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. .

Amiyah Scott's Making History On The FOX Show 'Star'

Looks like we won't have to wait until February to see a scripted network drama show with a Black transfeminine character in it played by a Black trans feminine actor .

When the Lee Daniels produced FOX Empire spinoff show Star debuted December 14 with an audience of 6.71 million viewers watching it, our sis Amiyah Scott was making her small screen debut playing Cotton Brown, the trans daughter of Queen Latifah's character Carlotta Brown .



Amiyah made a little TV history as well when the show debuted..She became the first out trans person to play a trans major character in a scripted television drama series that is scheduled to have 13 episodes in Season 1.

Queen Latifah's character Carlotta sings in the church choir and runs a beauty shop in the Atlanta based show.  She is the godmother to Star and Simone, and serves as a surrogate mother to the rising girl singing group that the show is focusing on.

Even though Carlotta had her own brush with stardom, she is not that supportive of the musical stardom dreams.of her goddaughters.   Carlotta is also struggling as a devout churchgoer with accepting her daughter's transition

Amiyah's character Cotton is a receptionist at her mom's shop who moonlights as a stripper and helps the girl group formed by Star, Simone and Alexandra kickstart their careers.

There's also Miss Bruce, a recurring gender fluid in the series played by Miss Lawrence, who is an employee in Carlotta's salon.  In real life Miss Lawrence is a celebrity hair stylist who owns a salon in Atlanta's Buckhead area with celebrity clients such as Ciara  Jennifer Holiday and Serena Williams

Going to have to watch the show now that I know I have a reason to do so.

And congrats to Amiyah for making television history

20th Annual OutSmart Gayest and Greatest Awards Presentation Tonight

Tonight starting at 5 PM will be the live presentation of OutSmart Magazine's Gayest and Greatest Readers Choice Awards.

OutSmart is our local LGBTQ magazine here in Houston, and this is the 20th year they have presented these awards honoring our local heroes, sheroes and community organizations

The live awards will be presented in the People categories for the Best Male and Female LGBT Business Persons, Favorite Male and Female Commercial Radio Personality,  Favorite Male and Female Community Radio Personality,  Favorite Male and Female Community Hero, Favorite Male and Female Community Photographer, Favorite Male and Female Local Politician, Favorite Male and Female TV Personality, Leading Male and Female Fundraiser, Most Prominent Male and Female LGBT Activist, Most Valuable Male and Female volunteer and Favorite LGBT Philanthropic Organization..

While I was nominated in three categories this year, unfortunately I didn't get enough votes to make the finals.   Maybe next year.

Congratulations to all the people who are finalists for these awards, those who won in other categories this year and good luck this evening.

The live presentation will take place at Rich's Houston, located at 2401 San Jacinto St. near downtown from 5 PM -9 PM.

'Die Beautiful' Film Opening In The Philippines

This is another film in which I wish the directors would have actually hired a trans woman or cis woman to play the trans protagonist Trisha instead of having another tired instance of a male actor play a trans woman

This film is also entered in the main competition for the upcoming Tokyo International Film Festival taking place from October 25-November 3



The film stars actor Paolo Ballesteros and is directed by Jun Robles Luna.   It tells the story of Trisha, a trans pinay who competes in the pageant world while living her life.

She expresses her wish to be dressed as Katy Perry for her funeral, and that sparks a clash between her conservative Filipino-Chinese family and her friends in the transpinay, drag and pageant world determined to carry out those wishes .

This movie is being released at a time in which a trans pinay in Rep. Geraldine Roman is serving in the Philippine Congress, and like us in the States, are dealing with murderous violence aimed at trans women as the Ashley Anne Reilly case demonstrates. .

Something else that concerns trans pinays as it does their American  trans feminine cousins is that a male actor is playing a trans pinay in a movie role.

They like us, are also increasingly concerned about how they are portrayed in the Philippine media and getting more vocal about it.

"Philippine show business is very much like Hollywood in its thinking of trans people and especially trans women," said Naomi Fontanos, the executive director of GANDA Filipinas. "Trans women characters almost always go to male leads based of course on the transphobic notion that trans women really are men in makeup and dresses."

"We've been trying to fight this damaging stereotype with some degree of success," she added.

While Ballesteros looks the part as Trisha and is known around the world and on Instagram for his gender bending makeup artistry, it's still past time for trans feminine characters to NOT be played by cis masculine actors.  Trans women are women, not men in dresses.  Reinforcing that stereotype is getting trans women in the Philippines and around the world killed.

If you're going to tell our stories and make money off of it, then we have every right to insist that you use a trans feminine actress.  If you can't find a trans feminine actress to play a trans feminine role, then use a cis woman.

But here's hoping that trans feminine actresses in the Philippines also start getting the opportunity to play trans feminine characters.
 

Angela Rye Blasts GOP Pundit For Defending Rape Culture

One of the people I love seeing when she does appear on TV to set people straight is Angela Rye.

You've got to check out this video of Angela calling out the ridiculousness of Kayleigh McEnany for the GOP wide talking point of trying to blame Hillary Clinton for her hubby's affairs.

I guess by that same standard, Melania Trump is to blame for he's husband's nekulturny behavior.

Check out Angela Rye snatching Kayleigh's wig on air.

India's Now Reporting The News In The UK

Some interesting news (pun intended) coming from across The Pond about a British TV news reporter for ITV who has transitioned at age 51 and by doing so, has according to a report in The Mirror become the first out trans television reporter in the UK.

India Willoughby was a longtime reporter familiar to millions of viewers on the ITV Borders regional news program.

But as many trans people are all too familiar with, she was unhappy not living as her true self, and in 2010 started taking the evolutionary steps in becoming the person she is now.

She changed her name and quit her dream high profile television presenter job at ITV to transition. She spent the next five years working in Newcastle for a public relations firm.  After her GRS last year, she decided she wanted to get back into television news, and was hired by ITV Tyne Tees.

She has no plans to go back on air, but she's happy with the person she sees in the mirror now and wouldn't be opposed to one day be reading the news on air again as India.

And hope that happens for you sooner rather than later.
 

Whoopi Tears Into Kellyanne Conway On 'The View'

If the Trump campaign team had been listening to Mitt Romney's infamous 47% tape form the 2012 election cycle, they should have paid close attention to the section of it in which Romney told his donors in that quiet room not to go on ABC's The View, and specifically named Whoopi as a major reason why conservatives should stay away from the show.

Trump Campaign manager Kellyanne Conway has the unenviable task of trying to clean up Trump's messes, and took to The View to try to do just that.  

But she ended up getting her clock cleaned by Whoopi.

Enjoy.

Joel Silberman Calls Out Media's Low Expectations For Trump

I first met Joel Silberman when I went to New York in 2012 to take part in the GLAAD POC Media training sessions that weekend.

I learned a lot during that weekend, and they are lessons I've used in the few subsequent televised media opportunities I have done since completing that training.  I also used them to capture the 2016 Netroots Nation Pundit Cup title in St. Louis with him looking on during my final match like a proud teacher watching his star pupil excel.

I was surprised to discover that this was the first time MSNBC has invited him on any one of their shows, and he made his first appearance a memorable one.

Silberman, who works with Democracy Partners, in addition to doing the trainings I attended, has been a media coach for politicians and media personnel for debates and public appearances.

And I can tell you from experience he's good at it.

Here's yesterday's MSNBC appearance, and he has been invited back on the network for a subsequent appearance.   Looking forward to seeing it.

Roland Martin Calls Out Bill O'Reilly

Y'all know how much I love my Houston homeboy Roland Martin, and one of the highlights of the joint NABJ-NAHJ convention I recently attended in DC was actually getting to meet and talk to him for a moment about TBLGQ issues.

Roland has never been shy about expressing his opinions on his NewsOne Now show, and in this video he puts Bill O'Reilly on blast for attacking Colin Kaepernick and questioning his patriotism.

Roland give O'Reilly a much needed history lesson while calling him out, and suggests a few books for him to read to get an understanding about what it's like to be Black in America..