The Next Houston Mayor Is..

Sylvester Turner!

The Houston runoff election was yesterday with early voting concluding on Wednesday.  \It was tight, but thanks to the voters in the Ft. Bend County southwest section of the city, the early vote, and the unions that knocked on doors and turned out the vote, the kid from Acres Homes that grew up to attend the University of Houston, Harvard Law and has repped his old neighborhood for 26 years in the Texas Lege will be our next mayor.

When he is inaugurated as our 62nd mayor in January, Turner will become the second African-American mayor of Houston, but the first African-American Houstonian to be elected to the job.

Turner surprisingly came out of early voting when it closed Wednesday with a healthy 4% point lead, but the King voters came out to play today and made it a nailbiting evening.   The overwhelming 3728-227 Turner win in Ft. Bend County put him over the top, and King conceded at 10:35 PM.

And in this one, every vote counted.

In his victory speech at the George R. Brown Convention Center Mayor-elect Turner promised to be a mayor for all Houstonians.

"In this room tonight you see a reflection of the City of Houston.  Whether you voted for me or not as we move forward is irrelevant.  As far as I'm concerned, from this day as we move forward, I will do my very, very, very best to represent every single Houstonian in this city, whether you voted for me or not. Every part of this city deserves to be represented."

And yeah will be reminding you from tonight through this first term that trans Houstonians live in the 700 square miles of Texas soil we call home and are some of the 2.2 million Houstonians you'll represent starting in January.

Looks like I'll need to make plans to be at this historic inauguration at the Wortham Theater in January and the first city council public comment meeting in 2016 to remind the mayor-elect and the new council members that trans people are Houstonians, too  

Naw Bill King, You Are The Problem

And I don't want you vanillacentric privileged teabagging behind in the mayor's chair.

You couldn't even run Kemah efficiently, so what makes you and the Tea Klux Klan think you can run my hometown?  Not no but hell no.

Don't let this man become the next Houston mayor.  Take your behinds to the polls toady and make sure this transphobe doesn't get elected to office.

Last Chance To Vote For Houston Mayor Saturday

Been hearing some disturbing chatter that there are elements of the Houston LGBT community who are voting against their own political interests for the mayoral candidate who is NOT concerned with their human rights.

And that candidate NOT concerned about your human rights is the one who looks like you and who is endorsed by Steven Hotze and Ted Cruz.

If you wish to see HERO 2.0 happen, it would be in your best interests to head down to your local polling place Saturday and cast your vote for Sylvester Turner, not the carpetbagger who couldn't even run Kemah correctly.

There are also pro-HERO city council candidates who will need your support Saturday.

And just to make it clear where Turner stands on revisiting HERO, here's the open letter he wrote that explains his position.

Early voting ended yesterday, and this election us tight.  I don't want my hometown going 'back to basics', I want it moving forward as a city, especially on the human rights front.

My vote is already in the can since I went for early voting and has been counted.

I and your fellow progressive Houstonians need those of you who haven't done so yet to handle your electoral business on Saturday.

Every vote matters.  And I don't want to see the wrong persons getting inaugurated at the Wortham Theater on New Year's Day.

The Fight To Keep HERO - November 2

It's election eve, and I'm nervous that this election to keep HERO is tight going into Election Day tomorrow morning.

And it shouldn't be.

As I have pointed out repeatedly since last August, I have not been happy about the way this HRC funded campaign has been run from the initial August 12 press conference.  I have been appalled at the lack of outreach done to the Houston Black community which would probably decide this election being that it is also a city mayoral election with two African Americans on the ballot.

Councilmember Jerry Davis (who voted YES for HERO passage last year) basically spelled it out what needed to be done in order to defend the law and ensure it won at the ballot box.



So did myself and many other African-American HERO supporters.

I have also been scratching my head at the ongoing human rights malpractice as to why Houston Unites hasn't pointed out the consequences of what WILL happen to Houston economically if Prop 1 isn't approved.
-TransGriot  September 21. 2015

'The bottom line is that the HERO opposition has been since last May disseminating lies about HERO unchallenged. This election will probably be decided in Black neighborhoods, and we must get accurate information to our people to counteract the right wing lies.' 
--TransGriot, September 30, 2015

What we did get is a whitewashed campaign that didn't do enough to destroy the only political card the HERO haters could play in the bathroom meme attack,   It failed to point out the Texas and Harris County Republican Party and suburban right-wing activists were gleefully behind killing the HERO, and let nonstop anti-HERO commercials on Houston Black radio stations go unanswered. They were reacting instead of being on the attack, and that's a recipe for an electoral loss.

And if you think Moni is selling woof tickets about the Texas GOP involvement in this fight to keep the HERO, peep what Gov. Greg Abbott (R) had to say in this tweet about the HERO.

What a surprise.  As usual, Texas Republicans on the wrong side of a human rights issue.

But back to the numerous problematic ways this Houston Unites campaign evolved, right down to them making the mistake at their own press conference of validating the bathroom predator lie.

We got commercials that didn't include the community being demonized in Houston trans people, or give them air time to debunk the lies.   I commend Houston Latinx media for actually airing Latina trans people in HERO stories on their news stations to combat the lies, but a similar and critically needed effort featuring a Black trans person didn't happen for the Black community, and you had a GLAAD media trained trans person standing by ready to do battle with the lying pastors.

We also got too little too late outreach to the Latino and African-American communities as well and a bunch of late endorsements in favor of it that should have been rolling in BEFORE early voting started.

And what little outreach was done was handled by African Americans For HERO, the grassroots group that formed because of our alarm in Black Houston activist circles in terms of how the Houston Unites campaign was going.

And it's not just Moni who believes this HERO defense campaign was Prop 8 2.0 in terms of the critical mistake made in not reaching out to the Houston African-American community and listening to those of us who do grassroots activism in it.  Tarah Taylor wrote this on her Facebook page back on September 23.

***

So I'm going to go ahead and say what everybody's whispering about because not saying it does my people a disservice 

WE WILL LOSE ON HERO IN NOVEMBER.  

Why? Because nonprofit interest groups are choosing to IGNORE the black community - the group that benefits the most from HERO and has the most opposition to the ordinance.The field is wrong, timing is wrong, staff is wrong, marketing is wrong, offense is wrong, defense is wrong. 

All who are involved, I love y'all, has nothing to do with you personally but the grant money has you locked into a strategy that WILL NOT WORK and only caters to one marginalized group. And the black community that supports HERO doesn't appreciate your late response to our issues if there is a response at all - hasn't been one yet.

 Can we fix it? Yes, but you'll have to make some alliances, hold supporting organizations accountable, cut some turf in black neighborhoods, and knock those doors WITH THE RIGHT messengers IMMEDIATELY!

If y'all are mad about be saying it, imagine how mad I am watching this get thrown together and go down in flames 

HERO has volunteers that WANT to canvas the black neighborhoods to talk about racial issues but there's no infrastructure set up for it. Good portion of black voters vote by mail, mail-in ballots go out next week. WTF? 

Where's the strategy and field plan for women voters? Veteran voters? DisABLEd voters? Religious voters, business owners... I mean, what are we doing here???

In the words of Dr. Cleo Manago, you cannot talk to black people about a human rights issue using a white LGBT framework.

***

And when the Houston NAACP has a gala on Friday night and they don't even mention the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance that I and many Houstonians fought tooth and nail to get passed, there's a problem.

I hope and pray tomorrow that the people voting at polling places across the city will do the right thing and vote to keep a human rights ordinance that protects 15 categories of Houstonians.

But right now, I'm not feeling confident that will happen.

Liberal Red Tide In 2015 Canadian Federal Election

Got to my P-town digs at Dyer's Barn from the Debutante Balls performance last night of Scott Turner Schofield to discover that the Liberals did complete that historic comeback from being nearly wiped out as a majority party by the Conservatives in 2011 to getting a majority government .

In the longest campaign in modern Canadian history at 78 days (we wish ours in the US were that short) the Liberals went from having 36 seats after the 2011 federal election to winning an astounding 184 seats and being able to form a majority government.   The red tide that swept the country was so complete they even won four seats in Alberta.

After nine years of running thangs in the Great White North, Stephen Harper will no longer be Prime Minister of Canada or the Conservative Party leader because they lost 60 seats

Hallelujah!   But he will still be one of 99 Conservative Party MP's representing the Calgary Heritage riding.  Green Party leader Elizabeth May held on to her Saanich-Gulf Islands riding.

Taking over on November 4 will be Justin Trudeau as the man leading our northern neighbors and the Canadians in attendance here at Fantasia Fair I have had the opportunity to talk to about it definitely approve.




In addition to all the historic firsts in this election, Prime Minister designate Trudeau will n ot only become the second youngest Canadian Prime Minister at 43, but also become the first child of a prime minister to also be elected to office.

So as I got to flip on the cable and check out the coverage of the election and Trudeau's speech, it was a red tide that began in Atlantic Canada as the Liberals swept all 32 ridings available in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick.

But one of the Atlantic Canada casualties was a Halifax riding that was represented by a friend of the Canadian trans community in NDP deputy leader and MP Megan Leslie.  That Liberal red tide also broke up the NDP's Fortress Quebec as they gained seats at the expense of the NDP, and the Bloc Quebecois also claimed 10 ridings

Another NDP friend of the community also lost in Olivia Chow as her Toronto area riding was one 80 in Ontario that went to the Liberals as took seats away in the GTA from the Conservatives and NDP.

The good news for our Canadian trans friends besides the Conservatives being defeated was that NDP MP Randall Garrison, who sponsored C-279 the Trans Rights Bill that got killed by the unelected and Conservative dominated Senate, was elected in the redrawn riding of Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke.  

But the NDP on this disastrous night for them went from being the Official Opposition to third party status as they lost 51 seats to be at for them a frustrating 44 seats when the new parliament is seated in an election that they felt going in on August 2 was winnable, along with a possible NDP led minority government.

But it was a historic night for the Liberals, and a joyous for Canadians fed up with the direction that the Conservatives and PM Stephen Harper were taking their country.

 

The Fight To Keep HERO-October 19

Early voting starts today, and over the weekend there was a rally and canvassing done to ensure our fellow Houstonians are well versed on what's at stake in this critical battle to keep the HERO as part of Houston City Code of Ordinances.

There was a canvass and rally on Saturday hosted by Resurrection MCC in the Heights, and one of the speaker was attorney Dan Scarbrough.   You may recall that he and two friends were denied entrance into the Gaslamp hate club in Midtown.

Early voting starts today and runs through October 30, so handle your electoral business. For those of you planning to get your vote on today, here's the link to find an early voting location near you.

The Texas Voter Suppression law is still in effect for now), so you will need the orange voter registration card and the conservatively approved photo ID before the clerk let you handle your electoral business.

In other HERO various organizations are still coming out in favor of Prop 1. The Texas AARP has become the latest group to urge the passage of Prop 1.

"For older workers, grandparents, unpaid family caregivers, and others age 50 and older who bring vitality to Houston, there's good reason to afford them and others the protections offered by Proposition 1 (HERO)."
- Bob Jackson, Texas Director of AARP

The Houston Association of Realtors, who supports the passage of Prop 1  also published this recent statement debunking the bathroom predator myth  

"The ordinance originally included language that specifically mentioned the use of restrooms. That section of the ordinance was removed in May 2014 and is not included in the language on which you will be voting. The ordinance does include protection from discrimination in areas of “public accommodation,” which is defined as any business that offers a product or service for sale from a physical location. There is already a long-standing law in the City of Houston that makes it illegal for someone to enter a restroom designated for the opposite gender with the intent to cause a disturbance, cause harm or harass anyone. This ordinance does not change that; it will still be illegal for a man to go in a women’s restroom."

The law the HAR referenced in their bigot busting statement is Section 28-20.  And it was yours truly and other trans leaders who called for the removal of that bathroom language because it was problematic.

The  Houston Chronicle has published another editorial calling for our fellow Houstonians to judge HERO on the merits and not the debunked lies of the opposition.

And yes, even though early voting has started, the big day is still November 3 when the votes get counted, so we still have to endure a bunch of commercials in this hotly contested campaign to keep HERO and in the mayor's race that is heating up.

And I'm going to close this post out with the final paragraph of the Chronicle's editorial.

Houston is a big city, a big-hearted city.  To allow small-minded arguments, fraudulent claims and cynical tactics to prevail om Election day would be a repudiation of core values that are intrinsically Houston. 

This great city is bigger than that.

Vote YES on Prop 1

The Fight To Keep HERO- October 15

I've pointed out that the HERO haters are predominately conservative Republicans who live in the 'burbs and are sticking their noses in Houston human rights business.

Part of the reason they are doing so is because the Texas and Harris County GOP is 'scurred' about what term-limited Mayor Annise Parker will do politically once she turns the mayors office over to her successor in January.

Well, got more evidence of Texas GOP interference in Houston human rights business with the announcement that Texas Lt Governor Dan Patrick dropped $10,000 for the anti-HERO efforts.

There was also a surprising donation from Bob McNair, the owner of the Houston Texans.   While he has been a heavy donor to GOP causes in the past, you would think that he would have stayed out of this HERO fight seeing that his  team is slated to host the Super Bowl in 2017.

But to the consternation and disgust of many longtime Texans fans like myself, McNair has revealed himself to be an enabler of  human rights oppression.

And that's aggravating not only to me, and the Houston LGBT fans of the Texans, but all Texans fans who support Prop 1 staying in the Houston city Code of Ordinances.

While I'm pissed off at Bob McNair, the real threat is people like Ben Hall and Bill King, who are running for mayor, and Herlinda Garcia and Kendall Baker who are running for council.

ALL of them oppose the HERO.  Baker and Garcia have lent their voices to the reprehensible radio ads that are blanketing Black radio stations in town and we have been asking Houston Unites since August to hit back hard against.

That unchecked ignorance has filtered down to the community, and who is going to pay for it?   Black LGBT people, and specifically Black trans people from the violence that will be directed at us because of those straight up lies being told by Hall and his transphobic friends.

Hall has been lying through his teeth about the HERO, and produced the bathroom commercial that is desecrating our airwaves right now.

And Baker is particularly slimy because his azz was spewing anti-trans predator venom last year during the HERO passage battle as one of Dave Welch's kneegrow sellouts while his behind was getting fired from the city for being a sexual harasser.

Once again, who are the sexual predators?  They are repeatedly proving themselves to be you good predominately white and conservative 'Christian' folks.

As I have repeatedly  reminded you, the most dangerous bigots are the ones who have the power to write legislation, and it is vitally important that we not only ensure that Prop 1 passes, but we also elect people to the mayor's chair and City Council who will protect, defend and make HERO better, not kill it.

Early voting is starting Monday people/   Let's handle our electoral business.


   

The Fight To Keep HERO-September 12

As I keep relentlessly pointing out, the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance covers 15 categories, and is a local remedy for the discrimination that our opponents are trying to claim isn't happening..

The straight up lie our opposition continues to try to tell that it is an ordinance only for TBLG Houston is ludicrous. I've pointed out (and will continue to do so until November 3 and beyond) the mind-numbing idiocy of a loud and wrong small cadre of African-American Houstonians opposing the HERO when 54% of the HERO complaints received by the Houston Office of Inspector General between May 28, 2014-January 15, 2015 are race based discrimination, and another 17% are gender discrimination based on a debunked right wing lie..

That's two of the 15 HERO categories that once again, protect Houstonians from housing, public accommodations and employment discrimination based on  sex, race, age, color, gender, familial status, national origin, veterans status, genetic information, disability, gender identity, marital status, pregnancy, religion, and sexual orientation..

This commentary from Brandon Ball, Dan Scarbrough, and Ken Piggee speaks volumes about the discrimination going on in H-ton that needs to be addressed.

We can end this unjust discriminatory activity inside the Houston city limits and provide a local remedy for addressing it by ignoring the haters fear and smear tactics and voting YES on Proposition 1 to keep HERO on November 3.

And now, let me present Brandon Ball, Dan Scarbrough, and Ken Piggee, fellow Black Houstonians who were discriminated against last night when they attempted to enter a Midtown area bar.

***

My name is Brandon Ball. I am 32 years old. I am African American. Tonight I was with my friends Dan Scarbrough (42) and Ken Piggee (43). Both are also African American. We were in the Midtown area of Houston, TX tonight and tried to go into The Gaslamp. Both Dan and Ken had on blazers. I had on a button up and slacks. When we walked up the guy at the door told us $20 each (pictured below in the long sleeve shirt). We didn't want to pay that amount so we decided to go to the next bar down, The Dogwood, which was free.

After about 30 minutes we left The Dogwood and were walking back. As we passed The Gaslamp we noticed folks walking into The Gaslamp without having to pay. Those folks who didn't have to pay were white. I brought this to Dan's attention a few minutes later and he said we should go back and just watch from across the street to see if there was some "funny business" going on.

Ken, Dan, and I went back and watched from across the street as the guys who were working the front door of The Gaslamp (pictured) allowed white people to come in one after the other. Every black person who we watched try to go in was told there was a $20 cover or that their attire was not proper. One black guy was told that he could not get in because he had on Polo Boots.

I again tried to walk in and was told there was a $20 cover. This was right after I had just seen a group of white guys walk right in.

I finally went and spoke to the cop (also pictured) who was working the door (who is a minority himself) and asked him if he was aware and comfortable with how the door guys were conducting business. His reply was basically..."I just work and do my job and those guys over there do their job." I told him he was complicit but he blew me off.

I then took pictures of the two main guys at the front door (pictured below) and both of them began to ask if I had a problem. The one in the short sleeved shirt went as far to tell me that he hoped I didn't "run up on him in the streets because it would be a problem."

Why does this matter to me? Why is this important? If I have to answer that please just move along. This post is not meant for you. This event occurred in the late night of Sept. 11th. A day in which we as a country are supposed to come together. But events like this just tells us how far apart we are.

Please share this. Please pass along. Please read this and understand what type of establishment The Gaslamp is. If you were at The Gaslamp on this night and had a similar experience please comment and share.

Don't let actions such as this continue with no recourse. If you know the guys working the door let them see this. Please let them. Remember, this is 2015.

***

What was that horse feces strewn by our not so esteemed opposition violating the Ninth Commandment about the HERO being a 'gay rights bill'?   The HERO is a civil rights bill, and it needs to be part of our Houston Code of Ordinances.  You can ensure it stays there with a YES vote on Proposition 1.

 If HERO had been in effect instead of being fought by a cadre of loud and wrong right wing ministers and GOP activists, this incident probably wouldn't have happened..

If HERO had been in effect instead of messed with by SCOTX,, Mr. Ball, Mr. Scarbrough and Mr. Piggee would have had a local mechanism to go to the Houston Office of Inspector General to file and pursue a discrimination complaint against the Gaslight Bar for a HERO public accommodation violation

But no thanks to those clueless ministers, conservative activists and the all Republican Texas Supreme Court, hatin' on the HERO, our local human rights law is not in effect for now, and bars like the Gaslight will continue to discriminate against people until there is a cost they have to pay for doing so.

TransGriot Note:  Thanks to Brandon Ball, Don Scarbrough and Ken Piggee for allowing me to share their story. 

Houston Unites Sponsored HERO Press Conference Tomorrow

TransGriot Note: The battle to defend our hard won Houston Equal Rights Ordinance has begun!   A statement from the Houston Unites coalition group to keep HERO.

They will have a press conference that will take place tomorrow, August 12 at the Hilton Americas Hotel in downtown Houston at 10 AM CDT. to launch what we hope will be the successful effort to defend this much needed human rights ordinance.

***
 
Tomorrow, concerned citizens, members of civil rights groups and representatives of the faith and business communities will gather to launch Houston Unites, the campaign in support of the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO). On November 3, Houstonians will vote on this critical ordinance that protects Houstonians from discrimination based upon 15 categories that include race, age, military status, pregnancy status, gender identity and sexual orientation..

Those of us who supported HERO and advocated for its passage last year are in agreement that NO Houstonian should be discriminated against.  That’s a core value a majority of Houstonians share, and that's why HERO's passage a year ago was supported by more than 80 current and former elected officials, community and non-profit organizations, major corporations and more than 70 local faith leaders.

In America’s most diverse city, we believe that everyone should be treated fairly no matter who they are.

Houston Unites is the coalition working to elevate the diversity of voices supporting HERO. The leading coalition partners include: ACLU of Texas, Equality Texas, Freedom For All Americans, Human Rights Campaign, NAACP Houston Branch and Texas Freedom Network.

Sunday Houston Trans* Political Forum Conversation

2015 is a city election year for Houston, and in addition to the increasingly crowded field we'll have to select our next mayor, we'll also have some contested at large city council seats and the controllers race on our November 4 ballot.

One thing we don't want on it is a HERO repeal, but that's up to the judge handling the case.

Yesterday at the home of Nikki Araguz Loyd the first of several Trans Political Forum conversations took place.

The idea behind it is to have politicians talk to the trans community about issues of importance to trans Houstonians.

The inaugural conversation was with Jenifer Rene Pool, who is making her third run for council in the At Large Position 1 race.

In this two hour event she fielded questions from trans Houstonians, the TransGriot and our allies about issues ranging from education to streamlining our city government permit process to expanding rail to both airports.

And yes, HERO and the discredited bathroom meme was also discussed.

Pool also discussed the importance of the trans community getting mobilized, engaged and replicating that enthusiasm and energy we put into Annise Parker's first at large city council run in 1997.

Personally, I'd love to see the Houston trans community elect one of our own to sit in one of those nice leather chairs in City Hall, but that isn't up to me.

The voters of the city of Houston will have that final say in who sits in that At Large Position 1 seat, and if the Houston trans community wants th person taking the oath of office next January in the Wortham Center to be Jenifer, then we;ll have to bust our butt to make it happen, and show up to vote for her on November 4.

Nikki Araguz Loyd who hosted the event, stated to me that there will be more of these conversations with various candidates during the 2015 election cycle, and they are in discussions with at least two to replicate this informative enjoyable conversation.

Looking forward to finding out who that next candiate for Houston public office will be.

Trans* Political Forum Today

Speaking of events to check out, Moni chatting with Houston City Council candidates continues as I head to an event starting at 2 PM being hosted by Nikki Araguz Loyd.

It's the first of a series of candidate political forums in which the Houston trans community will get to talk to candidates about issues and concerns of importance to our community like housing , unemployment, HERO, and the latest attempt by Dave Wilson to enshrine anti-trans discrimination into our city charter.

To kick this series off, the first one will involve the only declared trans candidate running for public office in this 2015 city election cycle in Jenifer Rene Pool.

Jenifer is running for the city Council at large Position 1 seat against some formidable competition, and will be interesting to hear he take of local political developments.

Ferguson Elections Result In Major Changes

In addition to Chicago, yesterday was election day in Ferguson, MO.  

The town that ripped the scab off the festering wound of police brutality aimed at the African-American community and laid to rest the lie that this is a post racial nation, had an all white city council and white mayor in a town that is predominately Black primarily because of low election participation rates.

After months of voter registration drives that sought as a goal to change that depressing paradigm, the test of those efforts came yesterday.   A record turnout from 10% to 30% resulted in a tripling of the African-American representation on the six member city council.

Mayor James Ferguson was fortunately for him, not up for re-election

Councilman Dwayne James is one of only two African-Americans ever elected to the Ferguson City Council, and wasn't up for re-election.  After last night's election,  he will be joined on council by Ella Jones and Wesley Bell.    Bell defeated another African-American, Lee Smith to earn his seat

It points out what I have been saying for years.  Not only do elections matter, but as the people who are trying mightily to suppress your voting power know, turnout matters as well.

And it matters who the people are sitting at the table with the power to write legislation and making the policies that affect the entire community.

The peeps in Ferguson now have a city council that tripled its representation because they took their souls to the polls.

To borrow an old saying from the 'hood, you have to be in it to win it. That saying is especially applicable to elections and voting as well.   It's also one that needs to repeated in African-American communities across the country in each and EVERY election cycle.

Bye Bye President Jonathan

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, who signed a draconian anti-gay law last year during his term but failed to effectively combat the rise of Boko Haram terrorism and corruption in his nation, found himself on the losing end of the March 28  Nigerian elections.

Karma is a you know what, isn't it President Jonathan?

Moving into the presidential villa in Abuja soon will be 72 year old opposition leader Muhammadu Buhari, a retired Nigerian army major general who once ruled the country from December 31, 1983-August 27, 1985 after a military coup d'etat before he was himself deposed in a military coup and imprisoned for 40 months.

This was the second time that Jonathan and Buhari had faced off in an election that would determine who would lead the most populous nation in Africa.

The president-elect's record is mixed.  While Buhari is regarded as incorruptible in a nation that has been plagued with it messing with its economic growth and development, and took steps as a military leader to eradicate graft as a by jailing 500 politicians, officials and businessmen, his term was also remembered for human rights abuses.

Buhari comes from the Muslim north and backed sharia law there, which led to suspicions in Christian dominated southern Nigeria that he had a secret radical Islamist agenda that contributed to his losses in the last three presidential elections.   He also escaped a July 2014 Boko Haram assassination attempt on his convoy in Kaduna.

But after getting the support of key heavyweight defectors from Jonathan's People's Democratic Party, support from influential Nigerian Christian leaders and promising to end the Boko Haram insurgency within months of his election, Buhari made history by becoming the first challenger to knock off a Nigerian presidential incumbent.

As to what that means for the Nigerian TBLGQ community, we'll have to wait and see.

Will be interesting to see once he is inaugurated what happens in Nigeria under Buhari's leadership and what it means on an African continent in which one out of every five people on it is Nigerian.

Ben Hall Doesn't Deserve The Houston TBLGQ Community Vote

2015 is a civic election year in Houston, and while the real political campaign action won't get started in earnest until after Labor Day, there is already jockeying going on to see who will replace the term limited Mayor Annise Parker.

One of the people running for mayor is the guy she beat in 2013 to get that final term in former city attorney Ben Hall.   He's running again, and trying to position himself as someone that appeals to moderate voters, but don't let that act fool you.

Ben Hall has transphobic and homophobic tendencies, and I'm about to break it down why Houston trans/ SGL and LGBTQ peeps not only shouldn't give their precious cash, support or money to a Hall campaign, but make certain he NEVER takes the oath of office in the Wortham Center in 2016.

Ben Hall said in a Harris County Democratic candidate questionnaires during the 2013 election cycle that he would support what later became the HERO, then reneged on that.  

He refused to interview with the Houston Stonewall Democrats and the Houston LGBT Caucus for their mayoral candidate forums, then reached for the homophobia and transphobia in the late stages of the 2013 campaign when he couldn't make a dent in Mayor Parker's double digit lead.

He not only said he would if elected repeal Executive Order 150 that protects trans people in Houston city employment, but reached for the transphobia and homophobia when he appeared on the KUHF-FM show Houston Matters, was interviewed by a moderator before taking questions from callers.

When a homophobic man called in to announce indignation towards the Mayor for offering protections to Houston transgender people, Hall joined in on the transphobic party by announcing that in his opinion, it was unacceptable for transgendered people who are “anatomically another gender” to be treated as anything but the anatomical gender.  

He doubled down on the anti-TBLGQ prejudice by fully opposing a non-discrimination ordinance, calling homosexuality a “lifestyle choice.”

Well Ben, I not only haven't forgotten what you said to me at that 2013 northside mayoral campaign event when you straight up told me to my face you opposed me and other Houston bi, SGL and trans folks having the same human rights coverage as other Houstonians, I haven't forgotten you opposed the HERO.

Neither have I forgotten the transphobic comment you aimed at me and other trans Houstonians on that KUHF-FM radio broadcast.

Transgender and SGL Houstonians also live, work, play inside the Houston city limits and deserve to have their human rights respected and protected.

I have a long memory when it comes to people who oppress me, and I vote.   Even better, I have a blog that will remind BTLGQ Houstonians and our allies from now until Election Day on November 3 why you don't deserve to be the next mayor of Houston and encourage them to vote for candidates that will defend and implement the HERO.

You ain't that candidate, Piney Point Ben.

Trans Woman Making Bid To Run NC Democratic Party

In 2012 Janice Covington Allison was one of the thirteen trans delegates to the Democratic National Convention being held in Charlotte, NC. 

She was also the first trans delegate ever from the state of North Carolina  and has held leadership positions in the North Carolina Democratic Party's LGBT Caucus..

Now she is running to lead the Democratic Party in the Tarheel State.

When the party's Executive Committee meets in Raleigh on February 7, she will one of a large field of candidates to lead the party in the wake of former Party Chair Randy Voller stepping down.

And if she is successful in winning the job, Allison would become the first out trans person ever to lead one of the major political parties at the state level.

“I know that I will have great barriers to overcome, because I will be the first transgender woman in our country’s history to seek out a state’s Democratic Party chairmanship,” Allison said in a recent news release. “However, I think because our party is the party of the future, acceptance and diversity, I will be accepted, based on my ability to do the job.”

We'll find out on February 7 if that happens for her.  You know I'm hoping it does.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2015/01/05/4452136/two-more-candidates-running-for.html#storylink=cpy

Dallas Adds TBLG Protections To City Charter!

There was actually some good news out of Texas in the wake of an abysmal night for Team Liberal Progressive.

One the ballot in the City of Dallas was  a proposed addition of a nondiscrimination proposition that would add several classes to its city charter.

Proposition 4 if passed would add in addition to sexual orientation and gender identity and expression, color, age, marital status, genetic characteristics, national original, disability, and military or veteran status

Dallas already prohibited discrimination against city employees based on sexual orientation and gender identity and expression in its equal employment opportunity policy.

When all 430 precincts reported in, 77% of the city voted to pass Proposition 4.

Congrats Dallas!

Disappointed Doesn't Even Begin To Cover...

How I feel about the midterm election results last night.

It was a very short night as Wendy Davis and Leticia Van de Putte went down in defeat.   But hey, don't blame Black voters for this debacle.   We tried to save this state and your asses from yourselves but remember, we only make up 12% of the population and the GOP voter suppression laws are designed to stifle our ability to affect elections.

According to exit polling, Black women voted 94%-5% in favor of Davis while Black men voted at a 90%-10% clip for her..  Latina women broke 61%-39%  in favor of Davis, while Latino men (what the hell were y'all thinking?) voted 50%-49% for Abbott.  

And White women?  67%-32% for Abbott to go with that 80%-19%. white male margin.

You're welcome Texas Democratic Party, but I'm not holding my breath that the Texas Black community will get the credit along with Latina women for being the one ethnic group in this state who wasn't bamboozled by the Texas GOP bull feces.

And you wonder why the Rev Dr. MLK, Jr. in his 'Letter From Birmingham City Jail' expressed his disappointment in the white moderate and said you were the biggest stumbling block to progress, more than conservatives and more than the Klan.

I'm feeling Dr. King this morning when I look at those exit polling numbers, the gloating going on in GOP circles and the bigots gleefully letting their inner Archie Bunkers out on the Net. 

For you Teapublican conservafools to get this midterm win, nationally you had to massively suppress the votes of my people, bamboozle and lie others into believing the Massive Resistance 2.0 you engaged in was the Black POTUS' fault, and spend millions to get turnout down in the 30% range to make it happen..

In Texas you had to get the SCOTUS to reinstate the unconstitutional voter suppression law.  Thanks for nothing Uncle Ruckus, er Thomas.

And for all those Democratic senators and congressmembers that ran away from President Obama and his accomplishments to appease conservative white voters, how did that strategy work out for you last night?

The one Democratic senate candidate that embraced the Black POTUS , Gary Peters in Michigan, won his race, while Louisiana's incumbent senator Mary Landrieu, who called out the race problem in the South and the racism aimed at President Obama is headed for a runoff.

And Democratic Party, you screwed this up as well.   I'll deal with listing your electoral sins later.

I'm not in a celebratory mood and I'm pissed off.   Don't be surprised if the GOP co-signs what I've said about them being the party of whiteness and white supremacy when the 114th Congress starts in January 2015.  And don't even trot out Mia Love or whatever other kneegrow sycophant on your payrolls to claim otherwise or how 'diverse' you are..

But as me, my sis and Mom discussed yesterday afternoon, that may be the only way to wake some peeps the hell up and get them to see that there is light years of difference policy wise between Democrats and Republicans, and the need to be bumrushing the polls in each and every election cycle.

I'm tired of seeing that 'no difference between the two parties' conservalie pimped in liberal progressive circles.   That needs to die before we regroup for the battles ahead..

I also don't want to hear from those of you living in the liberal oases or LGBT enclaves on the coasts, "Why don't you move from Texas and come here?"   Been there, done that and all that happened in the nearly nine years I was gone is that Texas stayed red and my hometown didn't get a comprehensive non-discrimination ordinance until May of this year.

And what makes you think moving to the coasts will be better?   Intolerant people live in those areas, too.  The only way Texas is going to turn blue along with the rest of the South is if peeps stay here and do the hard multicycle work to make that happen. 

Can't do that work from the Left Coast, New York City, DC or overseas.

Many of you are also going to find out the had way what I've been reciting like a mantra for years now:  You cannot get liberal-progressive change from conservative governments or politicians.

TransGriot Update:  Turnout for this election according the United States Election Project, 38.6% nationally, 28.5% in Texas.

Once again,, thanks for nothing SCOTUS GOP majority.

2014 Election Early Voting Starts Today In Texas!

I've been waiting for this day ever since I got my Texas driver's license in January.   A nine month ordeal in acquiring it caused me to miss the 2013 election cycle. 

And yeah Texas Republicans, I haven't forgotten and I'm still pissed off about it.

This day has been circled on my calendar in blue ink, and I'm even more motivated to vote after the Supreme Court ruled Saturday night to allow the voter suppression law to be in effect for this election despite Judge Nelda Ramos' ruling that it was (again) unconstitutional

Just in case you're wondering who the dissenting SCOTUS justices were in this case, they were Kagan, Sotomayor and Ginsburg.

“The greatest threat to public confidence in elections in this case is the prospect of enforcing a purposefully discriminatory law, one that likely imposes an unconstitutional poll tax and risks denying the right to vote to hundreds of thousands of eligible voters,” Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote in her dissent, adding, “racial discrimination in elections in Texas is no mere historical artifact. To the contrary, Texas has been found in violation of the Voting Rights Act in every redistricting cycle from and after 1970.”

So while the odious voter suppression law will be in effect no thanks to Chief Justice John 'No Racism In Voting To See Here' Roberts and the rest of his conservative black robed politicians, let's piss off the Teapublicans.

They seem to have the misguided impression that Texas is only for conservative white people. 

Time to send their azzes a message it's a far more diverse place than FOX Noise has told them it is.

Show up at your fave early voting location from today until October 31and shock the Texas Tea Klux Klan.  Bumrush the polls and kick out everything with an 'R" behind their name.

These are the early voting locations in Harris County.  For you peeps in other parts of Texas, check your county's website for the location nearest

Peeps, don't stop at Wendy Davis or Leticia Van de Putte's names either on the ballot and think your job is done.   You ain't close to being finished.  There are other races on the ballot that need your undivided attention chock full of candidates that need your support and votes like the judicial races.   

If you want fairness on the judicial bench, then you're going to have to elect some Democrats to balance out the Republicans who seem to have the misguided idea that their role is to rubber stamp every court case that benefits a corporation and screw the average citizen. 

And yes Texas TBLG community, if you want judges that will give you a fair shake on your name changes, adoption proceedings, et cetera, then you better do your job starting today until November 4 to get these quality people on the bench.

Early voting ends October 31.

It's time to have a Democratic governor and lieutenant governor again.  It would also be nice to have  a Texas governor and lieutenant governor who aren't oppressive to Texans who happen to be TBLG, non-white, women and the poor.

But I can't get them and those fair minded judges elected by myself.  I'm only one vote.   It's going to take millions of Texans voting to make that happen.    I'm going to do my part by handling my electoral business and hoping you Texas TransGriot readers follow my lead.

Today is the day we take the first critical steps in turning Texas back to being blue again.

Paula Sophia Falls Short In Oklahoma Legislative Runoff

All 12 precincts have reported in the Oklahoma House District 88 runoff race between Paula Sophia and Jason Dunnington and the winner and new representative of that OKC area legislative seat is:

Jason Dunnington.

In a razor thin race, Dunnington garnered 990 votes to Sophia's 968.  An agonizing 23 votes separated her from the win and trans political history.

According to Sophia's Twitter feed, she will ask for a recount and for the provisional ballots to be counted as well. 

If that doesn't cut into the narrow 22 vote margin of Dunnington, he will be the representative-elect for House District 88 since no Republican filed in this race..

Will keep y'all posted.