Moni's Leaving On A Jet Plane...

To Chicago!

The first trip of the New Year for me leaving out of Hobby in a few hours to the chilly Windy City to attend and cover Creating Change 2016.   It's not only the third straight Creating Change I've had the opportunity to attend and my fourth overall, it's going to be the first time I've flown into O'Hare since my Air Marshal days.

It's also the first time I'm traveling to Chicago in the winter.  I usually despise air travel during the winter months, but gots to do what I have to do to be in the #CC16 house including enduring a connection and DFW layover up and back.

I'm so looking forward to seeing the Chicago peeps who are in attendance, my trans sisters and brothers and  'errbody' else in the national and international TBLGQ community that are traveling by land and air to get to the Hilton Chicago host hotel and other nearby lodging spots in the Chicagoland area starting tomorrow.

But I'm not looking forward to the 40+ degree winter temperature difference between Houston and Chicago.

I need to stop whining about it and count my blessings. The temp will warm up to a high of 31 degrees F by this weekend.  Until a few days ago, it was looking like I was going to miss it and moping in Houston about not being there.

Creating Change not only is an event in which we get our learn on and hone our activist skills, it also serves as a big impromptu TBLG family reunion and one in which much of the community's business is conducted during the time everyone is in the Creating Change host city.  

But some positive things happened for me over the weekend that made moi being in the #CC16 house possible, and I thank Brock and Ruby in advance for making it happen

Well Chicago, see y'all in a few hours.  Save some Giordano's meat lovers deep dish pizza for me.

Heading Back To Texas From Fantasia Fair 41

After a wonderful and historic week here in Provincetown for my first ever Fantasia Fair, it's time for me to go back home with the Virginia Prince Transgender Pioneer Award in my luggage.

It has been wonderful getting to see old friends in our community and our movement, and meet new ones as I knocked a series of firsts off my trans bucket list.

It was my first time visiting Provincetown and the first time I have had the opportunity to attend Fantasia Fair.   I had fun, got an opportunity to explore the town a bit.  Even got to see three seasons while I was up here.

But while it was enjoyable, and I hope I can make a trip to a future Fantasia Fair, my life in H-town awaits along with a date at a early voting polling location to ensure that Prop 1, AKA HERO passes.

If you haven't early voted yet H-town people, get to stepping to your nearest early voting polling location.  You have until this Friday to do so.

Thanks to the Fantasia Fair staff, volunteers, people of Provincetown and attendees that rolled out the red carpet for me and everyone else at FF41 during this week that went way too fast.

As for the question I got repeatedly asked about whether or not I would be at FF42 next October?   Depends on my 2016 schedule.

It`s been real P-town, but time for me to get some sleep and get my devices charged up for the long travel day back to a soggy Lone Star State.

But I do head back home with some positive memories and a few more additions to my Facebook page.

The Air Marshal Takes Flight To Fantasia Fair

The Air Marshal got up at the crack of dawn so I can catch a non-stop bird taking off for Boston. My eventual destination will be Provincetown, MA on Cape Cod for Fantasia Fair and my date with trans history.  

On October 20 I become the first African-American trans person to be honored with the Virginia Prince Transgender Pioneer Award and really looking forward to it and being in the Fantasia fair house for the first time ever..

I'm also looking forward to seeing everyone while I'm in P-town for this year's edition of Fantasia Fair.   And yes, you know I'll be tweeting and writing about what's going on during this exciting week for me.

You can follow those tweets on the #FantasiaFair hashtag or my @TransGriot Twitter feed.

Assuming my flight leaves on time at 7:45 AM, will be in Massachusetts and on Cape Cod in six hours to start the latest exciting chapter of my semi-boring life


 .

The Air Marshal's Homeward Bound

Okay H-town, you're about to hear your fave words when it comes to one of my road trips:  Moni's headed back to Harris County.

At least until next month.

The sixth annual edition of OUT on the Hill is over and another chapter in the history books.   I had a wonderful time seeing everyone including my NBJC family and I am determined to not let three years pass before I attend another one.

‪#‎OOTH2015‬ was wonderful and a well timed booster shot to my soul. It is indescribable how important it is to have an LGBT leadership conference rooted in your culture, says emphatically to the world we're unapologetically Black, and that feels more like a family reunion than just an event to attend.

I get to head back home refreshed, renewed and more knowledgeable about the subjects we discussed during my time at OUT on the Hill while having a little fun doing so.

I hope that the people I encountered also gained a little more knowledge about their trans brothers and trans sisters

The time inside I-495 will serve me well for the upcoming HERO battle ahead.

If my flight left DCA on time, should be winging my way southwestward back to Houston and back at Hobby having my traditional post-flight meal demolishing some Pappa's BBQ

And hope the Texans are properly handling their NFL business in Charlotte.

See y`all next year, OUT on the Hill..

Moni's Arrived In Dallas!

Well, actually I'm in the Dallas suburb of Richardson, TX.   I'm chillin' at the hotel and getting ready for the 7th edition of the Texas Transgender Non Discrimination Summit that will be held on the UT-Dallas campus starting tomorrow.

This year's sponsors in addition to UT-Dallas are Rainbow Guard UTD, UTD Pride, and the Gallerstein Women's Center.

This is the second straight year the TTNS has hit the road and began to do what founder Josephine Tiittsworth and the board envisioned for it when it started back in 2009.   It not only is helping to push for trans inclusive non discrimination policies on Texas college and university campuses and school districts, it is also being held in different parts of the state as it does so.

It';s been fun to witness the growth of the TTNS since I became aware of it in 2010, and I'm not only eager to teach my own seminar on Saturday, I'm looking forward to seeing if the Dallas-Ft Worth metroplex can break the all time TTNS attendance record set just last year when Texas State hosted it. 

And did I get my Slurpee on the way to the hotel?    What do you think?

TransGriot Update: I not only got my Slurpee at the DART St. Paul Station 7-Eleven, I qualified for a free one during that visit to the DFW`area. There were two walking distance 7-Elevens in walking distance on either side of my hotel in Richardson, and my app got a workout.

Mon's Getting On The Bus Again-For The TTNS

The last trip I took was to Dallas for the 2015 Black Trans Advocacy Conference ( BTW, the 2016 BTAC will happen April 25- May 3, so start making your plans now to be there) and it was via Megabus.

Since I returned from Dallas, haven't been traveling as much because I had to sort out housing issues that caused me to decide not to go to this year's Philly Trans Health Conference and Netroots Nation in Phoenix.


The Texas Transgender nondiscrimination Summit  is a trip I've had on my schedule for a while, and haven't missed since I moved back home from Louisville in 2010.  As a matter of fact, the first local event I attended mere weeks after returning home was the TTNS that was hosted by Rice University.

So once again I'm getting on the Megabus in a few hours and heading up I-45 to Dallas, but this time for the 7th annual edition of Texas Transgender Nondiscrimination Summit.

This year it's not only on the road for the second straight year, it's going to take place starting tomorrow for the first time ever in the Dallas-Ft Worth area.   The TTNS will on the UT-Dallas campus in Richardson, TX. in their Student Union building and I'm looking forward to it.

The UT-Dallas campus address is 800 W. Campbell Rd. in Richardson, TX

What I'm not looking forward to is getting up at the crack of dawn to head downtown for this early morning Megabus departure.   However, getting up that early means I'll be up and out of town before that Houston heat gets cranked up, and it's predicted to be 101 degrees F today.

I'll also have time on that 4 hour ride up I-45 to figure out who gets tomorrow's Shut Up Fool Award.

The other benefit is I'll get there before noon.   When I arrive in Dallas and get to the St Paul DART station a 7 Eleven will be there in which I will eagerly get reacquainted with my fave frozen beverage.

And naw, it's not a margarita, although I'm not gonna lie, it's a close second.

but back to talking about the first ever TTNS in the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex.  Looking forward to seeing all my friends in the DFW area, and for those of you in the Dallas-Ft Worth area or nearby, we'd love to have you join us.for the 7th annual TTNS starting Friday morning.

Headed Home To H-town

I've done the speech, it was well received and I enjoyed my all too brief time in Austin and on the UT-Austin campus.

Now it's time for me to go back to Houston and deal with my life back home.

Thanks to  Melinda Bogdanovich and her family for allowing me to hang out in their home while I was here in the ATX, and to Liz Elsen for making this event a smooth one logistically for me.

Thanks to all you students, faculty and allies for expressing your appreciation for the speech.  As long as y'all liked it and especially the graduates, I'm happy.

Enjoyed coming to Austin to do something besides running up to our state capitol to lobby for a change.

Where's Moni headed next?   Hopefully to Philly for the PTHC.  But some things have to happen for me to be writing posts from the City of Brotherly Love again.

Anyway, hope the wifi is working on this bus.

Moni's Getting On The Bus-To Austin Again!

Another month, another trip, and I'm headed back to the ATX, but not for lobbying purposes.  Now if something blows up while I'm in the Austin city limits, I won't be too far away from the capitol building to handle lobbying business if I get the phone call.

I'm heading there because I was asked to be the keynote speaker for UT's Lavender Graduation.

It's happening May 20, and is co-hosted by the Gender and Sexuality Center and the UT Queer Students Alliance (QSA).  The goal of the Lavender Graduation is to provide a venue to demonstrate the success of our community members in a personal, entertaining and celebratory way. The Lavender Graduation will take place at the Student Activity Center starting at 4 PM CDT on the UT-Austin campus at Speedway and 21st Streets.  

Hope to see you there!.

But first, my Megabus needs to get me to Austin, and in addition to hoping we leave on  time at 1:30 PM, hope the wifi is working.   We'll see if I can access TransGriot since it was blocked the last time I traveled on Megabus, and I was not a happy camper about that.  

See y'all in a few hours, ATX and UT-Austin..

Hey Houston, I'm Headed Home!

This isn't an April Fool's joke.  After nearly a week of being in Chicago and Washington DC for two events in which I represented Houston and the state of Texas, it's time for me to head back home.

I haven't done this much flying  since my Air Marshal days, and one of the things that I have loved about this latest trip that took me from Houston to Chicago with a Washington DC detour added to it is I not only got to see many old friends, but got to meet some amazing trans people of color who are just as serious about making trans human rights and acceptance of our people a reality as I am.

I saw the future of our movement, and as an elder I am pleased about much of what I saw in Chicago at the National Trans Anti-Violence Convening and yesterday's White House Trans Women Of Color Women's History Month Briefing.

I even got to cross visiting Ben's Chili Bowl off my DC bucket list.

But there was also something that happened in Chicago I was NOT pleased about, and the parties involved know what it is and the need to chill.  

We have much work to do because we as trans people of color are in a state of emergency, and it will take all of us utilizing all our various talents to deal with it.   I'm willing to work with people who are down with trans liberation and ensuring our humanity is not a debatable prospect.

How we make that happen is one of the questions I'll be pondering on the plane ride home.

MDW To DCA To The WH!

I've flown about 8000 miles in the friendly skies above our nation in this month alone.

Instead of flying back to my home sweet humidity today as scheduled after spending a few days in Chicago for the inaugural National Transgender and Gender Non Conforming Anti-Violence Conference that was embedded in the Incite! Color of Violence 4 Conference, the Air Marshal found herself on another Southwest flight to Washington DC.

I got the word while I was in Chicago I was invited to attend a White House event that will discuss trans women of color on the Transgender Day of Visibility.  Since it made more sense for me to do the shorter travel distance travel to DC from Chicago instead of Houston, that's what happened.  

But I did have a frustrating moment before I left Chicago.   After getting there on an express CTA train to Midway from downtown after I bid farewell to Joanna Cifredo, Vanessa Victoria and Elizabeth Rivera who were headed to O'Hare on the Green Line train we started at the Cermak Rd station on, I was there in plenty of time for my 1:15 PM departure on a beautiful Chicago spring day .

Ran into Mattee Jim on my way to the ticket counter to check my bag and found out we were booked on the same flight, so this is already continuing to be a great day.   Checked bag, headed for TSA security and that's when it started going sideways.

I cleared TSA security, and as I put my leather coat back on I noted my phone wasn't in my coat jacket pocket.   Since I was still at the checkpoint, I started asking the TSA agents on duty to help me locate it.

After a few minutes of fruitless searching, I had no choice but to exit TSA security I'd just cleared and retrace my steps all the way back to the CTA train I'd gotten off of but hadn't departed for downtown yet.

After negative sightings of my phone at the ticket counter and the CTA station, I reluctantly headed back to TSA security to reclear it and head to my flight at gate B-20 in a somewhat pissed off mood.

The bumpy at times flight on take off and landing didn't help, but Mattee's soothing presence made me forget about it for a little while.  So did seeing Ruby and Lourdes when they picked us up at the Columbia Heights Metro station and after dropping Lourdes off, she dropped me and Mattee at our hotel, the Washington Plaza.

There is a happy ending to this story.   While taking my boots off in he hotel room, noted something shiny on the floor, and miracle of miracles, it was my missing phone.

Oh well, at least I can call you DC peeps now and get some sleep for the White House event tomorrow knowing that my phone didn't get left in Chicago unlike my travel pillow and is still in my possession.

Moni's Chilling In Chicago

Another weekend, another hotel room to crash in for another trans community event.

After my flight and CTA train ride, I'm finally chilling (literally) in my hotel room on the 21st  floor of the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place getting ready for tomorrow's )first day of the National Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Anti-Violence Convening. (hashtag #NTAVC15) while the Incite! Conference is going on around us.   My room has a nice view of the South Side and Lake Michigan, not that I will be in it much to enjoy it.
Kudos to my little sis CeCe McDonald, who did some truth telling during her opening plenary panel that also included Marissa Alexander via Skype.

Temp was in the 70's when I left home this morning, and it's in the 30s here as I arrived. But enough about the weather, since I will be indoors for much of my visit here anyway. 

The National Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Anti-Violence Convening was organized by the Transgender Law Center, and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone over the next two days starting at 8 AM CDT.

And it looks like the trans gang's all here..  I saw Maria Roman, LaSaia Wade and finally met Jazzmun Crayton  five minutes after I dropped my bags in the room and went to the lobby to see who was here.   .

Also ran into Key Jackson and her partner, Je-Shawna Wholley, Ruby Corado and her husband, Bamby Salcedo, Arianna Lint,  BT, Louis Mitchell, Tiq Milan and a long list of people that is shaping up to be an event in which a wide cross section of the trans community leaders are in the house.

Exactly who I see and what we do that I can talk about will play out over the next few days..

And that's before we even start discussing the 2015 Trans 100 honorees that will be revealed Sunday.

The Air Marshal Is Headed To Chicago

For the second straight week I'm boarding an airplane at Hobby that will fly to Chicago. 

And if Southwest handled their aviation business properly, I should be airborne as you read this.

But this time when I arrive there I'll be getting off and leaving the confines of Midway Airport to head to the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place for a Transgender Law Center organized National Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Anti-Violence Convening on Friday and Saturday.

The Color of Violence Conference will also be convening while we are here. and as I'm flying toward the Chicago area will be kicking off with two per-conference institutes before the opening plenary that features our sis CeCe McDonald.

I'm going to try to find some time while I'm up here in the Windy City to not only see some of my Chicago based trans family, but make another pilgrimage to Giordano's to destroy another deep dish pizza.

And while I'm up here, the Trans 100 reveal show at the Mayne Stage will also take place on Sunday, so I;m going to have a activity filled weekend before I head back to H-town.

Moni's Excellent Austin Lobbying Adventure

Spent yesterday doing a quick trip to Austin to strike a blow along with a group of students and allies to let key legislators know we exist, are proud Texans, and aren't standing for the anti-trans discrimination and trans bounty bills that Debbie (Riddle) Does Discrimination and Gilbert Pena want to import into the Lone Star State.

It was also the first time I'd been to the state capitol to lobby since I'd returned back home in May 2010, and the first time I'd done so in Texas since 2001

I found myself in a car with Nikki Araguz Loyd, her hubby Will, and the lovely Meagan Gillett roaring westbound on US 290 headed toward our 12 noon rendezvous at Equality Texas HQ.

After a couple of potty stops and a few moments circling to wait for the Capitol Visitors Garage to open up some parking spaces because SXSW was also going on in the ATX, we finally arrived at the third floor offices of Equality Texas just in time for Cavan O Raghallaigh's briefing.

We had a group of students, Lou Weaver, Dee Dee Watters, TS Williams along for this foray under the Pink Dome that included Mel Gonzales, the first ever trans homecoming king in Texas.

I even got the pleasure of seeing Nikki Vogel again and Dr. Paige Schilt

After a group visit to Rep Alma Allen (D-Houston) office, we split up into four groups to handle all our scheduled visits.   Cavan and I along with Claire Bow and her spouse Carol hit the offices of  Rep Myra Crownover (R- Denton)to talk to her LA.  After that pleasant visit was completed, we headed to the Capitol Grille for a few moments to meet with a reporter, then proceeded to a 3 PM appointment with my state rep Jessica Farrar. (D-Houston) as we once again broke it down why we wanted HB 2081, 2082, 1747  and 1748 to die

Meanwhile as I was handling my business, Nikki Araguz Loyd was headed to the belly of the GOP transphobic beast and visiting Rep Gilbert Pena's (R-Pasadena) office, who sponsored two of the trans hate bill, and Rep Debbie Riddle (R-Tomball) office.    

The LA in Rep Riddle's office kept trying to blame Mayor Annise Parker and the passage of HERO for these bills, which wasn't flying with Nikki.   It also seems that the national publicity and derision she's getting for it is also having an effect, so keep those calls, memes and jokes aimed at her office coming.  

May also wish to do the same to Rep Gilbert Pena too, since his bills were only filed on march 10, and he has yet to get the full effect of state and national negativity coming down upon him like Riddle has.

After leaving Rep. Farrar's office,  the rest of my team members had to leave, so it was Cavan and I who got to visit Rep Joe Deshotel's  (D-Port Arthur) chief of staff and lay out why those anti-trans hate bills needed to die..

After reuniting with some of our team members and making a quick visit to Sen. Kirk Watson's (D) office to help Cavan make good on a promise he'd made, we headed back to the Equality Texas headquarters for a debriefing and to pick up thank you cards before departing back to Houston.

Was a wonderful day to do so, and I have a feeling I'll be back up there again before this session is over.

#LGBTMedia15-Moni's View Of A Conference

For the third consecutive year I was blessed to get an invitation to attend the 6th annual LGBT Media Journalists Convening along with LGBTQ journalists from 22 states and the District of Columbia.

Before I even left for Philly, I had four activism events in two days in Houston, and got back home from the Misfits panel at almost midnight.  

Since I had to allow for METRO bus travel time, I had to get up at 4 AM to get to the airport early enough to check my bag and clear TSA security before my flight.  That meant I was getting barely three hours of sleep before I bounced to Hobby to start my trek via Chicago to Philadelphia.

My lack of sleep started messing with me early when I got off my initial bus block one stop too soon to connect with the 50 Harrisburg that would take me to Hobby.  After realizing my error, I had to quickly walk with my roller bags from Washington Ave two blocks over to the stop on Memorial Drive in the shadow of the municipal courthouse..

I made it to the stop in time because my 50 Harrisburg bus was a few minutes late, and made it to Hobby Airport without further incident.  I checked one bag, cleared TSA security and headed to Gate 51 to wait to board my 8 AM CDT departure to Philadelphia via Chicago-Midway.

I was surprised to see Cristan Williams pop up in the Gate 51 lobby area a few moments later and we ended up traveling to Philly together. 

After arriving in a cloudy and cool Philly and getting to the Radisson Blu Warwick Hotel a little after 4 PM  EDT, we settled into our rooms in preparation for the reception that would happen at Comcast Center several blocks up the street at 7 PM. 

I called Mom to let her know I'd safely made it, then fired up my trusty laptop to take advantage of the comp WiFi and check my e-mail.

I was hungry, and noted a small diner called Little Pete's that was just across 17th Street from our hotel.  I ambled down from my 10th floor room, wandered in and ordered some mild buffalo wings to go. While I was waiting for those wings, I had this strange deja vu feeling about this place, and I would find out later at the reception why.

The four events in two days along with the flights, the food and my quiet room sent me to dreamland, and I woke up at 7:15 PM.   After quickly getting dressed, I made it up those six blocks as fast as I could for what was left of the #LGBTMedia15 kickoff reception in the spacious lobby of the building.

I made it, and even managed to get one glass of wine in along with greetings and hugs from several peeps and my friends in the LGBT writing world.  One of them was a local Philly attendee who not only thanked me for my TransGriot posts about the 1965 Dewey's Lunch Counter Sit In, let me know I was staying right across the street from it.

It floored me to know that I'd just bought wings from the place that 50 years ago next month was the site of some trans history before I sat down and waited for the keynote speech from the Rev Dr William Barber.

Soon to be birthday girl Faith Cheltenham joined me, and we were inspired along with everyone else by the dynamic keynote speech that Dr Barber gave us that urged us to not only reclaim the moral high ground in our movement that we have mistakenly ceded to our opponents, but build an intersectional movement at the same time that will fight just as hard for voting rights, a woman's right to choose and a livable wage as we do for marriage.

And I got to ask a question of Dr Barber, who remembered that we'd met in Louisville back in 2005 at the Unity Banquet there, what was the NAACP's stance about the legislation popping up in Florida, Texas and the now dead one in Kentucky seeking to criminalize being transgender?

Answer.  NAACP is opposed to it.   So trans community and allies, get your state and local chapters busy calling the wingers out about those unjust laws

The next day began with breakfast at 7 AM and then heading to the hotel's Grand Ballroom at 9 AM to get our learn on. After the welcome from Bil Browning and singing Happy Birthday to Faith, we got down to the business of getting our learn on in the panels discussions.

The initial panel of the day was entitled The Latest Rightwing Attack: The Danger Of 'Religious Liberty' Laws.   It featured Katherine Grainger breaking down the spate of "Religious Liberty" laws designed to gut the human rights progress we've made over the last 50 years with Matt Foreman asking the questions..

At 9:45 AM the Erin Rook moderated panel entitled What Happens When The Dog Catches The Car with panelists Tiq Milan, Spectra Asala and Urvashi Vaid discussing what's next after marriage equality is achieved.

That gave way after a spirited discussion to a 11:30 AM Brynn Tannehill moderated panel after our 15 minute break entitled Naming and the LGBTQ Community. 

Panelists Diane Anderson-Minshall, Dr Scout and Eliel Cruz had a  wide ranging, fast paced discussion that took us into lunch.

During that lunch, the new Philadelphia LGBT Liaison Nellie Fitzpatrick not only gave us a rousing speech entitled Fighting For Equality From Within: How Government Officials Are Advancing LGBT Rights,  but read a proclamation on behalf of Mayor Nutter declaring Saturday as 'LGBT Media Journalism Day' .

After lunch, we LGBT Media attendees had a choice between two break out sessions. Bijacked: Bisexuals Strike Back Against Inaccurate Reporting or Allies in Race and Gender.

Once those were done, me and my trans cohorts took our break  opportunity to head across the street from our hotel and take group photos in front of the former Dewey's.   Hope there will be a 50th anniversary commemoration of that transcentric historical event next month.

We returned for the final session of the day entitled Three Great HIV Story Ideas You Could Write Tomorrow in which the panelists led my moderator Mark King went through some suggestion of HIV centric stories that we could immediately compose..  We were also given an HIV Style guide to take home with us.

After the feedback session, the #LGBTMedia15 panels were over.   But we still had a visit coming to the John C Anderson Apartments later that evening for a wine and cheese reception there..   It's a LGBT -centric senior apartment building that had just broken ground for construction when the LGBT Media Journalists Convening was last in town   Now it was finished, and the Philly LGBT community was eager to show it off.  

In addition to proudly noting that it had a 150 name waiting list to get into the building, I was also pleased to get my tour of it conducted by a trans elder.

We also spent some time while we were there in a LGBT Women in Media discussion in which a intergenerational group discussed some of the issues affecting the community from our perspectives.

While some of our crew headed to the 11 PM public event at Tavern on Camac, the four vents in two day before I left Houston was finally catching up with me, so I decided to get y cheesesteak ata a place i spotted on the walk from the hotel to the Anderson Apartments and call it a night.

I was obviously still tired because I slept through my alarm and the start of the Sunday closing brunch.

And just like that, my #LGBTMedia15 weekend in Philly was over and I was boarding a shuttle to take me to the airport and my semi-boring life in Texas.

We'll see if I get the invite to participate in #LGBTMedia16 in Baltimore.   If I get to do so, definitely looking to destroy some crab cakes.

It's Been Fun Philly....

But time was flying as I was in this lovely hotel that has been my home away from home for the last few days and I got reunited with all my friends in LGBT media world.

The 2015 LGBT Media Journalists Convening that those of us from 22 states and the District of Columbia flew, drove or took the train to get to has come to an end.

We had the opportunity to get our learn on about issues from HIV to the bi community.   We got a chance to meet people who haven't gotten the opportunity to attend this event.  We've exchanged business cards, networked, and caught up with each others lives.

We  got the opportunity to roll over to the John C/ Anderson Apartments and talk to our LGBT elders who not only gave us a window to the past as they told their stories, they gave us a glimpse of our futures as they proudly lived their TBLGQ lives as residents of a unique retirement building.

It was also wonderful  seeing Tiq, Gwen, Cristan, Gretchen, Becky, Brynn, Jos and Dawn again and get to talk to them about the issues that impact this community.

It was great being part of the LGBT Media Convening Women's meeting in which we discussed a wide variety of issues from why lesbian clubs are closing to how to better support the trans feminine and bi communities and each other.

Only thing I do regret is not having the opportunity to hang out with some of my Philly based friends. Oh well, maybe I'll be back up here in a few weeks for the Philadelphia Trans Health Conference

It's been fun, but after our brunch and the tour of gay Philly, time to go back to Texas to handle my business.

Air Marshal Takes Flight To Philadelphia Again

Last week I was in our nation's capital handling TPOCC board business, and this week it's a flight via Chicago Midway to the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection.

The Air Marshal's final destination is  Philadelphia to take part in the 2015 edition of the LGBT Media Journalists Convening.

I'm so looking forward to spending some quality time with my friends in the LGBT media world and getting my learn on at this 6th annual event that builds capacity in our media ranks and gives us an opportunity to get a much deeper understanding about issues that affect the LGBT community..

 I also owe John Becker a milestone birthday hug and one to Faith Cheltenham on Saturday after  I arrive after .  I also love the fact our hotel has complementary WiFi.

Another thing on the agenda for this trip is finding some time while I'm there to get a good cheesesteak, and I'm not talking about Pat's or Geno's either.

I go get mine where native Philadelphians tread.

If it  doesn't happen this time, I might get the opportunity to do so when the Philly Trans Health Conference happens this June.

If you wish to follow the action, many of us will be blogging or live tweeting it.  #LGBTMedia15 is our hashtag for this year's event

See y'all in a few hours Philly,

The Air Marshal Has Landed In DC Again

Y'all can breathe again Mom and H-town.

The Air Marshal has landed again in Washington DC, but this is once again another one of those in and out business trips in which the only sightseeing I'll be doing is as I'm passing stuff on final approach to DCA, in a van, car or on a Washington Metro train.

And yeah, I refuse to call this airport Reagan National.   Hated his racist azz.

I'm back inside I-495 for a Trans Persons of Color Coalition board meeting.  But I'm having to battle Winter Storm Thor, which canceled my original 7:35 AM departing flight out of Hobby, snow which delayed my arrival and had me and the other 74 people on my flight doing lazy circles over Virginia as we waited for the DCA runways to be cleared of falling snow.

And my Southwest flight crew handled their flying business   We also had a hotel change, and my third floor room at the Beacon Hotel has a lovely view of a snow covered Dupont Circle and the Australian Embassy.

But that's okay, since my 12:05 CST departure was a nonstop albeit bumpy at times flight up here and I'm thrilled I'm going to see my TPOCC colleagues again. 

That also goes for anybody else I know up here in the Washington DC area that blows up my cell phone or feels like trudging through the snow to see me before I head back home Saturday.

What's not okay is it's 20 degrees colder here than what I left in Houston with snow on the ground , and it was a chilly for Houston 40 degrees after the front passed through after 2 AM CST

Wednesday it was a balmy 75 degrees and I actually had to crank up the air conditioner to get rid of the humid air at Casa de Monica.

I did bring the sun with me from H-town, but it's still going to be cold while I'm up here and you aren't going to see it until tomorrow.according to the forecasts.

But I'm going to be indoors for most of this trip, so it's not going to matter much.

What I would like to do is find some time in my packed schedule  to hit the legendary Ben's Chili Bowl before I bounce back home on Saturday. 

And if I can't, Five Guys will do until I come back up here next time.

Air Marshal Takes Flight To Washington Again

The Air Marshal is about to hop a flight in a few hours for my first 2015 trip to Washington DC for a TPOCC board meeting.  

This one is going to be an in and out trip in which the bulk of my time inside 1-495 is going to be spent tomorrow holed up in a hotel meeting room helping shape the course of the five year old Trans Persons of Color Coalition.

And I'm looking forward to doing that. 

What I'm not looking forward to is the much colder air that will be greeting me upon my arrival.

The original 7:35 AM non stop I was on canceled because of the snowstorm that's whacking the East Coast, so I won't have to get up at an ungodly hour to get to the airport for that flight because  I got rebooked to the next nonstop out of here.  

Now if a certain head of a local service org pops up at DCA to grab me after my arrival to show me their latest progress since my last visit, I won't complain, but already been booked on SuperShuttle.

See y'all in a few hours not so Chocolate City.

Road Trip With The Gallery Girls

After my Monday Trans 101 panel discussion that included Nikki Araguz Loyd, UH student Skye, Lorraine Schroeder and myself, got an invite from Nikki and Meagan Gillett to join them on a road trip to Prairie View A&M University northwest of H-town to spread their special brand of sunshine to cheer up a young trans woman in her final semester of school on that HBCU campus.

While we have several colleges and universities in the state of Texas that cover transpeople in their non-discrimination policies, sadly Texas Southern University and Prairie View A&M aren't among that list.

TSU's Thurgood Marshall Law School is, but they need to do the same for the rest of the TSU campus

It can be lonely and tough at times for a transitioning trans woman in any space.   But those feelings of isolation can be magnified on a college campus.

And you haven't lived until you've taken a road trip with Nikki and Meagan.

After killing time at an outlet mall and scooping up some bargains, we rolled up to Prairie View and the apartment our trans sister shares with two other students around 8 PM CST to scoop her up and take her to a nearby Mexican restaurant.

She'd been a little bummed out about some personal issues, but she's handling her classroom business, is looking forward in this last semester at PV to graduating in May and getting started with her life that's so bright she'll need fashion forward shades to navigate it.

And yeah, hitting Bucee's on the way back to Houston with the Gallery Girls was the bomb.

Enjoyed meeting my trans sister, rolling up 290 and back with Nikki and Meagan, and looking forward to the next time I can spend some quality time with them.

Goodbye Denver, Hello H-town

After a wonderful several days handling my Creating Change business, time for me to leave the Sheraton Denver Downtown hotel room that has been my home for the last few days and make the trip to DIA and back home.

I enjoyed getting to see some old friends, finally meet people I've admired for years like Kim Coco Iwamoto, and meet many new people.

And I'm bummed I didn't get to see Eden Lane while I was in the 303, or missed connections with some peeps that were also in the #CC15 house.

Oh well, maybe the next time.

Thanks Denver for a wonderful #CC15 experience.   Thanks to the National Black Justice Coalition for extending me the invitation to participate in the second annual NBJC The  Black Institute.

And megathanks to all you TransGriot readers for the hugs and kind words about the blog and its founding editor.

As to whether I'll make it three straight Creating Changes when it convenes in Chicago next year, we'll see.  

Gotta go board my flight. My barbecue awaits at Hobby.