Trans Rights Warrior Tracy Bumpus Called Home

In what was a major shock to me, I was informed that Tracy Bumpus, a longtime activist in the New York area and plaintiff in the successful Bumpus v New York Transit Authority case has passed away.

I was getting to know my 45 year old 'baby sister' as I jokingly called her.
 
She was originally from Oklahoma and we were part of that successful effort that helped kill the unjust MD bill.  She was working on completing her master's degree in social policy and was days from doing so from Empire State College while working as a program assistant at the AIDS Project of East Bay. 

She had already signed up for a second master’s program for teaching and formerly was a life skills trainer and coach for Housing Works Transgender Transitional Housing Program.   She's had some challenges, but she rose above them to become a respected trans rights warrior 

Shockingly, now she's gone.    Tracy was living in Vallejo, CA when she passed away, but the people who loved her extend from the Left Coast all the way back to New York.

Fittingly there will be two memorial services on both coasts.   One will be held for her in New York and the other in Oakland.


The one for Tracy in Oakland will take place this Thursday at the First Unitarian Church of Oakland (685 14th Street) beginning at 6:00 PM PDT.    

The New York one is supposedly taking place on Thursday as well, and when I get the info I'll pass it along in a post as soon as I get confirmation of location and time

Rest in peace Tracy, you will be missed.

Um GL Community, You Violated The Dallas Principles In New York Again

While appletinis are being raised in celebration of gay marriage being achieved in New York, need to point out the inconvenient fact that GENDA hit the New York Senate at the same time the marriage bill did.

And no, discussing the fact the New York trans community got screwed is not 'whining' as so people have derisively mischaracterized it.

I guess it was 'whining' when you GL peeps were pissed about the Prop 8 outcome in Cali then?   

Okay, now that we understand each other, back to the post

According to New York activists I've had conversations with, their whip counts indicated that GENDA had enough votes to pass.  So why was it stuck in committee while the marriage bill got a full court press from Gov. Cuomo, former POTUS Bill Clinton, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, ESPA and even Lady Gaga for starters?.

Guess Lady Gaga's trans little monsters civil rights aren't as important to her since GENDA died without her uttering one word in support for it.    So Lady Gaga fans, don't even part your lips to tell me ever again in life how she supports GLBT rights.  She forgot about the 'T' along with elements of the GL community.  

Neither does it appear at this point ESPA and other GL groups lived up to the Dallas Principles either.

A little reminder of what the Dallas Principles are:

The following eight guiding principles underlie our call to action. In order to achieve full civil rights now, we avow

1.Full civil rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals must be enacted now.  Delay and excuses are no longer acceptable.

2.We will not leave any part of our community behind.

3.Separate is never equal.

4.Religious beliefs are not a basis upon which to affirm or deny civil rights.

5.The establishment and guardianship of full civil rights is a non-partisan issue.

6.Individual involvement and grassroots action are paramount to success and must be encouraged.

7.Success is measured by the civil rights we all achieve, not by words, access or money raised.

8.Those who seek our support are expected to commit to these principles.

So yeah, looks like when it comes to GENDA, you're in violation of Dallas Principles 1, 2, 3, 7 and 8. 


1. Full civil rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals must be enacted now. 
Looks like that didn't happen for trans people last week, nor did it happen in 2002 when the trans community got cut out of SONDA by ESPA, Matt Foreman and friends. 

Delay and excuses are no longer acceptable.


So no, don't want to hear any excuses or 'whining' spin about me simply asking what's up with GENDA failing to pass when it hit the NY senate at the same time as the marriage bill and only one passes.

2.We will not leave any part of our community behind.

Boy did we ever get left behind on this one.    


3.Separate is never equal.

Unless it's trans people looking for basic civil rights the GL community has had in NY since 2002 and the GL peeps have the opportunity to get marriage rights 


7.Success is measured by the civil rights we all achieve, not by words, access or money raised.

Then we failed since the New York trans community was left behind last week. 

8.Those who seek our support are expected to commit to these principles.


So I ask again.  When will the GL community, when it comes to achieving 'equality' and civil rights coverage for their trans brothers and sisters, commit to living up to the same standards enshrined in the Dallas Principles that it loudly insists everyone else live up to in dealing with it?

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