Actress Ivory Aquino Comes Out As Trans

I know I have some amazing trailblazing trans people in my life that I'm also blessed enough to call my friends.   One of those people is Cecilia Chung, who I happily discovered has actress Ivory Aquino playing her in the upcoming ABC miniseries When We Rise scheduled to be broadcast on February 27.

The cool thing about the actress playing Cecilia in this miniseries is that she is a girl like us.

Ivory Aquino, who will play my homegirl in this ABC miniseries that is based on longtime gay activist Cleve Jones' memoir When We Rise: My Life In The Movement chronicling the TBLGQ rights movement in San Francisco., recently came out as trans.

The 26 year old transpinay always knew she wanted to act, but initially gave up on that dream because she felt there was no place in Hollywood or the acting world for someone like her.

Interestingly enough, when she auditioned for the role of Cecilia,, producer Dustin Lance Black was pissed at casting because they hadn't found any trans actresses for the role, and he was determined to cast a trans person in it.  

Aquino came out publicly for the first time during the recent Television Critics Association conference.  She tearfully said in an interview that she can hardly believe that she's part of this project.

"You spend your whole life dreaming of these things,"she said. "And it's really humbling when your dreams come true."  

Looking forward to seeing you play Cecilia when this miniseries airs February 27-March2

Pemberton Found Guilty In Jennifer Laude Murder

It took a while, but a verdict has finally been reached in the Jennifer Laude murder case in the Philippines.

The good news is that US Marine Lance Corporal Joseph Pemberton has been found guilty of killing Laude by the Olongapo Regional Trial Court.  The bad news it was for homicide instead of first degree murder.

Looks like he parlayed the 'trans panic' defense into reduced charges and time in jail.  He was sentenced to 6-12 years in a Philippine prison for it with credit for time already served.

WTF?  Pemberton admitted during his August testimony that he choked her unconscious after finding out that she was trans feminine during a sexual encounter in a motel on October 11, 2014.   He claimed Laude was alive when he left her in the hotel room, but she was found with her head dunked in a toilet bowl.

Laude's mother Julita stated in an interview that while she is pleased the verdict detailed everything that happened that night, she was not pleased about the sentence and hoped Pemberton would be found guilty of murder.

But she said, "The important thing is he will be jailed."

Yeah, but I'm still not happy Pemberton is only getting 12 years for killing one of our sisters.

Geena's Upcoming GenderProud Philippines Tour

Ever since model Geena Rocero came out as a trans woman during a favorably received March 31`TED talk last year, she has been on a mission to fight for trans human rights around the world.

I've had the pleasure of meeting Geena, talking to her regularly about that mission and spending quality time with her at last year's Philadelphia Trans Health Conference and a White House event last July.

After a May 11 visit to the UC-Santa Barbara campus for an event there, she's once again leaving on a jet plane headed back home to the Philippines.

Rocero will be there for a three week GenderProud tour in conjunction with local Philippine trans organizations from May 16-June 1 to talk with the Philippine transgender community.

"There's nothing more beautiful than being your full authentic self and saying it publicly, being in the public eye," said Rocero in an interview.



"I hope the trans community could feel that their stories matter, they need to be heard, and you're enough. You're a beautiful person by pursuing your truth, you are courageous, you should know that," she said.

While she has been part of the heightened visibility the trans community has seen in the past year that exploded after her coming out TED talk, she is quite aware of the fact that visibility can only go so far.and doesn't necessarily mean equality.

It's why she's in the Philippines for the next three weeks doing a series of events, and why she says she will continue to tell her story until she no longer has to.

Jennifer Laude Case Update 3

The new year brings some updated news in the Jennifer Laude case, and the clock is ticking on it.. 

Under the Visting Forces Agreement between the US and the Philippines, the case nust be resolved within a year.   The prosecution filed murder charges against Joseph Pemberton back on December 15.

The trial proceedings have also been halted at the request of the Pemberton defense team by the Olongapo regional trial court has suspended proceedings for up to 60 days.

The Pemberton camp wants the US Justice Department to review the probable cause finding that led to the murder charge.

NCIS investigators discovered Pemberton's fingerprint on one of the condom wrappers found at the scene of the crime.. 

Pemberton before he was raken into custody aboart the USS Peleliu told a fellow marine the he had attacked Laude after discovering she was a transwoman and allegedly said to that marine: “I think I killed a he/she.”   Pemberton was subsequently transferred from the USS Peleliu docked in Subic Bay to be held in a US facility in the Philippine run Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

There's also some controversy involving the judge  handling the case, Roline Ginez-Jabalde.   Harry Roque, the Laude family attorney,  is going to file a motion seeking the removal from this case of the judge.

The reason?   Judge Ginez-Jabalde was a law school classmate of Rowena Garcia-Flores, Pemberton's attorney

Earlier in the proceedings the court rejected the Laude family’s motions for live media coverage of the hearings, and to transfer Pemberton to a regular Philippine jail.   

Stay tuned to these TransGriot pages for continued updates on the Laude trial, because like our transpinay sisters in the Philippines and transpeople around the world, I'll be watching this case to see if justice was served.

Damn, Another Transpinay Murdered

Jennifer Laude isn't even in her grave a week and here I am discussing the death of another trans pinay.

Mary Joy Añonuevo, 55,

55 year old Mary Joy Anonuevo was found October 21 stabbed 33 times all over her body in the basement of the Koozy Resto BarDamn,  she owned

Residents heard screaming at 11 PM the previous night and called police.

It was discovered the bar had been left open, four empty beer bottles and glasses were left on the bar, and a tablet, jewelry, and an undetermined amount of cash were missing.

Police are investigating it as a robbery, but friends of Anonuevo and local advocates suspect this is a hate crime because of the brutality level of the killing.

And so do I.

It's past time the Philippine legislature sends the message that anti-trans hatred and crimes aimed at the trans community there are unacceptable.

And I know my trans brothers and trans sisters there will not rest until justice is served in Mary's care either.

Jennifer Laude Case Update 2

There have been mutiple developments in the Jennifer Laude case since my last update, so let me catch you up with what's happening. 

First up are the ongoing protests demanding that PFCf Joseph Pemberton, the accused killer of Laude be turned over to Philippine authorities to ensure justice for Jennifer. 

And yes, there is a precedent for the US military turning its personnel who have committed crimes in host nations to those nations to face justice there.   Two US sailors were handed over to Japanese authorities in 2013to be prosecuted for the robbery and rape of a woman on Okinawa.

I'm definitely down with that program because if Pemberton did the crime on Philippine soil and killed a Filipina  citizen, he needs to be tried for it on Philippine soil.  

Pemberton was formally charged on Wednesday with Laude's murder as US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said: “We will continue to cooperate fully with the Philippine law enforcement authorities in every aspect of the investigation.”

Pemberton was also put on blast by the German fiance of Laude, Marc Sueselbeck.  He also put the German Embassy in Manila on blast for not processing Jennifer's visa in a timely fashion and stated in an interview that if they had done so, she'd be alive now.

Pink News is reporting that Senator Bam Aquino is now calling for the passage of the Anti-Discrimination Act of 2014 in the wake of Jennifer's murder and a rise in anti-TBLG crimes.

“We should impose heavier penalties so that these discriminatory and inhumane acts will be eradicated.”said Sen. Aquino.  He pointed out Laude's murder was not an isolated case, and that action needed to be taken to halt that rise n hate crimes.

“This number will continue to rise unless we do something about it immediately,” he added.

Under the new bill, persons found guilty would be fined from P100,000 ($2230) to P500,000 ($11,151) and could potentially face imprisonment of up to 12 years.

Stay tuned, because there are lots of interesting developments that are flowing from the senseless murder of our transpinay sister.

Jennifer Laude Update

In the latest news concerning the murder of our transpinay sister Jennifer Laude, the US marine suspected of killing her is still in custody on the USS Peleliu as the calls get increasingly louder for  calls for Joseph Pemberton to be handed over to Philippine authorities for his crime.

The Peleliu and 3000 US Marines and sailors had been in the Philippines to conduct joint exercises with the Philippine armed forces.   While the rest of the US naval ships participating in the joint exercises were allowed to leave Subic Bay, the Peleliu is still in port pending the investigation of the Laude murder.

In Manila protests occurred in front of the US Embassy there as the demands that PFC Pemberton be handed over to Philippine authorities grow louder.

And I agree.  He committed the crime on Philippine soil, so he needs to face justice in the Philippines for it    We'll have to stay tuned to see if he does.

Transpinay Killed In Philippines

The murderously rough week internationally for trans women continues with word that a US Marine has been detained and being investigated for the murder of a transpinay.

26 year old J (not using the male name) Laude was found by a Celzone Lodge employee after midnight Saturday night strangled with her head slumped in the toilet at the hotel in Olongapo City.

M. Gelviro, a 22 year old transpinay friend of Laude, stated in an interview the pair met the Marine at a local bar at 10:55 PM, and accompanied her and the Marine to the hotel.   Laude asked the friend to leave because she feared they would be outed as transpinays.

The suspect was described as a white male age 25-30, standing between 5'8"-5'10" in height with a marine style haircut.

The US Embassy in the Philippines said in a broadcast statement, “We are aware of the situation and express our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased. We are also aware that there are allegations that a foreigner, including possibly a US national, was involved in the incident. We are currently looking into these allegations and working closely with the PNP (Philippine National Police) to take all necessary steps to help identify the suspects,” it said.

The unnamed Marine in question is assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines from Camp Lejeune, North  Carolina.  He is  being held on board the USS Peleliu pending an investigation by NCIS.  

The amphibious landing warship arrived as part of a US troop presence for the PHIBLEX 15 military exercises in conjunction with the Philippine military, and the Peleliu has been at  Subic Bay for a port call. 

Condolences to the family of Ms. Laude, and here''s hoping that Philippine authorities and NCIS quickly sort out what happened in this case and that justice is expeditiously served.

TransGriot Update:  It has come to my attention that the name of the victim in this case is Jennifer Laude Sueselbeck.    The Marine being detained on the USS Peleliu is PFC Joseph Pemberton

Geena Goes Home

Geena Rocero is on a trip back home to the Philippines in which she is doing media appearances and interviews, speaking to local transpinay leaders and talking up Gender Proud, her international trans rights organization she founded that successfully raised over $15K in a recently concluded indiegogo campaign.

The New York based model came out as trans in a widely applauded TED talk and subsequently founded Gender Proud.

The nascent international trans organization has the mission of advocating for the ability of trans, intersex and gender variant people around the world to have legislation in their various nations allowing them to easily change documentation to reflect the persons they are now without surgical intervention .

And yeah, I get the pleasure of chatting with Geena from time to time. I'm looking forward to spending some quality time with this busy lady the next time I'm in the New York area or wherever our paths cross.. 

Before hitting the Philippines, Rocero spent some time in Hong Kong talking to local activists there who are also working hard to clean up the documentation laws there and build on the trans marriage win of Ms W.. 




She's handling her activist business.   And as you can see by the video, she's doing the trans education in her birth nation and looking fabulous while doing so. 

And thanks for giving Naomi Fontanos that hug for me.

Geena Rocero's Trans TED Talk

Geena Rocero is a name you're going to be hearing a lot of soon.  I had a long conversation with her Friday, and our transpinay sister is an activist and  model who was one of the presenters at last night's Trans 100 reveal event.

She is also the founder of a global trans rights organization called Gender Proud, which seeks to get legislation passed that will allow transgender people to change their identification to match their gender expression with having to undergo SRS or sterilization surgeries.  


This is the video of the amazing and highly praised TED talk that Geena did in Vancouver, in which she explains why she needed to come out as trans.  She received a standing ovation for it when she was done.

And how apropos it has been released on International TDOV Day.

.   

Naomi Testifies At Philippine Congress Hearing

Y'all know I have much love for my transpinay sister Naomi Fontanos, who is the Executive Director of GANDA Filipinas.

Was thrilled to hear she spoke at a December 5 (Philippine time) Philippine House of Representatives hearing as a resource person.  It was for a Committee on Women and Gender Equality (CWGE) hearing on proposed national anti-discrimination measures.   Multiple bills have been filed in the Philippine Congress to protect the human rights of our LGBTQ brothers and sisters in that nation

I'm exceedingly proud of Naomi, our transpinay and transpinoy sisters and brothers, and our allies there who have worked tirelessly for years to make this day happen.  

Let's hope and pray the arc of the moral universe is bending toward justice and human rights for our trans cousins in the Philippines.   Let's also hope that their testimony legislators heard opened hearts and minds, leads to legislative passage and heralds the beginning of a marvelous 2014 human rights wise for all of us around the world. 

Here's what Naomi had to say about it courtesy of her FB page:

Spoke at Philippine Congress in a hearing on anti-discrimination legislation and was overjoyed that more than one bill to protect the rights of Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Filipinos had been filed in the House of Representatives.

I was happy, too, that representatives from the Civil Service Commission (CSC), the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), and the Philippine National Police (PNP) and other agencies expressed their full support to end all forms of discrimination in the Philippines. This, certainly, did not happen overnight and is the product of the hard work of activists and allies who came before us. I am grateful to them for making this moment possible. I also want to thank activists of the present time who work tirelessly and sometimes anonymously but always lovingly to make sure that those who will come after us will have, hopefully, a better quality of life.

Dios mabalos sa indo gabos! Maraming salamat po sa inyong lahat! Thank you all so very much!

***

 Your trans cousins here in the States and around the world hope that the better life you're working towards for you and future generations happens sooner rather than later.

Alleged Killer of January Lapuz To Face Trial

The alleged killer of Vancouver area trans woman January Marie Lapuz will be going on trial next year.

Twenty year old Charles Jameson 'Jamie' Mungo Neel is facing second degree murder charges in the death of the 26 year old Lapuz, who was stabbed in her New Westminster, BC home last September and subsequently died in a hospital a few hours later.

Neel was arrested on December 5 by New Westminster, BC police and faced a preliminary hearing in the court of Judge Therese Alexander back in June.

After hearing witnesses and viewing presented evidence, Judge Alexander ruled this case should go to trial and a date was set for June 9-16, 2014 for the trial to take place.

Will continue to monitor this north of the border case and see in the Canadian justice system is better than the one in my own nation when it concerns dispensing justice in the murder of trans individuals.

Transpinay Jazz Vocalist

There are many talented people inside our  community who if just given a fair shot to show off their talents will excel when given that opportunity.

This video is a year old interview with jazz vocalist Angel Bonilla.