Moni's Thoughts On 'For Colored Girls'

Like other peeps in the Afrosphere, I have my love-hate moments with Tyler Perry, Madea and his films at times.

But I have to grudgingly admit that many of them are in my personal DVD collection. When I need a good laugh, I pop the microwave movie butter popcorn, fire up the DVD player and watch them on a regular basis along with the other Black cinema classics such as Carmen Jones, Shaft, Cabin In The Sky and Imitation of Life that are in my movie collection.

So I was surprised to find out he was directing and producing the screen version of Ntozake Shange's classic play For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuf considering all the Black female directors such as Gina Prince-Bythewood, Julie Dash, and Kasi Lemmons, or screenwriters such as Suzan Lori Parks that I believe would have done a better job with this play than Perry.

Well, he was the one tapped by the studios to do it and the trailer has been released for the movie. For Colored Girls debut has been moved up to a November 5 release date so it can get Oscar consideration.



Okay people, now that you've seen the trailer, are you headed to the theater to support it?

I am, and hear me out on this.

One of the things I and many of my friends gripe about is the lack of quality Black movies to attend. The last quality ones I have gone to the theater and paid hard earned dollars to see were Precious and The Secret Life Of Bees, and I have yet to attend a movie since I moved back to Houston.

Come to think of it, the last movie I watched inside the Houston city limits was Two Can Play That Game.

Hey, don't trip. I like Vivica A. Fox, Morris Chestnut and Anthony Anderson.

But back to my regularly scheduled post.

Now, we know that Hollywood's idea of a quality Black movie is to put stuff like 'Lottery Ticket and other nouveau coonery on the screen when there are reams of novels by Black authors such as Eric Jerome Dickey, the late E. Lynn Harris, the late Bebe Moore Campbell, romance queen Kayla Perrin and others that just beg for and could easily be converted to feature length films.

But in order for those books to be turned into feature films, we probably need to support For Colored Girls with that larger goal in mind.

Yeah, I know the idea of putting your cash in Tyler Perry's pockets makes some of you nauseous. But it's also putting money in Ntozake Shange's pocket as well as the actors who are in this film.

You have to give him props for the cast he assembled for this film. H-town is represented in Tony award winning actress Phylicia Rashad and our homegirl Loretta Devine. There's two other Tony award winners in Anika Noni Rose and Oscar winner Whoopi Goldberg.

Some of my fave actresses are in this film such as Kerry Washington, Thandie Newton, Janet Jackson, Kimberly Elise and even Macy Gray has a role.

So yeah, I'll definitely be at my local multiplex checking out For Colored Girls and I hope you will focus more on the people in the movie rather than the person producing it.

If it turns out to be a slamming movie, I'll definitely give Tyler his props for it.

But let's focus on the big picture, pardon the pun. If you wish to see more quality Black films coming from Hollywood, you have to send that message with your box office dollars before Hollywood hears it.

M&M's Elections

While we have a more important one happening in the States on November 2, M&M's is giving you an opportunity to vote for your fave spokescandy until July 15.

It's a vote early and often affair, so you get to vote once a day until that date. It's also part of a sweepstakes that pays $50K to the Grand Prize winner.



There have been over 3 million votes cast so far, and if you're curious as to which spokescandy is leading right now it's Green with 23% of the votes cast.

Yellow is seconds with 21%, Orange at 19%, Blue at 19% and Red at 18%.

As to who I voted for? The estrogen based spokescandy of course.

2010 Battle of the Bands

If you watched the movie Drumline, you got a taste of this event that will be happening this Saturday in the ATL.

The 2010 edition of the Honda Battle of the Bands will be rocking the Georgia Dome starting at 3 PM. There will be nearly 65,000 fans cheering and dancing to the music of eight HBCU bands in what promises to be a very entertaining evening.

From 10 AM-2 PM there will be a HBCU Recruitment Fair that will be a great opportunity for young students to check out the various universities and colleges.

There were 41 bands that started on the road to the ATL, and these are the final eight HBCU bands selected to be part of the Georgia Dome fun.

Clark Atlanta University Mighty Marching Panthers
Virginia State University Marching Trojan Explosion
North Carolina Central University Marching Sound Machine
Prairie View A & M University Marching Storm
Southern University Human Jukebox Marching Band
Albany State University Marching Rams
Tuskegee University Marching Crimson Piper Band
Florida A & M University Marching 100

While there won't be a final winner selected like there was in the movie, the 60,000 people dancing in the aisles will be the judges on which band 'won'.

Since I have family members who have gone to various SWAC schools such as TSU and PVAMU and my dad was a play by play announcer for TSU athletics, I'm a SWAC band fan. I've seen all of the SWAC bands perform including the two that are representing the SWAC at this event from Prairie View A&M and Southern University.

I was surprised to see that Grambling elected not to participate this year.

But I have to give it up to the Florida A&M Marching 100 who are probably the faves going into this among the crowd that will be watching in the Georgia Dome Saturday.



Of course, I'm rooting for the homeboys and girls from Prairie View.

Y'all Already Have WET And The NAAWP, So Stop Trippin'

Whenever you have a situation in which a white person acting in a racist manner gets called on it by African American or other people of color, the first thing that comes out of their mouths besides a weak 'I'm not racist' comment is a tired overused meme.

If you peruse the comment threads for the defenders of racist white people behaving badly, the first thing they'll say is, 'Well, Black people have BET and the NAACP, why can't we have a WET, a Congressional White Caucus or a NAAWP?' or some variation of the above weak line.

Some of you swimming in vanilla flavored privilege fail to realize that you already have White Entertainment Television. It's called NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, MTV and every other cable network besides Telemundo, BET and TVOne.

And of the three, guess which one is owned by a Black person.

If you said BET, wrong. While Telemundo was founded by Angel Ramos in 1954 it's an NBC network. Black Entertainment Television is owned by Viacom, not Bob Johnson.

TVOne is the Black owned cable network, and thank you Cathy Hughes for not only ensuring Black radio's survival into the 21st century by founding and being the chairperson of RadioOne, but saving us from Buffoonery Everyday Television.

As a matter of fact, the bitterly sarcastic joke in the African American community concerning NBC is that its letters stand for 'Nothing But Caucasians' in reference to its less than diverse programming. The last time NBC had any shows on with predominately Black casts was 'Cosby' and 'A Different World'.



As for the NAAWP, the National Association For The Advancement of White Privilege and the Congressional White Caucus, it exists too.

The Congressional White Caucus is called the Republican Party. The NAAWP is the Republican Party, the Conservative movement and the interlinked spiderweb of organizations connected to it.

Everything in this culture and our society revolves around whiteness. Because of the Jim Crow segregation you started and maintained for 100 years and the near genocidal level of violence directed at us, for our own edification, safety, survival and cultural uplift we've had to form all Black organizations in which our culture and our people are celebrated, not denigrated.

That's why the NAACP exists. Black newspapers. Black magazines. Black Greek letter fraternities and sororities. Black social clubs such as The Links and 100 Black Men. Historically Black colleges and universities. Black music. Black radio. The Miss Black America Pageant. Black authors and poets writing books and poetry steeped in our culture. Black History Month. The Blackosphere.

Shall I continue?

Y'all already have WET and the NAAWP, so stop trippin'.

Where's The Civility? You're Kidding, Right?

I was shaking my head the other day when CNN and other outlets continued to play Serena's outburst at the just concluded US Open, Kanye West's trip out on Taylor Swift and Joe Wilson's dissing of the POTUS.

Then they asked the question where's the civility in American society?

You're kidding, right? Where in Hades have y'all been for the last twenty years? In a coma?

The conservative movement, the Religious Reich and right wing shock jocks have been attacking, denigrating, falsely labeling, demonizing, slandering and shouting down people for decades and now you say it's a problem?

Where was your concern over Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter and a cavalcade of right wing idiots making patently false but mean spirited statements?

In Michael Savage's case, his hate speech has earned him the distinction of being banned from traveling to Britain.

Where was MSM outrage when over the month of August you said nothing as the GOP Know-Nothings turned town hall meetings on the health care issue into WWE free for alls?

This is a question and a problem you should have highlighted and called out twenty years ago. You're late.

Sarah Luiz Interview Video

The 50's had Christine Jorgenson as a transgender newsmaking icon. In the 60's it was April Ashley and Coccinelle. In the 70's it was Renee Richards and Caroline 'Tula' Cossey.

In the 80's Sarah Luiz was one of the newsmaking transwomen of that decade. Sarah first burst onto the scene with her very public fight to have her SRS covered by her Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance, a battle she eventually won.

Sarah was also hitting the talk show and interview circuit during the 80's and early 90's. In addition to being an inspiration for the transkids and others like myself grappling with the issue at that time, she spread the word that all we transwomen wanted was to live our lives out like everyone else with a minimum of drama.

Here's one of those talk show interviews from the Jane Whitney Show.



Thanks Sarah for standing up and fighting for us then so we could stand tall now.

Contestant No. 2

You know I love pageants and have documented on TransGriot the various transgender ones around the world that happen.

We've had some fierce debates about the relevance of them and will have them again. I still line up on the side of people who see pageants as a stepping stone to a better life or for who winning them is their dream.

So with that being said, I was intrigued by an episode of PBS Wide Angle documentary series called 'Contestant No 2' which began running on PBS July 29.

It documents the story of Duah Feres, a young Arab-Israeli Druze woman who dreams of a life beyond her Galilee village. Her decision to enter the Miss Israel pageant triggers a chain of events that impact Duah, her family and her village.

It also leads us to ask the question how far can an idealistic youth trying to live her life and achieve her dreams go to challenge the conservative mores and attitudes of her people? How far will the older generation go to enforce their will and their values on her?

It was a fascinating documentary to watch. You feel for Duah, who literally put her life on the line to do it. It was filmed in 2006, so I'm wondering what Duah's life is like now.

But I don't want to spoil the Wide Angle episode for you, so I'll let y'all watch it for yourselves and comment below.

Saggin' Pants

TransGriot Note: It's time for another one of my song rewrites. This time with the help of TLC, I'm taking dead aim at the (thankfully) diminishing number of peeps who love wearing saggin' pants, an unfortunate relic of prison culture that needs to go the way of the jerri curl and 8 track tapes.

Saggin' Pants'
(sung to the tune of 'Girl Talk' by TLC)

You see I had this brother who was mad at me
Because I dissed his pants that were saggin'
Told the truth so I really don't give a damn
Cause saggin' pants I'm about to slam (oh)
Some of y'all say what's the fuss
Saggin' is prison speak damn
Saying you like being a bottom man
We women wanna know these thangs
If you like to ride the ding a ling

(bridge)
Pull 'em up
If you don't want peeps to talk
And don't want your feelings hurt
Pull 'em up
Cause if you don't
Peeps are gonna tell the world

(chorus)
Peeps talkin' bout your draws being out there
Damn right we're talkin' all about ya
Don't forget about this little mantra
'Cause your pants are saggin'
Your pants are saggin'
Don't wanna see your booty too
You're not walking you're waddling boo
Time to change your jacked up worldview
'Cause your pants are saggin'
Your pants are saggin'

Listen y'all need to know this
You're not welcome in anybody's business
You're gettin' mad because of it
Pull 'em up and there won't be no shyt (oh)
Some of y'all be killin me
Thinkin' you cool
But you're more like a comedy
Dissing you got your pressure going
But we hate seeing your draws showin'

Pull 'em up
If you don't want peeps to talk
And don't want your feelings hurt
Pull 'em up
Cause if you don't
Peeps are gonna tell the world

Peeps talkin' bout your draws being out there
Damn right we're talkin' all about ya
Don't forget about this little mantra
'Cause your pants are saggin'
Your pants are saggin'
Don't wanna see your booty too
You're not walking you're waddling boo
Time to change your jacked up worldview
Cause your pants are saggin'
Your pants are saggin'

What up papi
You think you got game?
(Well holla at me)
Your saggin' pants are really lame
Don't make ya happy
Pull up the Lee's
And you'll get some TLC
You got the pants below your booty
And that ain't me
You be killin' us with the pants that don't fit
And your fashion sense is illegit
Please get a new approach
Your fashion game's a joke
Signallin' prison style you like rear end pokes
I'm bigger than that
Time to face the fact
Saggin' is history
And seriously wacked
If it's the last call for alcohol
You can't meet me at the bar
They won't let you in the club
To meet the superstars (yeah)

Peeps talkin' about your draws being out there
Dann right we're talkin' all about ya
Don't forget about this little mantra
Cause your pants are saggin'
Your pants are saggin'
Don't wanna see your booty too
You're not walking your waddling boo
Time to change your jacked up worldview
Cause your pants are saggin'
Your pants are saggin'

Why The Ignorance About Canada?

You long time TransGriot readers have probably noticed that I write a lot of posts geared toward our northern neighbors.

It's not an accident. Even before I ended up with a dear friend who resides north of the border I was fascinated by the Great White North. I noted as an African American the close cultural, spiritual and historic ties we share with our African descended brothers and sisters north of the border.

The Canadians are our largest international trading partner, and we share a long 5000 kilometer (3145 mile) border with them stretching from the Arctic Ocean along the Alaskan frontier, through the Pacific Northwest, passing through the Great Lakes and eventually ending at the Atlantic Ocean.

So it amazes me sometimes just how ignorant some Americans are about basic Canadian geography, much less their politics and their culture.

There are Canadians who can break down the US political system better than American natives and know our capital is in Washington DC. I'm willing to bet my next paycheck that many Americans not only couldn't tell you what the capital of Canada is but find it on a map.

Hint, it's in Ontario. And no it ain't Toronto. That's Ontario's provincial capital.

Speaking of provincial capitals, how many Americans can tell you what those provincial capitals are, much less name the provinces and territories off the top of their heads?

In terms of politics, who is the Prime Minister of Canada? What party does he belong to? Can you name the five major Canadian political parties? You get bonus points if you can name the leaders of those five parties as well.

And who is the current Governor General of Canada and what is the significance of the job?

Like I said, Canadians not only can tell you that, they can break down our politics as well.

When you have the second largest nation on the planet next door to you, it behooves you to know as much about them as they know about us.

For example, one thing you can't underestimate is a Canadian's love for Tim Horton's. They're a quintessential slice of Canadiana that symbolizes 'home' to just about every Canuck living inside or outside of the Great White North.

Timmy's coffee's is the bomb, too.

Wanna make an expat Canadian your BFF? Find a way to get them some Timmy's coffee.

I guess because I'm a person who wants to be informed, desires to be able to intelligently converse with anyone on the planet on any issue, maybe mine is a minority opinion.

Hey, they're our neighbors, and we should know as much about Canada as possible instead of walking around in ignorance. Maybe some Americans feel comfortable wallowing in it, but I'm not one of them.

On that note, in honor of Canada Day, I'm going to do some more reading on famous Black Canadians. It'll also be checking the Timmy's website to see how close one is to Louisville.

The Muxe Of Mexico

TransGriot Note: The New York Times published this interesting story about the Muxe of the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca. As I and other transgender people have pointed out, there are various cultures around the world that make room for either a third gender category or simply make room for those who feel from birth they are female to live their lives.


A Lifestyle Distinct: The Muxe of Mexico

By MARC LACEY
Published: December 6, 2008
Katie Orlinsky contributed reporting and photos from Juchitán, Mexico

Mexico City — Mexico can be intolerant of homosexuality; it can also be quite liberal. Gay-bashing incidents are not uncommon in the countryside, where many Mexicans consider homosexuality a sin. In Mexico City, meanwhile, same-sex domestic partnerships are legally recognized — and often celebrated lavishly in government offices as if they were marriages.

But nowhere are attitudes toward sex and gender quite as elastic as in the far reaches of the southern state of Oaxaca. There, in the indigenous communities around the town of Juchitán, the world is not divided simply into gay and straight. The local Zapotec people have made room for a third category, which they call “muxes” (pronounced MOO-shays) — men who consider themselves women and live in a socially sanctioned netherworld between the two genders.

“Muxe” is a Zapotec word derived from the Spanish “mujer,” or woman; it is reserved for males who, from boyhood, have felt themselves drawn to living as a woman, anticipating roles set out for them by the community.

Anthropologists trace the acceptance of people of mixed gender to pre-Colombian Mexico, pointing to accounts of cross-dressing Aztec priests and Mayan gods who were male and female at the same time. Spanish colonizers wiped out most of those attitudes in the 1500s by forcing conversion to Catholicism. But mixed-gender identities managed to survive in the area around Juchitán, a place so traditional that many people speak ancient Zapotec instead of Spanish.

Not all muxes express their identities the same way. Some dress as women and take hormones to change their bodies. Others favor male clothes. What they share is that the community accepts them; many in it believe that muxes have special intellectual and artistic gifts.

Every November, muxes inundate the town for a grand ball that attracts local men, women and children as well as outsiders. A queen is selected; the mayor crowns her. “I don’t care what people say,” said Sebastian Sarmienta, the boyfriend of a muxe, Ninel Castillejo García. “There are some people who get uncomfortable. I don’t see a problem. What is so bad about it?”

Muxes are found in all walks of life in Juchitán, but most take on traditional female roles — selling in the market, embroidering traditional garments, cooking at home. Some also become sex workers, selling their services to men.

Acceptance of a child who feels he is a muxe is not unanimous; some parents force such children to fend for themselves. But the far more common sentiment appears to be that of a woman who takes care of her grandson, Carmelo, 13.

“It is how God sent him,” she said.

The Hippest Trip In America

Don Cornelius getting busted last Friday in LA triggered memories about my favorite way in my teens to enjoy a Saturday besides watching my favorite cartoons.

The show was Soul Train and to me and every other African-American kid growing up in the 70's, 80's, 90's and part of the 2K's, it was Must See TV.

It was our version of American Bandstand and Don Cornelius was our Dick Clark. I tuned in to KHTV 39 at noon to see the latest dances, the latest fashions and hear the latest music.

And because I was on the wrong side of the gender fence at the time, I was also jealously envious of the sistahs on that show.




You also got to see the Soul Train Dancers forming that world famous Soul Train Line and either coolly or in some cases acrobatically moving and grooving their way down the end of it.







Some of the peeps who danced on Soul Train over the years included Rosie Perez, Carmen Electra, Nick Cannon, MC Hammer, Jermaine Stewart, Fred "Rerun" Berry, Pebbles, and NFL legend Walter Payton. Jody Watley and Jeffery Daniel danced on the show before becoming (along with Howard Hewitt) two-thirds of the group Shalamar.

It was also the place where we tuned in to see our artists (even if some of them were lip-synching to the songs).


The Commodores 1974



Chic 1978



Teena Marie 1980



Morris Day and The Time 1982



Vanity 6 1984



After a 35 year run, 1117 episodes and several guest hosts after Don Cornelius stepped down in 1993, Soul Train ended its historic run in 2006.



Wishing you love. peace and SOUL!

A Transsistah's Secret--SBH Magazine

One of the things I bitched about (and still do on occasion) is my early transition days. When I sought help from my transgender elders in the early 80's, they either blew me off, were tight-lipped about giving out any information that would facilitate my transition, or guarded it like it was the secret recipe for KFC.

Well, for the benefit of you peeps just getting started, I'm not gonna be as shady to y'all as my predecessors were. I will from time to time blog about some of my secrets that helped me become the Phenomenal Transwoman you see before you in all her glory.

Whether it's short, mid length, long, a weave to her butt, curly, wavy, bone-straight, permed, locked or braided, a Black woman's hair is her crowning glory. It expresses her individuality and style.

It can also be a political statement as well. Whether it was Afro's in the 60's and 70's, blonde hair in the late 80's-early 90's, or braids and locs currently are in the 2K's.

If there's one thing that will get a transsistah read faster than you can say 'nappy weave', it's a jacked up hairstyle. It was one of the things pre-transition that I stressed and obsessed over.

So after I found Sadat Busari, my former hairdresser in H-town, I began to search for the perfect hairstyle that fit me. My search led me directly to the magazine rack to pick up a copy of Sophisticate's Black Hair.

Sophisticate's Black Hair, or SBH for short, is a Chicago-based publication edited by Jocelyn P. Amador. For over two decades it has not only shown us the many creative ways we sistahs wear our hair, it also included informative articles about how to maintain the style after you left the salon, and also how to maintain our hair so it stays strong and healthy.

It's also chock full of clip and snip examples of various hairstyles so that you can take the one you like to your friendly neighborhood stylist and let her hook your hair up to your satisfaction.

Like EBONY, ESSENCE, Jet and Black Enterprise magazines, SBH is an iconic slice of African-American culture. It also has a mission of celebrating Black beauty. It has celebrity photo layouts in every issue in which they share their beauty tips. I was aware of SBH because I loved me some Jayne Kennedy Overton back in the day (and still do), and she was SBH's first cover model back in 1984.

I still have old SBH issues in my possession, and interestingly enough they serve as an African-American cultural time capsule. Not only do I get a kick out of seeing what hairstyles were popular back in the day, many of the celebrity layouts reflected popular cultural icons of the day such as Phylicia Rashad, Jasmine Guy, Robin Givens, Gabrielle Union, and Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon just to name a few. It also features up and coming stage, screen and music stars as well.

I never miss their anniversary issue, which features the Top 10 Best Style Women as voted on by SBH readers. BTW, for 2008 its Mary J. Blige, Keyshia Cole, Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Eve, Tyra Banks, Kimora Lee Simmons, Halle Berry, Rihanna, and Queen Latifah.

As it approaches its 25th anniversary, I have much love for Sophisticate's Black Hair magazine. I gleaned a few style ideas from it that Sadat easily tweaked to work for me. I also have to give SBH a shout out for reminding us and the world just how beautiful African-American women really are and not letting us forget it.

Thanks SBH, and may you be around for the next generation of sistahs to read as well.

November 2004 TransGriot Column

Black History Month Lesson: Three Months Early
By Monica Roberts
Copyright 2004, THE LETTER

TransGriot Note: This column originally appeared in THE LETTER in November 2004.

Well folks, by the time you read this the election should’ve already taken place. We’ll either be celebrating the fact that Bush is packing up for a one-way trip to Crawford or we’ll have four more years of mean-spirited misleadership to endure. I pray that the odious amendment to the Kentucky Constitution banning same-sex marriage died a horrible death.

Now, let’s get to the column.

One of the things that’s irritated me about the same-sex marriage amendment battle has been the use of sellout Black ministers to shill for them instead of Dr. Frank Simon and Company.

The Reverend Jerry Stephenson commented during a local September 17 rally that “gay rights activists have hijacked the civil rights movement and that Blacks don’t believe that homosexuals ought to be married.”

Speak for yourself, Rev. Jerry. I believe that if two people love each other and want to get married, it's their business. I could care less whether they’re the same gender or not. Neither the state of Kentucky nor the United States Congress should be attempting to enshrine intolerance in our constitution at the behest of Bible-thumping bigots. I’m in good company. Ambassador Carol Moseley-Braun, Coretta Scott King, Julian Bond, Rep. John Lewis, Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Rev. Al Sharpton, Dr. Joycelyn Elders, Whoopi Goldberg, and former San Francisco mayor Willie Brown are some of the folks with our skin pigmentation that agree with me. By the way reverend, I am also a Christian.

Let me get back to focusing on Rev. Stephenson’s ignorant assertion that gays have hijacked the civil rights movement. He and the rest of his fellow Stepford Negroes got that talking point directly from the Concerned Women for America, an organization that has been less than friendly to African-Americans and our issues over the years.

By the way Rev. Stephenson, since you were sleeping in class during Black History Month, let me hip you to the fact that gays and lesbians played a major role in the Civil Rights Movement. Can you say Bayard Rustin? I thought you could.

This gay Black man was not only a co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with Dr. Martin Luther King, but was one of his principal strategic advisors. Rustin was the person who introduced Dr. King to Gandhi’s non-violence philosophy, the major ingredient in the series of campaigns that won passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He was also lead organizer of the 1963 March on Washington in which Dr. King gave his immortal ‘I Have a Dream’ speech.

Coretta Scott King pointed out during a April 1998 speech to the 25th Anniversary Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund luncheon that “Gays and lesbians stood up for civil rights in Montgomery, Selma, Albany GA, St. Augustine FL and many other campaigns of the Civil Rights Movement.” She said that “Many of these courageous men and women were fighting for my freedom at a time when they could find few voices for their own, and I salute their contributions.”

She also had this to say about gay rights and the civil rights movement:

"We have a lot more work to do in our common struggle against bigotry and discrimination. I say “common struggle” because I believe very strongly that all forms of bigotry and discrimination are equally wrong and should be opposed by right-thinking Americans everywhere. Freedom from discrimination based on sexual orientation is surely a fundamental human right in any great democracy, as much as freedom from racial, religious, gender, or ethnic discrimination."

Amen, Mrs King.