Morehouse College Opens Its Doors To Trans Masculine Students

Morehouse College in Atlanta since 1867 has been the only all male college dedicated to the education of African American men.  It has a long distinguished list of alumni that include the Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr, Spike Lee,  Samuel L Jackson, ATL Mayor Maynard Jackson, former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson,  Julian Bond, and NFL referee Jerome Boger just to name a few.

Unfortunately, Morehouse College was on the Princeton Review's dubious list of Top 20 transphobic and homophobic campuses, and had been on it since the 1990's.  Morehouse alums have also been vocal about wanting action taken to remove their school from that list.

I have long complained about the fact that HBCU's need to get busy making their campuses more welcoming to Black TBLGQ students or lose them to PWA's who are way ahead of them in doing so.

Looks like HBCU's are finally waking up to the reality that Black TBLGQ people exist and aren't going away or back in the closet. 

Today the Morehouse College Board of Trustees approved a policy that would open its doors to trans masculine students beginning with the Fall 2020 semester.

“In a rapidly changing world that includes a better understanding of gender identity, we’re proud to expand our admissions policy to consider trans men who want to be part of an institution that has produced some of greatest leaders in social justice, politics, business and the arts for more than 150 years,” Terrance Dixon, the college’s vice president of Enrollment Management, said in a statement. 

 “The ratification of this policy affirms the College’s commitment to develop men with disciplined minds who will lead lives of leadership and service.” 

The currently enrolled 2200 students currently matriculating at 'The House' aren't affected by the new Gender Identity Admissions and Matriculation Policy.

Morehouse College President David Thomas took over in January 2018, and stated that he wanted to implement a formal policy covering transgender students.   The policy was developed after 15 months of community engagement that included faculty, staff, students and alumni as the result of a task force created by President Thomas.

Under the new policy, Morehouse's admissions doors are open to all persons who self identify as men, including trans masculine students. Trans women and people who identify as women are not eligible for admission to Morehouse.

If a person transitioned to female while enrolled at Morehouse, they are no longer eligible to study at The House.  Exemption to this rule must be granted by a three person panel appointed by Morehouse's president after an appeal by the affected student.

This policy is long overdue, and is welcome news for the trans community, Morehouse alums and our allies.  It's also a big step in recognizing the fact that Black trans people are Black people, and some of our Black trans masculine folks dream of matriculating at Morehouse College.

They made that dream a reality by approving this policy.

Miss America 2019 Says Trans Women Should Be Allowed To Compete

Today was the day 35 years ago that Vanessa Williams, who repped New York state, was crowned as the first ever Black Miss America back in 1983.

The 92nd annual competition took place in Atlantic City, NJ on September 9.  This year's newly crowned Miss America, like the trailblazing Williams, is also a Black woman repping New York state in 25 year old Nia Imani Franklin.

Franklin is the ninth Black woman to wear the Miss America crown, and she was recently asked her thoughts during a The Clay Cane Show interview concerning whether trans feminine contestants should be allowed to compete for the Miss America title.

Y'all know what my thoughts are concerning that question.   Here's what Ms. Franklin had to say about it:

"That’s something I haven’t given a lot of thought to. I could see the organization may be going into a different direction in the future, but at this time our goal is just to focus on women who want to further their education.” 

She continued, “If trans women want to compete I think they should be able to — that’s not something I think we are really putting too much emphasis on as far as, ‘Are you trans? Check this box’ when you compete. When I competed, in my application, there was nothing that asked me if I was a trans woman or not, so we’re definitely not discriminating.”

Yes, you are when the pageant has a rule that states only 'natural born women', whatever in the hell that means, can compete in the Miss America system.  

The Miss Universe system has had since 2012 allowed trans women to compete, and later this year in Bangkok we will finally witness a trans woman competing for the Miss Universe crown in Spain's Angela Ponce. 

But the 98 year old Miss America system, despite moves to modernize the pageant and make it more relevant to 21st century life, like ditching the swimsuit competition for a current events Q&A, still bans trans women from competing.

But glad to hear the current Miss America titleholder thinks trans women who fit the pageant's eligibility requirements should be allowed to compete for this prestigious crown.

And I hope that change happens sooner rather than later.

Have A Wonderful 2018-19 School Year, Trans Family!

The school year gets started for ten Houston area school districts including the Alief one I now live in tomorrow.   But the events in Achille, OK have me thinking about our trans kids getting ready to start school either tomorrow or over the next few weeks. 

And Maddie, you and your family are in our collective thoughts as you start the school year in Achille today.  We hope it gets much better for you as the year continues and those transphobic adults are punished. 

It also has me pissed about the move Secretary of Miseducation Betsy DeVos pulled in which they announced back in February they would not be acting on bathroom discrimination complaints filed by transgender students

But back to discussing this school year that is about to start.

Trans kids, your Aunt Monica wants you to know that you are not only loved by me and your trans elders, we will fight with every fiber of our beings for your humanity and your human rights.  We will also fight for your most important right of getting a quality education free from harassment by you fellow students or their transphobic parents

We will also fight tooth and nail for those of you who wish to participate in extracurricular activities so that those of you who have the ability and talent to excel in sports can do so.

So run for class president.   Try out for whatever team you wish.  Run for homecoming or prom king and queen   Run for cheerleader. because we trans elders and our accomplices will be solidly in your corner rooting for your success.

We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that if you are left alone to handle your education business, you will excel and thrive because you are #TransExcellence personified.

Also keep in mind that standing up for you trans selves can also lead to human rights advances for our entire community.

While we are in a tough environment to grown up trans, we have gone through far worse periods in our history as trans people and survived it.  This Trump misadministration will eventually go away as you elder work to make him a one termer.   Also keep in mind that your best revenge against the folks who hate you is to hold your head up high, be unapologetically proud of being trans, and be better students and human beings than they are.

As this 2018-19 school year begins, I'm looking forward to seeing and writing about the historic trails you will blaze over the next few months that inspire me to work harder to be a better role model for you. 

No matter what happens in this 2018-19 school year, know that we unconditionally love you and are rooting for your scholastic success.  Your trans elders and I also hope you have a school year as wonderful and fabulous as we know you trans kids all are, whether you're starting pre-K, elementary school, middle school, high school, college or graduate school.

Have a wonderful 2018-19 school year, trans family.
 

'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.
 

Hey Hollywood, Trans Actors Exist, So Hire Them!

TransGriot Note:  Actress Trace Lysette on the Emmy's red carpet.

One of the things I've been increasingly pleased to see is the increasing proliferation of my trans siblings gracing the red carpets of Hollywood as they work in the industry doing various film and television projects'

What I not happy about is film and television roles that are designed as trans feminine characters being played by cis men, and cis white men in particular when there are plenty of qualified trans actors who are ready, willing and able to play those characters and give them the nuance our community deserves..

Doing that feeds 'the man in a dress' stereotype that is negatively impacting our lives and the human rights of everyone.  That stereotype needs to die, Hollywood, and you need to lead the way in ensuring that happens.

Look cis white male actors, y'all already get 70% of the roles in Hollywood, let some other peeps get some roles and some of that money, too.

We've come a long way from the days when Aleshia Brevard was non disclosed while working there and on stage, and didn't reveal until 2001 her trans status.  I also remembering us celebrating in 2007 when Candis Cayne broke ground with her recurring role of Carmelita Ranier on the canceled ABC series Dirty Sexy Money..  

Now we have a long list of trans actors working in Hollywood like Alexandra Billings, who many of you saw on the first and second seasons of Transparent, and in an episode of ABC's How To Get Away With Murder and teaches future actors,.  

We also have the amazing Scott Turner Schofield repping the trans masculine community with not only his historic role on the CBS soap The Bold and the Beautiful, but his one person shows like Debutante Balls and tonight's Chicago performance of Becoming A Man In 127 Easy Steps.


Break a leg, Scott.

And yes, I'm pleased to see my sisters Laverne Cox and Angelica Ross starting to get roles in which Black trans women are not the butt of a joke or are killed in the first ten seconds after they appear on screen.

Laverne will make history when the CBS legal series Doubt debuts in the 2016-17 midseason with her playing Ivy League educated attorney Cameron Wirth.  It will be the first scripted TV series ever with a transgender main character, and it's past time that happened.  

And can't forget Mya Taylor, Zackary Drucker, Jamie Clayton, Trace Lysette, Michelle Hendley, Calpernia Addams and the others trying to make a name and get paid in Hollywood for their acting talents.

Hollywood, don't just hire trans actors for trans roles.  Free your minds and cast trans actors for non-trans roles  like you have done for far too long with cis males playing trans characters.

Hollywood, if you're going to tell our stories, make money off them and get awards for writing, filming and producing them, then you need to stop pretending trans actors don't exist.  

It's undeniable that they do, and it's past time you not only start hiring trans actors to tell those stories, but trans peeps behind the camera to write and film them.

'Strut' To Premiere September 20

Laverne Cox won't be the only trans person I know that will have a television series debuting next month.

Isis King will be one of the trans models who will appear in the unscripted series Strut, which follows Isis and  her fellow models Arisce Wanzer, Laith De La Cruz, Dominique Jackson and Ren Spriggs.   Cecilio Asuncion and Cassandra Cass of Slay Model Management will also be on the show that debuts September 20 on Oxygen.

Strut is executive produced by Whoopi Goldberg, and in a Variety interview pointed out why she believes the show is needed, necessary and debuting at the right moment in time.

"The show is important right now because for all the positive advances the community has made and continues to make, transgender is still a hot button word that gets people hysterical," said Goldberg.

"People tend to focus on the stereotype instead of the person, and this series will give viewers a unique opportunity to spend time with real people who are struggling with the same challenges we all face as we make our way through the world."

"You may be surprised to discover that you have been seeing and interacting with transgender men and women in ways you didn't even realize!" she commented.



Have another trans themed show to look forward to watching this fall, and hope you will join me in doing so as well. .
 

2016 DNC Pre-Convention Trans Delegate Musing

One of the things I'd like to see in that 2016 DNC transgender delegate contingent besides more people and continued ethnic diversity is that trans DNC delegation in 2016 and beyond include trans people who are elected to public office.  That would be in addition to the trans people already diligently working inside the various levels of the Democratic Party to ensure we have a voice in it at the policy formation tables.
TransGriot, September 6, 2012

When the 2016 Democratic National Convention is gaveled into order for its first session at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, we will have a record 28 trans folks in the house and taking part at this historic convention which will  see Hillary Clinton officially become the first female presidential nominee of a major political party.

The Green Party and Jill Stein doesn't count as a major political party and she doesn't have a credible chance of taking the oath of office on January 20, so stop hatin' fauxgressives and deal with that dose of political reality.

We've come a long way in Trans World from the 2000 days in which Minnesota's Jane Fee became the first out trans person the attend a DNC convention and was the lone trans delegate in Los Angeles.

Trans representation at the DNC convention has grown exponentially to the point that we had our most diverse delegation ever in Charlotte with 14 people in 2012,   One of the 14 people in attendance in Charlotte was a superdelegate in New Jersey's Barbra Casbar Siperstein.

Babs has been blazing the trail and active in New Jersey and national Democratic Party politics for years, and will be one of the superdelegates in attendance in Philadelphia, the other super being Laura Calvo of Oregon.  
I'm hoping that the 2016 trans DNC contingent during their time in Philadelphia will actually see more trans history made with one of our people actually making a speech to the convention attendees and hopefully the nation from the convention stage.

It's even more vital the American people see that in the wake of the Republicans putting together a virulently anti-trans and LGB platform.  We need to make it clear as a party that we are proud of the most pro-trans platform in Democratic Party history, and putting a trans Democrat on stage would put an exclamation point on our values of treating trans people with dignity and respect.

We already know the Texas DNC delegation will have its first ever out trans masculine representative in Lou Weaver, and Montana will be sending its first ever out trans delegate in Anita Green.  Monica DePaul will be the first ever out trans delegate from Florida.

There will also be just as in 2014, two African American trans representatives in Merrick Moses from Maryland and Sharron Cooks representing the host delegation from Pennsylvania

While I'm proud of the record numbers of trans people headed to Philadelphia, many for the first time, we do have room for improvement in terms of the diversity of our trans DNC delegates.   It's been a dream of mine to one day be a DNC delegate, and I hope I can make that happen someday.

I would also like to see more trans people of all ethnic backgrounds showing up at future DNC's as elected representatives, and hope the 2016 election cycle is the first step toward that becoming a reality.

Speaking of reality, will be nice to not only see a political convention that's grounded in reality, but looks like America at the same time.

End Of Trans Military Service Ban Coming?

Good news finally for the estimated 15,500 trans people serving in our country's military.

According to a USA Today report, the Pentagon is ready to announce on July 1 that the ban on open military service for trans Americans will be lifted

It will end nearly a year of internal military forces bickering concerning how the various branches of our armed forces would implement open military service..

 Top military officials re planning to meet on Monday to finalize details of the open trans military service plan, Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work could sign off on that plan as early as Wednesday, with final approval coming from defense Secretary Ash Carter.

Once that happens, the various armed service branches would have up to a year to implement policies that affect recruiting, housing, and uniforms for trans service members.

We'll see if it happens next week, but if it does, it would be another positive milestone for US trans people, and would add the United States to the list of 18 nations that allow their trans citizens to serve their country.

Dr. Jillian Weiss Talks About The DOJ HB 2 Challenge On CNN

Earlier today on CNN attorney Dr. Jillian T. Weiss was on CNN's Legal View With Ashleigh Banfield to discuss the unjust HB 2 and the ramifications on the DOJ letter sent to Gov McCrory and the University of North Carolina.

I've been saying for a while that HB 2 was unconstitutional and a violation of Romer v. Evans., but I'm going to defer to my friends in the legal profession to let me know whether I'm on the right legal path here and if HB 2 could be the trans version of that landmark Romer v Evans case.

And now, for those of you who missed it earlier today, here's the video from Dr. Jillian Weiss' appearance on Legal View with Ashleigh Banfield.

 

The Conservafools Are Losing World War T

Ever since they lost the Obergefell SCOTUS case last year, the conservative movement has decided to take out their anger about losing that marriage case on the transgender community.  Right wing hate radio, the Southern Baptists and Republican Party have declared war on our community along with their longtime professional gay-baiting hate orgs like the Family Research Council, retooling their rhetoric to attack us as our longtime TERF enemies gleefully egged them on.

Even FOX Noise joined World War T, deploying longtime trans haters Keith Ablow and Paul McHugh to join their pundits in unleashing on-air facts free attacks denigrating the trans community.  The anti-trans haters successfully tested to my disgust their anti-trans talking points in their successful campaign to repeal the trans inclusive Houston Equal Rights Ordinance.

But despite their early successes, the bottom line is that the conservafools are losing World War T as they call it.  You might say the preponderance of evidence indicates the conservative movement was already losing to the trans community even before they fired the first ramped up shots of anti-trans hatred in this trans culture war..

Trans folks were already getting unprecedented media attention thanks to Janet Mock and her New York Times best selling memoir, Laverne Cox, Geena Rocero's well received coming out TED Talk and later Caitlyn Jenner.

We were already an increasing presence on reality shows, with movies like The Danish Girl and television shows like Orange Is The New Black, Transparent and groundbreaking trans characters like Maya Avant on the CBS soap The Bold And The Beautiful.

We were already winning in the courts and with federal regulatory agencies on various trans human rights issues thanks to Vandy Beth Glenn, Nikki Araguz Loyd, Mia Macy and most recently, Gavin Grimm's 4th Circuit court win that may be the death blow to Hate Bill 2.   Trans human rights protections are included in laws in 16 states, the District of Columbia and over 200 jurisdictions, with more jurisdictions considering doing so for their areas every day.

Colleges and universities are starting to create trans inclusive policies, although we still have much work to do in academia and the school settings to make them less hostile for trans students. . .

Those trans human rights court wins even continued on an international level with Ms W in Hong Kong and Joanne Cassar in Malta   Several nations allow trans people to change their identification documents without the prerequisite of requiring expensive genital surgery.

And thanks to trans youth around the country like Jazz Jennings and her award winning reality show I Am Jazz, our trans kids in many cases have been the front line advocates that have helped kill anti-trans legislation while emphatically pointing out in various ways that trans folks are part of our diverse mosaic of human life.

Even the preponderance of medical science is increasingly lining up with what we have asserted for decades and the medical care protocols for trans people and manuals like the DSM-V and ICD-11 are changing in response to the updated medical research about us..

North Carolina's Hate Bill 2 has resulted in an international backlash aimed at the Tarheel State. GOP controlled state legislatures in Missouri, Kansas, Tennessee and South Carolina that have pushed anti- trans laws have found out they have gotten ferocious opposition to them, and anti-trans measures passed in South Dakota and Georgia were vetoed by their Republican governors. .

And in a broken clock FOX Noise moment, FOX's Megyn Kelly jacked up North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory (R) over the transphobic HB 2.

And yesterday transphobic Ted Cruz ended his campaign after trying to deploy anti-trans hatred as a wedge issue in his campaign against Donald Trump and got his butt kicked in Indiana last night.

The coordinated attacks upon our community are not only forcing us to close ranks and work together to repel them, it's also resulting in us in Trans World stepping up our activism game.

In addition to building coalitions with cis people and groups to help fight the anti-trans attacks, other trans folks like Danni Askini and Kristin Beck have stepped up to run for office.   It's past time we were in these legislatures helping to write the legislation that governs us, not be on the legislative menu.

It's also past time that funders give our trans led organizations what we have needed for decades, the money and grants to build permanent trans human rights infrastructure and services.


While World War T is one that has been raging that we trans peeps didn't ask for, we had no choice but to fight it tooth and nail to a successful conclusion for trans kind.

So far we are doing that.  We are building community and the intersectional connections necessary to fight off the right wing attacks on us.

We will have wins like Rockwall, and some losses like North Carolina.  The trans suicide rate is unacceptably high, and it is ridiculous that people who kill us get a legal slap on the wrist fro doing so.

The overall trajectory is positive for us and trans human rights in general.. We still have much work to do in Trans World in order to vanquish the Conservative Forces of Anti-Trans Intolerance and win World War T.

Fellowship Of Affirming Ministries Trans Support Resolution

During the Friday City Hall vigil for Shante and Willie, a resolution was read by Pastor Freedom K.D. Gulley of Progressive Open Door Christian Center at the event expressing support for the Houston trans community.

Here is the full text of the April 15 resolution that was signed by Pastor Gulley and Rev Alex D. Byrd, the Southern Regional Bishop for the Fellowship of Affirming Ministries.

***

Resolution of Support and Action
April 15, 2016

Whereas, a double murder occurred on Sunday, April 10, 2016 in the midtown area of the city of Houston involving a young transgender woman, Shante Thompson and a young man Willie Sims.

Whereas, The fellowship of Affirming Ministries (TFAM) has been committed to providing pastoral care to transgender men and women, and protecting their civil rights since its inception in 1999, as evidenced by the TransSaints ministry,

Whereas. the South Region of TFAM includes the city of Houston, Texas and two churches which provides direct pastoral care to transgender men and women in their congregations and within the communities they serve,

Whereas, we are concerned about the negative perceptions, biases and discrimination of the public in regards to transgender men and women and how such attitudes may impact the way these murders will be perceived in the public, governmental and law enforcement arenas,

Whereas, we are compelled by a Christian imperative to speak up for those who are perceived to be the least among us and fight for the causes of justice,

Whereas, we are also compelled by our call to minister to the spiritual needs whom God entrusts in our care, especially those who are respected and marginalized by society,

Be it resolved that the South Region of The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries lends our support to the family of Ms. Shante Thompson and Mr. Willie Sims.  We offer our prayers, our actions and our ear to you--- weeping as you weep and fighting as you fight the good fight.  We stand  with our arms open without judgment or shame representing the love of our God which is eternal and without respect of person.

Be it further resolved that we stand in solidarity with those who call for justice to be done in this unjust situation. Regardless of the circumstances that may surround it, Shante Thompson and Willie Sims were murdered.  Such acts deserve an unbiased commitment to justice.

Therefore, we are calling for the Houston Police Department and any other law enforcement agency that shall undertake the investigation of these murders to do so without regard to and prejudice or bias against the transgender experience.  We ask that they would treat this case with the same fervor and dignity as they would any other investigation.

We implore the city, the law enforcement agencies, and the news media to respect the lives of the transgender individuals in this case by calling them by the name and gender by which each of them have been known to self-identify.

We further pray that justice be served against the perpetrators of this crime.  We wholly expect that a fair trial and due process be given to anyone indicted in this matter.

This is our calling and our service to Christ and to the people we serve.  To this call we hereto put our hand and faith.

Done this 15th day of April Two Thousand Sixteen,

Rev. Alex D. Byrd
Regional Bishop for the South

Pastor Freedom K.D. Gulley, D. Min.
Member of the Executive Council for the South Region            .

Trans Woman Sexually Assaulted At Stonewall Inn

To cap off last week being one of the worst weeks for trans kind in the US with the passage of the unjust HB 2 and anti-trans legislation percolating in Kansas and Minnesota, comes word out of New York that a 25 year old trans woman was sexually assaulted in the Stonewall Inn.

Yes, the same Stonewall Inn in which trans women jumped off the modern TBLG rights movement and is a national historical landmark

The 25 year old survivor told police she went into a single person stall at 11:40 PM EDT Saturday night and a man barged in behind her claiming he needed to wash his hands.  The man then groped the trans woman and sexually assaulted her before running out of the Greenwich Village area bar.

But when you hear right wing fundies, the TERF's, GOP legislators, FOX Noise and other conservafool media pundits flap their loud and wrong gums to demonize us, it's trans women who are the predators.

Um no.  This is just one concrete example of trans women being the prey, not the alleged sexual predators.

This waste of DNA is being sought by NYPD in connection with the crime.  The NYPD Special Victims Division has interviewed the survivor, several witnessed and gotten video sufficient enough to identify the perpetrator of this crime.

 Note the sexual predator wasn't in drag when he committed his heinous crime either.

According to my NYC area trans peeps, the perp also frequents another New York area club called The Hangar.

If you have any information like that which will help speed up the apprehension of this criminal, please call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577 TIPS (8477)

Hopefully this sexual predator he will be sitting in jail soon for his crime, and I'll keep you apprised of this story as i get mere details.

FAA No Longer Stigmatizing Trans Pilots

I had the pleasure during my Air Marshal days of meeting the trans pilot who cleared the path for me to transition at work.  It was an emotional meeting for both of us because I'd not only heard about her via her court case, she's heard through the CAL company grapevine there was a Houston gate agent who was transitioning as well.

Jessica Starnes filed a successful lawsuit that reinstated her job, her seniority and paid her an undisclosed settlement back in the early 90's.  It was a case I was watching closely because I was at the emotional point of being ready to live in my truth and getting  my transition started but was worried about whether I would be able to keep the airline job I absolutely loved at the time.

She won, and in 1994 I finally got my own transition started.   She was based in Newark, and I ran into her at where the south side hallways of Terminal C intersected near the food court.

Both of us were crying when the meeting happened, and she told me, "You were one of the reasons why I fought so hard to get my job back.  I wanted to make it easier for the next trans person to be themselves and keep their job,"

I thanked her for doing so, and she headed to her next flight and I headed to my gate.

The reason I'm going through this Moni flashback moment is because I not only have much love and respect for trans pilots I know or who are on my FB page like Denver based pilot Jessica Taylor, I have heard and read the wonderful news that trans pilots have won their long battle with the FAA and gotten them to drop the disorder label they saddled transgender pilots with.

On January 27 the  FAA changed its Aviation Medical Examiners guidelines to remove the disorder label for trans pilots and replace it with  'gender dysphoria'.  The change according to the FAA will allow trans pilots to get their medical certifications more quickly and not undergo a time consuming and expensive process in order to convince federal officials they were medically fit and stable enough to fly.

Pilots have to get medical exams every year before they are certified to fly, and trans pilots not only are given that extra scrutiny before flight certification is granted, they face discrimination from the FAA in doing so.

This FAA policy change is also wonderful news to the Transgender Pilots Association..

However, trans pilots who have been on hormone therapy for less than five years or undergone gender reassignment surgery less than five years ago will still have to undergo additional testing and paperwork before they are certified.

But it still doesn't change the fact that the FAA policy change, despite the attempts of that organization to downplay it, is good news for trans pilots.

$20 Million To Be Donated For Trans Causes

As someone who once upon a time was political director for NTAC from its founding until 2002 and died  currently sits on the boards of several trans oriented organizations, I can tell you from painful experience that one of the problems that we face as a community with many problems that cry out for help is lack of funding to tackle those challenges and sustain our organizations, or having to do so much on shoestring budgets.

And with the increased media attention we transgender people are getting, we in Trans World are also getting attacked politically by right wing organizations with far deeper pockets than we have to combat them.

That fiscal funding problem for trans organizations may mercifully be coming to an end.

I was happy to hear the announcement by two funding organizations that over the next five years starting in 2016. they plan an unprecedented increase in their funding contributions for trans organizations here in the US and around the globe to $20 million to improve the quality of life for trans people around the world.

The Arcus Foundation, which gives to social justice and human rights causes, is pledging the bulk of this increase at $15 million.  The NoVo Foundation, which focuses on girls and women's issues is pledging $1 million, with a coalition of funding organizations contributing the other $4 million.    

The money will initially go to US groups that focus on transgender issues or led by trans people, instead of established organizations that include transgender issues as part of a broader agenda.  It will then expand globally in the subsequent five year period, and target poorer and developing nations.  Much of the money will go to organizations with budgets of $100,000 or less while increasing the capacity of larger groups to ensure their long term stability.

The ground breaking news was hailed by Trans Persons of Color Coalition (TPOCC) Executive Director Kylar Broadus. "We applaud Arcus, NoVo and the othe foundations participating in this trans funding initiative for realizing the need of transgender groups to lead their own cause and own our power," said Broadus. "Funding Trans groups should help to allow Trans people to lead the work and have the resources to do the work," he added.
And in light of us now having the undivided attention of the right wing orgs and being under attack by them, it is timely, needed by the various trans organizations doing the work of uplifting our community, and necessary.

The goals for this funding boost are to increase understanding of trans people, expanding the pathways for economic sufficiency for trans people, put a dent in the off the charts levels of anti-trans violence, provide job opportunities, boost the long-term societal inclusion of trans people, and encouraging long term philanthropy for the trans human rights movement,

The funders will begin accepting applications for proposals by mid-2016 with the first disbursements of this transformational funding to happen by the end of 2016.  .

 

Happy Veterans Day 2015, Trans Vets!

Today is Veteran's Day, the day in which we celebrate and honor our military veterans who either served or are currently serving in our military.   Some of those folks are trans people who as Carla Lewis' shirt says, fought for your right to hate us.

Those trans folks who fought for your freedom and right to hate us served in war and in peacetime.   Many of them honed their leadership skills while serving in the armed forces, and we as a community have benefited from people like Monica Helms, Christine Jorgensen, Phyllis Frye, Autumn Sandeen stepping up to provide leadership when we trans people sorely needed it.

It is estimated there are 15,000 trans people currently serving in our military around the globe, and the wonderful thing I can report on Veterans Day 2015 is that in a few months they will be able to do so openly.  It also means that at the moment open trans military service becomes a reality, trans people who wish to serve for whatever reason will be able to enlist in the service of their choice.

We have some amazing people serving our country right now like Sgt. Shane Ortega,  Laila Villanueva and her fiance Logan Ireland, Rae Nelson, Jacob Eleazer and countless others who are serving with distinction in their various service branches while living as their true selves.

Happy Veterans Day Trans Vets!  Thank you for your service.  Thank you for also representing girls and guys like us in our armed forces, and deeply appreciate your trailblazing efforts that will make it easier one day for the trans kids who wish to follow in your footsteps and serve our country to do the same.

It's Not About The Bathrooms

In the wake of our HERO loss, now that we have the local media's attention that we didn't have during the HERO fight, the Houston trans community has gotten up off the mat and it coming out swinging against our lying detractors.

Dee Dee Watters organized a media training event on Sunday at the Montrose Center in which we discussed what we need to do if we find ourselves staring at the unblinking eye of a camera.  We also discussed talking points for ourselves and allies as part of our effort to permanently kill the ignorance about trans people.

One of the attendees of that media training was Vito Cammisano, and when it was over several of us got to test drive some of our talking points in front of his camera.

You might recognize a certain blogger 'nobody reads' in this video.

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32 Members Of Congress Urge TSA To Reform Trans Screening Procedures

One of my nicknames in the trans community is the Air Marshal for two reasons.   When I first got involved in community activism in 1998 I was working for a major airline.  Being based in Texas also meant as an trans advocate I had to hop a plane to get to either coast, Washington DC, the Midwest, the Southeast US, the Rocky Mountain states, the New England states or the Pacific Northwest where many of the trans events and conferences were happening.

And yes, that means because of my heavy travel schedule at times, I have had more than a few opportunities to engage not only with the local TSA officers at Hobby and Intercontinental Airports, but airports throughout the country. 

And it never fails that I get a patdown search either at the beginning of my trip, the homeward bound leg of it, or on both legs.  It also happens no matter whether I start my trip at Hobby or IAH.. 

While I have yet to (and hope I never have to) experience the horror of what Shadi Petosky experienced in Orlando last month, I have had more than my share in my travels across this country of patdown searches by female TSA agents, snide comments made by TSA officers running screening machines as I waited to be scanned, and twice being sent to the chemical analyzer for more screening before being sent off to my departure gate.

In the wake of the Petosky mess, a TSA investigation into her allegations was launched, and a federal lawsuit was filed in July over the regulations that govern scanners and patdown searches.

On Thursday, 32 members of Congress sent a letter to TSA Administrator Peter Neffinger to review the TSA protocols and procedures that affect trans travelers. 

As much as people hate on the TSA, the reason it exists is because the private security companies that were handling the job at our nation's airports failed massively on 9-11 and had been failing at doing so for years before that 2001 terror attack.  

As a former airline employee and someone who is a frequent air traveler, I support the existence of the TSA and their personnel who are handling their duties with the utmost level of courtesy and professionalism for the flying public.

However, the flying public also includes trans people, and there is room for improvement when it comes to interacting with trans travelers.

Neither should I or any trans person face dehumanization or disrespect when we are simply doing what other cis people are doing and are traveling across the country for business or pleasure.