TENT Trans Lobby Day Today

I'm chilling with my peeps in Austin after a relatively uneventful travel day.  I did have to wait two hours before I got into my hotel room.  I got here at 11 AM, and like my hotel, many of the ATX hotels are packed not only because of the legislative session, but also because SXSW is about to kick off this weekend

So after I grabbed something to eat, I had to kill two hours wandering the downtown streets of Austin.   I happily discovered during my wandering to familiarize myself with the general hotel vicinity there's a 7 Eleven near the hotel.

I'm halfway to my free Slurpee.

I'm here for the TENT Lobby Day, and I'll be speaking before we start heading into the Pink Dome to talk to our legislators.   The registration for the event closed on March 4 with 276 people signaling their intention to be here, so looking forward to seeing if we get more than that.

Also looking forward to seeing our trans family from across the Lone Star State

Our legislators know we're here because we've already made the local ATX news.   It's also interesting for me because it's exactly 20 years to the day I first made the trip to Austin as a rookie citizen lobbyist to participate in my maiden trans lobby day. 

I'm also doing so with a heavy heart because back home in Houston, the private memorial service for Sarah DePalma, the founding executive director of the Texas Gender Advocacy Information Network (TGAIN), and the proto org of TENT, takes place today. 

Our trans elder and my activist mentor died several weeks ago at age 67.

Here's the schedule for today's TENT Lobby Day

8-9 AM - Check in at FUMC Family Life Center (1300 Lavaca St), parking is available in the Capitol garage and will be within walking distance of all events. It is also handicap accessible and so is the FUMC Family Life Center)

9-10:00 AM - Lobby Day Training

10:35 AM - Pick up lunch, walk over to south steps of the Capitol

11:00 AM - TENT Rally

12 PM - Join NASW Rally

1 PM - Lobby Day Visits begin

5 PM - Lobby Day Ends

Hope I'll see as many of you peeps and allies handling your trans human rights business.

Trans America Has a Great 2018 Election Night

The political junkie in me was up late watching returns and election coverage until I finally called it a night at 3 AM.   While I was focused on Texas, local and some key national races, I also had a nervous eye cast in the direction of Massachusetts to see what was happening with Question 3.

After a trans non discrimination law was passed in 2016 with public accommodations language, the Axis of Anti-trans Evil in the Bay State gathered signatures to put it on the ballot.

It was the first time we'd had a trans rights law put on the ballot for potential repeal, and the stakes were high surrounding Question 3.  A loss using the same bathroom predator attacks in a blue state means that us red state folks would probably spend 2019 fighting a red tide of anti-trans referenda.  A win means our Massachusetts trans and GNC fam keep that hard fought for law.

The national trans community justifiably saw this as a must win referendum.  Laverne Cox, VA Del Danica Roem, Trans United Fund and other people went to the state to help the YES on 3 team get what turned out to be a huge win for American transkind as the Trump misadministration is preparing to ramp up anti-trans oppression.

Question 3 was a resounding win for the trans community  1.5 million Massachusetts voters, or 67.7 percent, voted YES to preserve the current anti-discrimination law and support transgender rights. About 700,000 people or 32.3 percent, voted NO.

While the Massachusetts Question 3 referendum was the big news for Trans Election Night 2018, we also had in New Hampshire two more trans women get elected to state legislatures.

Gerri Cannon and Lisa Bunker were elected to the New Hampshire House.  Cannon finished second in the Stafford County District 18 race.  Bunker will represent Rockingham County after she won in District 18, that includes the city of Exeter.

Brianna Titone's race in Colorado is too close to call at this moment.  She's trailing by 400 votes in the race for the open Arvada area HD-27 seat    In another open seat race in Montana's HD 52, Amelia Marquez is trailing Republican Rodney Garcia by just 205 votes

As for the other trans candidates in this cycle, Christine Hallquist's bid to become the first ever trans governor fell short in Vermont, but she got an impressive 40% of the vote. 

Martin Rawlings- Fein and Mia Satya fell short in their San Francisco school board races,

In my home state of Texas, Finnigan Jones got 44% of the vote, but lost to incumbent Republican Tony Tinderholt.    The Austin City Council races also didn't break Danielle Skidmore's or Jessica Cohen's way in their respective council district races.

So we trans Texans are still waiting for our first elected trans officeholder.

So while we had a great night, it definitely could have been a lot better.   These close races will eventually break our way and result in more trans people getting elected and #TransformingPolitics when we do so. 

But we did take more steps toward making that political day happening

Finn Jones Makes Texas Trans Political History

As many of you are aware of, the Texas primary elections were held on Tuesday night.   In addition to seeing who won, who lost, who made it to the May 22 runoff elections and who advanced to the November 6 general elections, some Texas trans political history was made. 

Finnigan  'Finn'  Jones is running for the Texas House 94 seat in North Texas.   Because Jones didn't have an opponent in the Democratic primary, once the voting started, Jones became the first out trans masculine Texan to win a party primary race, and the first to do so for a Texas legislative seat.

Jones said this on his FB page when I pointed out the history he'd just made.

"Wow!!! I honestly had not even thought about that. As I pointed out to her (TransGriot),  I am running for all of us. We have a right to have a voice at the table and be heard. Not just on lgbtq Rights, but on health care, public education, teacher retirement, discrimination in all forms and so much more,." he wrote. 

"I am proud to be that voice and that ear for the community. I will always listen and I will always learn and progress forward. Our citizens deserve that much from their elected officials."

Yes, we do.

Hs opponent in the general election will be the incumbent state rep Tony Tinderholt.(R-Arlington) who is considered the fourth most conservative member of the Texas Legislature, is a member of the Texas Freedom Caucus and as you probably guessed, is not a friend of our community.

Finn is going to have his work cut out for him if he is going to make the history of becoming the first trans Texan elected to our state legislature. 

But as the old saying goes, you have to be in it to win it, and Finn has cleared the first hurdle to make that happen by getting the Democratic Party nomination.

Here's hoping he makes even more history on November 6.

Can You Donate and Help Trans Candidates Make History?

It's the first day of November, and we are six day away from making history with a group of stellar trans candidates who are running for office in Minneapolis  (Andrea Jenkins and Phillipe Cunningham) New York state (Chrissie Browde) and Virginia (Danica Roem)

Our right wing opposition is getting a last minute infusion of cash to oppose these candidates that we must counter, and that's why Trans United Fund needs your help and your cash for these critical home stretch days. 

It's especially critical in Danica's Virginia House of Delegates race since she is taking on the darling of the right wing movement in longtime anti-TBLGQ foe Delegate Bob Marshall.

Phillipe also has a tough Ward 4 Minneapolis City Council race and will also need some help in the final push to the November 7 finish line 

Each one of these breakthrough candidates has already made history in their various locales.  We need to have trans people get elected to office to help push good public policy and be in position to kill bad policy at the legislative level.

These candidates have stepped up to do that.  We just need to do what it takes on our end to help them win and BE in office to help formulate public policy for their constituents and our community.

So could you take a few moments to contribute to the Breakthrough Fund today?  No amount is too small, and could make all the difference in these races.

Musing About The DNC 2020 Trans Contingent

The 2016 DNC Convention in Philadelphia is over and it was a historic and record breaking one. We had a trans contingent of 27 people from across the country that included two superdelegates.

We had Sarah McBride making a historic address Thursday as the first out trans person to speak at any major party convention

Marisa Richmond was not only attending her third consecutive DNC convention, she also made history when she became the first out trans person to hold the position as the DNC convention official timekeeper.

This 2016 Democratic Convention is fading into the history books as we concentrate on the important business of getting our Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton elected to the Oval Office as our first female POTUS, and have as many Democratic senators and congress members join her in DC as possible.   We also are focused on the mission of getting Democrats elected at all levels of government.

However, it's not too early for us in Trans World to start musing about how we are going to exceed the  27 trans folks that came to Philadelphia when the gavel comes down for the start of the 2020 Democratic National Convention.

One thiis we definitely need is more diversity in our trans DNC contingent.   That should always be one of the Prime Directive level missions for us.   Another Prime Directive mission for us should be is to have trans federal, state, and local elected officials in our DNC 2020 trans contingent.

As the GOP led attacks on our human rights has made abundantly clear to us, we must have trans people in the committee rooms to write the good laws that affect us and poised to kill the bad ones.

We also need more trans people involved in the DNC and the state and local parties.   I'm proud of Babs Siperstein and Laura Calvo, our two trans superdelegates.  But I want to see more trans people engaged in the Democratic Party apparatus.  

And finally, I not only want more than 27 people in it,  I want geographic diversity at the same time.

Will it happen for us in 2020?  We'll see when they gavel in that 2020 DNC in a host city to be determined.

And FYI DNC, how about holding the 2020 one in Houston?  Tired of the last national party convention that was held here being the odious 1992 one in which Pat Buchanan gave his infamous 'culture war' speech.

Geraldine Roman Elected To Philippine Congress!

It's official!   You can now call her Congresswoman-elect Roman!  
49 year old Geraldine Roman has made Philippine and world trans history by becoming the first out trans person elected to the Philippine Congress!

She was favored to win her race thanks in large part to her mother preceding her in the First District of Bataan House seat and serving for nine years, and her father being also a political heavyweight in their native Bataan region.

She didn't disappoint on election day.

With 95% of the vote counted, Roman is cruising to a comfortable win over her opponent Danny Malana in their First Legislative District of Bataan race to get her first three year term as a Philippine congress member

Dindi Tan, a trans advocate in the Philippines and a former board member of the QC Pride Council there, is just as excited about the historic election of Roman as much of the international trans community is.

She is hopeful that Roman's election to the Philippine Congress results in more positive changes LGBT rights wise in her nation

"For a country that has yet to catch up with the significant LGBT rights developments and inroads around the world, the election victory of Congresswoman-elect Geraldine Roman is an inspiration by itself for a community that has long yearned for its own voice in the halls of Philippine Congress,"said Tan.  

"Her election is a breath of fresh air and is welcomed with great optimism by the Philippine trans community. Her being the first openly trans woman voted into Congress is a clear testament that the tide is slowly shifting to our favor. For the longest time, the Philippine LGBT community has persevered in lobbying for a national law on anti-discrimination. It has taken us 16 long years and counting. We hope that with the election of young blood political movers like Roman, we are rest assured that the lobby will take on an easier path," Tan continued.

"While we celebrate her victory, we also give meaning to the political statement that her election entails-- that politics in the Philippines is slowly becoming more and more embracing of the LGBT agenda. By breaking the glass ceiling in politics, she has paved the way for others like us. We look forward to working with her in Congress and in pushing for more gender-inclusive policies and the advancement of the rights of LGBT people."  

"This is such a history-in-the-making for the LGBT movement on this side of the globe,." added Tan. 

Roman is now part of an elite sorority of out trans feminine politicians internationally who have been elected to their national legislatures that includes Georgina Beyer (NZ), Vladimir Luxuria (Italy), Anna Grodzka (Poland), Michelle Suarez Bertora (Uruguay) and Tamara Adrian (Venezuela)

In her remarks to me concerning this historic win, Naomi Fontanos, the executive director of GANDA Filipinas was also excited and optimistic about the upcoming term of Congresswoman-elect Roman.

"Yes. I am very happy that herstory was made today with Ms Geraldine Roman winning the congressional race in Bataan. While it is radical that she is the first openly out transwoman to be elected in Philippines Congress,she is also undeniably a product of a political dynasty that has dominated local politics in Bataan for a long time.' said Fontanos.

"This is a historic moment though, and I want to focus on the many good things that Ms Roman can bring to the Lower House of the Philippine Congress. I laud the fact that she has openly stated that she would make legal gender change part of her legislative agenda," she added.

Roman is the sixth out trans person worldwide to have accomplished that feat, and the second in the Asia-Pacific region after Georgina Beyer of New Zealand, who was the first out trans person in the world to do so in 1999..

And while Congresswoman-elect Roman is officially representing her constituents in the 1st Legislative District of Bataan, she is also by default the defacto representative of all TBLG people in the Philippines as well.

Congratulations Congresswoman-elect Roman!.   May you be successful in representing not only the voters of the 1st Legislative District of Bataan, but also your Filipino TBLG siblings across the country.

TransGriot Update: Roman won her race in a landslide:  106,315 votes to 64,643 votes for her opponent Danny Malana  

The Axis Of Trans Oppression Is Attacking Us- What Are We Gonna Do About It?

One of the things I have been observing as a a long time advocate for trans human rights is the LGBT Hate industry and their ongoing war as part of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy to roll back and eviscerate human rights in the US for gay, bi and lesbian people.  

As the trans part of that rainbow political coalition, we now have not only made rapid human right progress since that first trans federal lobby day in 1994, we have had unprecedented societal visibility in order to drive home the twin messages that trans people are part of the diverse mosaic of humanity and that trans rights are human rights.

That progress and societal visibility has drawn the backlash that visionary leaders in Trans World have long warned was coming as we urged our people to prepare for its arrival.

We have been fighting a multi front war since Stonewall in which we are battling right-wing Bible thumping faux Christian oppressors, the Republican Party and the conservative movement, the TERF's, right wing media and frenemies in the LG ranks who repeatedly threw us under the legislative bus to get sexual orientation only legislation passed.  They are what I call the Axis of Trans Oppression.

We trans folks are unfortunately paying in blood for the failure of LG orgs to recognize that if the rights of transgender people weren't secure, their own rights aren't secure either. The HERO repeal in Houston and the passage of HB 2 in North Carolina have emphatically driven that point home.

As the Rev. Dr.Martin Luther King, Jr. also pointed out, we are in an inescapable web of mutuality, and if this fact hasn't burned itself into your brains yet, trans people are part of that web of mutuality.

We trans people are also paying for the long time neglect and failure of funders to see the wisdom of fiscally seeding regional and national trans groups like NTAC and others.  While we tried our best at the time as trans leaders to make that happen, the growth and maturation of national trans rights orgs should have occurred while we trans peeps were flying under the political radars of our right wing oppressors in the 90's-early 2K's.
 
We also needed to have our best and brightest activists advocates and thinkers in the late 90's early 2K's getting paid to spend 8-10 plus hour days gaining real world experience doing the hard solid thinking and work to advance trans human rights. We needed to be able to do the full time job of educating the public about trans people instead of having to do it part time or without pay. 
But that's coulda, woulda, shoulda Monday morning quarterbacking.  We have to deal with the 2K16 consequences and reality of things that should have happened not happening.   

We are fighting transphobic bigots in the LGBT hate industry who are sitting in nice plush offices, have decades of experience in opprssing people, now training their tactics, media platforms and money on a community they perceive as easy political pickings with little risk of retribution from our side.

They gleefully plot our evisceration as elements pf the LG community say 'we're on our own' to face this onslaught of oppression as they plan their weddings and enjoy the fruits of full equality they gained in many cases with our help and at our expense.


Trans people are under attack by the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy, and unfortunately the LG orgs that have honored their 'we'll come back for you' promises have been ineffective in combating it for several reasons.

They are just as clueless in the issues that impact trans lives because of at times willful ignorance, their own long time discriminatory practices rooted in rainbow anti-trans bigotry and internal LGBT racial animus. .

Because of the failure to hire talented trans leaders and organizers in their organizations, they not only don't have trained trans people in place in their organizations to help lead and formulate the strategies necessary to defeat the Axis of Trans Oppression anti-trans talking points and tactics, they don't have a development pipeline in place to properly train the next generation of trans leaders and grow the movement.  

This combined with a lack of muscular trans organizations that will strike fear in their oppressive hearts also doesn't help us .It also doesn't help us that we don't have (yet) elected trans politicians at the large city, state, judicial and congressional level

With over 100 anti trans legislative measures popping up like kudzu across the South and elsewhere in this country backed up by right wing media gleefully spouting anti-trans hate speech, we need those trans led efforts to beat back the oppression being aimed at us like yesterday.

While that's the reality of what we trans Americans are facing, it doesn't mean that we need to just give up, throw up our hands and submit to whatever the Axis of Trans Oppression has in store for us.  We need to fight 'em until we can't.  We come from trans folks who rose up in protest of anti-trans discrimination and oppression at Cooper's Donuts in 1959, Dewey's Lunch Counter in 1965, Compton's Cafeteria in 1966, and the Stonewall Inn in 1969 and leaders like Sylvia Rivera who ferociously fought to her dying day for our human rights.  

We need to role model Sylvia, Marsha and our other trans human rights warriors of yesterday and today. We have a proud history and legacy to live up to of fighting anti-trans oppression no matter where it comes from, and it's a fight we must win despite the long odds.

The trans kids growing up now are depending on their trans elders and our allies to handle our trans human rights business, and we can't afford to let them or our elders down.

We`are on the correct side of history while our opposition isn't.  The Axis of Trans Oppression is part of the same conservative movement who were on the losing side when it came to breaking away from Great Britain to found this nation, abolishing slavery, women's suffrage, women's rights, the African-American Civil Rights Movement, and gay rights.  They will lose when it cones to trans rights, and I have confidence I will live to see our inevitable victory.

So let me ask the question I posed earlier.  The Axis of Trans Oppression is attacking our community.  What are we gonna do to repel their attacks?   Stand up and fight back.

Caitlyn Wants To Be A Trans Ambassador For Trans Oppressor Ted Cruz

At first when I heard this, I thought this was a satire site headline, but unfortunately it's WTF inducing true.  Caitlyn Jenner, trans Republican, said in an The Advocate profile interview with Dawn Ennis that she wants to be the trans ambassador for my junior senator from Alberta, Ted Cruz.

Yeah, let me repeat that.   Caitlyn Jenner wants to be the trans ambassador for Ted Cruz, the same one who is running for the GOP nomination for president.   He is an unrepentant dominionist azzhole whose father and wife thinkz that Conservagod wants him to be POTUS.   Cruz has demonized trans people during this campaign for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination, but Caitlyn thinks he's 'very nice'.  

You're kidding me, right?   And some of y'all started tripping when I called her out two months ago.

That was a comment so breathtakingly clueless I have to wonder if she's officially joined the Log Cabin Republicans.

You're going to be should this country lose its collective mind and elect that Canadian as president, the trans ambassador for a guy who thinks that the Obama administration's support for trans kids is lunacy, has unleashed other anti-trans attacks while on the campaign trail. and denounced the HERO when we were fighting to keep our human rights law.

Keep on believing you'll be able to have any influence on your transphobic party as a trans Republican, especially since they basically declared war on us by calling for state GOP controlled legislatures to pass anti-trans measures.

Then again, don`t think, wake the f**k up.

The major reason I'm rooting for Donald Trump to get the GOP nomination is because this nation does not need another Texas Republican in the White House, especially at this critical time in our nation's history.

And Caitlyn, while you have every right to support whoever you wish in this 2016 presidential contest, I would suggest that you not support a presidential candidate who thinks it's sound political strategy and policy to demonize our trans younglings for political gain.

Transgender Lobby Day In DC Today and Tomorrow

Today and tomorrow my transpeeps are going to be walking the halls of Congress visiting congressional and senatorial offices engaging in exercising their constitutional right to petition their lawmakers for redress of trans grievances.

Translation: they'll be lobbying.  

Contrary to public opinion, lobbying isn't just for high dollar corporate backed K St pros or former congressmembers, it is also for citizens from various states and congressional districts across the country who are taking their time to visit their congressmembers and let them know their thoughts about various issues 

My trans peeps will be visiting offices in the Cannon, Longworth and Rayburn House Office Buildings and the Hart, Dirksen and Russell Senate Office Buildings to talk to staffers and if their lucky, a few congressmembers and senators about the issues of importance to our community. 

The Transgender Lobby Day is a joint project of the Trans People of Color Coalition (TPOCC), Trans Latin@ Coalition, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, PFLAG National, Black Transmen, Inc., Black Transwomen, Inc and NCTE.

And nope, not in DC for this one despite the fact I've been there, done that numerous times  since 1998.

Several of the coalition orgs let me know last week when I was in DC how much they would have rather had me there inside I-495 helping train the neophyte lobbyists instead of being in Houston.

But there are enough vets there to where my presence isn't necessary this time.   Besides, I can do a better job of lobbying when I come to DC unannounced.    

A welcome reception was held last night for all attendees of the event and on tap today at the Meeting House of the Friends, at 2111 Florida Ave, NW. is a policy conference.   After some lobby training on Tuesday in the same location our trans citizen lobbyists will head to the Hill. 

For those of you in DC for the event, here's some other tips they may or may not cover.  

*There's an app for your phones you may wish to download that tells you the House or Senate office building and office number for your congresscritter, the phone numbers for that congressional office and several staffers, and will dial that office number once you find the congressional office you wish to visit.

*Street parking is almost non existent in that area due to heightened security, so do what 'errbody' else does in DC and take Metrorail.  If you're staying near a CVS you can buy a reloadable SmartTrip card there or get it at a Metro subway station.  Catch the Orange or Blue lines to the Capitol South Station, which is a easy one block walk to the Cannon House Office Building.   You can access the Longworth and Rayburn HOB's via tunnel once you clear security at Cannon HOB.

Unfortunately, since the 9-11 terror attacks, the subway between the House and Senate office buildings has been restricted to congressmembers and staffers, so you will have to exit one of the house office buildings and walk past the Supreme Court Building plaza and Capitol Visitors Center to get to the Senate office buildings.

*The Senate HOB's have electronic video boards to make it easier for visitors to find Senatorial offices.   Unfortunately the House doesn't yet (probably because it's GOP controlled).  The House directories are near stairwells and elevators in a font size that can be hard to read at times. There are some in various House office buildings located in spots where even my tall behind had to tiptoe to read them or have a small flashlight to do so because of the darkness of the corridor.

*The offices will have the nameplate of the member plus the state flag outside the door to further help you find your member as you wander the House and Senate office buildings in search of those offices..

*The cool thing about visiting your own congressmember is as a district constituent, the staff will take time to talk to you even if you don't have an appointment. 

I salute and thank you for taking the valuable time out of your schedules to represent yourselves and our community in Washington DC. Enjoy your time in our nation's capital, have fun and I know you will represent our community well.

Not Supporting Lauren Scott Or ANY Trans Republican

In the wake of me writing about Paula Sophia being poised to make trans history and possibly get elected to the Oklahoma Legislature on August 26 if she prevails in her runoff election, I had a Republican leaning trans person contact me and ask why I hadn't written a similar post about Lauren Scott's candidacy in Nevada. 

As I wrote in this 2010 post, and will expand on it as we head to the 2014 midterms, the right trans candidate for public office at any level of government is NOT a right-wing one. 

As far as I and other non-white voters are concerned, the Republican Party is nothing more than the political arm of white supremacy, and they gleefully make that clear to us every day. 

If you're a libertarian, we non-white peeps don't have much love for you either because all we see you as is the flip side to the same white supremacist political coin.

It's also laughable to me when we have daily examples of Republican politicians at ALL levels of government being bigoted, racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, misogynistic, (fill in the blank) that ANY politically savvy and thoughtful trans person would want to join, much less be a member of a party that oppresses them and their trans brothers and sisters.

At first glance Ms. Scott's record is one that would make you gravitate toward supporting her legislative candidacy.  She's an Air Force Desert Storm vet, small business owner, has participated in an NCTE sponsored lobby day in 2007, is the founding Executive Director of Equality Nevada since 2009, was appointed by Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) to sit on the Nevada Equal Rights Commission until her term expires October 31 and unsuccessfully ran for an open Nevada Assembly seat in 2012.

While I commend Ms Scott for stepping up to run for office, it's the choice of party affiliation that is raising red flags with me and other big picture thinking trans people.  When the Nevada Assembly currently has a 26-15 Democratic majority and the Nevada Senate a precarious 11-10 Democratic majority, why in Hades would you run for office in that party? 

Granted, you are running for the Nevada Assembly seat in District 30 currently occupied by incumbent Assemblyman Michael Sprinkle (D) that you didn't make it out of the primary fr in 2012.  

But should you make history and win that race, it puts the Republicans one seat closer to gaining control of the Nevada Assembly and possibly unleashing the flood of batturd crazy racist legislation that is the sadly all too common result of GOP control of a state legislature.

That hasn't happened in Nevada only because of Democratic control of both legislative chambers. 

Yes, I have repeatedly said that the next level of our trans human rights struggle is to actually get our people elected to public office.  And yes, it is important to have our folks involved in both political parties.

But let's be real about the fact that in this 2014 cycle, in many parts of the country the Republicans are nothing more than neo-Confederate anti-government trans oppressors, and any trans person in those GOP ranks is wasting their time. 

Nevada's GOP might be different, but after seeing Sharron Angle's 2010 US Senate campaign, Cliven Bundy tripping, and the damage that conservatism does when they get control of a state (or national) legislature, I would hate for Nevada voters to find out the hard way their Republicans are just as off the chain as the Arizona and Texas GOP.     

So no, I'm not voting for or supporting ANY transperson who is a member of the Republican Party, because as a trans person of color, neither I or my people can afford to have that trans GOP legislator, no matter how moderate they may seem at first glance, be the one vote that gets the Republican Party closer to or actually tips the balance of legislative control of a House or Senate chamber.

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..

Hope You Cali Peeps Are Coming Up With A Game Plan In Case The Repeal AB 1266 Referendum Gets Enough Signatures

As you read this post, the signatures that were collected in the effort by the haters to put a Repeal AB 1266 initiative on the ballot in the 2014 election cycle are being verified and counted.

So what is AB 1266?   It's the School Success And Opportunity Act, the bill passed by the California Assembly and signed into law by California Governor Jerry Brown (D) that restates the obligation of California schools to allow transgender students to participate in all school activities, programs, and facilities. 

It also reaffirms to school districts, teachers, parents and students that California’s nondiscrimination law not only covers trans students, it requires public schools to respect a transgender student’s identity in all school programs, activities, and facilities. This bill will simply ensure that transgender boys and girls are treated just like all other boys and girls so that they can participate fully in school activities and graduate on time.

But the haters, including the Family Research Council, the Pacific Justice Institute and the California Republican Party despise AB 1266 and have been organizing to kill it by any means necessary including lies, disinformation, demonizing and bullying trans students.

For the moment the news is encouraging from the Left Coast.  As the referendum against AB 1266 proceeds to random sample, the proponents operating under the Orwellian name of Privacy For All Students, would need 92.1% validity to qualify the measure for the November 2014 ballot. So far the smaller California counties that have submitted their full validation have had 72.49% validity rates.

But my inquiring mind is asking this question.  Which of those 58 California counties were the ones that failed to make the validity threshold?  Did they include any of the more populous California counties like Alameda (Oakland), San Francisco, Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange (Anaheim), San Diego, Contra Costa, Riverside (Palm Springs), San Bernadino, Fresno, Santa Barbara,  Solano, San Mateo, Santa Clara (San Jose), and Sacramento just to name a few?

We trans peeps can't allow ourselves to be tempted to take the tranquilizing drug of complacency in this situation or relax until the California Attorney General's office utters the words, "It failed'.  

We need to be ready to jump into political combat mode if it doesn't. 

I know the San Francisco based Transgender Law Center is monitoring the situation, but what happens if the haters do get enough signatures to trigger a referendum to repeal AB 1266, and are they and our California allies doing enough to plan for what they do if that happens?  
 
I've always been a prepare for the worst case scenario while hoping for and working toward the best case outcome kind of girl, and worst case scenario in this instance would be they get enough signature to trigger the repeal referendum.

So what needs to happen if they do?   First order of political business is this AB 1266 repeal referendum must be spectacularly defeated and die a politically painful death. We must send the message that their bathroom demonization tactics and lies to oppose trans rights, which is the only thing they have left to oppose trans human rights laws, will not succeed at the ballot box.

At that moment that the Repeal AB 1266 referendum is approved this becomes not just a California issue, but a political and movement one for the entire US trans community we must win.   It's also an issue that will require a national level response to it. 

We know for a fact that once they get the word, the haters will be mobilizing if they aren't already to pour every dollar and fly every conservative hate activist and field organizer west to California. 

Cali Gay, Inc peeps, they won't all be white either.   To give the overwhelmingly white conservafools and money behind the effort a veneer of diversity, they will find useful fools like Jesse Lee Peterson down in LA and other non-white sellouts to shill for this Kill AB 1266 effort.   They will find cookie-chomping knee-grow pastors willing to sell out the Black and Latino trans community for their media face time and 40 pieces of silver.

The haters are definitely going to be bankrolled by out of state interests and flying in conservafool carpetbaggers to help them, so y'all better be prepared to counter that.  You need to be prepared to do the same simply because you will be justified in doing so to defend AB 1266.

You should not hesitate in IMMEDIATELY asking for national and INTERNATIONAL help and money from the trans community and our allies.  You should be putting together now your lists of liberal progressive churches, pastors, Hollywood actors, athletes and politicians, and double checking to make sure they are ethnically and regionally diverse.  

From the millisecond the referendum gets cleared by the Cali Attorney General's office you need to pounce on and utterly destroy to the point they are radioactive the bathroom meme and all the other scare tactics the wingers are going to throw at it because it's the only way they can be successful.

You need to find the Cali trans kids like Ashton Lee who fought to get it passed and who benefit from the law.  Give them face time along with cisgender kids and parents willing to rebut the lies of the haters that they are 'doing this for all California children'. 

Make sure your California media buys reach Black, Asian and Latino voters and places besides the LA and San Francisco metro areas. 

Don't be afraid to go for the right wing jugular because you've not only have the moral high ground, you got to be in it to win it.  

Cali transpeople, you need to do your part to help defeat the haters too.  T-bills need to be donated to the coalition when it forms.  If you can't give cash, sweat equity is also needed in the form of volunteers to phone bank, canvass, register voters, staff offices, and Get Out The Vote mobilization on election day to defeat it.   Get informed about AB 1266 and go to war in the comment threads of your local newspapers to counter the lies the haters will be trying to spread.

You must do the little things to win the hearts and minds of undecided voters.  Attention to details like that may help you defeat the hate referendum.

And when you build that diverse intersectional coalition to defeat this repeal effort, in addition to making sure it is properly funded and the money raised is spent wisely, hire some trans peeps in the getting paid positions to help coordinate strategy for this AB 1266 defense effort .  We are the people best qualified to talk about our lives and come up with the necessary talking points to come up with a clear message about us. 

We transpeeps (for a fee) can also tell you what NOT to say either.

It's also personal for us transpeople, too.   I have some other ideas, but they will only be released to the Defend AB 1266 coalition or whatever name they come up for it should that become necessary.

Hopefully you learned your lessons from the failed 2008 Prop 8 efforts, but just in case you forgot them, just wanted to make sure you didn't frack stuff up in this critical effort in 2014 that trans people will need you to win, preferably in a decisive manner should it come to pass.