Miss Universe Mexico Head Lupita Jones Hatin' On Trans Women

Hasn't even been a week yet and another Latin American pageant queen besides Miss Colombia opens her pretty mouth to let something ugly and transphobic come out of it.

This time it was Lupita Jones, who won the Miss Universe title in 1991 and was the first Mexican woman to do so.   She now runs the Miss Universe pageant franchise in Mexico and by her remarks, made it clear that if she had it her way, Mexican trans women wouldn't be eligible to compete for the Miss Mexico Universe or Miss Universe titles.

Jones made her transphobic remarks during a televised event celebrating the opening of the new season of Teatro en Corto in Mexico City. 

"As head of Miss Universe in Mexico, I have to bide by the rules of the organization.  But on a personal level, I disagree, because I don't think we are under equal conditions,  A woman that was born one will never be like a transgender woman.   Biologically they are not the same."

 Oh really Miss Thang?   And what 'equal conditions' are you babbling about?

Some of your Miss Universe pageant cis women are surgically enhanced.   Don't even try to push that narrative that only trans women get surgery.   Miss Universe pageant rules not only allow surgery, but allow you if you wish to not disclose the fact you did so.  Miss Brazil Universe 2001 Juliana Borges admitted she'd had 19 surgeries in the runup to that 2001 pageant, and it's been suspected that Venezuela's rise as a Miss Universe powerhouse is plastic surgery fueled

Something else you need to educate yourself about is the increasing international transgender research conducted by Dr Eric Vilain at UCLA and others that are in conflict with your facts free opinion.  Medical evidence emphatically points out that the brains of trans and cis women are similar in structure. 

And let me make this next point in your native tongue so there is no misunderstanding concerning the point I wish to get across.

Mujeres trans son mujeres.

Some of the most gorgeous trans women I have met during my time in this community come from Mexico. 

In the short history by comparison to Miss Universe of the Thailand based Miss International Queen transgender pageant, one of those Mexican born trans women, Erica Andrews, captured the 2006 crown.

Jones kept digging the hole she was in by saying the Miss Universe contest is 'not for them," but then trying to claim in the same breath that she supported the trans  human rights struggle.

Your comments suggest you don't, and it's why you're getting dragged across the Net for it.

As you pointed out before you went on your transphobic rant, the competition rules for Miss Universe say otherwise.  Since Ximena Navarrete was in 2010 the last Mexican woman to win Miss Universe, you may wish to consider sending one of Mexico's trans women to rep y'all on the Miss Universe stage.

Lupita, miss me with that transphobic BS. 

Transphobia An Unacceptable Part Of A VA Middle School's Mass Shooting Drill

Because mass shootings on school campuses happen far too frequently in the United States, one of the facts of life for students currently attending our public schools is active shooter drills.

One recent active shooter drill at a Stafford County, VA middle school had a unnecessary helping of transphobia injected into it   

During the drill, a trans feminine student was not only barred from going into either the boys or girls locker rooms by school staff, she was told by the PE teachers to sit alone in the bleachers and subsequently in the hall while the cisgender students in her physical education class were immediately sheltered in the nearest locker rooms and bathrooms.

This is outrageous on many levels.   An active shooter drill happens so that kids are taught the basic procedures necessary to survive an attack like getting to shelter quickly.   Any hesitation in doing so can be deadly.

The PE teachers in question not only outed the student by doing this, they basically made the problematic statement to the world that you considered the mere presence of this trans child in the student body to be more dangerous than some assailant who is gleefully shooting up a school.

You also left that trans student, through your transphobic actions, exposed had this been an actual active shooter situation. 

Stafford County Public Schools spokeswoman Sherrie Johnson said in a statement concerning this disturbing incident:

"Stafford County Public Schools does not comment on individual student incidents to avoid divulging confidential information. However, the new superintendent has requested a review of all protocols and procedures to ensure that all children are treated with dignity and respect. We take such matters very seriously and they will be addressed. The welfare of all students is of the utmost importance for SCPS."

Ms Johnson, unfortunately the teachers at the SCPS middle school in question failed to demonstrate during the drill that the welfare of this SCPS trans feminine middle school student was of the utmost importance to them,

When asked by reporters if the trans feminine girl should have been allowed into the girls' locker room because she identifies as a girl, Johnson said that all the policies, practices and safety procedures are under review.

The Virginia and national trans community will be watching to see if the SCPS policy review is not only expeditiously conducted, but what recommendations or policy adjustments come out of it that protect this trans child and others that happen to matriculate in this district 

Of course, news of what happened to the still unidentified trans child has pissed some folks off. 
People in the district and the Stafford County area are planning to attend the next scheduled Stafford County Public Schools board meeting scheduled for tomorrow night at 6:30 PM EDT to let the board and new Stafford County Public Schools superintendent Dr Scott Kizner have it.

One thing that needs to be repeatedly stated until it drilled into the heads of every employee and administrators in that district, is that a trans child's life is just as valuable as any cisgender kid. 

And that includes protecting their lives in an active shooter situation.

Miss Colombia Universe 2018 Hatin' On Angela Ponce

Was wondering how long it would take before one of the Miss Universe 2018 contestants opened her pretty mouth and let something horribly transphobic ooze out of it.

That contestant turned out to be Miss Colombia Universe 2018 Valeria Morales. 

The 20 year old Morales made some TERFy remarks aimed at Miss Spain Universe winner Angela Ponce, who was crowned back in July,   When Ponce steps on that Miss Universe stage in Bangkok on December 17, will make history in as the first ever out trans contestant in the pageant's history.

But Morales threw a catty remark at her in a recent Colombian television interview that has gone viral.

"I think that beauty shows like Miss Universe should be for women who are born women, and I think it would be a disadvantage for Ponce too. Therefore, we should respect her but not share it with her," Morales said

Ugh, there's that transphobic 'women born women' line again    How do you say 'trans women are women' en Espanol?

Colombia is also part of the group of national Miss Universe pageant orgs that bars trans women from competing despite the Miss Universe system rules that since 2013,  have allowed them to compete if they qualify. 

While Ponce hasn't directly commented yet about Morales' remarks, she did have this to say several weeks ago concerning folks who are salty about her participation in this year's Miss Universe pageant.

“I would like to tell them [critics] that I am a woman. I am a trans woman and I have the right to be there. So I ask them to respect it because the rules allow me to participate,” she said.

Morales in the wake of the international dragging she's getting, seems to be changing her tune about Ponce's  participation in the pageant. 

"If Miss Universe accepts Angela, I will accept her with love and respect."

Well Ms Morales, that what you should have done before you opened your mouth and inserted those pumps in it. 

We'll see in a few weeks at Miss Universe 2018 if your deeds match your words. 

Ponce is already a winner in exhibiting the one characteristic of a pageant queen you failed to demonstrate in that televised interview. 

Class.

Moni's Thoughts On The Friess Op-Ed

Looks like some rainbow vanillacentric privileged nerves got plucked in the aftermath of the incident during the closing NLGJA reception in which Marshall McPeek was called out for a problematic 'things and its' comment while emceeing the event. 

Mary Emily O'Hara wrote an article about the incident, I followed it up with my thoughts about it, and now Steve Friess has written a shady op-ed in the Bay Area Reporter in which he asserted that 'everybody was wrong' , but focused much of his commentary on attacking the trans community and what he derisively called 'Pitchfork-wielding Trans Twitter'.

Gee, how mighty white gay male of him. 

Here was my response I posted in the comment thread to his op-ed.

Steve Friess, 

Referring to human beings as 'things and its' is not a joke to the trans community, and especially the African American one who are taking the brunt of the anti-trans violence aimed at us. 

It is never wrong to immediately call crap out. And FYI, you don't get to tell trans people what we should and shouldn't be offended by or how offended we should be about anti-trans insults.  

I can forgive mistakes. But as a representative of the group taking the brunt of that anti-trans hate violence that starts with comments like that, I am also compelled to immediately call that comment out, because far too often, gay men like yourself have been slinging those anti-trans insults inside community circles and LGBTQ organizations with zero accountability.  

If you have a problem with this NLGJA member calling that problematic comment out at a reception sponsored by a so called 'news' organization that makes their money demonizing Black and trans people on a regular basis, too bad. 

One of the jobs of the media and LGBTQ journalists is to speak truth to power, even within our own circles and organizations, not sweep crap under the rug.

I repeat, it is never wrong to instantly call out problematic commentary.  And as TBLGQ journalists, it is not our job to be stenographers for our community organizations.  When they do something that is worthy of praise we will give them their kudos, and when they frakk up, we will call them on it.

As an African American TBLGQ journalist, I am part of that century plus long tradition Black journalists have of not only speaking truth to power, but activist journalism that moves the ball forward in our ongoing human rights struggle.

The fact that am transgender, I do so as an NLGJA member from a GLAAD award winning decade plus old blog, a monthly column in a regional LGBTQ magazine and have 15K followers on Twitter doesn't diminish the power of my written words or the importance of them, it enhances them.

And you would be wise to listen to what the hell I have to say as an unapologetic Black trans someone who also has 20 years of award winning activist experience.

As journalist Ida B. Wells once said, "The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them." 

That is what has been taking place here.   When we point out stuff that is wrong in our community, in our organizations, or discuss problematic commentary, we are doing so in the spirit of constructive criticism so that the mistake can be corrected.    We are doing so to make organizations better. 

The bottom line is that comment should have never been uttered in an organization dedicated to respectful coverage of the TBLGQ community.   And if people who are part of our community's media organization think it's okay to call trans people 'things and its', what hope do we trans folks have of getting respectful coverage from mainstream media, much less have NLGJA stand up for us when the inevitable misgendering or facts free anti-trans reporting happens?   

We trans journalists are representing our community and our readership, and they demand of us that when necessary, we hold you accountable.

We also need you as organizations representing the TBLGQ community to role model the change we wish to see in this currently screwed up Trump run country. 

Moni's Thoughts About The 2018 NLGJA Convention Closing Reception

As you TransGriot readers are aware of, I've spent the last several days at the just recently concluded 2018 NLGJA Convention in Palm Springs as part of the LGBT Media Journalists Convening that was embedded in it. 

This was also my first time at the NLGJA Convention.  While I always enjoy my down time with my LGBT Media Journalists fam, getting to know them on a more personal and professional level, and the mutually beneficial networking that happens while there, the reality is that the LGBT Media Convening space I've been interacting with over the last six years has been far more diverse than the NLGJA convention itself.

That's not just an NLGJA problem, it's a problem consistent across many LGBTQ community convention spaces because of the fiscal barriers that lock many POC and trans people out. 

As someone who was a panelist during the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) convention in Boston in 2014 and attended the Unity NABJ-NAHJ one in DC in 2016 as part of their efforts to reach out to trans people and learn how to respectfully cover us, the contrast between those media conferences and the NLGJA overwhelmingly white cis gay male one is jarring. 

The microaggressive and macroaggressive reminders it wasn't going to be like those NABJ-NAHJ events started when I opened the convention program book in my Hotel Zosa third floor room to encounter my first Maya Wilkes moment.   Several pages into it was a full page ad from FOX News along with a FOX News branded item in the swag bag.

FOX Noise since its founding has been anti-Black, racist and hostile to people who look like me.  It has been ramping up since 2014 the on-air hostility to trans, nonbinary and GNC people. 

What person or persons within NLGJA thought this was a wonderful idea to have them as a corporate sponsor?  Did they not consider the optics of that sponsorship, much less how the Black trans, bi and SGL journalists you're trying to attract to this conference would see this?

FOX Noise doesn't like Black people, the feeling is mutual, and when I'm looking for credible news sources, they definitely aren't it 

So imagine my shock and awe level surprise when I hear and have visual evidence of a network hostile to my existence on multiple levels being a 'proud sponsor' of this NLGJA convention. 

That was deeply troubling, but I was already here in Palm Springs and needed to focus on what I needed to do to be ready for the plenary I was participating in on Friday. 

Guess I did alright, since I kept hearing congratulatory commentary about it from other attendees from 3 PM PDT until I left yesterday morning for the Palm Springs airport. 

But Friday inexorably moves to Saturday and the conference's closing reception which was also sponsored by FOX News.  I almost skipped it to hang out with a trans sister who lives there, but decided I needed to be in that room.

So while I'm helping myself to some of the food at this reception the program starts and one of the emcees, later identified as Marshall McPeek  makes the 'things and its' comment that has been reported in Mary Emily O'Hara's story that I immediately called out and will repeat again.

While I am happy McPeek came back later and apologized and NLGJA an organization I've been a member of for several years has released a statement about it, the damage was still done.

No Mr. McPeek and by extension, NLGJA and FOX News, there were no 'things and its' in that Hotel Zoso room that September 8 night.   There were trans, gender non-conforming (GNC) and non-binary (NB) people in there    There were your trans, GNC and NB media colleagues in that room. 

Most importantly, there were your trans, NB and GNC identified journalism students in that audience who are aspiring to and working diligently towards getting to the level when you are. 

How do you think that 'things and its' comment, which has been derisively and sometimes violently spat at the trans community by all transphobic comers over the last few years made us feel? 

How do you think it made me personally feel as the lone representative at NLGJA 2018 of the demographic group who is taking the brunt of the anti-trans violence in this country?

And to underscore that last point, I was made aware of the latest trans feminine murder victim of 2018 as I was in transit to attend the NLGJA conference and waiting for my connecting flight from Phoenix to Palm Springs

Far too often, that derogatory 'things and its' comment has been hurled at us by gay men and our detractors.   It definitely shouldn't have happened during a journalism organization convention dedicated to ensuring accurate and respectful coverage of the TBLGQ community, and problematically hosted by a 'news' organization that routinely demonizes trans, NB and GNC people.

Trans, NB and GNC peeps are not 'things or its', and that is an unacceptable thing to say at any time, even inside the TBLGQ+ community..  It is also unacceptable to say during a time when the trans, NB, and GNC community is under legislative assault and their humanity is under attack by the Republican Party, trans eexterminationalist radical 'feminists' and the conservative movement .


The lack of diversity in media is not just an NLGJA problem.   It's a problem that needs to be fixed across the American media landscape, not just in LGBTQ media circles. 

The lack of trans journalists in the overwhelmingly white male dominated newsrooms of the country also needs to be addressed

LGBTQ media can lead the way in demonstrating what a diverse and inclusive newsroom looks like and pointing out that diversity is good for your news outlet's bottom line.

Trans folks are 1-3% of the US population, and we read and watch the news, too.

As demonstrated by my 2016 Netroots Nation Pundit Cup title and later getting the opportunity to do political punditry on my hometown ABC13 station during Election Night 2016, and others doing so on various national shows here and around the world, trans journalists can discuss more than just trans issues. 

One of us even got elected to the Virginia House of Delegates last year.
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But we need to get more opportunities to demonstrate that ability, and more importantly, get paid a regular check for doing so.

NLGJA has been handed a moment in which it can be a leader in addressing and helping to solve the dearth of trans journalists problem. 

The question is will they seize that opportunity?  Will we see progress in increasing the abysmal numbers of trans, NB and GNC journalists before we gather again a year from now in New Orleans?

That remains to be seen. 

Maddie Speaks To Vice News

Vice News has been doing some excellent trans themed stories lately.    As y'all know I made an appearance in the Trans in Texas segment that aired last week . 

Now they talk to 12 year old Maddison Rose and her family.   She's  the trans feminine child at the center of the controversy she didn't cause in Achille, OK that has gone national. 

The bullying from transphobic adults that approached hate crime levels is a major reason why Maddie and her family will be Houstonians soon. We're ready to welcome Maddie and her family here to H-town with open arms.

Here's the video from that Vice News show.

Transphobic Oklahomans Plot Hate Attack On Pre Teen Trans Child

If I need any more incentive to push harder to pass hate crimes and nondiscrimination legislation that protects trans people, I need to look no further than north of the Red River into Oklahoma

This disgusting series of Facebook posts came to light from Oklahoma courtesy of the Hate Trackers website .  Burney and Jamie Crenshaw in the Achille ISD parents group began ranting about a 12 year old trans girl attending school in the district just north of the Texas-Oklahoma border.   It didn't take long for the Facebook posts to dive into the transphobia ignorance and dehumanizing trans hate speech sewer.

And nope, these aren't the trans child's peers.  They are adults.

One post by Kevin Bickerstaff advocated encouraging Achille ISD students to violently attack the trans girl in question until she is too afraid and traumatized to come to school. 

"Just tell kids to kick ass in the bathroom and it won't want to come back,"  wrote Bickerstaff in his FB post.

Eddie Belcher, who has alleged white supremacist ties, advocated cutting the trans child's genitals.

"If he wants to be female, make him female.  A good sharp knife will do the trick," wrote Belcher.

The conspirators also advocated in those trans hate posts coming to subsequent Achille ISD board meetings to demand they take action against the pre-teen trans student.

Gee, wonder if they will be bringing pitchforks and tiki torches to those Achille ISD meetings as well?

The disturbing posts also got the attention of trans parents groups, the Oklahoma media,  the Achille ISD and our TBLGIQ accomplices.  Meanwhile in reaction to the violent transphobes, the parents of the trans girl sought an emergency protective order on August 10 against Crenshaw. 

Achille ISD took down the transphobic  posts from their Facebook page, and it does have an anti-bullying policy   Wonder what Achille ISD superintendent Rick Beene thinks about it and these violent parents wishing to harm a trans child?

Hopefully they have also gotten the attention of law enforcement officials in Oklahoma.

Oklahoma was one of the Republican controlled states in which the legislature pushed for anti-trans hate legislation that fortunately failed.

What happened in Achille is a salient example of anti-trans rhetoric being peddled by the TERF's, the conservative movement, white fundamentalists, right wing media and the GOP for political advantage now filtering down to the unwashed rural Trump loving masses and having negative impacts on the real lives of transgender people.

Anti-trans hate thoughts + anti-trans hate speech = anti-trans hate violence/murders.   You hatemongers are aiming that rhetoric against trans children and it needs to stop. 

I repeat, stop it now before it gets to the violence and murder result of the Equation of Trans Hate.

Denny's LA Trans Fail

One of the questions still resonating from Jazmina Saavedra's gleeful harassing of a trans woman using the restroom in a Los Angeles Denny's is what was Denny's reaction to it?

Here's their statement about the incident:

We are extremely disturbed by the incident that took place at our Los Angeles restaurant this week. At Denny’s, we do not tolerate discrimination of any kind, inclusive of gender identity and sexual orientation.

We are dedicated to providing a welcoming dining environment for all our guests and believe that our transgender guests and team members should be allowed to use the bathroom of the gender they identify with. Our restaurant teams attend training which covers our policies against discrimination and promotes respect for all guests. 

In this case, the video of this incident does not tell the full story. Our manager was approached by a guest complaining that a man was in the women’s restroom. Once a female team member checked that no one else was in there, the manager entered. 

Before seeing the guest, the manager observed drug paraphernalia on the floor near the guest and asked the guest to leave based on that observation, and not on her gender identity.

 There is no place for discrimination of any kind in our restaurants. We apologize to our transgender guest and others in the restaurant that had to endure another customer’s disrespectful behavior.

-Denny's

Yeah right,  Denny's.   I am skeptical about the all too convenient allegation that the trans woman was being thrown out for 'using drugs' in the restroom. 

What about your failure in throwing the person out (Saavedra) who instigated the incident, possibly committed several crimes and violated the human rights of this trans person peacefully using the restroom while doing so? 

Why wasn't Saavedra thrown out as well?

And naw Jazmina, you have a long ugly history as the spokessellout for Latinos For Trump of parroting anti-LGBT slurs, so spare us the 'I'm not a transphobe' rhetoric, because you ARE what we say you are and happily demonstrated it for the world to see.  In addition, your reputation as an unrepentant homophobe and transphobe precedes you. 

So don't get mad conservasnowflake because we are expressing as a trans community our First Amendment rights to call out your reprehensible behavior.

We're tired of peeps like you dehumanizing us.   Our humanity and human rights are not up for debate or discussion.  Neither are we tolerating anti trans bigotry being aimed at us.  We have no problem calling it and you out for being a transphobic jerk.

Hoping that Saavedra will be punished at the ballot box June 5 for her behavior.  The LA trans and gender non conforming community will have their say tomorrow at a peaceful protest being organized and sponsored by the Transgender Rights Movement from 11 AM -5 PM PDT at the Denny's located at 635 S Vermont Ave. 

It appears to me that some trans sensitivity training is needed and necessary so that Denny's actions match the lofty words in this statement.

Black Cis Peeps, Stop Using The Cops As a Weapon Against Trans People

Black America was justifiably outraged over the increasing number of incidents in which Black people have had the cops called by white people for simply doing mundane things.

But y'all have been criticket chirping silent about the times you skinfolks have called the cops on Black trans people for simply living our lives or going to the damned bathroom. 

Think I'm selling woof tickets about that?   Here's the receipts.

Back in November 2010 a Black cis female security guard called the cops on Tyjanae Moore, who was simply going to answer nature's call and use the restroom.    She ended up spending a few days in the Houston city jail for the 'crime' of using the bathroom that matched her gender presentation. 

The same thing happened in Charlotte a few years later to Andraya Williams, when another Black female security guard called the campus cops who detained and escorted her off the Central Piedmont Community College Campus..

 

This crap needs to stop.   Trans people need to go to the bathroom for the same reason many of you do, to poop and pee.    Now if you're a Republican, you have repeatedly caught trying to make love connections in them.

But back to the post.

Skinfolk, if you don't like the cops being called on you for simply living your lives, you need to extend the same courtesy to your Black trans skinfolk.    Unjustly calling the cops on us is just as dangerous or even more to a Black trans body as it is you Black cis one, especially in an era in which trans folks are being attacked by the conservative movement.

It's past time for you to stop calling to cops on trans people for any reason other than the commission of a crime or just because you're mad that the trans woman is performing femininity better than you are and want to be shady about it. .

Jeanne Ives Peddles Transphobia In Illinois Gubernatorial Campaign Ad

Illinois state legislator Jeanne Ives  (R)  is a longtime foe of the Illinois TBLGQ community who is primary challenging Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner (R).

A lot of people in the Land of Lincoln are unhappy with her after she unleashed an attack ad aimed at Rauner that ended up offending many people in Illinois, and members of her own party. 

The misleading ad featured not only a bearded man in drag, but attacked the Women's March, the Chicago Teachers Union and Latinx immigrants

 
She tred to play of the ad as 'edgy' and 'informative'/  Yeah, that what you conservaBeckys always pivot to when you get caught peddling racist, transphobic and homophobic crap.



Illinois Republican Party chair Tim Schneider stated that Ives should pull the ad and immediately apologize to the Illinoisans who were negatively portrayed in a cowardly attempt to stoke division."

"There is no place in the Illinois Republican Party for rhetoric that attacks our fellow Illinoisans based on their race, gender or humanity,"Schneider said.   

Gov Rauner's campaign quickly called out the ad, stating "This TV ad has no place in Illinois.  It just shows how unelectable Representative Ives really is."

But in the wake of that ad, Ives campaign has received $2.5 million in donations from a conservative mehgadonor who funded Roy moore's failed campaign.   It has also raised her profile amongst those Illinois conservatives wishing to send Gov Rauner packing.

So stay tuned to see if this transphobe who also hated on gay marriage back in 2013 gets out of the Republican gubernatorial primary

Not Letting Transphobic Comments Slide In The 2K18

In the 2K18, there will be a zero tolerance policy when it comes to transphobic comments.  Be prepare for when I am made aware of them for the callout to swifty follow, and I don't care whether the comments came from a friend foe or frenemy. 

When we have just exited a year in which 24 trans people lost their lives, and lost another trans woman in the first week of 2018, that's why I'm not letting transphobic comments slide, especially when they come from POC's.

Since the Texas Lege is not in session until 2019, I'll have time to keep a close watch on these out of control TERF's  (trans exterminationalist/exclusionary radical feminists) 

In addition to calling out transphobic comments from them, people within the TBLGQ community are on notice I'm not having it from y'all either. 

And I'm definitely going to put on blast self hating trans people like the TS separatists  and the HBSers (or as I call them White Women Born Transsexual).   You can feel froggy and leap if you want to.   You'll be leaping right into a verbal smackdown. . 

Anti-trans Hate Thoughts + Anti-trans Hate Speech =  Anti-trans hate violence and murders.

I am tired of TERF's. the kissing cousins to white fundamentalist, peddling the phobic 'trans women don't belong in women's spaces' narrative as my Trans sis Clara Mejias pointed out

'The idea that "women's spaces" are safe havens from violence and trauma is absurd bullshit and I'm DONE humoring that line of discussion.Cis women are violent as f**k when they find a victim they can get away with hurting, same as cis men.'-Clara Mejias

She's right..  Remember  trans woman Chrissy Polis getting attacked in 2011 in a videotaped beatdown in a suburban Maryland McDonald's by a cis woman and a at the time 14 year old juvenile girl?



Or Elizabeth Lambert violently yanking her opponent to the ground during a soccer match by her hair?

Transphobic comments and the transphobic stench they generate will not be tolerated in the 2K18's.  You've been warned.

Transphobia At The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute

Love my sis Daroneshia Duncan, who as the founding executive director of the Birmingham based TAKE Resource Center,  has been doing some wonderful things getting the Birmingham and Alabama trans community the services they need and organizing them to own their power.

This weekend they hosted in Birmingham their first ever Alabama Trans Persons of Color caucus, and after the two days of empowering seminars and events, they took the attendees to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute on Sunday for a tour. 

Unfortunately Duncan posted an account of the visit on her Facebook page in which she stated that several of the attendees were constantly misgendered and harassed throughout their tour of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, and a male employee took pics of them on his personal camera without their consent. 

When he was asked why, he tried to use his alleged status as a godchild of the late civil rights warrior Rosa Parks as a human shield for his problematic behavior.

Sinseriti Starr asked to see a BCRI manager to express her dissatisfaction with how their group was treated, and she and the TAKE group was approached by an all cis male security staff, disrespectfully told no manager was on duty and to immediately leave the Birmingham Civil  Rights Institute building.

And nope, Moni ain't happy hearing about that.

One thing they are going to learn at BCRI is to not piss off and disrespect my Magic City family

It seems as though the BCRI has embedded transphobia in their midst they need to address with their staff.   When Duncan posted about their less than pleasant experience at the BCRI, another person responded that the same thing happend to a youth group she was chaperoning several years ago .

One thing they also need to learn is that Black trans people are Black people.   We didn't forfeit our Black Cards or Blackness when we transitioned, and that Civil Rights Movement history is history we are immensely proud of.

We are also perusing that history in order to replicate the success of the African American Civil Rights movement into the trans rights one.

Another lesson they will get taught and hopefully learn is that you will treat Black trans people with the same dignity and respect you would demand for yourself,

And you will learn that lesson starting today.