Marisa Richmond Confirmed To Metro Nashville Human Relations Commission!

In some more good news for trans kind, Dr. Marisa Richmond and 8 other candidates for the Metro Nashville Human Relations Commission were unanimously confirmed by Metro Council tonight for a three year term.

By doing so, Marisa becomes the first out trans person nominated and confirmed to a term on this or any commission in Nashville metro government.   The Human Relations Commission is tasked with investigating discrimination complaints within the city of Nashville and Davidson County.

Congrats for making history in your hometown Marisa, and kudos to Mayor Berry for recognizing that you would be a wonderful addition to that body.  

Happy IDAHOT 2016!

In addition to today being a primary election day in Kentucky and Oregon, today is also the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.

And with unbridled transphobia and anti-trans hatred being peddled by the Republican Party, it couldn't have come at a more appropriate time.

This day was conceived in 2004 by Louis-Georges Tin as a way to raise awareness of violence, discrimination and repression aimed at LGBT communities around the world and take action against it.  The May 17 date was chosen because it is the date in 1990 that homosexuality was removed from the World Health Organization's International Classification of Diseases Manual.

The first IDAHOT was held on May 17, 2005, and Tin served as chairperson of the .event until 2013, when he resigned and it was chaired by Tamara Adrian, who now serves in the Venezuelan National Assembly..

Transphobia was added to the campaign in 2009, and biphobia was officially added in 2015.

Happy IDAHOT 2016, everyone.
.

Vanita Gupta's Remarks On The NC HB 2 Federal Countersuit

After US Attorney General Loretta Lynch made her eloquent remarks body slamming HB 2 and telling the trans community the DOJ and the Obama Administration had their backs, Vanita Gupta, the head of the Civil Rights Division of the DOJ spoke.

And yes, Trans World, her remarks deserve just as much attention as AG Lynch, since it's discussing and explaining the basis for the upcoming lawsuit.

So here's Gupta's May 9 remarks concerning the lawsuit filed by the DOJ against the state of North Carolina, Gov Pat McCrory, the North Carolina Department of Public Safety and the University of North Carolina against the unjust HB 2.. .

***

Thank you, Attorney General [Loretta E.] Lynch, for those powerful words.  Throughout the arc of our country’s history – from tragedies of injustice to marches for equality – there have been pivotal moments when America’s leaders chose to stand up and speak out to safeguard the ideal of equal justice under law.  And history will record your inspiring words and our forceful action today as one of these moments. 

I also want to take a moment to thank the entire team throughout the Civil Rights Division and the Department of Justice, who have worked tirelessly over the last several weeks to ensure that everyone in North Carolina has the full protections of our laws.

Today, we filed a federal civil rights complaint in federal court in the Middle District of North Carolina.  Before I discuss the details of our legal argument, I want to make one thing clear.  Calling H.B. 2 a “bathroom bill” trivializes what this is really about.  H.B. 2 translates into discrimination in the real world.  The complaint we filed today speaks to public employees who feel afraid and stigmatized on the job.  It speaks to students who feel like their campus treats them differently because of who they are.  It speaks to sports fans who feel forced to choose between their gender identity and their identity as a Tar Heel.  And it speaks to all of us who have ever been made to feel inferior – like somehow we just don’t belong in our community, like somehow we just don’t fit in.  Let me reassure every transgender individual, right here in America, that you belong just as you are.  You are supported.  And you are protected.       

Our complaint brings legal claims under three different civil rights statutes.  Two of these statutes are long-standing protections against discrimination in the employment and education contexts: Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.  It is fitting that these statutes – which emerged from our nation’s long struggle to banish a legacy of legal discrimination – are now being used to defend, to uphold and to reaffirm the progress that resulted from that struggle; progress that represents America at its best, at its brightest and at its strongest.        

Title IX and Title VII prohibit discrimination based on sex.  The Department of Justice has for some time now made clear that sex discrimination includes discrimination against transgender people – that is, discrimination based on gender identity.  That is consistent not only with the language of the statutes, but also with the legal interpretations adopted by federal courts – including the appellate court with jurisdiction over the state of North Carolina.  There is nothing radical or even particularly unusual about the notion that the word “sex” includes the concept of “gender.”  Transgender people are discriminated against because their gender identity does not match the sex they were assigned at birth.  H.B. 2 denies transgender people something that all non-transgender people enjoy and take for granted: access to restrooms consistent with their gender identity.  That’s sex discrimination, plain and simple.  This view is only confirmed when proponents of measures like H.B. 2 misinterpret or make up facts about gender identity.  Here are the facts.  Transgender men are men – they live, work and study as men.  Transgender women are women – they live, work and study as women.

Our Title VII claim is brought against the state and governor of North Carolina, the North Carolina Department of Public Safety and the University of North Carolina because of sex discrimination in employment.  Our Title IX claim is brought against the University of North Carolina because of sex discrimination in its education programs.

We also bring a claim under the Violence Against Women Act, or VAWA, a more recent statute specifically designed to prevent discrimination against transgender people by entities that accept certain federal funds.  As with Title IX, entities that accepted federal funds under VAWA – including UNC and the North Carolina Department of Public Safety – pledged that they would not discriminate on the basis of sex or gender identity.  Our complaint seeks to enforce that pledge and hold those entities accountable for the discrimination required by H.B. 2.

Even as we seek that compliance, we remain committed to working with any agency receiving federal funding to develop a plan to ensure their compliance with federal law.

For the reasons I just highlighted, H.B. 2 violates the law.  But H.B. 2 also threatens the values that define us as a people.  These values are timeless.  These values say to all people that you can be who you are, and you deserve to live with dignity.

The complaint filed today seeks to enforce these laws and protect these values.  At this time, the Attorney General and I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.

***

Marisa Richmond Nominated For Nashville Human Relations Commission

Was elated to hear that Dr. Marisa Richmond was nominated by Nashville Mayor Megan Barry yesterday to serve on the Metro (Nashville) Human Relations Commission   This commission is tasked with investigating discrimination complains in Nashville and Davidson County.

If she is confirmed, she would become the first openly trans person to serve on any Metro commission or board in an official capacity.

The confirmation votes for Dr. Richmond will take place in the Rules-Confirmations-Public Elections Committee and the full Metro Council on May 17.   If you like in the Nashville metro area, both meetings will be open to the public.

Congratulations Marisa on a well deserved nomination!

Lawsuit Filed Against Unjust NC Anti-Trans Bill

In some good news after a horrible legislative week for trans kind, a lawsuit was filed in federal court today against the unjust HB 2 anti-trans bill.

Lambda Legal, Equality NC,  the ACLU, ACLU-NC  and three individuals filed suit against the unjust bill that nullified local civil rights ordinances and attempts to enact Jim Crow style bathroom restrictions upon trans North Carolinians and trans visitors to the state.

“By singling out LGBT people for disfavored treatment and explicitly writing discrimination against transgender people into state law, H.B. 2 violates the most basic guarantees of equal treatment and the U.S. Constitution,” the lawsuit argues.

The complaint argues the law violates people’s equal protection, privacy, and liberty rights under the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and their civil rights under Title IX of the Education Act of 1972. The lawsuit is asking for a declaratory judgment that the law violates the Constitution and Title IX and an injunction against enforcement of the law.

We'll see how this case plays out as it winds its way through the federal court system.

TransGriot Update:  NC AG Roy Cooper, who is running as the Democratic candidate for North Carolina's governor, announced that he would not be defending the unjust HB 2 law in court.

SD House Fails To Override HB 1008

If you thought the drama over HB 1008 was over when Gov. Dennis Daugaard (R) vetoed the bill Tuesday, well it wasn't. 

Never underestimate the eager determination of Republicans and the outside groups pushing the unjust bills to oppress a downtrodden group.  They've made it clear that oppressing trans people is on the legislative agenda for their party in 2016. 

One of the reasons the anti-trans hate groups like the Liberty Counsel and the Alliance Defending Freedom chose South Dakota for this fight is because the Republicans in the Mount Rushmore State have had decades long supermajorities in both houses.  They have controlled the 70 member South Dakota House since 1976, and the 35 member South Dakota Senate since 1996.

The Republican controlled House attempted to jump start the process today of overriding the governor's veto.  They needed to get two-thirds of the House members to vote for the override resolution, and then do the same in the senate in order to successfully override Gov. Daugaard's veto and make HB 1008 law.

The vote to override in the SD House went 36-29 with five abstentions, which means it failed to get the necessary two-thirds support. to send it to the senate and turn this unjust bill attacking the humanity of SD trans kids into an unjust law.

Translation: HB 1008 is DEAD!

They failed thanks to the determined efforts of South Dakota based trans people, advocates at the local, state and national level and their allies. 

But there is still one more anti-trans bill, HB 1112 still percolating in the South Dakota legislature we have to keep our eyes on that is attacking our trans kids.

I hope the South Dakota legislature will see the wisdom of not attacking the humanity of trans kids and let that unjust bill suffer the same fate.

 

Ho Hum, Another Transphobic Gay White Male Advocating TBLG Separation

Another day, another not so shocking instance of a transphobic white gay male making the case to throw transpeople under the human rights bus.

On the eve of South Dakota governor Dennis Daugaard trying to make up his mind whether he is going to be a trans human rights hero or a trans human rights oppressor, another one of those 'We Want A Divorce From The T******s' pieces popped up this morning in USA Today.

This op-ed was written by Joseph R. Murray, who was a campaign official for Pat Buchanan and would be surprised if he was a member of either GOProud or the Log Cabin Republicans.

Let me get right to the heart of why I and other trans people are tired of white gay men clamoring for separation now that you have accomplished much of your gay and lesbian legislative and societal wish list by simultaneously using the trans community as legislative bargaining chips.

It was trans people, and specifically trans people of color like Marsha P. Johnson who threw the first bricks and shot glasses at Stonewall while you Fire Island gays were cowering in your closets.  And far too often in my nearly two decades of human rights advocacy,it has been primarily white gay men who have been the biggest obstacles to trans human rights progress.

If you think I'm kidding about that, LGBT history has far too many instances of trans folks being thrown under the legislative bus in the name of 'incremental progress' and LG led groups breaking those promises to come back for us.  

And who came up with the bathroom meme?  Before the right wing started using it to attack us and human rights laws in general, it was Rep. Barney Frank with his 'penis in showers' arguments in the late 90's designed to stymie trans inclusion in ENDA.

Which brings me back to talking about this latest example and the repeated ignorant line that trans rights and gay rights are not the same.   While there are some issues that are unique to the trans community. we also identify as gay, bi or lesbian in Trans World in terms of our sexual orientations.

And if our human rights as trans people aren't secured, your hard won human rights gains in Gay World are also less secure.

Now that we have the Republican Party and right wing evangelicals coming out of the closet in terms of working to openly attack our humanity and human rights, now is not the time for advocating kicking the trans community to the curb from a movement we helped build and far too much of our blood has been shed in order to make real the promises of democracy and human rights for trans Americans.

And we're tired of conservative white gay men showing their inner transphobe and making the fatally flawed assumption that your whiteness, your wallets and your eager willingness to sell out the rest of the LGBT community will protect you from the anti-LGBT discrimination that your party wishes to impose on all of us.

Charlotte Passes Ordinance Banning TBLG Discrimination

Some good news out of Charlotte tonight as their City Council passed on a 7-4 vote an ordinance banning LGBT discrimination in the Queen City in front of an overflow crowd.

Of course, the Forces of Intolerance beat the bathroom predator meme into hamburger and Gov Pat McCrory (R), the former Charlotte mayor, tried to browbeat the Charlotte City Council into not taking the issue up by issuing threats to overturn it at the state level.

The new Charlotte ordinance takes effect in April and bans discrimination based on gender identity and expression and sexual orientation in housing and public accommodations.

You may recall that an attempt to pass the same ordinance last year was defeated, and in the wake of that loss, the two Democratic councilmembers that opposed it were ousted and replaced with democrats who supported the ordinance.

Elections matter.

But this was the easy part.   As we can tell you in Houston, keeping progressive legislation you pass in a red state is much harder.

But congrats Charlotte for doing so!    

Unjust Virginia Anti-Trans Bill Dies

Good news to report out of Virginia concerning another Republican sponsored anti-trans bill.

HB 781, the bill filed by Del. Mark Cole (R-Spotsylvania) that would force trans students to use locker room and bathrooms based on genitalia and possibly force school officials to engage in genital checks has died in the House of Delegates yesterday on a 13-8 bipartisan vote.

Had HB 781 become law, which was unlikely considering Terry McAuliffe (D) was standing by with his veto pen, it would have compelled school districts across the state to formulate policies that required locker rooms and bathrooms to be designated for and used by students based on genitalia.

Violations would have carried a $50 civil penalty, and Del. Cole repeated the conservafool  lie talking point that the bill wasn't discriminatory, 'but was about privacy'.

Yeah, right. It's all about discrimination for you GOP types. You aren't happy unless you're oppressing somebody, and the trans community is now the community du jour you wish to oppress.  

The bill has also been filed at a time when Virginia trans student Gavin Grimm's anti-trans discrimination lawsuit against the Gloucester County School District is now being litigated in the US 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.  

Claire Guthrie Gastañaga, the executive director of the ACLU of Virginia urged the committee to hold off on this bill until the US circuit court has had the opportunity to rule on the pending federal lawsuit.

We'll see what happens in the G.G. vs Gloucester County School Board case later, but for now the unjust anti-trans bill is dead in Virginia.

Happy International Human Rights Day 2015!

‘

'All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.  They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in the spirit of brotherhood'
-Article 1, the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Today is International Human Rights Day, which commemorates the 1948 day that the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  It was a milestone day in that for the first time international human rights were spelled out because of the experiences of World War II and the need to explicitly define 'fundamental freedoms' in the UN Charter.

On December 10, 1950. the UN General Assembly passed Resolution 423(v) that invited the nations of the world and interested parties and organizations to celebrate the first Human Rights Day.

The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, were adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 16, 1966 and together with the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights make up the International Bill of Human Rights.
This year's theme for International Human Rights Day is Our Rights. Our Freedoms. Always. and is designed to kick off the countdown to the 50th anniversary celebration of the adoption of the two international human rights covenants.

This would also be the day to remember that trans human rights are international human rights issues, we are part of the diverse mosaic of humanity, our human rights deserve recognition, and need to be expeditiously ensconced in the laws of the various nations around the world we live in.

Happy International Human Rights Day!.  

Mount Horeb School Board Unanimously Enacts Trans Protections

This probably wasn't the result the Liberty Counsel expected when they stuck their transphobic noses in the business of a Mount Horeb trans feminine child and browbeat the Mount Horeb Primary Center into canceling a November 23 reading of I Am Jazz for the students to help them understand the trans student's transition journey.

The action ignited a controversy triggering two well attended community public readings of I Am Jazz at the high school and the public library, the Mount Horeb School Board rebuked the transphobes.

Board member Peter Strube forcefully said to cheers of the 80 people in attendance prior to the start of the board meeting,"Let the word go forth here and now that this board will stand united, we will not be intimidated and we will teach tolerance and will be accepting to everyone.

The Mount Horeb School board backed up the tough talk of Board member Strube by conducting a quick board meeting that included a public comment period in which 14 people spoke in favor of the new trans policies and 5 people spoke in opposition to.

Then by a unanimous 7-0 vote, the Mount Horeb School Board passed measures to protect trans students in the district and added 'transgender status' to their nondiscrimination policy.

After the vote the mother of the six year old trans child in question, who was watching the proceedings, felt moved to speak and thanked the board.

"This has been the most difficult thing my family has ever had to deal with,"she said.  "I am so glad we are part of this school district going through something like this...This isn't just about our child, this is about all the other children, too."

The trans policies are applied on a case by case basis by school administrators, and apply to students who has in the words of the policy, 'held the belief deeply, followed the belief over a consistent period of time, is supported by the student's parent or guardian, and has sought guidance and counseling in coming ti the decision.'  

Mount Horeb trans students will be allowed to participate in intramural athletics and physical education classes 'in a manner consistent with their gender presentation',  They will also be granted access to restrooms and locker rooms that correspond with their gender presentations.

The passage of the policy makes Mount Horeb one of the few districts in the state of Wisconsin that have trans inclusive non discrimination policies, and it will be interesting to see what happens next.

Sellout Out Of Town Kneegrow Pastor Cancels Plan To Do Jax Drag Protest

Jacksonville, FL has become the next human rights battleground in the wake of the HERO debate and the Jacksonville City Council set to consider their inclusive ERO next year.  As you probably guessed. the faux faith based haters are already trying to deploy the debunked bathroom predator lie.

Jacksonville, my offer to help combat the lies still stands.

Monday night my mayor Annise Parker was invited by the Duval County Democratic Party to discuss what happened in H-town to kill the HERO.  

Pastor Kenneth Adkins, whose behind doesn't even live in Jacksonville, but St. Simon's Island, GA and pastors a church in Brunswick, GA, decided to ignorantly stick his nose in Jacksonville human rights business.   Or was he paid to do so?

Yo, Kenneth. How much money did the local haters pay you to be the human shield for their hate campaign against the Jacksonville ERO?   My inquiring mind wants to know the answer to that question

He threatened to show up at the protest in drag to allegedly 'send a message to the Duval County Democratic Party' , but backed out at the last minute.

Mayor Parker did comment after her speech about Pastor Adkins transphobic ignorance.

“Anyone who would do that has no concept at all of what gender identity truly is and how hateful and hurtful that is,” Mayor Parker told WFOX-TV.




But this just goes to show you once again how the anti-human rights forces since 1993 are continuing to use sellout kneegrow (they don't deserve to be called Black) pastors to be the face of their campaigns while the predominately white professional gaybaiters do the dirty work to kill human rights laws behind the scenes.

As Rev. F.N. Williams and Rev. Max Miller found out here, once the predominately white professional oppressors don't need them any more, they will kick them to the curb and take all the credit for the win.

And as for Pastor Adkins, I pray you're not related to me.   I'm sick and tired of anti-trans ignorance like that in the Black community, and it needs to stop.

Hope you don't fall for that okey-doke Jacksonville.   And I also hope you'll get a transperson in the Jacksonville area to combat the anti-trans lies they are flinging..

 

The Houston Trans Community Fights Back

After spending a few days venting about the results of the HERO vote, now that we H-town trans people have gotten the venting about it out of the way, comes the time for turning this lemon situation into lemonade.

Saturday members of the Houston based Transgender National Alliance and our allies stood at the busy corner of Montrose Blvd and Westheimer Rd in the heart of the gayborhood for a rally to combat the anti-trans negativity stirred up by the HERO haters.

Yesterday at the Montrose Center another event was organized by Dee Dee Watters in which I participated in along with Melissa Murry and Veronika Simms.  The goal of the event was to begin the process of getting our diverse trans community and our allies some common media talking points about our trans lives to use if they find themselves being asked to do media interviews as I and other local trans leaders have found ourselves doing in the last few days.

This event also included some practice using the new talking points in mock interviews, and won't be the only time we do this.  It will be an ongoing thing.

Speaking of upcoming events, we also have an upcoming one at MSociety in which we will have a Trans 101 conversation with people from the Black SGL community.  

The same conversations will also be conducted in other sectors of the Houston LGB community as well since we were disheartened to learn that some of our LG allies also drank the right wing potty Kool Aid and voted against the HERO.

So yes, we suffered a disappointing defeat in which we trans folks were gleefully slimed and demonized at every turn by our opponents.  But we Houston trans folks are a resilient bunch, and far from silently acquiescing to what happened November 3, we are gearing up to fight back because resistance to transphobia is not futile.

We are taking heart in a quote by the Rev Dr Martin Luther King, Jr to guide our future big picture efforts as we fight back from the punch our right wing opponents threw.

"Right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant."

We are on the right side of history, and we will prevail.  We just have to work harder than the Forces of Intolerance to make that day happen here in H-town.

,

The Fight To Keep HERO- October 17

Early voting in our mayoral election starts on Monday, and with it has come increased political activity centered on HERO and mayoral and council elections.

In addition to the increased mayoral campaign ads, the pro-HERO and anti-HERO sides are deploying their TV and radio commercials.  While the pro-HERO side has dominated TV so far, the anti-HERO side has been predominately using radio to push their one trick pony message of hate.

Former Astro Lance Berkman recorded an ad for the HERO haters, and on October 7 Mayor Annise Parker called him out on Twitter about his hypocrisy for lying about the HERO when he failed to do the same vocal criticism in other cities in which he has played such as St Louis, New York and Dallas that have similar human rights laws like HERO.

On Wednesday this full page ad was printed in the Houston Chronicle by corporations that support Proposition 1 to emphasize the fact that many of our large corporations want to see Prop 1 passed. These corporations featured in the ad are on record as saying that Prop 1 is good for Houston, and good for the business community.

An October 12 Houston Chronicle editorial from Dow Chemical VP of Gulf Coast Operations Earl Shipp reflects the pro-HERO mindset of many corporations in Houston.

Houston based political cartoonist Nick Anderson has also commented on the HERO campaign, with this recent cartoon slamming the fear and smear  come out swinging oo

Media Matters has also come out swinging against the bathroom predator myth, this time asking law enforcement and governmental officials in Dallas, Austin, El Paso,  the CEO of the Dallas Rape Crisis Center, and the executive director of El Paso's Center Against Sexual and Family Violence about the opposition's loud and wrong lie, it was repeatedly debunked.

And once again, here's last year's HERO testimony from Cassandra Thomas of the Houston Area Women's Center, who not only support the ordinance, but debunked the bathroom predator lie.

 

Early voting starts Monday.   Vote YES on Prop 1!



 

The Fight To Keep HERO - October 8

There was interesting HERO news that happened yesterday.  

First the bad news.  The HERO haters got together at Second Baptist with 100 predominately white people on stage to have a press conference trying to convince Houstonians to vote against Prop 1.

And as usual they peddled the predator lie and tired to attack Mayor Annise Parker .

How ironic that this event happened at a anti-trans megachurch who had a youth minister sent to jail for 5 years  for actually being a child predator. 

Can you say 'hypocrites' people?

They need to stop projecting and look for the predators in their own GOP dominated ministerial ranks.  These out of town GOP activists and their kneegrow sellouts also need to stop meddling in Houston human rights business.

Now for the good news. A recent Houston Area Realtors poll revealed that a majority of Houstonians favor keeping the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance and it's not even close. 

Houstonians in that HAR poll favored HERO by a 51%-36% margin with 13% undecided.  While that's good news, we can't relax until November 4.

What's November 4?  The day after Election Day.. 

The other good news from that poll is that two of the 2015 mayoral candidates vying to succeed Mayor Annise Parker and who support HERO in Sylvester Turner and Adrian Garcia are tied for the lead in it. 

The poll reflects the general perception of the race in that the front runners are Turner and Garcia with three other candidates close behind.   The HERO haters like Ben Hall are at the bottom.   .

African-Americans for Prop 1 just put out another meme aimed at the Black community pointing out why the HERO is needed and necessary in our city.

There was also an event held at the Houston Area Urban League headquarters October 6 which was a conversation about racial discrimination.    56% of the HERO complaints received by the OIG office between May 28, 2014 and September 2 were for once again, RACIAL discrimination, with 17% being gender discrimination.

Tomorrow (October 9) starting at 5:30 PM on the UH campus will be a panel discussion on the topic of HERO and the Future of the LGBTQ Movement.  

It is presented by Texas Rising (of the Texas Freedom Network) and the Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies Student Group and will take place in the Bayou Room of the UH Student Center

The discussion will focus on why local non-discrimination policies like HERO are so important and how we must include trans* people and people of color in post-marriage campaigns to win comprehensive non-discrimination policies and to honor LGBT history that is often overlooked.

Additional discussion will center on how we go about ensuring that the most vulnerable communities not only be at the table, but be leading the tables moving forward as a movement.

Scheduled panelists for this discussion are: --Mike Webb (Legacy Community Health)
--Jaimie Bockmon (UH Student and activist)
--Melanie Pang, LMSW (Social worker and social justice activist)
--Dee Dee Waters (Houston activist)
.
Hope people can attend because it should be an interesting discussion.

The Fight To Keep HERO- September 30

We are one day closer to the October 5 deadline to register to vote for this upcoming civic election in which unfortunately, our Houston human rights law was forced onto the ballot by partisan GOP politics.

The HERO haters are desperately attempting their fear and smear tactics in their last ditch effort to try to hoodwink and bamboozle people into voting against their own civil rights.

56% of the discrimination complaints received by the Houston office of the Inspector General since the passage of the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance on May 28, 2014 have been race related with another 17% of the complaints received by the OIG have been based on sex.

And the ongoing discriminatory mess with the Gaslight Club has shown a bright spotlight on why the City of Houston needs a local remedy to deal with local discrimination since the state of Texas does not have a non-discrimination law, federal law does not cover everyone, and filing federal anti-discrimination lawsuits is expensive and time consuming... .  

Rather than wait for Houston Unites to come up with an action plan for discussing HERO, Black Houston activists concerned about th lack of action in our communities have begun to mobilize and do the work necessary to deliver affirmative votes for it from our neighborhoods.

They have started the African Americans For Prop 1 Facebook page in order to provide a rapid response to anti-HERO lies, tell the truth about what HERO does, and provide information about upcoming events in the Houston Black community.



The bottom line is that the HERO oppostion 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.

This site is just part of a grassroots effort to do precisely that.

The Battle To Keep HERO-September 29

One of the reasons I'm more than pissed off about the lack of pushback in Black Houston over the lies the HERO opposition and their kneegrow sellouts are telling about our local civil rights law is because the people who are being negatively affected by the current status quo non-coverage situation are people of color.

Specifically, women of color.

56% of the HERO complaints are not only race related, but the next highest category of complaints logged by the Houston Office of the Inspector General who would be tasked with investigating them are sex discrimination at 17%.

Even the two high profile trans discrimination cases that have occurred in H-town also fit that pattern. The Izza Lopez one in 2006 and the Leyth Jamal one in 2012 not only happened inside the Houston city limits. but happened to Latina and Black trans women.

And yes, the increasingly infamous Gaslamp nightclub has also aimed their reprehensible anti-Black hatred at Black women.



This continuing cesspool of discrimination, by the way, would have had a local remedy to deal with it if HERO hadn't been screwed with by the Harris County Republican Party, the all GOP Texas Supreme Court, and out of town activists messing with Houston human rights business.

In some good HERO news, the Houston Association of Realtors board voted to support Prop 1.

“The Houston Association of Realtors sees HERO as an extension of the Code of Ethics to which licensed Realtors must adhere each day to ensure the fair and ethical treatment of all real estate consumers,” said HAR Chair Nancy Furst. “Our 31,000-member association respects and celebrates Houston’s diverse population, and we believe HERO complements the Realtor commitment to conduct business without discrimination of any kind.”

In voting to support HERO, the HAR board recognized that similar equal rights laws are on the books in more than 200 U.S. cities, including Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth and San Antonio, and 17 states, and have not resulted in any reports of increased public safety problems. The board concluded that the anti-discrimination measure “promotes a healthy business climate throughout Houston.”

It joins other heavyweight H-town business associations in the Greater Houston Partnership, The Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Hotel and Lodging Association of Greater Houston in urging YES votes to keep HERO.

The Fight To Keep HERO-September 25, 2015

We are creeping close to some critical dates in our ongoing battle to keep HERO here in H-town, and need to point them out.

October 5 is the last day to register to vote for the upcoming November 3 election.   So if you haven't registered to vote and wish to participate in the mayoral election and vote YES for Prop 1, then you need to bust a move and handle your electoral business.

The other critical date is October 19, which is the first day of early voting, and continue until Friday October 30.

I also had the delicious pleasure of watching karma kick HERO hatin' mayoral candidate Ben Hall in the behind.  The Harris County Republican Party finally threw this useful fool under the bus and stared calling him out not only for his previous HERO support, but being a sustaining Democratic Party member who has made large contributions to Democratic Party candidates

Couldn't happen to a nicer sellout.

This is also the first TV commercial from Houston Unites, the umbrella coalition that is fighting to keep HERO in the Houston Code of Ordinances.




Nice commercial, but not enough to combat the toxic anti-trans rhetoric being pimped by the other side and is their only play to defeat HERO.

Last night I had the pleasure of being interviewed by local political blogger Charles Kuffner about mine and other Black SGL leaders concerns about the alarming lack of outreach to Houston's Black media and lack of canvassing in Black neighborhoods that will probably decide this election  

As soon as it's posted on Off The Kuff, I'll share it with you.

The Fight To Keep HERO-September 21

'Black ministers in Houston have been particularly outspoken against the ordinance, and, by all accounts, they've been highly effective. Their parishioners and congregants need to show a little independence. They need to read the ordinance themselves, consider the experience of other cities and apply a little common sense to the issue.'-Houston Chronicle, 'Time to be HERO-ic' , September 20, 2015


While I was in Washington DC for the National Black Justice Coalition's just concluded OUT on the Hill Black LGBTQ/SGL Leadership Summit, one of the questions I and my fellow Houstonians attending the conference frequently had to answer while I was inside I-495 was 'What's going on with the HERO?

And what was my answer to the inside the Beltway folks and other Black LGBT peeps like me about it?  "It's 50-50 whether we keep HERO or it gets repealed"

As many people I've talked to about the Houston Unites campaign know, I haven't been happy about the way this has been run since the opening August press conference.  One of the communities that will be critical in determining whether the HERO lives as it should or dies will be the Houston Black community. 

My problem with Houston Unites not only is the lack of will to utterly destroy the trans predator myth, but the problematic lack of consistent pushback in the Houston Black community in the face of negative anti-HERO ads aimed at the Black community being played unchecked on Majic 102 and Ben Hall owned KCOH.

I also have a problem with the failure so far to go on offense concerning the opposition lies that a HERO that covers 15 categories is a 'LGBT ordinance', Federal law already covers everyone and HERO isn't necessary (no it doesn't)  and we need to repeal it so we can 'rewrite it to cover everyone'.

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.

Note to the HERO haters.  The ordinance already covers every Houstonian, and you need to stop telling the lie that it doesn't   Why shouldn't we have a local, non expensive alternative to combating local discrimination besides filing an expensive federal lawsuit?
Houston Unites needs to be bolder and as relentless in taking the message to Black media outlets and the Houston Black community that HERO protects us from local discrimination as our opponents have been since last year in aggressively demonizing the Houston trans community and putting out disinformation about the ordinance.

It's way past time to rebuke these Houston pastors who repeatedly violate the Ninth Commandment. You do not have to be nice and 'take the high road' against an opponent who wants to oppress you. doesn't care about facts, and is willing to throw their own human rights and the human rights of an entire city under the bus just to get a win and as a bonus for them, satisfy their irrational faux faith based hatred of the Houston LGBT community at the same time.

Neither can it all be on the Houston Black community to find out on their own that some of their ministers are lying to them. That strategy ain't working. Houston Unites is going to need to spend some money NOW just like you're doing for other Houston demographic communities on ramped up media and canvassing efforts targeted specifically to council districts Districts B, D and J for starters.

You're welcome.

The situation also can't continue of the Houston Black LGBT community going it alone on our underfunded education efforts.  We could use some money and air time to get our message out there to our people.    

I and other Houston Black LGBT people who busted our azzes to pass this much needed ordinance are NOT happy about the silence of the local NAACP, Houston area Black politicians. and the local Urban League chapter for starters to get behind Proposition 1,  It would also be nice and deeply appreciated if Houston Unites hires folks from the demonized Houston Black LGBT community to talk to our community as only we can to blow up those lies.

Houston Unites, it's  past time for you to be HERO-ic too.  If you want to win on November 3, you'll do that ASAP.