Moni's In The Middle Of OUT On The Hill 2015

Well people, if my Southwest flight landed on time at 11:25 AM EDT, I should be clear of DCA's baggage claim picking up my luggage and inside I-495 getting ready to head to the Beacon Hotel for that roundtable discussion that starts at 3:30 PM.

And yeah, y'all know I took the opportunity to get some sleep on that flight since I got up before sunrise, and Madame Night Owl is usually not fully functioning until 10 AM CDT.

But have to suck it upm rep H-town and handle my business on behalf of the community..

In addition to being off the charts excited about being in our nation's capital again for this 2015 edition of OUT on the Hill,  I'm also looking forward to spending some quality time with Joanna Cifredo, my Latina sister who is the creative genius at the Fire Breathing T-Girl blog.

And yes, looking forward to seeing 'errbody' else I know inside the beltway who manages to get to see me between now and my Sunday morning departure from DCA.

Something else that is going to happen is that free Slurpee I earned in Dallas is going to be destroyed.

I'm also arriving in Washington DC at a time when the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference is about to jump off at the massive Walter Washington Convention Center.  That's another opportunity to connect with peeps in my community and have them recognize that #BlackTransLivesMatter.

Back to the #OOTH 2015 business at hand.

You peeps in the DC area still have time to register and check out the happenings at OUT on the Hill and hang out with some amazing Black LGBTQ/SGL leaders and some award winning Texas based blogger nobody reads.  

And looking forward to telling y'all what's happening over the next few days.

Netroots Nation 2015 Starts Today!

The 2015 edition of Netroots Nation starts today and it is coming to you from Phoenix, AZ. starting today until July 19.   And nope, I won't be there to cover all the exciting things that are going to transpire at the Phoenix Convention Center and the various hotels.

As badly as I would have liked to have been there, just didn't work out for me to be able to come for the first time since the 2012 event in Providence, RI.

But like every one else that couldn't go for various reasons, I'll check out the #NN15 hashtag on Twitter to see what people are saying about the largest progressive conference in the country. 

There's also the Netroots Nation website in which I and others who couldn't be there in person this year will be able to check out some of the seminars and speeches being webcast.

For those of you who did make it to Phoenix or are headed that way, y'all have fun, get your learn on and I hopefully see y'all at Netroots Nation 2016 in a locale to be determined later.

Upcoming 2015 Aqui Estamos RGV POC Queer Conference

The state of Texas is bigger than France in size, and that can make it difficult to organize statewide or when we have BTLGQ lobby days in Austin.   The sheer size of the state for example makes it hard for someone in the Panhandle, West Texas, Northeast Texas, East Texas or the El Paso area to come to lobby, even if they fly to Austin, without planning on taking at least two days minimum for travel the day of and the day after the event. 

Because our Texas TBLGQ communities are also clustered in the state's larger cites like Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio, the statewide conferences tend to be held in those cities as well, with the same applicable travel issues.

The Rio Grande Valley in South Texas is predominately Latino and for the most part liberal progressive, but it's still about a four hour one way drive from the Valley's major cities of Harlingen, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo to our state capitol of Austin.  |But the Valley, just like everywhere else in the Lone Star State, has TBLGQ Latinos living there as well.

And with Latinos being the fastest growing ethnic group in Texas, they will be part of an increasingly powerful voting bloc.  The Latino population in Texas is estimated to eclipse white Texans and become the largest ethnic group in the state next year and nationally by 2040.

Thanks to Lou Weaver, I was alerted to an upcoming conference, the Aqui Estamos RGV Conference that will be taking place at the STC Cooper Center in McAllen from August 6-7.

It's the first ever LGBTQ centered conference to take place in the Rio Grande Valley, and it seeks to bring together queer-identifying people of color and allies to identify the institutional, social, and cultural currents and themes that continue to oppress queer and gender nonconforming identities in our borderland.

The goal of Aquí Estamos RGV is to strive to challenge those currents and themes by creating a visible and unified movement where LGBTQ people can stand in solidarity for justice.

As the first LGBTQ centered conference in the Rio Grande Valley, Aquí Estamos RGV 2015 will focus on visibility, strategizing, and community and is also open to allies . If you need further details about this first ever event , visit aquiestamosrgv.org.    The conference also has its own Twitter hashtag, #aquiestamos15

If you wish to attend, the conference is FREE, but you'll need to RSVP for it by July 20.

Moni's In The Facing Race 14 House!

After handling my emcee hosting duties and having a late night trying to decide what fool gets the blog's Shut Up Fool award, it's time to get into the Facing Race conference and see some of the seminars before I have to leave for a slightly warmer Houston.

Yep, when I arrived in Dallas yesterday at Love Field it was a sunny33 degrees.

The sun is taking a vacation today.  Figures it would do that the first time this event is hosted in Texas.

And yep, this is my first one, so I definitely want to see  and hear what peeps are talking about at a conference dedicated to one of my favorite subjects in terms of eradicating racism from this planet for future generations.

You also gotta love a conference that renamed the ballroom at the Hilton Anatole Hotel the 'Anti-Imperial Ballroom. 

And I'm still getting kudos from last night's emcee performance.   Believe it or not that was the first time I've ever been asked to do it for a major conference, even though I've been hosting or emceeing events since I was 10. 

You can follow the #FacingRace14  hashtag to check out what people are talking about, texting and tweeting to each other and the world.   There's also a YouTube channel that they will be livecasting various events on like last night's plenary.and today's 3:30 PM CST.keynote speech from Dr Bernice Johnson Reagon and her daughters Toshi and Tashawn

They are three generations of artists and activists who have an interesting intergenerational story to tell

Okay, enough writing.   Time for me to get my learn on before I have to go...

Leaving On A Jet Plane-To Dallas

With all the drama swirling around the logic defying PRIDE Houston board decision not to move their parade back to the traditional last week in June, it figures this would break just as I have to go to Dallas for the Facing Race conference that starts today and runs through the 15th.

It's the first time it is happening in Texas, and I'm happy to be representing my hometown as I wing my way up there for the short fight up and back to Love Field.  

It's also ironic this is the first time I will ever fly into Love Field, where my late grandfather Leo worked until he was transferred to Houston.   I've flown into DFW,  and driven by Love Field in my numerous visits to Dallas, but until today haven't flown into the airport.

I'm looking forward to seeing all the folks attending that conference, and you can follow the action at the hashtag #FacingRace14

ANZPATH Conference Trans Human Rights Keynote Speech

As I've been saying for a long time and it increasingly is being borne out, trans rights are an international human rights issue.

That message was driven home at the recent Australia and New Zealand Professional Association For Transgender Health biennial conference at Adelaide University that took place October 3-6

Australian Human Rights Commissioner Tim Wilson gave the opening keynote speech at this event.

He was appointed in February and the appointment was notable Down Under because Wilson is the first ever openly gay human rights commissioner.

Wilson's speech clarifies the Australian Human Rights Commission position on trans human rights issues.and leaves no room for doubt for our Aussie trans brothers and trans sisters where the commission stands.

Here's Commissioner Wilson's October 3 ANZPATH keynote speech.

NABJ Trans Panel Discussion Today

The convention kicked off while I was enroute to Boston with an opening address from Gov. Deval Patrick,  but my participating in it starts today. 

What I flew from the Lone Star State for is an #NABJ14 panel
discussion entitled Transforming Media: Fairly and Accurately Reporting On Black Trans Americans. 

I get to share the Hynes Convention Center stage with Kellee Terrell and Kenyon Farrow of this Tiq Milan moderated panel that kicks off at 2:15 PM EDT in Hynes 310.   You can follow the discussion at #NABJTRANSFORM.

 I'm beyond excited to make a personal dream come true thanks to GLAAD in attending the NABJ.  Then again, that's been happening a lot for me this year.   I'm also honored that I was invited to be part of this panel.  I appreciate getting another chance to represent our community and be able to authoritatively talk about media coverage of Black transpeople with this group of distinguished journalists who share my ethnic background.


There will probably be some fangirl moments for me as I walk the halls of the Hynes Convention Center and run into some of my fave African descended journalists.

You can also follow the  rest of today's scheduled conference action at #NABJ14