 p.m. - 3:00 a.m. at Norm's Club 21 (1481 South Shelby Street): Serve Me Sundays (Black Pride Edition)

Justice For Nakhia!

When I was living in Louisville, I got to know and become friends in 2005 with Nakhia Williams.   I was shocked and angry to find out less than a few days after I had a conversation with her in August 2008 she was found shot near her west Louisville apartment after a home invasion robbery August 20 and died from it ten days later.   

I was even more pissed off when I saw the initial misgendering headline about that 2008 case and reported WDRB-TV to GLAAD over their misgendering report that violated AP Stylebook guidelines on reporting about trans people.   I wasn't the only one pissed about it.  So were local trans people and other persons who attended her funeral. 

Was happy to find out that the wastes of DNA who committed the crime, Reginald Grider and Damon Malone were caught by LMPD and recently brought to justice. 

And WDRB-TV respectfully reported it on their site.

Grider received 15 years for the robbery and burglary of Nakhia's apartment.  Just before the trial was scheduled to start, Malone accepted a plea deal and was sentenced to 35 years for Nakhia's murder..

No, the punishments don't bring her back, but it does provide closure to the family and all of us who loved Nakhia and miss her in our lives.

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The Olympian I Know

I look forward to watching the Olympics and  rooting for the athletes representing my country and others in various sports  

The intensity and interest goes up another notch when you actually have a personal connection with the person you're watching compete for Olympic glory

When I first started watching my then roommate pick up a sabre and start participating in various fencing tournaments inside the Kentucky Division and the Great Lakes Region, in the process of supporting my homegirl Dawn I got to meet some of the wonderful people who are part of US Fencing in that part of the world.

In addition to meeting the families, parents and friends of fencers, the 'Baby Vets' and the 'Senior Mama's, the gang at LFC, Maestro Stawicki, various officials and referees in US fencing, I also got to meet some of the up and coming US fencers when I was the announcer for the Super Youth Regional tourney that was held in Louisville in 2010.  

One of the fencing families I got to know during my time in Kentucky were the Kiefers.  Lee, her sister Alex and her baby brother are all foil fencers and pretty darned good ones.   Lee was already fencing on the international cadet level when I met them and their proud parents a few years ago.

When Dawn and I used to discuss Lee's tremendous talent or her  chances to be on or selected for a USA Olympic fencing team, we never used the word 'if' when discussing her, but 'when'  

Dawn and I along with everyone else in the Kentucky Division expected her to be in London, and here she is competing at age 18 with a 2011 Pan Am Games gold medal and a raft of cadet and junior championship medals in hand.  She also has the distinction of being only the second American woman to ever earn a medal at the senior World Fencing Championships when she picked up a bronze last October. . 

Lee made it to the quarterfinals of her first Olympic foil tournament before being ousted by the eventual silver medalist Arriana Errigo of Italy.   Lee is also a smart, super sweet person in addition to having serious fencing ability and talent.

I was up early to watch her match yesterday morning, and while I was sad she fell just short of the medal round, she made some fencing history in the process.  I have no doubts I will be seeing her again in Rio four years from now and she'll be standing on the medal platform when she competes in that 2016 tournament.

She still has the team foil event to go in a few days (August 2), so if things break her way, she may head back to Kentucky with a London Olympic medal after all.   

Congrats Lee.  It's an honor to have a personal connection with an Olympic athlete and know firsthand the levels of hard work, determination and effort it took for you to be standing on that London Olympic strip.

I'm one more person who is immensely proud of you

Kentucky Basketball Hatefest Squared

Well, well, well.   This Final Four in New Orleans will have a lot of folks from Kentucky in town for it since half the teams playing are from the Bluegrass State.

It'll be Kentucky and Louisville playing each other in one of the national semifinals, and boy would I love to be in Da Ville this week observing the jousting between Wildcat and Cardinal fans.   Then again I spent eight years being recruited by Cards and Cats fans trying the swell the ranks of their fanbases by one.

So yep the house Divided will be even more intense this week, and as the tipoff to the battle in the Superdome gets closer, the hate will flow on the Net, in workplaces, and even amongst friends and family.

Should be a fun game to watch.    As for who I'm rooting for?   I'm neutral on this one.

Still Thinking About My Louisville Peeps

I spent almost nine years living in Louisville and visited it a few times before it become home during the 2Ks.

So when I moved back to Texas, while I was coming back to be with my blood family and friends that date back to childhood here, at the same time the friendships I had built up and nurtured during my time in the area were now about to get tested by the 1000 miles that would separate me from their everyday lives.

There are times when just watching a UK or U of L game or the Derby triggers some memories about some event I attended there or stuff that me, Dawn, Polar or others were involved with.  

I can't ever hear about or watch a fencing match these days without thinking about the wonderful people at the Kentucky Division, Louisville FC, Bluegrass FC, Knight of Swords, the 'Baby Vets' or the 'Senior Mamas'.

I think about Rev. Sally McClain and the wonderful people at Edenside, who were some of the first people I encountered in the days immediately after I moved there and I was depressed about leaving Houston.  . 

I think about local journalist Angie Fenton, who I met while she was compiling an article on transpeople in the area and a friendship developed as a result of it.  

I think about the people at the Fairness Campaign, the Kentucky rainbow community and the Louisville liberal-progressive community I helped fight the powers that be with and advance the cause of human rights for all.  

I also think about the folks when it's time for the University of Louisville's  on campus pride celebration during the fall semester or TDOR like Brian Buford and Dr. Kaila Story  

And speaking of TDOR, this post wouldn't be complete without me talking about the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, the lead sponsors of the events there and the wonderful people on that campus..

Even my former neighbors cross my mind at various intervals.  I'm also thinking about the people who were in my sistahcircle in Da Ville as well like my homegirl Shaha that I miss talking to or dialing up for advice or chatting with on a regular basis..    
 
While various events trigger those trips up I-65 memory lane at times, nothing does it to me more than the holiday season. 

So what triggered this post?  Bardstown Aglow was last night, and I was a little down about that until I got called by Dawn and hit up for chats on my FB page by Aletha Fields.   Felt good to talk to both of them.

It also felt good to know I was still missed 18 months later by most the people whose lives I came in contact with and impacted on what I hope they perceived as a positive manner on one level or another while I lived there.

Miss y'all too.. 

Transgender Week Of Awareness Events In Da Ville

TransGriot Note: Yeah, I'm still on the activist e-mail lists for a lot of what goes on in Louisville, and they made sure I got this one since I used to help plan some of these events while I lived there.
To any media peeps in the Louisville area who happen to be reading TransGriot, you are invited to attend these events.

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TRANSGENDER WEEK OF AWARENESS EVENTS

Trans Student Speakout, Tuesday, Nov 15, 7:00 p.m., Shumaker Research Building at UofL, Room 137 - A panel of transgender students discuss their lives.

TransView, Tuesday, Nov 15, 9:30 p.m., Starbase Q, 921 West Main Street  - A discussion on the trans community from six different viewpoints. Panelists include: Holly Knight, Alana Montgomery, AJ Jones, Bejon St. James, Daiyu Hurst, and Lucian Grey (21+ event)

Transgender Health Discussion, Wednesday, Nov 16, 3:30 p.m., Multipurpose Room, Campus Health Services at UofL - A panel of trans people and other health professionals will discuss health care, body image, and other issues; hosted by Campus Health Services and the LGBT Service Health Liaison.

"Fairness Campaign: 20 Years of Making It Better" History Panel on Trans Inclusion, Wednesday, Nov 16, 6:30 p.m., McAtee Room in the Winn Center, Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, 1044 Alta Vista Rd -  Panelists include Fairness Campaign co-founders, straight and queer allies, and early transgender community leaders: Lisa Gunterman, Beth Harrison Prado, K.A. Owens, David Williams, and Dawn Wilson moderated by Chris Hartman.

Pastoring Transgender-Inclusive Congregations, Friday, Nov 18, 12:30 p.m., McAtee Room in the Winn Center, Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, 1044 Alta Vista Rd - Sponsored by the Women's Center at Louisville Seminary, this free clergy panel discussion focuses on the blessings and challenges of ministry in a setting that openly welcomes transgender worshippers and members.

Transgender Week of Awareness Afterparty, Friday, Nov 18, 10:00 p.m., Starbase Q, 921 West Main Street - 21+ party in celebration of the transgender community.

Movie Showing - Gun Hill Road, Saturday, Nov 19, 1:00 p.m., UofL's Chao Auditorium, Ekstrom Library - The story of a teen exploring gender identity and sexuality in an intolerant and judgmental world and his exploration's impact on his relationship with his parents and himself. Sponsored by PFLAG (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbian and Gays) and UofL's trans-activist student group, T2.

Transgender Day of Remembrance Service, Sunday, Nov 20, 7:00 p.m., Outside the Red Barn in the center of UofL's campus - Memorial service recognizing transgender individuals whose lives were lost to anti-trans violence.

Rep. Yarmuth Salutes 20th Anniversary Of Fairness Campaign

Y'all know I have have much love for Rep. John Yarmuth from my time in Da Ville.   When he wrote a column for the LEO, the alternative paper there he called out Republican Rep Anne Northup every chance he got during her ten years occupying that seat in a predominately Democratic district.

Yarmuth ran and beat her in 2006, then beat her in the rematch by a larger margin in 2008.

He salutes the Fairness Campaign for 20 years of work fighting for TBLG rights in the city of Louisville and the state of Kentucky from the floor of the House.

Congratulations Louisville Metro Councilmember Scott!

Aww yeah, got a smile as wide as Texas on this one.  

Congratulations to Attica Woodson Scott, the new District 1 Metro Councilmember!.  

Out of the 13 people who interviewed for the position, Scott and attorney Courtney Phelps were nominated to replace the expelled Dr. Judy Green.  

She was elected to fill the remaining term of Green by an 18-7 Metro Council vote.
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Councilmember Scott said in a Courier-Journal interview that she feels a need to live up to “higher expectations” in office.   Her predecessor was expelled by a unanimous Metro Council vote last month for unethical behavior and financial misappropriations.

“I’m deeply honored and humbled and I look forward to being here (Friday) morning to get to work,”Councilmember Scott said.

I'm biased because I've had the pleasure of knowing her during the time I lived there, but the Metro Council couldn't have selected a better person to fill out that remaining term.  She lives in the district and knows the issues, has 15 years experience working on social justice issues, and can and will hit the ground running in trying to solve the problems of her District 1 constituents to the best of her ability.

And yeah, hope the people of District 1 on November 6, 2012 send her back to Metro City Hall.

Good Luck Attica!

TransGriot Note: In the interest of journalistic integrity I served on the Fairness Campaign board from 2006 until December 2007 and the secretary of C-FAIR from September 2009 until May 2010  

One of the people I got to meet during my time in Da Ville was social justice activist Attica Woodson Scott.   She was in the process of running for the Jefferson County School Board when I moved and unfortunately didn't get it.

Due to District 1 councilmember Dr. Judy Green being expelled from office for ethical misconduct, that left a vacancy on Metro Council that needs to be filled.   I was happy to hear that Attica decided to submit her resume and become one of the 13 candidates to enter the race for the District 1 seat and serve the remainder of Green's unexpired term.    

Louisville Metro Council members conducted interviews on Tuesday with the hopefuls vying for appointment to the seat which the Metro Council will select by majority vote tonight.  The person they select will have to run next year to keep the seat.so of course the Democratic controlled Metro Council will want to choose someone who not only is qualified, but has the broad based support in District 1 to win it in next November's election.


Thanks to Attica's longtime social justice work in Louisville and her previous run for the JCPS board, she has that support and was endorsed by C-FAIR, the political action committee of the Fairness Campaign.

"Ms. Scott possesses an unwavering and long-standing record of devotion to issues pertaining to organized labor and Fairness," shared C-FAIR Board Co-Chair Nick Wilkerson. "That record, paired with her clear social justice stances built upon an understanding of the inherent intersections of all forms of oppression, makes her uniquely suited to represent all Louisville's 1st District residents."

I agree, Nick.   Good luck, Attica.  Hope the Metro Council is wise enough to fill that vacant seat with you.