Barbecuing Flame Monroe's Ignorant Radio Interview

I met Flame Monroe briefly when he lived in Houston for a hot minute.  We ironically had the same person, Marie Asmar, as our electrologist.   Flame moved back to Chicago and I basically was living my Air Marshal life that morphed into 20 plus years of trailblazing activism on behalf of the trans community.

So when I began to get asked what were my thoughts about Flame Monroe's massively problematic The Breakfast Club  interview, I was still in the midst of traveling between San Francisco and Austin and prepping for the Equality Texas gala. 

So I didn't get to see and hear the video of it until last night, and ugh. what a cluster.   Glad I did so on an empty stomach.

Note to Flame and all you drag queens.   Since you and other drag queens have made it abundantly clear you are female impersonators or men, do all us trans women a favor. Keep your mouths shut about anything relating to trans women when a microphone is in your face or a TV camera is rolling. 

We already have a major problem with cis people conflating trans women and drag queens, which you made worse with the 30 minutes of breathtaking ignorance you spewed the other day.

Far too often when you drag queens open your mouths to talk about trans folks, it turns out to be as in this TBC interview, massively ignorant and wrong.

Leave the media discussions about trans people to trans people trained to handle it or who have the lived experience to do so.  We trans folks are the experts in talking about our trans lives, not some ignorant drag queen.

Let me say this louder for you peeps on The Breakfast Club and 'errbody' else who engages in either innocently or willfully conflating drag queens with trans women.   

Trans women and drag queens are not the same. 

The fact that this cluster of a 30 minute interview happened on The Breakfast Club, which already has raised the ire of the Black trans community with its glaring transphobia problem, and willful anti-trans ignorance being spewed on its airwaves, made this interview all the more egregious and maddening to those of us in Black Trans World who work hard at educating the public on trans issues.

The fact it happened during Trans Awareness Week also adds to the pissivity I and other trans women feel about this hot drag queen mess of an interview.

And I have a major problem with anyone in Black Trans or SGL World who thinks this is 'no big deal'.   This is the kind of ignorant speech you cis peeps cosign that leads to Black trans people getting disrespected, assaulted and killed.

But let me turn my focus on Flame Monroe's azz.

No Boo Boo Kitty, demanding respect for our humanity, human rights and our lives and fighting back against anti-trans oppression is NOT 'forcing your lifestyle on someone else'

Miss me with that bullshyt.   Also miss me with that problematic 'lifestyle' word as well.   Trans people live trans lives, not a 'lifestyle'.

If you think otherwise, question for you.   When did you choose to live a male lifestyle?

And yes Flame, trans women are not only women, trans men are men.  If you actually hit Google every now and then, you would be more aware of that point. You would also be aware of the increasing body of scientific research that comes down on the side of trans people being authentic parts of the diverse mosaic of human life.

You would also be aware that being born with a penis or a vagina doesn't lock step determine whether you are male or female.   Your brain does.   Gender identity is between your ears, not your legs       

Finally, words matter, especially when it comes to media opportunities for a marginalized group.

You set this community's education efforts backwards with this interview, and played right into the transphobic ignorance that The Breakfast Club likes to push on their show.

You may dismiss that fact or even this post as something you don't care about, but I do care about the trans community, and have given 21 years (and counting) of my life to fighting for its human rights.

Your words do matter to the trans folks and trans kids who will be harmed by the cisfolks repeating them, and claiming you're 'keeping it real'. 

You're 'keeping it real' alright.  Real ignorant.

Your words also matter to our enemies who will take what you said in that massive fail of a Breakfast Club interview and weaponize it for use against us.

TransGriot Update: Heard this post and my FOX26 interview plucked Marcus' nerves.  So much for that tough talk the #HeSheDummy was spouting in that studio.    

Houston Evilgelicals File Lawsuit Against Drag Queen Storytime

The same group of professional hatemongers that helped kill the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance are once again trying to force their right wing hatred upon our city.

Yesterday they filed a lawsuit against the Houston Public Library and Mayor Sylvester Turner with the goal of shutting down Drag Queen Storytime

The Drag Queen Storytime has been happening monthly at the Freed- Montrose Neighborhood Library branch  in the historic Montrose gayborhood for two years.   Local drag queens have been on their own time showing up at the library to read to the kids brought there by their parents who obviously don't have a problem with it. 

The goal of Drag Queen Storytime is to not only promote literacy, but give kids in attendance a fun event that promotes healthy self esteem in them.

The faux faith based haters have been protesting the events, with the most recent one happening last month.   Houston city councilman Michael Kubosh has also been on the side of the faith based oppressors, railing against this event back in July. 

The suit in federal court accuses the HPL and Mayor  Turner of being 'recklessly entangled in the LGBT Agenda.'  The lawsuit says the storytelling sessions advertised as appropriate for patrons of all ages at the Freed-Montrose Neighborhood branch should not be funded with taxpayer dollars since the library would not host a “man-woman marriage storytelling hour.”Naw, you clowns don't have that story hour you claim in your lawsuit isn't being hosted because you're too busy working to gleefully oppress TBLGQ people.

The plaintiffs self identify themselves as “Christ followers,” taxpayers and card-carrying library patrons, but have long histories of being opposed to marriage equality.   They also fought the HERO ordinance.  They claim in the suit the Drag Queen Storyline violates their 'freedom of religion'

One of the peeps bringing the anti-storytime lawsuit is Tex Christopher, who claims he homeschooled his children using library books.

Another plaintiff is Chris Sevier, who has filed a number of lawsuits across the country in several states, including one in Houston for the right to marry his laptop.

If men can marry men, Sevier actually has argued, why can’t he marry a computer?  The case was throw out of court in large part because it was designed to get to the SCOTUS so they could have the opportunity to overturn the 2015 Obergefell case.

The plaintiffs also include an evilgelical minister and a woman who claims she got into a custody battle with her husband after he left her for a transgender woman.

What the hell does that alleged divorce proceeding have to do with reading books to kids?
Y'all are just trying to throw anything up on the wall and hope it sticks.

Need to find out what federal judge got assigned the case, but it's probably a safe bet they shopped around for an anti-TBLGQ federal judge to file this lawsuit in.

Stay tuned to see how this case turns out.   

Houston Suburban Hate Pastors Hating On Drag Queen Storytime

Seems like because they're living their boring life in the 'burbs of Katy and Magnolia, Dave Welch and Steven Hotze have nothing better to do than meddle in Houston business.

Drag Queen Storytime was started back in November 2017 by Darius Vallier, a drag queen known as Blackberri for his bearded lady persona.

Vallier was invited by Brazos Bookstore last June to headline its Drag Queen Story Hour for LGBTQ Pride Month.   The event was a smashing success, and the Houston Public Library hired Vallier to host its own Drag Queen Storytime event at the Freed- Montrose Neighborhood Library.

KHOU-TV 11 recently broadcast a story on July 9 about the Drag Queen Storytime event at the Heights Public Library, and that was enough to get the attention of At-Large Councilmember Michael Kubosh and his reprehensible right wing friends.

The Katy based Hotze runs the SPLC certified hate group Conservative Republicans of Texas, and wasted no time sticking his nose in Houston business after being given the heads up by Kubosh at a July 17 council meeting by attacking the event as 'inappropriate for children.' . 

Hotze demanded that the city kill the Drag Queen Storytime, and compared it to pedophilia. 

Really fool?  Since when do you have credibility to talk about anything since A, you don't live in the city of Houston and B, you run a hate group.  Welch and his US Pastors Council are now joining the fray since the DQSH program is a nationwide one they have been sleeping on. .

Meanwhile the Houston GLBT Caucus has weighed in with a statement supporting the event.

But the big mic drop comment belongs to Vallier.

“I do it for me and the kids, not for attention,” said Blackberri, aka Darius Vallier. “I strive for a better tomorrow where hate and ignorance is overshadowed by love and acceptance. I didn’t even know the news was going to be there, so I am happy that accepting people now know about the programs. If anyone thinks that a drag queen taking the time out of their day to read to children and make them smile is a problem, they are more than welcome to volunteer their time like I did and read to children themselves.”

Nope.  Hotze, Welch and all their hate pastors are too busy gleefully coordinating oppression against the Texas TBLGQ community to take time out of their day to read to kids like you are doing.