Blogtalkradio Show This Weekend

This weekend's edition of Womanist Musings will feature Renee and I talking to the women of Thistle Farms.

It's a community of women who have survived lives of abuse, sex work and violence, and we'll be talking to them about how their lives are progressing and moving on.

You can also check out their blog The Voices Of Thistle Farms in addition to the website link.


The show has moved to a new time, 8 PM EDT and as always we'd love to hear from you. If you can't tune in live, the show will be archived so that you can listen to it at your convenience.

If you'd like to suggest a guest or a topic, you can leave them in the comment thread for this post.

Congratulations Renee!

Putting a quality blog together is hard work. It involves long hours just researching info, composing multiple drafts and sometimes multiple edits to get them polished to your satisfaction before you post your thoughts to the world.

So I was happy to hear that my podcast partner was nominated for a 2009 Canadian F-Word Blog Award in the Best Feminist Blog Oh!Canada! English category.

She's been writing thought provoking and quality posts at Womanist Musings for almost a year now, and it's nice to see her Top 25 BBR blog (number 13 last month) finally get the recognition it deserves in her home country as well.

Nominations were accepted starting on April 1st and the last day for them is today.

The First voting/elimination round: April 11-12
Final Vote: April 18-19
Winners announced April 25th

I hope she has better luck than I did with the 2008 Weblog Awards. Congrats for the nomination, Renee and hope it's just the first of many more to come.

April Edition of Tell It WOC Speak Coming Soon

It's almost that time again. The April edition of the Tell It WOC Speak Blog Carnival is rapidly approaching. The blog carnival will be posted on April 15 so submit those posts in to Renee by April 12 if you wish to participate.

It's a great way to introduce people to your writing who may not have previously surfed by your blog previously.

The two previous ones had some dynamite writers and thinkers posting, so why wouldn't you want to be part of the cool blog kids?

I discovered some great blogs as a result of the previous editions of Tell It WOC Speak and hope the participation in this carnival grows.

The posts can be about any topic you desire to talk about by any woman of color. They can be previously written posts or brand new material, it's your call. Of course I'm going to be contributing a few posts to it, and I'd like to see some new writers join in.

So let's get busy, send those posts in and be a part of the only blog carnival dedicated to showcasing the work of WOC bloggers.

Western Kentucky Pride Association Events

The Western Kentucky Pride Association will be hosting a variety of special events as part of this year's "Pride in 09" celebrations.

Among these will be a Luau Pool Party on May 16th, the 2nd Mr & Miss Stonewall Pageant on June 6th, and last but not least the 6th Annual Stonewall Picnic on June 27th.

The Western Kentucky Pride Association is a seven year old not for profit non-discriminational social organization, based in Hopkinsville, Kentucky and the Western Kentucky region, which is dedicated to promoting a positive image for the local Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual and Transgendered community. Membership is open to all who share similar values.

For more details on the upcoming events or the organization we encourage you to visit the official website at http://westkypride.tripod.com

Your support and or participation in these events will be greatly appreciated.

If you need more information, wish to help support the WKPA efforts or are interested in setting up a Vendor or Information booth then please contact Kenneth (Andy) McIntosh at (270) 886-0010 or by e-mail at kycowboy41@aol.com.

Advertising opportunities and sponsorship packages are available through the official website.


For any further information or questions, contact
Kenneth (Andy) McIntosh, WKPA President
http://westkypride.tripod.com
kycowboy41@aol.com
270-886-0010

Participate In National LGBT College Climate Study

CALL FOR PARTICPATION
Campus Pride’s National LGBT College Climate Study
Go Online Now -- www.campuspride.org/research

Do you consider your campus to be gay-friendly? Does your campus have work to be done on transgender issues? What does it mean to be a lesbian, gay, bisexual or a transgender (LGBT) student, staff, or faculty on your campus?

Whatever your experience we WANT TO KNOW.

NATIONAL LGBT COLLEGE CLIMATE SURVEY
TAKE THE ONLINE ASSESSMENT
TELL US ABOUT IT, WWW.CAMPUSPRIDE.ORG/RESEARCH

WIN $500 CASH & A FREE RSVP VACATIONS CRUISE

The National LGBT College Climate Survey is a comprehensive assessment to document annually the experiences of students, faculty, staff, and administrators who identify as LGBT at America's colleges and universities. The survey is conducted through the Q Research Institute for Higher Education owned and operated by Campus Pride.The annual assessment examines emerging issues, trends and changing demographics of LGBT people in higher education. The Research Director is Dr. Susan R. Rankin of The Pennsylvania State University and Associate Research Director is Dr. Warren J. Blumenfeld of The Iowa State University.

About Campus Pride Research
Campus Pride is the leading national nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization for student leaders and campus groups working to create a safer, more welcoming college environment for LGBT students. The Q Research Institute for Higher Education is the only institute of its kind specifically for the advancement of LGBT issues in higher education. The Institute underscores the mission of Campus Pride to build future leaders and safer, more LGBT-friendly colleges and universities.

More info or questions, email info@campuspride.org or go online to www.campuspride.org. Any specific concerns/questions, please contact us directly, as follows:


Susan R. Rankin, Ph.D.
Center for the Study of Higher Education
The Pennsylvania State University
814-863-2655
sxr2@psu.edu

Warren Blumenfeld, Ed..D.
Department of Curriculum and Instruction
Iowa State University
515-294-5931
wblumen@iastate.edu

Shane L. Windmeyer, M.S., Ed.
Executive Director & Founder
Campus Pride
704-277-6710
shane@campuspride.org

Postal Address
Campus Pride
PO Box 240473
Charlotte, NC 28224
704-277-6710

Alexandra Billings Stars In Upcoming Movie 'Stealth'

TransGriot Note: Remember when I asked the question when would Hollywood start using transgender actresses for transgender parts and surmised it would take us writing and producing our own films for that to happen? Peep this press release I received today about the movie Stealth.

Move over Lana Wachowski, you're not the only transgender director in town

Marlo Bernier’s directorial debut, Stealth, explores life as a Transgender

Los Angeles, California
March 28, 2009

Principal Photography begins April 4th on Marlo Bernier’s transgender tale, Stealth, which spotlights both the unfortunate intolerance of society and the reinforcing power of acceptance.

The film, shooting in and around Los Angeles, California, is a Jackie Frost Films production in association with Scorpio Rising Films and funded by Mississippi Films, Susan Smith and Jon Lipitz.

Award-winning transgender actress, singer and renowned Professor of The Viewpoints at California State University and The Steppenwolf Theater, Alexandra Billings (Grey’s Anatomy) takes the lead as Veronica Terranova alongside Indie actresses Jennifer Fontaine (LOOK) and Elizabeth J. Martin (Expired) who complete the ensemble in roles as her two sisters.

Stealth steers audiences through the secretive and shocking events surrounding transgender Veronica Terranova. Sitting alone in a dark hotel room, a dead and dirty politician by her side, Veronica must make the difficult decision to call Jeannine, her younger sister, who has always been there for her. Panic stricken, Jeannine secretly calls their eldest sister, Celia, the only one who can truly help...but will she?

A powerful mix of sisterly love and abject rejection, Stealth is an insightful and candid look at how one family handles transgenderism. Director, Marlo Bernier reveals, “I know this world all too well. I have lived my entire life as Mark and am now forced to deal with not only my own demons, but also a world that, for the most part, has absolutely no understanding of what it means to be transgender.”

Behind-the-scenes, 4-time Outmusic award nominated and visionary transgender singer/songwriter Namoli Brennet will provide a haunting score, and award-winning documentarian Andre Enzensberger will lend his eye as the Director of Photography.

Stealth marks the second collaboration of the writing/producing team Marlo Bernier and Jennifer Fontaine. The team’s first endeavor ‘The Last Time We Were…’ garnered the duo a Silver Remi at WorldFest Houston and played to packed screenings at the Los Angeles International Shorts Fest and the Beloit International Film Fest. They currently have 5 feature scripts in various stages of development, including ‘Glass Houses’ which has attached actors Pruitt Taylor Vince, Austin Pendleton and Jason Connery, and is currently in the packaging stage.

Contact:
Susan Smith
Scorpio Rising Films
susan@scorpiorisingfilms.com
323.807.5985

Blog Talk Radio Show This Weekend

This weekend you'll get the opportunity to hear Renee and I 'tell you something good' on our Blogtalkradio show that happens from 4-5 PM EDT.

Our topic on Saturday is 'Motherhood Is An Active Choice' and our guests will be Tami from the blog What Tami Said and Ouyang Dan of Random Babble.

If you're chillin' out this weekend and wish to participate in the conversation, the show's call in number is (347) 326-9452

You can also download the podcast several hours after the live show has concluded.

It should be an informative and entertaining show, and hope you tune in.

Thanks For Linking To TransGriot

Wanted to take a moment to say thank you to my regular readers here who comment (hint, hint) read the posts and link to them. I also thank you peeps who have been kind enough to put me in your link lists on your own blogs or subscribe to RSS feeds, follow me on Twitter or just Googled something and your knowledge search brought you here.

I'm working hard to try to keep this blog informative, fresh and come up with features to maximize your precious web surfing time.

While I'm at it, thanks for all of you who've checked out me and Renee of Womanist Musings new Blog talk radio show. We'll be on the air every two weeks and the next one will take place March 28 at 4 PM EDT. If you missed last Saturday's show, it's now archived on the Blog talk radio site. Just as we do on our respective blogs, we'll be coming up and coming at you with provocative, thoughtful and timely show topics. Our guests will be from inside and outside the blogosphere to discuss the issues we focus on.

So tune in as we 'tell you something good'. We had a lot of fun with our last show and it promises to only get better from here. Me and my broadcast partner also thank the 189 people (and counting) who have already checked out the podcast, and that's great for a first time out of the box debut show. You can also join in the conversation by calling (347) 326-9452 on show days.

TransGriot is a Top 50 BBR blog and a 2008 Weblog Award Best LGBT Blog Finalist, but I'm not resting on my laurels. I want to continue to grow and will need your help to do that. I'm honored by the increasing attention that I'm getting from the womanist/feminist blogs and other sectors of the blogosphere.

I recently had a post linked to on BlogHer, so that was a thrill to see my work there along with Racialicious linking to a few of the transgender themed ones. I also thank Latoya for graciously allowing to post the Not Rape Epidemic post here as well.

Thanks to those of you who have sent me e-mail, it's deeply appreciated, and if you're wondering, I love speaking to groups. Just e-mail me the dates and details.

WOC Speak March Blog Carnival Is Up!

The March edition of the Tell It WOC Speak blog carnival is up and posted. I do have some posts as part of this carnival but I'm not the only person who has some wonderful writing up that deserves to be perused.

So take the time to check it out.

Kentuckians Value Fairness Rally

Kentuckians Value Fairness Statewide Rally in Capitol Rotunda Feb. 25

A Kentuckians Value Fairness rally to promote the passage of a statewide Fairness law in Kentucky prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing, and public accommodations will be held in the Frankfort Capitol Rotunda Wednesday, February 25, 12:30-1:30 pm.

House Bill 72, introduced by Representative Mary Lou Marzian (Dist. 34), will be the focus of lobbying and rally support for the day. LGBTQ constituents, along with family and friends from across the Commonwealth, will lobby legislators in the morning with personal stories concerning the need for an anti-discrimination law. Supporters will then join legislators in the Capitol Rotunda for a rally and press conference beginning at 12:30 pm.

"Champion of Fairness" awards will be presented to legislators who have supported a statewide Fairness law in the past.

The media is invited to attend.

The Kentuckians Value Fairness Rally/Press Conference
 will take place on February 25 from 12:30-1:30 pm in the Capitol Rotunda, Frankfort, KY.

It will feature Fairness-friendly Legislators and representatives from the following organizations:

ACLU of Kentucky
B-GLAD (Centre College)
CFAIR (Louisville)
commonGround (University of Louisville)
Fairness Campaign (Louisville)
GLASS (Bellarmine University)
Kentucky Equality Federation
Kentucky Fairness Alliance
Lexington Fairness

For additional information you can contact Chris Hartman, Director of the Fairness Campaign at (502) 893-0788

WOC Blog Carnival This Weekend

Thanks to Renee at Womanist Musings, I'm about to experience something new as a blogger, participating in my first blog carnival.

She's organizing, 'Tell It WOC Speak' which will happen on Sunday, February 15. If you wish to participate in it, get those submissions to Renee ASAP. It's a wonderful way to expose your writing to people who may not have had a chance to see it or haven't web surfed in your blog's direction.

Blog carnivals are prevalent all over the blogosphere, but unfortunately in the Blackosphere we haven't done many of them for whatever myriad reasons. The reason this is my first is that I'm just now getting the recognition and the profile thanks to that Weblog award in which people are asking me to participate in their various carnivals.

Renee believes that with all the talented WOC bloggers out there, the lack of WOC themed blog carnivals shouldn't be happening and there's more than enough excellent content generated by us so that we can have this event on a monthly basis.

She's committed to making this a successful event, and I'm committed to doing my part to help make it happen.

How about you, women bloggers of color? Let's do this. Please submit your post here, either old or new works that talk about or intersect with race that involve class, gender, sexuality, ability, etc.

It is time that we tackle the 'isms' and bring them crashing down, and hopefully on Sunday well see a range of thought that begins the discussion process.

2010 IFGE Conference To Be Held Again In Washington DC

The 2009 edition of the IFGE Conference just concluded another successful run with over 150 attendees and speakers from around the country in attendance despite the unusual early February convention date.

Bree Hartlage, the newly elected chair of the IFGE board announced during the final session of Transgender 2009 that the 2010 edition of the IFGE conference will be held once again in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.

"It was quite apparent to both myself and the rest of our Board that the only logical place for the transgender community to gather each year in the name of education and acceptance is in our nation's capital," noted Ms. Hartlage. She also announced that Transgender 2010 - The Capital Conference, will be moving back to it's traditional April time slot, with specific dates and location to be announced very soon.

Hartlage also had high praise for IFGE Executive Director Denise LeClair as well. "I am extremely grateful to Denise for all of her hard work and determination in staging the 2009 conference despite very long odds."

Ms. LeClair also dished out kudos to the volunteers and the local host organization as well. "I want to acknowledge the tireless work of all our volunteers, especially those from our local host organization, TGEA, The Transgender Education Association of Greater Washington, for making this a highly successful conference - we couldn't have done this without each and every one of you."

As with past IFGE conferences, the program of over 60 workshops drew high praise from those seeking to better understand the many varied aspects of what it means to be transgender in today's society. It is the primary vehicle for fulfilling the IFGE mission of "Promoting Acceptance for Transgender People Through Education".

IFGE is a membership organization, so for information on how to become a member of IFGE and make a donation, please visit: http://www.ifge.org

See you next year at Transgender 2010!

NBJC and GLAAD Will Host Forum At Upcoming NAACP Image Awards

On the eve of the 40th Annual NAACP Image Awards which will be hosted by Oscar winning actor Halle Berry and screenwriter-actor Tyler Perry, the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) and the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) will jointly host a forum February 11 on the infrequent intersection of African American and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) images in media, and the importance of these stories being told, particularly in the wake of California's Proposition 8.

The panel will explore the historical under-representation of these images, the ongoing advocacy efforts to promote the telling of these stories and the professional issues and challenges facing openly gay African American artists.

The planned two hour forum will also be co-sponsored by The Screen Actors Guild LGBT Actors Committee and the Beverly Hills-Hollywood Branch of the NAACP starting at 7 PM PST in the Screen Actors Guild James Cagney Board Room.

The panelists confirmed for the event include Willis Edwards, Member, National Board of Directors, NAACP; Vice Chair of the NAACP Image Awards, Deondray Gossett, Writer/Producer/Director, "The DL Chronicles", Maurice Jamal, Writer/Producer/Director, "Dirty Laundry," "The Ski Trip", Sonja Sohn, Actor, "The Wire" and J. Karen Thomas, Actor; Founding Member SAG LGBT Actors Committee

The panel will be moderated by GLAAD Senior Director of Media Programs Rashad Robinson.

"For the first time we have five openly gay individuals and multiple gay-themed projects nominated at the NAACP Image Awards," said Jasper Hendricks, NBJC Director of Field Operations. "We are hopeful this historic achievement will begin to break down barriers to openly LGBT arts and entertainment professionals in getting roles and jobs in the industry. We need to continue to highlight our successes and this forum will be a part of educating the media and the industry as to the issues LGBT people face."

"This year's nominees for the NAACP Image Awards demonstrate significant progress at a time when LGBT African Americans continue to be underrepresented in the media and those representations are often based on stereotypes," said GLAAD Senior Director of Media Programs Rashad Robinson. "We hope that through open dialogue with industry leaders at forums like this, we can continue to open doors for stories and images of our lives and our communities. These stories – when told in a fair, accurate and inclusive way – have the power to change hearts and minds."

The "Knocking Down the Door: Black LGBT Images in Media" will be held on Wednesday, February 11, 2009 from 7-9 PM PST at the Screen Actors Guild, James Cagney Board Room, First Floor.

For any further information contact: Damon Romine, GLAAD, (323) 634-2012

National Go Red Day

If you can't figure out what to wear to work today or while you're out and about doing errands, may I suggest something red?

Today is National Go Red Day. I'm joining millions of women, companies, organizations and cities across the country in raising awareness about women and heart disease.

According to Tiffany Travis, communications director for the American Heart Association, heart disease is the leading cause of death for women ages 25 and older.

African American women are 35% more likely than non-Hispanic white women to die from heart disease. Diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, lack of exercise, and smoking all put women at risk for heart disease. Studies have shown that African Americans don't get the same care for heart disease as whites because they don't get the same tests and treatments.

“We want women to talk about prevention and living heart-healthy lives,” she said. “There are factors you can control like diet and exercise, but getting an annual heart checkup, not just a well-woman exam, is vital.”

A heart checkup includes checking cholesterol and blood pressure levels, as well as blood sugar tests.

So pull that red outfit out of the closet and wear it in honor of Go Red Day.

'Tell It WOC Speak' Blog Carnival Coming Soon

Renee at Womanist Musings is organizing a Blog Carnival entitled 'Tell It WOC Speak.

She's currently looking for submissions for the upcoming carnival slated for February 15. Her goal is to build this into an ongoing event that takes place on the 15th of every month.

The submissions can be previous work or new pieces that intersect with race and involve issues of class, gender, sexuality, ability, et cetera.

She says, 'It is time that we tackle the isms and bring them crashing down."

If you're interested in participating, click on this link to submit your article.

I will be submitting an article as part of this blog carnival and hope that others women of color bloggers will consent to do so as well.

2008 Weblog Awards Finalist Schedule

If you're wondering what's up with the 2008 Weblog Awards like I am, since I was nominated for two categories, (Best LGBT Blog Award and Best Small Minor Blog) the good peeps at the Weblog Awards had over 5000 nominations to sift through which slowed them down considerably.

They've finally gotten that massive number of nominees whittled down, so I and the other nominated blogs will find out next Thursday (Christmas Day) whether we've made the cut to be voted on by you peeps.

Information about the process is in this post along with their updated schedule.

Finalist Announced - December 25

Finalist Logos Available - December 25

Finalist Voting Page Available* - December 29

Finalist Voting - January 2 through January 10


Here's hoping I get something extra in my Christmas stocking this year.

World AIDS Day 2008

Today is the 20th Anniversary celebration of World AIDS Day. One of the little known facts about HIV/AIDS is that transwomen, and disproportionately transwomen of color are one of the fastest growing categories of people who are infected by it as this PSA from the Banyan Tree Project reminds us.



It's also a problem in Black America as well as the Black AIDS Institute and the National Minority AIDS Council will tell you.

Houston was one of the early Ground Zero's of the initial HIV/AIDS wave in the early 80's. I had friends and a 24 year old cousin die during that stage as it decimated the Houston GLBT community.

So to my younglings and 'errbody' who reads TransGriot on a regular basis, be safe out there. Don't take it for granted your potential sex partner is not infected. If you're not sure of a person's HIV status you're about to get busy with, use protection until you both get tested.

Nominations For 2008 Weblog Awards Now Open

With all the attention focused on this historic presidential election, it skated almost unnoticed that the 2008 Weblog Award Nominations started November 3.

It's the big kahuna of blog awards and a coveted award for those of us who are part of the blogosphere.

I was shocked to discover that someone has already nominated TransGriot for the Best LGBT Blog Award (thanks Pablo Domo), and I'm also nominated in the Best Small Minor Blog Category (based on Technorati authority) as well.

There's still time to nominate your favorite bloggers before they whittle down the nominations to the three finalists for the general public to vote on. Voting for selected finalists is expected begin in early December 2008.

You can click on this link for the full list of categories for the 2008 Weblog Awards.

2008 Louisville TDOR Events

The 10th Anniversary of the Transgender Day Of Remembrance is rapidly approaching, and once again our sponsor for the local TDOR events held at the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary will be the Women's Center at LPTS and More Light.

For the second time since the local events began to be hosted by the LPTS in 2002, there will be a heightened level of sadness for us in Da Ville this year. One of the names we'll read will be one of our own, Nakhia Williams.

The week of events leading up to the November 20 service will kick off tomorrow with a Transgender 101 Workshop from 12:30-1;30 PM in the Winn Center's McAtee Dining Room.

On November 19 there will be a 6:30 PM screening of the film Soldier's Girl followed by a discussion at the Caldwell Chapel's Fellowship Hall. Doors open at 6 PM for that event.

On November 20 there will be another panel discussion from 12:30-1:30 PM on Transgender Experience of Faith Communities in the Winn Center's McAtee Dining Rooms with the Memorial Service happening at 7:00 PM in the Caldwell Chapel.

As part of the service we have someone from the local transgender community as the featured speaker, and this year it will be Beth Harrison-Prado. (Just as an FYI, I was given that honor in 2002-2003)

Following the service will be a reception and the presentation of the 2008 Butterfly Award, which honors a person whose done outstanding service for the transgender community.

As of yet haven't heard if the GLBT group on the University of Louisville campus is planning anything for the TDOR, but if they are I'll post it to the blog.

For further info on the 2008 TDOR events at the LPTS, click on this link to the Wimminwise Blog. Hope to see you peeps there.

NGLTF Transgender Discrimination Survey

TransGriot Note; Babs Casbar sent me this survey because the NGLTF wants more POC input in it.

I'll refrain from saying what first popped into my mind because the survey is too important. I'll comment about what crossed my mind later.

Seriously though, to all my transgender readers who happen to be peeps of color, please consider taking the time out of your busy schedules to take this survey.

https://online.survey.psu.edu/endtransdiscrim/