Finally found the YouTube video of the ABC What Would You Do show that featured Jazz Jennings and people in the situation of a transphobe dissing a trans woman for going to a fracking restaurant bathroom.
FYI for you transphobes. Trans people have to poop and pee as well. But then again you're more concerned with aiming oppression and disrespect at trans people than minding your own damned business and letting trans people go through their day without hearing your unsolicited comments.
It's one that we increasingly run to no thanks to the conservafools and evilgelicals stirring up anti trans hate, and even led to on August 13 a trans woman in the Philippines getting arrested for using the potty in a shopping mall in Quezon City.
If you're looking for predators and pervs, start in in your right wing evilgelical churches and Republican Party meetings.
Here's the Friday episode of the WWYD show if you missed it.
We fought a knockdown drag out battle over the 2017 regular and special oppression session to kill SB 6, which specifically targeted trans people for bathroom dehumanization.
Now in an episode ripped straight (pun intended) from the headlines, John Quinones and ABC's What Would You Do hidden camera are back to test the reactions of people who are confronted with the situation of a trans feminine person withing to use a public restroom.
And yes, our fave Harvard college bound student makes a cameo appearance in this one.
As you TransGriot readers know, I am a huge fan of the FX show POSE. With five major trans characters, it has been showing what we deal with in our trans community lives through Blanca, Elektra, the now deceased Candy and Angel.
In last week's episode Elektra took her trans daughters on her working vacation to the beach, and ended up giving a master class in reading when a transphobic Becky made the mistake of stepping to her and her children.
I first met Sarah McBride back during the 2012 NBJC Out on the Hill event when she was a White House intern and i was visiting the Obama White House for an all day policy briefing.
After being pleasantly surprised pleased to see a girl like us Obama White House intern, I made a mental note to keep up with her because I felt at the time she was destined to do some great things for our community and our country.
My intuition about her turned out to be right on target. Sarah went on after completing that White House internship to do some amazing things.
She was hired by HRC to become its national press secretary. In 2013 she helped pass her home state of Delaware's statewide trans non discrimination law, and received the Delaware Order of the First State for her efforts to do so from former Gov. Jack Markell.
She became the first out trans person to make a political convention stage speech when she did so during the 2016 DNC convention in Philadelphia.
And now Sarah McBride is attempting to become a Delaware state senator in 2020.
She recently announced her candidacy for a recently vacated state senate seat, and if she's successful, she will become the first out trans person to ever be elected as a state senator.
But her run will focus on the issues facing her potential constituents, not her trans identity.
"At the end of the day, I'm not running to be a transgender state senator, I'm running to be a senator who serves her community, I'm running to be a senator who fights for affordable health care, I'm running to be a senator who works to expand access to paid leave and reform our broken criminal justice system," McBride told local radio station WDEL. "Those will be my priorities."
She's running for the Delaware 1st District seat formerly held by Harris McDowell (D-Wilmington North) He was Delaware's longest serving state senator, having been first elected to the chamber in 1976.
McDowell announced his retirement on June 30, the last day of the 2019 legislative session, and capping a 44 year career.
I'm already enthusiastically giving her a 2020 TransGriot endorsement for this position. I'm also hoping this happens for her, her potential constituents and our community.
One of the things we've learned form season one of POSE is just how talented MJ Rodriguez is.
Hopefully after this year's season, she'll get some Emmy Award consideration and maybe even snatch a trophy this time.
But one of the revelations about Rodriguez is that girlfriend can 'sang'. The 'Love Is The Message' episode in which she and Tony award winner Billy Porter, who plays Pray Tell, sang the song 'Home' from The Wiz in a room full of AIDS patients had me shedding tears by the time it was over.
Here they are again with Our Lady J at piano singing it again at the Trevor Foundation's TrevorLive event in Los Angeles back in December 2018.
Every now and then you get to see a video that tugs on your heart and reminds you what you are fighting for.
I constantly say in any interview I do that the trans rights work I'm getting recognized for is about the kids behind me and leaving a better world for them.
This video short illustrates that better world I and other trans advocates are working to make a reality. This video is about a teen trans girl who has a father in the military and transitions while he is deployed.
You'll have to watch it and see what happens when he finds out his child has transitioned while he's away.
Happy Juneteenth, people! Today is the day back in 1865 that Union Major General Gordon Granger read General Order Number 3 that freed all slaves in Texas.
That day has been celebrated by Texas Black people ever since, and was made an official state holiday in 1980. Black Texans as they moved around the country took the Juneteenth traditions with them, and the day is increasingly celebrated in many states, with Pennsylvania the latest to do so.
Here's Rep Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) to discuss Juneteenth and the effort to get long overdue reparations for African Americans. Rep Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) has filed HR 40 to jump start the process of making that happen.
Y'all know how much I love my sis Jessica Zyrie. In addition to her ripping Fashion Week runways, we are fortunate to have her here in the Houston area doing her thing to advocate for our community.
Jessica recently shot a commercial for Absolut Vodka released just in time for Pride Month and Father's Day. The commercial also featured her amazing dad who I got to meet on my birthday trip last month.
I'm going to need to hit Wayne's Wings again the next time I find myself in the Alamo City.
Anyway, here's the commercial, entitled Absolut Acceptance
I saw the original 1971 Shaft movie starring Richard Roundtree, and the 2000 John Singleton directed Shaft remake starring Samuel L Jackson that along with the OG Shaft movie is part of my DVD collection.
I was happy to discover that another Shaft movie is due to hit my fave multiplex on June 14.
Samuel L. Jackson is reprising his role as John Shaft II and Richard Roundtree is reprising his as his uncle John Shaft. They are joined by Jessie Usher playing John Shaft, Jr.
JJ is an MIT educated FBI cybersecurity expert who enlists his father and uncle's help to investigate the murder of one of his friends. Regina Hall plays his mother in the new film.
And as you guessed, there is plenty of butt kicking going on as the investigation gets deeper. As Shaft II tells his son, "I'm an equal opportunity azz whupper."
And yes, I'm already planning on being there for opening weekend.
I met Daniel Villarreal during an LGBTQ Media Journalist Convening event several years ago, and have a lot of respect and love for him and his journalism work.
He recently gave a talk at the 2019 SXSW on the subject of 'Ten Emerging Topics In LGBTQ Media'. I was in Austin during SXSW for TENT's Lobby Day on the march 7, but had to return home on the date of his talk..
While 70 people attended his talk, there have been a lot more people who expressed interest in the subject, so Daniel has decided to record it so more people can see it.
'The anti-Black, pro-Asian and pro Miss Tiffany showgirl bias has got to end in order for the Miss International Queen trans pageant to have international credibility with people around the world who are thinking about competing in it.'
-TransGriot, March 2, 2018
Since 2004 the Thailand based Miss International Queen pageant has billed itself as the most prestigious transgender beauty pageant on the planet. It has grown to that status in large part because until recently, trans women were barred from participating in the major pageants systems like Miss World and Miss Universe.
The 2019 edition of the Miss International Queen pageant will be crowning its newest queen in Pattaya on March 8 (March 7 our time).
It also has a dubious distinction that smacks of anti-Blackness.. In the decade plus history of the MIQ pageant, it has NEVER crowned a Black winner.
Two have been first runner up (2011, Miss SaHHara, 2015, Valesca Dominik Ferraz). Stasha Sanchez finished as a second runner up in 2010.
There are peeps, myself included, who still believe Miss SaHHara was robbed of the 2011 MIQ title. The Thai contestant, Sirapassorn Atthayakorn horribly botched her final interview, but STILL shockingly won.
Then again it shouldn't have been a shock, since she like all four Thai MIQ queens, she won the Miss Tiffany's pageant. Tiffany's Cabaret in Pattaya is the host venue for that Thai trans only Miss Tiffany's pageant that produces the Thai rep to MIQ and the Miss International Queen one.
This history of shady MIQ anti-Blackness and favoritism for Miss Tiffany Cabaret showgirls has discouraged many Black trans contestants from even plunking down their hard earned money for entry fees and attempting to make that long trip to Thailand to attempt to snatch that crown.
That shady treatment of Black MIQ contestants is a major reason why I stopped writing posts about this pageant as well.
This year Jazell Barbie Royale is the lone African descended contestant in this 2019 Miss International Queen event. She captured the 2016 Miss Continental title, and is attempting to break that negative MIQ cycle, rep the USA and make some history as its first ever Black winner.
If she does so, she would also become the first American winner since 2005 when Mimi Marks took the MIQ crown.
Wishing you the best of luck, Jazell.
We'll see if Jazell does so, or is just the latest Black contestant to fall victim to the anti-Blackness permeating the Miss International Queen pageant system.
"To all of the young people who think that they have to choose between going to church or honoring who they are as a person - their sexual orientation or their gender expression - you don't have to. There are many churches who will welcome you with open arms. I as a Christian will welcome you with open arms." -CO state Rep. Leslie Herod
I met this amazing woman several years ago through my interactions with the National Black Justice Coalition, and was pleased and proud when she was elected to the Colorado House back in the 2016 election cycle.
Herod also made some history when she did so as the first out Black lesbian legislator in Colorado history.
She's now in her second term as the rep for HD-8, and if you aren't aware of it, Rep Leslie Herod (D-Denver) is all that and five bags of chips. Don't be surprised if you see her in a higher office someday
She took to the House floor to school some folks trying to use religious to fearmonger on HB19-1032, a comprehensive human sexuality education bill.
/s3.amazonaws.com/posttv-thumbnails-prod/thumbnails/565c9f79e4b0aecc33af3c99/20151130_WHTRANS.jpg)
