Thank You Minneapolis and U of M!

I had an unexpected additional day in the Twin Cities after the event because of a massive spring storm that slammed the state with several inches of snow combined with sustained 25 mph high winds that cancelled flights at MSP.

That storm also resulted in the cancellation of my return flight home to Texas, but I wasn't too pressed about it.  I needed the additional day of rest because I know when I get back home I'll be going back to Austin to deal with our TXGOP legislative craziness.

I had a wonderful first visit to the Twin Cities and the state of Minnesota to participate in the second annual Andrea Jenkins Lecture Series.   While I was disappointed I didn't get to see more of my Minneapolis trans family because of the approaching storm, there were 100 souls who braved the weather to see Dr C Riley Snorton and myself.

In addition to Andrea dropping some of her poetry on us, Dr Snorton and I took to the Mayo Auditorium stage to discuss Black trans history and other subjects over the next two hours.

And yes, it was wonderful to see Rev Lawrence T. Richardson and Councilmember Andrea Jenkins again and meet Dr. Saby Labor , the director of UM-Twin Cities Gender and Sexuality Center for Queer and Trans Life. 

It was also a pleasure, honor and privilege to reconnect with Dr Snorton, and I'm going to enjoy reading his latest book on the plane ride home.   I also discovered Dr Snorton and I have a mutual acquaintance in his University of Chicago colleague Dr Kristen Schilt.

I also got to do some touristy things before the snowstorm hit like see the world famous First Avenue nightclub where Prince, The Time and countless other music legends have performed.   I visited the Mall of America  and went to Nicollet Mall downtown to see the Mary Tyler Moore statue.

Did I visit Paisley Park?  Not this time.   It's in the 'burbs and off the beaten public transit path, so I'll save it for a future trip.

But what I do wish to say is thank you Minneapolis for a wonderful first visit, and hope I can return to the Twin Cities soon.

Texas, I'm headed back home. 

Leaving On A Jet Plane-To Minneapolis

It's a travel day in which I get to take a jet plane out of Hobby and head to Minneapolis for the Andrea Jenkins Lecture I'll be participating in tomorrow with Dr C Riley Snorton on the UM campus.

Already have a shot of me next to the Bronze Fonz, and Minneapolis has its own iconic statue of a fictional TV character in Mary Tyler Moore at Nicollett Mall. 

It recreates the scene from the Mary Tyler Moore Show opening credits in which her Mary Richards character throws her tam in the air in front of the downtown mall along with scenes from the show. 

I was a huge fan of the Mary Tyler Moore show growing up that put Minneapolis in the public consciousness before His Royal Badness came along later..

I'm looking forward to seeing as many of the Minneapolis based trans peeps I know while I'm there, and hope everyone can come to check out the event at the Mayo Auditorium on the University of Minnesota campus.

Also looking forward to spending some quality time with D. Snorton.

The interesting thing is I have to fly to Denver first and then catch my connecting flight out of there to Minneapolis.   Here's hoping I have no drama or ATC delays.

Moni's Heading To Minnesota Soon!

It's official now so I can talk about it.

Last year I went to Wisconsin for the first time back in November for a TDOR, and now I'll be back in the upper Midwest again to do a lecture with Dr. C. Riley Snorton on the University of Minnesota campus.

What I'm heading to the Twin Cities for next week is the latest installment of the Andrea Jenkins Lecture Series that happens on the UM campus.   This year it's happening on April 10 in the Mayo Auditorium.

So yep, I'll be in the Twin Cities for the first time ever after some failed attempts to go there during my airline days, and so looking forward to spending time with y'all up there in Minnesota.

I'm also looking forward to getting to spend some quality time with CM Jenkins and hopefully see CM Cunningham, too along with the rest of my Minnesota trans family

I'm also looking forward to meeting Dr Snorton, whose work I have admired for some time now, and it is a sincere honor and privilege to share a stage with.

As someone who is a huge Prince fan and owns a DVD copy of Purple Rain, hopefully I'll find some time to swing by the legendary First Avenue club and take a photo in front of it. 

And just like in Milwaukee, Minneapolis has a bronze statue of a famous TV character that called the city home in Mary Tyler Moore's Mary Richards.   There's a shot from the opening credits of the Mary Tyler Moore Show in which she takes off her tam in front of the then brand new Nicollette Mall in downtown Minneapolis and throws it in the air

A statue in front of the mall recreates that moment.

May also try to roll by the Mall of America while I'm up there as well

But once again Minnesota trans fam, I'm headed your way, and hope to see y'all on April 10 at 6 PM in the Mayo Auditorium .

It's Inauguration Day For Councilmembers Cunningham and Jenkins!

Today was the public inauguration in Minneapolis for Councilmembers Phillipe Cunningham and Andrea Jenkins, Mayor Jacob Frey and their council colleagues in the Minneapolis City Hall rotunda. 

After the public inauguration, and the mayor's inauguration speech,  they and their city council colleagues immediately went to the council chambers to meet and elect a new council president and determine who the various committee chairs would be.

It's going to be an exciting but busy day for Andrea and Phillipe in Minneapolis today.  They'll find out their committee assignments, and after that get busy with the nuts and bolts work of helping to run Minneapolis.

And looking forward to hearing them talk about it the next time I get to spend quality time with either of them.

Minneapolis Council Members Cunningham and Jenkins Get Acclimated To Their New Job

With us being in the second day of the new year, that means that the trans folks who were elected in those groundbreaking historic elections back in November now over the next few days and weeks get sworn in and start to handle their constituents business.

Here's now Councilmember Andrea Jenkins in a picture from her FB page getting sworn in this morning in Minneapolis.

Here's Councilmember Cunningham's inauguration pic.   He's ready and eager to do the job for the residents of his northside Ward 4 along with his staff .

There's also in the wake of the election, interviewing and hiring the staff for your council office.  And yes, you also have training to go through as a councilperson like any other job. 

There was a three day orientation in which Andrea and Phillipe spent several days learning the nuts and bolts basic rules in filing ordinances and bills, voting procedures and getting up to speed on local state and federal policies that impact the city

And at $98,695 a year, the salary is nice as well.

Yes people, you have to put in the work to be an effective legislator, and having the pleasure of knowing both of them, I know they are more than prepared and ready to hit the ground running as councilmembers.

The big public one takes place on January 8 in Minneapolis when all the councilmembers gather in the City Hall rotunda to be sworn in starting at 9:30 AM CST.

Following that swearing in, the organizational meeting for city council will take place in which the Minneapolis City Council leadership will be elected.   Remember Philllpe beat the incumbent council president Barb Johnson in his race who had been in that Ward 4 seat 20 years and spent the last eight of her term as the Minneapolis City Council president.

The new council president, once elected by majority vote of the council, then will assign members to various committees and appoint the committee chairs.

January 8 will not only be a historic day not only for Andrea and Phillipe, but the city of Minneapolis and the trans community as well. 

Minnesota Republican State Legislator Unleashes Anti-Trans Tweet

Not everyone in the Land of 10,000 Lakes thought that Andrea Jenkins and Phillipe Cunningham's historic Minneapolis City Council seat wins were something wonderful to celebrate. 

Minnesota state Rep.Mary Franson (R-Alexandria) did what Republicans do and deployed the anti-trans hatred when asked about it.

On Wednesday she unleashed this transphobic Tweet from her now deactivated account.

The Minnesota LGBTQ Legislative Caucus quickly fired back in a letter to their transphobic colleague

***

It is a shame to read on social media a statement by a public official that perpetuates a false and pejorative stereotype about transgender people.

We encourage our colleague, Representative Mary Franson, to get the facts and to get to know transgender people herself. She will quickly learn that, as the American Psychological Association says, being transgender is not a mental illness. Problems arise for transgender people from lack of support and acceptance that creates the path for discrimination, and all too often assault, that almost all transgender people experience at one time or another. When leaders who hold positions of respect casually trade in negative comments about transgender people, some interpret that as an invitation to treat their fellow Minnesotans poorly.

Our job as state legislators and policy makers is to ensure that there is as much opportunity as possible in Minnesota so that all people can pursue their dreams and aspirations. Putting barriers in place for anyone, doing active harm to our own neighbors, is antithetical to our country’s core values – a place where everyone is free and everyone is equal. We all are better off when people are able to contribute the best of themselves in every Minnesota community.

We celebrate that two transgender people, Phillipe Cunningham and Andrea Jenkins, both with deep and broad experience, have stepped up to public service and won election to the Minneapolis City Council. In Virginia, we are delighted to welcome the first transgender member of a state legislature elected as an out transgender person, Danica Roem. We know that they all will serve their constituents with distinction and hard work.

#

Minnesota DFL Chair Ken Martin also called Franson out:

“Minnesota made history Tuesday night. Voters elected the first two openly transgender African-American candidates to City Council in the nation. Republican Representative Franson’s hurtful remarks attempt to cheapen this historic victory and take the wind out of the sails of equality. We won’t let that happen,”

“In the face of divisive rhetoric at the national level, Minnesotans are doubling down in our efforts to ensure the diversity of our government reflects the diversity of our people. We are immensely proud of Andrea Jenkins and Phillipe Cunningham. We know they will work tirelessly to serve the people they represent equally and without prejudice, unlike Representative Franson.”

***

Haters gotta hate.   Franson, sensing a backlash developing around her tweets, issued a non apology for it later.

Wouldn't be the first time a Republican hated on a trans woman for their own political gain, and probably won't be the last until they start losing their legislative seats with more frequency like Bigot Bob Marshall did in Virginia.

Councilmembers-elect Andrea Jenkins and  Phillipe Cunningham getting elected is a big deal to me, their constituents in Wards 4 and 8,  the DFL Party, to every Black trans person in the nation and everyone else inspired by their #BlackTransExcellence.

You Can Call Phillipe Councilmember-Elect Cunningham!

It took us another day to have it confirmed, but the Minneapolis City Council will have TWO Black trans people sitting on it in a few weeks!

Phillipe Cunningham quit his policy job with Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges to focus on the Herculean task of taking on 20 year incumbent and Minneapolis City Council Board President Barb Johnson.    She had served on the council since 1997, held the presidency for 8 years and was a second generation holder of this Ward 4 seat her mother had previously held.

Johnson was considered unbeatable, but as anyone who watches politics can tell you, no one is unbeatable.  You stay in office long enough and sooner or later you are going to lose an election.

Cunningham was all over Ward 4 introducing himself to voters who liked his message, and combined with help from Trans United Fund and Outfront MN built a campaign team that increased turnout in Ward 4 to the point it helped him grab the historic win.

Minneapolis has an interesting ranked choice voting system that eliminates runoff elections.  Johnson led him by a mere 125 votes that night, but didn't break 50%, which meant that they would have to go through the second and third choice counts until either he or Johnson were declared the winner.

Cunningham made up the early deficit and beat Johnson by 175 votes. 
 

By toppling the Ward 4 incumbent, Cunningham becomes the first out Black trans masculine person elected to public office in the US, the first trans masculine person elected to the Minneapolis City Council, and the first out transmasculine person of any ethnic background to be elected to a the city council of a large city.

And it couldn't have happened to a nicer person.
 
Congratulations Phillipe for your historic win! 

So proud of you, and know that you and Andrea will do some amazing work in conjunction with your fellow councilmembers making your wards and the City of Minneapolis better.

Andrea Jenkins Makes History -Wins In Minneapolis

The wonderful electoral night continues for the trans community as Andrea Jenkins overwhelmingly won her Minneapolis City Council Ward 8 seat and became the first out Black trans person to win elective office in the nation.

This city council race wasn't close.  Jenkins captured 73% of the votes in Minneapolis' ranked choice system, dwarfing the next closest contender by nearly 4000 votes 

She also became with the win the first trans person of any ethnic background to capture a city council seat in a major city, and the first Black trans person since Althea Garrison in 1992 to win elective office. 

Congratulations Councilmember-elect Jenkins.  So proud of your historic win as well. 

Building A Better World With Breakthrough Candidates

I have been saying for years that the most important thing that we must do to take the trans rights movement to the next level is to have trans people run for public office.    It made me exceedingly proud to endorse Andrea Jenkins and Phillipe Cunningham for Minneapolis City Council. They are not only on the verge of making history for trans people and trans people of color, but are also bringing progressive values, proven experience and real leadership that is so desperately needed in these contentious political times. As a multi-racial group of trans and gender expansive people, TUF has been appalled at the level of racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia at play in this election cycle and in the campaigns of our endorsed candidates. Now that the Koch brothers, national Republicans and downtown business interests have vowed to spend over $1 million dollars to stop a progressive and diverse group of municipal candidates, it validated the importance of these historic races and stiffened our resolve to ensure that through committed action these candidates emerge victorious on Election Day. The level of violence faced by our communities, the levels of HIV, the discrimination and disproportionate impact of poverty are all 'personal is political' issues that reflect whose lives matter and whose lives do not. At Trans United Fund's Breakthrough PAC we are committed to supporting candidates who not only mean it when they say 'trans lives matter' but are committed to real and practical solutions that honor that sentiment. Today, I'm proud to announce our endorsement of four, additional candidates who we believe reflect this commitment: Mayor Betsy Hodges, Jillia Pessenda and Jeremiah Ellison. We will work hard with our partners at OUTFRONT MN to not only support these newly endorsed candidates, but with our coalition partners dramatically expand efforts to Get Out the Vote and fight back against a million dollars of right wing money.

We at Trans United Fund are acutely aware of the saying united we stand, divided we fall   So much of the history of marginalized people is one of division and outside groups seeking to drive wedges in our coalitions, but Trans United Fund knows that if we hand together, we are unstoppable.  

This announcement also comes as our community is preparing to in two week mourn during TDOR the 22 trans people we have lost to hate and violence  We often say rest in power and not one more - not just to mark their deaths - but to make a commitment to a living legacy - a commitment to the different sort of world we want to build. This year has been dark, depressing and challenging, exacerbated by unprecedented violence and political dysfunction. It has been a terrible year for trans people, for women, for immigrants and for all of us that live in the margins. And we have fought back - harder and fiercer than ever - because we know our lives and human rights are on the line.  But unlike previous times, the trans community is not fighting this onslaught of anti-trans injustice alone. We were blessed to have by our side hundreds of thousands of people responding when the Trump Administration attempted to roll back protections for trans youth and attacked our trans troops serving our country in the US armed forces.  The everyday violence against trans people is something more and more people are paying attention to and wanting to do something to end.  More families are stepping up to love and support their trans children-not cruelly throw them in the streets. This positive reality is at the core of what makes - even in the darkest of times - something new and transformative possible.  We are doing our part to help our allies connect the dots and understand how our issues and oppressions we face as transgender people are inextricably linked to theirs. And in a crucial time like this, it is needed and necessary for all of us to come together to help build a world in which trans people not only survive but thrive, but can contribute their talents to help make our communities better. But we can only make real that beautiful dream of a world together. This is just the first step towards building a political home in which we develop a shared vision, a shared strategy and the power we need to make that vision real But we can do none of it without you. Whether you can give your time, your money, your expertise and/or wisdom - please join us in this work today and let’s get started building a world we can all be proud of.

On The Verge Of Making Trans Electoral History!

Tomorrow is Election Day in many locales across the country.   One of the things I have been keeping my eye on is the group of transgender political candidates who I hope will be making breakthrough political history tomorrow night.


First up are the twin historic campaigns of Andrea Jenkins and Phillipe Cunningham in Minneapolis for two city council seats.

If they win, they would hake history on several fronts.   In Cunningham's case, he would become the first trans masculine candidate elected to any office, and the first Black trans masculine candidate ever elected, and he's in a tight race for the Ward 4 seat. 

Jenkins would become the first out Black trans feminine candidate elected to public office and the first Black trans feminine person elected to public office since Althea Garrison in 1992.

Both Cunningham and Jenkins should they get elected would become the first trans candidates elected to a large metropolitan city council.

In New York State, Chrissie Browde's New Castle, NY town council race in Hillary Clinton's hood is being watched as it hits the homestretch.   Browde made history as the first New York State trans person to have the backing of the state's Democratic Party, and wants to build on it by getting elected to the town council as the second out trans elected official in New York state after Melissa Sklarz broke that electoral ceiling in 1999.

The race getting the most coverage so far of Danica Roem's Virginia House of Delegates race in which she is taking on a longtime enemy of the TBLGQ community in incumbent Del. Bob Marshall.

Bigot Bob is definitely earning his nickname in this race while Roem is fighting to take that seat away from him by focusing on the issues pertinent to the district and calling him out on his transphobia from time to time.

If you're in that Northern VA district, please handle your electoral business tomorrow.

These four candidates are all hard at work trying to get any last minute undecided voters in their columns, if you live in their locales, I hope you will vote for them

We'll know tomorrow night whether these four trans candidates were successful in this election cycle

Valerie Castile Speaks In Wake Of Unjust Verdict

Right now I need some time to think about what I just witnessed in the Philando Castile case.

Another officer being acquitted of a murder of a Black man by a predominantly white jury.   The silence of the NRA and police departments in this case and countless others.

And the justice system failing the Black community once again in the case of a cop killing a Black person

Driving while Black is not a death sentence.    But it is ongoing incidents like this that have me and others Black folks playing NWA on an endless loop, questioning this country's commitment to unbiased justice,  and believing that Officer Oppressor, not Officer Friendly parols our neighborhoods.

I'm going to let Valerie Castile, the mother of Philando Castile speak.   This is her reaction immediately after the unjust verdict acquitting Jeronimo Yanez came from a predominately white Minnesota jury.

Andrea's Running For Minneapolis City Council!

I posted earlier this month about Phillipe Cunningham running for the Minneapolis City Council, and now there's more wonderful trans themed political news coming out of the Twin Cities.

My tennis loving homegirl Andrea Jenkins has announced that she will be running for the soon to be vacated 8th Ward seat on the Minneapolis City Council currently held by Elizabeth Glidden, who recently announced she's not running for reelection.

"I am prepared and ready to bring positive change toward a more equitable Minneapolis," Jenkins said in a statement. "I look forward to working with the residents of the 8th Ward, and beyond, in creating the policies and programs necessary to bring sustainable improvement for everyone in our economy, housing, and services."

Jenkins worked as a policy aide for Glidden, and spent 12 years working for two different council members.   She is well known to the residents of the south central Minneapolis ward for helping to spur redevelopment in the 38th Street and Chicago  Ave area.

She is currently with the University of Minnesota as the curator for their Transgender Oral History Project, which is collecting stories from trans people in the Minneapolis area and upper  Midwest.

If she's elected she would not only become the first transperson elected to the Minneapolis City Council, she would also become the first out Black trans feminine candidate to be elected to a city council in  city of over 250,000 people.

You know I'm hoping she makes that history.

Phillipe Is Running For Minneapolis City Council

If we are ever going to get that trans congress member or senator, we are going to have to get to the point in which we elect trans people to large city councils on a regular basis.

We do a good job getting people elected to smaller city councils, but congressional candidates are selected by the major parties from people who have won state judgeships, large city council elections, state legislative and state senate races just for starters.

I met Phillipe Cunningham during the recent LGBT Pride Reception, but I'd been keeping an eye on him as a rising star in our ranks for several years prior to our June meeting as an aide to current Minneapolis mayor Betsy Hodges.

Now Phillipe is going to take the political plunge and run for the Minneapolis City Council and I couldn't be happier for him.   If he succeeds in doing so, he would not only become the first out Black transmasculine person elected to any political office in the United States , he would also become the first transperson period in the US elected to a city council in a city with more than 250,000 people. (Minneapolis FYI has 416,000 people and climbing)

Here's his campaign announcement.   If you can contribute something to his campaign, please do so.

Now more than ever we need to be building trans community political power, and the more people we get elected to public office from our community, the better.

***

I'm proud to announce my candidacy for Minneapolis City Council to represent the 4th Ward in North Minneapolis!

North Minneapolis is my home, and I am tired of seeing us excluded and ignored in too many policy discussions at City Hall. We need a voice in these discussions, and I intend to lift everyone up in our community through just and inclusive policy-making.

With the persistent racial disparities we face as a community, we need to completely rethink how City Hall governs and serves diverse communities.

I see the potential for what is possible in my neighborhood given all the strengths our community brings to the table, but we are not given the space, resources, or power to realize our community's true greatness.

Since the Mayor appointed me to work on on education, youth success and civil rights, I have seen the decision-making process in action at City Hall and how often those currently in office block progress for the Northside.

I am running to fight this injustice and improve conditions in my neighborhood. It's time for major change in North Minneapolis, and I bring a fresh perspective and innovation to working through the challenges our community faces.

I want to thank everyone who has supported me in getting ready for this journey. We deserve a strong voice on city council, and we will have it when we show our power as a community this coming year.

Please check out my website and like my Facebook page to start spreading the word:
www.CunninghamMPLS.orgwww.facebook.com/PhillipeCunninghamMPLS

Good luck Phillipe!   Hope I get to witness you making some history next year!

Andrea Jenkins Gets Added To The Congressional Record!

You know I have much love and respect for my sis Andrea Jenkins, who I met and roomed with during the TransFaith in Color Conference in Charlotte back in 2012 and is a trailblazing girl like us and advocate in her own right up in Minneapolis.

Jenkins recently received two honors that need and deserve to be signal boosted.   She was named as the Grand Marshal for the upcoming Twin Cities Pride Parade.  She is the second trans person to receive that honor.(Debbie Davis in 2000) third African-American after Minnesota Lynx guard Seimone Augustus and her fiance LaTaya Varner in 2012 and first ever African-American trans person to do so.

Andrea on May 20 had her name added to the Congressional Record for the 114th Congress by Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), whose 5th Congressional District covers that area.

So what's the Congressional Record you ask?  It is the official record of proceedings and debates of the United States Congress, and from time to time congressmembers will take a moment to use some of their time to do floor speech that recognizes people and organizations in their home districts.

Those speeches, because they happen on the House floor, get recorded, published and at the end of the 114th Congress in 2017 will be placed in bound volumes enshrined permanently in the Library of Congress and online via THOMAS.

Translation, this is a Big Fracking Deal, and so proud of Andrea for getting this well deserved recognition for the work she's done in the Twin Cities.  

She was a longtime policy aide for 12 years on the Minneapolis City Council for Minneapolis City Council Member Elizabeth Glidden where she initiated and helped develop the the Minneapolis Transgender Issues Work Group and produced the first Transgender Summit in the city.

Jenkins also a published poet, serves on numerous boards and is now with the University of Minnesota as the curator for their Transgender Oral History Project

I hear Andrea plays a mean game of tennis, so I'll have to remember to bring my racquet when I get the opportunity to visit her and the rest of the Twin Cities trans fam.

Congratulations Andrea for a well deserved honor!

Zeam's MSHSL Testimony

Because Minnesota is not among the 32 states that have policies or procedures for participation by transgender student-athletes, the Minnesota State High School League is debating implementing an inclusive competition policy that would allow transgender high school athletes to compete on the teams that correspond with their gender presentation

News of this was met by the Minneapolis Star Ledger, the state's largest newspaper, making the controversial decision to allow the trans hate group the Minnesota Child Protection League to post in the Sunday edition of the paper a full page falsehood filled ad seeking to stop the policy.

Trans student Zeam Porter appeared before the MSHSL committee debating the policy to give some emotional testimony in favor of it. 

“My love for basketball last year made me believe I could handle being on the wrong team. That was wrong. Constantly being misgendered and called the wrong name took away my soul. I already feel like I don’t have my body -- now I am soulless." said Porter during the hearing.

Unfortunately, the vote on the proposed policy was delayed until December.


All I have to add to this is let my transkids play sports just like everyone else matriculating on a Minnesota high school campus, and do so on the teams that correspond with their gender presentation.

CeCe Is Free!

In case you haven't heard the news yet, after 19 months of unjust incarceration, as scheduled,  CeCe McDonald was released at approximately 8:30 AM CST from the Minnesota Correctional Facility-St Cloud.

And how apropos and cool that this is happening for her just two days short of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's 85th birthday?

She was met by a small group of supporters including Laverne Cox, who is currently along with Jac Gares producing a documentary about CeCe's story. 

Here's video from Jac Gares' YouTube account of CeCe's release

CeCe McDonald's Getting Out Today!

Assuming there are no complications and everything goes smoothly, today is the day that we've been waiting for ever since the news broke after Christmas that our unjustly incarcerated sister CeCe McDonald will be released from jail.

I say unjustly incarcerated because she was sentenced to 41 months in jail for defending herself against a transphobic hate attack instigated by Molly Shannon Flaherty and neo-Nazi sympathizer Jonathan Schmitz that he unfortunately died during it.

But she was the only one charged until the mounting outrage over it, protests and a Change.org petition that drew over 18,000 signatures probably led Minnesota authorities to finally arrest and charge Flaherty for her part in instigating it.  She only served 180 days, Cece has spent 19 months imprisoned for basically defending herself..  

Whiteness and white supremacy strikes again.  Gee thanks again Hennepin County DA Michael O. Freeman for reinforcing that message.

When she finally does get out, I know our first instincts as a community will be to envelop CeCe in love and wrap our collective arms around her.   We'll get our opportunity to do that later.   But in these first few days post release, give her a few days of privacy to hang out with her family, enjoy her freedom, just chill and honor whatever requests she makes of us for now..

When she's ready to do so, we'll probably see CeCe pop up at a few events of her time and choosing.

This was the note dated January 7 that the CeCe McDonald Support Committee sent out after the word broke that she was getting out today.

***

Dear CeCe McDonald supporters,

The rumors are true: CeCe is scheduled to be released from prison in January. She will wait and write a public statement about her release after she gets out of prison, because she wants to tell you all in her own words and own time. She would like to spend her first days out in privacy, with people she feels close to. Again, information about her release will be shared when CeCe feels it is the right time to do so. In the meantime, she and her support committee ask everyone to be patient.

We are excited to throw her a party soon after her release. As soon as the venue and date are confirmed, we will announce! This party is a chance for everyone who has been supporting CeCe to come out and celebrate her release with her.

Many of you are eager to send contributions of money or materials, to aid in her transition home. Keep an eye on the Facebook page for specific ‘asks’ in the future. Right now, because of the incredible support of her community here in Minneapolis and around the world, she will be safe, comfortable, and cared for when she rejoins us. Please consider sending a donation to other incarcerated people or abolition movements. (Check out the Rainbow Defense Fund).

CeCe has one more request: after her release, she’d like to make a scrapbook documenting the worldwide support she’s received. If you’ve organized an event, held a sign at a rally, or created art inspired by CeCe, please send it to mpls4cece at gmail dot com.

Thanks everyone for supporting CeCe, and for supporting her now in the way she most needs: with your patience.
~ CeCe Support Committee

***

We'll also be looking forward to the release of the documentary that Laverne Cox  and Jac Gares are working on entitled FREE CeCe! 

Finally, we can say the words CeCe is free.   And it will be nice to see what the next chapter of her life brings.

TransGriot Update:  It's official.  At approximately 8:30 AM CST,  CeCe McDonald was released from the Minnesota Correctional Facility – St. Cloud according to an official at the prison.

Statement From The CeCe Support Committee

TransGriot Note:  If everything stays on track, CeCe McDonald is scheduled to be released next Monday.  

Here's a statement from the CeCe Support Committee.

Dear CeCe McDonald supporters,

The rumors are true: CeCe is scheduled to be released from prison in January. She will wait and write a public statement about her release after she gets out of prison, because she wants to tell you all in her own words and own time. She would like to spend her first days out in privacy, with people she feels close to. Again, information about her release will be shared when CeCe feels it is the right time to do so. In the meantime, she and her support committee ask everyone to be patient.

We are excited to throw her a party, the weekend after her release. As soon as the venue and date are confirmed, we will announce! This party is a chance for everyone who has been supporting CeCe to come out and celebrate her release with her.

Many of you are eager to send contributions of money or materials, to aid in her transition home. Keep an eye on the FreeCece Mcdonald Facebook page for specific 'asks' in the future. Right now, because of the incredible support of her community here in Minneapolis and around the world, she will be safe, comfortable, and cared for when she rejoins us. Please consider sending a donation to other incarcerated people or abolition movements. (Check out the Rainbow Defense Fund http://rainbowdefensefund.wordpress.com/).

Thanks everyone for supporting CeCe, and for supporting her now in the way she most needs: with your patience.

~ CeCe Support Committee

FREE CeCe! Documentary Being Filmed

One of my fave peeps in the trans community is busy producing a documentary about our unjustly incarcerated sister entitled FREE CeCe!

The upcoming documentary is being co-produced by Laverne Cox and Jacqueline 'Jac' Gares.  

In addition to an interview with McDonald by Cox, it tells the story of the events of that June 2011 night, the role that race, class and gender played in this case, the issues of housing trans feminine people in male prisons and anti-trans violence.

Gares and Cox also talked about the documentary project in a recent Persephonemagazine.com interview.

The documentary's original genesis came from research Gares was doing when she was a Series Producer on the now cancelled show In The Life.   Gares and Cox both thought the story needed to be told, and looked into doing this as an independent documentary. 

Looking forward to seeing this when it is completed.
 
.

CeCe McDonald May Be Released Soon!

Looks like the early part of 2014 could possibly be a wonderful start to the year for our unjustly incarcerated sister CeCe McDonald.

According to information posted on the Minnesota Department of Corrections website,  CeCe McDonald has a projected release date of January 13, 2014 with another 13 months of supervised release.

That's good news in a case that dates back to a June 5, 2011 night in which she and her friends found themselves under assault after having racist and transphobic slurs uttered at them as the passed the Schooner Tavern on their way to a South Minneapolis store.  A fight instigated by Molly Shannon Flaherty resulted in the death of Dean Schmitz

McDonald ended up taking a plea deal when there was clear evidence of self defense, while Molly Flaherty, the person who instigated this drama, only served 180 days.

Hope it does happen on that date for our incarcerated sister, because she shouldn't have spent one second inside the walls of that prison. 

CeCe was recently interviewed by Laverne Cox as part of an upcoming documentary currently being produced about the case entitled FREE CeCe!

Will definitely be keeping an eye on this developing story as we get closer to the projected release date.  I hope I have more wonderful news to report on January 13.