Upcoming 2015 Aqui Estamos RGV POC Queer Conference

The state of Texas is bigger than France in size, and that can make it difficult to organize statewide or when we have BTLGQ lobby days in Austin.   The sheer size of the state for example makes it hard for someone in the Panhandle, West Texas, Northeast Texas, East Texas or the El Paso area to come to lobby, even if they fly to Austin, without planning on taking at least two days minimum for travel the day of and the day after the event. 

Because our Texas TBLGQ communities are also clustered in the state's larger cites like Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio, the statewide conferences tend to be held in those cities as well, with the same applicable travel issues.

The Rio Grande Valley in South Texas is predominately Latino and for the most part liberal progressive, but it's still about a four hour one way drive from the Valley's major cities of Harlingen, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo to our state capitol of Austin.  |But the Valley, just like everywhere else in the Lone Star State, has TBLGQ Latinos living there as well.

And with Latinos being the fastest growing ethnic group in Texas, they will be part of an increasingly powerful voting bloc.  The Latino population in Texas is estimated to eclipse white Texans and become the largest ethnic group in the state next year and nationally by 2040.

Thanks to Lou Weaver, I was alerted to an upcoming conference, the Aqui Estamos RGV Conference that will be taking place at the STC Cooper Center in McAllen from August 6-7.

It's the first ever LGBTQ centered conference to take place in the Rio Grande Valley, and it seeks to bring together queer-identifying people of color and allies to identify the institutional, social, and cultural currents and themes that continue to oppress queer and gender nonconforming identities in our borderland.

The goal of Aquí Estamos RGV is to strive to challenge those currents and themes by creating a visible and unified movement where LGBTQ people can stand in solidarity for justice.

As the first LGBTQ centered conference in the Rio Grande Valley, Aquí Estamos RGV 2015 will focus on visibility, strategizing, and community and is also open to allies . If you need further details about this first ever event , visit aquiestamosrgv.org.    The conference also has its own Twitter hashtag, #aquiestamos15

If you wish to attend, the conference is FREE, but you'll need to RSVP for it by July 20.

Guess Who's NOT Coming To The 2015 NCLR Conference?

The National Council of La Raza (NCLR) is the largest national Hispanic civil rights organizations in the country, and their annual conference is the largest gathering of Hispanic leaders, institutions, politicians and activists in the United States. 

This year's NCLR conference is in Kansas City, MO  from July 11-14, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is scheduled to speak to an estimated 2200 delegates along with Democratic presidential candidates Senator Bernie Sanders and Governor Martin O'Malley.

attendees will hear NCLR President and CEO Janet Murguía and other speakers address key issues in the Latino community today, including our nation’s economy, technology and community policing, among others. - See more at: http://www.nclr.org/index.php/about_us/news/news_releases#sthash.XiRf3DKp.dpuf

The delegates will also gather to hear NCLR President and CEO Janet Murguia and others speak on July 14 about issues of importance to the Latino community such as immigration, community policing, the economy, and education just to name a few.

Any smart politician is keenly aware of the fact that Latinos are the fastest growing demographic group in the US, and will have increasing clout in the upcoming 2016 presidential election.  

People who are competing for their party's presidential nominations and eventually the presidency of the United States would be wise to speak to these assembled leaders at this NCLR Conference, lay out their vision for America and what their policies will specifically do for the Hispanic community.

But guess who won't be in the Kansas City Convention Center for the NCLR conference?   All 16 Republican presidential candidates.   Interesting to note they all declined their invitations from NCLR to speak at this year's conference. 

Hmm. Don't feel bad Latino community.  The GOP routinely disses the NAACP convention until it's an election year.   Shows you how serious they are about wanting to court your votes, and I hope you remember that in November 2016.

But then again, with all the hateful rhetoric they and Donald Trump have spewed lately about Mexican immigrants lately on FOX Noise and in conservafool media combined with their refusal to pass immigration reform despite having control of the House and Senate, it's probably why the Republican candidates are making sure their campaign travel plans don't include Kansas City this week.

Should be fun to watch what happens in KC over the next few days and see what excuses the GOP presidential clown bus comes up with as to why they avoided the NCLR Conference.

More 2014 Honor 41 Trans Videos

There were nine trans people named to the 2014 edition of the Honor 41 list honoring the contributions of LGBT Latinos.  As their videos get released, I'll be posting them to TransGriot.

I've already posted Ruby Corado's video, and now I'll post the latest ones to be released in the persons of Luis Gutierrez-Mock and Brenda Del Rio Gonzales

Luis



Brenda (in Spanish)

2014 Honor 41 List Initial Videos

The links to the 2014 Honor 41 List honoree videos are becoming available. .  

So what's the Honor 41 list?  It was founded by Alberto B. Mendoza last year to recognize and celebrate LGBTQ Latin@ community role models.   The inaugural list had 5 trans people on it, this year there were nine trans people selected.  One of them was my DC homegirl Ruby Corado.



I'm going to compose an Honor 41 post highlighting all the trans Latin@ peeps selected this year and those nine videos..

In the meantime, congratulations to all the people selected this year, and to see the posted so far Honor 41 List videos, just click on this link.

The 2014 Honor 41 List Honorees Are...

The Honor 41 list founded by Alberto B. Mendoza celebrates  LGBTQ Latin@ role models, and last year we were excited to learn that the inaugural 2013 class of Honor 41 List honorees included 5 trans people.

The Honor 41 list takes its name from a 1901 Mexico City hate crime in which a clandestine party was raided and the 41 people in attendance were beaten, arrested, and disappeared from society because of their sexual orientation and gender identity.   In Mexico, the number 41 became a slang term to refer to someone with a different sexual orientation

Honor 41 confronts this history and reclaims it to honor inspirational individuals and LGBTQ leaders of Latina/o heritage who are blazing the trail toward acceptance and equality. 

The Honor 41 2014 Class was announced this morning, and the trans representation is up to nine people.   As you probably guessed I do know a few of them.   Ruby Corado is one of the nine people honored this year!




"Everyone has a story, so having the opportunity to capture the stories of these amazing role models and share them with others is incredible, said Alberto B. Mendoza, founder of Honor 41 and the producer of the Honor 41 List.  "I know by sharing these stories, we are making it easier for Latino LGBTQ individuals to come out and live their lives with honor and pride."  

In the coming weeks as they are released and I get them from Alberto, I'll be posting the links to all the Honor 41 trans honoree videos.

Congratulations to all the Honor 41 class of 2014 honorees for all they do to advance our human rights struggle and understanding of LGBTQ people inside and outside the Latino/a community. 

The Latin@ Trans Year In Review

TransGriot Note: I was hoping that someone from the Latino/a trans community or an ally would step up to compile a Latin@ Trans Year In Review post.  But after one didn't materialize, I received a few requests from my Latin@ readers to do so. I'm flattered that you have expressed confidence in me to write it, and I'm doing so with input from members of the Latin@ trans community.

The Latin@ Trans community, like their African American counterparts, also experienced a year.in which they received increasing attention, faced daunting challenges and expressed optimistic hope for the future

When the inaugural Trans 100 List was released, there were ten Latin@ trans persons, Alexis Martinez, Andre Perez, Bamby Salcedo, Diego Sanchez, Drago Renteria, Harmony Santana, Ignacio Rivera, Monika MHz, Ruby Corado and Yosenio V. Lewis recognized for their contributions to the community at large.      

The Latin@ community oriented Honor 41 List created by Alberto Mendoza to bring visibility to and highlight the accomplishments of Latina and Latino LGBT people made its debut with 5 total trans persons on it.   Salcedo made that inaugural list, along with Arianna Inurritegui Lint, Maria Roman, Danielle Castro and transman Isaac Gomez.   The 2014 edition of the Honor 41 list will be accepting nominations soon

One of those persons emerging as a major community leader this year was Bamby Salcedo, the founding president of the Trans Latin@ Coalition.   In addition to leading this growing organization, she helped focus attention on immigration issues and how they affect the Latina immigrant community. 

Ruby Corado continued to build her Washington DC based Casa Ruby Multicultural Center into one that while founded to primarily serve the Latin@ trans community, serves the entire DC community and region.  That expansive vision became even more important when the THE Center that had been open since 2004 closed its doors in October due to fiscal trouble.  Casa Ruby was also recently awarded a $25,000 one year grant in November by the DC Council of Latino Affairs.

Casa Ruby also received a visit from Cuban trans activist Wendy Iriepa Diaz and her husband Ignacio Estrada Cepero on July 26 during the Washington part of their three month visit to the United States.  While in DC the Cuban couple also took a trip to Capitol Hill to visit Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) before flying back to Miami and eventually returning home to Cuba. 

Another trans Latina getting national attention besides Salcedo and Corado as a national leader was Arianna Inurritegui Lint.   She is becoming a frequent presence on Spanish language media as the Eastern co-chair of the Trans Latin@ Coalition when they discuss trans issues.

Like Bamby, she was also presenting at major conferences and conventions discussing the immigration issue and other relevant ones to trans Latinas.  Arianna just recently became a Managing Director at SunServe overseeing their Transgender Services Department.     

Trans Latin@s were making their voices heard in media outlets besides print and television.  Consuella Lopez, whose lovely face you see on the Washington DC anti-trans discrimination posters, was part of a team of trans people hosting InsighT, a trans talk radio show.    Longtime advocate, musician and actor  Mark Angelo Cummings' Transistion Radio show is getting increased attention as well.

Carmen Carrera signed a modeling contract with Elite models and in addition to sashaying down fashion runways made it clear she'd like to be a Victoria's Secret Angel.   Her fans created a Change.org petition that amassed over 36,000 signatures in an attempt to make that happen.     


El/La Para TransLatinas is San Francisco was the recipient of $200,000 in anti-violence funding to address that issue in the San Francisco Latina community.  

That issue of violence directed at Latina trans women is not one limited to the San Francisco area.  The crushing unemployment-unemployment and lack of opportunities that plague Latina trans women drives high percentages to resort to survival sex work.   Because of the perception or actual belief they are undocumented leads to high levels of abuse at the hands of customers and the police. 

Like their African-American sisters, trans Latinas are also suffering from unacceptable levels of anti-trans murders directed at them, with the worst spots for it being in Mexico, Brazil, the US, and various countries across Latin America.  

This year marked the fifth anniversary of the death of Angie Zapata at the hands of Allen Andrade, who was convicted of her murder and is rotting in a Colorado jail cell.  The waste of DNA who killed Lorena Escalera is unfortunately still at large.  But when these people are captured and prosecuted, as did happen in the Zapata case, the perpetrators of these murders are finding that they are getting convicted and going to jail for them.  

That was evidenced when Rasheen Everett was convicted and sentenced December 5 to 29 years to life for killing Amanda Gonzalez Andujar back in 2010.   That was in spite of his defense attorney John Scarpa despicably arguing that her life wasn't as valuable as others.   Fortunately the judge said otherwise.

One of the law enforcement issues affecting the Latina trans community was stop and frisk.  87% of the stops by NYPD targeted non-white people, and in that 87% stat of targeted people were trans Latinas.   They were part of the multiethnic coalition of groups in New York who protested and spoke out against the unjust policy  .        

A Latin@ Trans Year In Review wouldn't be complete without discussion of the cruel and unjust treatment of Latina trans immigrants in ICE detention centers across the country.   They are being held up to 6-9 months on average in solitary confinement, have hormone replacement therapy (HRT) withheld from them and in many cases if they haven't had genital surgery are being confined with cisgender men.with sometimes disastrous results.

Lack of access to appropriate healthcare or healthcare at all in most low cost federal accredited health Latino centers across this country drives thousands of Latino trans people to access dangerous black market treatments for transition related and primary healthcare

So yes, it has been a mixed bag year for the Latin@ trans community.  While they face some serious challenges, there are transmasculine and transfeminine leaders either already there or emerging from their ranks who are gaining a national platform to address them.

As part of our nation's fastest growing minority community, I hope their cisgender brothers and sisters recognize that my trans Latino brothers and sisters are integral parts of their community.  

While some issues are unique to the Latino trans community that need to be resolved as expeditiously as possible, there are others they share with the Latino community at large

We also hope that 2014 is also a much brighter year for the Latin@ trans community.

The 41 List Of TBLGQ Latino/a People Has Girls Like Us On It!

In 1901 a clandestine Mexico City party was raided and 41 people were arrested.   Half of those 41 people were dressed as women (and some of those 20 or 21 people were probably girls like us)   They were publically paraded by the police and sent off to slave labor camps simply for being gay, trans and bisexual.   Those that survived the ordeal had their names put on a list that condemned them and their families to a lifetime of ridicule and shame.

The arrest also unfortunately occurred at a time in Mexico when curiosity about sexuality was rising and set in motion a chain of events that combined with the negative media coverage led to a movement that led to the birth of the concept of homosexuality in Mexico.   It also led to the number 41 gaining a negative connotation in Mexican culture  

Honor 41.org  in conjunction with MALDEF, the nation’s leading Latino legal civil rights organization created a list to recognize outstanding TBLGQ Latino/a leaders.   The 41 List celebrates the Latina/o TBLGQ community and demonstrates how far the community has come in the over 100 years since that despicable incident.  

Those featured on The 41 List represent a diversity of professional backgrounds, age groups, genders, geographic regions, and Latino backgrounds that make up our community. They are all role models for our community and for future Latina/o LGBTQ generations. 

I'm happy to note that on the 2013 list girls like us Bamby Salcedo, Arianna Inurritegui Lint and Maria Roman are on it.  When I find the full list of names I'll post it to TransGriot. . 

While I'm happy three of my trans Latina sisters (and two I personally know) were honored on this list, I was disappointed that some of my trans Latino brothers like Mark Angelo Cummings and Yosenio Lewis just to name two are missing.  

Nominations will be taken in the fall for the 2014 edition of the 41 List.  I hope that when I compile my 2014 post about this list, it not only has Latino transmasculine representation, but more Latina trans women on a list to honor and spotlight outstanding TBGLQ Latina/o people.   

Albuquerque Catholic HS Forcing Transman To Wear Female Graduation Gown

In our latest episode of School Administrators Being Transphobic Jerks, we head west to Albuquerque, NM and Saint Pius High.

Damian Garcia is a senior at the Catholic run high school who transitioned and had a legal name change last year.  He is recognized as a male student by his parents, family, fellow students, faculty and teachers. 

“I look at him and I call him my son. That's how he wishes to be acknowledged is as a male,” said father Luis Garcia in a KRQE-TV 13 interview.  .

But Damian's birth certificate still has the wrong gender code on it despite the name change.  The superintendent of the school, reflecting the decade old anti-trans hate injected into the Catholic Church by Dr. Paul McHugh, is seizing on that to force Damian to walk in his graduation in a white robe.  

For some reason Saint Pius HS in its graduation ceremony has male students wear black gowns and female students wear white ones.  Of course Damian wants to wear the gender appropriate gown for him, the black one.

Graduation gown a problem for transgender student

“I just want to walk in my black robe, nice and proud and have that memory to look back on with my family and friends,” said Damian. “I would rather not walk than to embarrass myself by wearing a female robe.”

His father agreed with him. “All you want in life is to see your kids happy and healthy. You never want to see them suffer or being ridiculed or be made fun of,” Luis said.

Your high school graduation should be one of the happiest times in your young life, and the Saint Pius school  superintendent is sapping the joy out of this occasion for Damian by being a transphobic jerk.

Maybe it's time for Saint Pius to consider having everyone wear the same color graduation gown so this doesn't happen again.

Rosie Perez Smacks Mittens In Video

"Being Latino wouldn't win you the election, but saying jokingly that you wish you were may actually lose it for you."  Rosie Perez

Rosie Perez in a new video calls out Mitt Romney for the joke he made that was caught on the infamous 47% video.

He joked he would have an easier time in this election if he were Latino and Perez humorously reminds viewers of all the "Hispanic presidents" from "Jorge Washington to "Jorge Bush, uno y dos."

"Oh my goodness, what if you were just a little bit gay, Mitt? Think of all the advantages that would provide. No, wait for it. What if you had a vagina? If you were a gay Latina this election would be in the bag for you. Unfortunately, for you Mitt, you were cursed with the hard-knock life growing up as the son of a wealthy governor and auto executive," says Perez, as she wipes away fake tears.

She also bluntly says why he has little support in the Latin@ community.   "Your policies suck."





You know Rosie, that's the same reason a large majority of African-Americans ain't voting for Willard either.

Besides, we like the African-American family that currently occupies that nice house our ancestors built with their unpaid labor at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and want them there until January 20, 2017..

Univision President Decries Lack Of Debate Moderator Diversity

Looks like I wasn't the only person along with the National Association of Black Journalists that noticed the lack of debate moderator diversity in the upcoming October presidential and vice presidential debates.

Univision President Randy Falco wrote a letter that put the Commission on Presidential Debates on blast for their vanillacentric and major network centric selections of debate moderators.

"This November more than 20 million Hispanics could play a critical role in electing the new President of the United States and it is important that they make an informed decision," Falco wrote. "The debates announced yesterday presented an ideal opportunity to tap one of the two best journalists in the business who have a broad understanding of the domestic and international issues facing this country, understand the Hispanic community better than anyone else and are fully bilingual: Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas."

The other Latino journalists whose names were rumored to have been considered for moderator slots were CNN's Soledad O'Brien and Telemundo's Jose Diaz-Balart.  

As the fastest growing minority group that will make up by 2050 a third of the population of the United States, the 2012 presidential candidates should have to answer questions posed by Latino journalists in a debate setting just as they needed to answer questions from African-American journalists.

The importance of having POC journalists is magnified when one of the presidential candidates has been routinely ducking non-white journalists on a regular basis.

Falco also offered in his letter to the Commission to create a Latino forum for both presidential candidates to participate in.

"Since you have already made your decision on moderators for the debates and have neglected to have someone speak credibly to the concerns of Hispanics in America, Univision would be willing to create a forum for the presidential candidates to address this sector of our society."

Janet Brown, the Debate Commission's executive director tried to deflect the justified criticism coming their way about the glaring omission of journalists of color.   In addition to stating the Commission was not creating the requested forum,  she wrote this in response to Falco.

"We recognize that there are many organizations and individuals who wish they had been included in our moderator selection. Debate arithmetic means that it is impossible to accommodate all of them. However, we strongly believe that the four journalists we have named see their assignment as representing all Americans in their choice of topics and questions. The general election debates have always focused on issues of national interest that affect all citizens, including Univision’s audience.  We have met with Univision about joint efforts to get the largest number of people possible engaged in discussing and learning from the debates, and remain interested in working with you toward that goal."

Yeah, right.  This is a cop-out statement and a recognition the Commission fracked up by not adding journalists of color for these debates.  It also doesn't address the valid point that Falco made that the four journalists chosen as moderators don't have experience or cultural fluency with the issues the Latino community faces. 

It's also arrogant and insulting of Ms. Brown or the commission to presume that non-white journalists aren't capable of asking debate questions that would appeal to all American citizens, since it has been effortlessly done by Carole Simpson in the 1992 presidential debate and Gwen Ifill most recently in the 2004 and 2008 vice presidential ones. .

Debate Commission leadership, it's past time for you to recognize the reality that the 'all citizens' part of that statement Ms. Brown crafted also includes non-white Americans.    
 .

Trans Latino/a Discrimination Report Released

The Injustice At Every Turn report broke down just how badly transpeople were discriminated against in the United States. 

When they took a look at the numbers for trans African-American respondents they were even more sobering.  They served as a wake up call to the cis African-American community and the advocacy organizations that serve us


The Task Force-NCTE survey in conjunction with LULAC, the League of United Latin American Citizens, broke down the the 6,456 people who took the Injustice At Every Turn survey in relation to the responses of the 402 Latino/a trans people or Latino/a multiracial folks who took it.  People who identified as Black and Latino/a were also included in this survey as well.  332 of the respondents were US citizens while 56 of them were non-citizens.  The report is also available in English and Spanish versions.

Key Findings:

*As with African-American trans respondents, the Latino/a trans respondents found that the toxic mix of anti-transgender bias and persistent structural and individual racism aimed at Latino/a people was devastating as well.   The immigrant respondents were even more vulnerable to the anti-trans discrimination.

*Latino/a transpeople often live in extreme poverty, with 28% reporting an income of less than $10,000 a year.  It's double the 15% rate of trans people of all races, over five times the 5% rate of the overall Latino/a community and seven times the 4% rate of the general US population.   The rate for Latino/a immigrant respondents was 43%.

*Like their African-American trans counterparts, Latino/a transpeople were also affected by HIV in devatsating numbers.  One in twelve Latino/a respondents (8.44%) were HIV positive and an additional 10.23% reported that they didn't know their status..

That compares to just 2.64% for transgender respondents of all races, .08% for the general Latino/a population and .0.60%.for the general US population.   In the Latino/a immigrant respondents the rate was 23.08%.

Education

*A whopping 77% of the trans Latino/a respondents reported harassment. in K-12 settings.  36% reported physical assaults and 13% sexual assault.   The harassment that trans Latino/a experienced was so severe 21% of the respondents reported it led them to leave school.  9% of the respondents were expelled due to bias. 


*Those who experienced harassment and abuse by teachers in K-12 settings also showed the same dramatically worse health and other negative outcomes vis a vis their classmates who didn't experience such abuse.   Those who suffered peer harassment and abuse also suffered the same highly damaging affects according to the survey.

Employment Discrimination

*Latina/o trans people experienced a 20% unemployment rate, higher than the overall trans sample of 14% and nearly three times the 7% rate rate of unemploment for the general US population at the time th survey was conducted.

*26% of Latino/a trans people lost a job due to anti-trans bias and 47% were not hired for a job due to bias.  The job loss rate for Latino/a trans immigrants was 42%.

*54% of Latino/a trans people were harassed, 16% were physically assaulted and 14% were sexually assaulted in workplace settings.   For the trans latino/a immigrant respondents, the numbers were higher.  57% of them reporting being harassed, 47% were physically assaulted and 38% of them sexually assaulted in workplace settings.
   
*34% of the Latino/a trans respondents reported that they had been compelled to sell drugs or do sex work at some point in their lives. 

Housing Discrimination and Homelessness

*Latino/a transpeople reported various forms of direct housing discrimination..  29% reported having been refused a home or apartment due to bias and 15% reported being evicted due to bias

*For trans non-citizen Latino/a respondents 46% reported being refused a home or apartment and 26% were evicted. 

*27% of trans Latino/a respondents reported they had experienced homelessness at some point in their lives, nearly four times the general US population rate of 7.4%   

*In terms of home ownership, 15% of Latino/a transpeople are less likely than respondents of other races to own homes.   It compares to 32% of the general transgender population, 67% of the general US population and according to HUD, minority home ownership nationally is at 49.7% at the time the survey was compiled.

Discrimination In Health Care

*Latino/a trans respondents health outcomes reflect the appalling effects of social and economic marginalization combined with higher rates of HIV infection, smoking, drug and alcohol use, and suicide attempts vis a vis the general population.

*27% of Latino/a transpeople reported being refused medical care due to bias.

*36% of Latino/a trans respondents reported having postponed medical care while they were sick or injured due to fear of discrimination.

*47% of Latino/a transgender respondents reported having attempted suicide, compared to the 41% for transgender people of all races and 1.6% for the general US population.

*Nearly one in ten Latino/a transgender respondents (8.44%) reported being HIV-positive with an additional 10.23% reporting they didn't know their status.   That compares with the 20% of Black trans respondents who reported being HIV positive with 10% not knowing their status..  

Joy Slams Sharron Angle For Racist Ad

Joy Behar called out Tea Klux Klanner Sharron Angle on The View yesterday for the new racist attack ad she released against Sen. Harry Reid.   


Angle pimps the immigration issue again, and this time she drops the maple leafed pretense about being concerned about about immigration on the 49th parallel and aimed it at Latinos.

Joy lit her teabagging azz up and had me saying a hearty 'Amen' to her commentary..

You know, if many of these Dem candidates had gone on the warpath in their races against these GOP know nothings as forcefully as Joy did yesterday, they wouldn't be trailing or tied in their races but blowing these conservafools out once again
  
Tell us how you really feel about homegirl, Joy.

Tomball Refuses To Pass Anti-Immigrant Measures

There's anti-Texas sentiment in liberal-progressive circles that is fueled in large portions due to the extreme dislike of the GW Bush misadministration and the Texas GOP being as nekulturny, homophobic, transphobic and racist as they can be.

It's something that annoys me as a proud daughter of the state who knows its progressive history and is acutely aware of the fact that current Republican control of it is only a recent phenomenon.

Thought I'd hip you Texas haters to a story that isn't getting much coverage in the national press outside of the Houston Chronicle that bolsters mine and a lot of true blue Texans faith in our fellow citizens.

It also points out that progressive attitudes just aren't ensconced in Austin, Dallas, Corpus Christi, El Paso, Houston and the Rio Grande valley.

Tomball is a 'burb in the far northern reaches of Harris County which has had an influx of Latinos throughout the years. For the last month the local Tea Klux Klan has been stirring up anti Latino and anti-immigrant animus over a ten year old day laborer center funded by the city of Tomball.

Tuesday night first term Tomball City Councilman Derek Townsend, Sr. placed two anti immigrant measures on the Tuesday city council calendar in front of a packed city council chamber filled with proponents and opponents of the measures.

Townsend told the audience the usual 'white wing' spin line that his proposals were not about racism, but about standing up for the US Constitution.

Bull feces. One proposal was to make English the official language of the city of Tomball. What was the other one? It sought to prohibit undocumented immigrants from renting, owning property or owning or operating a business there.

So Texas haters, guess which way the Tomball City Council voted? If you said in favor of both proposals, wrong. Both went down in flames.

The Tomball councilmembers besides Derek Townsend probably had in mind what happened to the Dallas suburb of Farmers Branch.

In 2006 Farmers Branch voted to make English the city's official language and followed it up in 2007 with a measure to prohibit landlords from renting property to illegal immigrants. Both ordinances got struck down earlier this year by federal judges as unconstitutional.

"I'd sure hate to take our people down that route," said City Councilman Rick Brown. "It's lawsuit after lawsuit."

Councilman Preston Dodson agreed, saying such a move could have "huge constitutionality issues."

So there you have it, Texas haters. A group of Texas politicians that did the right thing and not the 'right wing' thing.

Imagine that. Now where's my Blue Bell homemade vanilla?

The CCSF TransLatinas Club

I recently joined the Trans Role Models Facebook page and it has been great to see the diversity of the trans rainbow playing out on that site.

It has been refreshing to read about some of our community's historic figures who are being added to the page on an almost hourly basis and people around the world who are out, proud to be trans and fighting for its human rights.

It's also exposing me to people and groups I previously wasn't aware existed or were doing things because it has been happening on the local level.

One of those things happening at the local level is the TransLatinas Club on the City College of San Francisco's Mission Campus.

You don't hear much about the groups and the accomplishments of non white trans people. Black transpeople barely get a mention, and when it comes to Asian and Latino/a transpeople, even less positive news is generated.

Too many times when we do get a mention, it's in conjunction with one of our peeps being killed due to a hate crime or murder or steeped in stereotypical negativity.

The TransLatinas club was founded earlier this year on the CCSF Mission campus with the twin goals of not only combating transphobia in the cis Latino community, but inspiring more trans people from the immigrant Latino population to attend college.

That education and breaking down of stereotypes in the Latino community includes seminars hosted by the group in addition to TransLatinas meetings.

Nice to see a positive story about my Latina sisters, and may the TransLatinas idea be replicated at other college campuses across the nation.

Another PR Transwoman Found Dead

Seems like I just posted about Ashley Santiago being killed in her home a month ago.

Now comes word that Puerto Rican police are investigating another murder involving a transwoman who was reported as last being seen alive on May 20.

38 year old Angie González Oquendo, was found strangled to death with an electrical cord in her Caguas, PR home on May 24.

Carlos H. Cruz Burgos, director of the Caguas’ Criminal Investigation Corps, told El Nuevo Día he believes González was killed later that day.

Police discovered González’s body after reports from neighbors about a foul odor coming from her home. Investigators told Nuevo Día they continue to treat the case as either a hate crime or a case of domestic violence.

González’s father told Primera Hora he suspects his daughter’s boyfriend killed her.

Pedro Julio Serrano of the National Lesbian & Gay Task Force told the same newspaper he thinks local authorities should continue on the hate crime investigation track.

"At the very least, I suspect that a crime could have been committed by prejudice against the victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity," he said. "The authorities have an obligation under the law to investigate this hate angle."

And bring Angie, Michell Galindo's and Ashley Santiago's killers to justice.

Speaking of Ashley Santiago, according to Primero Hora her alleged killer Antonio Márquez recently turned himself in to authorities and confessed to her murder.

Hallelujah, Marquez is now awaiting prosecution for killing Santiago.

At any rate, the way transpeople are being killed this year, looks like we are going to be reading a long list of Latina, African-American and other POC names when it's time for our TDOR 2010 remembrances in November.