Number 1- Rest In Power Dustin Parker

Damn, the confetti wasn't even swept up off of the streets in New York's Times Square before the news broke that we have already lost a trans person in 2020 to violence.

We head to McAlester, OK for the news concerning 25 year old Dustin Parker.   His body was found in the drivers seat of his Rover electric Taxi at 6:30 AM CST on New Years Day in the 200 block of West Delaware Avenue.   The vehicle had been hit by multiple gunshots and he was deceased when police arrived at the scene. 

Investigators recovered shell casings at the scene, and interviewed people in the area who head gunshots, but dismissed it as celebratory gunfire until McAlester PD cars started arriving on the scene. 

Parker leaves behind his wife Regina and four children.   He was a founding member of Oklahomans For Equality.   His employer, Rover Taxi, has set up a Facebook fundraising page to help benefit Parker's family.

“Rover Taxi is devastated at the loss of a member of our Rover family,” said Rover Taxi owner Brian West in a post on its site.   Parker served as a manager for the company.

“Dustin was a steadfast friend, an amazing husband and father, and generous to a fault. He loved fiercely, worked tirelessly, and took on life with so much hope and enthusiasm that his presence brightened all of our lives. His bright, young life was taken far too early. Please keep his loved ones in your thoughts as we all try to pull together to get through these difficult times. Dustin will be missed, but never forgotten.”

As of this writing, there are no suspects in this case. Capt  Kevin Hearod of the McAlester Police Department stated that while there is as of yet no evidence that Parker was killed because he was trans, they are not taking that possibility off the table in terms of a possible motive.

"We've still got investigators out running down leads right now," Hearod said to the Tulsa World. "(Parker was) just a working man, making a living for his family, and he didn't get to come home."
No word as of yet concerning a memorial service.

Rest in power and peace Dustin.   You got to see the dawn of the 2020's, but unfortunately you will not see more of this new decade.   Pondering that thought pisses me off.  .   

Your trans sibs in Oklahoma and around the country will not rest until justice is served in your case. 

Maddie Speaks To Vice News

Vice News has been doing some excellent trans themed stories lately.    As y'all know I made an appearance in the Trans in Texas segment that aired last week . 

Now they talk to 12 year old Maddison Rose and her family.   She's  the trans feminine child at the center of the controversy she didn't cause in Achille, OK that has gone national. 

The bullying from transphobic adults that approached hate crime levels is a major reason why Maddie and her family will be Houstonians soon. We're ready to welcome Maddie and her family here to H-town with open arms.

Here's the video from that Vice News show.

Transphobic Oklahomans Plot Hate Attack On Pre Teen Trans Child

If I need any more incentive to push harder to pass hate crimes and nondiscrimination legislation that protects trans people, I need to look no further than north of the Red River into Oklahoma

This disgusting series of Facebook posts came to light from Oklahoma courtesy of the Hate Trackers website .  Burney and Jamie Crenshaw in the Achille ISD parents group began ranting about a 12 year old trans girl attending school in the district just north of the Texas-Oklahoma border.   It didn't take long for the Facebook posts to dive into the transphobia ignorance and dehumanizing trans hate speech sewer.

And nope, these aren't the trans child's peers.  They are adults.

One post by Kevin Bickerstaff advocated encouraging Achille ISD students to violently attack the trans girl in question until she is too afraid and traumatized to come to school. 

"Just tell kids to kick ass in the bathroom and it won't want to come back,"  wrote Bickerstaff in his FB post.

Eddie Belcher, who has alleged white supremacist ties, advocated cutting the trans child's genitals.

"If he wants to be female, make him female.  A good sharp knife will do the trick," wrote Belcher.

The conspirators also advocated in those trans hate posts coming to subsequent Achille ISD board meetings to demand they take action against the pre-teen trans student.

Gee, wonder if they will be bringing pitchforks and tiki torches to those Achille ISD meetings as well?

The disturbing posts also got the attention of trans parents groups, the Oklahoma media,  the Achille ISD and our TBLGIQ accomplices.  Meanwhile in reaction to the violent transphobes, the parents of the trans girl sought an emergency protective order on August 10 against Crenshaw. 

Achille ISD took down the transphobic  posts from their Facebook page, and it does have an anti-bullying policy   Wonder what Achille ISD superintendent Rick Beene thinks about it and these violent parents wishing to harm a trans child?

Hopefully they have also gotten the attention of law enforcement officials in Oklahoma.

Oklahoma was one of the Republican controlled states in which the legislature pushed for anti-trans hate legislation that fortunately failed.

What happened in Achille is a salient example of anti-trans rhetoric being peddled by the TERF's, the conservative movement, white fundamentalists, right wing media and the GOP for political advantage now filtering down to the unwashed rural Trump loving masses and having negative impacts on the real lives of transgender people.

Anti-trans hate thoughts + anti-trans hate speech = anti-trans hate violence/murders.   You hatemongers are aiming that rhetoric against trans children and it needs to stop. 

I repeat, stop it now before it gets to the violence and murder result of the Equation of Trans Hate.

Number 23- Rest In Power Brooklyn BreYanna Stevenson

Any hopes I had that we would not lose any more trans people in 2017 to anti-trans violence were dashed when I received word of the latest person to be taken away from us too soon.

This time the murder happened in Oklahoma City, OK  and it is 31 year old Brooklyn BreYanna Stevenson.

She was found dead in a motel room at the Oxford Inn at 5301 N. Lincoln Blvd in northeast OKC at approximately 2:30 AM CST Monday.

As you probably guessed, the initial news reports used her deadname.

Brooklyn's family put out a statement after hearing the news of her death.

"We are heartbroken.  Brooklyn BreYanna was an amazing daughter, sister and friend with a giving and loving heart.   We pray that those who committed this heinous crime will be identified and Brooklyn will receive justice." .

Brooklyn's family has also created a GoFundMe page to help assist with raising fund to cover the cost of her burial.

The murder investigation is in its early phase, and the OKlahoma City PD has no suspects or a motive at this time.   Those persons with any information concerning this case are urged to call OKC PD's Homicide Tip Line at 405-297-1200 

Stevenson is the 23rd  trans person killed in 2017, the 18th African-American one and the 17th Black trans feminine one.   And more irritating to me is that she was under age 35.

Rest in Power and Peace, Brooklyn!   Will keep track of this case until justice is served and the perpetrators of it are doing time.   If there are any upcoming memorial services or community vigils for her, will pass that information along as I get it.

TransGriot Perv Watch- Oklahoma TBLGQ Oppressor Busted For Child Prostitution

How deliciously apropos in the wake of the Texas senate passage of SB 6, the Texas Transgender Oppression Act which is laughingly claimed to be about 'protecting our children', that another conservative Republican legislator gets busted on child prostitution charges.

If the GOP was serious about protecting our children, they would ban Republican male legislators from the bathrooms.

This time it's north of the Red River in Oklahoma, and the GOP legislative perv that got busted for being in a hotel room with an underage by is Oklahoma state senator  Ralph Shortey (R-Oklahoma City) .

Shortey voted to advance a failed trans oppression (bathroom) bill out of committee last year that has stirred up anti-trans animus in the state,  and now he's been busted  for engaging in the predatory behavior against our youth he and his fellow Republicans repeatedly accuse transgender people of engaging in.

Shortey was also Trump's Oklahoma campaign manager during the state's GOP primary.

The married Shortey was busted on March 9 in a Moore, OK Super 8 motel room with a 17 year old male juvenile with a history of soliciting himself online according to his parents and the Moore PD.  

When they arrived at the motel room there was according to the Moore PD a strong smell of marijuana and an open box of condoms in the juvenile's backpack.   Shortey claimed he was there 'just hanging out with a friend'  

Communications records from the teen's Kindle Fire that was also in his backpack say otherwise.   KFOR-TV reported that when the teen told Sen. Shortey that he needed money for spring break, Shortey allegedly responded, "Would you be interested in sexual stuff?"

Shortey was arrested and charged with three felony counts of engaging in child prostitution, engaging in prostitution within 1000 feet of a church, and transporting a minor for prostitution  

The Oklahoma Senate in the wake of this serious unanimously voted to strip Shortey of his legislative privileges.  While he still gets to collects his monthly Senate paycheck and can still vote on legislation, he has been stripped of all committee assignments, barred from his office and stripped of his right to have an executive assistant.

Hopefully the voters of his senate district will strip him of his legislative seat in the next election cycle.

Freedom Oklahoma noted Shortey's support of the failed OK bathroom bill in their comment about his arrest to the Norman Transcript:

"We find it highly ironic that Senator Shortey voted to advance these bills out of committee and less than a year later, he was caught in what appears to be actual predatory behavior toward a vulnerable youth.  

There has never been a legitimate recorded incident in Oklahoma of a transgender person harming anyone in a restroom, yet there are numerous accounts of predatory behavior by anti LGBTQ legislators who have taken bigoted votes akin to the one Senator Shortey cast last year. "

And once again I and the trans community collectively ask, who are the perverts?   And FYI, Shortey wasn't in drag when he committed his crimes.

Will be keeping an eye on this case to see what happens.,

UH Shocks The World Again To Beat No. 3 OU

'Nobody outside Beltway 8, including college football pundits  is giving the number #15 ranked Cougars a chance against a team that was a semifinalist in last year's College Football Playoff and is considered a favorite for the Big XII title.  But then again, none of the college football pundits thought the 13-1 Cougars could hang with Florida State in the Peach Bowl either.'
-TransGriot, September 3, 2016

Can I call it or what?

Once again, the University of Houston Cougars have shocked the college football world and beaten a top ranked football program nobody thought they were capable of beating.  They were a 13 point underdog going into this game, and this time it was number 3 ranked Oklahoma that experienced the H-Town Takeover in full effect at a sold out NRG Stadium.

UH earned their first win ever against the Sooners and their first win over a Top-3 ranked program since 1984 (they beat the hell out of the Texas Longhorns,snicker snicker) when they smashed the Big XII preseason favorites 33-23 with a national television audience looking on.

With UH days away from making their formal presentation to join the Big XII Conference, it couldn't come at a better time as far as UH alums are concerned.
The Sooners came out of the gate on fire, going 79 yards in just 8 plays, capped by a 32 yard Joe Mixon TD run on their opening possession. The Coogs answered with a 10 play 71 yard drive of their own that resulted in the first of Ty Cummings' four first half field goals from 35 yard out to cut the OU lead to 7-3.

The Cougar defense then began to show signs of slowing down the potent OU offense, holding them to a 25  yard Austin Seibert field goal to extend the OU lead to 10-3 after the first quarter,

The Cougars began to assert themselves in the second quarter, and after a 14 play 84 yard drive that chewed up 6:16, added another Cummings field goal from 26 yard out to cut the deficit to 10-6.  

The Coogs took their first lead after a 7 play 75 yard drive capped off by a Greg Ward, Jr 15 yard touchdown to a wide open Duke Catalon to go up 13-10.   But that lead evaporated after Baker Mayfield tossed a 64 bomb to Mark Andrews to put the Sooners back up 17-13.   

The undaunted Cougars went back to work chipping away at that Oklahoma lead, getting a 33 yard field goal from Cummings to narrow the deficit to 17-16, and aided by an amazing catch by Linell Bonner III, took the lead on Austin Cummings fourth field goal from 47 yards out with :03 left in the half to go up at the half 19-17.

The backbreaking play came in the third quarter after Oklahoma set up to kick a 53 yard field goal to take the lead, but it fell short and was returned for a kick six by Brandon Wilson to give the Coogs a 26-17 lead they would never relinquish. 



Mayfield tried to bring his team back but the UH defense continued their pattern of the last few years of forcing turnovers, and forced a huge fumble they converted into another touchdown to got up 33-17.
Oklahoma added a touchdown late after UH lost a fumble on the goal line enroute to another score that would have put them up 40-17, but instead they have to be satisfied with a huge 33-23 win.

It marked the first time in UH program history they have beaten Top 5 programs back to back, and the massive win puts them solidly in the discussion for a CFA playoff spot assuming they run the table the rest of the way.

But the most important stat in the game is that the UH Cougars are 1-0.

2016 UH Cougar Watch- Crucial Season Opener At NRG Stadium

My fave college football team starts what has the potential to be a blockbuster 2016 season when they kick off in a few hours against the number 3 ranked Oklahoma Sooners at a sold out NRG Stadium.

Nobody outside Beltway 8, including college football pundits  is giving the number #15 ranked Cougars a chance against a team that was a semifinalist in last year's College Football Playoff and is considered a favorite for the Big XII title.  But then again, none of the college football pundits thought the 13-1 Cougars could hang with Florida State in the Peach Bowl either,

But after an offseason in which they hauled in a recruiting class that ranked number 35 in the nation and included 5 star homeboy DT Ed Oliver, you may not want to sleep on this team.

We'll see if the H-Town Takeover can hang with a team they may have to face on a regular basis if the Big XII does the right thing and invites UH to join

But the start of this season for the Cougars seems to have a lot riding on it.  In addition to being considered for Big XII membership, the defending American Athletic Conference Champs will be trying to prove their 13-1 record last year wasn't a fluke along with the 38-24 Peach Bowl demolition of Florida State.

But as Coach Tom Herman said, that was last year's UH team. This 2016 UH team will have to forge their own legacy, and they can take a major step toward that in a few hours.

“We’re the same disrespected, little American Conference team with a giant chip on our shoulder,” Herman said. “The media and everyone else might have put us in the top 25, (and) that’s based off of what last year’s team did. We haven’t done anything.”

In addition to opening at NRG Stadium with Oklahoma and possessing the best ranking to start a football season since I was walking the campus, they'll also be facing on November 17 a Louisville squad at TDECU Stadium with revenge on their minds along with their opponents in The American who want to repeat on a weekly basis what UConn managed to do last year in upsetting the Coogs.

The Coogs are shooting for a repeat American title, a possible Heisman Trophy for QB Greg Ward, Jr,  and possibly crashing the College Football Playoff party if they can run the table schedule wise.

But the huge piece of that 2016 Cougar college football season puzzle starts at 11:00 AM CDT.

Bye, Sally Kern!

I don't like term limits for a lot of reasons for legislative and city council seats because I believe they punish good legislators who deserve longer terms in our legislative bodies.   I also dislike them because it was an idea pushed by conservatives who when they proposed them were having a hard time getting elected to those then Democratically controlled legislatures and city councils

I've seen term limits in Houston rob us of Annise Parker, who if she'd been able to run in 2015 probably could have gotten another term as Houston's mayor.

Oklahoma instituted term limits for their state legislators after passage of a ballot question in 1990 that took effect in 1992.  It slapped a 12 year combined limit on anyone elected to the Oklahoma House or Senate unless they were elected during a special election to fill a vacancy.

So why am I writing about Oklahoma term limits?.  Keep reading, because it will make your day.

The 101 member Oklahoma House has 19 members terming out in 2016.   One of the notable names terming out for those of us who are political junkies paying attention to who our enemies are,  is none other than Rep. Sally Kern (R-Oklahoma City) the racist, transphobic, homophobic, sexist, (fill in the blank) Bible-thumping Talabaptist enemy of TBLGQ  people in her home state and across the country.

Kern was elected six times to her seat, and was challenged by trans feminine civil rights attorney Brittany Novotny in 2010.  She repeatedly sponsored tried to pass anti-LGBT legislation in Oklahoma, but thanks to the hard work of activists there, she failed including this session.

But hallelujah, praise the Lord and pass the voter registration cards!. The OKC Queen of Mean is going to have to give up her House seat.   And for that I'm doing the happy dance.

So are the peeps in Oklahoma.

“I can tell you all LGBTQ Oklahomans look forward to Rep. Sally Kern’s last day in public office,” said Toby Jenkins, the executive director of Oklahomans For Equality in a Tulsa Word interview. “She has given 12 years of constant attack against gay, lesbian and transgender Oklahomans.

But before she split, she got uninterrupted time on the Oklahoma House floor to say goodbye, and Kern used that time according to The Advocate to launch one last anti-LGBT rant on her way out of the chamber

"In 2008, I did say the homosexual agenda is worse than terrorism," Kern told her legislative colleagues on Wednesday. "I didn't apologize in 2008, and I don't apologize today.".

And we in TBLG World aren't apologizing for being happy your Talabaptist behind is leaving office.

Bye, Sally.  Hope you stay retired from politics.  But I have the sinking feeling you're going to try to take this homophobic act national..

TransGriot Perv Watch- Oklahoma Perv Arrested For Stealing Sorority Girls Panties

The trans community is beyond sick and tired of being slimed as predators and perverts by predominately white conservatives and their GOP friends who are launching legislative attacks on trans people in various states based on those lies.

So as a TransGriot public service, I'm going to start writing tracking posts highlighting who the real pervs and predators are who are preying on cis women.  I also want to document and drive home the point they are cis men, not trans women, and the 'menz' when they are busted for their BS ain't wearing wigs, heels or dresses when they commit these crimes.

They also overwhelmingly look like the GOP conservafools proposing these anti-trans laws and spreading anti-trans hate.

Our first perv watch dispatch comes from Oklahoma, where Sally Kern is spreading her special brand of anti-LGBT hate again and the Republican controlled state legislature has filed a record 26 anti-LGBT bills.

But back to this TransGriot Perv Watch post, Oklahoma style.

While this may sound like a fraternity prank, unfortunately it isn't.  41 year old Randall Scott Ashton was arrested for sneaking into an unlocked window at the Alpha Delta Pi sorority house on the University of Central Oklahoma campus in Edmond, OK and stealing the girls panties.

One of the girls awoke at 2 AM to the horrifying discovery of Ashton sitting on the edge of her bed and police were called.   They found porn magazines in his car and one on the balcony of the sorority house.  Fortunately none of the seven girls in the Alpha Delta Pi house at the time were hurt or assaulted.

When Edmond police took his behind to jail, they discovered at some point the perv had put on and was wearing a pair of the pilfered sorority panties.   They also discovered that Ashton fit the description of a man who had dropped his pants at a local grocery store three hours earlier,

Ashton has been charged with one count of first degree burglary for the stolen sorority panties, and another count of indecent exposure.  Bail has been set at $20,000..

And once again, the perp wasn't in drag or a member of our community, transphobic Oklahoma GOP legislators. when he committed his crimes.

There Will Never Be An OU Chapter Of SAE, Either

Was infuriating to see  not even 24 hours after the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday and President Obama's speech the not so surprising action of white frat member gone racist on viral video.

And I wasn't surprised when I heard it was Sigma Alpha Epsilon, a fraternity that proudly touts its association to the Confederacy on its website and has a long history of racist and nekulturny behavior.



In this latest episode of frat boys gone wild, after the video of their racist ditty went viral, OU President David Boren took swift and decisive action to call out the bad behavior, give SAE until today to pack their stuff and leave their frat house, and started an investigation to determine who the miscreants are.

SAE National also condemned the behavior of its now shut down OU Chapter

“Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s national headquarters has closed its Oklahoma Kappa chapter at the University of Oklahoma following the discovery of an inappropriate video,” according to a statement on SAE’s website. “In addition, all of the members have been suspended, and those members who are responsible for the incident may have their membership privileges revoked permanently.”

The University of Oklahoma has already lost one highly touted football recruit as a result of this incident, and it remains to be seen how many more they lose.

And something else that remains to be seen is whether the person or persons that started this latest mess that an SAE chapter has found itself in gets punished.

Paula Sophia Falls Short In Oklahoma Legislative Runoff

All 12 precincts have reported in the Oklahoma House District 88 runoff race between Paula Sophia and Jason Dunnington and the winner and new representative of that OKC area legislative seat is:

Jason Dunnington.

In a razor thin race, Dunnington garnered 990 votes to Sophia's 968.  An agonizing 23 votes separated her from the win and trans political history.

According to Sophia's Twitter feed, she will ask for a recount and for the provisional ballots to be counted as well. 

If that doesn't cut into the narrow 22 vote margin of Dunnington, he will be the representative-elect for House District 88 since no Republican filed in this race..

Will keep y'all posted.

Will Oklahoma Electoral History Be Made Today?

In a few hours when the polls open in Oklahoma, Paula Sophia gets an opportunity to make some modern transgender history.

She is in a runoff for the Oklahoma House District 88 seat in central Oklahoma City that as an OKC police officer the Desert Storm vet used to patrol until she retired earlier this year to run for office.

It was a crowded field in this race to replace openly lesbian state Rep Kay Floyd (D-Oklahoma City), who formerly held the seat to run for the state Senate.   The state senate 46 seat she ran for and won the Democratic primary for on June 24 was the one formerly held by openly gay state Sen. Al McAffrey  (D-Oklahoma City)

That senate seat opened up for Floyd when McAffrey announced his intention to run for the open Oklahoma 5th Congressional District seat of Rep. James Lankford (R).    Lankford decided to move up the political food chain and run for the US Senate seat of the retiring Sen Tom Coburn (R-OK) .   Lankford successfully won the Republican US senate nomination for Coburn's seat.

Now that we've sorted through the fascinating Oklahoma political musical chairs that set up this opportunity, back to the post. 


Sophia polled enough votes in that crowded June 24 primary field to end up in a runoff against Democratic front runner Jason Dunnington. 



With no Republican filed to run in that race in November, winner of the runoff election today becomes the new representative for Oklahoma House District 88. 

If it is Sophia, she becomes the first open transgender candidate elected to the Oklahoma legislature, and the first transperson elected to a state legislative office since Althea Garrison did so in Massachusetts in 1992. 

Best of luck Paula, and hope it's a wonderful night for you when the polls close later today.   If you live in OKC or the state of Oklahoma, hope you're considering handling your electoral business and participating in your runoff election.   

Paula Sophia Makes It To Runoff For Oklahoma Legislative Seat

Paula Sophia gets a step closer to making history and becoming the first out transperson elected to a state legislative seat.

Tuesday night the Desert Storm vet and retired OKC cop advanced through the Democratic primary field in House District 88 to make it to the August 26 runoff election.

She will be competing against businessman and former pastor Jason Dunnington in that runoff election.  Because there is no Republican opponent in the HD 88 race, whoever wins the runoff will become the representative for that district.

If it's Paula, she would not only become the first transperson ever elected to the Oklahoma state legislature, she'd become the first out trans person nationally to accomplish the feat and be the first sitting trans state legislator since Althea Garrison did so in Massachusetts in 1992.

Good luck Paula, and hope you win that seat.
 

Retired OKC Trans Cop Running For OK State Legislative Seat

Back in the 2010 election cycle, the world's eyes were focused on Oklahoma as Brittany Novotny unsuccessfully tried to unseat homobigoted state Rep. Sally Kern (R). 

Now another Oklahoma transwoman is attempting to become the first transperson elected to its state legislature and the first elected nationally since Althea Garrison was elected to the Massachusetts legislature in 1992.

Paula Sophia, a Desert Storm veteran and 22 year veteran of the Oklahoma City Police Department announced she would run in House District 88, the same one she patrolled as an OKC police officer until she retired on April 7. 

“I was a community oriented police officer, now I’m going to be a community oriented legislator,” says Sophia in a KFOR-TV interview.  

Sophia was the first transgender officer in Oklahoma City PD history and won numerous awards during her career including the OKC Exchange Club's Police Officer of the Year award and an FBI Community Leadership Award.

The District 88 seat was held by state Rep. Kay Floyd (D), the first openly lesbian representative in Oklahoma history who was elected in 2012.   Floyd announced in February her intention to run for the Oklahoma Senate District 46 seat being vacated by openly gay state Sen. Al McAffrey, who was the first ever LGBT member of the Oklahoma legislature and is running for Congress in this cycle for the 5th Congressional District seat being vacated by Rep James Lankford (R). 

Sophia says she wants to focus on a number of issues should she be successful in winning that historic seat in Oklahoma's legislature.. “I have a deep concern about peace and justice, about respecting the dignity of every human being and I still deeply believe in those issues.”

She first has to get out of the June 24 Oklahoma Democratic primary election.  If she does become the second transperson since Amanda Simpson accomplished the political feat in Arizona in 2004 to win a primary, she'd move on to the November general election.   

Best of luck, Paula and hope you make some more Oklahoma and transgender history in the process..