Thanks, Sadie!

It would be a better world if everyone knew that transgender people have the same hopes and dreams as everyone else. We like to make friends and want to go to school. Transgender people want to get good jobs and go to doctors like they are exactly the same. It really isn't that hard to like transgender people because we are like everyone else."  Sadie, January 21, 2013 



Little did I know when I posted a  transkid's essay on my blog yesterday expressing her dream for the world it would take off like it did and go viral..

Sadie's essay is now up at HuffPo and there's a nice story about this young girl like us along with some photos.. .

My  thoughts when I first saw it was that it needed to be read by a wider audience.  It also encapsulated the conflicting emotions I and a lot of trans people were feeling in the wake of President Obama's second inaugural speech and witnessing him give a shoutout to the GL community in front of the nation and the entire world.

And yes, it was a trans youngling fearlessly speaking her mind through the power of the written word..

Make no mistake about it, President Obama has been the most trans friendly president in American history.  There's a lot of trans affirmative policy that has come out of his administration during his first term that has helped our community and I expect that we'll see more of the same in this second one.  It's why we transfolks busted our butts in the 2008 and 2012 campaign seasons and donated our T-bills to help him get elected twice.  

Yes, actions speak louder than words. But it bothered me that our transkids didn't get to have the affirming moment that gay and lesbian kids did of seeing and hearing the leader of their nation specifically mention them in his inauguration speech.  

To me that was important especially after the antics of the British Transphobic Troika exploded on the other side of The Pond in the weeks leading up to the inauguration and our TERF's trying to join the transphobic party.

I submit that because of the overwhelming transphobic negativity that transkids see and hear aimed at their trans elders and themselves, it is vitally important for them to develop a bedrock sense of self esteem and pride in who they are as trans human beings.  It's also important that they learn how to be fearless in speaking their minds, even if they are at times a minority of one.

It's why I and a lot of trans elders wished in that inauguration moment President Obama had said the T-word in his speech.   It's important for us and our transkids to hear our president that we helped get elected SAY it like gay and lesbian people, their kids, and more importantly the nation and the world got to hear Monday. 


Sadie's essay was important on another level.   It reminds us trans elders who we are really fighting for besides ourselves when we seek to pass trans human rights coverage. Hopefully when we adults start having drama with each other, we'll think about Sadie's essay and immediately return to having a laser like focus on the trans human rights prize.  

Thanks Sadie, for reminding us that your dream is also ours as well, and we have much work to do right now to ensure that your dream is a reality by the time you hit adulthood.

It's also a reminder to myself and the transcommunity that we not only need to be paying attention to the wise words of our trans elders, but the wise words of trans kids like yourself as well.

Sadie's Dream For The World

TransGriot Note: While the GL community was justifiably jumping up and down excited because President Obama mentioned them in his second inaugural address, an 11 year old transkid in the western US was writing her own essay on this inaugural day that also happened to fall on MLK, Jr Day.  

Sadie's essay highlights who we adult transpeople are really fighting for when we push for trans human rights here in the United States and around the world.  

Let's redouble our efforts to make trans human rights a reality for Sadie Croft and ourselves.

***

Sadie's Dream for the World.

"The world would be a better place if everyone had the right to be themselves, including people who have a creative gender identity and expression. Transgender people are not allowed the freedom to do things everyone else does, like go to the doctor, go to school, get a job, and even make friends.

Transgender kids like me are not allowed to go to most schools because the teachers think we are different from everyone else. The schools get afraid of how they will talk with the other kids' parents, and transgender kids are kept secret or told not to come there anymore. Kids are told not to be friends with transgender kids, which makes us very lonely and sad.

When they grow up, transgender adults have a hard time getting a job because the boss thinks the customers will be scared away. Doctors are afraid of treating transgender patients because they don't know how to take care of them, and some doctors don't really want to help them. Transgender patients like me travel to other states to see a good doctor.

It would be a better world if everyone knew that transgender people have the same hopes and dreams as everyone else. We like to make friends and want to go to school. Transgender people want to get good jobs and go to doctors like they are exactly the same. It really isn't that hard to like transgender people because we are like everyone else."

Jazz 20/20 Show Supposed To Be Broadcast Tonight

Hopefully the third time is the charm and we finally get to see transkid Jazz Jennings do the 20/20 interview with Barbara Walters.   It has been postponed twice due to ABC's coverage of Hurricane Sandy and the December Sandy Hook mass school shooting





The show is supposed to be broadcast tonight at 8 PM ET/7 PM CT on your local ABC station.   Hopefully no major news story interrupts it this time.

Trans Teen, Beauty Queen

I posted in the wake of Jenna Talackova's attempt to win Miss Canada Universe and make it to Miss Universe 2012 the story of Jackie Green's attempt to win Miss England. 

Documentary cameras were following her quest to do so, and here it is.

East Aurora, IL School Board Caves To The Bigots Again

What started out as a wonderful happening for the kids in the East Aurora, IL district when their school board passed a trans inclusive policy only to cave on it days later after opposition from the SPLC certified hate group the Illinois Family Association is getting more exasperation inducing as it goes along. 

After the IFA browbeat the school board into rescinding the policy, the East Aurora board announced the formation of an ad hoc committee to formulate a new policy to protect their trans and gender variant students.

But as I feared when the board caved initially to the IFA in October and emboldened the transphobes, they simply doubled down on the bullying tactics in an attempt to kill any trans inclusive policy from being crafted and adopted.   At a November 30 meeting of the ad hoc committee they filled the room with 120 opponents of the trans inclusive policy and disrupted it to the point the committee couldn't conduct business.   

Anita Lewis, the school board member chairing the ad hoc committee declined to schedule another meeting, and now the East Aurora IL school board has caved once again to the transphobic bigots. 

The board dissolved the ad hoc committe that was formed to craft a trans policy that would be in their words when they formed it 'a model to the nation'.

Yeah East Aurora, IL school board.   You're a model to the nation all right.   You caved in the face of intolerant bigots, reversed a policy that would have protected your trans and gender variant students and now left them vulnerable to the very bigots you sought to protect them from.

You also sent a message to those trans and gender variant students in this district that you as a school board would (and have) throw them under the bus and not stand and deliver for them when they needed you to. 

I hope your profiles in cowardice are rewarded with all of your being voted out of office by progressive minded parents and residents and you are replaced by civic minded people who will do what's right for all the kids of the East Aurora district.  

They need school board members who will stand by their principled decisions,  not retreat from them in the face of loud and wrong opposition.  

Jazz Talks To Barbara Walters On Dating

Y'all know how much I love our little transteen Jazz, a girl like us who was introduced via the first Barbara Walters ABC 20/20 show report on transgender kids.    Jazz is now approaching age 13 and one of the questions Barbara asked in the follow up show that was supposed to air on Friday pertained to dating.

The wise beyond her years trans youngling had some interesting things to say about it, including something that we her trans elders should file away

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Happy 20th Birthday Sage!

Today is Sage Smith's 20th birthday.    Unfortunately she's still missing..  We'd hoped that she'd be back home by now celebrating this day with her family and friends.

And she should be. 

Sage should be doing what any twentysomething would do on their Big 2-0 birthday.  She should be at home tearing into her gifts and preparing to blow out twenty candles on her birthday cake enveloped in the love of her family and friends. 

Instead she's been missing since November 20.  Christmas is approaching, the person who last talked to her in Erik McFadden has left the Charlottesville, VA area and several searches have revealed no clues to Sage's whereabouts.

One thing people have been pissed off about is the lack of media coverage, but it looks like that may be starting to change as well.  

Continue to pray not only for Sage but her family in this trying and painful time for them.  If you have any information concerning this case please call Crimestoppers at 434-977-4000.

TransGriot Update:  Found out there will be at Lee Park in Charlottesville, VA a rainbow balloon release in honor of Sage's birthday starting at 5:30 PM EST.  If you live in the area and can attend please consider going to the event and supporting the family and friends of Sage.

Trans TV Alert-Barbara Walters 20/20 Show Finally Airing

I posted last month about a update ABC's 20/20 was doing concerning their 2007 show about trans children.  The show was supposed to air November 2, but due to network coverage of Hurricane Sandy's landfall was pushed back to November 23.   It didn't air on that date either. 

The long awaited update in which Barbara Walters visits the trans kids and their families that were interviewed for that 2007 show will finally be broadcast this Friday

I'm looking forward to seeing what's up in these trans children's lives 5 years later.

Sage Smith Case Update-Sage's Birthday Approaching And She's Still Missing

Sage Smith's 20th birthday on December 13 is rapidly approaching, and the trans teen that has been missing since November 20 still has yet to be heard from by family or friends.   Someone else that hasn't been heard from besides Erik McFadden, the last person to talk to Sage is the media.

Kinda sad that if you Google 'Sage Smith', links to my blog posts pop up.   I shouldn't be one of the few peeps commenting on it, a point GLAAD's Daryl Hannah made in his HuffPo post he wrote about the lack of media coverage in this case 

Yeah, I'm not happy about this, but I'll put my pissivity about this indifference toward this young POC transperson's life on pause and turn the focus of this post back toward finding our trans youngling.

A vigil and walk is happening later today starting at 6:30 PM EST.   If you live in the area and can support the family and this event, please do so.

The Vigil and March, will begin at 6:30pm Saturday at 731 Orange Dale, we will start with prayer, then words of reflection from family and friends,. Then we will walk from Orange Dale, down 9th street, up the 9th/10th street connector, right on Main street, than down to the Train station ending at around 7:30. This will symbolize the lantern shining to help Dashad find his way home, as well as the light which must be shined on his disappearance, to find out what has happened to Dashad. We also will have media there to help in spreading the word. We need peoples help in supplying the candles. We have gotten support from at least 3 area churches so far, and are trying to enlist other civic leaders.

If anyone has eyeballs on Erik McFadden or you have any pertinent information relevant to this case, please call the Charlottesville, VA Police Department at 434-977-4000.

And let's continue to pray for the safe return of Sage to her family.

Sage Smith Case- Police Want To Chat With Erik McFadden

While there's unfortunately still no word about Sage Smith and her family has yet to hear from her a week after being reported missing, there is some news in this case.  The Charlottesville, VA police have a person they wish to talk to that may shed light on what happened to her.

21 year old Erik Tyquan McFadden was the last person she talked to on her cell phone the day she went missing on November 20.  According to McFadden's Facebook page he is a student at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. 

The Charlottesville police spoke to McFadden, who admitted he did talk to her, they were supposed to meet on that day but according to him it never happened.

Since that conversation with the po-po's occurred McFadden is believed to have left the area and his whereabouts are unknown.  Police want to talk to him again, but as of this writing have not issued a warrant for his arrest nor have they named him as a person of interest in this case.

The Smith family, friends and supporters held a candlelight vigil Wednesday for Sage at Lee Park according to local media and asked for anyone who had information in this case to come forward.   A Facebook page has also been created for that purpose as well.

If I hear any information or important updates concerning the ongoing Sage Smith case, I will pass it along to you TransGriot readers as fast as I receive it.

Search For Missing Virginia Trans Teen

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One of our young transsisters is missing in the Charlottesville,VA area.  The local police and the family of Sage Smith is asking for help in finding her.

The 19 year old has been missing since November 20 when she was supposed to be meeting a man on a date and missed a planned Thanksgiving dinner with her mother..

Sage was seen around 5:00-5:30 PM EST on that date by a friend in the 500 block of West Main Street in Charlottesville. The 5 foot 8 Smith was last seen wearing a black jacket, dark-gray sweatpants, a black scarf and gray boots, police said.

If you have any info, please call the Charlottesville VA Police Department at 434-977-4000

Let's hope and pray Sage's family gets an early Christmas present this year with their child's safe return to their lives and it happens before her 20th birthday on December 13.

Trans TV Alert: Barbara Walters 20/20 Trans Children Update

Back in 2007 ABC's 20/20 broadcast a Barbara Walters moderated show that focused on the lives of trans children entitled 'My Secret Self- A Story of Transgender Children".

This Friday Barbara will visit the trans kids and their families that were interview for that 2007 show and find out what is transpiring in their lives five years later.   One of those adorable trans kids was Jazz, and she'll be part of this broadcast. 

It's slated to be televised November 2 from 10-11 PM EDT on your local ABC station. It is sweeps month, so count on the trans themed programming to flood the airwaves for a few weeks.  

If you can't watch the broadcast, set those DVR's to do so and as soon as I have video of it I'll post it to the blog..

East Aurora, IL School Board Caves To Hate Group

On Monday the East Aurora, IL  Board of Education unanimously adopted a groundbreaking policy hat would benefit the trans and gender non-conforming students in their district

The new policy specifically states that transgender and gender nonconforming students have the right use the restroom that corresponds to their gender-related identity that is consistently asserted at school. The student has the right to be addressed by the name they want to be called, too.
“A court-ordered name or gender change is not required, and the student needs not change his or her official records.” it's stated in the policy
…
“In no case shall a transgender student be required to use a locker room that conflicts with the student’s gender-related identity,” the policy reads.

Didn't take long for the transphobes of the Illinois Family Association, a Southern Poverty Law Center  certified hate group to jump in and start stirring up opposition to the policy. to the point in which the East Aurora school board started wavering on doing what was right.   The pushback from groups supporting the policy was just as swift.

The Trevor Project issued a statement in support of the policy. 

“The Trevor Project is fully in support of maintaining the policy adopted unanimously by the East Aurora School Board on Monday,” stated Abbe Land, executive director and CEO of The Trevor Project. “Since 2010, more than 3,000 teens from Illinois have called the Trevor Lifeline in crisis, and among their top presenting problems were bullying and harassment at school. This policy will help protect the highly vulnerable transgender student population from discrimination, fear and hate that leads to bullying, increased anxiety, and elevated safety concerns on East Aurora’s campuses, and is a step that can help save lives.”

Last night the East Aurora board held another meeting.  By a 4-0 vote with three board members absent, they caved to the chrisotfascists at the Illinois Family Association and rescinded the policy the board passed on Monday to boos and cries of "Shame" and "Cowards".

The policy had support from the overflow crowd in attendance for the meeting.   Out of the twenty people that spoke at the emergency meeting, 17 were in favor of keeping the passed policy.    One of those persons in favor of it, Victoria Beltran, who has three children in the District's schools had this to say.

“If you go against it, there’s no reason to support you guys,” she told the board. “We need to hear everyone in our district and not people outside our district.”   Ms.Beltran was referring to the haters at the IFA, who like the cowards they are didn't send anyone to speak at that meeting.  

Parents who are in favor of the policy are considering in conjunction with several organizations lawsuits to restore the policy, and I wouldn't be surprised if those board members find themselves challenged in the next election cycle for caving in the face of bigotry and hatred.

The bigots and bullies of the IFA won this round because the East Aurora, IL school board was too cowardly to stand up for what they passed Monday.   If they did so out of fear they were going to lose their seats, their actions last night to rescind the policy may be what actually costs them their seats, not supporting the trans and gender variant kids of the district .  

And speaking of those trans and gender variant kids, you rescinded the policy on Spirit Day.   It's bitterly ironic that on a day in which millions of people and allies around the country show support to trans and gender variant kids against bullying aimed at them, you East Aurora school board members caved in to the bigots and bullies of the Illinois Family Association.

That's fracked up East Aurora school board, and shame on y'all for not being tough minded enough to stand up for the trans and gender variant kids in your district.

Trans Athlete Playing On His HS Football Team

I've been saying that all the work of trans athletes coming out and breaking barriers would one day lead to a trans athlete wanting to play on their high school team if they desired to do so, getting the opportunity to make that team and nobody tripping when it happened.  .

That scenario I described has finally happened in Michigan.  Seth Knop is a varsity running back on the Grosse Pointe South High School football team who wanted to play last season but was afraid to try out. 

Since it was his senior year Seth took the 'why not' attitude and decided to go for it.  He approached both varsity coach Tim Brandon and junior varsity coach Brian Shelson about his desire to play football and was told that the school's athletic policy permitted coed sports teams.  He tried out and made the squad.

He's gotten respect from his classmates not only for his transition, but being a member of the team.

"The kids in my grade respect me a lot for it," said Knop of his being an out transgender athlete. "They treat me just like everybody else, which is what I wanted."

It's why the NCAA policies on trans athletes were enacted.   It's why the IOC has policies that allow trans athletes to compete in the Olympic Games. And it's also what those trans athletes who took those slings and arrows so that future generations of transkids could play their favorite sports without drama wanted for you as well.

Good luck this season Seth, and have a wonderful senior year. 

Another Young Chicago Transwoman Killed

Sad news to report before I depart for Charlotte, and thanks to reader Jessica Wicks for bringing it to my attention.

19 year old Tiffany Gooden was found stabbed to death on Tuesday in an abandoned building in the 4800 block of West Jackson Street on Chicago's West Side.    This comes less than four months after Paige Clay was found shot dead in an alley less than three blocks from that location. 

My reaction to the news that another young transsister's life was snuffed out?   I'm pissed, and the transphobic idiots running rampant in the comment threads of the CBS2 news story isn't helping my mood. 

I also didn't appreciate the writer sticking in the story courtesy of some random street interview the 'Black transwomen are prostitutes' meme

Chicago Police according to the story are investigating both the Clay case and the Gooden one.   They'd better be, because if they aren't, I'm going to find out about it courtesy of local activists.  I will be keeping an eye on this latest murder as well with the help of the Chicago rainbow community until the wastes of DNA who committed it are brought to justice.

But add Tiffany Gooden's name to the sadly lengthening list of people we will be memorializing when the 2012 edition of the Transgender Day of Remembrance takes place in November.

Stephanie and Ukea-Ten Years Later

TransGriot Note: I was originally just going to publish this piece here, but decided it needed a major signal boost.   Since HuffPo Gay Voices extended me an invitation to write for them, I decided to have it posted there as well since the 10th Anniversary of the execution style killings of Stephanie Thomas and Ukea Davis and the fact their killers are still walking around free needed to be pointed out.

On August 12, 2002 on the same 50th and C Street corner in SE Washington DC in which the car accident occurred that eventually took Tyra Hunter's life due to medical transphobia, transteens Stephanie Thomas and Ukea Davis died in a hail of automatic gunfire.

Ten years later, this double murder still hasn't been solved.  It saddens me and other DC area transpeople who remember that horrific crime that it hasn't..

As I said in the 2011 post I wrote at my home blog on the 9th anniversary of this despicable murder:

These young sisters died because somebody hated them so much for transitioning that they felt they had the right to violently terminate their lives.  I don't want people or the trans community to forget what happened to these young African descended transwomen or why they are no longer here on planet Earth with us.

I also want the wastes of DNA who committed this heinous crime to be brought to justice not just for me, the trans community of DC and around the world, but Stephanie's mother as well.    .

Someone in that neighborhood knows or heard something that will facilitate the arrest and conviction of the people who did this.   They belong in jail, not walking around in society.

19 year old Stephanie and 18 year old Ukea's lives were extinguished before they even had a chance to live them.  Both of them would be approaching their thirties right now.  I wonder what dreams and aspirations they had for themselves they never got to fulfill?  What kind of contributions to our society did we lose because somebody hated Stephanie and Ukea enough to kill them for openly living their trans lives?

That's what angers me every time I contemplate their loss and the loss of every transperson to anti-trans violence.  It's also what drives me to ensure that no more mothers like Queen Washington have to witness their trans child being buried or mothers who have trans children fearing the same thing will happen to their kids.

Stephanie and Ukea, know that you ladies are not only not forgotten by the trans community and all who loved you.  The trans community in Washington DC and around the country won't rest until the people who killed you are brought to justice. 

We also won't rest until we create a world in which trans youth can come out, dream big dreams and simply live their lives just like any other cisgender kid does

.

Saying Hello To The Camp Aranu'tiq West Campers

Couldn't let this week pass without pointing out to you TransGriot readers the inaugural session of Camp Aranu'tiq West is occurring as I compose this post.

It started July 1 and will continue through July 7,  and I hope the trans and gender variant kids that are congregated in the camp's double secret California location are having a wonderful time, enjoying meeting each other and having fun.

So what's Camp Aranu'tiq?  It's the  trans summer camp that has been around since 2010 founded by Nick Teich.   Since you have more trans people transitioning at earlier ages, the need arose for those parents who wished to have their transkids take part in a summer camp style program and meet other kids like them arose.  It already has an picturesque New England campus and this year expanded the program to the West Coast.   The Camp Aranu'tiq east session will happen in August.

Hope it continues to grow prosper and we see more camps like it open up in other parts of the country.

Just in case there happens to be any Camp Aranu'tiq campers reading my blog, here's a message especially for you.

Know that your trans elders and our allies love you.  We are doing everything we can to fight for a world in which you have an easier time navigating it.  Have fun while you're there at camp and be proud of the men and women of trans experience you are growing into.

Canadian Trans Student Named Prom Queen

The positive trans news just keeps on coming from north of the 49th parallel, and this time it's centered in Trenton, ON.

We've had on our side of the border two people, Crystal Vera of Fresno, CA in May 2007 and Andi Viveros in Davie, FL last year be elected by their respective student bodies as prom queens.  

There was also the thwarted October 2010 attempt of Andy Moreno of Dallas to become the first ever open trans homecoming queen when the transphobic principal of North Dallas High School refused to allow her to run.

Toby Covarrubias of Fresno attempted weeks before Crystal Vera became prom queen at Roosevelt High to become the first trans prom king at Fresno High School but didn't get enough votes to make history.  

In 2010 while Moreno was battling her principal, Oak Reed in Michigan won the title of homecoming king at his school but was denied by school authorities the opportunity to accept it.  Niko Walker of Culver City, CA became the first trans homecoming king.

Now comes news from the Great White North that Connor Ferguson was named on June 22 prom queen at Trenton High School.

“I was really surprised,” Ferguson said of the win. “It was pretty surreal actually. If I remember correctly my jaw hit the floor and we all started laughing because it was so crazy. I walked up and the crown didn’t fit my hair, so I had to hold it.”

Ferguson admitted high school was relatively easy-going, especially considering the stigma surrounding transgender people and the LGBT community. The school has a tolerant student body and supportive staff, as well as the positive effects of the anti-bullying campaign the school holds annually, Ferguson said.

“I’ve lived as I am for four years now, so I believe the ‘shock value’ is gone and most people just accept me for me,” Ferguson said. “It took some time for quite a few people, but the school and staff definitely helped with that, and my group of friends was endlessly supportive. I think people accept you a lot more when you stick up for yourself and have enough confidence to be yourself.”

I agree Connor, and congrats on being probably the first open trans prom queen in Canadian history.

Good Luck Tonight, Jackie!

Across The Pond tonight, Jackie Green will take the stage and attempt to become the first transperson to become Miss England.   

She was voted through to tonight's Miss England pageant semifinals earlier this month.  If she does go on to win this event would represent her country at the Miss World pageant that will be held in China

Good luck tonight, Jackie.   Know your transsisters all over the planet are rooting for you.

Texas Trans Teen Being Allowed To Wear Dress For Graduation

In the wake of what happened in North Carolina the usual calls from the I-5 and I-95 corridors rang out for GLBT people to leave their 'bigoted red states' and come to the blue oases of rainbow equality that can be just as hateful and bigoted as the red states we leave behind.

I and other red staters repeatedly point out that you can't turn those states purple and later blue unless you have people living here who not only love it just as much as the Forces of Intolerance, but are willing to fight the right wingers tooth and nail to advance rainbow human rights.

Well, here's another example in my argument as to why it's vitally important for GLBT peeps to stay and fight for our human rights and the world we wish to live in even in a so called 'red state'.

Just 30 miles northwest of Houston is Waller, TX where transteen Brandon Navarro lives and is a Waller High School senior.   Brandon ID's as gay and a crossdresser (but I suspect Brandon is headed to the trans end of the TBLG spectrum and will use femme pronouns in this story) and has worn appropriate feminine attire according to her mother during her high school years.   

Navarro planned to wear a dress to prom and high school graduation on June 2 and had already skipped prom to avoid drama.  Navarro dropped plans to wear a dress and high heels with her long hair after a teacher reminded her of the graduation dress code.

The Waller High School graduation dress code rules requires senior males to wear slacks and shirts with their hair above the collar.

Navarro’s mother then got involved and Brandon met with the school's principal to strike a compromise acceptable to both sides.   While Brandon will have to leave the earrings and high heels out of her wardrobe, she’ll be able to wear a dress under her gown.






 Congrats Brandon!  may you have much success in any future endeavors.