Jeanne Ives Peddles Transphobia In Illinois Gubernatorial Campaign Ad

Illinois state legislator Jeanne Ives  (R)  is a longtime foe of the Illinois TBLGQ community who is primary challenging Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner (R).

A lot of people in the Land of Lincoln are unhappy with her after she unleashed an attack ad aimed at Rauner that ended up offending many people in Illinois, and members of her own party. 

The misleading ad featured not only a bearded man in drag, but attacked the Women's March, the Chicago Teachers Union and Latinx immigrants

 
She tred to play of the ad as 'edgy' and 'informative'/  Yeah, that what you conservaBeckys always pivot to when you get caught peddling racist, transphobic and homophobic crap.



Illinois Republican Party chair Tim Schneider stated that Ives should pull the ad and immediately apologize to the Illinoisans who were negatively portrayed in a cowardly attempt to stoke division."

"There is no place in the Illinois Republican Party for rhetoric that attacks our fellow Illinoisans based on their race, gender or humanity,"Schneider said.   

Gov Rauner's campaign quickly called out the ad, stating "This TV ad has no place in Illinois.  It just shows how unelectable Representative Ives really is."

But in the wake of that ad, Ives campaign has received $2.5 million in donations from a conservative mehgadonor who funded Roy moore's failed campaign.   It has also raised her profile amongst those Illinois conservatives wishing to send Gov Rauner packing.

So stay tuned to see if this transphobe who also hated on gay marriage back in 2013 gets out of the Republican gubernatorial primary

H&M's Racist Advertising Fail

One if the things you simply don't go that will with no questions asked get you called a racist is to refer to or compare any African descended person to an ape.

You will get called out with the quickness on it by Black People across the African Diaspora

Obviously there wasn't a Black person in the room when the Swedish headquartered H&M approved this ad that has a Black kid modeling a green hooded sweatshirt with the words 'Coolest monkey in the jungle' emblazoned on it.

And if you think I'm being harsh about calling this a 'racist advertising fail' , explain why the white child models have hoodies on with the words 'mangrove jungle survival expert'?

I'll wait for you to come up with an excuse.     An accident?   Accident my azz/.

After all the times you have seen other retailers over the years get called out for similar racist faux pas advertising crap, it's obvious that y'all not only didn't think this out but didn't have Black people in the room when y'all were brainstorming this.

As for those of you wondering why me and of Black people are going off about this, it's because of Black people for centuries have been called monkeys.   White people have been using that racist characterization of us to oppress, denigrate and dehumanize our community.

Yes, you have apologized for it, but it still doesn't change the fact you cluelessly (or willfully) did it

Why The Dove Commercial Was Racist

There are some of you out there wondering what the fuss was concerning the Dove commercial ans why it was getting put on blast across the Net.

Time for a quick history lesson.

Blackface has been used to demean, denigrate and disrespect Black people for over a century.   And part of that anti-Blackness campaign was using that imagery in advertising campaigns .

And when those derogatory images were used in the soap commercials of the late 19th and early 20th century, they usually showed the product turning a dark skinned person white. 



That's why the Dove commercial  was offensive despite the message they were trying to send.   If they had not gone to the white woman after the Black woman  in the commercial, they probably would have dodged the uncomfortable 21st century version of the old racist 'wash the Black off you' soap commercials they ended up with.

It also speaks to who was in the room when they came up with the concept of this commercial.  There obviously either weren't any Black folks in the room, or ones familiar with this problematic racist history when they came up with the concept for it.

And because of the overwhelming whiteness of the advertising industry, I suspect that was the case, and there was  no culturally competent person in the room.

Scandinavian Electronics Store's Trans Themed Holiday Commercial

While this holiday season has been a roller coaster of emotions for the trans community, had to drop some news about this heartwarming trans themed commercial that comes from Denmark and the Scandinavian electronics store Elgiganten.

Elgiganten was founded in Sweden in 1994, and has stores in Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland.

This heartwarming trans themed commercial is entitled 'Let The Gifts Talk' , and features an early transitioning trans teen in the midst of the family holiday celebration clearly struggling to fit in.

Dad walks over to give her a holiday gift, and after she opens it you could see the joy light up on her face after opening the gift that spoke volumes, even though not one word is said during this entire ad.

Here's the commercial fo you to peruse.



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Microsoft's New Holiday Ad Featuring Jazz

This is a Christmas commercial I can definitely get into.

There have been a few Christmas commercials and ads featuring fictional TBLGQ people and families in their 2016 holiday advertising

Microsoft decided to step it up another level and feature an actual TBLGQ person in their 'Art of Harmony' ads for their Microsoft Surface Studio..

Jazz Jennings is one of the people featured in the ad that also includes 7 year old Zea Bowling, who stood up to a homophobic preacher after the Obergefell SCOTUS ruling, Zianna Oliphant, who made a heartfelt speech on racial issues to the Charlotte City Council, Florida police officer Bobby White, AKA 'the basketball cop' , West African refugee  Haws Diallo, Mona Haydar, who invites people to 'Ask a Muslim' and talk to her about a wide range of issues. and Christopher Catrambone, who launched a search and rescue group for migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea.

The people in the d are shown using the Microsoft Surface Studio to create a message of peace, love and inclusion.

And as you probably guessed the conservafools are hating on the ad.

  ,

Yo One Million Moms, This Is What A Trans Feminine Fashion Model Looks Like

Was chuckling to myself when I saw the story in the UK based Pink News about the right wing hate group One Million Moms (actually 3500 men)  who are trying to start another failed boycott against a retailer they accuse of being too trans friendly.



H&M has a new 'She's a Lady' ad campaign featuring several diverse women of all ages and body types modeling different styles of clothing.

One of the women involved in this campaign is female Muay Thai boxing champion Fatima Pinto, who One Million Haters transphobically misgendered and attacked.

But while I'm chuckling about the loud and wrong One Million Haters reactions, this is in reality a serious issue that I, other trans people and our allies have been talking about for some time in terms of trans misogyny not just affecting trans women.

The One Milling Haters peeps were so busy focusing their faux faith based transphobic ire on Ms. Pinto that they completely missed model Hari Nef, who was also featured in the ad.

Far too often the unwoman meme is not only aimed at transgender women, bit it is aimed at cisgender women, and especially cisgender women of color like First Lady Michelle Obama, Serena Williams to demonize any woman who doesn't fit the stereotypical feminine societal mold

This also points to something else I've talked about on this blog and elsewhere in terms of not only the beauty of non-white women being demonized. it also plays into for trans women the far too often a stereotypical and media perpetuated 'that's a man' assumption of what a trans woman is or isn't supposed to look like.

Let's start with the Trans 101 basic tenet that trans women are women.  Once we start taking estrogen, doesn't take us long to look the part.  Some of us when we start hormone replacement therapy also got the genetic luck of the draw and morphed into very attractive and beautiful women.

That reality makes some of us who did get the genetic luck of the draw and are model height to get the call from the fashion world to strut the fashion runways of New York, London, Paris  Milan and Tokyo.

And FYI One Million Haters and everyone who shares their less than enlightened views about girls like us, trans women walking runways, gracing the covers of magazines or participating in multimillion dollar ad campaigns is not a new phenomenon.  

We've been doing so since the 1960's, and the long stylish line of trans models has continued into the 21st century.

FYI since y'all are woefully ignorant about the topic, here are just a few glamorous examples of what trans feminine models actually look like.

Meet the lovely and fabulous Geena Rocero.  And yes as someone who has met her, she's even more beautiful in real life.

And this is another trans model in Carmen Carrera

Another longtime trans model in Isis King

And just to rub it in some more, still another trans model in Andreja Pejic.

Noticing a pattern here?   Trans women's body types and shapes are as varied as our cis feminine counterparts, and all are beautiful in their own way.

That's why the long stylish line of trans models has been in existence since the 1960's, and will continue no matter how much unhinged ranting One Million Haters does.

Positive Bud Light Transgender Ad

While checking out Rio Olympic coverage two nights ago, was surprised and pleased to see this ad as part of the 'Bud Light Party' ad campaign featuring Seth Rogen and Amy Schumer.

Normally I'm tuning out the ads, but when it mentioned the words 'gender identity' my ears perked up to see where they were going with this.  

I liked the ad, and I'm posting the video of it on these TransGriot pages for you readers to peruse and judge for yourselves if this is a positive ad or not.

Tracey Africa Norman Hired Again As Face Of Clairol!

Woke up to the fabulous news that one of my trailblazing trans elders in Tracey Africa Norman is  being hired once again as a face of Clairol!

The Cut is reporting that Clairol called Tracey and asked her at age 63, just short of her fast approaching birthday, to come back and be the face of their Clairol Nice 'n Easy "Color As Real As You Are' campaign.

Wow!  So happy this amazing blessing has happened for her!

I wrote about Tracey on these TransGriot pages starting in May 2010 after seeing the video interview she'd done with The Luna Show about her amazing modeling career we trans people didn't know about because of her nondisclosed status at the time.

For those of you who aren't aware of it, time for a trans history moment ,

Back in the 70's and 80's, Tracey was not only the face of Clairol, but had contracts with Avon Cosmetics, Ultra Sheen and had graced five ESSENCE magazine covers.

But adhering to the prevailing trans community transition protocols at the time, she was undisclosed while doing so.

Her booming modeling career was messed up by a transphobic hater who outed her to then ESSENCE managing editor Susan L. Taylor in the early 80's while shooting a sixth ESSENCE cover.

While Susan L Taylor claimed in a subsequent interview that she supported Tracey, the ESSENCE actions post outing don't support her words, and modeling work for Tracey immediately in the wake of that outing dried up..

Hey ESSENCE, here's an idea.  How about making it right by inviting Tracey to shoot that cover that was so rudely interrupted?  

Here's the new Clairol video featuring Tracey.




While I understand what the transition protocols were at the time, it would have been amazing for teenage me to know there were trans women like Tracey out there who not only existed, but had thriving careers.

But I am happy to know that me simply documenting the Black trans history that she made as part of the long stylish line of trans models may have been the catalyst for this day.  

I hope I get the opportunity, honor and pleasure to one day meet my trans elder, hug her, and thank her for clearing the way for trans models to work openly as who they are even with all the challenges they face,

I also want to thank Tracey for being a possibility model to mine and the next generations of Black trans kids, and hope this Clairol opportunity leads to more work for her..

Trans Commercial To Air During RNC Convention

The Republican National Convention kicks off at noon EDT and during the event as of yet we have not heard of any trans delegates that will be in attendance, unlike the DNC one that will happen next week.

But one of the interesting things that will occur is a commercial that will be run on FOX News pushing for transgender equality courtesy of fairness.org.

You know I'm highly skeptical of what good it will do broadcasting this ad it on a network that at times has mocked and demonized our humanity, but if there are movable people who call themselves conservatives, it can't hurt to try.  

Besides, in addition to getting some of our own recalcitrant peeps on the left to understand that trans rights are human rights issues and it's not cool to discriminate against us, we do have to try to persuade people on the right of that basic premise.

Here's the ad in question.

Absolut Vodka #AbsolutNights 'Darla' Trans Themed Commercial

As our visibility and acceptance increases, popular culture and media will positively reflect that.paradigm shift.  And it stands to reason that advertisers will take notice of that pro-trans cultural shift.

Trans people in advertising around the world isn't a new phenomenon, but it has been all over the map.  Some attempts at trans themed advertising have been positive, while others have been massive fails that I've had to call out more than a few times on these electronic pages.

One of the latest attempts by advertisers and companies to go with a trans themed ad is Absolut Vodka, which has always had a pro-LGBT reputation.  With the increase in trans acceptance in various parts of the world and trans rights being increasingly recognized as a human rights issue, has now created an ad featuring a trans storyline.

Here's their 'Darla' #ABSOLUTNIGHTS ad, presented to you TransGriot readers without editorial comment.



 

Chicago TransLife Center Trans Respect Billboard Campaign Launched

I believe we have been given another opportunity to attack and destroy another meme deployed against us that feeds into the unjust treatment being aimed at us.

It's the 'all transwomen are sex workers' meme.

TransGriot, April 15, 2014, 'Attacking The All Trans Women Are Sex Workers' Meme  


Nice to see someone was paying attention to that post.

One of the things that is a microaggressive (and sometimes macroaggressive) irritant in the life of a trans woman of color is some idiot assuming that we are all turning tricks. 

It's an assumption that plays into triggering much of the anti-trans animus aimed at us and I suspect can be one of the precursors that leads to the anti-trans violence aimed at us.

That tired meme has also led to po-po's behaving badly when it comes to encountering us as the Kenneth Furr case in DC was an egregious example of, along with the Monica Jones 'Walking While Black Trans' case  in Phoenix.    That meme was why stop and frisk police stops were aimed at non-white transwomen simply minding their own damned business.  

So it was nice to hear about a billboard campaign TransLife Chicago launched July 2 with the simple but powerful message "She’s just walking, not working. Respect Transgender Women.”

It was needed especially in the wake of the Chicago Sun Times republishing the foul June article attacking the femininity of Laverne Cox they later apologized for.   There are also several transfeminine murder cases in the Windy City that have yet to be solved, much less see the perpetrators of them be arrested.   

TransLife Center Care Coordinator Channyn Parker said in a Windy City Times interview concerning the billboard launch, “Transgender people constantly live under the cloud of an assumption that us taking a simple walk down the street means that we’re actually out doing solicitation or prostitution.”


She said: “[It] couldn’t be further from the truth. I sincerely hope this message gets down at the base level that trans people are human.”

Ten of these billboards are being deployed on Chicago's South and West sides and like Channyn, I hope they convey the message to the rest of cis society what transwomen already know.  Transwomen are human.

We're also just trying to live our daily lives without added drama or BS.

Ryders Eyewear Transphobic Ad Fail

Well, here we go with another company who is getting the message the hard way that transphobia not only doesn't sell products, the trans community and our supportive allies are not putting up with dehumanizing disrespect from anyone.

The latest example of this is from Ryders Eyewear.   They are a Canadian company based in North Vancouver, BC that makes performance eyewear, sunglasses and goggles.

They rolled out this ad campaign that has raised the hackles of our Canadian trans cousins in which two people meet at a bar and each has a secret that the other doesn't know.   The man's secret is he owns an large amount of cats.   The woman's secret?   She is a 'man' with the tagline 'Imagine we could see everything so clearly.'

When the backlash started, Ryders first tried to defend the transphobic ad.   They posted this initial June 3 comment concerning the ad on their Facebook page.

****

We've received some backlash regarding our recent ad in Bicycling Magazine--some people have wrongly concluded that Ryders is attacking transgender people.

This ad is not, in any way, an attack on transgender people. It's simply showing two people who are attracted to one another, each with a secret that the other might want to know up front. The person on the left has a secret--he owns an abnormal quantity of cats. The person on the right has a secret--he is actually a man dressed as a woman. We were toying with some of the social constructs that have made gender roles appear as truths, in an attempt to bring some humour to the concept that seeing isn't always believing.

****
But as it became cleared the ad wasn't humorous, but hurtful to our Canadian trans cousins, the gravity of the situation began to sink in.   Ryders starting changing their transphobic tune on it and attempted to issue an initial apology that fell flat and poured even more gasoline on the simmering controversy.  .

This was the second attempt:

It's now been a full day since the first messages arrived in response to our ad in Bicycling and it's clear that we have offended lots of people. It doesn't matter what our intention was, the result was anything but humorous. This ad was clearly a failure.


We are sorry. We are sorry to those we have offended and we are sorry for spreading a hurtful message.


Thank you to everyone who messaged us. Without you we would have carried on with this advertisement, oblivious to the harm it was causing. We were ignorant and you have shown this to us.


We have pulled this ad from all of the publications in which it was to be printed in the coming weeks and months. Unfortunately, some have already been printed and distributed. Rest assured, this ad will never be distributed again.


We are also in the process of having it pulled from digital magazines and other web sites. For some sites, especially those of distributors outside of the US and Canada, this may take a few days before it's entirely cleaned up but it is our top priority to completely remove this image.

Again, we are very sorry. We've learned a lot from this.

****

Ryders, what you did was reinforce the dangerous for us 'deceptive transwoman' meme that not only dehumanizes us but fuels the anti trans violence directed at us as was demonstrated by the May 20 attack on two transwomen riding a MARTA train in Atlanta.   

Transphobia not only stinks, it is dehumanizing and leads to discrimination, violence and death for us in Canada and around the world .

Thanks for getting that message and pulling the ad.