Moni's Leaving On A Jet Plane: Destination DC

The Air Marshal is taking flight again for Washington DC for the third time in 2015.

The purpose of this latest DC trip is to attend the national Black Justice Coalition's 6th annual OUT on the Hill which is cranking up today with some invite only meetings and discussions.

Because I had to handle some business in Houston, couldn't free up my schedule enough to get here on Tuesday for the pre-conference networking event they had last night at the St. Gregory Hotel..

Well, stuff happens.   Something else that is happening is I'm getting up at 4 AM CDT so I can catch the 7;25 AM nonstop out of Hobby to DCA.  

What I hope will happen is that my flight to DCA will be on time so I can be at that 3:30 PM EDT round table meeting I'm scheduled for on time as well.   It's an invitation only roundtable discussion that I'm honored to be repping the 'T' for  that will feature a conversation on Black TBLGQ/SGL Women's Health and Wellness issues,

I,also have as part of my OUT on the Hill agenda besides being in reporter mode,  a Friday 12:30 PM EDT plenary session discussing the plight of trans women of color in the US.

There's also some good news-bad news I'm dealing with concerning my technology.  This will be the first trip in which I've gotten to test out the smartphone and the tablet I received as a late birthday present back in June.  Still trying to learn how to take photos and video on it, and will get plenty of opportunities to get proficient at doing so during this event.

The bad news is that the Asus laptop I received as a late Christmas present in 2013 that has served me well since #CC14 and through more than a few conferences, blogging and road trips has finally died on me, so I won't have a laptop to carry on this trip. 

I hate that because it had a 17 inch screen that was perfect for watching video and movies full screen and I liked the feel and the setup of the keyboard layout on it  once I got used to it.

I was planning on getting a new or gently used one anyway, but after having to move twice in the span of six weeks, it will have to wait until after I get  back from this conference..

But first, Moni's gotta get some beauty sleep for the long and busy day I'm going to have that gets cranked up in a few hours.

6th Annual NBJC OUT On The Hill Starts Wednesday

The 6th annual OUT on the Hill National Black LGBT Leadership Conference starts on Wednesday and runs through September 19, and I'm pleased to announce I will be in the OOTH house starting on Wednesday for the first time since 2012.

I get excited about this event because OUT on the Hill features Black trans, bisexual, lesbian, gay, queer, same gender loving activists, thought leaders, elected officials, educators, elders and young professionals gathering in our nation's capital for a unique, informative and important convening.

OUT on the Hill brings together more than 100 Black LGBTQ/SGL stakeholders and partner organization that include the Human Rights Campaign, the Trans Persons Of Color Coalition, the National LGBTQ Task Force, AIDS United, National Coalition for LGBTQ Health, amfAR, and Planned Parenthood Foundation of America.

The National Black Justice Coalition with the support of the Elton John AIDS Foundation launched in 2014 its Black LGBT Health and Wellness Initiative to address the current health crisis, HIV and the disparity in culturally competent  health and wellness programs that target the Black LGBT population.   It also seeks to shift the conversation about African-American holistic health by including the Black LGBTQ/SGL community in those broader Black community health conversations.

NBJC through this initiative is seeking to strategically and innovatively bring voice and visibility to the health and wellness concerns of the Black SGL and TBLGQ community, raise awareness, decrease stigma and provide culturally competent and accessible resources and services.

The theme for this year's OUT on the Hill Conference is We Are Family: Building Stronger Roots Together. with a call to action addressing health care issues rooted in four summit tracks: health care, social justice, economics and spirituality.  

OUT on the Hill 2015 gets underway with a pre conference networking reception tomorrow at the St Gregory Hotel entitled At the Table: Black Voices In Policy & Advocacy that gives attendees the opportunity to hear updates about the 2020 National HIV/AIDS Strategy for members of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS.

Over the next few days there will be conversations that discuss policy issues impacting our community, briefings about the recently introduced in Congress LGBT Equality Act, several plenary session covering various topics including the bisexual and transgender sectors of our community, and the third annual State of the Black LGBTQ/SGL Community on Saturday  

If you'e seeking more information about Out on the Hill, press credentials or are just interested in attending the event, you can contact Isaiah Wilson at iwilson@nbjc.org or click on this link to peruse the #OOTH2015 schedule.

Hope to see y'all in DC.

14th Anniversary of 9-11 Terror Attacks

Today is the 14th anniversary of the 2001 coordinated  terror attacks launched by 19 al-Qaeda operatives predominately from Saudi Arabia against the World Trade Center Towers in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington DC, and the crash of United Flight 93 that was destined for another target suspected to be the US Capitol building but crashed in southeastern Pennsylvania as the passengers on that airplane attempted to overpower the attackers.

3000 people were killed in the attackers including the al-Qaeda operatives.   I was awake on that fateful morning and saw the second plane hit the south tower on live TV along with their collapse nearly two hours later.

On that site in New York is not only a memorial to those attacks, but a new World Trade Center building that  rises 1776 feet about the city.

There were also ceremonies in New York an Washington DC marking the 14th anniversary of those attacks.




Remembering and honoring all the lives that were lost on that day and may they rest in power.

Tyra Hunter Death 20th Anniversary

Today is the 20th anniversary of a needless tragedy that occurred on this date in 1995.

A 24 year old trans woman by the name of Tyra Hunter needlessly died after a car accident at 50th and C Streets in SE Washington DC of survivable injuries because of a transphobic EMT.

That happened a mere 16 months into my own physical body morphing.  The Hunter case still bothers me 20 years later because the blatant medical transphobia on display could have easily happened to me or any other trans person.

The fact it was fellow African-Americans involved in his episode of transphobic hate along with it happening in the early stages of my own transition is probably why this Hunter case has stuck with me for so long.   It was also one of the events that began to push me toward the trans human rights activism path.

I find myself on this 20th anniversary of Tyra's death pondering many what if questions and coming up with some possible resolution scenarios for them.:.

What if Tyra had gotten the care she needed to save her life?   What would a now 44 year old Tyra Hunter's life be like now?   Would she be flexing her hairdressing skills and owning her own shop by now?  Would she have found love?   Would she still be living in the DC area?

What kind of contributions would Tyra be making to our community and society in general if she were still here?

But no matter what scenarios I come up with good, bad or middle of the road for a 44 year old Tyra Hunter, I know deep down in my soul that they are questions we will never find out the answer to. 

The reason why is because she is resting in power and peace due to the transphobic actions of one DC Fire Department EMT named Adrian Williams  and subsequently at the now closed DC General Hospital from Dr Bastian because these people entrusted with the responsibility of saving human lives failed to see her as a human being..

#WeExist.  Black trans people exist.   And on this day we in Black Trans World and our allies must rededicate ourselves to reminding our fellow cis Black people that our Black trans lives matter, too.

The one thing that we can take away from this tragedy is that medical transphobia kills.   In Tyra Hunter's memory, we need to as a community be vigilant in ensuring the avoidable tragedy that happened to Tyra Hunter on this sad August 7 day 20 years ago never happens to another trans person of any ethnic background ever again.

NBJC Endorses Equality Act

The National Black Justice Coalition upon today's introduction in Congress of the Equality Act, has endorsed this sweeping and unprecedented piece of federal legislation.

If enacted, the Equality Act would expand basic human rights protections for LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual transgender) and gender nonconforming Americans based on their actual or perceived gender identity or sexual orientation. 

The Equality Act adds key LGBT rights protections to existing civil rights laws including the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Fair Housing Act of 1968 to ensure like other protected classes (race, religion, national origin) LGBT people cannot be legally discriminated against in the United States. 

The Equality Act also provides federal protections on the basis of sex and sex-based stereotypes in both public accommodations and federally funded programs..

"Without a federal non-discrimination measure like the Equality Act in law, the current framework of LGBT civil protections--or lack thereof-- within states and local jurisdictions provides a majority of LGBT Americans with no clear legal defense from discrimination," said Sharon Lettman-Hicks, NBJC Executive Director & CEO in a statement.. "When a person is both Black and LGBT, discrimination--and the evils of blatant and systemic racism--is too common place  and faced on a number of levels that are fundamentally unacceptable in a democracy.   As such, NBJC supports the Equality Act, which would provide vital legal protections to so many in the Black LGBT community who are particularly vulnerable to discrimination in our nation."

According to a UCLA Williams Institute study, 3.7% of all adult African-Americans identify as LGBT people, representing more than 1 millions Black LGBT Americans. Significant populations of Black LGBT people like in southern states that in many cases have no local or statewide non-discrimination protections that cover LGBT people.  The Equality Act's passage would ensure that the most vulnerable LGBT citizens--which includes Black LGBT ones, would have recourse when they are treated unfairly because of their gender identity or sexual orientation.

'The heightened attention we have seen in recent years, months, and days about the mistreatment of black people in regards to policing, racial profiling and senseless violence demonstrates that the fight for true equality continues.  Even with key civil rights laws on the books meant to prohibit discriminatory treatment, we continue to live in a nation grappling with the plight of racial justice,"  added Lettman-Hicks.

"The movement for equal justice under the law calls for us to continue to place pressure on those in power to make and enforce laws that protect us all--no matter our background.   That is why NBJC will continue to fight to see an end to all forms of racism in our nation and world, while simultaneously working to see the day when measures like the Equality Act are signed into law."

Happy 45th Birthday Ruby Corado!

It's time for another TransGriot birthday shoutout, and today is the 45th birthday of the amazing executive director of Casa Ruby, the fabulous Ruby Corado Walker.

She was born on this date in El Salvador, but has called Washington DC home for over two decades, and is as proud of living in that city as any native Washingtonian.

I not only enjoy the time I get to spend chatting with her and her hubby, but it's also been gratifying to watch her make her dream come true of building Casa Ruby into a full service center for the DC metro area.

And much props to the new LGBT transitional house I'm looking forward to getting to see the next time I spend some quality time inside I-495.

Happy Birthday Ruby!   You've overcome a lot of challenging circumstances to become the fabulous person you are and I'm blessed to have you in my life as a friend and sister in the trans human rights struggle.   

All the people whose lives you have positively impacted or you serve as a role model for would agree.  

Capt. Thomas Araguz III Being Recognized At LGBT Fallen Heroes Ceremony Tomorrow

Tomorrow afternoon there will be a LGBT Fallen Heroes Memorial Service ceremony at the Women In Military Service for America Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery.

The first LGBT Fallen Heroes Memorial Service was held in DC's Dupont Circle on May 13, 2012 during National Police Week. What began as a memorial service to honor LGBT law enforcement officers has grown to encompass all uniformed public servants, EMT's and military personnel. It also inspired the subsequent creation of the LGBT Fallen Heroes Fund.

During the memorial service, the stories of our fallen heroes are read aloud by volunteers and then flags that have been flown over the Capitol building in their honor are presented to the significant other of the fallen hero.  The significant other is also presented with a commemorative portrait that serves as a reminder of their loved one’s faithful service.

Sometimes this LGBT Fallen Heroes memorial service serves as the first time those significant others are recognized for the supportive role they played in their departed loved one’s service to their communities.

Because of our country's problematic at times interpretation of marriage laws as they apply to TBLG people, at times the significant others of these fallen heroes are not given the support and respect they deserve. 

The memorial service is a way for the BTLG community and its allies to be there for the surviving significant others during their time of grieving, thank them for their loved one's service, and remind them they are not alone.

One of the people being recognized this year is Capt. Thomas Araguz III, who was killed during an egg farm fire on July 4, 2010 in Wharton, TX.   

Capt. Araguz was married to Nikki Araguz Loyd at the time, and his untimely death resulted in a now five year trans marriage legal fight percolating at the Texas Supreme Court level. 

Judge Randy Clapp (R) voided her marriage after it came to light she was a transgender female, and she has been battling to have her rights reinstated as a widow and to recognize the marriage.

This memorial service is significant for her is because she is being publicly recognized as Capt. Araguz's widow at a memorial event for the first time.

“I am honored to finally begin to be recognized as the widow of my firefighter, however, the event is bittersweet," says Araguz Loyd. 

"Not only do I remember the day he died like it was yesterday, but also the pain of being treated so horribly in those following weeks and to still have to fight for the same rights every widow of a hero deserves.   I wasn’t able to choose his headstone and I am still arguing in courts to reinstate our marriage. We loved each other and I supported him through schooling to make his dreams come true. We were husband and wife; we even met and married in the church that would later ask me to not return. We as trans people have come a long way in regards to receiving acknowledgment of our existence, however we are still lacking the basic protections and rights every person deserves.”

For those of you in the Washington DC metro area who wish to attend, the service will start at 2 PM EDT at the Women In Military Service for America Memorial.   The memorial is at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA.

POTUS Remarks At 2015 WH Correspondent's Dinner

The 2015 White House Correspondents Dinner, AKA 'Nerd Prom' took place last night.  For those of you who missed it, here's the video from C-SPAN.

Sis To Cis Washington DC Conversation Tomorrow

One of the things that has needed to happen for a long time is for trans women and cis women to have conversations in which we talk about our respective issues, share stories, and facilitate the building of sisterhood and working partnerships with each other.  

We've had one of those cis and trans women conversations I've outlined in Houston, and are planning more of them.

Tomorrow night in Washington DC, one of those conversations will take place at Busboys & Poets organized and hosted by Joanna Cifredo.

The FireBreathingTGirl.com presents SIS to CIS: Modern Day Women Deconstructing the Ideals of Womanhood is the first in a series of planned conversations between trans women and cis women of color to discuss womanhood, feminism, relationships, representation, the body, intersectionality and what it means to be a woman at the margins of today's society.  

Cifredo is the founder of the FireBreathingTGirl blog, will co host along with Tyisha Jones, and is the first of the Sis to Cis conversations which have the goal of modeling a dialogue about the acceptance and inclusion of transgender women of color into spaces and conversation traditionally reserved for cisgender women; by creating a common understanding about the shared experiences around our lives as marginalized women with a history of resilience.

The panelists for this inaugural DC dialogue are Dr. Juliana Martinez, Raffi Freedman-Gurspan, Alexa Elizabeth Maclovia Rodriguez, and June Crenshaw.

If you're interested in attending, the address for the Busboys & Poets location hosting this conversation open to all  is 1025 5th St NW, and it will start at 6 PM EDT.

Hey Houston, I'm Headed Home!

This isn't an April Fool's joke.  After nearly a week of being in Chicago and Washington DC for two events in which I represented Houston and the state of Texas, it's time for me to head back home.

I haven't done this much flying  since my Air Marshal days, and one of the things that I have loved about this latest trip that took me from Houston to Chicago with a Washington DC detour added to it is I not only got to see many old friends, but got to meet some amazing trans people of color who are just as serious about making trans human rights and acceptance of our people a reality as I am.

I saw the future of our movement, and as an elder I am pleased about much of what I saw in Chicago at the National Trans Anti-Violence Convening and yesterday's White House Trans Women Of Color Women's History Month Briefing.

I even got to cross visiting Ben's Chili Bowl off my DC bucket list.

But there was also something that happened in Chicago I was NOT pleased about, and the parties involved know what it is and the need to chill.  

We have much work to do because we as trans people of color are in a state of emergency, and it will take all of us utilizing all our various talents to deal with it.   I'm willing to work with people who are down with trans liberation and ensuring our humanity is not a debatable prospect.

How we make that happen is one of the questions I'll be pondering on the plane ride home.

Moving To Washington DC

Something else wonderful happened while I was up here.

After the WH event I was approached by a congressional chief of staff and immediately offered a job as a staffer in their office here in Washington DC to handle LGBT affairs.

One of their staffers saw me speaking during Creating Change back in February, and told her boss about me.   They liked what I had to say about issues on TransGriot, my ideas about progressive policy, and believe I would be a great fit for their office.

It was a dream of mine to work in Washington DC and on Capital Hill and now it's about to happen.  I e-mailed them my resume after I returned from Denver, they liked it, and have offered me a job that starts May 1.

So I'll be returning home to pack my stuff, and in a few weeks start my dream job.

But before you send me well wishes and congratulations, check today's date.  ;)

I do an annual April Fool's Day post on TransGriot, and this is it.

Historic Day For Trans WOC At The White House

I've been coming to Washington DC since 1998 to lobby for trans human rights issues, policy meetings, board meetings, retreats, and panel discussions.  I've even been to the White House four times.

But this fifth trip to the White House was special and historic, because for the first time trans women of color, fittingly on the Transgender Day of Visibility, were gathering from around the country for the inaugural White House Trans Women Of Color Women's History Month Briefing.

It was organized by the National LGBTQ Task Force's Kylar Broadus and kicked off at 9:00 AM in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building's South Auditorium with opening remarks from Aditi Hardikar from the White House Office of Public Engagement.

She was quickly followed by Tina Tchen from the White House Council For Women and Girls and Stacey Long Simmons from the Task Force before we dove into the policy remarks part of the program.

Cecilia Chung started the policy portion of it with some framing remarks before yielding the platform to my fellow TPOCC board member Mattee Jim and LaLa Zannell from the National Anti Violence Project.

Mattee's commentary focused on the issues that Native American and rural trans women face, while LaLa focused on discussing how many of the women we have lost to anti-trans violence were actually intimate partner violence (IPV) cases.

Zannell also pointed out that trans women are less likely to be protected from IPV and some recommendations to change that negative paradigm.

When those ladies were done with their presentations, Ruby Corado of Casa Ruby and Bamby Salcedo of the Trans Latina Coalition were up next.

Corado's presentation concentrated on HIV status, how it affects trans women and the issues that revolve around that but reminded us that 'action solves problems.' 

Salcedo talked about our trans Latina sisters an the issues they face in ICE detention including sexual assault and HIV infection and pointed out "It's important for us to understand how structural violence plays into us getting killed.".

Tracee McDaniel from the Juxtaposed Center for Transformation, Inc in Atlanta and Kylar Broadus from the National LGBTQ Task Force talked about the employment discrimination that trans women of color face on the micro and macro levels..

The final two person info panelists were Dr. Ayana Elliott, FNP and Raffi Friedman-Gurspan from the National Center for Transgender Equality.  Dr Elliott got our attention by stating 'Transgender women are an endangered species," then broke down the statistics across various health categories to back that sobering statement up.   

Raffi's presentation also contained some suggested policy recommendations for the assembled White House staffers and trans women of color from across the country nodding their heads in agreement.

When their panel was finished, Roy Austin, the Deputy Assistant to the President for the Office of Urban Affairs  Justice and Opportunity, took a few moments in his remarks to update us on where things stood on trans issues inside the Obama Administration.

In addition to informing us that Title VII the Civil Rights Act of 1964 covers  transpeople, Austin also discussed a Task Force on 21st Century Policing report that urged in its recommendations that police departments and law enforcement personnel across the US improve their relations with their local trans communities (which probably explains the invite I got from Harris County DA Devon Anderson last week to talk about issues of importance to the Houston trans community).

He opened it up for questions, and I asked about the possibility of getting mandated national standards for ID.  I pointed out that much of the discrimination we face is triggered by mismatched identification that in many cases the states throw up multiple barriers for us to correct.

After taking a few questions, Mr Austin departed, and a super info panel was convened in which audience members received a few moments of the remaining time left in the event to ask the info panelists questions.

After remarks from Aditi, Kylar and Stacey and a poem from Cherno Biko, the briefing ended at 12 noon EDT.

We then headed to the National LGBTQ Task Force headquarters on Massachusetts Ave for lunch and remarks from Stacey Long Simmons, outgoing deputy director Darlene Nipper, and incoming deputy director Russell Roybal.. 

It was my first visit to Task Force headquarters since the 2000 National Transgender Policy Meeting they facilitated at their old NE Washington DC digs.  It was fun reconnecting with all my friends in the Task Force from the Creating Change team (and yes H-town, I let them know we want to host it again), and was happy to see Kathleen Campisano and Sarah Reece from my days of causing angelic trouble in Louisville with both of them.

We also were in the building on Nipper's last official day as deputy director, and we gave her a standing ovation when she was finished.

Major thanks to Kylar and Stacey for the invitation to be there for this historic briefing, lunch, and to super intern Dominique Chamely who did a wonderful job on the logistical end getting me and my trans sisters to DC from our various spots around the country.

And thanks to all my transsisters who made this historic day at the White House and this 6th annual Trans Day of Visibility a memorable one for me.

MDW To DCA To The WH!

I've flown about 8000 miles in the friendly skies above our nation in this month alone.

Instead of flying back to my home sweet humidity today as scheduled after spending a few days in Chicago for the inaugural National Transgender and Gender Non Conforming Anti-Violence Conference that was embedded in the Incite! Color of Violence 4 Conference, the Air Marshal found herself on another Southwest flight to Washington DC.

I got the word while I was in Chicago I was invited to attend a White House event that will discuss trans women of color on the Transgender Day of Visibility.  Since it made more sense for me to do the shorter travel distance travel to DC from Chicago instead of Houston, that's what happened.  

But I did have a frustrating moment before I left Chicago.   After getting there on an express CTA train to Midway from downtown after I bid farewell to Joanna Cifredo, Vanessa Victoria and Elizabeth Rivera who were headed to O'Hare on the Green Line train we started at the Cermak Rd station on, I was there in plenty of time for my 1:15 PM departure on a beautiful Chicago spring day .

Ran into Mattee Jim on my way to the ticket counter to check my bag and found out we were booked on the same flight, so this is already continuing to be a great day.   Checked bag, headed for TSA security and that's when it started going sideways.

I cleared TSA security, and as I put my leather coat back on I noted my phone wasn't in my coat jacket pocket.   Since I was still at the checkpoint, I started asking the TSA agents on duty to help me locate it.

After a few minutes of fruitless searching, I had no choice but to exit TSA security I'd just cleared and retrace my steps all the way back to the CTA train I'd gotten off of but hadn't departed for downtown yet.

After negative sightings of my phone at the ticket counter and the CTA station, I reluctantly headed back to TSA security to reclear it and head to my flight at gate B-20 in a somewhat pissed off mood.

The bumpy at times flight on take off and landing didn't help, but Mattee's soothing presence made me forget about it for a little while.  So did seeing Ruby and Lourdes when they picked us up at the Columbia Heights Metro station and after dropping Lourdes off, she dropped me and Mattee at our hotel, the Washington Plaza.

There is a happy ending to this story.   While taking my boots off in he hotel room, noted something shiny on the floor, and miracle of miracles, it was my missing phone.

Oh well, at least I can call you DC peeps now and get some sleep for the White House event tomorrow knowing that my phone didn't get left in Chicago unlike my travel pillow and is still in my possession.

Trans MPD Officer Named As Head Of DC GLLU

The last time the Washington DC Metropolitan Police Department had a trans feminine officer in their ranks was the late Bonnie Davenport O'Neal who served from the late 70's until her retirement in 1999.

During a TDOR event in DC last November in which  Metro Police Chief Cathy Lanier spoke, the DC trans community was surprised to learn they now for the first time since Bonnie Davenport O'Neal retired, have a trans officer on the force in Sgt. Jessica Hawkins.

Her coming out to her colleagues had occurred before she introduced Chief Lanier at that Transgender Day Of Remembrance event in front of the 250 people in attendance.  After hearing from Chief Lanier the news of Hawkins' coming out as trans, gave her a standing ovation.

As of March 3, Sgt. Hawkins makes history again as the first trans person to lead the DC Metropolitan Police Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit.  

That groundbreaking GLLU news was welcomed by local TBLG groups and longtime DC activist Earline Budd, who said in a Washington Blade interview, "I'm going to work with her to do whatever I can to help her get acclimated to the community, especially the trans community of color."

Congratulations to Sgt. Hawkins, and hope she does a wonderful job as she assumes this historic leadership position in the Washington DC Metropolitan Police Department.

I’m very pleased to hear and, yes, ecstatic that the city has moved forward with putting a transgender person in such a position, which is needed within the police department,” said Budd. “But at the end of the day I just really need to know that Sgt. Hawkins understands what she’s taking on in terms of that position based on those like Sgt. Mahl and Sgt. Brett Parson who have held that position and understood that they really have to get to know the community and did get to know the community.” - See more at: http://www.washingtonblade.com/2015/03/10/trans-woman-named-head-d-c-gay-police-unit/#sthash.dAZGR063.dpuf

TPOCC Board Business Is Handled

As some of you are aware of, I bounced up here to Washington DC as part of my board duties to spend yesterday handling TPOCC business.

Kind of speaks to mine and the board's determination to ensure that the Trans Persons Of Color Coalition stays the one national organization dedicated to the concerns of ethnic trans persons when several of the board members braved Winter Storm Thor to travel to a DC getting whacked by several inches of snow so we could be there on time for our all day facilitated meeting that occurred yesterday.

TPOCC will celebrate its fifth anniversary this year and our founding executive director Kylar Broadus has big plans for the organization that we will roll out over the next few months.

One of those I can talk about is giving our TPOCC constituents the chance to support us fiscally, since this work takes money.   Details on how you'll be able to do that and invest in our organization will come soon.

TPOCC board members like Cecilia Chung, Mattee Jim, Louis Mitchell Andrea Jenkins and myself along with Kylar will be out, about and visible at major community events like the Trans 100 event in Chicago , the LGBT Media Journalists Convening, the Black Trans Advocacy Conference in Dallas, the Philadelphia Trans Health Conference and other regional events in our various locales around the country.

TPOCC is also ramping up its online presence on Facebook and Twitter.

There's a lot of things we discussed yesterday that a board confidentiality agreement will not allow me to talk about in this post, but you can be assured that TPOCC will be working to become that visible, muscular national trans advocacy organization you want, deserve, and look toward to role model  principled leadership.

And yesterday we took some major steps toward making that happen.

The Air Marshal Has Landed In DC Again

Y'all can breathe again Mom and H-town.

The Air Marshal has landed again in Washington DC, but this is once again another one of those in and out business trips in which the only sightseeing I'll be doing is as I'm passing stuff on final approach to DCA, in a van, car or on a Washington Metro train.

And yeah, I refuse to call this airport Reagan National.   Hated his racist azz.

I'm back inside I-495 for a Trans Persons of Color Coalition board meeting.  But I'm having to battle Winter Storm Thor, which canceled my original 7:35 AM departing flight out of Hobby, snow which delayed my arrival and had me and the other 74 people on my flight doing lazy circles over Virginia as we waited for the DCA runways to be cleared of falling snow.

And my Southwest flight crew handled their flying business   We also had a hotel change, and my third floor room at the Beacon Hotel has a lovely view of a snow covered Dupont Circle and the Australian Embassy.

But that's okay, since my 12:05 CST departure was a nonstop albeit bumpy at times flight up here and I'm thrilled I'm going to see my TPOCC colleagues again. 

That also goes for anybody else I know up here in the Washington DC area that blows up my cell phone or feels like trudging through the snow to see me before I head back home Saturday.

What's not okay is it's 20 degrees colder here than what I left in Houston with snow on the ground , and it was a chilly for Houston 40 degrees after the front passed through after 2 AM CST

Wednesday it was a balmy 75 degrees and I actually had to crank up the air conditioner to get rid of the humid air at Casa de Monica.

I did bring the sun with me from H-town, but it's still going to be cold while I'm up here and you aren't going to see it until tomorrow.according to the forecasts.

But I'm going to be indoors for most of this trip, so it's not going to matter much.

What I would like to do is find some time in my packed schedule  to hit the legendary Ben's Chili Bowl before I bounce back home on Saturday. 

And if I can't, Five Guys will do until I come back up here next time.

Air Marshal Takes Flight To Washington Again

The Air Marshal is about to hop a flight in a few hours for my first 2015 trip to Washington DC for a TPOCC board meeting.  

This one is going to be an in and out trip in which the bulk of my time inside 1-495 is going to be spent tomorrow holed up in a hotel meeting room helping shape the course of the five year old Trans Persons of Color Coalition.

And I'm looking forward to doing that. 

What I'm not looking forward to is the much colder air that will be greeting me upon my arrival.

The original 7:35 AM non stop I was on canceled because of the snowstorm that's whacking the East Coast, so I won't have to get up at an ungodly hour to get to the airport for that flight because  I got rebooked to the next nonstop out of here.  

Now if a certain head of a local service org pops up at DCA to grab me after my arrival to show me their latest progress since my last visit, I won't complain, but already been booked on SuperShuttle.

See y'all in a few hours not so Chocolate City.