NBJC OUT On The Hill 2016 Starts Wednesday!

Unfortunately I won't be there in DC because of other commitments, but had to let you TransGriot readers know that the National Black Justice Coalition's (NBJC) OUT on the Hill Black LGBT Leadership Summit is one of my favorite events.

The 2016 edition of OUT on the Hill will be taking place September 14-17, with the theme of The Post-Obama Era: What's Next?   Since this also takes place at the roughly the same time as the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's Annual Legislative Conference,

OUT on the Hill has always had some collaborative panels with the CBC-ALC event and provided opportunities for OUT on the Hill attendees to access the CBC-ALC event taking place over at the DC Convention Center.



OUT on the Hill kicks off with an Issues Advocacy Day at the US Capitol on September 14, a welcome reception on Thursday sponsored by HRC, the OOTH 2016 one on Friday  and the closing State of the Black LGBTQ/SGL Community brunch on Saturday.

While I won't be in the OUT on the Hill house this year, as always I hope this event is megasuccessful, and hope my schedule will allow me to attend it in 2017.

And if your schedule allows you do do so, here's the link to register for the OOTH2016 conference.

OUT On the Hill 2015 Later This Month

It's one of my fave conferences, and there's a possibility I might be back for it after a three year absence from the event.

The National Black Justice Coalition's (NBJC) 6th annual OUT on the Hill is rapidly approaching on September 16-20 in Washington DC

The last time I was in the OOTH house in 2012, I was honored to participate in this groundbreaking Black trans feminine panel with Danielle King, Rev. Carmarion Anderson, and Valerie Spence moderated by Laverne Cox.

,

 I also got to participate in an amazing blogger's panel with LZ Granderson, Danielle Moodie-Mills, and the Anti-Intellect,

This year's theme is We Are Family: Building Stronger Roots Together, and that's what OUT on the Hill has been like to me in the times I have had the opportunity to attend in 2011 and 2012, one big family reunion in which we get to build a stronger Black LGBT community,

It has led to me meeting some amazing Black TBLG leaders , elders and emerging young Black LGBT leaders who are doing and will do some amazing things for our community, two trips to the White House for policy briefings, and getting an opportunity to go to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's Annual Legislative Conference that takes place at the same time at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center and meet more engaged Black folks, CBC congressmembers and leaders from around the country.

This year #OOTH2015 will also focus on health and wellness on our community.

Every time I get the opportunity to go to OUT on the Hill, I come back to Houston refreshed, renewed and ready to tackle the ongoing job of uplifting the trans end of the Black LGBT community while reminding the Black community at large that you can't spell Black Lives Ma__er without the two T's.  

There's still time for you to register for this event and hope to see y'all there at #OOTH2015.

TransGriot Update:  It's official:  For the first time since 2012, I'll be at OOTH 2015!  I have a Friday noon Eastern time panel discussion I'll be participating in, and I plan to be doing posts and live tweets of all the #OOTH2015 action and happenings.

Boston LGBTQ Activists Of Color Protest Holds Up Pride Parade

Been talking about the fact that far too often, the LGBTQ community in its public face and in the folks that get paychecks to be 'professionally gay' as demonstrated in the HRC internal report, are overwhelmingly white gay male  with an occasional white lesbian thrown in.

Bi and trans people?  Even rarer, and rarer still in those ranks are LGBTQ people of color.

In Boston, LGBTQ people of color got #WickedPissed about it and decided to do something to highlight and draw attention to the problem.

A dozen TBLGQ activists and our allies sat down at the corner of Boylston and Charles Streets in Downtown Boston yesterday and halted the 45th Boston Gay Pride Parade for 11 minutes.

The 11 minutes they chose to delay the parade was for the eleven trans people that have been murdered in the US in 2015.  A statement was also released prior to the sit in that noted the success of bringing same sex marriage to Massachusetts while failing to respond affirmatively to the murders of trans women of color.

Some of the early trans murders that got attention, like the Chanelle Pickett and Rita Hester cases, happened in the Boston area and involved trans women of color.  Hester's 1998 murder, which is still unsolved, was the catalyst for the Transgender Day of Remembrance.

"We are a group of Black, Latin@, Asian, and white people, queer and trans allies who are interrupting this annual party to declare that all our struggles are interconnected. We won’t wait for the advances of the most privileged of our community to trickle down to the rest of us. We live in a society that has declared war on Black people, women, immigrants, trans people, poor people, and—at the intersection of all that—trans women of color. It is the duty of the entire LGBTQ community to stand united and prove that all of our lives matter,” read part of the statement.

The statement also made demands of Boston Pride to diversify its all white board (gee, that sounds familiar) adjust the parade route to include communities of color, adjust fees so smaller non-profits can march in the parade, and stop prioritizing corporations with a record of bringing harm to communities of color

Demands were also made of the Boston LGBTQ community that called in the statement for more LGBTQ leaders of Color (including Transgender individuals of Color) in senior management positions at LGBTQ organizations, more resources to support LGBTQ organizations of Color, inclusion of transgender specific medical care in MassHealth and asked for an intentional efforts by the larger Boston community to acknowledge and do more to respond to racism in the city.

Will there be progress in Boston as a result of this protest?   That remains to be seen, given the historical anti-trans attitudes that arre embedded in elements of the local LGBT community.  

Some of the most notorious TERF's in Janice Raymond and Elizabeth Hungerford call Massachusetts home, and a bill to fix the unjust trans rights law that didn't include public accommodations when it passed in July 2012 is mired in the state legislature.

So it remains to be seen if the protest manifests itself into real gains for the trans community of color in Massachusetts.

Aisha Moodie-Mills To Become Victory Fund President and CEO!

Y'all know I have much love for the fabulous Aisha Moodie-Mills, her spouse Danielle, and all her fabulousness as one of the  amazing human rights leaders that I admire in this community.

I was thrilled to learn that she will become the new president and CEO of the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund.

She is well suited for this job.  She was previously at the Center for American Progress, where she served as a senior fellow and director of the FIRE Initiative that explores the intersections of race, class, and sexuality. She has worked as a political advisor, private-sector liaison, and fundraiser to more than 50 members of Congress, including six senators and the Congressional Black Caucus. Before joining American Progress, she was the president of Synergy Strategy Group, a boutique fundraising and political consulting firm where she raised millions of dollars for candidates and advocacy organizations.

“We believe that Aisha is exactly the person Victory needs to usher in an innovative and holistic approach to creating a pipeline for exceptional LGBT leadership and public officials," said Kim Hoover, chair of the Victory Fund board. "To us, Aisha represents the future of the LGBT movement. We are at a pivotal moment and in order to continue our momentum we need the insight and energy that Aisha brings to the job."

“The National Black Justice Coalition is overjoyed that one of our own community members has been elevated to lead the important work of the Victory Fund. Aisha Moodie-Mills will be a phenomenal addition to one of our nation’s premier LGBT organizations, working to ensure broader representation of LGBT people in elected office. As a black lesbian, Aisha will bring new hope to women, African Americans and other people of color who seek greater opportunities within the LGBT community with her vast talents and dynamic leadership style. NBJC looks forward to continuing to partner with the Victory Fund as Mrs. Moodie-Mills takes the helm as their new president and chief executive officer.”  

--Sharon Lettman-Hicks, Executive Director & CEO, National Black Justice Coalition

Congratulations to Aisha, and to the Victory Fund for recognizing that the talents were a fit for what they needed as an organization.

Upcoming TSU Town Hall On Being Black, Gay & Trans

It's an event that is sorely needed in Black Houston.,

I've been pushing to have more of these panel discussions take place, and it figures I'll probably be out of town when this one takes place on the TSU campus November 13.

One of the things that has been upsetting to me as a proud Black Houstonian who also happens to be a proud transgender person is the total ignorance on display about trans lives here.  It's the ignorance about trans people and our lives that has been exploited by the opponents of the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance and their sellout christopimpin' sycophants. 

The depth of ignorance in Black Houston has shockingly been exposed even in the ranks of 'ejumacated' Black people you presume would know better and our SGL community.

To combat the spreading of disinformation and lies by the hate ministers, another effort to do some community outreach education is taking place, and this one is being sponsored by Delta Phi Upsilon Fraternity Inc, Legacy Community Health Services, TSU OUTLaw, and the House of Capri.

The panel is entitled The Misfits: Being Gay And Transgender In The Black Community.  It will take place starting at 6:30 PM CST at the Thurgood Marshall School of Law in Moot Court Room #105.   Address is 3100 Cleburne St.

It's another event designed to drive home the point that #WeExist , we aren't going away, and you are going to have to deal with the fact that Black trans and SGL people are part of the kente cloth fabric of the Houston Black community.

Hope you take the opportunity to check out what I'm sure will be a lively and informative panel discussion.

OUT On The Hill 2014 Dates Set

I've had the opportunity to go and participate as a panelist during the 2011 and 2012 editions of the National Black Justice Coalition's OUT on the Hill conference, and we're now less than four months away from the 2014 edition of it.

OUT on the Hill is NBJC's annual leadership conference.  It gives us a chance in the Black LGBT community to come to Washington DC for several days of networking, lobbying, meetings and learning best how to Own Our Power

This year's 5th annual event is set for September 24-27, and if you're interested in attending you can e-mail OOTH2014@nbjc.org

RuPaul Still Clueless As Usual

I was hoping that clueless kneegrow RuPaul would finally get the point after the last time we called his behind out about his loud and wrong defense of the slur word 'tranny'..

But obviously he didn't according to a May 19 interview with Marc Maron.  

And sadly, once again elements of his white gay male fanbase are rushing to defend him and hypocritically letting their inner transphobes out while doing so. 

Let me say this one more time so that you can use your limited cognitive processing skills to get the point.  

You may love the word, but a majority of my trans community, which you are NOT a part of nor an expert on our trans lives, has determined via the evolving and increasingly derogatory use of the t-word you love it is a slur.   

As you said on June 2, 2013 when you criticized actress Amanda Bynes for her use of 'faggot': "Derogatory slurs are ALWAYS an outward projection of a person's own poisonous self-loathing."--RuPaul

So why are you and your fans so hypocritically determined to continue to use a word a majority of the trans community and three of your own Drag Race alumni have told you NOT to use because it is hurtful to us? 

What is it going to take for you to get it?  Cancellation of Drag Race?  

Or is you and your fans obstinate transphobic insistence on using and trying to justify the use of an anti-trans slur word an ALWAYS outward projection of your and your fan base engaged in your own poisonous self-loathing? 

It's sad when Jerry Springer, who the trans community has long complained about and reviled at times for his exploitative talk shows, loves and respects us enough to announce he will no longer use the t-word and your tired azz won't.

Then again you pal around with Shirley Q. Liquor, so why should I be surprised to discover you're incapable of recognizing when to call it a day and sashay away from this?

Bottom line is we have told you and the world the t-word is a slur.   If you claim to love and respect my community and its humanity, and if the majority of a marginalized community tells you a word is an offensive and hurtful slur word, then DON'T USE IT.

LOGO gets that simple to grasp concept.   Logo TV through a spokesperson told BuzzFeed in an interview, “These comments did not come from Logo. We are committed to supporting the entire LGBT community and will not feature any anti-trans rhetoric on our shows.”

And naw trick, since you went there, let me school your ignorant serial transphobic behind on the new 2K14 and beyond rules for interacting with the trans community since it has obviously escaped your ultra short attention span.

As grown ass transfeminine women, we are no longer taking misogynistic crap or transphobic disrespect of our humanity from friend, foe or frenemy.  We will push back against it.  We trans people will determine what is and isn't offensive to our community, not you and your fanbase. 

If your transphobic behind doesn't like the fact we are pushing back hard against your disrespect of us, especially when we have made it clear to an increasingly long list of media personalities we will not tolerate it, too damned bad.    

We don't care whether the word was being used in a derogatory way or not, it's STILL a slur.   RuPaul has been told by myself and various people in the trans community numerous times it is, and we're beyond sick and tired of being sick and tired of telling you the same stuff repeatedly and you arrogantly ignoring it.   So until you get it, we'll keep calling your ass out on it everytime you screw up.
 
 
We're also tired of people, and especially white gay men rushing to RuPaul's defense to continue agitating to use a word a majority of our community has told him (and the world) is offensive.   We're tired of them getting vanillacentric privileged noses out of joint when we trans folks tell them to back the frack up because you don't get to gaysplain to us how offended we should be about a word we told you repeatedly is a slur to us.

And it ain't just a majority of American based transpeople that consider the t-word a slur.  So do our international transfeminine sisters as well.

You can continue to be clueless about it all you want.   You can say it if you wish, too.   Just be prepared for the blowback from the trans community when you do so.

Michael Sam Drafted By St Louis Rams!

It took three days and over 248 picks, but Michael Sam finally made sports and NFL history. 

The St Louis Rams on the 249th pick in the seventh round of the draft selected the SEC Defensive Player of the Year to hearty cheers in Radio City Music Hall.  

My fellow Texan has become the first openly gay football player drafted by a professional football team.

Sam was in San Diego at the home of his agent when the pick was announced by  NFL vice president of game operations Mike Kensil and an emotional Sam tweeted this moments after he was picked::

Thank you to the St. Louis Rams and the whole city of St. Louis. I'm using every once of this to achieve greatness!!"

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stated in an April 2013 document: “The NFL has a long history of valuing diversity and inclusion. Discrimination and harassment based on sexual orientation is not consistent with our values and is unacceptable in the National Football League."

The NFL added sexual orientation to its list of protected classes in September 2011.

Being drafted was the not so easy part of this BFD GLBT sports moment.   Now comes the hard work of trying to make the St. Louis Rams opening day roster not far from where he played his collegiate ball at the University of Missouri.

He will have three of his Mizzou teammates with him in Rams camp trying to do the same thing.

Congratulations Mike!    May you make the Rams opening day roster and have much success, except when you're playing against my Houston Texans.
 

Can We Do More For Houston Splash Than Just Party?

Houston Splash is our longtime official Black Pride event on the schedule of US national and international pride events sanctioned by the Center For Black Equity that run from April to November.

It draws many people in the Houston area, the surrounding region, and even from across the country because of the early May date that Houston Splash happens. 

It usually falls during the first weekend in May unless the huge Offshore Technology Conference chooses that date, and then it gets pushed back to the following weekend because OTC gets first dibs on 75% of the available H-town hotel rooms.

This year's 19th anniversary edition of Houston Splash got whacked by OTC this year.  It started May 7 and is running through May 11 at venues all over the Houston metro area.

But one of the things that has bothered me when I compare my local Black Pride event to others around the country is the glaring lack of programming or events that aren't revolving around a party or drag show.

It's one of the major reasons I don't attend many of the Houston Splash events because you can only do so many parties or drag shows, and there's more to Black SGL life than that.  It's also so heavily SGLcentric I feel along with many local trans people left out of many of the events.

I'm one of the people in H-town that feels there needs to be less party in Houston Splash and more purpose in this event.    

While I applaud the Houston Splash organizers for trying to address the issues I'm talking about in this post with the Wednesday Mental Health Forum and Thursday's sparsely attended transgender town hall, it pales in comparison to Black Prides in other locales that have in some cases vibrant daylong programming blocks that allow us to have substantive discussions about the issues affecting our Black Trans, bi and SGL community and draw people like me who like to have a purpose with their partying.

Other Black Pride cities have multiple town halls, poetry slams and keynote speakers as part of their Black pride weekends.  Atlanta has an annual State of Black Gay America Summit with keynote speakers and national LGBT leaders as part of their Black Pride programming.

If they can do it, why can't Houston, with the dynamic trans, bi, SGL leaders we have residing in the fourth largest and one of the most diverse cities in the country?

Maybe we can do as part of future Houston Splash programming an annual summit discussing the state of Black LGBT Texas or Black TBLG Houston, and use it as an opportunity to connect with straight African-American community leaders and organizations like the NAACP and the Houston Area Urban League     

I don't want the Black Pride event that represents my hometown to be about nothing except nonstop partying.  I believe it can and must do better.  With Houston Splash's 20th anniversary coming up next year, I hope the organizers of Houston Splash feel the same way as well. 
 

Aaron's Response To B-Daht

As you TransGriot readers are aware of courtesy of the viral post I wrote earlier this week (14,000 hits and counting), some homophobic hating broke out in reaction to Winston-Salem State University junior Aaron McCorkle's run for Mr WSSU.  

102 Jamz DJ and WSSU alum Brian 'B-Daht' McLaughlin let fly with some homophobic tweets of his own that poured gasoline on this toxic situation. 

In the run up to Wednesday's election that unfortunately Aaron lost, WSSU Chancellor Donald J. Reaves in a statement concerning the rapidly escalating controversy said in response:

“Winston-Salem State University strives to be a campus where diversity can thrive. We believe strongly that the educational environment is enriched by the unique attributes, perspectives and outlooks embodied in the people who make up our university family and community. Words or actions that seek to marginalize any person or group constitute unacceptable behavior and are not tolerate.”

McLaughlin apologized for the tweets, but the damage to McCorkle's Mr. WSSU campaign had already been done.   Brandon Bowden garnered 727 votes to McCorkle’s 565.   


In the wake of this, a Change.org petition has been created asking WSSU to not only add gender identity and expression the EEO policy, but mandate institution wide Safe Zone training.

McCorkle has responded to McLaughlin's apology in a letter I was sent a copy of by Chevara Orrin of wearestraightallies.com.       

April 4, 2014

To Whom It May Concern:

My candidacy for Mr. WSSU and the events that have followed have deeply impacted me.  I am eternally grateful for the WSSU family and others across the nation that stood beside me and believed in me, even as attacks have been made against me.  I am also heartened that Brian "B-Daht" McLaughlin has apologized for the statements h made which questioned both my candidacy and my fitness for office because I am --unapologetically--a Black gay man. 

While I accept Mr. McLaughlin's apology, I hope he is willing to learn why his actions were so destructive.  I hope he will challenge his limited understanding of our vast and varied differences as human being by joining me in the advocating for the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU).  It is not enough to apologize if you are not willing to be the change you wish to see in the world.  

Poet and novelist Audre Lorde said, "It is not our differences that divide us.  It is the inability to recognize, accept and celebrate those differences."  

This tragic circumstance has created an opportunity for us as a WSSU family to begin an authentic dialogue about how to protect some of the most vulnerable members of our community.  I invite Mr.McLaughlin to join me in calling on our university to expand its non-discrimination policy to include gender identity and expression, to mandate LGBT sensitivity and Safe Zone training for its students, faculty and staff, and to hold a campus wide dialogue about homophobia that includes myself, Mr. McLaughlin, the Chancellor and other members of the WSSU community.  I believe this is just a starting point to creating a campus climate and culture of inclusion that we can all be proud of.

Sincerely,

Aaron McCorkle
Winston-Salem State University
Class of 2015

Mr. WSSU Election Wednesday

There's another election that has gotten my attention besides the mayoral one in Washington DC that is happening today.  

It's the one on the Winston-Salem State University campus Wednesday that will determine who wins Mr. WSSU.

We're about to find out whether using someone's personal information along with heaping helpings of transmisogyny and homophobia to smear them for an on campus election is a winning campaign strategy. 

I'm hoping the student body on the WSSU campus says no and they send a message with their ballots that they didn't like it either and Aaron emerges triumphant.

But it's in the students hands as to who they will elect as their Mr. WSSU representative and we'll have to respect the results.

But I don't have to respect the shady shenanigans that transpired over the last 48 hours.  

As Jane Vaughn said in her letter, 'Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, "We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the vitriolic words and actions of the bad people, but for appalling silence of the good people." I refuse to stand in silence. I stand in active solidarity with Aaron McCorkle and others at WSSU who are marginalized and victimized for being their authentic selves.'


And I will stand in solidarity with you as well, in addition to using this blogging platform I have been blessed with to get the word out when people are being marginalized and victimized for being their authentic selves.

The Winston-Salem State University’s mission states, "Preparing diverse students for success in the 21st century..  In the 21st century a diverse student body also includes SGL, trans and bi students.

It's an example of why WSSU's short sighted removal of gender identity and expression language from their non-discrimination policies passed in 2008 was a mistake that needs to be rectified as soon as possible. 

This is also another prime example of why the Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act is sorely needed.   It is a bill that Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) revived the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) introduced back in 2010 that would require colleges and universities receiving federal aid to establish anti-harassment policies and recognize cyberbullying as harassment.   She did so after hearing about Kristopher Sharp's story, who is now working as an intern in her office.

Good luck Aaron, and hope we're hearing good news from you Wednesday.. 


TransGriot Update: Discovered the Mr WSSU election is actually happening Wednesday from 8 AM-8 PM EDT.  Post has been corrected to reflect this.    

And unfortunately, appears the hate speech did have an effect.  Aaron lost.

SGL Hatin' Going On At Winston-Salem State U

Got a call early Saturday morning from Chevara Orrin and Jane Vaughan alerting me to a developing situation at North Carolina HBCU Winston-Salem State University 

Junior Aaron McCorkle is a Thurgood Marshall College Fund scholar, an out and proud SGL man and popular student on the WSSU campus.   During his time there 'Stacks' has walked away with the Mr. Freshman title in 2011-12, was elected to the Student Government Association Freshman Class council the same year, was elected Mr Sophomore in 2012-13, and Mr. Mass Communications in 2013.

He has also served in leadership roles at Winston-Salem State as a member of Prism, the WSSU on campus LGBT organization, the Campus Activities Board and as the NAACP student representative all while maintaining a 3.3 GPA.  

Now McCorkle has set his sights on winning the Mr. WSSU crown and based on his previous track record has a great chance of winning it.  

And some WSSU folks are not only 'scurred' about that possibly occurring, they aren't happy about it and are expressing their homophobic opinions on social media.




In addition to the haters expressing themselves on social media, with one person suggesting that all the former Mr WSSU's get together to 'whip his (McCorkle's) ass', as an eerie reminder to me of last year's ugly smear campaign aimed at openly gay UH-Downtown student Kristopher Sharp when he was running for student vice president, two year old photos of McCorkle in drag popped up just as his campaign for Mr. WSSU ramped up with the caption, 'Is this what you want representing the entire school community?' 

Adding to the divisive crap being stirred up by somebody who is desperate to win the Mr. WSSU title by any means necessary, are homophobic tweets by Brian 'B-DAHT' McLaughlin, a local radio hip-hop DJ on WJMH-FM 102 Jamz since 2005 who is a Winston-Salem State alum and an announcer at WSSU sporting events.    

McLaughlin poured gasoline on the fire being stirred up by tweeting the following comments:

"If y'all let a drag Queen be Mr. #WSSU, I quit. Straight up."; "#WSSU: y'all really letting a dude, that goes out in drag #nshit, run for Mr. Ram? Have y'all lost y'all mutha fuckin minds, man?!"; "Yes we ARE talking about this putrid shit. Y'all have completely lost it. The nigga dresses in drag, & HE will represent our school?"; and "...Get the fuck outta here. Ya turning the position into a fucking joke. Clowns."

At the same time McLaughlin tried to hypocritically say his anti-gay views didn't reflect 102 Jamz or MTV2, where according to his Linked In profile he is one of the cast members on the sixth season of Nick Cannon's Wild 'N Out improv show on that cable network 

Naw Brian, your homophobic views negatively reflect on you as a human being.  They are also dangerous because you have influence in the community because of your 100,000 watt radio station platform, television appearances and on the WSSU campus as the announcer for Ram athletics. 

Some of this phobic hatred being aimed at McCorkle is because the winner of the Mr. WSSU title goes on to face off against seven other HBCU's in the now ten year old Mr. HBCU contest held on the campus of Lincoln University (Missouri).   WSSU has been quite successful at that event, bringing back the crown once and placing in the first runner up spot twice.      

If the goal was to stir up enough anti-gay animus on campus to wreck McCorkle's Mr WSSU campaign, the perpetrator succeeded in stirring up the anti-gay animus part by also injecting a heaping helping of transmisogyny in the mix. 

Whether it will succeed in derailing McCorkle's chances to become Mr WSSU is still debatable, and may even backfire.  It may cause students on the WSSU campus to rally to defend the embattled student because he is being attacked.    

Will definitely be keeping an eye on this developing situation.


Update: Mr WSSU election is Wednesday.

Houston Candelight Vigil For Britney and Crystal April 2

As many of you are aware, a young lesbian couple, Britney Cosby and Crystal Jackson were murdered in my hometown earlier this month by Britney's father.   Both were 24 years old and were laid to rest in separate services

There have been candlelight memorial vigils planned across the state in Austin, Corpus Christi and Dallas.
Equality Texas, the Student Feminist Organization at UH , Texas Freedom Network Student Chapter at UH, Global at UH, the UH LGBT Resource Center, and the UH Women's Resource Center
have teamed up to sponsor Houston's candlelight vigil.

It will be held on Wednesday, April 2 at 6:30 PM in the AD Bruce Religion Center at the University of Houston main campus.  

The list of speakers is still being finalized at this time but I can reveal at this moment that I'm one of the people who has been extended an invitation to do so along with Augie Augustine. 

I will keep you peeps updated and post the finalized details for the event as I discover them and as it gets closer to the April 2 vigil date.

But what I do hope is that you'll join us at AD Bruce that evening.

Whose Beloved Community? Conference In ATL This Weekend

Those of you in the ATL will have the opportunity to attend this conference at Emory University  from March 27-29 entitled Whose Beloved Community? Black Civil and LGBT Rights..

It brings together TBLG and civil rights scholars activists and other community stakeholders as they spend what promises to be an interesting weekend advancing a more comprehensive and expansive view of justice.

The conference is sponsored by Emory University's  James Weldon Johnson Institute for the Study of Race and Difference, and the Emory Women's Center along with many other university divisions, and the Arcus and Ford Foundations.

Atlanta is the perfect venue for this conference because it is the historic cradle of the African-American civil rights movement combined with the fact that the ATL is considered the mecca of the Black SGL, trans and bi community.   More Black LGBT people live in the South than in any other region of the country, and Atlanta is the hub city for it.      

A keynote conversation to open the conference with longtime civil rights leader Julian Bond, African-American lesbian social-justice activist Mandy Carter, and activist Alexis Pauline Gumbs, co-founder of the Mobile Homecoming Project, will take place in Glenn Memorial Auditorium starting at 7:30 PM EDT on Thursday, March 27.   The location is 1660 N. Decatur Road and the keynote event is free and open to the public.

Conference sessions will be held at the Emory Conference Center beginning on Friday, March 28 at 9 AM and will feature panels on topics including religion, scholarship, LGBT and civil rights history, marriage equality, activism and literature. On Saturday, panel sessions begin at 8:30 AM and the conference will conclude with a closing reception from 4-7 PM.

Upcoming 'Whose Beloved Community?' Conference At Emory

Definitely wish I could b in the ATL for this one, but I'm already committed to an event on the HCC-Southeast campus on one of the dates for this conference..

Emory University is hosting an international conference entitled 'Whose Beloved Community?  Black Civil and LGBT Rights Movements that is right up my activist alley. 

It is taking place on the Emory U.campus from March 27-29 which support from the Arcus Foundation  and I posted the Call For Proposals on TransGriot last March.

The role of Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in both race-based and sexuality-based civil rights movements is frequently rendered invisible as a result of prevailing national narratives that present (presumed white) LGBT communities and (presumed straight) Black communities as opposing forces. 

In recent years, however, an increasing number of scholars and activists have produced work seeking to make visible the vital points of intersection and contention among the U.S. Civil Rights movement, the LGBT equality movement, and Black LGBT communities.  This work is shaped by questions related to identity formation, intersectionality, tokenism, marriage equality, the role of religion and “respectability” in African American communities, the emergence of the South as a center of Black LGBT life in the U.S., HIV/AIDS and its continuing effect on African American communities, the proliferation of a prison-industrial complex unprepared for its LGBT population, and the appropriation of the civil rights movement by the right. 

This conference seeks to make visible and critically engage the points of convergence and divergence between these two historic, overlapping, yet distinct social movements that continue to transform civil society, law, and the academy.

Should be an informative and lively discussion, and I hope it doesn't turn out to be a monoethnic event.   

Inaugural BlaqOut Conference Coming Next Month

The inaugural BlaqOUT Conference will be held April 18-19 on the UC Riverside campus!

The University of California, Riverside cordially invites all folks who self identify as Black/African American or of African descent and as Same Gender Loving, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning or somewhere on the LGBT spectrum to apply to attend. 

So what does it cost to attend BlaqOUT? 

• The Regular Registration Fee is $20 per person selected to attend and a t-shirt is included.
• The Reduced Registration Fee is $10 per person selected to attend, NO t-shirt.
• Some scholarships will be available for those unable to afford reduced registration.
• Information on paying registration fees will be sent via email to those people selected to attend BlaqOUT.
• For those receiving support from their campus (student government or departments), an invoice and W-9 form will be provided upon request.
  

The deadline to submit proposals for this inaugural conference was extended until March 9, so for those of you on the Left Coast or interested in attending this event or presenting at it, you have a little more time to do so.  Notifications of accepted proposals will occur by March 14.

The deadline to submit the online application to attend the event is April 1 with registration payment due by April 4. 

Will keep you posted as the date draws closer for this inagural event.

Miss Kentucky 2010 Comes Out

Back in 2010 Djuan Trent became the second African American woman after Lyda Lewis in 1973 to be crowned as Miss Kentucky.   She went on to place in the Top 15 during the 2011 Miss America pageant. |

Having lived in Louisville when that marriage ban stain on the Kentucky Constitution was enacted and approved by a misguided majority of voters in 2004, I was happy when federal Judge John G. Heyburn dropped the legal hammer February 12 and ordered the Bluegrass State to recognize legal out of state same gender marriages.

With the haters homophobic rhetoric running hot and heavy, Ms.Trent came out in a February 20 post at her 'Life in 27' blog.   She noted in that post:

Ideally, I would love to one day live in a society where coming out is no longer necessary because we don't make assumptions about one another's sexuality and homophobia is laid to rest. For now, that is more of an ideal than it is a reality. But if you want see that ideal become a reality and you have the courage to change history...if you want to earn some gold stars, then yes, come on out and make your presence known. People can't know that their best friend, brother, sister, co-worker, neighbor, news anchor, favorite singer, or local coffee shop barista is being oppressed and denied the rights in which their heterosexual counterparts are so happily welcomed partake, unless you open your mouth and say it.

Or the former Miss Kentucky 2010 titleholder

I wrote this comment on her coming out post 

Thank you, Djuan!

As one of your trans sisters who once lived in Kentucky (Louisville) from 2001-2010, I definitely applaud you for taking this one small step for you, but a giant leap for the Kentucky LGBT community.

You help emphatically drive home the point that LGBT people are just living their lives, following their dreams and wanting to do so without interference. 

As you pointed out, the more people we have coming out, speaking their truth and living their lives, the better. 

Since this post is about Ms Trent coming out, her words need to be the ones closing it out.  But I echo what my SGL sistah said.

I applaud those who take that step in speaking up and speaking out, because in your doing so, you create a sense of awareness amongst your friends, family, and peers, letting them know that this hits a lot closer to home than they may have realized.  You create a sense of community, letting others know that they are not alone, and giving them the courage to also speak up and speak out.

 

'No Shade' Web Series

I spent an enjoyable few hours Sunday night binge watching the entire 10 episode first season of No Shade, a dramedy web series created by Sean Anthony.

The series centers on artist Noel Baptiste (David Brandyn) and his friends Eric D. Stone (Terry Torro) , Kori Jacobs (Donnie DuRight) and Danielle Williams (Tamara Williams) as they navigate the New York TBLG and ballroom community scene.  They live, date, love, navigate their personal issues and have personal journeys of evolution in the process.

While there are some humorous moments in the series, No Shade also touches on some serious issues like parental and religious condemnation, gay bashing, and substance abuse.   Through Danielle's eyes we get to see her as she deals with the issues a trans woman deals with such as transphobic harassment, name change and documentation issues, and when to disclose her trans status when she meets the cis man of her dreams and starts dating him.   .  

And yes, in case you're wondering, Danielle is played by a #girllikeus.
 
It also ends with the four main characters in a season ending cliffhanger that will have to wait until Season 2 of No Shade for resolution. 

You can check out the pilot episode for the first season of No Shade.   If  you like it you may want to consider donating to their campaign to raise money to produce Season 2.

TBLG Community, Can't Celebrate Michael Sam As An NFL Player Yet

Like everyone else in the community, I have been keeping up with the wonderful news that a collegiate football player who is an NFL prospect has come out as gay.

Congratulations and mad props to my Texas homeboy (Sam played his high school football down I-45 south from here in Hitchcock) for doing so and being tough minded enough to come out in the testosterone fueled football world.  

But before we get all giddy about the prospect of Mr. Sam spending his Sundays playing in the NFL, there are a a few things I need to point out.

First, and most importantly, bear in mind GLBT community, he is an NFL prospect.   That means he hasn't been drafted yet and the draft won't happen until May 8-10. 

Being the Defensive Player of the Year and a first team All-American in one of the best collegiate football conferences in the nation (the SEC) would normally be a plus going into the combine and draft.

But it is interesting to note that after he made his coming out announcement and reports of unnamed NFL coaches and executives commenting that Sam's announcement hurt his draft prospects emerged, it resulted in him dropping from the 90th ranked prospect to the 110th overall ranked one. 

I'm concerned because the NFL Combine comes up February 18-25 in Indianapolis with Sam scheduled to participate in it.  With a good showing he can possibly improve those prospects, but it also depends on just how widespread the homophobia is in the NFL and whether those player personnel people would rank him fairly based on his combine performance and other evaluations despite the league's anti-discrimination policy.  

The code words are already starting to creep into the interviews with NFL coaches and player personnel people.  They are citing 'team chemistry' and allegations he would be 'a distraction' in terms of laying the groundwork to not draft him.  Some have cited homophobic players already on their rosters as a reason. And frankly, there are some NFL teams that just don't want to deal with the extra publicity that the first openly gay NFL player would bring from national and international media.

Former NFL punter Chris Kluwe is throwing the challenge flag on those comments. I call bull feces on it because you have had past NFL players that shot people (Aaron Hernandez) or did a long list of other stuff disruptive to team chemistry that isn't a 'distraction' but being gay is?

If Sam doesn't get drafted this May, then he would have to try to make an NFL team as a free agent.  He'll have to get signed, show up in mid July for training camp and survive all the cuts to make it to an NFL 53 man roster for the opening weekend of the 2014 NFL Season Sept 4,7-8.  

Once he makes an NFL team roster, then and only then can we officially say he is the first openly gay NFL player.   Until then, he is just an openly gay NFL prospect.

But as a longtime NFL fan and a member of the TBLG community, I hope he is successful in his quest to become an NFL player and one of the leagues 32 teams adds him to their roster. 

It would be even better for me if that team was my own Houston Texans. 

1993 Oilers Getting More Interesting By The Day

Well well, looks like the In Living Color 'Men on Football' Super Bowl skit joke about the Oilers wasn't too far off base.

This team gets more interesting by the day.   First there was the allegation on HuffPo there was a transfeminine Derrick Doll shaking her pompoms on the Astrodome sidelines during the 1992 and 1993 seasons.

Then there was the recent NFL Network documentary about the 1993 Oilers team and all the drama surrounding it.  1-4 start, Warren Moon benching, Babygate, the nationally televised punch of Kevin Gilbride by Buddy Ryan, the 11 game win streak that led to them clinching the AFC Central title with a 12-4 record and earning home field advantage throughout the playoffs but falling victim to one last hurrah from Joe Montana and the Kansas City Chiefs 28-20 in their divisional round Dome playoff game.   

Now in the wake of the documentary comes this preview of a Houston Chronicle article scheduled to be published on Sunday (December 29) that stated there were two gay players on that 1993 team, the team knew about it, and didn't care. 

“Listen, those guys that we’re talking about were unbelievable teammates. And if you wanted to go to war with someone, you would get those guys first. Because I have never seen tougher guys than those guys,” said Oilers Pro Bowl linebacker Lamar Lathon. “And everybody in the locker room, the consensus knew or had an idea that things were not exactly right. But guess what? When they strapped the pads on and got on the field, man, we were going to war with these guys because they were unbelievable.”

It's interesting info in light of the fact that no active NFL player has come out, and only a handful of NFL players have come out in retirement.  It's also interesting to note that Brendon Ayanbadejo and Chris Kluwe, after expressing support for marriage equality and filing an amicus brief on February 28 in support of the Hollingsworth v Perry case then before the US Supreme Court, were let go by their respective NFL teams and were not signed by any NFL team during the 2013 season.  

But back to the 1993 Oilers and that gay players revelation.  That was the way it should have been.  Nobody giving a damn about those two gay Oilers except for how they did their jobs on the playing field.

As to who they are, I remember hearing a lot of rumors during that time about who those players were, but as long as my fave team was winning, I didn't care.  

Looking forward to reading that Chronicle article on Sunday.