Moni's Early Morning #CC20 Musings

I'm up early because I haven't been able to sleep since 5:30 AM, and finally said frack it and got up.

This is the big day for me at Creating Change 2020.   I have a 10 AM panel during the Trans Institute, and later tonight a speech to make during the 8 PM opening plenary as  I accept the Susan J Hyde Award for Longevity in The Movement.

But in the runup to this day, I've gotten to see a lot of old friends, meet some new ones, and introduce myself to the younglings who may not be aware of what I've been doing since 1998.

While I'm trying to stay humble and modest about this major award I'm about to get, many of you #CC20 attendees have let me know how much you love and care about me, and how much of a BFD you think this is to you.

There have also been some nights like last night where me and elders like Diego Sanchez, Antonia d'Orsay, Yosenio Lewis, and others have had a chance to chill out in front of the conference hotel, sit either outside  or in the hotel and talk about the good, bad and humorous days of our activist journeys.

We marvel about the fact that some of us are still effing here, and lament the ones who have gone on to join the ancestors.    Some of those TBLGQ+ folks who joined the ancestors left us way too soon,either by their own hand or someone else's murderous one.

I also have had the chance to catch up with Dallas area friends like Kyiana Wheeler,  just have a quiet dinner away from the convention hotel, and catch up on what has been going on in each other's lives.

I've gotten to spend some time with my BTAC family, and that will continue until Sunday. 

And yes, as promised, Slurpees are being destroyed at the rate of two a day

This conference, as always, gets to serve as not only a giant family reunion for all of us in the TBLGQ+ movement, it's also a time where we can break bread together, talk about the direction of where we want to take our human rights struggle, and acquire the skills and knowledge we'll need to help us accomplish the goals we set here.

While I love talking to my fellow advocates and elders,  the best part is meeting and hanging out with the younglings.  Getting to hear them talk about their hopes, dreams and aspirations for the future.  Having the blessing of having those intergenerational conversations with them

Them getting to realize that the person and possibility model they idolize in me also is human, down to earth, has a wicked sense of humor, and always has time to give a needed hug, listen to their conversations and give advice if they request it..

Am I nervous about the speech tonight?  A little since it will be the largest crowd I've ever done one in front of in my life.   But I've been doing speeches in front of crowds large and small since elementary school, and once I get started and into it, I'll be fine/ 

Speaking of getting started, time fo me to hit the shower and get ready for my big #CC20 day
   

Getting On The (Bougie) Bus To Dallas

I'm starting this 2020 year of travel the same way I ended 2019, by riding a Vonlane luxury bus to or from a Lone Star State destination.

This will be my longest trip ever on a Vonlane, or what I loving call The Bougie Bus'.  I usually end up taking them to and from Austin or San Antonio, but this is the first time I've done one to Dallas. 

Why do I love them so much?   WiFi that works, satellite TV,  a bus attendant that brings snacks to my seat, and oh did I mention that reserved leather seat?

This reclining leather seat is what I get to chillax in all the way to Dallas and back to Houston.   The best part is I'm not doing any of the 3.5 hour drive up and back.

So why am I traveling to Dallas this time?    It's to attend the Creating Change Conference that will kick off tomorrow at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel.  It will be my first one I've attended since the 2017 one in Philadelphia and my sixth overall.   

Y'all also might have heard I'm getting an award while I'm there during the opening Thursday night plenary session starting at 7 PM in addition to the two panel discussions I'll be taking part in.

One of those is on Thursday at 10 AM as part of the Trans Institute,  and the second is on Friday at 3 PM entitled 'Building Trans Political Power.' 

I'm looking forward to seeing old friends, and meeting new ones.

But I'm also looking forward to this latest ride on the 'Bougie Bus' in addition to seeing all you peeps when I arrive in Dallas.
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Moni's Post Houston Municipal Runoff Election Thoughts

It's been 72 hours since it because clear Houstonians took out the political trash by massively rejecting Tony Trump Buzbee and giving Sylvester Turner a second four year term as our mayor. 

Mayor Turner garnered 56% of the vote in sending Buzbee to the loss he so richly deserved after trying to inject transphobia in this race at the last minute.  A last minute robocall from Trump didn't help and had the opposite effect of boosting turnout

Buzbee spent $12 million to get that butt kicked, and has refused at this writing to concede. 

Typical.   But hey Tony, I did tell you back in August when you disrespectfully stepped to me you would never be elected to the mayor's chair in my hometown.

Don't forget it was you who said on FOX26 that you didn't need to be mayor.   Well, the wise citizens of Houston made your wish to NOT be the mayor of Houston come true for the holidays.

We also sent transphobe Dave Wilson packing from the Houston Community College (HCC) Board of Trustees by electing Monica Flores Richart.   Wilson abruptly resigned from his Position 2 seat he deceptively won six years ago by 24 votes when Rhonda Skillern-Jones filed to run against him and jumped into the Position 1 race.

Flores Richart did the Lordt's work and trounced that homohating behind twice.  She got 48% of the vote back on November 5, just missing the 51% threshold she needed to beat him outright. 

She handled her business in the runoff and spanked that transphobic behind.  Congrats Madame Trustee-elect.   Rhonda Skillern-Jones also won handily in the HCC Position 2 race.

Now that the transphobic Wilson has been bounced from the HCC board and has more free time on his hands, we Houston liberal-progressive peeps need to make sure he doesn't spend it trying to mess with Houston area trans people.

The embattled HISD board also added two more Black women on its board of trustees in Kathy Bluefield Daniels in District 2 and Patricia Allen in District 4. 

As for the Houston City Council elections, we had some problematic people running for city council in this cycle as well.   The 180 people that filed to run meant that while we stopped some of the bad ones, others got through like conservative incumbents Mike Knox and Michael Kubosh.

One that didn't get through was White supremacist Anthony Dolcefino.  He made it to a runoff for the At Large 4 seat in large part because the Houston media tried to softpedal his white supremacist activities at UT 

Thank goodness Dr. Letitia Plummer won that seat and blocked him from getting a nice leather chair in The Horseshoe.    But we will have to worry about Dolcefino running for a future office.

This transphobe, Edward Pollard, also slipped through and got elected to City Council in District J, beating Sandra Rodriguez.    Pollard, a so called 'conservative Democrat', AKA a Republican ashamed to claim the label, opposed the HERO ordinance back in 2014, and is an on the record transphobe.   Unfortunately I have to look at his azz in The Horseshoe for the next four years.

I also wasn't happy to hear about some of Rodriguez's signs mysteriously disappearing in this southwest side district during this race.

Many Houston Black women are not happy Abbie Kamin won her District C race against Shelley Kennedy, especially after a photo surfaced of her wearing an antebellum dress at a Kappa Alpha collegiate frat function.

Kamin never really came clean about it or offered a substantive explanation as to why she's in Confederate garb, but she's going to have to do it sooner or later.   Progressive sisters have long memories, and until she clears this up with them, if Kamin  has aspirations for higher office, she may have problems getting support from the Harris County Democratic Party base (Black women) if she doesn't deal with it ASAP.

And in this election cycle's concrete example of why every vote matters, in District H challenger Isabel Longoria is trailing incumbent CM Karla Cisneros by a razor thin 12 votes.

Looks like this District H race will be going to a recount, and they will be counting every ballot cast in this one, including provisional and overseas mail in ballots before we have a declared winner in this race. 

Then there's the mess in District B, which has gone to court.

There were 13 candidates running in the race to replace term limited CM Jerry Davis, and the top two vote getters were Tarsha Jackson (right) and former North Forest ISD board member Cynthia Bailey,

Renee Jefferson Smith, the candidate who finished third in the District B race, filed suit, alleging that since Bailey was an ex-offender, she wasn't eligible to run for city council.   Jackson, the frontrunner on November 5 and who is favored to win the seat, believes Bailey is eligible to run.

It didn't help that when Bailey filed, on the affidavit you must sign in order to run to declare whether or not you have a felony conviction, she said no. 

A judge will need to sort the murky legal question out before they can hold a special election for the seat, which was tentatively scheduled for January 28. 

I also lost a lot of respect for the firefighters in this election cycle.   Their union leadership backed Dolcefino, Dick and Pollard and two failed candidates for mayor in Sue Lovell and Dwight Boykins.  May be time for y'all to stop rejecting the 7% raise Mayor Turner offered y'all and take it. 

I also see the possibility of a garbage fee being passed to fund the Solid Waste Department for much needed new garbage trucks and salary bumps.

So to wrap this up, while there are some developments I'm happy about in terms of the new council will be a female majority body with five Black women sitting on it, there are others that I'm not thrilled about.

Just means that I'll be making a lot of trips to Houston City Hall to ensure I'm doing my part to hold our local elected officials accountable.

Vandalized Dallas Trans Mural Repaired

In more good news to start this week, the trans mural in Dallas that was vandalized last week has been restored.  The mural is located at 4000 Cedar Springs Road in the heart of Dallas' gayborhood, and is the largest one in the world dedicated to honoring the trans community.

Dallas based artist Rafiq Salleh-Flowers did so on Sunday after some waste of DNA desecrated it by drawing mustaches on the faces of Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P Johnson back on December 8.

Dallas PD is still looking for the person who vandalized the mural, and if you have any information that will lead to the arrest and prosecution of this person, you are urged to contact DPD at 214-670-4413 with any tips you have.

I and the Dallas TBGLQ community are just happy the mural has been fixed

Mayor Turner Reelected!

Tony Buzbee spent $13 million of his own money in an attempt to get a chair he claimed he didn't want or need.   In the end he was blown our after his last ditch attempt  to inject transphobia in this race failed.

The  last minute Trump robocalls didn't help either.  All they did was piss people off

Incumbent Mayor Sylvester Turner cruised to reelection with 56% of the vote to crush Buzbee and drive home the point that transphobia is no longer a successful political strategy in H-Town.

In addition, when the new city council gets seated in January there will be five Black women sitting on it and nine women total..

In other good news from this Election Night, transphobe Dave Wilson was ousted from the HCC board by Monica Flores Richart, and two more Black women in Kathy Blueford Daniels and Patricia Allen are joining the HISD school board. 

The results are here.

So now I can go to sleep know that I won't have a transphobic jerk as my mayor or a white supremacist sitting on my city council.

BTWI and TENT Condemn Transphobic Buzbee Campaign Mailer

For Immediate Release

December 13, 2019

Contact: Monica Roberts, BTWI Media Chair, Emmett Schelling, Executive Director, TENT

Phone: 855-255-8636 ext 69
Email: info@transtexas.org or mroberts@blacktranswomen.org

BTWI and TENT CONDEMN TRANSPHOBIC BUZBEE CAMPAIGN MAILER 

There is a runoff in the Houston municipal election tomorrow that features incumbent Mayor Sylvester Turner and challenger Tony Buzbee. Both BTWI and TENT were disappointed to see and hear about this transphobic and homophobic mailer being deployed on the eve of the runoff election by the Buzbee campaign.

“This mailer is additionally disturbing in light of the fact that Texas has unfortunately led the nation in anti-trans homicides. Two of the four trans Texans we lost in 2019 were from Houston. To see trans women being vilified and misrepresented by a candidate running for mayor in the most diverse and fourth largest city in this country to score political points is a shameful day in Houston’s history.” said Diamond Collier, interim Executive Director of Black Transwomen Inc.

Buzbee claimed in an August 2 Pride candidate forum on the Texas Southern University campus that he would be a mayor for all Houstonians. Based on the mailer, along with his subsequent actions garnering the endorsement of longtime Houston-area anti-LGBTQ activist Steven Hotze, it has become clear that was not the truth.

“As a native Houstonian, it is irritating and disgusting to once again see a political candidate attempt to deploy transphobia and homophobia for their personal electoral gain in a municipal election. Spreading this ugly rhetoric has real-world consequences that the Black trans community will have to deal with long after Election Day has passed,” said BTWI President Dee Dee Watters. 

Emmett Schelling, Executive Director of Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT) stated, “LGBTQ Houstonians are part of this diverse city that we are all exceedingly proud of, and we urge all Houstonians to reject the false message that the Buzbee campaign is trying to send.”

Buzbee Pimps Transphobia In The Houston Mayoral Runoff

Looks like Tony Buzbee is getting desperate on the eve of the Houston municipal runoff election tomorrow.

He didn't get as many votes as he thought he would on Election Day or from the early voting phase that concluded on December 10, and is now resorting to transphobia to try to win. 

Why am I not shocked that he's playing that game since he was endorsed by long time Houston gaybaiter Steven Hotze?

Buzbee tried to claim when he was at the Pride Forum held at Texas Southern University back on August 2 that he was in favor of HERO 2.0 and would be a mayor for all people.  He also tried to bash Mayor Turner during that forum by claiming that the mayor didn't listen to the LGBT Advisory Board.

Unfortunately for him I and LGBT Advisory Board Chair Harrison Homer Guy were in the room, and we promptly blew up that lie in real time.. 

These mailers started appearing at the homes of many Houstonians across the city, including my mother, who alerted me this morning she'd received it and wasn't happy about it.



The mailers make references to the HERO repeal debunked 'men in women's bathrooms' talking point and Drag Queen Story Time, which is actually on hiatus at this time.

Buzbee is getting called out for his transphobic political Hail Mary by a wide variety of local and state groups, including Black Trans Women Inc (BTWI) the Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT), and the Houston GLBT Caucus.

“This mailer is additionally disturbing in light of the fact that Texas has unfortunately led the nation in anti-trans homicides. Two of the four trans Texans we lost in 2019 were from Houston. To see trans women being vilified and misrepresented by a candidate running for mayor in the most diverse and fourth largest city in this country to score political points is a shameful day in Houston’s history.” said Diamond Collier, Interim Executive Director of Black Transwomen Inc.

"Gone are the days where constituents are silenced and forced to live through inconsistency in our elected public servants dedication to our needs. WE SEE YOU AND WE VOTE! Demeaning narratives that perpetuate an already exacerbated hate within our community fortifies systematic and cultural disenfranchisement of our demographic. It leads to unsheltered people without homes. It leaded to workforce discrimination which we don’t have protection from. It leads to us not trusting you to do when we would be electing you to do which is to represent of the most marginalized people in this community as well as the privileged. Undignified narrative about trans people, immigrants, black people, poor people or women is not the direction leaders should be going for the future,

BTWI President Dee Watters added. "As a native Houstonian, it is irritating and disgusting to once again see a political candidate attempt to deploy transphobia and homophobia for their personal electoral gain in a municipal election. Spreading this ugly rhetoric has real-world consequences that the Black trans community will have to deal with long after Election Day has passed." The Houston GLBT Caucus stated, "Tony Buzbee's latest mailer ad is a grotesque anti-transgender charade, in an attempt to pander to his conservative base. We cannot let this kind of blatant, bigoted mindset into City Hall."

Emmett Schelling, the Executive Director of TENT stated,“LGBTQ Houstonians are part of this diverse city that we are all exceedingly proud of, and we urge all Houstonians to reject the false message that the Buzbee campaign is trying to send.”

If you haven't voted yet, you have a chance to send your own message and reject the transphobic bigotry that Buzbee is trying to peddle. 

Voting for the runoff election starts at 7 AM tomorrow and runs until 7 PM in 350 voting centers across Houston and the Fort Bend County portion of Houston.

If you don't know who to vote for, here are my TransGriot Municipal Election endorsements.

But by all means, we cannot afford to have a this transphobe in the most powerful mayoral seat in the country.

     

Dallas Trans Mural Vandalized

The Dallas Voice is reporting that the trans mural honoring Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P Johnson was vandalized earlier this week when some transphobic waste of DNA disrespectfully painted dark blue mustaches on Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson's faces.

The vandalism of the mural, painted by New York based artist Brian Kenney, ,was discovered on Sunday afternoon December 8.  The mural was completed this spring to honor the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion and the participation of Sylvia and Marsha as unsung sheroes and leaders in our movement

The mural, located at 4000 Cedar Springs Road in the heart of Dallas' gayborhood, is the largest one in the world dedicated to honoring the trans community.

The graffiti cleaner was scheduled to arrive today, and Artitude's Jerome Larez stated to the Voice's David Taffet that they would attempt to clean off the graffiti without damaging the mural.

The Dallas Police Department is looking for the waste of DNA who committed the act, and if you have any info that will lead to that person's arrest and conviction, you can call DPD at 214-670-4413 with any tips that will lead to the capture of the person who defaced the mural.

A Chance To Make Houston Women's History

I got back to Houston as early voting cranked up again after the holiday break for our December 14 midterm election.

You can early vote at any location from 7 AM-7 PM from today until December 10.   On Sunday December 8 you can do so from  1-6 PM.  Final day to handle your early voting business is on December 10. 

My TransGriot endorsements for the Houston runoff election are here.

While I was in Da Ville, I noted that we have a chance to do in this runoff election something as historic as the #BlackGirlMagic Judges.

We have the chance to elect an unprecedented in Houston history six Black women to The Horseshoe as part of a first ever female majority City Council.

CM Martha Castex Tatum's spot is already assured on the new council.  She was reelected to represent District K back on November 5. 

In District B, a Black woman is assured to be the next council rep for that area.   The runoff elections will feature Tarsha Jackson,  who received 20% of the vote to lead a crowded fourteen person field to succeed term limited CM Jerry Davis, in either Cynthia Bailey or Renee Jefferson Smith.

That seat will be determined in a special election once the court drama between Bailey and Jefferson-Smith is resolved over whether Bailey is eligible as an ex offender with a felony conviction to hold public office in Texas.

Several of the city council runoffs  have a Black woman running in them

In District D, former HCC board of trustees chair Carolyn Evans Shabazz is running against Brad 'Scarface' Jordan from the Geto Boys rap group.. 

In District F, which is my council district, former Alief ISD board member Tiffany Thomas is running against Van Huynh, the former chief of staff for outgoing councilmember Steve Le who decided not to run for reelection.

In the runoff election for the At Large 3 seat, Janaeya Carmouche is taking on anti-HERO incumbent councilmember Michael Kubosh

In the at Large 4 race to succeed CM Amanda Edwards, who surprisingly decided not to seek reelection and jump into the US Senate race, Dr. Letitia Plummer is taking on white supremacist Anthony Dolcefino.

Add to it the one in District A in which Amy Peck is trying to succeed term limited CM Brenda Stardig. and in the At Large 5 race between Sallie Alcorn and Eric Dick.

The one in the diverse Gulfton area District J between Sandra Rodriguez and anti-HERO transphobe Edward Pollard to succeed term limited CM Mike Laster also has the potential to make history.

If Rodriguez is successful in her District J race, it would be the first time we have had two Latinas serving on Houston city council together.  It would also mean that with CM Robert Gallegos being reelected in District I, three Latinx councilmembers would be sitting in the Horseshoe for the first time. 

The hotly contentious battle in District C between Abbie Kaman and Shelley Kennedy guarantees a woman will emerge as the rep for that seat that stretches from Meyerland to Montrose . 

The equally as contentious one in District H between Isabel Longoria and incumbent CM Karla Cisneros guarantees a Latina will sit on the new council representing that predominately Latinx district.

If all these women win their races on December 14, it means that Houston would have a historic eleven women on city council   A diverse group of women councilmembers that would comprise two Latinas, three White women, and six Black women.

But if you want that to happen, you must vote for it starting today and on December 14 to become a reality. 

The TransGriot 2019 Houston Municipal Runoff Election Endorsements

The November 5 elections left the mayor's chair and several council seats in runoffs.

The City Council District B race was removed from the ballot and settled in a special election because of a lawsuit filed by Renee Jefferson Smith after she finished third and failed to make the runoff in that crowded 14 candidate race to replace term limited councilmember Jerry Davis.

The people who did make the runoff were Tarsha Jackson and Cynthia Bailey

Bailey signed an affidavit when filing to run back in August stating that she hadn't been convicted of a felony, but was back in 2007.  She was told that because of that forgery conviction, she could run for any position except a state of Texas one.

Jefferson contends that because of the felony, Bailey is ineligible, and as the third place finisher, she should move up to the runoff.  Bailey's eligibility will be determined in an upcoming court case.

Will be keeping an eye on those proceedings, but the date of the December 14 runoff
 election is still looming with early voting starting on November 27 from 7 AM-7 PM .

After the holiday, early voting resumes from December 2-7  from 7-7 PM.   On December 8, you can vote from 1-6 PM, and on December 9-10 from 7 AM-7 PM 

The Runoff Endorsements:

Mayor- Sylvester Turner

City Council
At Large 1- Raj Salhotra
At Large 2- David Robinson
At Large 3 - Janaeya Carmouche
At Large 4 -Dr Letitia Plummer 
At Large  5- Sallie Alcorn
  
District B-  Tarsha Jackson
District C -Shelley Kennedy
District D- Carolyn Evans Shabazz 
District F - Tiffany Thomas
District H- Isabel Longoria
District J-  Sandra Rodriguez

Houston Community College System Trustee
District 1 - Monica Flores Richart 
District 2-  Rhonda Skillern Jones

HISD Trustee
District I- Kathy Bluefield Daniels
District IV- Patricia Allen 

Texas State Representative 
HD 28-  Eliz Markowitz 
HD 148- Anna Eastman

Houston To Hold Three TDOR 2019 Events Tomorrow

The 20th annual Transgender Day of Remembrance is being observed tomorrow on November 20 with events around the world. 

Here in Houston, we have three events scheduled on that day, and it's also particularly a sad occasion because four of the names on the 2019 list of US names we will read are Texans, and two will be Houstonians.

The three Houston TDOR events tomorrow are:

TransGiving hosted by Organizacion Latina de Trans en Texas (OLTT) and Ana Andrea Molina

"Remembering our sisters who were ahead of us this year and raising the voices of those who continue to resist".

It also serves as the annual Thanksgiving dinner hosted by OLTT, and will take place this year at  Bering Memorial UMC.   The address is 1427 Hawthorne St, and will commence at 6:30 PM.  Parking for this event will be in the rear of the church.  

A Transgender Day of Remembrance event hosted by Dee Dee Watters is also taking place on this date at St. Luke the Evangelist Episcopal Church.   It's the event I have been invited to participate in.

The church is on the southeastern edge of the Texas Southern University campus, and its address is 3530 Wheeler Ave.   The event starts at 7:00 PM

"We will #SayTheirNames we will remember them all while acknowledging ourselves (those of the trans lived experience)"

The third event is the Transgender Day of Remembrance one hosted by the Houston Transgender Unity Committee (HTUC).

"...offering a safe and affirming environment to share stories and talk about those we have lost"

The venue for this event will be Brasil Houston, located at 2604 Dunlavy St in the Montrose area that will also start at 7:00 PM. 

Hopefully you folks in H-town can make it to one of the three events of your choosing to honor the people we have lost to anti-trans violence here and around the world in 2019.