Rest In Peace Tyra Hunter

It's been 16 years since the August 7, 1995 day that Tyra Hunter died due to medical transphobia.

I make it a point to write down my thoughts and feelings about what happened to her and ensure no one forgets what happened to Tyra.

I'm adamant about remembering this day because I was barely sixteen months into my own transition when it happened and it outraged and deeply affected me.

My anger over her death was one of the events that started nudging me towards the path of becoming more vocal and active about fighting for trans civil rights and combating the transphobia in the African-American community.  

She was a passenger in a car involved in an auto accident at 50th and C streets in Southeast DC when she met her transphobe in the form of EMT Adrian Williams. It triggered a series of events that turned a survivable auto accident into a fatality. 

And that's the thing that bugs me to this day.  Her accident was survivable.   Had EMT Williams done his job, she'd still be here today contributing her talents to society.    

Tyra Hunter-13 Years Later

Remembering Tyra Hunter 

Tyra Hunter Death 15th Anniversary

 Rest in peace, Tyra.   You are still missed, and as long as this blog exists you'll never be forgotten.

A Cure For HIV/AIDS?

The pandemic that has killed over 25 million people and another 33 million live with that includes members of the trans community in the HIV virus, if trials performed in Berlin hold up under upcoming scientific scrutiny, may finally have found a cure for it..

In the wake on another World AIDS Day observance, it was nice to read the article that suggests that a cure for the disease may have been found using stem cell transplants.

According to the Huff Po article, Timothy Ray Brown, AKA the 'Berlin Patient' underwent a 2007 stem cell transplant as part of a long treatment regimen to combat leukemia     His doctors published a report in the medical journal Blood that suggests Brown has no trace of the HIV virus after extensive testing and a cure for the virus may have been achieved.  

While much testing remains to be done and the research continues in nations around the globe to fund that elusive cure, it nevertheless is wonderful news and a beacon of hope for people who are living with HIV/AIDS.

And it makes it even more important that we get universal health care in this country.
 

Say A Little Prayer For The Queen Of Soul

Was distressed to hear the announcement earlier this week about Aretha Franklin being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.  

While that particular form of cancer is deadly, as is evidenced by two of my fellow Houstonians succumbing to it such as our crusading consumer news reporter Marvin Zindler and Patrick Swayze, there have been people such as Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Apple CEO Steve Jobs who have beaten the odds.

It's also a prevalent form of cancer among African Americans.   If it is caught early ebough, people diagnosed with it have a 15-18% survival rate with surgical intervention.


In the meantime, as you say prayers for the sick and shut in at church today, say one for the Queen of Soul as well.

Dr. Marci's Moved

I wrote a few months ago about Dr. Marci Bowers being  '98% certain' that she was moving her world famous SRS practice from Trinidad, CO to the San Francisco Bay area.    

Well, it's official, she's done so.   Peep this announcement..

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Dr. Joel Beck, a renowned  San Francisco plastic surgeon of Bay Area Aesthetic Surgery, is thrilled to welcome Dr. Marci Bowers, one of the world's most prestigious genital reassignment surgeons, to his practice in San Mateo, California.

Drs. Beck and Bowers are highly skilled transgender surgeons who have joined forces to make the Bay Area Aesthetic Surgery facility an international hub for feminization and masculinization surgery.

On November 8, 2010, the two surgeons made history as they successfully performed their first sex reassignment surgery together.

By combining their unique surgical talents, years of experience and genital reassignment surgery expertise, Drs. Beck and Bowers are at the forefront of holistic care for transgender patients. They have assembled a top-notch medical team to create a unique program and ancillary services that encompass all aspects of gender transformation. In addition to performing procedures, they offer referrals for gender therapy, hormone therapy, femininity coaching, nutritional counseling, voice coaching, laser services, and anti-aging and beauty services.

Follow the links to read the rest of it.  

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For all the haters in Trinidad who wanted her gone, you got your wish.   Hope you enjoy your now two hour drives up and down I-25 to get medical care.   

Trinidad's loss is the Bay Area's gain.