Back In NOLA For The NLGJA Convention

It was touch and go in terms of whether or not I'd actually get here, but thanks to a major assist from BTAC, I'm here for #NLGJA18!

After missing out on the NABJ one in Miami, I was determined to at least make this one since it was this close (385 miles) to my Houston stomping grounds. 

My Megabus trip from Houston started out on a less than promising note, with us having to swap the bus out before we could start our eastward trek down I-10.  But better to have them handle that problem in Houston than having us break down along the route. 

I-10 in Louisiana includes major stretches of it going through swamp in the Atchafalaya Basin west of Baton Rouge and in St Charles, St John and St Martin Parishes as you approach New Orleans..

Still ended up getting to New Orleans an hour late, but in one piece with my luggage.

It's ironic to me that after not having visited New Orleans since the 1990 Mardi Gras, since then I have been to a 2018 BTAC Leadership Institute here, the 2018 Netroots Nation, and now this NLGJA conference.in the span of 14 months.   

I have a Saturday panel I'm on, so looking forward to not only handling my business on it, but also getting my learn on.  And yes, looking forward to seeing a few friends and some of the NLGJA leadership team while I;m wandering the convention hotel.

I also want to catch up with my NOLA trans fam before I have to hit I-10 west on Sunday

I still have to get registered before that happens, but will deal with it in a few hours.

I'll also be tweeting and posting to my Facebook while I'm here, and you can also check out the #NLGJA19 hashtag for the latest news.

Moni's Netroots Nation 2018 Diary

This was my fourth Netroots Nation event, and the third consecutive one I have attended. 

One of the things I was doing besides the eventual three panels and two radio interviews while I was in New Orleans was a daily recap about my NN18 experience for the Houston based OutSmart magazine. 

There's a lot going on at a conference like this, and I wanted you to see them as you can see through my eyes as a participant with some movement gravitas

So here are the NN 18 recaps I wrote while I was here in NOLA

The Pre Conference - August 1 

I  awoke to a sunny New Orleans day basically ready to handle my business and check out some of the pre conference events taking place here at Netroots Nation 2018.

But first, Moni was getting and destroying those beignets.  The Hilton New Orleans Riverside hotel is our official #NN18 hotel.  The best part is that particular hotel is connected to the Riverwalk Mall and the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, where the #NN18 panels and keynotes will take place.

One of the things I like to do is get a feel for the convention venue and know exactly where the rooms are located for my panels.  The Cafe Du Monde in the Riverwalk opened at 8:30 AM, and the plan was to stop, get my six beignets to go (they come in sets of three), and keep stepping all the way to the EMCC.   The journey through the Riverwalk also allowed me to burn off the calories from those beignets.

My next task after I arrived at the cavernous EMCC was to find out what room the LGBT pre conference event was taking place in since it started at 8:30 AM.

I eventually discovered that the pre conference events, like all the panels, would be taking place on the second floor of the EMCC.  After another few minutes of walking, riding up escalators to that floor, and passing the Emily’s List sponsored Women’s Caucus, I finally arrived at the already in progress LGBT one.

My arrival was a surprise to my LGBT Media homies and homettes facilitating this event, Zack Ford, Liz Owen, Dana Rudolph, Daniel Villareal and Mike Rogers. They all gave me big hugs before they returned back to conducting their daylong event that started at the same time I was purchasing those beignets and ended at 5:00 PM.

After talking to Sunnivie Brydum and a few other attendees of the LGBT pre conference event during the break, I left at noon to handle some other pressing off campus business with the BiNet crew at their Airbnb in the French Quarter. I also needed to move out of my 19th floor room to a suite a few doors away on the same floor for the rest of the conference.  

The 19th floor room I was already in wasn’t bad. It had a view of the Mississippi River and I loved watching the paddle boats, barges and ships cruise by as I was writing.  The suite I’m now in has a much better view of downtown New Orleans and the Mississippi River bridges to the Westbank where I once lived.

After hanging out at the BiNet Airbnb for a few hours to work on our Friday presentation, we headed back to the EMCC at 4:30 PM to pick up our #NN18 programs and badges.  

I also found out while I was hanging out in the Quarter with my BiNet fam that I now have a 9:00 AM panel to participate in..   I received a call from the Trans United Fund Operations Manager Daye Pope that our TUF Executive Director Hayden Mora had a family emergency in New York that required his immediate attention.  She asked if I could cover for him in the reproductive justice panel he was scheduled to be on..

The MomsRising panel I’m scheduled to participate in on Thursday was taking place at 10:30 AM, so I agreed to do it.  That means I won’t be staying up late tonight. I'll have to get up a little earlier to make that happen.

We entered the Hall B part of the EMCC that will serve as the Netroots Nation Town Square, AKA the vendor area. . I noticed that Radio Row was being set up on that side of the building we were entering as well.

Egberto Willies and the KPFT-FM crew were setting up, and after talking to him for a few minutes to coordinate a radio interview for his show during the afternoon, I headed to the registration desk to pick up my #NN18 badge.  

After talking to a few longtime friends, we headed back to the hotel via the Riverwalk route so I could get busy writing about and recapping what happened on the #NN18 pre conference day
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Well, must get my beauty sleep on this end of I-10.  Have a long first day of Netroots Nation 2018 ahead of me in the morning.          

Day 1-August 2

The first full day of the 2018 edition of Netroots Nation was a full one for me.  It started with back to back panels before lunchtime, followed by two radio interviews.  

The first panel I was a participant in started at 9:00 AM and was entitled Igniting The Lit in Litmus Test: How Leading With Repro Justice Helps Us Win

It was a discussion moderated by Heidi Sieck with my fellow panelists Alison Dreith and Atima Omara.  It was focused on the how and why Democrats and progressives need to become more literate on reproductive justice issues and no be shy about it. because they are a winning one for our side.  

This is an issue I haven’t explored as much, so I was in active listening mode for the first 15 minutes of it.  But once I started to feel comfortable around the topic, I had no problem pointing out how transgender people fit into the reproductive justice framework.

Then I headed across the hall to the 10:30 panel I was scheduled to do with Moms Rising entitled Keep Marching 2018: Connect Locally, Build Power and Win..

Our panel moderator was MomsRising CEO Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, who I have known since the 2016 Netroots event in St Louis when she interviewed me in the semifinals of the Pundit Cup competition I won.

It was a reunion of sorts with her, myself, and my fellow panelists Almas Sayeed and Monifa Bandele.  I was also happy to see my Texas activist homettes Fran Watson and Sissi Yado in the room as we talked about how critical this election happening in 96 days is, and how local action can bring about positive change and wins for our side.
We went over the scheduled 11:45 AM end time of the panel by 10 minutes, but it was lunchtime so that was okay.   I then headed downstairs to the Town Square part of the EMCC to check out Radio Row and look for Egberto and do the interview I’d promised him.   

While I was there I ran into Michaelangelo Signorile, who I hadn’t seen since the 2012 NN event in Providence.  He was busy at that moment interviewing VA Delegate Danica Roem, who when she was done, I talked to for a few minutes before heading a few spots down Radio Row to do my interview on Kristin’s show.    Alicia Garza of BLM showed up when I finished, and we chatted for a few minutes before I settled into my KPFT-FM interview with Egberto for his Politics Done Right show

Sunnivie spotted me, introduced me to her boss at Free Speech TV, and set up an interview for Saturday.   

After lunch back in the Riverwalk, headed back to the EMCC and tried to figure out what panels I wanted to watch, but  didn’t see anything that appealed to me on the conference matrix, so I just wandered the NN Town Square to talk to old and new friends.   Was also stopped more than a few times by people who had either attended the pre conference event or the panels and liked what I had to say.   

It was also a bittersweet first NN 18 day because of the death that morning of a longtime friend of Netroots Nation and the progressive political world in Joel Silberman. He’s the media trainer extraordinaire for Democratic candidates, and II met him when I did the GLAAD POC Media training in New York back in 2012.   

We also found out at the afternoon plenary session that this NOLA Netroots Nation event is the best attended one ever.  Detroit used to hold the record, and New Orleans will probably add to it before the event ends on August 4 because people are still arriving.

And if they ever bring Netroots Nation to Houston, we’ll probably shatter NOLA’s record   

But back to the story.   New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell was just one of the speakers firing up the crowd along with Texan Gina Ortiz Jones  before I called it a day and headed back to the hotel to chill and do some writing.

Ready to see what August 3 brings.  

Day 2- August 3

NN18 Day 2 was one in which I did not have a scheduled panel until 4:15 PM. That meant I got the opportunity to sit back and actually enjoy a few presentations from the audience.

One of those presentations was a 9 AM one featuring four elected Black women legislators entitled Black Women Teach : Perspectives from Black Women Legislators.   It featured Reps Park Cannon and Renitta Shannon from Georgia, Rep Leslie Herod from Colorado, and Rep Emilia Sykes of Ohio.

They not only talked about some of the issues they were passionate about and why,  they also discussed some of the challenges of being Black female legislators.

I then moved on to watch the LGBTQ Women Out To Win panel moderated by our Houston homegirl and my former mayor Annise Parker. It featured Rep. Leslie Herod in her second consecutive one of the day, Del. Danica Roem of Virginia, and Sen. Pat Spearman of Nevada.

This discussion was similar to the Black female legislative one I’d just attended, but also focused on the challenges and advantages of running as a LGBTQ person    It also mic dropped the amazing stat that an out LGBTQ candidate is 67% more likely to win a race because they are seen as more authentic in the eyes of the voting public.

Sen Spearamn also shared lessons from her recent unsuccessful campaign for a congressional seat.   

And yes peeps, after the panel I got a chance to chat with Rep. Herod, who I have known for several years, Delegate Roem and Sen. Spearman.

At lunch we were treated to the keynote speech that Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) was supposed to have delivered Thursday but couldn’t because of bad weather in the DC area that delayed his NOLA arrival

There was also the show tunes singing in the NN18 Town Square in memory of Joel Silberman, who will be missed by his Netroots Nation family and all  who loved and admired him in progressive political circles.

I also bumped into my friend and Daily Kos writer Denise Oliver-Velez, Ambalika Williams and other old and new friends as I wandered the cavernous Morial Convention Center halls

Other NN18 attendees stopped me in the halls of the EMCC and even the Riverwalk to tell me how much they enjoyed what I had to say on the Thursday panels I participated in the day before.

4:15 PM arrived quickly, and that meant it was time to do my final panel for NN18.  It was entitled Don’t Fear The Black Activist: How To Communicate Without Anti-Blackness and was moderated by Faith Cheltenham and Ashton Woods.  

The panel discussed anti-Black attitudes within progressive organizing spaces,  why eradication of anti-Black attitudes needs to become a priority in the progressive movement if we are to be successful, and how we can get busy doing that.

I also had fun watching the younglings at an after party sponsored by Democracy For America  until they chased up out at 7 PM.

Aslo got to enjoy dinner with several friends at Drago’s, a NOLA seafood place well known for its charbroiled oysters (yes, they were delicious).

Have one more full day of Netroots Nation 2018 before we have to say goodbye to NOLA and focus on the 94 days of a midterm election that will determine whether we still have a democracy after November 6

Those of us gathered here in New Orleans are determined to do our part to make sure that we do

Day 3-+August 4  

The final day of Netroots Nation in NOLA.   Even though there were a few panels that piqued my interest as I perused the Saturday schedule matrix, I decided to focus on hitting the caucuses.

One of the panels I was interested in was the Disaster Capitalism: New Orleans and Puerto Rico in Dialogue one featuring San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz.

We would also find out on this final NN18 day where and when Netroots Nation 2019 would take place.   That will be in Philadelphia July 11-13 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

The LGBTQ Caucus, The LGBTQ POC Caucus  and Black Women Caucuses wee definitely must attend for me.   They were well attended, ranging from 20-30 people in each one of them hem

The highlight for me on this day was the Black Women’s one.  I got to finally meet one of my sheroes in Melissa Harris-Perry, and discover o my delight she was a fan and avid reader of TransGriot.   We had a chance to talk politics and a few other subjects during and after the caucus.

There was also another caucus that organically popped up organized by NN18 African American attendees entitled the BlackA** Caucus.

In that caucus discussions were held about the problematic scheduling of panels oriented toward discussing issues affecting our community against each other, microaggressive and anti-Black behavior encountered during the event, NN18 touting the fact 67% of the presenters were people of color, but we weren’t being paid for our intellectual labor among other issues.

The issue was also discussed in the caucus of being your authentic Black self in a convention space that is overwhelmingly white.  

Those Black A** caucus conversations led to the planning of a takeover of the NN18 stage during the closing plenary that was executed later that evening.   Demands were articulated from the plenary stage in the EMCC Great Hall that Black attendees want to see implemented in time for NN19 and beyond.

What were those demands?    Hiring of Black Netroots Nation staff, inclusion of Black members on the NN board and oversight of a team of Black activists over Netroots programming submitted by Black people to ensure they aren’t scheduled against each other  

Time and their actions will tell if the Netroots Nation Board of Directors was listening.    

The bottom line is that if you want to win, Black progressives MUST be at the table.  Black progressives are the key to consistently winning against conservatives, and you ignore African American voices at your electoral and movement peril .   

Black women are the base of the Democratic Party, and will be the voting bloc that powers the expected blue wave happening in 93 days

Netroots Nation 2018 is now one for the history books, and the hosting torch has been passed to Philadelphia.   Will be interesting to see when NN19 opens what the country’s political landscape looks like when it takes place.  

Netroots Nation 2018- Day 1

Looks like I'll now be doing three panels when this conference starts in a few hours at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center . Two of the three panels are on this first full day of it. 

Fortunately for me they are across the hall from each other. 

At 9:00 AM in RM 215/216 I'll be taking part in a panel entitled Igniting The Lit in Litmus Test How Leading With Repro Justice Helps Us Win.   

At 10:30 AM  my second panel starts in Room 214 that is sponsored by Moms Rising entitled Keep Marching 2018: Connect Locally, Build Power and Win.   

Kristin Rowe Finkbeiner will be moderating this panel that I'm on with my fellow panelists Monifa Bandele and Almas Sayeed.

After lunch, I'll be figuring out what panel i want to attend next.   I also have a possible radio interview scheduled with Egberto Willies on my hometown Pacifica station KPFT-FM.

Now, I need to get some sleep.  Don't want to be doing those panels with bags under my eyes.

Back In NOLA For Netroots Nation 2018!

Hi NOLA, I'm back!    As you TransGriot readers know I was recently here after a nearly three decade absence for a BTAC Leadership Training Institute.

This time I'm here for the 2018 edition of Netroots Nation.   Some of the 3500 people coming to the Crescent City for this event are US House candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Sen Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).

So what is Netroots Nation?  It is one of the largest progressive political conferences in the United States that grew out of the YearlyKos conference organized in 2006 by the readers and writers of the Daily Kos blog . 

From that initial event in Las Vegas that got major mainstream news coverage, it has grown not only in importance in Democratic and liberal progressive circles, it  also travels to different parts of the country.   Still wondering when I will get to see Netroots Nation happen in Houston    Austin so far has been the only Texas city to host it, having done son in 2008 .

This is my fourth Netroots Nation conference. and my third consecutive one since 2016    The first one I ever attended was in Providence, RI in 2012 to take part in that historic trans panel during that event. 

That Providence NN12 event unexpectedly became the one where my national activist profile got raised.   Two radio interviews by Elon James White and Michelangelo Signorile combined with that panel and and vocal participation in the LGBT and Black Caucuses tend to do that

I didn't return to Netroots Nation until the 2016 event in St Louis, where as y'all know I walked away with the Pundit Cup title after being urged to do so by John Gorczynski . 

I was in the Netroots Nations house when it was held in Atlanta last year.  In addition to taking part in two panel discussions during NN17, I was also a judge for the semifinals and finals of the 2017 Pundit Cup competition eventually won by Tenaja Jordan

I also stepped away from the host hotel to join the ATL trans community and attend the memorial vigil for Tee Tee Daingerfield 

Now it's in New Orleans.  I'm looking forward to being at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center not only the political happenings that will tranpire here, and taking part in two panels, but do so in a city in which I have a deep personal connection to.

As the 2016 Pundit Cup Champion, I'll be interested in checking out this year's competition and see who emerges as the 2018 title holder. 

The last three Pundit Cup champs, FYI  have been women, and the last two (2016-17) Black women, so don't bet against that pattern continuing.

But first things first, NN18 officially starts on Thursday and runs until August 4.   One of the panels I'm taking part in is sponsored by Moms Rising, and happens at 10:30 AM on August 2

The panel is called Keep Marching 2018: Connect Locally Build Power and Win.  It will be moderated by Kristin Rowe- Finkbeiner and will have Monifa Bandele and Almas Sayeed scheduled to be on it with me.

It will be in Room 214, and hope to see you there.

Made It To NOLA!

Finally made it to NOLA in one piece and my hotel near the New Orleans Airport around 7:30 PM CDT.  Looking forward to seeing my BTAC fam, some NOLA peeps while I'm here  and doing this leadership training over the next two days.

Amazed it's LESS humid than Houston right now as I sit around the pool area.

The leadership training starts tomorrow morning, so I do need to make sure I get into bed early enough so I can be all bright eyed and bushy tailed in the AM. 

Once we're done with Day One of the training, looking forward to spending some quality time with and catching up with everyone .

Headed To NOLA!

Been far too long since I've been to New Orleans.   Despite it being only a five hour drive and an hour's flight away, the last time I was in NOLA was for the 1990 Mardi Gras

I was there for the last weekend leading up to Fat Tuesday, so I got to see not only some West Bank parades while gulping a few 64 oz frozen daiquiris, but watched the Endymion parade in downtown NOLA from a coveted bleacher seat near the reviewing stand.

Endymion is known for its celebrity grand marshals, and the grand marshal that year was I kid you not, Spuds Mackenzie and the Spudettes. 

This is not only the first time I'm traveling to NOLA in the 21st Century, it's also the first time I've been here since transition, and so looking forward to the trip.

I lived there on the West Bank in Marrero with my family for two years as a toddler when my dad was working for WBOK-AM, so it is somewhat of a long overdue homecoming. 

New Orleans was one of the first non rev trips I took in March 1987 when I put in the month I needed to become pass eligible.

It is a business trip since I'm headed there for a BTAC Leadership retreat and training that starts tomorrow morning at 9 AM and ends Saturday afternoon. 

The good news is I get to spend some quality time with my BTAC fam again and didn't have to wait until April 2019 to do so.  The bad news is I have to go to IAH because Dee Dee and I have been booked on (ugh) Spirit Airlines to get there. 

And y'all know how much I despise Spirit.

The good thing about this trip is that it's only 45-50 minutes in the air and I get to stay at a Doubletree Hotel for it upon arrival.

Can you say 'destroyed cookies' people?   Thought you could. 

Some beignets will be destroyed on this trip as well as soon as I get the opportunity to do so, preferably from Cafe Du Monde.

NOLA Town Hall On Transgender Violence Today

Because of the deaths of trans women Cyna Gibson and Ciara McElvee that happened in New Orleans during Mardi Gras weekend and the disturbing video that came out in January of some wastes of DNA chasing trans women, this afternoon for those of you in the New Orleans metro area, there will be a town hall to discuss the unacceptable levels of violence being aimed at trans women in the NOLA area.

It's sponsored by Transitions Louisiana, Trans United Fund and the Foundation for Louisiana, and starts at 3;00 PM CST at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of New Orleans.

Mayor Mitch Landrieu (D), NOLA District D Councilmember Jared D. Brosset, District E Councilmember James Gray III are just some of the NOLA political leaders who have been invited to attend this town hall.

But most disturbingly, according to founding Executive Director of Transitions Louisiana Jada Mercedes Cardona, Brosset and Gray have yet to even acknowledge receipt of their invitation much less send a response whether they will attend or not.

I'm also curious to find out if anyone from US Rep Cedric Richmond's office will show up for this forum as well.

"I'm interested to see if Councilman Jared C. Brossett, District D (where Clara was killed) and James Gray, District E (where Chyna was killed) are going to show.... They didn't even give us the courtesy of a reply. 

Further proof that some elected officials still ignore us, just believe we will disappear (or die) and don't regard us as whole human beings, worthy of respect. 

I'm glad to see both the Honorable Councilman Jason Williams, Council at-Large and The Honorable Councilwoman Latoya Cantrell step up and are willing to listen and help us formulate a plan to improve relations between their constituents!!!!"

At large Councilman Jason Williams, and District B Councilwoman Latoya Cantrell are confirmed attendees for this forum scheduled to run for two hours.

If you're attending this town hall, it's taking place at the First UU Church of New Orleans, located at 2903 Jefferson Ave and Claiborne St.

Hope the event is a successful one, and I also hope to hear that the church is packed with people and NOLA political leaders and law enforcement wishing to come up with concrete steps to solve the problem of anti-trans violence in the NOLA area.

I also hope that when this forum is done, it will also begin the process in NOLA of getting people to recognize that trans lives matter, we have the right to exist, and we are worthy of respect.
 

Rest In Power and Peace, Ciara McElveen

At this point I'm pissed off.

I just went to a memorial service yesterday here in Houston for Chyna Gibson, and I woke up this morning to news of another NOLA trans woman being murdered.

Our fallen sister's name who was fatally stabbed there mere hours after Chyna Gibson was shot and killed Saturday in New Orleans East is Ciara McElveen.

She was found in New Orleans' 7th Ward after New Orleans police responded to a call at 9 AM CST at North Claiborne Ave and Columbus Streets.

NOPD arrived in the 1700 block of Columbus Street and discovered McElveen suffering from multiple stab wounds   She was taken to a local hospital where she succumbed to her injuries.

According to a witness, McElveen was arguing with the driver of the vehicle being sought in this killing.  The driver got out of the car after reaching across to the driver's side, opened the door, pulled McElveen out by her head, slammed her face into the ground and then drove off.

She is the second trans woman in New Orleans to be killed in the last 48 hours, the fourth this month, the third nationally in the span of a week and the 6th overall in 2017.

And as you probably guessed, the initial reporting misgendered her.

McElveen had no family members in the NOLA area, and according to NOPD spokeswoman Dawne Massey, NOPD is still conducting interview with witnesses and friends of hers,

NOPD is looking for a car, possibly a black Camaro in connection with this murder . If you have further information on this case that will lead to the arrest and convictions of the people who did this, please call call Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111 or 1-877-903-STOP (7867).

I will be keeping you updated about the details concerning this latest murder until an arrest, prosecution and conviction happens for the person who took Ciara's life..

Rest in power and peace, Ciara,   Your community will not rest until justice is served in this case.

Rest In Power and Peace, Chyna Gibson

I just wrote a post about trans woman Keke Collier being killed in Chicago earlier this week, and now I'm having to announce that we have lost another trans sister in Chyna Gibson

New Orleans Police responded to a call Saturday night around 8:26 PM CST in the 4300 block of Downman Road and found the body of the 31 year old Gibson lying in the parking lot of the Bella Plaza shopping center in New Orleans East between two vehicles in front of a clothing store.

And as usual, at least one NOLA news station, WWL-TV misgendered her.

She had been shot multiple times and was pronounced dead on the scene.  Gibson is now the fifth US trans woman murdered in 2017, all women of color.

She was well known in the ballroom community as Chyna Doll Dupree, and the New Orleans native had gone home from California to celebrate Mardi Gras.

NOPD Homicide Detective Robert Barrere is in charge of the investigation, and can be reached at 504- 658-1111 if you have any information concerning this murder.

The Orleans Parish coroner will be releasing further details about this case.

What also has me upset about hearing about this latest murder just down I-10 east is that last month a YouTube video surfaced of two cisgender males harassing and hunting trans women in the New Orleans area.

You can also call Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111 or 1-877-903-STOP  if you have information that will lead to the apprehension of the person or persons who committed this crime.

Rest in power and peace, Chyna.    We will not rest until the person who did this is brought to justice and rotting in a jail cell.

Katrina 10th Anniversary

Today is the tenth anniversary of the devastating 2005 landfall of Hurricane Katrina in the New Orleans area.   It would turn out to be the fifth deadliest storm to ever hit the United States and caused the reported deaths of 1,833 people   It also resulted in once the levees failed in 80% of New Orleans being flooded and major damage to the roof of the Superdome.

It also had far reaching effects post landfall in forcing the largest movement of African-Americans since The Great Migration of the early 20th century and affecting the politics of the states of Texas, Louisiana and Georgia.

Because of Katrina evacuees, the population of Houston grew by 35,000 people, and enough stayed to where we ended up expanding City Council after the 2010 census. Georgia picked up a congressional seat and Texas picked up four congressional seats.

Conversely, New Orleans lost half its pre-storm population and the state of Louisiana lost 4.8% of its pre-Katrina population and a congressional seat. Louisiana also went from being a swing state to a reliably Republican voting one.

And yes, Katrina also affected the lives of our trans family who lived there.

The badly botched government response by the Bush Administration was probably a factor in the Democrats getting control of the US House and the Senate in the 2006 midterms the next year.

New Orleans and the area has bounced back ten years later,  Many of the people who left the city in the wake of Katrina have returned.   The Superdome reopened, and the levees and highways damaged by the storm have been rebuilt.  President Obama visited the city earlier this week, spoke with residents and Mayor Mitch Landrieu and gave this speech.



There will also be commemorative events across the area today as people remember the folks that were lost in that devastating storm.

NOLA Trans March Later Today

Was advised by Milan Nicole Sherry that later today in New Orleans a trans themed march and community gathering will take place starting at 3:30 PM CDT.

It is being organized by BreakOUT, a local organization that seeks to end the criminalization of LGBTQI youth in the city in order to build a safer and more just New Orleans.

The NOLA Trans March will start and end at the corner of Ursulines and N. Claiborne Ave, and once it is completed will be followed by a press conference.

The march is open to all, and if you wish to take part in it, you are asked to show up at 3:15 PM.

Best of luck and hope it is a megasuccessful event.

RIP Penny Proud

New Orleans is another place I call home because I lived in Marrero for two years as a toddler and my god sister still lives there.

I am saddened to report the murder of another trans woman of color courtesy of ELIXHER,

Meet 21 year old Penny Proud of New Orleans. 

She was found dead in the 1100 block of North Claiborne Avenue in the Treme neighborhood at 1:30 AM yesterday (February 10) shot multiple times

And yes, Times-Picayune, read your AP Stylebook.  Every time you misgender a trans feminine murder victim, you send a message that Black Trans Lives Don't Matter to you and the people who wish to kill us..

She makes the fifth transperson killed across this this country in what is starting to take shape as a bloody year for trans murders.   For those of you in the New Orleans area, if you have information that will lead to the capture of the waste of DNA who killed Penny, you can call the New Orleans PD

They are asking anyone with information on this crime to contact Homicide Detective Robert Barrere at 504-658-5300 or Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111.

You could receive a cash reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to the arrest and indictment of the responsible person(s). You do not have to give your name nor testify to receive the reward. Citizens can also submit an anonymous tip online to Crimestoppers at www.crimestoppersgno.orgThere will also be a candlelight vigil tonight at the Treme corner where Penny was murdered.  Hope there is a large crowd for it.

Rest in Power Penny.   Know that your NOLA area trans sisters and the rest of us around the country will not rest until justice is served in your case.

Anyone with information about Proud’s murder is asked to contact Homicide Detective Robert Barrere at 504-658-5300, or contact Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111 or www.crimestoppersgno.org. - See more at: http://elixher.com/state-of-emergency-black-trans-woman-murdered-in-new-orleans/#sthash.UkqSaDxH.dpuf

Trans Pageant Diva Wanted For Silicone Pumping

Armani Nicole Davenport is a two decade decorated veteran of the trans pageant circuits in Texas, Louisiana and Georgia. 

She has won a long list of titles that include Miss Black Continental Plus in 2009,  being third alternate at Miss Gay USofA@ Large 2009, Miss Texas FFI at Large 2010 and most recently a third alternate finish at the Miss Gay Texas USof A 2014 pageant in Dallas.

But if New Orleans Police get their way, the only title the Louisiana-born Davenport will be competing for is Miss Imprisoned Pumper 2014.

The New Orleans Police Department have filed a warrant for the arrest of the 32 year old Davenport, who is wanted on a count of negligent injuring in connection with an October 24 silicone pumping that went badly wrong and left a woman in a coma.

A conviction for negligent injuring can carry a maximum fine of $5,000 and a six-month prison sentence.

Davenport is believed to have injected silicone into the hips and buttocks of two unidentified women late last week at a home in Gert Town on that date.

According to a report in the Baton Rouge Advocate, the women voluntarily received hip and buttocks silicone injections at a home in the 1200 block of South Salcedo St. around 1:15 AM.  

One of the women left the home around 3 AM and returned two hours later to find her friend in respiratory distress and called paramedics.   She told them as they took her friend the a nearby hospital that she thought the silicone injections were to blame and someone known to both of them as Armani or Mani from Dallas was the person who administered the injections.

The woman in distress was in critical conditional and comatose when the police report was compiled on October 25.  A friend of the comatose woman stated in a WWL-TV interview that this was the second time in a week she had received a silicone injection. 

Davenport was born in Baton Rouge but is a Dallas resident.  New Orleans PD suspect she may be hiding in the New Orleans area and are asking anyone with information about Davenport’s whereabouts to call New Orleans police detective Ed Johnson at (504) 658-6060 or Crimestoppers at (504) 822-1111. 

WWLT-TV, I Find Your Lack Of AP Stylebook Trans Understanding Disturbing

Why in Hades is it so hard for professional journalists to get this breathtakingly simple concept?

Per the AP Stylebook:

transgender-Use the pronoun preferred by the individuals who have acquired the physical characteristics of the opposite sex or present themselves in a way that does not correspond with their sex at birth.

If that preference is not expressed, use the pronoun consistent with the individuals live publicly.

Once again (sigh), we have another example of media misgendering of a transperson.

This person is being sought by the New Orleans po-po's as a suspect in a French Quarter robbery.   BTW, if you have info in that regard, call New Orleans Crimestoppers

But back to riffing on the media again.   WWLT-TV's report was in violation of the AP Stylebook guidelines for reporting on trans people.  Since they have shown no aptitude for being able to read the English language version of the AP Stylebook  the TransGriot is going to have to go back to her earlier blog policy of showing them by example how it should have been done.

(Moni cracks knuckles)

NEW ORLEANS - Police are searching for a suspect they describe as a transgender female who they say robbed a man while walking on Bourbon St.

According to police, the robbery happened early Tuesday morning at around 5:25.

According to police spokesman, Frank Robertson, the suspect reportedly approached the victim and tried to start a conversation, then two other suspects appeared, and attacked the man. They then took his wallet and money.

Police say they are searching for a Transgender African American female, 5’07” to 6’00” tall, in her mid-20’s to early 30’s. If you have any information that could help police, call CRIMESTOPPERS at 822-1111.

***

See, now that wasn't so hard was it WWLT-TV?    You might as well start now practicing how to get these descriptions of trans people consistently right since you have a large concentration of my trans peeps in the New Orleans metro area.    It will not be the first or last time you have to accurately report on a trans person in New Orleans, so get used to doing it. . 

And since it's more accurate, it might even lead to the capture of said suspect instead of the confusion you sowed when you wrote the aforementioned piece describing a person with a feminine gender presentation as a man.

Hurricane Katrina 7th Anniversary

Today is also on a crowded news and historical event day the 7th anniversary of the devastating August 29, 2005 landfall of Hurricane Katrina in the New Orleans-Mississippi Gulf Coast area.

I lived in Marrero, LA on the West Bank as a toddler and my godsister Angela still lives in the area along with more than a few friends, so I took it personally what happened to the city.  I've also written posts since 2006 on the anniversary of the storm. 

It's also eerily ironic that on the anniversary of the storm that took almost 1500 lives and devastated the region, the area is once again experiencing the effect of a hurricane.  

Hurricane Isaac came ashore last night 90 miles south of New Orleans with Category One level winds, heavy rain and a storm surge that has already overtopped a levee in Plaquemines Parish.

That was far less than the Category 4 status Katrina pummeled the area with, but seven years later is still memorable for not only the devastation it caused, but also triggering the largest population movement of African-Americans since the Great Migration with the resulting seismic consequences to Louisiana, the Gulf Coast region and local, state, regional and national politics.

Since New Orleans has TBLG residents living there they were also affected.  We were painfully reminded that transphobia and homophobia can rear its ugly head even in times of disaster relief situations.  

It prompted the Houston transgender community to compile a list every hurricane season of people who would be willing to host trans evacuees in case a disaster necessitated the evacuation of rainbow community people from their home areas.

We Texans can credit one of the four congressional seats we picked up in the 2010 census due to Katrina evacuees moving to Houston and Dallas and staying.   Louisiana politics going red is also a result of the loss of African-American population from New Orleans.  

So on the anniversary of Katrina's landfall, let's never forget the people who died during that storm and the ripple effects that are still reverberating in our communities from it years later.