2014 WH Proclamation For LGBT Pride Month

May 30, 2014
LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER PRIDE MONTH, 2014

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION

As progress spreads from State to State, as justice is delivered in the courtroom, and as more of our fellow Americans are treated with dignity and respect -- our Nation becomes not only more accepting, but more equal as well. During Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month, we celebrate victories that have affirmed freedom and fairness, and we recommit ourselves to completing the work that remains.

Last year, supporters of equality celebrated the Supreme Court's decision to strike down a key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act, a ruling which, at long last, gave loving, committed families the respect and legal protections they deserve. In keeping with this decision, my Administration is extending family and spousal benefits -- from immigration benefits to military family benefits -- to legally married same-sex couples.

My Administration proudly stands alongside all those who fight for LGBT rights. Here at home, we have strengthened laws against violence toward LGBT Americans, taken action to prevent bullying and harassment, and prohibited discrimination in housing and hospitals. Despite this progress, LGBT workers in too many States can be fired just because of their sexual orientation or gender identity; I continue to call on the Congress to correct this injustice by passing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. And in the years ahead, we will remain dedicated to addressing health disparities within the LGBT community by implementing the Affordable Care Act and the National HIV/AIDS Strategy -- which focuses on improving care while decreasing HIV transmission rates among communities most at risk.

Our commitment to advancing equality for the LGBT community extends far beyond our borders. In many places around the globe, LGBT people face persecution, arrest, or even state-sponsored execution. This is unacceptable. The United States calls on every nation to join us in defending the universal human rights of our LGBT brothers and sisters.

This month, as we mark 45 years since the patrons of the Stonewall Inn defied an unjust policy and awakened a nascent movement, let us honor every brave leader who stood up, sat in, and came out, as well as the allies who supported them along the way. Following their example, let each of us speak for tolerance, justice, and dignity -- because if hearts and minds continue to change over time, laws will too.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2014 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month.  I call upon the people of the United States to eliminate prejudice everywhere it exists, and to celebrate the great diversity of the American people.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand fourteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-eighth.

BARACK OBAMA

Janet Mock Keynote Speaker For U of L Pride Tonight

It's one of the things I didn't get to do when I lived in Da Ville, but so happy to hear that Janet Mock will be delivering the keynote address for the University of Louisville's Pride Week tonight.

It's scheduled for 7 PM EDT in the Student Activities Center, Multipurpose Room and is open to the public, so come on out Louisville and check out my sis. 

She has her book Redefining Realness coming out in February, and she'll probably have some very interesting things to say about our LGBT community that you may want to be in the room for.

I Repeat: White People Doing Blackface Drag Is Not Acceptable, Period!

And for once, it isn't the odious Chuck Knipp and his Shirley Q. Liquor 'act' I'm slamming for trying to do it. 

This latest episode of white person who didn't get the memo that white people doing blackface drag is never appropriate is Toronto drag queen Daytona Bitch.

He has his draws in a knot because he was fired from a gig during the recent Toronto Pride for performing in blackface.

He was allegedly imitating Miss Cleo from the Psychic Hotline commercials of the late 90's-early 2K's at the Crews & Tango  nightclub in Toronto.

The June 24 performance generated a lot of angrily contentious discussion on Twitter with the clueless Daytona Bitch trying to defend along with his fans the jacked up performance. 

"I asked a couple people if it was offensive because it’s not blackface in my eyes,” Daytona Bitch says. “I went to theater school. I know what blackface is. It was not a minstrel show. I was doing a character.

Whitesplaining segment over, time for Moni to school your azz right now on the subject.

Sure it's not offensive or blackface in your eyes because you're wallowing in vanillacentric privilege.  And if you claim to know what blackface is, why did you go ahead with that performance anyway?

Obviously none of those people you asked in that club were Black Canadians, because they would have told your vanillacentric privileged behind what I'm about to say in this post right now.

Blackface has been used to denigrate, demean and dehumanize Black people across the African Diaspora for over 180 years.  It's why African descended people in North America have highly negative views toward it that haven't and won't change even in the second decade of the 21st century.   

It's also why North American Black people have a zero tolerance policy toward any manifestation of white people in blackface, whether it is maliciously racist or not. 

We don't care if you are a drag performer, a model doing a high fashion photo shoot, somebody doing so as a badly thought out Halloween costume or drunken white college kids perpetuating negative stereotypes of African descended people in the name of fun and frivolity.   You need to get it through your vanillacentric privileged minds blackface is offensive to African descended people and there is no justification in our chococentic minds for doing so. 

And you knew it too, which is why you and your fans are trying to whitesplain this away. BTW Daytona, since you got paid for that performace, it does qualify as blackface since you made money off the dehumanization of my people.  

You don't get to tell my POC community as a member of the ethnic group that exercises power in this society (deleteriously at times to my community) what is or isn't offensive.  We have repeatedly told you Blackface is one of those things that IS offensive to us on both sides of the 49th parallel, so hear us loud and clear when we say that. 

And don't even try to bring up the Wayans Brothers White Chicks movie, Tyler Perry as Madea, Martin Lawrence as 'Big Momma', Eddie Murphy in Norbit, Whoopi Goldberg, or RuPaul's sellout azz into this conversation in order to defend blackface.

Don't bother parting your lips to say that tired, 'we need to lighten up about it' line or try to claim 'it's a costume' either. 

My people and my culture are not costumes you put on for your or your people's entertainment.

I repeat, white people doing blackface, whether it is malicious or not is NEVER acceptable so don't do it unless you like being called out about it.

Class dismissed.

Being A #GirlLikeUs Is Nothing To Be Ashamed Of

One of the things I learned early from my trans mentors and I (and we as a community) have to constantly focus on is dealing with the shame and guilt issues that plague us.  

Since we have much Hateraid aimed at us, it can be a challenge at times to practice that self love that needs to happen from time to time and feel pride not only in yourself, but being a girl like us.

It can be a challenge when those 'unpretty' days descend upon you, but you can't let it get you down.  You have to fight through those moments with every fiber of your being and believe you are the finest thing walking Planet Earth.

Well, there is not only nothing wrong with being a girl like us, there is nothing for us to be ashamed about either.   You are part of the beautiful mosaic of human life and God loves you too.

You come from a distinguished lineage of doctors, lawyers, politicians, models, MMA fighters, human rights warriors, sportswriters, television personalities, writers, beauty queens and wives and mothers raising kids.   Your predecessors started a movement in 1969. 

So stand tall and be proud of who you are because being a girl like us is nothing to be ashamed of..


TransGriot Note: photo is of Kylan Wenzel, the first American trans person to compete in a Miss Universe system pageant.
  

Black Pride: What Does LGBT Pride Mean To You

TransGriot Note:  I was honored to be asked by Kellee Terrell along with other African-American TBLG folks as part of an EBONY.com feature story to say in 60 words or less what does TBLG pride mean to us?

June is LGBT Pride Month and we reached out to Black LGBT folks and asked, “What does pride mean to you?” Here is a taste of the inspiring and amazing things they had to say.—Kellee Terrell

Monica Roberts, Houston, Texas

“Pride reminds me I'm also part of and heir to a legacy of struggle for the human rights of transgender people that was kicked off one night in June 1969 by Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P Johnson.  And the struggle for trans human rights continues today.  It's even more important it be recognized by fellow African Americans in the face of the anti-trans violence and discrimination disproportionately aimed at us.”

There's also commentary in this initial group from Laverne Cox, Diamond Stylz, Tiq Milan, Dr. Kortney Ryan Ziegler, Christian Axavier Lovehall, and Sasha Alexander with more to come. 

Check out what the rest of my trans, bi and SGL peeps had to say about pride here.

Black Butterfly

I talked about the significance and the symbolism of the butterfly to the transgender community in a previous post.

As I compiled it I immediately thought about one of my favorite songs by Deniece Williams called 'Black Butterfly'..

When I reread the lyrics to it and listened to Deniece sing it again, I realized that the song perfectly encapsulates the melding of pride for our heritage as Black trans people and pride in being trans people.

It's something we need to think about as we 21st century transpeople of African descent are trying to build lasting community along with TPOCC, the Trans People of Color Coalition and countless others.

Frankly, I could see this becoming an unofficial inspirational theme song for our African descended trans community (with Deniece Williams' permission of course). 

***

Morning light, silken dreams take flight
As the darkness gives way to the dawn
You’ve survived, now your moment has arrived
Now your dream has finally been born

Black butterfly, sail across the waters
Tell your sons and daughters what the struggle brings
Black butterfly, set the skies on fire
Rise up even higher so the ageless winds of time can catch your wings

While you slept the promise was unkept
But your faith was as sure as the stars
Now you’re free and the world has come to see
Just how proud and beautiful you are

Black butterfly, sail across the waters
Tell your sons and daughters what the struggle brings
Black butterfly, set the skies on fire
Rise up even higher so the wind can catch your wings

Let the current lift your heart and send it soaring
Write your timeless message clear across the skies
So that all of us can read it and remember when we heed it
That a dream conceived in truth can never die, butterfly

'Cause now you’re free and the world has come to see
Just how proud and beautiful you are

Black butterfly, sail across the waters
Tell your sons and your daughters what the struggle brings
Black butterfly, set the skies, set them on fire
Rise up even higher so the ageless winds of time can catch your wings
Fly butterfly, yeah, yeah



Fly Black butterflies.  Spread your wings with pride, dream big dreams, show the world how beautiful you are and then take flight.  Never let the world forget how beautiful and talented you are either.  

Something else we should never forget is our transsisters who only had a short time to spread their wings and fly as the people they were born to be before those lives were tragically cut short.

Jenifer Rene Pool To Be Houston Pride Parade Female Grand Marshal

When the 2012 edition of our nighttime Houston Pride Parade kicks off on June 23 after the ongoing series of events that started here June 16, one of our own trans women will be front and center as the Female Grand Marshal.

Jenifer Rene Pool, who is one of the hosts for the KPFT-FM Queer Voices radio program and ran for Houston City Council in the 2011 cycle was voted in as the Female Grand Marshal for 2012 .

The 2012 Male Grand Marshal will be Nicholas Brines, a Houston business owner and former president of Pride Houston

Our Ally Grand Marshal for 2012 is City Council Member Ellen Cohen, a former State Representative and longtime advocate for the LGBT community 

Houston Pride, the umbrella organization that helps coordinate our pride celebration here announced the Celebrity Grand Marshal.for 2012 will be Madison Hildebrand, star of Bravo's Million Dollar Listing.  

And if you're asking why do we have the only nighttime pride parade in the US?    Hello, do y'all know what levels the temperature and humidity can hit here at the height of a June summer day?   The temp and the humidity battle it out to see which one can go higher than the other.

But once the sun goes down and it cools off it was worth it to see friends, that giant lit up disco ball they have at the corner of Westheimer and Montrose, the two main streets that cross the Montrose gayborhood where the parade happens and all those various lit up floats.   The Houston trans community has one that they enter as well that is one of the projects of the TG Unity Committee.     .

Well, I was planning on going since the last pride parade I witnessed was in 2001.   I have more of a reason to go spend a few hours this Saturday checking it out. 

And I wonder if they are still doing the giant disco ball at Westheimer and Montrose?

Stop Looking At Being Trans As A Curse

One of the memes I get tired of seeing and hearing is transpeople calling being trans a curse. That's problematic right there and plays into the shame and guilt issues about trans people being part of the diverse mosaic of human life. 

I look at being trans as a blessing, not a curse.

You think I wouldn't have loved to have been female from birth? Yes. Am I envious of younglings like Kim Petras and Jazz who either got to or are growing up as girls and have loving parents who helped them do so? Yes.  You think I wouldn't love to go through a day without hearing about a transperson being disrespected or killed somewhere on the planet?  Yes.   You don't think that some days I would love to just be another 6'2" statuesque Black woman on the planet blithely going about her day and not having to constantly do hard solid thinking about her own and everybody else's gender identity and civil rights? 

But at the same time I realize that if I'd been born female from Day One I'd be missing out on this amazing life I have now.

I have this blog.  I get to interface on a regular basis with academics, politicians, thought leaders, college students, activists and amazing allies. 

The people who I call my friends I have no doubts they will have my back when I need it because all the poseurs, psuedo-friends and associates bounced when I transitioned   I have the knowledge of what it's actually like to live on the other side of the gender fence, an international network of friends thanks to over a decade of fighting for trans human rights and the blessing of getting to know some amazing people in the trans community

And how many people cis or trans can say they actually lobbied their congressmembers?

Frederick Douglass wrote in North American Review in 1881 that "Neither we, nor any other people will ever be respected till we respect ourselves and we will never respect ourselves till we have the means to live respectfully." 

In a nutshell, we transpeople not only have to get busy loving ourselves and keep working 24/7/365 (366 in a leap year) at it, we must work just as diligently to create the positive conditions in our lives so that we have the means to live respectfully .  

That means we must challenge the meme that being trans is a curse and root it out of our community.   We must fight tooth and nail to obtain trans human rights and fight even harder once they are achieved to zealously defend and expand them. 

We must emphasize self-love over self-hatred and constantly strive to live quality lives.  If that means surrounding yourself with people who role model that behavior on a consistent basis so that you can overcome the shame and guilt issues, by all means do so.

It's past time that transpeople stop viewing being us as a curse.  If we want people to love and respect us, it may sound simplistic, but we have to start first with loving and respecting ourselves.