Au Revoir, Coccinelle

Five years ago today pioneering transwoman Jacqueline-Charlotte Dufresnoy, better known by her stage name of Coccinelle, died in Marseilles, France on this date in 2006 after suffering a stroke in May of that year..

She was born 80 years ago in Paris on August 23, 1931 and became in 1958 the first European transwoman to have SRS surgery with pioneering Moroccan gynecologist Dr. Georges Burou.  She was married three times in her life, appeared in movies and cabaret shows, turned down a lucrative offer to perform with Bob Hope, and was a tireless advocate for the human rights of French transwomen.










Au revoir, Coccinelle.   You are missed.

RIP Vesta Williams

Was shocked to hear during one of my OUT on the Hill sessions on Friday that singer Vesta Williams was found dead in a California hotel room on Thursday.  She was scheduled to be part of the DIVAS Simply Singing performance next month.

I had the pleasure of meeting Vesta and having a long conversation with her during my airline days in which I discovered we had in common our parents being in the radio biz.  

She was one sweet lady.and girlfriend could sing, too.  She had six Top 10 Billboard R&B chart singles in the 1980's and 1990's.  Some of her hit songs peeps might recognize are 'Sweet Sweet Love', 'Special', and 'Congratulations'.

Unfortunately she'll no longer be around to do that any more.    Rest in peace, Vesta.

Tell Peeps You Love And Appreciate Them While They Are Still Here

In the last week and a half we've had two iconic African American trans activists pass away in the trans community in the persons of Dana Turner and now sadly Tracy Bumpus.

One of the things that is bugging me right now in addition to losing them is that I was planning to do TransGriot Ten Questions Interviews with both persons because of the history they represent that is now lost to us because they have left this plane of existence. 

In addition, both were cool people.   I knew Dana personally and was in the process of getting to know Tracy.
   

Time continues moving forward at warp speed and none of us are getting any younger, including the TransGriot who is staring at a milestone birthday next year.   Once upon a time I was one of those newbie trans activists leaning on my then trans elders for guidance, trying to soak up wisdom at every opportunity and learn the history of this community.  Now I'm the one in the position of being the griot as y'all sit around in the shade of my virtual pecan tree and soak up the wisdom I attempt to impart to you.

One of the reasons I'm not as upset about Dana and Tracy's passings is that fortunately I told both of them how much I love and respected them and the work they have done for this community and they have told me the same.  

We get a lot of flack and Hateraid hurled at us as activists from foes and friends, but not enough people telling us thank you for your service to this community.

Dana and Tracy's deaths have jolted me toward a renewed emphasis on the Ten Questions interviews and I definitely want to focus the next few on our iconic trans people such as Tracie Jada O'Brien, Miss Major and Lady Java just to name a few off the top of my head.

It's important not only for me and other transpeople of color to see and hear our history makers tell their stories, but to tell them how much we love and appreciate them while they are still here on Planet Earth.  .   

It does us no good to write a message saying how much we love and appreciate someone when they are no longer around to read them.   Tell them while you are still able to do so because it's a win-win proposition for both parties.  You get to express your love and appreciation to that person, and they get to hear you say it.

Once they are all made up and lying in a coffin or having their ashes scattered at some location of significance to them during their lives after a memorial service it's too late.

Rest In Peace, Dana DeAndra Turner

Was saddened to hear that one of my old friends and fellow advocates in New York, Dana DeAndra Turner passed away in April

Dana was an attorney, role model and powerful transsistah who was part of ICTLEP, had worked for Conscious Contact and the Sylvia Rivera Law Project.   She'd been an award winning advocate for the trans community there and nationally with an emphasis on transwomen of color for over 30 years.

She had overcome some challenges as well.  Dana was diagnosed in 1987 with HIV during her second year of law school at Washington D.C.'s Georgetown University Law Center.  It led to her briefly dropping out of law school, but she returned to ultimately graduate with her Juris Doctorate in 1991.

Armed with her law degree, she focused on the areas of public interest law and relentlessly  campaigning for the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS.

I met her in 1999 during the process of forming NTAC and immediately liked her.   She was a fashionista like myself and had a reputation as a cut to the chase, get it done, tell it like it T-I-S is way of speaking up for underserved populations and issues near and dear to her heart.  

One of my fave memories of Dana is flying up to New York during my Air Marshal days for a memorable visit in which we hung out at her midtown Manhattan place and bounced to a Black gay club on W 14th Street called One Potato Two Potato.

We were talking shop about some trans civil rights issues while a drag show was going on.   The drag artist obviously had a problem with us not focusing our attention on her and sent the alleged assistant manager over to where we were standing to tell us we were disturbing her lousy act.

Dana's infamous wit showed up when she glared at the stage and said as I rolled my eyes at the manager, "Disturbing her act?  Who does she think she is?  This ain't Lincoln Motherfracking Center!"   We then left the club in dramatic fashion to go get pizza as the drag queen causing the drama rolled her eyes at us.

We hadn't been in contact as much since she's been busy with her projects in New York and the last time I talked to her was in January.   I'm going to miss talking to one of the people who helped expand my horizons as an activist and challenged my political thinking at times.. 

Rest in peace, Dana.    You will be missed.  .