Back In NOLA For The NLGJA Convention

It was touch and go in terms of whether or not I'd actually get here, but thanks to a major assist from BTAC, I'm here for #NLGJA18!

After missing out on the NABJ one in Miami, I was determined to at least make this one since it was this close (385 miles) to my Houston stomping grounds. 

My Megabus trip from Houston started out on a less than promising note, with us having to swap the bus out before we could start our eastward trek down I-10.  But better to have them handle that problem in Houston than having us break down along the route. 

I-10 in Louisiana includes major stretches of it going through swamp in the Atchafalaya Basin west of Baton Rouge and in St Charles, St John and St Martin Parishes as you approach New Orleans..

Still ended up getting to New Orleans an hour late, but in one piece with my luggage.

It's ironic to me that after not having visited New Orleans since the 1990 Mardi Gras, since then I have been to a 2018 BTAC Leadership Institute here, the 2018 Netroots Nation, and now this NLGJA conference.in the span of 14 months.   

I have a Saturday panel I'm on, so looking forward to not only handling my business on it, but also getting my learn on.  And yes, looking forward to seeing a few friends and some of the NLGJA leadership team while I;m wandering the convention hotel.

I also want to catch up with my NOLA trans fam before I have to hit I-10 west on Sunday

I still have to get registered before that happens, but will deal with it in a few hours.

I'll also be tweeting and posting to my Facebook while I'm here, and you can also check out the #NLGJA19 hashtag for the latest news.

Daniel Villarreal's SXSW Talk- 10 Emerging LGBTQ Media Topics

I met Daniel Villarreal during an LGBTQ Media Journalist Convening event several years ago, and have a lot of respect and love for him and his journalism work.

He recently gave a talk at the 2019 SXSW on the subject of  'Ten Emerging Topics In LGBTQ Media'.   I was in Austin during SXSW for TENT's Lobby Day on the march 7, but had to return home on the date of his talk..

While 70 people attended his talk, there have been a lot more people who expressed interest in the subject, so Daniel has decided to record it so more people can see it.     

Here's the video.

Houston Trans Woman Shot, Misgendered By Houston Chronicle

Anytime and anywhere a trans woman is shot I have a major problem with it.   But when the crap happens in my Houston backyard less than a mile from where I live I take it personally.

A 24 year old Black trans woman known as Pinky was chased Thursday morning through a busy Chevron station parking lot just after 11 AM CST.   The gun wielding miscreant shot at Pinky twice, cornered her by the front door of the gas station located on the corner of Beltway 8 and Richmond Ave in West Houston, and fired three shots at her at point blank range.

She was taken to a nearby hospital in unknown condition.

The surveillance cam video obtained by ABC13 is disturbing and infuriating to watch.


I know that location well because it has a Frenchy's that I love to patronize.   That station because it is on a major street by one of our busy H-town freeways is always busy. 

So somebody saw something or knows something that will lead to the arrest and conviction of this fool.

The approximately 5' 8" Black male assailant wearing a gray hoodie got away in a light colored SUV, possibly a Honda.   HPD is definitely looking for his reprehensible behind.

If you have any information that will expedite that happening, you are urged to call Crime Stoppers at  713-222-TIPS (8477)

As for Pinky, her Houston trans family will definitely be checking on her to make sure she is okay, and once the waste of DNA is apprehended, stand with her when he is inevitably tried and brought to justice.

What also has me incensed and concerned about about what happened besides the fact it was in my neighborhood is that the Houston Chronicle dipped into the transphobic pool to report on this story.

Note to Jay R. Jordan:  A trans woman is a WOMAN, not a man.    It was not necessary for you to go there and try to justify your transphobia by adding the sentence about Pinky's ID.

I find it interesting you could point out the incorrect ID, but couldn't report Pinky's name 

Another point I need to make is this.  What is or isn't on that ID is not germane to this story.

Houston cis Black community and cis Black community leaders and politicians, several questions for you to ponder. 

When will you FINALLY step up and say it is NOT okay to shoot at or kill Black trans people and act on it?  When will our Black trans lives matter to you?   How many of us have to die this year before you finally conclude that enough is enough? 

And another FYI for you. Black trans Houstonians vote.

A trans woman was shot and ended up in the hospital as a result of what happened Thursday.   It is infuriating to me and the Houston trans community that once again, instead of respectfully reporting on it like ABC13 did, transphobia was injected into this incident by our main local newspaper.

Raquel Willis Becomes Executive Editor At OUT Magazine

I'd heard Raquel Willis was leaving her position with the Transgender Law Center to move to New York, saw that she had posted it on her Facebook page, but didn't elaborate at the time why she was doing so. 

Now I know why she went from the Left Coast to NYC.  .

It was announced today that Willis would become an executive editor with OUT magazine  and in the process, become the first trans person in that role in the 25 year history of that publication.

“It’s an honor to be a part of this team and be a part of this new crew of queer and trans people who wanna shake things up, and bring in more color along with new perspectives,” she said in an interview with ESSENCE magazine.

And you better believe I'm extremely proud of her for being tapped by OUT to fill this new role.

Willis is still getting acclimated to her new position and what she wants to do to elevate the voices of trans people on OUT's pages, but I am looking forward to seeing what happens at the magazine.

Congrats Raquel one making history, and I wish you nothing but success in your new position.

Bye Megyn!

Black Santa came early this year and gave us the Christmas present of Megyn Kelly FINALLY getting fired from the Today Show for her comments defending blackface.

The karmic wheel has finally come for Kelly, who Black America has always had a hate-hate relationship with.    While Kelly was the pretty propaganda face at FOX Noise, she dished out a long stream of anti-Black comments that we still have receipts for and she's been unrepentant about.

What pissed off Black America even further was Andy Lack paying $69 million to Kelly to come to NBC, and the shady way that Tamron Hall and Al Roker were forced out of their Today Show time slot to make room fo her to do so. 

Seems like Andy Lack was the only person in America who didn't know this was a ratings trainwreck in the making. I stopped watching Today the nanosecond that Tamron Hall was bounced.

Wonder how my fellow Texan is feeling today about this news?   She's keeping it classy, so Black America will be gleefully petty for her. 

#ByeMegyn.  And a suggestion for you as you look for a new TV job.   Get some counseling to deal with those anti-Black attitudes you obviously have a problem with.

Houston Chronicle Endorses Beto O'Rourke!

"With eyes clear but certainly not starry, we enthusiastically endorse Beto O'Rourke for U.S. Senate. The West Texas congressman's command of issues that matter to this state, his unaffected eloquence and his eagerness to reach out to all Texans make him one of the most impressive candidates this editorial board has encountered in many years."-Houston Chronicle Editorial Board
This is definitely a huge shock and a win for Team Beto. 

The Houston Chronicle, which leans so conservative on its editorial board it endorsed George HW Bush, George W Bush, Mitt Romney and a certain Rafael Cruz in 2012, just flipped the US Senate endorsement script and endorsed Beto O'Rourke.

"What sets O'Rourke apart, aside from the remarkable campaign he's running, are policy positions in keeping with a candidate duly aware of the traditionally conservative Texas voter he would be representing in the U.S. Senate," the Chronicle editorial board said.

The board then goes on to conclude that O'Rourke would serve as a check to President Trump, whom it describes as a "danger to the republic."

"Cruz is unwilling to take on that responsibility." 

The Chronicle editorial board also called Rafael out for leading the 2013 government shutdown, and recited the negative comments from his Washington House and Senate GOP colleagues about him.   

It also pointed out the obvious that Cruz has shown little interest "in addressing the needs of his fellow Texans during his six years in office."

Hey, his wife Heidi is tired of 'scraping by' on that measly $174,000 a year taxpayer funded salary anyway.

Of course, Rafael was hatin' immediately after the decision, calling the Chronicle a 'left wing rag'.  Interesting to note you didn't say the same thing in 2012 when they endorsed your Canadian born azz. 

Hey, just keeping it real.   He may have a house in River Oaks and votes at the West Gray Multiservice Center, but the vast majority of Houstonians don't like him and don't claim Rafael as one of our own.

But yes, it's a huge win when the paper of record in the largest city in the state, and his home base goes with his opponent.   

The Black Texan Free Vice News Beto-Cruz Discussion

The Black population of Texas as of the 2010 US Census was 12%.   We have one of the most exciting US Senate races going on in over 20 years, and this Vice News/HBO discussion speaks to the national interest in this election.

But do you notice the one thing missing in this discussion of 16 people who are either Beto or Cruz supporters?  Out of the 16 people in this room, NONE of them are African American Texans.

What's up with that?

It's already problematic enough that partisan Republican pollster Frank Luntz is conducting this Vice News/HBO discussion.   But the glaring absence of Black Texans makes this even more problematic.

How did Vice News NOT catch this?    Never mind, I answered my own question.

Here's the video if you think I'm kidding about this. 
 

Sharif Durhams Elected NLGJA President

Lost in all the drama that took place on  Saturday night is the historic and groundbreaking news that NLGJA has elected its first Black president. 

He is Sharif Durhams, who is the senior editor for news and alerting at CNN Digital.  His two year term at the helm of NLGJA started September 9.   Durhams has been a lifetime member of NLGJA since 2000, has co-chaired a previous NLGJA convention, and has served for several years on the organization's board of directors.

The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), of which Durhams is also a lifetime member, hailed his election. 

"NABJ is proud of members Sharif Durhams and Cheryl W. Thompson for their recent elections as presidents of NLGJA and IRE respectively," NABJ President Sarah Glover said. "As the country's demographics continue to become increasingly more diverse, it's noteworthy that NABJ members are stepping forward to take on organizational leadership roles that shape media discourse and the future of journalism."
"My goal is to improve the diversity of this organization as well as it's outreach," said Durhams, who also has a lifetime memberships in the NABJ. "I definitely want both organizations to work more together. In some ways, our issues mirror each other, such as making sure there is support in our newsrooms for diversity and getting people from diverse backgrounds into leadership positions. 

"There are ways we can back each other up to make sure all of our voices are heard." 

One of Durham's goals is to not only build on the efforts of outgoing president Jen Christensen build diversity within NLGJA, he also seeks to grow the 28 year old organization's membership ranks and its financial coffers to ensure stability and its long term staying power. 

Durhams also wants NLGJA to become a more vocal thought leader in the journalism world in addition to train newsrooms in how to better cover transgender people and LGBTQ communities of color. 

And I'm looking forward to working with him over the next two years to make that happen. 

Congratulations on your new position in the NLGJA ranks, Sharif!   Congratulations on also making history!    .

 

CNN's Don Lemon Puts Dolt 45 On Blast

You long time TransGriot reader know that over the history of this blog I've had my issues at times with CNN's Don Lemon.   But since Trump's election he has been calling out Dolt 45 on the regular and tellin' it like it T-I-S is.

After Dolt 45 made more racist tweets attacking him and Lebron James, Lemon took some time on his CNN show to put Dumb Donald on blast.



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Check Out The 'Marsha's Plate' Podcast

My homegirl Diamond Stylz in the wake of the 2016 election and the lack of balanced, facts based  discussions about trans people in the media, decided to start her own platform to do precisely that called 'Marsha's Plate'.

The Marsha  the podcast is named for is Marsha P Johnson, our pioneering Black trans elder who is credited with kicking off the 1969 Stonewall Rebellion, and who co-founded Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) with Sylvia Rivera.

But back to talking about the 'Marsha's Plate' podcast.   The discussions being had on the podcast which is now up to 30 episodes are coming from a Black trans perspective.

Diamond is joined in this latest media endeavor by her co-hosts Mia Mix and Zee.  They bring to the podcast discussions the perspectives of young trans masculine and trans feminine people.

And knowing Diamond, she's not going to shy away from controversial or hotly contested topics.

Looking forward to checking it out every Thursday, and here's the link to the show.

Michelle Wolf's 2018 WHCD Speech

The Conservative Noise Machine and elements of the media are outraged about Michelle Wolf's White House Correspondents Dinner remarks.

Where was the lie in anything she said Saturday night?  It's hilarious to me that people up to and including Dolt 45 are demanding she 'apologize' for her remarks.

Example 1: “You guys are obsessed with Trump. Did you used to date him? Because you pretend like you hate him, but I think you love him. I think what no one in this room wants to admit is that Trump has helped all of you. He couldn’t sell steaks or vodka or water or college or ties or Eric, but he has helped you. He’s helped you sell your papers and your books and your TV. You helped create this monster, and now you’re profiting off of him. And if you’re gonna profit off of Trump, you should at least give him some money because he doesn’t have any.”

Hey, your job as part of the Fourth Estate is to tell the truth, seek it out and speak it to power. 
The truth is media, you failed us in 2016 and still are by not pushing back hard enough against this misadministration or the crap that Republicans are doing to this country.

If a mere GLAAD Media Award winning blogger can see this, why can't you?

Michelle Wolf basically said what a lot of thinking Americans have been saying to each other, and the media, because they have been disconnected from what many people have been saying, is going apoplectic about being called out on their crap by Wolf at the so called  'Nerd Prom'.

She is a patriot who needs to be congratulated, not reviled

Well, you can judge for yourself whether Michelle Wolf's routine was 'controversial' .

'TransGriot Weekly With Monica Roberts' Show Is ON

You TransGriot readers have been asking me from time to time when was I going to do more video?
Thanks to the folks at Koncept Kit, your wish has come true!

I'm now doing a show called TransGriot Weekly with Monica Roberts in which I talk about trans and other news issues locally, in Texas, the US and internationally. 

Like the blog, I'll also comment about things that grab my attention, and yes, I'll do a Video Shut Up Fool Award on a biweekly basis. 

And as the show grows and evolves, I'll look at along with the production team at doing interviews as well.

I'm now six weeks into it, and it has been an interesting experience going from writing about the news to choosing what stories need to go on the air to talk about and delivering them with a camera rolling. 

The best part is I'm having a lot of fun doing so.. 

You can find the show's Facebook page, like it abd check out the video episodes I've done so far at this link.

And yes, once you've seen them, share them as well. 

Meet Marvia Malik, Pakistan's First Trans News Anchor!

As the Trump misadministration and their white fundie allies try to force transpeople back into the closet and strip us of what human rights coverage we've managed to achieve, other countries on this planet are moving forward on trans rights issues and making history.

Pakistan is an Islamic nation in which transpeople have been ostracized, shunned by family members, treated as a joke and at times violently attacked with a frequency only exceeded in Brazil. 

But like here in the States and in other countries, the Pakistani trans community is getting landmark legal wins that are helping to open hearts and minds in the country. 

Our trans cousins in Pakistan are celebrating as one of their own, Marvia Malik, became the first transgender news anchor in their nation.   The 21 year old Malik is no stranger to breaking barriers in her nation.  She recently became the first openly trans model to walk a fashion show runway there.

But her passion is journalism, and the private Kohenoor broadcast network based in Lahore decided to take a chance and hire her.

"I have made history in my country, and I vow to use my profession as anchor to help change the general attitude of our society towards transgender people."

"Our community should be treated equally and there must not be any gender discrimination. We should be given equal rights and be considered ordinary citizens, instead of third-gender," she said in a BBC interview.

She added: "My family knows I have modeled and they know that I work as a newscaster. It's the age of social media and there's nothing that my family doesn't know. But they have still disowned me."

She is grateful for the opportunity, and went through three months of training before she made her first on air broadcast.  Malik has done so well that the station has hired a second trans person as a copywriter   The owner of the station, Junaid Ansari, made it clear that Malik was hired for her journalism talent, not because she was transgender. 

Malik's determination to be a change agent is echoed by Farzana Jan, the head of Pakistan's Trans Action Alliance.   Jan is hopeful that Malik will not only be a positive role model, but be a catalyst for further positive change in Pakistan.

"Thank God, one of us is going on television in a serious job," Jan said. "Previously we've been presented as a joke. I hope and I believe this will help us get our rights, our protection and our respect".

Your trans cousins around the world hope that what you have expressed comes true in Pakistan. 

Congratulation to Marvia, and hope she has a long problem free career as a television anchor.   

Paris Lees Dropping Truth Bombs On The BBC's 'Question Time'

“Bigotry is bigotry, whether it’s dressed up as religion or dressed up as feminism.'-Paris Lees 

Been observing what's been happening across The Pond and the ongoing attacks against the British trans community by their TERF's, the tabloids and assorted conservative politicians.

Our trans sister Paris Lees, who made history in 2013 as the first girl like us to appear on the BBC show Question Time, once again appeared on the show to drop some knowledge on the telly and call out anti-trans crap.

And yeah, you need to see our journalist sister in action.

Joy Reid Shuts Down Another Conservafool

When are these conservafools going to learn not to step to Joy Reid with their 'alternative facts' because she will call them on it?

My media shero once again had to shut down an attempt by a conservative to spread disinformation on her show.   This time it was Amy Tarkanian, the former head of the Nevada Republican Party, trying desperately to spin and defend Trump from Reid calling out the pattern of being drawn to abusive Republican men and not calling them out on it.

As you probably guessed, Joy wasn't having it.   Reid challenged Tarkanian to come up with just one instance that Trump defended a woman who had accused a Republican male of sexual assault or abuse. 

And as you probably guessed, Tarkanian couldn't do it.   Enjoy the video

Jemele Hill Spoke Truth To Power, and I Stand With Her

One of the things I'm really sick of with this Trump misadministration is their War on Journalism.

I've especially not been happy about WH Minister of Disinformation Sarah Huckabee Sanders attacking Black female journalists

First it was Sanders attacking veteran White House correspondent April D. Ryan, and now this attack on ESPN's Jemele Hill.

Hill on Monday said the obvious to everyone who was paying attention while expressing her First Amendment rights on Twitter.

She called 45 during a tweet storm what he has demonstrated himself to be,  a white supremacist that surrounds himself with white supremacists and said he was the worst POTUS of her lifetime.

Hey, she;s not wrong..

For those of you who have a problem with HIll's comment, does Steve Bannon ring a bell?  Sebastian Gorka? Jefferson Beauregard Sessions? Nazis carrying tiki torches in Charlottesville that Trump called 'good people'?  David Duke calling Trump 'one of them'?

Of course, all the white supremacist hit dogs are hollering and mad because a Black woman (as usual) spoke truth to power.  ESPN caved and tweeted out an apology for her speaking the truth about Twittolini, and of course Sanders used her White House propaganda rally today to call for Jemele Hill to be fired from her ESPN gig,

Really?  The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) quickly posted this comment defending Hill

Jemele Hill is an award-winning, veteran journalist who has distinguished herself for having insightful opinions and perspectives on a variety of topics. Having been successful along those lines for 20 years, she has been able to connect with viewers on ESPN as well as on various social media platforms. That withstanding, the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) supports Hill's First Amendment rights on all matters of discussion, within and outside the world of sports, as they do not impinge on her duties as a host and commentator.

Black activists and media celebrities also have taken to Twitter and other outlets to stand with Hill

And so do I. I'm waiting to see if these white fauxminists will stand with her, or prove once again that solidarity is for white women only.

You do know ESPN by issuing that apology and leaving this sister hanging, you are cosigning the very white supremacy that Jemele called out?

I'm also tired of the racists and sexist abuse Hill regularly gets online that ESPN cowardly hasn't done jack about, but feels compelled in this case to issue an apology for her on point comments.

Jemele Hill is a shero who spoke truth to power.   She should be applauded for doing so, not reviled.

 

Houston's FOX 26 Is Demonizing The Trans Community Again

I've noted to my dismay ever since I returned home from Louisville in May 2010 the rightward slant of the news department at KRIV-TV.  One of the other things I'm not fond of concerning FOX 26 is the ongoing pattern they have of demonizing, attacking and peddling disinformation about the Houston LGBT community.

And I've called them and their reporters who engage in it out about that crap.

It is a pattern at FOX 26 that was abundantly clear during the fight to keep the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance and their slanted anti-TBLGQ coverage lead was unfortunately followed by other television stations in the Houston market.   It has continued post HERO.

With the Special Oppression Session on the horizon in Austin, news coverage is starting to ramp up in advance of it.  Thanks to Media Matters, I was made aware of this problematic July 9 KRIV-TV panel since I'm not in the habit of watching FOX 26 because of their slanted and transphobic news coverage.

This latest FOX 26 panel I'm slamming was in response to the recent New Yorker article in which Texas House speaker Joe Straus (R) expressed his opposition to these anti-trans bills and said that he didn't want the death of a single Texan on his hands as a result of SB 6 and HB 2899.

Do you notice the problem with this panel?  You probably do if you're a Houston area or Texas based trans person or Texas trans ally. But for those of you who don't see it,  the problem is there are ZERO Houston area trans advocates among the six people being interviewed for this segment.

Guess it's easier to demonize a group FOX 26 when you don't invite them to your studio so they can push back against the anti-trans narrative you're trying to peddle.



Next time you wish to do a panel that discusses the lives of trans people FOX 26, it may help if you have actual Houston trans people as part of that discussion instead of a bunch of cisgender people and Republican haters who are ignorant, hostile and deliberately obtuse about our trans lives and the issues we face.

But then again, your conservative sycophants probably don't want that to happen because every time they have run up against a Houston trans advocate on your airwaves, they've gotten their azz handed to them.

We Don't Need Alt-Facts In Black Trans World

One of the things I've been pondering in the run up to the start of BTAC 2017 in Dallas is the recent incident with a Black trans woman with a large YouTube media following in TS Madison Hinton having a trainwreck of an interview with a person who misgendered and disrespected trans men by calling them lesbians.

Note to that person, trans men are men.

That interview justifiably pissed off my trans brothers, and to TS Madison's credit, she wants to clean up the media mess she helped create and have a trans man on her channel who actually knows something about and can expertly talk about being a Black man of trans experience.

But that incident drives me to make this point.  Our social media platforms, whether they are on blogs or video channels, are powerful informational tools that are not to be played with.  When you have a large media following, great responsibility comes with that social media platform, and what you say and how you say it matters.

When you put something out there on your social media platforms, especially as a Black trans person, it needs to be accurate and on point.because you don't get to make mistakes.  Neither should you be putting alt-facts out there either.

Not everyone is qualified to talk about trans issues, especially if you aren't living our trans lives.   There are also some folks in Black Trans and SGL World who need basic Trans 101 'ejumacation' themselves.

We already have the burden in Black Trans World of overcoming the myth with cis Black people fed by right wing kneegrow sellout preachers cooning it up for white fundie pastors that being trans is a 'white thang'.   There's also that myth in LGBTQ World that Black people are 'more homophobic' that needs to die as well.  

We Black trans peeps are far too often invisible to the media except when they want to cover another Black trans woman being murdered, and still screw it up.  

That media invisibility is even more pronounced for Black trans men, who get little to no coverage about the issues of importance to them   Neither do Black trans kids or their supportive parents.

It's rare where we are shown in the media speaking intelligently about TBLGQ politics and other issues beyond the 'tragic transsexual' meme, so when we get those media moments as Black trans people, they are priceless educational opportunities to be used wisely.

That also includes our blogs and video platforms.  It takes a long time to build them up as credible sources, and it only takes one of two egregiously bad mistakes to ruin the years of hard work put in to get them to that point.

We also must remember that some of the peeps we need to educate on what ails the Black trans community are in our own cis Black community.   We must also be cognizant of the fact that with this ongoing national Republican push to pass unjust anti-trans laws, some of the legislators who will be voting YES or NO on those unjust bills share our ethnic heritage and are being lobbied by those misguided sellout pastors spouting facts free lies about us.

So facts about our Black trans lives matter.  Accurate telling of our Black trans stories matter.   Factually accurate discussions about our Black trans lives is mandatory, especially when you have a camera or a microphone in your face.

It's why we don't need nor should we tolerate any alt-facts about Black trans people in our Black trans community.
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Don Lemon Shuts Down Trump Spokesliar

I've had my issues with CNN's Don Lemon at times, but lately he and his network have grown a backbone when it comes to confronting and pushing back against Trump misadministration spokespeople who come on their network to lie or spin.

Here's Lemon shutting down Trump spokesnegro Paris Dennard when he called a story in which they were discussing the cost of Trump's frequent trips to his Florida estate 'fake news'.

Watch Lemon calling Dennard's azz out

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Bravo for calling out Dennard's lying behind.

Why Laverne's Cameron Wirth Character Is Important

One of the things I had a chance to talk about with young trans advocates during this just completed Transgender Leadership Institute in Dallas was the upcoming February 15 debut of the CBS legal drama Doubt and why Laverne's Cameron Wirth character to me has the same social and societal importance as Nichelle Nichols Uhura character was to Star Trek.

We are now in a moment in which the visibility of trans characters is increasing, and even better, they are increasingly being played by trans people,   As much as I love Karla Mosley, love her as a cis woman and standup trans ally playing Maya Avant on The Bold and the Beautiful and talked about how groundbreaking and important her character was in Soap World, one problem I see with Maya Avant is that the longtime major character on the soap didn't originally start out as a Black transgender woman.

In Doubt, Cameron Wirth is not only a major character that happens to be trans from the outset of the show, but is also played by a girl like us who can bring those subtle nuances of being a trans woman in real life to this character.  .

"Yes, she's trans. But now what?" Cox told a small group of reporters during the Television Critics Association's winter meetings. "It's sort of like a who cares, really. And I think having something like that on television, it helps the public to become familiar with that, to become comfortable with that. ... Years before we saw a Black president in real life, we saw Black presidents on television."

In a Hollywood in which far too often trans characters of color have either been killed off in the first fifteen seconds, are riddled with stereotypes, or played for comic relief, it is nice to see a girl like us dramatic character that is reflective of the segment of the trans community that is blessed to have advanced degrees and professional careers.

That character being Black and Ivy League educated is also a bonus. It's also nice to hear this close to Valentine's Day that Cameron will have a love life on the show.

It's also coming at this critical time not only for this country, but for my own people in all the group I intersectionally interact with.. We all need to see Cameron Wirth for various reasons on our respective television screens.
 
Black folks have been far too reluctant to have this necessary ongoing honest discussions about transgender issues and the undeniable fact that African descended trans peeps are an interwoven part of the kente cloth fabric of the Black community.

As much as the right wing haters would love to force us back in the closet aided and abetted by preening kneegrow ministers spouting cherry picked scriptures designed to drive a wedge in our community between Black trans and cis folks, I'm happy to tell them that we exist, and we aren't going away.

Cameron is reflective of a segment of the Black trans community my people and others need to see.far more often instead of the Jerry Springer stereotype or 'tragic transsexual' narrative playing in an endless loop in their brains.  

The other reason why Cameron's characters is so important is like Nichols' Uhura character, it will expand in our trans kids and others minds the parameters of what is possible for trans people,

As a matter of fact, I know an amazing Black trans woman who is currently studying to become an attorney, and she is eager to see the show.

Just as seeing Uhura on television inspired a young girl growing up in Chicago named Mae Jemison to become an astronaut and another girl growing up in New York we know as Whoopi Goldberg to become an award winning actress, what impact will Laverne's portrayal of Cameron Wirth have on the next generations of trans kids?

That's a question I won't be able to definitely answer for a while, but in the interim, I'll enjoy watching Doubt starting Wednesday night at 9 PM EST while I do more hard solid thinking about the question I just posed to you. .