What A Difference A SB 6 Free Year Makes!

One year ago today a group of us were gathered at Houston City Hall to await a press conference from Austin in which Lt Governor Dan 'Potty Man' Patrick (R) and Sen Lois 'Locker Room' Kolkhorst (R-Brenham) , giddy over the election of Donald Trump, were there along with several Republican state senators and that sellout state senator Eddie Lucio, Jr (DINO-Brownsville) to announce the filing of the unjust anti-trans SB 6 bill.

Patrick and Kolkhorst had their say, and then we had our not only in the press conference from the City Hall rotunda along with Sen. Sylvia Garcia (D-Houston), but during the regular and Special Oppression Session.    Before that press conference I'd already had a discussion with Sen Garcia about what needed to be done along with other H-town leaders.

We said what we needed to say along with our allies, then rolled up our sleeves and got to work killing an unjust bill that no one outside the state of Texas thought we had a prayer of stopping.

We made multiple trips to Austin to talk to legislators.  We waited hours to testify in in hearing rooms that were standing room only at some points until others were opened to handle the overflow crowd of Texans from across the state determined to have their 2 minutes to testify against this waste of legislative time in the Senate SB 6 hearing.

And our efforts weren't in vain.   Even though the Senate GOP majority and their sellout DINO voted for it over the objections of the rest of the Texas Senate Democrats , we were being heard, especially in the court of public opinion and most importantly by the adult legislative chamber, the Texas House.

Police chiefs across the Lone Star State spoke out against it along with business leaders.   Progressive pastors spoke up to counter the white fundamentalist ones in favor of oppressing trans Texans.  Parents of transgender kids and our allies. 

And the most important voices saying no to SB 6 were Texas House Speaker Joe Straus (R-San Antonio) and Rep. Byron Cook (R-Corsicana) the chair of the House State Affairs Committee.
 
Thanks to these two Texas Lege grownups, SB 6 never got a hearing in the House, and far right Republicans, upset about that development, floated a substitute bill that did get a hearing.

Once again the Texas trans community responded and spent the entire day at the Texas state capitol waiting until the hearing kicked off in the wee hours of the morning to express their displeasure with this attempt to legislate discrimination.

The regular session came to a close, SB 6 and HB 2899 were dead, and we could exhale for a moment until the expected Special Oppression Session was announced.


Once that happened, we rolled up our sleeves and got to work on killing SB 6, now renumbered as SB 3 in its revived attempt by Patrick and Kolkhorst to pass it during the Special Oppression Session. 

Just as in the regular session, the Texas trans community handled its business and said in a collective loud voice NO to SB 3, and repeated that NO during the Senate hearing held for it.

Once again the Texas Senate passed it over the objections of Senate Democrats like Sen Garcia, and once again, thanks to Straus and Cook,  it was DOA in the Texas House until the special session ended 30 days and $800,000 taxpayer dollars later.

But the bottom line is a year later, SB 6 is still dead, and we have a chance to punish at the polls all who attempted to push through that legislative oppression. 

And the most important thing to point out is the Texas trans community won.   We stopped SB 6 and it NOT law in the Lone Star State.   

The All In For Equality Texas Rally Speeches

I got up at 3:30 AM CDT so I could board a bus headed to Austin to participate in the All In For Equality Lobby Day.  I was also tapped to be one of the speakers at the rally happening on the south Texas Capitol steps, and if you wish to hear my comments, they start around the 13;00 minute mark of the video

And here's the link to me, Sara Ramirez and other orators speaking truth to power outside the Texas State Capitol.

The Terrific Ten TX Dem Senators Oppose SB 6

For those of you who were wondering where were the Texas Senate Democrats in opposition to SB 6 and its 21-10 passage in the Texas Senate on Tuesday and Wednesday to sen it to the Texas House, they were live and in full effect in opposing this bill.  Unfortunately we hand one DINO in Sen.  Eddie Lucio, Jr who joined the Texas GOP trans oppressors

But elections matter, and the GOP has a 20-11 edge in the Texas Senate.   You don't like that, vote the GOP oppressors out starting in 2018.   That DINO Lucio needs to primary challenged.

Ten senators rose in opposition to the Texas Transgender Oppression Act that Houston GLBT Caucus president Fran Watson has dubbed 'The Terrific Ten'

Here are their words in opposition to the unjust bill.


Sen. Sylvia Garcia



Sen. Judith Zaffirini 



Sen. Jose Menendez 




Sen Chuy Hinojosa 



Sen John Whitmire 

Texas Transgender Oppression Act Passes In Senate

Despite the valiant efforts of the Terrific Ten Democratic senators who offered multiple amendments to give the GOP oppressors an opportunity to prove SB 6 wasn't anti- trans discrimination, it passed 21- 10 late Tuesday afternoon.

It also proved a point I've been making for several years now in that the most dangerous bigots are the ones who have legislative power.

There was one alleged Democrat, Sen. Eddie Lucio, Jr  (DINO-Brownsville) who voted for the reprehensible bill.   Somebody in the Valley needs to primary challenge his transphobic azz in 2018.

Ironically his son, Rep. Eddie Lucio III opposes SB 6.

Thanks to Sen Sylvia Garcia, Sen Jose Rodriguez, Sen John Whitmire and other Democratic lawmakers opposed to SB 6 who offered numerous amendments to give the GOP a chance to prove that SB 6 wasn't anti-trans legislative oppression, and they led by Sen Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham) swatted them down while disingenuously trying to make the laughable claim the bill wasn't discriminatory.  

SB 6 will now move on to the Texas House, where it faces a much tougher road to passage and one in which Speaker of the House Joe Straus (R-San Antonio) has already stated his opposition to the unjust Texas Transgender Oppression Act.

Transgender Texans, the Texas business community, convention planners in Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio and fair minded Texans across the state hope he isn't selling woof tickets about that, and he buries the bill in a House committee that won't let that affront to Texas values see the light of day again..

Moni's SB 6 Opposition Testimony

As many of you TransGriot readers are aware of,  I was one of those 271 Texans who headed to Austin and spent several hours waiting in the overflow rooms in our state capitol building to express our oral opposition to SB 6, the Texas Transgender Oppression Act.

There were another 1302 Texans who expressed their distaste for SB online

Thanks to my friends at Transform Houston, I now have video of that March 7 testimony in front of the Senate State Affairs Committee for you to watch.

Enjoy

  

BTWI Statement Concerning SB 6 Senate Committee Passage

TransGriot Note:  BTWI statement concerning SB 6 passage out of the Texas Senate State Affairs Committee


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 9, 2017
Contact: Monica Roberts BTWI Media Chair
Carmarion Anderson  BTWI Founding President
855-255-8636  Ext 11
media@blacktranswomen.org

BTWI is saddened but not surprised as a Texas based organization.to note that the unjust SB 6 bill attacking the humanity and human rights of Texas transgender people cleared the Republican dominated Senate State Affairs Committee on a 7-1 vote in the early morning hours of March 8.

The bill now goes to the Texas senate floor despite 13 hours of testimony of Texas overwhelmingly opposed to it.  Black Transwomen, Inc proudly adds its name to the long list of organizations that are vehemently opposed to the passage of SB 6

BTWI thanks Senator Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo) for standing up for the human rights of transgender Texans with her State Affairs committee NO vote.  We also thank Senators Sylvia Garcia (D-Houston), Jose Rodriguez (D-El Paso) and Borris Miles (D-Houston)  for also standing with our community against this unjust bill.  

We at BTWI hope that others in the Texas Senate and Texas House will join them in publicly opposing this misguided bill that fuels the hellfire flames of transphobic bigotry against trans Texas.

Thanks to the BTWI, BTMI and BTIPS members, our founding BTWI president Carmarion Anderson, and Black Trans Advocacy leadership team members who journeyed to Austin to take part in Trans Texas Lobby Day on March 6.

Thanks also to our BTWI board member Monica Roberts who participated in the March 6 Lobby Day and testified at the March 7 marathon State Affairs committee meeting along with other concerned Texans.

As BTWI has noted, six of the seven trans women we have lost in 2017 are Black trans women. SB 6 if passed will only raise the level of anti-trans hatred in the Lone Star State and elsewhere that feeds into the anti-trans discrimination and violence we face,  

Black Transwomen, Inc will fight to ensure that the Texas Legislature is aware Black trans Texans exist, and know that our voices matter in this SB 6 conversation.

The transphobic commentary from a Black San Antonio minister makes us painfully aware at BTWI just how much ongoing work we must do in order to eradicate transphobia from our Black community ranks.

SB 6 is not yet Texas law.  We at BTWI/along with our coalition partners will fight this unjust bill every step of the way throughout the legislative process until it is defeated.

 BTWI will also continue to fight until every Texan gets the message that trans rights are human rights.

SB 6 Marathon Hearing Session

31 groups, over 400 people and we're into the wee hours of the morning expressing their opposition to SB 6.

Even though I testified back around 6 PM. I'm still here supporting the people who are waiting to express their opposition to the Texas Transgender Opposition Act.

The few supporters haters that are still around are still trying to throw alt facts while the army of trans people speaking in opposition are telling their heartfelt stories.

Discrimination is NOT a Texas Value .  The best way to improve SB 6 is to kill it..

The Voices Of Black Trans People Need To Be Heard At These Press Conferences & Rallies

There was a  #StopSB6 rally that Equality Texas organized starting at 11:45 AM to push back on SB 6 that I wanted to attend but after a few moments of observing it, the problem with it became glaringly apparent to me.

While I agreed with many of the comments that were expressed in the time that I did watch it, and I appreciated the fact you has a trans masculine and trans feminine person speaking it was problematic in the wake of the conclusion of a month is which we lost five Black trans women, not one Black trans person was tapped to speak at it.

And oh yeah, I was there in Austin to lobby against SB 6.

The reason I'm posting about is that I was pissed off having to watch a Black pastor from San Antonio earlier today violate several commandments while talking about the effects of their non discrimination ordinance, and thinking about the fact that so far, we haven't had anyone from my demographic group  being shown as speaking for the trans community and against SB 6.

Visibility matters.  It especially matters when we are fighting a pitched battle to educate and inform my African American community about trans issues.

It is important that we have Black TBLGIQ people and our allies vocal in this trans rights fight be seen and heard during these press conferences because there is this mistaken belief in elements of the Black community that being trans is a 'white thang' .  And why wouldn't they have that perception when the only people my people see speaking in the media in opposition to SB 6 that purport to rep all demographics of the community are overwhelmingly white?

May I also remind you that some of the people who share my ethnic background are Texas legislators that will be voting for or against this SB 6 bill.

Black trans people aren't just here to entertain you, provide melanin for your photo opps or be the 'tragic transsexuals'.  We're trans folks trying to live our lives to the best of our ability. We helped jump off Stonewall.   We're pioneers and innovative leaders in this movement.

We're also more than qualified to talk about trans human rights issues, especially when we show up for everyone's human rights fights in addition to the one our people have waged since 1619.

I'm disappointed that once again an opportunity was missed to send a message to the assembled media that Black trans people exist and their lives matter as well.

We Black trans people exist.  That message to my people, however in order to be received, sometimes has to be sent by people who look like me.

Moni's In The House For The SB 6 Hearing

I'm here in Austin waiting for my turn to testify against the Texas Transgender Oppression also known as SB 6

Right now I'm sitting next to a hate pastor and we're trading snide remarks at each other   Nope, giving the bigots no love at all on this.

Was here at 7 AM to clear security and be part of the long line of people waiting to testify for and against SB 6   I'm in Group 6 of the people who are scheduled to give oral testimony testify and gearingup for a long day here at the Capitol.

I'll also be live tweeting the hearing and commenting on my Facebook page

You can watch the hearing play out on the Texas Senate website

Texas Orgs Launch 'I Pee With LGBT' Campaign

The pressure is mounting as an increasingly broad coalition of Texans are gearing up to stop the Texas Transgender Oppression Bill, AKA SB 6.   Lt. Governor Dan Patrick's office has received over 10,000 calls against it as opposed to just 200 in favor of the unjust bill (keep 'em coming).

Texas businesses, the NBA, NCAA and NFL and organizations have warned their events will not be coming to Texas if they pass it.

Send some of those calls against SB 6 Sen. Lois Kolkhorst's (R-Brenham) way too.   The bill was filed back in January, but as of yet there hasn't been a hearing date set for this unjust and unnecessary bill.

It is already illegal under Texas law to harm or harass someone in a Texas bathroom.  What the right wingers also won't tell you is there has been no increase in public safety incidents in Texas cities that currently allow people to use the bathroom of the gender with which they identify.

Passing the unjust bill would harm Texas business and our state's economy to the tune of billions of dollars. Just ask North Carolina.

A bathroom is not where women and children are at risk. Where our public bathrooms are concerned, it is transgender people who are the real targets:

70% of transgender men and women report having been verbally or physically attacked while using a restroom.

As part of the ongoing campaign to flush SB 6, the Texas ACLU in conjunction with Legacy Community Health Care have joined forces to launch this 60 second video highlighting the discriminatory nature of SB 6 entitled 'Taking A Seat, Making A Stand'  as part of their 'I Pee With LGBT' Campaign.

 

There's also an I Pee With LGBT website that is part of this campaign, and I hope it along with efforts of thousands of Texans combine to finally flush discrimination aimed at the trans community from the state of Texas.

TransGriot Update:  Discovered the intersting factoid after I posted this that there are two trans people in this commercial.   Can you spot those trans folks?  
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