Why Is A Hate Group Meddling In An Illinois School Board Race?

Normally school board races can be low key and non controversial in nature unless something happens during the campaign or a controversial candidate is involved.

There's a school board election happening on April 4 in District 211 in Palatine, IL near Chicago that is fitting that description..  District 211 has been at the epicenter for a trans human rights case involving a trans feminine student at Township High School that was allowed access to the locker room after the district was found in violation of Title IX

The District, the Department of Education and the Department of Justice entered into a settlement agreement, then were sued by a group of transphobic parents and students backed by the right wing anti-trans group Alliance Defending Freedom, an SPLC-certified hate group..

Fast forward to the looming election.   Incumbent District 211 board members Anna Klimkowicz and Robert LeFevre voted for the settlement that was worked out with the DOE and DOJ.   D211 board candidate Edward Yung is a former member seeking to rejoin it that has expressed his support for transgender students.  

They are being challenged by a trans hate slate of candidates calling themselves the 'Parents For Privacy' that are backed by the Alliance Defending Freedom, and they are dumping lots of cash and lies in this race in order to get majority control of the D211 board and rescind the settlement.

Klimkowicz , LeFevre and Yung have been endorsed by the Daily Herald, one of the area newspapers , Equality Illinois PAC , and a group of parents called Progress for D15 and D211'.

Trans United Fund, sensing the importance of this upcoming election, has not only endorsed the pro-trans incumbents, but has already spent over 80 hours organizing with the moms, who have limited resources compared to the professional hate group .

Those parents are concerned about the ADF meddling in their school board race, but don't quite have the funds they need to combat the money flowing in the Parents for Privacy camp.

The rights of trans students are on the ballot in this April 4 school board race, and if you live in the area and support trans human rights, hope you're registered to vote, will participate in this election and prove that you support trans students by voting for Klimkowicz, LeFevre and Yung to sit on that D211 board.  

Andrea's Running For Minneapolis City Council!

I posted earlier this month about Phillipe Cunningham running for the Minneapolis City Council, and now there's more wonderful trans themed political news coming out of the Twin Cities.

My tennis loving homegirl Andrea Jenkins has announced that she will be running for the soon to be vacated 8th Ward seat on the Minneapolis City Council currently held by Elizabeth Glidden, who recently announced she's not running for reelection.

"I am prepared and ready to bring positive change toward a more equitable Minneapolis," Jenkins said in a statement. "I look forward to working with the residents of the 8th Ward, and beyond, in creating the policies and programs necessary to bring sustainable improvement for everyone in our economy, housing, and services."

Jenkins worked as a policy aide for Glidden, and spent 12 years working for two different council members.   She is well known to the residents of the south central Minneapolis ward for helping to spur redevelopment in the 38th Street and Chicago  Ave area.

She is currently with the University of Minnesota as the curator for their Transgender Oral History Project, which is collecting stories from trans people in the Minneapolis area and upper  Midwest.

If she's elected she would not only become the first transperson elected to the Minneapolis City Council, she would also become the first out Black trans feminine candidate to be elected to a city council in  city of over 250,000 people.

You know I'm hoping she makes that history.

Angela Rye Schools Lying GOP Pundits Again

I love CNN pundit Angela Rye who is always on point and doesn't let conservafools get away with trying to peddle disinformation on her watch

The latest example of Ms. Rye handling her pundit business is in this discussion on Anderson Cooper 360 that drifted into voter suppression territory



Thank you Angela for keeping the conservafools in check.

Down Ballot Races Matter

We have two more days of early voting left in the Lone Star State and six more until Election Day itself next Tuesday.  One of the things that makes me shake my head when I hear it is when people try to justify sitting out an election.  

They spout off rhetoric laced with comments about their 'principles won't allow them to participate in this 'corrupt system' or vote for 'the lesser of two evils' , then once the election cycle is over they sat out are dismayed with the results and spend the next two to four years complaining ad nauseum about it.

Well, you folks who sit out elections for specious reasons are part of the problem with our political system so have several seats.   Your decision to not participate allows the political status quo you deplore to continue.

Sitting out an election is not an option, especially if you are part of a marginalized group.   Sitting out elections hurts the liberal progressive candidates you say you wish to get elected to shake up the system you deplore and is basically a vote for the status quo system you hate.

While voting isn't going to solve the systemic problems marginalized communities face overnight, it is still the most important and vital tool for social and political change because it determines who the politicians will be that implement the policies and laws you need to change the system and move it in the direction of working to solve the systemic problems your group faces.

Why do you think the Republican Party has spent millions on voter suppression efforts and passing blatantly unconstitutional voter suppression laws?   Chief Justice John Roberts made his money in conservative world before being elevated to the SCOTUS as a lawyer working for decades to kill the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

The Republicans and conservative movement have bragged about suppressing Black and Latinx voter turnout, and you self-suppress yourself out of an election cycle.  Every time you do so, a Republican says thank you for doing so.

Elections matter because not only is it the most powerful tool to enact social and political change, it is because down ballot races matter. We all know about the tops of tickets and their importance in presidents, governors, mayors and your state supreme courts, but the down ballot offices matter as well..  

For example the secretary of state controls the administration of election law and voting in your state. In Texas, the county clerk has that same function but has the power to determine not only when you can early vote, but how many machines go to your particular precinct or early voting site..

We know about the Texas Supreme Court, but district court judges are the ones you'll encounter when you step into their chambers to get married, do a nae change  and other issues.  What do you think will be the outcome of your name change petition if the judge deciding on it not only has an (R) behind their name, but is drinking the GOP Red hate on trans people Kool Aid?

The state board of education matters.  County commissioners court matters. Judicial benches matter,  DA's matter.  County sheriffs matter.

There are many dedicated people who are running for those down ballot offices below the main event president race who want and deserve your vote.  It's why you not only need to getting off the couch and voting either in the last two days of early voting here in Texas, on November 8 and in every election cycle from now on until you pass away, you need to be doing so as an informed voter.

Down ballot races matter.   You have until November 8 to reconsider sitting out this election and participate in it, or don't and zip your lips about complaining about the results of this 2016 election cycle

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Moni's 2016 POTUS Election Musing

Today as many of you know is the first day of early voting in my home state of Texas  I have loved early voting ever since they started doing it in the Lone Star State back in the 90's .

I love early voting because I can do so on my schedule and I'm not stuck waiting until November 8 when I already know who I'm voting for.   Another 14 days or so of campaign commercials and speeches isn't going to change my mind.

Spent some time at the West Gray Multicultural Service Center, one of the 45 early voting locations in Harris County for early the 2016 presidential election.   I arrived a little after noon to the delightful surprise of seeing a long line here, and it took me 45 minutes total to do so

40 minutes in line, and only five minutes to run through the ballot vote, check my work and press the SEND button on the E-Vote machine to handle my electoral business.

And yes H-town , I practiced what I'be been preaching to y'all and voted the entire ballot from POTUS to dog catcher.  I also voted for all the endorsed candidates on the Houston GLBT Caucus Card.

Who did I vote for for POTUS?  Definitely wasn't Trump,Jill Stein or Gary Johnson.

I voted for the person I endorsed for president on these TransGriot electronic pages.

This is another historic election I have been pleased and proud to participate in.  We set a first day early voting record in Harris County, so if you want to avoid the lines on November 8, better go now.

I was pleased that for the first time in my eligible voting life (my first election was the 1980 Carter-Reagan one) , I've had an opportunity to cast a ballot in a battleground state.

The fact the battleground state in question is my home state of Texas makes it that much sweeter and warms my political heart.

Seeing that long line at this polling place and others around town and the county also made me feel good.   It also compels me to remind you TransGriot readers across this nation to show up and show out at the polls because you vote matters.

Once again, early voting in Texas started today and will continue until November 4.  if the record turnout persists, may wish to do what I did and vote early as well.

The direction of this country for the next four years and beyond depends on it.

Texas Early Voting Starts October 24

Since the last presidential debate between Democratic nominee Sec. Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump will be talking place later tonight, it's a nice time to remind all you TransGriot Texas readers that early voting is starting on October 24 in the Lone Star State.

With polls showing that the race is within the margin of error, we have a chance to make happen something that hasn't occurred since I was 14 in seeing Texas go blue.

The last time that happened was in 1976 when Jimmy Carter took the Lone Star State, and now we have a historic opportunity to flip it to blue.

But for that to happen, you must go to the polls and vote.   And don't just start and stop with the presidential race either.  There are other races and positions on the ballot that need your undivided attention, and you need to vote from POTUS to dog catcher

Also as a reminder, thanks to the Veasey v. Abbott case, the Texas Voter Suppression law is DEAD because it was declared unconstitutional.  

The Texas GOP still tried to play that voter suppression game, and got called on it by Nelva Gonzales Ramos, the federal judge overseeing the case ruled they were willfully defying her order.

Harris County clerk Stan Stanart (R) is also being investigated by the court as well.   Time to replace him anyway on November 8 with someone who will fairly administer the election system in our county.

In case you're wondering, Judge Ramos is an Obama appointee.  Presidential elections matter, especially when it comes to the federal judiciary.

You do not need a photo ID to vote if you don't have one. You will need to be registered and have your blue voter registration card, and sign a statement swearing you are the person appearing to vote before you will be allowed to..

I'm looking forward to doing my civic duty and gleefully saying, "You're fired" to every Republican on my ballot, and can't wait until 2018 to do the same to Dan Patrick, Ken Paxton and Greg Abbott.

Back to focusing on the task at hand in this 2016 election.  

In Harris County, (the city of Houston's county for you non Texans) early voting will be in various locations, and have different times for different periods.   From October 24-28, the early voting polling centers will be open from 8 AM-6 PM.

On Souls To The Polls Weekend, on Saturday the early voting locations will be open from 7 AM-7 PM on Saturday, October 29, and on Sunday, October 30 from 1-6 PM

From October 31-November 4, the polls will be open from 7 AM-7 PM.

Check your local county clerk website for the times and early voting polling locations for your part of the Lone Star State.   You can also check the Texas Secretary of State website for more information about our upcoming election.

Naw GOP, This Election Isn't 'Rigged'

I have been amused to hear Donald Trump claim with three weeks to go that this election is 'rigged' against him.

Naw dude, you need to take accountability for the fact you are the worst major party candidate and most unqualified for the Oval Office in modern times and Hillary Clinton is beating that behind because she's light years more qualified and running a better campaign than you are.

So lets examine that claim that this election is rigged.  It's a tired conservafool campaign refrain that ignores the facts that this nation is not center-right, it's center left.   It also ignores the reality that the GOP has worked mightily since the 1960's to piss off large blocs of non-white Americans.

You didn't help by running a campaign demonizing Latinx, Black, Muslim and Asian voters in this presidential election cycle.

And lest be real, the people who administer the elections in many parts of the country like governors and secretaries of state are from your party.  It's also on record that the Republicans have long been on a mission to suppress voter turnout of African American and  Latinx voters, with the latest suppression tool being the Voter ID laws passed by Republican controlled legislatures.  

You have also made it your mission in Conservaworld to kill the 1965 Voting Rights Act. that ensures that marginalized people can cast their ballots.   As a matter of fact, one of the ways that Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts made his money was looking for ways to eviscerate the VRA.

The in person impersonation voter fraud meme the GOP pushed the justify the passage of these voter suppression measures has been proven to be false.

With all your angry low information followers out there, it is frankly dangerous to the integrity of the American electoral process to be pushing the lie that this election is 'rigged' against you when you haven't done anything substantive (thank God) to win it.

When you piss off large swaths of the electorate while only appealing to your shrinking base of white voters, you're going to lose.

So naw Donald and every Republican pushing that lie.  If you're claiming the system is rigged, then  by extension, you are the architects of the rigging since you control in many states the electoral process in the states you control.  That's all the more reason for Americans to say 'You're Fired' to Republicans at all levels of government on November 8

Hey Caitlyn, You Still Supporting Trump and the Transphobic GOP?

As y'all know, after giving Caitlyn Jenner time after her transition to try and fail to find a voice we could be proud of in our community as an advocate, I finally had enough of the numerous faux pas and ridiculous statements and called her out.

One of the statements out of her mouth that was ridiculous on its face was initially claiming that Republicans were leaders when it came to trans human rights at a time when they were legislatively attacking us in South Dakota and North Carolina and several other GOP controlled states.

She also claimed back in June that Donald Trump is a champion for women and LGBT people.  Yeah, right.  Donald's a champion groper and pervert

Oh the Republicans are leaders all right.  Leaders when it comes to oppressing trans people.  

See my lieutenant governor Dan Patrick, Attorney General Ken Paxton, Caitlyn's fave senator Ted Cruz and right wing state and federal judges like Reed O'Connor for concrete example of being trans oppressors instead of trans human rights trailblazers like President Obama and soon to be POTUS Hillary Clinton.

Well, the reason I'm bringing Caitlyn's comments up again is that the North Carolina gubernatorial debate was held Monday night, and guess whose name came up in the debate discussion about Hate Bill 2?

And who said on stage that you needed to use the men's bathroom?   It sure wasn't Roy Cooper, the Democratic candidate for governor and the one who refused to defend as North Carolina's attorney general that unjust law.

It was that trans oppressor Gov Pat McCrory (R)



And what has been Caitlyn's response so far?

I hope you are waking up from the pink fog you're in and realizing that the party you wanted to be a 'trans ambassador' for has enshrined hatred of trans people in their 2016 platform.

I still have to ask since woke transpeople don't let friends vote GOP, if you are still supporting the anti-trans GOP presidential ticket and anti-trans Republicans?

Inquiring minds wanna know.

Election Registration Deadlines Today In TX And Several States

If after watching (or not watching) the second debate and you are sufficiently motivated enough to vote on November 8, then you better bust a move because today is the deadline day to get registered.

Texas is one of those states in which today is the deadline to get registered to vote along with georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.

Just a reminder, here's the rest of the voter registration deadlines for October.

In the District of Columbia today is also the deadline to register in advance of the election, but you can do same day registration there. I'd suggest you do it now DC if possible.

Florida's deadline was originally today, and Gov. Rick Scott (R-FL) refused to extend the deadline despite the fact that county offices in much of the state were closed because of Hurricane Matthew.  
Thanks to a successful voting rights lawsuit filed by the Florida Democratic Party, the voter registration deadline was extended by US District court Judge Mark E. Walker (Obama appointee) by one day, with another hearing coming later today to determine whether to extend it beyond Wednesday.


Once again, presidential elections matter, and if you wish you exercise that right to vote on November 8 or during early voting if your part of the country offers it like Texas does (October 24-November 4), you must handle the first step of it and register to vote.

The clock's ticking.    You can check your registration status or register to vote via this link.

If you believe your voting rights are being messed with, call the ACLU Voter Protection Hotline at 877-523-2792

You Don't Need A Photo ID To Vote In Texas!

Hallelujah, the Texas GOP Voter Suppression (ID) law is dead!  If you don't have a photo ID, you do not need to produce one to vote when early voting in Texas starts on October 24.

You will need to fill out a short form explaining the reason you don't have one, swear you are who you say you are, then sign it.

Early voting dates for this 2016 election are October 24-November 4.   Election Day is November 8.

All you'll need is either your blue Texas voter registration card or these government documents with your name and address.  Voters with a disability may apply for a permanent exemption to showing ID at the polls.

*Your certified original birth certificate
*A government check  (copy or original)
*A current utility bill (copy or original)
*A bank statement (copy or original)
*A paycheck (copy or original) 

As a reminder, the accepted photo ID are a Texas drivers license, a Texas ID card issued by the DPS, Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by the DPS, a handgun license, US military ID with photo, US passport, and US citizenship certificate with photo.  

Election poll workers are prohibited by law from challenging your reason for being unable to obtain a photo ID.   If they give you any drama, you can call the Voter Protection Hotline at 1-844-TXVOTES 

If you wish to participate in the upcoming election in Texas, you must be registered to vote by October 11.

So handle your election business, people!

20 Reasons I'm With Her

While surfing the Net and Facebook I ran across the commentary of a far left wing Hillary hater who challenged Clinton supporters to come up with twenty reasons why we're supporting her.

Is that all?   That's an easy enough challenge.  Here's a list of 112 reasons someone else came up with. Here we go with mine..

1. She is the most qualified person since John Quincy Adams to run for president.

2. Donald Trump is not fit to be president of the United States.

3.  I don't want Donald Trump's short tempered ignorant behind anywhere near the US nuclear launch codes.

4.  Jill Stein is even less qualified for the presidency than Donald Trump is.

5.  She would the the first ever female POTUS and it's past time we had a woman leader in the Oval Office.

6.  She has served as a two term senator for New York and Secretary of State under President Obama.

7.    As POTUS she would pick the next four Supreme Court justices and federal judges for the next four years

8.   I'm sick of the misogyny, 1990's era conservalies and unjustified hatred being aimed at her.

9.   Hillary Clinton while working for Marian Wright Edelman went undercover in Alabama to get the info Edelman needed to get the Nixon administration to yank the tax exemptions from the discriminatory private segregation academy schools set up in Southern states to duck Brown v Board.

10. This 2016 election will determine the course of this nation and the shape of the federal judiciary and SCOTUS for the next 30-40 years.  

11. I want her to succeed the first Black POTUS.

12.  Gary Johnson is not an option either. He's basically a Republican ashamed to claim the label, and not an option for me in this critical election cycle.

13.  She has since 1992 done battle with the right wingers and won, including last year when the GOP controlled House had her sit through 11 hours of fake Benghazi scandal testimony and made them look stupid in the process.   That's a quality I want to see in a Democratic POTUS.

14.  When she worked on the McGovern campaign in 1972 to register Black and Latinx voters, her and Bill's organizing was done in South Texas.

15.  She understands the issues impacting my community.

16.  She would have the respect of the international community from the nanosecond she took the oath of office as president.

17.  I'm sick of the Hillary hatred from the Green Tea Party far left.

18.  She has repeatedly declared on the world state that LGBT rights are human rights

19.  She fought to get universal single payer healthcare passed in 1993.

20. #ImWithHer,  I'm/a Texan for Hillary and have been since February 16.

2016 Presidential Election Voter Registration Deadlines

If you're planning on voting in our upcoming presidential election, better get busy and make sure you're registered to do so.

Some of the deadline dates are coming up fast.   Here's the list of voter registration deadlines for US states  and territories.  This is the last possible day you can register in these states and territories.

In North Dakota you aren't required to register. but you must be a US citizen, 18 years old by Election Day.  live at your address by October 9, not be in jail or prison for a felony conviction, not be considered mentally incompetent by a court and have acceptable forms of ID to do so in person or by mail.

September

The Northern Marianas is the first one on the list with a September 9 voter registration deadline day, and Puerto Rico follows 10 days later with a September 19 registration deadline day.

October 

October 8 in  Mississippi, South Carolina and the US Virgin Islands,

October 9 in Alaska, Rhode Island

October 10 in American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas and Hawaii

October 11 is deadline day for eleven states that includes Texas.   For those of you live in the Lone Star State, you need to make that registration happen and have that blue voter registration card by this date. 

The other ten states in which you need to handle your electoral registration business by this date are Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee.    Florida,  Georgia, New Mexico, Ohio and Pennsylvania are 2016 swing states, and so if you wish to determine who the next POTUS will be, get busy getting registered.

October 12 in Missouri

October 14 in New York, North Carolina and Oklahoma.  

So peeps in the Tarheel State, if you want to kick Pat My Crotch out of the governor's mansion along with the unjust GOP controlled NC legislature, have until this date to register for the election.

October 14 in Delaware

October 17 in Virginia.

October 18 in Kansas, Minnesota  Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon and West Virginia

October 19 in Massachusetts

October 24 in Alabama, California and South Dakota

October 28 in Guam, Nebraska

October 31 in Washington     So if you peeps living there don't want the horrifying prospect of a President Donald Tump, you must be registered in your state by this date.

November

November 1 is the deadline for Utah   The Beehive State is one of the surprise states in play in Election 2016.

November 2 in Vermont

November 3 in Maryland

November 8 is Election Day, and these states and territories have same day registration.  Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Wyoming

Historic US Senate Election In California

When California voters go to the polls on November 8, they will have to choose a successor for the retiring senator Barbara Boxer (D).  They will also have the pleasure of choosing between two candidates who are not only seeing to succeed Sen. Boxer, but make some electoral history themselves.

Thanks to California's jungle primary system, the top two candidates, regardless of party move on to the general election.  After the votes were counted on June 7, two Democratic women ended up in the top two slots for the open California US senate seat.

California voters will get to choose between their current attorney general Kamala Harris or Rep. Loretta Sanchez.  

Rep Sanchez is seeking to become the first Latina ever elected to the US Senate, while Attorney General Harris is seeking to become only the second African-American woman and first woman of south Asian heritage to be elected to the US Senate.

It's also a battle of northern Cali vs southern Cali. Harris was born in Oakland, grew up in Berkeley, was a deputy district attorney for Alameda County, the district attorney for the City and County of San Francisco before becoming California's Attorney General in 2011.

And as the child and sibling of AKA's I'm happy to point out she's a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Sanchez was born in Lynwood, and has since 2003 represented the Orange County centered 47th Congressional District.

This is going to be a fascinating campaign to watch.  While it is wonderful that another accomplished woman will succeed the beloved Sen. Boxer, we are going to have when this election is over one community disappointed because one of these eminently qualified women didn't get into the US Senate.

Whichever one of these women wins, they will inherit by default a national women of color constituency that extends far beyond the borders of the state of California.

May the best US Senate candidate win, and represent the state of California, our communities and the nation as well.

The Black And Brown Electoral Firewall Blocking Trump

For those of you wondering why I'm so calm about this upcoming 2016 presidential election, it's because I have faith in the Black and Brown electoral firewall that will save this country from making a massive mistake on November 8

The Black and Brown electoral firewall has already demonstrated its power in the 2016 Democratic presidential primary with Hillary Clinton becoming the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.  Donald Trump will also go down to defeat in large part because he is massively losing Black and Latinx voters

Denise Oliver Velez has this interesting Daily Kos post discussing the Black and Brown firewall, and here's a taste of it.

Black folks are not buying what Donald Trump and the rest of his raft of Republican racists are selling. Neither are Latinos, Asian-Americans and Native Americans. As the traditional media tries to sell us on a neck-and-neck horse race between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump—ignoring the electoral college—and as Trump and other Republicans ramp up the racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic volume, there is one thing Democrats need to keep in mind: A big part of our voting base is black and brown, and that base is growing.

I found it fascinating, and thanks to Denise I get to signal boost it on these TransGriot electronic pages.  Here's the link to the rest of Denise's Daily Kos firewall post.  

Bermuda Marriage Equality Referendum On Thursday

You might be surprised to know that I have a few Bermudians who not only are fans of this blog, but I am Facebook friends with.  I had the pleasure of meeting Zakiya Johnson-Lord while I was in Chicago for Creating Change a few months ago.

I noticed as I perused my Bermudian friends pages the #VoteYESYESBermuda hashtag and other similar ones started popping up on their posts.  When my curiosity kicked in to find out what those memes and hashtags were about, I discovered it was concerning an upcoming June 23 marriage equality referendum on the island.

The non binding referendum will ask Bermudians to ponder and vote YES or NO on two questions that concern TBLG Bermudians.

Are you in favour of same sex marriage in Bermuda?
Are you in favour of same sex civil unions in Bermuda?

Advance voting for those who can prove they will be off island on election day took place June 14-16 at the Bermuda College Student Centre, and it will be interesting to see how the June 23 voting takes place.




Our Bermudian cousins in favor of marriage equality not only posted the #VoteYESYESBermuda hashtags on their pages and Twitter feeds, the #VoteYESYES, #LoveWinsYESYES and  #LoveMustWin tags have also popped up.

I'm surprised that our US based radical 'christians; haven't openly meddled in Bermuda's electoral business, but then again let me not speak too soon since they may be on the down low funneling cash to the anti- marriage side.

Deadline to register was May 18, and hope my Bermudian friends are not only registered to handle their electoral business, but hope it goes their way on Thursday when voting starts at 8 AM Bermuda time and continues until 8 PM their time at these locations.

Best of luck and hope people not only vote YES YES, but that love wins on Bermuda,

Geraldine Roman Celebrates Her Historic Win!

"i'm elated, very, very happy. I'm also excited to work.  I realize that the burden is bigger because the stereotype of people around the LGBT (community) is we are frivolous, that we have nothing substantial to say, so I have to prove them wrong."
--Philippine Congresswoman-elect Geraldine Roman 

Geraldine B. Roman has made history with the help of the voters of the 1st District of her native Bataan province and followed in the footsteps of her mother Herminia and late father Antonino by being elected to the Philippine Congress.

That Roman family dynastic political pedigree helped her roll up 62% of the vote on her way to her groundbreaking win and allowed her to succeed her term-limited mother.

It's also an election victory that is being celebrated in the Philippine trans community and around the world, and by the congresswoman-elect.

"The politics of bigotry, hatred and discrimination did not triumph.  What triumphed was the politics of love, acceptance and respect, " she said in an AFP interview.

Roman is also eager to get to her legislative work.  She wants to silence her critics that she is a one issue politician who shouldn't be taken seriously, and realizes that as the first trans legislator in Philippine history she has a microscope on her..  

"I'm elated, very, very happy, Roman said. "I'm also excited to work.  I realize that the burden is bigger because the stereotype of people around the LGBT (community) is we are frivolous, that we have nothing substantial to say, so I have to prove them wrong."

"I want to inspire everybody.  There are many factors for discrimination: On the basis of gender, age, educational attainment, creed.  So to all people who experience discrimination, I want to inspire them."

But Roman in addition to wanting to be an inspiration to her fellow TBLG Filipinos to consider running for office, also recognizes that she has a constituency that starts in the 1st District of Bataan.  If she wants to serve the full nine years she can under the Philippine Constitution and accomplish her legislative agenda, she has to focus on her legislative district constituents back home first.

While she has vowed to work on repealing the 2001 ban that make it nearly impossible for transpinays and trans pinoys to change their names and gender markers as she was able to do in the 1990's, she also wishes to continue her family's three generational commitment to helping the poor.  She wants to see as part of her legislative platform more poor students nationwide get scholarships.

"Equality is not only in terms of gender but also in terms of socioeconomic status.  To be rich or poor should not matter. Whether educated or not, people should have the same opportunities so I'm going beyond gender to include more issues," said Roman .

She also wants to as part of her legislative agenda push for an anti-discrimination law that ensures equal treatment in the workplace, schools, commercial establishments and government offices.

When Congresswoman-elect Roman does get inaugurated, as the first trans person elected to the Philippine Congress, the sixth worldwide to her national legislature and the second in the Asia-Pacific region, she will be one of the freshman legislators who will be watched by the her nation and the world.

As a member of the international trans family, I hope she's successful at not only silencing her critics and getting her proposed agenda turned into law, but she's successful in turning those critic into allies..

I also hope that Roman's success goes a long way toward breaking down stereotypes about what transpinays and transpinoys can do to help build that inclusive Philippines everyone wants.

Win Attica Win!

The Kentucky Primary election is on May 17, and in this case I'll be looking at some races besides the presidential one between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders at the top of the ticket.

As many of you long time readers know, I spent nearly nine years living in Louisville, and TransGriot actually started there.  I also met and made friends with some wonderful people while I was there in Kentuckiana.

One of those people I got to know was Attica Woodson Scott.  We kept bumping into each other as I settled into my Louisville life after moving there in September 2001 and I got involved in the Louisville liberal progressive political scene and activist circles.   She's been there for me and the Kentucky trans, bi and SGL community as a staunch activist, organizer, and ally when we needed support.

And she's a cool person on top of that.

I was elated when she decided to run for the District 1 seat for Louisville Metro Council, but moved in May 2010 before I had a chance to return the favor and do some work to support her election bid.  She was subsequently elected to the Louisville Metro Council that fall and served until 2015.

While on Metro Council, she sponsored the Louisville Living Wage ordinance, efforts to ban the box and led efforts to increase affordable housing.   Attica has been an ally not only of our Louisville TBLG community, but seniors, our union brothers and sisters, and JCPS teachers.  Former state Rep. Eleanor Jordan and my former state Rep. Mary Lou Marzian have endorsed her, and Scott  has an ever lengthening list of endorsements backing her campaign

I am happy to see her take on a 34 year DINO incumbent in Rep. Tom Riner who is not an ideological fit for the diverse west side District 41 and alarmingly bragged at a recent debate about not having caucused with the Democrats since the 90's.  Riner was also responsible for hooking Kim Davis up with her Liberty Counsel attorneys and I'm surprised he hasn't jumped to the GOP.

That DINO Riner has got to go.   In addition, we haven't had a Black female state legislator representing Louisville, much less in the Kentucky House period since Rep. Eleanor Jordan (D) left her seat in 2000 to take on then Congresswoman Anne Northup (R). It's past time we had another Black female state legislator from Da Ville in Frankfort, and many peeps agree with me.  

Hope the voters of District 41 will agree with me on May 17 and give Attica Scott the opportunity to serve them in Frankfort.

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Will The Philippine's Geraldine Roman Become The World's Sixth Trans National Legislator?

In November 1999 Georgina Beyer made news that electrified trans kind and gave hope to trans people dreaming of holding elective office in their respective nations across the globe when she was elected to the New Zealand Parliament.   The Labour party member served until September 2005 representing the Wairarapa electorate, and was the world's first ever trans parliamentarian.

Beyer was followed by Italy's Vladimir Luxuria in 2006, Poland's Anna Grodzka in 2011, Uruguay's Michelle Suarez Bertora in 2014 and last year Tamara Adrian in Venezuela.

It's an exclusive sorority of trans national legislators, and we have news coming out of the Philippines that another trans feminine politician on the verge of making history in 49 year old Geraldine Roman..

National elections are taking place in the Philippines on Tuesday, May 10 (Monday, May 9 on our side of the IDL), and Roman is running for a congressional seat in the 1st district in Bataan where she grew up.

But Roman is not your average political candidate. Besides being a proud transpinay, she has some advantages that make her an odds on favorite to become the first trans person elected to national public office in the Philippines.   Roman is not only a member of current President Benigno Aquino's ruling Liberal Party, but she comes from a powerful dynastic political family.   Her mother has represented Bataan's 1st district in the Philippine Congress for nine years, and her father was a powerful politician in that predominately rural province.

Roman transitioned over two decades ago, speaks three European languages, holds two masters degrees and worked in Spain as senior editor of the Spanish News Agency before she returned home to the Philippines four years ago to care for her ailing father.

'My life has not been a secret. I grew up here. People know me. (Gender) only becomes an issue when you try to keep it a secret," Roman said in a recent interview.  "It's nothing bad. I never hurt anyone in the process. I'm so happy so why should I be ashamed?"

She hopes that her election if it happens, will send a powerful message that aids in the Philippine fight for TBLG human rights.  

"My loyalty is to the first district of Bataan.  But that somebody of my condition is going to enter Congress for the first time is a statement that even transgender people can serve our country and should not be discriminated against."

Should Roman win her race, she would not only become the first trans person elected to office in the Philippines and the sixth worldwide, she would be the second in the Asia-Pacific region after Georgina Beyer.

Best of luck to Ms. Roman, and hope she's successful in making Philippine and international trans history on Tuesday. (Monday our time)