The GLAAD Media Awards were held in Los Angeles last night, and was surprised to learn from Fiona Dawson that my third nomination for Outstanding Blog was finally the charm and that I've won the 2018 Outstanding Blog award.
Thanks to all of you who have congratulated me (and they are still rolling in as I write this) for the win in a category that had several wonderful and equally deserving winners.
But I'm happy it was finally me. With the win I made a little history. TransGriot is the first trans owned and operated blog to win in this category!
Thanks GLAAD for bestowing me with this honor and honoring the hard work I put into it since January 2006 to make it a go to source for news and commentary about the trans community and other subjects I enjoy commenting about
Despite being in a moment in this country in which the humanity and human rights of trans people are under attack by the Trump Misadministration and their white fundie allies, the opposite is happening in Hollywood as trans people become a more visible and active part of the motion picture industry
Trans excellence was on display during last night's Oscars, with Janet Mock and actress Daniela Vega rocking the Oscar red carpets to kick the night off and us waiting to see in trans director Yance Ford's name would be called to collect his first Oscar.
Vega would also make history as the first ever openly trans presenter during the Oscars main ceremony. She introduced Sufjan Stevens, whose song 'Mystery of Love' for the Call Me By Your Name soundtrack was nominated for a Best Original Song Oscar.
She would later in the evening join her castmates on stage as the movie she was the lead actress in, A Fantastic Woman, won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language film.
That made her the first openly trans actress to play a trans character in an Oscar winning film.
So yeah Hollywood, your not so subtle hint to not only hire trans actors and actresses for trans roles, but consider letting them have an opportunity to play cisgender characters as well
Attention then turned on this night to trans masculine director Yance Ford to see if he would make more trans Oscar history on a night that was turning into an amazing one for transkind. .
He had already made Oscar history back in January when he became the first openly transgender director to be nominated for an Oscar.
Ford already had four previous documentaries under his belt, but his fifth one Strong Island, was up for the Best Documentary nomination
Unfortunately it was not to be his night, as the documentary Icarus got the Oscar in Ford's category..
I have no doubt we will see this gifted filmmaker again on a Oscar stage, and hopefully it will be to make an acceptance speech as he gets to hold that stateutee in his hands
But it sure would have been nice to see #BlackTransExcellence rewarded last night
Congrats to Daniela and Yance for making history and repping our community well. It was also nice to see my sis Janet ripping the red carpet to shreds.
Will be interesting to see what transpires at next year's Oscars.
This time my fellow nominees are Mark S. King's My Fabulous Disease, Autostraddle, Gays With Kids and The Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents. It's also the first time I've ever gotten nominations for this award in consecutive years.
When you start a blog, the first consideration is not awards but filling an information need that you notice isn't being addressed for your community. I've been blessed to be able to do that on TransGriot's electronic pages for 12 years now.
Mine is not the first trans themed blog to be nominated. Dr. Kortney Ziegler's blac(k)ademic was the first to be nominated for a GLAAD Media Award n 2013. My first nomination for TransGriot didn't happen until a year later in 2014.
While a lot of the work in building TransGriot to this point was on me, it still would amount to nothing unless you readers liked what I had to say about many of the issues I talk about and share those posts in your influence circles.
I've been pleased to hear that some of the people sharing those posts are high school teachers, college professors and politicians . I've also been told by five people so far that reading posts on this blog dissuaded them from committing suicide.
So in a sense, TransGriot's existence is not only literally saving lives, but educating people about our trans lives
Congrats to all the nominees, and we'll see in a few months whether my third nomination in the Best Blog category is finally the one in which I get the historic win.
I wasn't watching this year's Golden Globe Awards, and probably should have been because Oprah Winfrey made history by becoming the first Black woman to receive this year's Cecil B. DeMille Award for Lifetime Achievement.
And based on the online chatter I'm seeing, looks like a lot of people LOVED her acceptance speech for it to the point some people are saying the words 'Run Oprah Run!
The SI Sportsperson of the Year has been chosen by Sports Illustrated since the magazine's 1954 founding to 'honor the person or team whose performance most embodies the spirit of sportsmanship and achievement'.
Even though Sports Illustrated is a US based publication, non American athletes are also eligible to win that year award. There have also been several years in which multiple athletes have won the award.
This wear we finally had athletes who represent two Houston sports teams win the SI Sportsperson of the Year award in Jose Altuve and JJ Watt.
We all are aware of the awesomeness of the Houston Texans all world defensive lineman, but he also has a heart as big as the over 600 square miles of Houston.
As H-town was reeling in the wake of Hurricane Harvey's devastation, Watt raised $37 million for relief efforts here.
Altuve is not only a humanitarian who devotes time to several causes here in the Houston area, also led the Houston Astros to their first ever World Series title in a memorable playoff run for this team. Altuve also captured the American League MVP along the way
It has been an amazing sports year in Houston with the Astros title, the Dynamo making it to the MLS Western Conference finals and the Rockets getting off to a strong start in the 2017-18 NBA season. Altuve and Watt winning the SI Sportsperson of the Year just adds an exclamation point to it.
'I hope that current members of Congress recall that it actually doesn't take a lot of courage to aid those who are already powerful, already comfortable, already influential - but it does require some courage to champion the vulnerable and the sick and the infirm.' -President Barack Obama
Last night former president (sniff sniff) Barack Obama took a trip to Boston to make one of his first public speeches since 45 was inaugurated on Sunday night to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum to accept the JFK Profile in Courage Award.
And as you probably guessed, I was glued to the television for that one.
For those of you who missed it, here's the video of his speech. It's so nice to see a POTUS that actually has an eloquent command of the English language.
After four nominations for the GLAAD Outstanding Blog award, Alvin McEwen's Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters finally took home its first win at last night's GLAAD Media Awards in New York
Alvin also made a little history as the second Black owned blog to capture the Outstanding Blog award. Rod 2.0 was the first to do so back in 2013.
After a year off because of a misguided 2016 decision by the GLAAD Media Awards to cancel the Outstanding Blog category, it was a stacked 2017 field that included My Fabulous Disease, Mombian, I'm Still Josh and some blog y'all read called TransGriot.
I couldn't be happier for him. I met the South Carolina based Alvin along with Pam Spaulding during the 2012 Netroots Nation in Providence, RI, and he had me and Pam doubling over in laughter for most of our time together. But what is no joke is that Alvin is the creative force behind Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters, can eloquently discuss and write about what they are up to along with a lot of other subjects, and strikes fear in their dark hearts.
Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters has been since it started in September 2006 on chronicling the activities of right wing fake faith based hate groups and their reprehensible leaders.
Congratulations Alvin! The award was well deserved and I and your fellow bloggers are immensely proud of you.
Maybe at a future GLAAD Media Awards we bloggers will actually get on the stage to collect a future Outstanding Blog Award.
Bloggers are being treated like stepchildren by GLAAD again.
A year after we TBLGQ bloggers had to raise hell just to get the Outstanding Blogger category reinstated after it was dropped from the GLAAD Media Awards entirely, looks like GLAAD is backsliding once again into the problematic behaviors that pissed many of us in Blogging World off and compelled us to write about it in the first place.
In the drop down category menu for the New York awards show that is taking place tonight at the New York Hilton Midtown, there is no mention of the Outstanding Blog award nominees.
In fact one of the reasons my statuesque behind will be in Texas tonight and not New York for it is because the blogging category isn't even going to get an onstage presentation.
If you claim that bloggers are indispensable to the movement and jump starting policy and societal conversations about TBLGQ and other issues, then your GLAAD Media Awards show actions and how the blogging category is handled doesn't convey the 'we're valued' sentiment to me and other bloggers who put in the time and effort to create informative quality content for the readers of our platforms.
And I'm saying that as someone who received a Special Recognition award that is sitting on my shelf just a few months ago during the GLAAD Gala San Francisco.
I'm not feeling the love when a GLAAD Award Best Blogger category I've now been nominated for twice and will hopefully win in a few hours, doesn't even get the prestigious respect of being handed out onstage.
TransGriot Update: The Outstanding Blog award finally went to Alvin McEwen's Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters tonight. This was his fourth nomination for it.
Well, this latest award for my nearly 20 years of trans advocacy work is coming from an unexpected direction and organization in the Human Rights Campaign.
Yep, HRC. And yeah, many of the folks in HRC Houston know that along with my longtime readers at times I have been one of the organization's harshest critics.
I'm getting the John Walzel Equality Award at the upcoming Houston gala on Saturday April 1, and nope, this isn't a TransGriot April Fool's Day prank.
Who was John Walzel? He was a native Houstonian, Bellaire HS grad and the owner of Walzel's Houston's oldest fine jewelry store that was founded by his father in 1944.
Walzel was also active in social justice and LGBTQ rights issues in Houston. He was not only an active member of HRC and sat on its Board of Governors, but supported other causes like the AIDS Foundation Houston, the Center For AIDS, DIFFA, and the Houston Black Tie Dinner.
He was also politically active. He supported Chris Bell in his unsuccessful bid to become Houston's mayor, Annise Parker when she successfully ran for city council, former President Bill Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore.
Walzel died at age 50 while on vacation in New York in June 2002.
It's really happening, and HRC Houston was serious about wanting to honor the work I've done and will continue to do on behalf of the TBLGQ community.
This year's gala is happening at the new Marriott Marquis hotel on the other side of Discovery Green in downtown Houston, and looking forward to seeing a few people this Saturday..
Wasn't expecting it, but was surprised and pleased to find out that TransGriot has been nominated for a 2017 GLAAD Media Award in the Outstanding Blog category
Time to do a little popping of my collar. It's the second time TransGriot has been nominated for ta GLAAD Outstanding Blog award, with my first nomination for it being back in 2014.
Congratulations to all the nominees in this category. I've gotten to meet many of the nominees at various TBLGQ community events over the years like the upcoming LGBT Media Convening in Orlando. We bloggers are committed to doing the research and hard work to ensure that you readers have quality, informative blogs for you to peruse, enjoy, and get you to think about issues that affect our community and the world.
During the recent Creating Change in Philadelphia, I ran into one #CC17 attendee who told me she's been reading my blog since she was 11 years old, and ran into others who have thanked me for doing what I do to keep you informed not only about my trans community, but the world at large.
The GLAAD Media Awards will be held in two separate ceremonies. One is taking place on April 1 in Los Angeles at the Beverly Hilton and the other in New York on May 6 at the New York Hilton Midtown
We'll see it this is the year I finally get that elusive for me Outstanding Blog award and make a little history at the same time.
I get to pull out the nice clothes tonight as I head to the gayborhood and check out the 5th annual F.A.C.E. Awards. Been nominated a few times since 2014 for them but as of yet haven't won one.
The F.A.C.E acronym stands for First Achievers in Community Excellence, and it is a rapidly growing event which celebrates the best of TBLGQ Houston. This year I'm nominated in two F.A.C.E award categories with tight competition in both of them./
Today has also been declared in a proclamation signed by Mayor Sylvester Turner as 'FACE Awards Day' in Houston
Looking forward to checking out the event at South Beach that starts at 8:30 PM CST, with the red carpet arrivals and pre-award show starting at 7:00 PM
Congratulations and good luck to everyone who was nominated this year. Even if I don't win in my categories, I'll at least get another opportunity to spend some quality time with my H-town peeps
'The last six months have reinforced my belief that government can be a force for good and that reason and compassion will win the day.'-Sarah McBride, 2013
Keep telling y'all that Sarah McBride is going to do some amazing things and make some history for our community before she's done.
The native of Delaware was recently honored by Gov.Jack Markell (D) with the Order of the First State It is the highest honor the governor can bestow, and recognizes Delawareans who have made a significant impact upon the state.
McBride received the award for her pivotal role in getting the Gender Identity Non Discrimination Act passed back in 2013 in her home state and her ongoing efforts to push for TBLGQ equality and human rights as a board member of Equality Delaware.
Congrats Sarah! This award was well deserved, and can't wait to see what happens for you next.
Congratulations to my amazing sis Angelica Ross, who was given a well deserved 2016 HRC Visibility Award at the Human Rights Campaign's Chicago Gala on November 12.
For those of you who don't know my amazing sis, she is the founding CEO of TransTech Social Services, an actress who had a starring role in the Emmy nominated Her Story web series and award winning human rights warrior for our community.
She's also an amazing person as well that I'm immensely proud of.
As many of you are aware of, I went to Boston last week and the Harvard University campus to accept the Phillips Brooks House Association's Robert Coles Call Of Service Award.
The award has been given out since 2007 and it didn't occur to me until arrived at my hotel in Cambridge to see to hit Google and see who the past winners of this award were.
That's when I discovered that i was in some pretty serious company in terms of past recipients of it. Marian Wright Edelman won the inaugural award in 2007, Vice President Al Gore and BLM co founder Alicia Garza last year.
I also discovered that I am the first trans person ever to receive this award.
Here's a link to the transcript of my 2016 PBHA Coles Award lecture, and the video. I also answered some questions from the audience concluding the lecture before yielding to a panel of local advocates.
Thanks once again to Maria Dominguez Gray, Shaquanda Brown, Robert Bridgeman, David Dance, Jalem Towler, Dean Katherine O'Dair and the students of the Phillips Brooks House Association for making my time on the Harvard Yard a memorable time.
Hopefully I'll have a chance to come back for a future visit.
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Have enjoyed my visit to Boston so far. To be correct, I'm actually staying in Cambridge, MA, close to the Harvard University campus. My hotel room has an amazing view of the Charles River, and from time to time I can see members of the Harvard rowing team going up and down the river..
I've also enjoyed the fact it's been much cooler here than it has been at home, and the first night I was here the temp dropped to 30 degrees and had to turn the thermostat up in my room and grab the extra blanket out of the closet. I knew this was possible before I flew up here, so I was prepared for it.
Packed my coats and sweaters and deliriously happy I'm getting a chance to wear them.
I always forget something on these trips, and this time what I forgot was my umbrella. It figures that the one time I leave it back in Houston we get rain here in the area. Hasn't been heavy, but just enough to be an annoyance.
Also had an amazing visit to the JFK Presidential Library and Museum today, and a mini tour of Boston that took me past Fenway Park, The Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Berklee College of Music, UMass, and MIT.
Interestingly enough, on my mini tour of Boston I passed by the Roxbury area apartment at 397 Massachusetts Ave. that the Rev Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr lived in from 1952-53 when he was a doctoral student at Boston University.
The other interesting point about that is Maria Dominguez Gray, the executive director of the Phillips Brooks House Association and one of my gracious hosts here, once lived in that first floor apartment for several years and told me some amusing stories about that time in her life.
My Phillips Brooks House Association hosts and the various student leaders I've had an opportunity to meet have been amazing and eager to discuss their various student led programs they offer, and last night I got an opportunity to tour the drop in facility they provide for homeless youth
It's something I would love to see replicated across the nation to help alleviate the LGBTQ homeless youth problem
The business end of my trip happens later today when I actually get to step on the Harvard Yard and be presented with the Robert Coles Call Of Service Award. I give a lecture and participate in a panel discussion.
Time to get some sleep. I'll need it for the busy day still to come.
Once again the Air Marshal is sitting at Hobby International Airport waiting to board a Southwest 737 headed to Boston. This one is a nonstop going up there, but coming back I will be running through Dallas Love Field before I finally get back home..
May need to roll through the Whataburger in that terminal on the return trip if I have enough time to do so. What's even cooler is I'm leaving out of the new international wing of Hobby gates on Gate 1
As mentioned in an earlier post, I'm headed there to receive the Robert Coles Call of Service Award from the Harvard based Phillips Brooks House Association on the 28th.
May also if I have time try to knock out another visit off my Presidential library bucket list and go to the JFK Presidential Library and Museum there.
Well, here;s hoping this plane leaves on schedule so I can get there a little after noon local time, get to the hotel and get settled.
Next week I'm heading to New England and staying in Boston for the first time since my trip to the NABJ Convention in 2014 and Fantasia Fair last year.
The purpose of this upcoming trip is I'm heading up to Harvard University to receive the 2016 Phillips Brooks House Associations Robert Coles Call of Service Award
The Phillips Brooks House Association (PBHA) was founded in 1984, and it is a student led nonprofit organization at Harvard that engages 1,600 undergraduate students in 83 social service and action programs that benefit over 10,000 low income people in the Boston and Cambridge, MA areas and beyond.
The programs run by PBHA also include Y2Y Harvard Square, the nation's first youth-run homeless shelter for young adults, many of who are members of our LGBTQ community.
I'm receiving the award on October 28, and so looking forward to breaking out some of my sweaters on this trip, meeting with the PBHA staff and seeing some of my Massachusetts fam.
May also try to go to the JFK Presidential Library while I'm there as well.
Tonight starting at 5 PM will be the live presentation of OutSmart Magazine's Gayest and Greatest Readers Choice Awards.
OutSmart is our local LGBTQ magazine here in Houston, and this is the 20th year they have presented these awards honoring our local heroes, sheroes and community organizations
The live awards will be presented in the People categories for the Best Male and Female LGBT Business Persons, Favorite Male and Female Commercial Radio Personality, Favorite Male and Female Community Radio Personality, Favorite Male and Female Community Hero, Favorite Male and Female Community Photographer, Favorite Male and Female Local Politician, Favorite Male and Female TV Personality, Leading Male and Female Fundraiser, Most Prominent Male and Female LGBT Activist, Most Valuable Male and Female volunteer and Favorite LGBT Philanthropic Organization..
While I was nominated in three categories this year, unfortunately I didn't get enough votes to make the finals. Maybe next year.
Congratulations to all the people who are finalists for these awards, those who won in other categories this year and good luck this evening.
The live presentation will take place at Rich's Houston, located at 2401 San Jacinto St. near downtown from 5 PM -9 PM.
I know I wrote about it on Sunday, but wanted to post more pics from the 8th annual Equality Brunch. And yes, I was still shaking off the jet lag when I walked into the venue.
In addition to this being a fundraising event for the Houston LGBT Caucus, I was one of several people being honored with awards. It gave me an opportunity to break bread with and spend some quality time hanging out with my Houston liberal-progressive community family.
We had a few of our Houston political peeps there like CM Robert Gallegos and CM Mike Laster, TX state Senator Sylvia Garcia, Precinct 1 Constable Alan Rosen, Judge Maria T. Jackson, former Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia and candidates for various offices in the room like Harris County DA candidate Kim Ogg, Harris County Sheriff candidate and former CM Ed Gonzales, judicial candidate Ramona Franklin and Harris County Commissioner's Court candidate Jenifer Rene Pool.
This year I became the second out trans person to receive the John Paul Barnich Award, and I thank the Caucus for honoring me with this award named for a trailblazing member of our Houston LGBT community.
The other awards presented on Sunday and the deserving folks who received them were:
Eleanor Tinsley Award
Erika Richie
Don Hrachovy Award
Maria Gonzalez President's Award
Melanie Espinosa Pang
Tim Brookover Award
Greg Jeu
The Tony and Bruce Award
Bruce Smith
The 2016 class of Equality Brunch honorees were also surprised by a presentation from Audrey Natividad with Congressional Recognition Certificates signed by Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX).
It was a wonderful event across the board. Capacity crowd, amazing venue, delicious food, and most importantly, the fundraising target of $10,000 was hit. That money will help get those Caucus endorsement cards out in time for early voting that's starting on October 24.
This year's edition of the Equality Brunch set the bar high for future ones, and enjoyed being there for it.
The reason I left Louisville yesterday a little sooner than i would have liked is because I had this event on my calendar for today in the 8th Annual Houston LGBT Caucus Equality Brunch.
In addition to having it at the fabulous La Colombe d'Or Hotel in the Montrose gayborhood, this brunch that started at 11 AM is a fundraiser for the Caucus. It's also an event in which several Houstonians including a certain activist blogger y'all know were honored with awards for our efforts to make Houston a better place to live.
Was great after shaking off my jet lag and being in the house for it, hearing the remarks of Rev. Lura Groen, Caucus President Fran Watson, Caucus Vice President Mike Webb and my fellow honorees.
And yes, I'm now the second trans Houstonian to win the John Paul Barnich Award. Thanks for this honor Houston LGBT Caucus.
We were also given certificates presented by Audrey Natividad denoting congressional recognition for our work in various fields to make Houston better thanks to Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX)
It was an amazing event, and congrats to everyone who attended, gave money to the Caucus to help facilitate their work, and helped put it together.
It was also wonderful to get to see all the elected officials in the room and hopefully soon to be after November 8 elected officials in Houston and Harris County.
