Yesterday afternoon I was having a particularly crappy day until I got a phone call from the new Houston GLBT Political Caucus president Jovon Tyler that had me singing Ice Cube's 'Today Was A Good Day' when it was over.
Jovon called to inform me that I was being honored with the 2020 Don Hrachovy Lifetime Achievement Award!
Who is Don Hrachovy? He was the second president of the Houston GLBT Political Caucus and Texas A&M Aggie alum who not only was a ten year member of the organization, but spent thousands of hours putting together that formidable 100,000 name database that has made the Houston GLBT Caucus one of the Big Four must get endorsements in Houston area liberal progressive politics.
That database Hrachovy created has paid dividends in helping endorsed Caucus candidates get elected and making the Caucus a formidable political force. He was also one of the founders of Resurrection MCC and the second person to receive this award named for him in 1987.
Before he died at age 37 from complications from AIDS on June 4, 1988, Hrachovy requested that the AIDS Quilt panel being designed for him be made to look like a voter registration card. He served as the Caucus chair of membership and voter registration.
This is not the first time I've been honored by the Caucus. Back in 2016 I received the John Paul Barnich Award from them at that year's Equality Brunch in recognition for the work I'd done to that point.
But this one is huge. The Hrachovy Life Achievement Award was last given out in 1995, and the list of people who have previously won it reads as a Who's Who list of iconic Houston TBLGQ leaders.
The award was first given out in 1986, with Cicely Wynne receiving the inaugural award. Hrachovy received it in 1987 The other iconic Houston leaders who have received this award are Joe Thornton (1988) Jack Valinski (1989), David Fowler (1990) , Pat Hall (1991) Ray Hill (1992) Annise Parker (1993), Eugene Harrington (1994) and Jim Owens (1995)
For some reason they stopped giving out the Hrachovy after 1995 at the Equality Brunch until Tyler and the Awards Committee revived it for this year.
As you probably guessed, when I do receive it, I'll be making history once again. I will become the first Black and first Houston trans person of any ethnicity to win it . The Caucus wasn't open to trans folks when it was founded, and it sadly took until 1999 to change that.policy.
A meeting my neophyte activist self was sitting in the room for when the Caucus board voted to change it.
That's why despite us having some formidable trans leaders in the 713 like Toni Mayes, Phyllis Frye, Sarah DePalma, Dee McKellar, Vanessa Edwards Foster and Brenda Thomas who have done the work and whose shoulders I stand on, it's ironic and humbling that I will be the first trans person to receive this lifetime achievement award.
While I'm always focused on my goal of doing what I can to make, Houston, Texas, and the nation better than when I encountered it and haven't been concerned about getting awards for the work I do, it is nice and deeply appreciated when that work is recognized by your community.
I'll have to wait until the Equality Brunch happens on October 4 to receive it, but already clearing some space on my increasingly crowded awards shelf for it.
This Saturday I have the honor and opportunity to participate in this Zoom All Black Lives Matter virtual conversation with all these amazing Houston area leaders.
Participating in this conversation is Ashton Woods of BLM Houston, Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis, former Houston City Councilmember and attorney Jolanda Jones, Rep Garnet Coleman (D-Houston), Assata Richards PhD, Vanessa Enoch PhD, psychologist Dr Daryl Shorter, Pastor Denise Junious, Pastor Leslie Jackson, trans advocate Kaleb Elijah and Tori Cooper.
The moderator for this discussion will be Dr Marlon A Smith.
Looking forward to this event on Saturday, and hope you peeps can join us.
I was asked back in May to be one of the panel of judges for the inaugural London based Miss Trans Global pageant.
One of the things y'all don't know about me, but probably should have guessed from my coverage of the Miss International Queen and mainstream cisgender ones like Miss USA and Miss Universe on this blog is that I love pageants, especially the trans ones.
And yeah, I have been honored to be asked to judge a few of them back in the day.
When Sahhara laid out her vision about Miss Trans Global, it spoke to me because I have always felt that the interview portion of pageants should be more heavily weighted in the scoring than talent,and evening gown.
I also loved the fact that it is a trans feminine conceived, led and run project, with the three member Miss Trans Global leadership team having pageant and show business experience..
Also important to me is that the scoring and judging system that has been set up for Miss Trans Global will be one that is fair and transparent for the contestants.
Transparency and fairness at times has been a challenging concept for many trans pageant systems including Miss International Queen.
But back to talking about my major beef with many trans pageants besides fair and impeccably scrupulous judging.
It does you no good as a pageant owner or organizer to have a gorgeous pageant queen who looks stunning in a gown, has talent, but has subpar oratory skills and is clueless as hell when it comes to current events going on outside of Pageant World .
A trans pageant contestant whether they like it or not, once they put on that sash and crown, is seen by elements of society as a representation of the trans community.
Heavily weighing the interview portion is something that occurs with the Mr and Miss Black Trans International pageant that happens during the week long Black Trans Advocacy Conference (BTAC).
The reason it happens is because in large part the BTIPS pageant winners become the spokespersons and faces of our org for the next year of their reign..
So what's Miss Trans Global? It is an international online pageant for trans and gender nonconforming people 18 and up from all backgrounds to raise awareness on transgender and LGB issues around the world. Most importantly to me, unlike the Thai based Miss International Queen one, Miss Trans Global has a diverse group of judges. .
So yes, a trans pageant queen needs to be more than a pretty face. She also needs to be a woman with substance. It's why I eagerly jumped at the chance when asked to be named to this year's international panel of judges for this inaugural Miss Trans Global pageant/.
The Miss Trans Global Pageant has 18 contestants from four continents, Africa, Asia, North and South America competing. The pageant is running online from July 1-30, with the crowning of the winner to take place on August 1.
You interested peeps also get a say on which one of our contestants makes it to our Top 15, semifinal and final rounds. For your vote to count,, you must like the Miss Trans Global Facebook page before choosing your fave contestants
So handle your business. Check out the contestants on your favorite social media platform and then vote for your faves.
Check out The Queen's Speech preliminary part of this pageant in which all the contestants submitted videos that discussed what they would do if they were honored with the Miss Trans Global crown.
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Looking forward to finding out along with all of you peeps worldwide who will be the inaugural winner of the Miss Trans Global virtual trans pageant.
You're also about to find out what I have known for years. Trans is not only beautiful, but we have some intelligent, classy and talented women in our ranks.,
You Cali folks and other Left Coasters keep asking me when will I start showing up in your state. Well, the Air Marshal is about to be in Southern California soon.
Looking forward to making my first trip to San Diego since 2017 for this event.
I'll be joining Tracie Jada O'Brien, Libra Audacious Valentino, Jelecia King, Amber St James, Samsara, Pamuela Halliwell, Savion Cooper and Kenya Trahan for this Black History Month event fousing on honoring and protetcing the lives of Black trans women.
Deeply appreciate the opportunity to spend some quality time with my San Diego fam and my trans elder Mama Tracie. thanks to the Gender Phluid Collective.
Always love to talk to my trans elders about what it was like back in the day to transition, and honor peeps like her who paved the way for my generation of trans peeps
And yes, always down to talk to the new generation of trans and GNC peeps as well
It will be taking place next Saturday, February 22, at the San Diego History Center from 11 AM-4 PM PST. I hope to see many of you peeps in the San Diego area either there at the event or while I'm in town.
The 20th annual Transgender Day of Remembrance is being observed tomorrow on November 20 with events around the world.
Here in Houston, we have three events scheduled on that day, and it's also particularly a sad occasion because four of the names on the 2019 list of US names we will read are Texans, and two will be Houstonians.
The three Houston TDOR events tomorrow are:
TransGiving hosted by Organizacion Latina de Trans en Texas (OLTT) and Ana Andrea Molina
"Remembering our sisters who were ahead of us this year and raising the voices of those who continue to resist".
It also serves as the annual Thanksgiving dinner hosted by OLTT, and will take place this year at Bering Memorial UMC. The address is 1427 Hawthorne St, and will commence at 6:30 PM. Parking for this event will be in the rear of the church.
A Transgender Day of Remembrance event hosted by Dee Dee Watters is also taking place on this date at St. Luke the Evangelist Episcopal Church. It's the event I have been invited to participate in.
The church is on the southeastern edge of the Texas Southern University campus, and its address is 3530 Wheeler Ave. The event starts at 7:00 PM "We will #SayTheirNames we will remember them all while acknowledging ourselves (those of the trans lived experience)"
The third event is the Transgender Day of Remembrance one hosted by the Houston Transgender Unity Committee (HTUC). "...offering a safe and affirming environment to share stories and talk about those we have lost" The venue for this event will be Brasil Houston, located at 2604 Dunlavy St in the Montrose area that will also start at 7:00 PM.
Hopefully you folks in H-town can make it to one of the three events of your choosing to honor the people we have lost to anti-trans violence here and around the world in 2019.
Well, for once I'm doing an ATX trip that doesn't involve me spending most of my day at the Pink Dome. But it's a little unique in how I'm getting there.
For the first time in 20 years, back in my Air Marshal days, I'm flying to Austin for an event. It's also the first time I will fly into Austin Bergstrom Airport, which opened back in May 1999 and has been expanded since then to house 34 gates.
It used to be Bergstrom Air Force Base until it closed in 1993. Austin's tiny local airport on the north side of town was generating increasing citizen noise complaints, and the city asked to Air Force to consider making Bergstrom a joint civilian-military field. Those requests were rejected until the base closed.
Bergstrom was also where Air Force One repeatedly flew into from Washington DC when Lyndon B. Johnson was president and enjoying time on his nearby LBJ Ranch in Johnson City, TX.
The city of Austin eventually acquired it, demolished all the old base structures except the runway and the circular 12th Air Force HQ building that got converted into a hotel.
The main terminal at the ABIA airport is named after trailblazing Texas legislator Barbara Jordan, and there's a statue of her in it.
Most of the time when I go to Austin from Houston I'm rolling past the airport on TX 71 either as a bus or car passenger. But since I was in a United hub city in San Francisco and I needed to be in the ATX, decided to save myself a trip and just fly nonstop to Austin instead of flying back home to IAH, heading to downtown Houston, then taking a nearly 2 hour bus ride back to the ATX.
It was going to be a 'Bougie bus', AKA a Vonlane, but still, why do that to myself?
I will be taking the bus back home to Houston when I'm done up here
What is that business? I'm here for the 30th anniversary gala for Equality Texas that's happening on Saturday night, and they're giving me an award.
And yes, I will have room on my trophy shelf for it.
That 30th anniversary gala will happen at the AT&T Conference Center in downtown Austin on Saturday night, and looking forward to seeing and spending some time with my ATX family
Equality Texas was founded 30 years ago in 1989 as a statewide advocacy group for TBLGQ Texans.
And like HRC, I was one of its harshest critics, especially after the 1999 and 2001 Texas legislative sessions when trans folks were cut out of the James Byrd Hate Crimes Act.
While it has had a problematic history incorporating the trans community in that mission during its first decade of operation, the organization has evolved to become one of the Texas trans community's staunchest allies in the fight against the TBLGQ oppression that the TXGOP tries on a regular basis to impose on us.
Equality Texas is celebrating its 30th anniversary, and in another of of those interesting full circle moments that life and two decades of advocacy can bring you, I'm going to be honored by an org i once criticized.
On November 16 I get to make another trip to Austin, but this one doesn't involve me going to the Pink Dome to visit with state legislators. The next scheduled Texas legislative session doesn't happen until January 2021 unless Gov Abbott calls a special session between now and then
This eight trip to the ATX this year will this time be for me to attend the EQTX anniversary event.
While there I'll receive from them a Transgender Activist Award for the work I've done at the state level. The event will be held at the AT&T Conference Center's Zlotnik Family Ballroom, and starts at 6 PM CST.
And looks like I'll need to write another speech.
Looking forward to seeing my ATX fam at that event and hopefully spend some quality time with other peeps I know there before I have to head back to Houston.
Last week I was in Philadelphia for Netroots Nation, now I've made another drive up I-45 with Dee Dee Watters and Diamond Stylz to attend the second annual BTAC Leadership Institute.
This time instead of having it in NOLA, we're having it in our headquarters city of Dallas. Last year's event in New Orleans helped us tremendously in not only building a solid foundation for us to kick off our 2018-2019 programming year, it also had the benefits of allowing us to get to know each other better
We had a board meeting yesterday at the Wyndham Dallas Suites in which we discussed BTAC coalition business, our upcoming 2019-2020 programming year and fundraising to pay for it.
Today at the Wyndham Dallas Suites starts our two days of training to level up, and I'm looking forward to it.
Also looking forward to seeing and spending quality time this weekend with my BTAC family
One of the things we've learned form season one of POSE is just how talented MJ Rodriguez is.
Hopefully after this year's season, she'll get some Emmy Award consideration and maybe even snatch a trophy this time.
But one of the revelations about Rodriguez is that girlfriend can 'sang'. The 'Love Is The Message' episode in which she and Tony award winner Billy Porter, who plays Pray Tell, sang the song 'Home' from The Wiz in a room full of AIDS patients had me shedding tears by the time it was over.
Here they are again with Our Lady J at piano singing it again at the Trevor Foundation's TrevorLive event in Los Angeles back in December 2018.
Some positive news out of my home state in terms of Macy's Galleria celebrating Pride Month by hosting a fashion show inside the store yesterday from 6-8 PM CDT.
This wasn't just any store fashion show. The participating models were all local Houston area trans people, and one of the show's organizers and commentators was none other than Jessica Zyrie, who knows a few things about ripping runways.
She was joined in the commentator duties by wardrobe stylist Ashley Kahn as the models showed off in season fashion looks that were inspired by Pride month. The show also included a DJ spinning tunes, a photo booth, makeup tutorials and complementary swag.
Note to my critics. Hey it ain't always about me. I'm a firm believer in there is room for everyone in this trans community to shine, and I practice what I preach.
I was good with the fact that I got to see the spotlight shined yesterday on our younger Houston area trans peeps . I also got to watch a positive event for our community in a month we sorely needed it.
Just wish the show had been a little longer, but the people in attendance who saw this first ever event won't forget it along with the customers and employees who were in the store at the time it happened.
I have another panel I've been asked to participate in as I pass the time before I head to Dallas for BTAC 2019.
This one will take place on April 16 on the Lone Star College North Harris County campus, and is entitled Forgotten Women: Sexual Assault and Violence Against Women of Color.
I'm joining three amazing women in Dee Dee Watters, Audia Jones, and Mya Carroll as we discuss this topic. This also gives you folks who live in the Houston 'burbs a chance to see all of us in your neck of the woods.
The panel will start at 2:30 PM at the Lone Star College North Harris campus, located at 2700 WW Thorne Dr not far from Bush IAH.
Hope I see al lot of my far northside friends there for this event..
I had an unexpected additional day in the Twin Cities after the event because of a massive spring storm that slammed the state with several inches of snow combined with sustained 25 mph high winds that cancelled flights at MSP.
That storm also resulted in the cancellation of my return flight home to Texas, but I wasn't too pressed about it. I needed the additional day of rest because I know when I get back home I'll be going back to Austin to deal with our TXGOP legislative craziness.
I had a wonderful first visit to the Twin Cities and the state of Minnesota to participate in the second annual Andrea Jenkins Lecture Series. While I was disappointed I didn't get to see more of my Minneapolis trans family because of the approaching storm, there were 100 souls who braved the weather to see Dr C Riley Snorton and myself.
In addition to Andrea dropping some of her poetry on us, Dr Snorton and I took to the Mayo Auditorium stage to discuss Black trans history and other subjects over the next two hours.
It was also a pleasure, honor and privilege to reconnect with Dr Snorton, and I'm going to enjoy reading his latest book on the plane ride home. I also discovered Dr Snorton and I have a mutual acquaintance in his University of Chicago colleague Dr Kristen Schilt.
I also got to do some touristy things before the snowstorm hit like see the world famous First Avenue nightclub where Prince, The Time and countless other music legends have performed. I visited the Mall of America and went to Nicollet Mall downtown to see the Mary Tyler Moore statue.
Did I visit Paisley Park? Not this time. It's in the 'burbs and off the beaten public transit path, so I'll save it for a future trip.
But what I do wish to say is thank you Minneapolis for a wonderful first visit, and hope I can return to the Twin Cities soon.
I've never been to the annual Johnson Rayburn Richards event that Harris County Democratic Party conducts.\ It's one of their biggest fundraisers, and one of the biggest for any of the Democratic Party organizations in the Lone Star State.
But this year I'll be attending it for the first time, and a I have pretty good reason for doing so.
I've known about it for a week now, but was asked to keep it quiet until the official announcement could be made.by the HCDP.
I'll be receiving the Barbara Jordan Breaking Barriers Award at this year's JRR luncheon!
As a native Houstonian who was a witness to the remarkable trailblazing political career of this legendary H-town Democrat, it is a high horor to receive an award named for her.
That also means I'll be writing a speech for the occasion, and so looking forward to being there on May 24 to deliver it and receive the award along with my fellow JRR Award honorees Yolanda Black Navarro and Ai-jen Poo for it.
One month from now, me and a few hundred friends and BTAC family members will gather in Dallas, TX once again for the 8th annual Black Trans Advocacy Conference and Awards Gala.
The theme this year is Level Up! Elevate The Revolution
BTAC 2019 will be taking place once again at the Wyndham Dallas Suites Park Hotel in North Dallas, and I'm looking forward to spending a week there to recharge, reconnect with my BTAC family, bask in the wisdom of my trans elders, get my learn on, and dish out some well deserved domino butt kickings.
I'm also looking forward to the other events that are part of a BTAC conference in the Trans Manifest Live, the Mr, Ms and for the first time Mx Black Trans International Pageant, the Awards Gala, our Family Day and the Black Diamond Ball..
And oh yeah, it's the kickoff to my birthday celebration week.
I also want to challenge my Houston area Black trans siblings to show up in numbers to meet your Black trans siblings from around the country and the world.
Still not too late for you to join us in Dallas for this conference, and if you need information as to how you can join us or be a sponsor of the event, check out btac.blacktrans.org for further info.
