TransLatina Coalition's G.A.R.R.A.S. Fashion Show Tomorrow

For those of you in the Los Angeles area, if you're looking for an event to attend that also serves as a fundraiser, tomorrow night the TransLatina Coalition's G.A.R.R.A.S.  Fashion Show will take place starting at 6 PM PDT.

G.A.R.R.A.S. stands for Groundbreaking Activism Redirecting and Reforming All Systems.  The show is not only a fundraiser for the TransLatina Coalition, it is a fashion show in which all of the participants are trans women.

The G.A.R.R.A.S. Fashion Show is an event that provides visibility for the Los Angeles area trans community and supports the Center for Violence Prevention and Transgender Wellness, which is a program of the TransLatin@ Coalition.



There are some limited tickets available for the fashion show that transcends borders, with the ticket prices ranging from $15-$100.   You can click on this link to purchase those tickets.

The G.A.R.R.A.S. Show will take place at the Florentine Gardens, located at 5951 Hollywood Blvd. in  LOs Angeles, CA from 6-9 PM    If you need further information about it, you can check out the TransLatina Coalition website.

Hope that this year's edition of the G.A.R/R.A.S. show is once again a success, and please check out and support my Los Angeles area trans Latina sisters for a night of high fashion and fun for a great cause..

Texas Trans Latinas Own Their Power

Back in January, a group of Houston Latina trans women were out enjoying each others company when they ran into the ugly face of transphobic discrimination. They were disrespected, denied access to a restroom, and told they were not women.

This was the breaking point moment for these trans Latinas, and it was that negative experience encountering anti-trans discrimination that drove Houston based trans activist Ana Andrea Molina to found the Organizacion Latina de Trans en Texas (OLTT).

The group was founded to support, protect and advocate for the trans Latina community in Houston and the state of Texas, and OLTT is a group that was sorely needed in our Houston progressive activist ranks.

"We are a vulnerable community," Molina said in an OutSmart interview.  "Living in the state of Texas, we are dealing not only with transphobia, but with racism. The macho culture and social stigma of our countries of origin also impacts our members.  It doesn't just affect homosexual men, but us trans women as well,"

  
It was also a group that was quickly and eagerly embraced by the local trans Latina community. When the group held their inaugural meeting two months later at Resurrection MCC in the Heights, they were astounded and pleased to have 50 trans women attend the initial meeting from all over the Houston metro area.  Some came from as far away as Bryan, College Station, Cleveland, Conroe, Galveston, Katy, Pearland, Galena Park, and Channelview to participate.

In addition to having buffet style meals and guest speakers at their monthly meetings, they offer conversational English language classes and help on other issues like finding culturally competent healthcare, HIV prevention, getting name changes on documents, and help with immigration issues.

The OLTT also marched in this year's Pride parade, and have been visible at other Houston area TBLG community events since their founding.

I've had the pleasure of meeting and working with Ana and other OLTT members on various projects this year, and it has been wonderful to also see them stand up for their human rights as she and several OLTT members went to City Hall last month to speak in favor of the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO).

They are not only seeking to ally themselves with trans Latina nationally and internationally, but also get 501(c)(3) status. They are also seeking to raise funds to acquire a permanent meeting place for the OLTT group.

As their trans sister and an ally, I'm pleased and proud to see them own their power. 

 

#TransLivesMatter Protest Takes Center Stage At #CC15 Opening Plenary

One of the things about a diverse conference of over 3,500 activists from around the country, especially one that is dedicated to movement building, is that sometimes the lessons that are being taught in seminars to create change in our society are put into practice.

Minutes after a moment of silence was completed for slain teen Jessie Hernandez, who was shot and killed by the Denver Police on January 26, several members of the Trans Latina Coalition along with queer POC youth rushed the stage just as MC Kate Clinton was approaching the podium shouting "Trans Lives Matter"  and "Jessie, presente!"

After Clinton graciously yielded the podium to the protestors, Bamby Salcedo read a statement and a list of demands calling for more robust support for trans people and to end the obscene levels of anti-trans and police violence negatively impacting trans women of color from the LGB community as the capacity plenary crowd cheered.

The Demands:

*Funders and organizations, especially LGBT organizations to intentionally invest in the Trans Community

*Support and acknowledge trans leadership to build and foster strength in our power.

*Meaningful equity of resources in order to eradicate the economic and  health crisis our brothers and sisters face.

*LGBT and ally organizations to hire trans people for leadership positions.  We demand for these organizations to be intentionally inclusive and truly provide leadership opportunities for the trans community.  If you serve us, you must include us.
*Investments in new and upcoming trans specific organizations and support their works in underserved areas.

*Big tent and anchor organizations to leverage their access to policy makers and funders and use their privilege to support trans-led efforts in eradicating the ongoing structural violence that our community faces.

Stay tuned to see if the protest results in an improved quality of life for trans people. I certainly hope it's successful in that regard.

RIP Zoraida Reyes

"Life is too short. We have to enjoy life however we want. We can love whoever we like. We were born to help others. We all are equal because we are not labeled like products. We are humans. Do something with your life, and not let life to do something with you"
-Zoraida Reyes'

While I was in Philly meeting many of our next generation activists during the just concluded Philadelphia Trans health Conference, sadly their is one trans sister that I won't have the honor and pleasure of getting to meet and know.

I'm saddened to report that we have lost one of our trans Latina sisters in California

Our California trans family and allies are mourning the senseless death of  28 year old Zoraida 'Ale' Reyes of Santa Ana, CA.   Her body was found behind a Dairy Queen in Anaheim, CA Friday.  

Initial evidence discovered by Anaheim police investigators is that Zoraida was killed somewhere else and the body was moved to that location. 

While the Orange County Sheriff's Department is reporting that an autopsy has been completed in this case, they are still gathering evidence to determine whether this was indeed a homicide and if i was, whether Zoraida's transfeminine status played a role .

“She had many, many hats in this community. She was an activist for the Dreamer movement, for undocumented students, she was also an activist for the transgender community, along with the gay community,” friend Javier Saucedo said in a KCAL-TV interview. “She was an activist, she was a friend, she was a daughter, she was a sister, she was someone you could count on.”

Zoraida was active not only in the trans human rights movement, but other causes such as the DREAM movement, immigration rights, and as an ally to the LGB community.

 

Over the weekend, a snap GoFundMe campaign seeking to raise the funds to help pay for Zoraida's funeral raised over $10,000.   There was a vigil held Friday night in Santa Ana to honor her memory, and another is scheduled to take place Tuesday in San Francisco.

As my California trans family and my trans Latina sisters pass me the details for her upcoming funeral service and any other subsequent memorial services,  I will pass them along to you in addition to any other news concerning the ongoing investigation into this senseless killing.

You know I will also follow this case until the waste or watses of DNA who took her from us far too soon are expeditiously arrested, convicted and rotting in a jail cell 

Ronnie Velez nailed it in this Facebook commentary in memory of Zoraida.

#TransLivesMatter May we honor Zoraida's life and contributions to our Latin@, immigrant, and LGBTQ communities by allowing her spirit to continue reclaiming family and unconditional love in our lives, so that she can renew us, our conversations, our relationships, our workplaces, our schools, our streets, and the only planet we know as home. We love you, sister. UNCONDITIONALLY

The outpouring of love, grief and affection for our fallen sister is powerful testimony to the love and respect that countless people had for her, and I'm saddened I won't get to know her..     

Rest in Power, Zoraida. You are already being missed by all the people who loved you and whose lives you touched.  Say hello to all our sisters who have transitioned to a better place with you.  
    

Former 2006 Miss International Queen Erica Andrews Dies

I was shocked to hear that longtime Texas resident and pageant community icon Erica Andrews died yesterday in Chicago of a lung infection. 

Erica was born in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, moved to San Antonio and became one of the most decorated queens on the pageant circuit.
Andrews performed at clubs in San Antonio, Dallas and Houston and her jaw dropping beauty and creative routines led to a long list of titles that include Miss Gay Texas USofA 1997, Miss Gay USofA 1999, Miss Texas Continental 2001, Miss Florida Continental 2004, Universal Show Queen 2004, Miss Continental 2004, Miss International Queen 2006 and Entertainer of the Year 2006.

She also appeared on the Tyra Banks Show, the Maury Povich Show, in the documentary Transtasia and the controversial movie Ticked Off Tr*****s With Knives.   She also worked as a makeup artist for the Maury Povich Show.

She had less than a year ago moved from the Lone Star State to the Terre Haute, IN area to be with her significant other, and was a beloved and respected person in Texas and around the TBLG community.   .



As the news has spread, commentary from her peers and all who loved her has come pouring in on her Facebook page for this community icon who will be sorely missed. 

Rest in peace, Erica..  

'Transgression' Film Focuses On Trans Immigrants

We touched on the issue during the Netroots panel, but there needs to be more serious community discussion about trans immigrants and the challenges they face in the immigration detention system.

Another Transsister Murdered In DC

Got a call from Ruby Corado earlier this morning about an unidentified Latina transwoman who was found unconscious at 4 AM in the Columbia Heights section of DC at 11th and Fairmont Streets NW:.

She was taken to Howard University Hospital where she was pronounced dead  a short time later.

Corado along with Earline Budd are on the MPD Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit and part of the TBLG alert network of people that are called to assist in cases such as this.   They are trying to identify the victim and notify her next of kin

In an unrelated case, a suspect was arrested and charged with assault with a dangerous weapon.  The waste of DNA threatened three transwomen with a gun in the 4000 block of Minnesota Ave SE in an incident that started on a Metro bus.

Will keep y'all posted on any new developments.

TransGriot Note: The person killed was actually a South Indian gay and engineer named Gaurav Gopalan, who was in femme attire.  Friends say he was going out more frequently as his alter ego Gigi. 

Happy 60th Birthday Sylvia

Today would have been the 60th birthday of the mother of the trans and gay rights movement, Sylvia Rae Rivera and it's a bittersweet moment as we celebrate the day she was born in New York City in 1951.

This birthday anniversary dawns with transpeople in New York state facing another long, hot frustrating summer of dealing with the fact that GENDA lopsidedly passed the New York Assembly for the fourth consecutive session, but once again died in the New York Senate.

I had the pleasure of meeting her in May 2000 and having a long conversation with her about the then state of the trans community.  I have a pretty good idea of what her reactions would be to this news if we were still blessed to have her around.

She'd be pissed, and Trans Nation and trans peeps in New York need to be thinking about this situation in WWSD terms  

What Would Sylvia Do? 

What would she do?   Be in people's faces inside and outside our community fighting tooth and nail to get GENDA passed by any means necessary.   Sylvia's legacy demands nothing less than our best efforts to do that and replicate her fighting spirit in our own locales and at a national level.


And it would be a fitting birthday present to have GENDA be New York state law by this time next year.

Happy birthday Sylvia.  You are missed.

Trans History Moment-The First Trans Prom Queen

Was spending a little time on Twitter earlier today when an erroneous tweet popped up stating that Andii Viveros was the first ever trans prom queen.

That's true if you add the words 'in Florida' to that statement.

Stating that Viveros is the first trans prom queen is incorrect.   The first open trans prom queen ever in the United States was Crystal Vera of Fresno, CA.

She was elected the prom queen of Roosevelt High School  in May 2007 in the wake of transman Toby Covarrubias failed attempt to be elected prom king at Fresno High School just weeks earlier.

Andii Viveros is the second trans prom queen historically but the first in the state of Florida.


And since I mentioned it, as of yet we haven't had the first election of an open trans prom king.  Toby Covarrubias is the first open transman we are aware of attempting to do so.


TransGriot Note: Crystal is in the pink dress on the right in the photo