Introducing The Duke and Duchess of Sussex!

Back in 1981, I got up before the crack of dawn to watch the royal wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. 

Overslept this morning, and wish I hadn't for the wedding of Prince Harry and our sis Meghan Markle aka the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at St. George's Chapel.

As to why this is a BFD, anytime a sister gets married to a British royal for the first time since the 18th century, it is to the point that even ESSENCE magazine was covering it. 

And yes, Meghan's mom was slaying.

In case you're wondering, the last Black woman to marry into the British royal family was Queen Charlotte to King George III, and historians are still arguing about just how Black Charlotte was.

Queen Charlotte BTW, is who the city of Charlotte, NC was named after. 

Here's the full video of it for those of you who slept through it like I did



Interestingly enough, they are only the second royal couple to ever have the title, and the original Duke of Sussex campaigned for the abolition of slavery in the British Empire

But because King George III didn't approve of the Duke's two marriages and ruled them unlawful, that meant the Duke's two children weren't in the line of succession to the throne. 

All that to say that  when Markle said, "I do", she will officially become the first ever Duchess of Sussex.

Back to the wedding.  The sermon from the Most Reverend Michael Curry just before the Duke and Duchess said their vows to each other was all that and ten bags of chips. 

It quoted the Rev Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr  in talking about the redemptive power of love

     

Curry is the first Black leader of the American Episcopal Church and an avid campaigner for social justice  and racial equality.  Reverend Curry basically gave the world a taste of what it's like to go to a Black church.

Congrats to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex!   Going to interesting to watch their marital journey from this side of The Pond. .

Prince Harry Putting A Ring On Meghan's Finger

White supremacists around the world are probably having hissy fits right now since it was announced that Prince Harry, fifth in line to the British throne, is getting married to Meghan Markle.

Here's the announcement for the spring 2018 wedding.

A sister from Cali   An actress who many of you saw on the show Suits.  And amazing thoughtful woman and public speaker. 



How you like her now British royal traditionalists and US haters? 

Prince Harry took Beyonce's advice and put a ring on this Black woman's finger.   Oh and FYI for the ignorati, Black women come in 24 different skin tones.

What's going to be interesting to watch is what transpires after the wedding.  The Daily Mail Fail and other tabloids have already been throwing racist shade at Markle including a 'Straight Outta Compton' reference to her LA roots that caused Prince Harry to publicly rebuke the British tabloid media for shadily dissing his future wife and mother in law along with the other stunts the tabloid media is known for.

Even after all the speculation on both sides of The Pond about whether this relationship was one that was going to end in marriage, looks like we have the initial answer to that question.

Prince Harry is engaged to Meghan Markle.   Deal with it.

Now what it means to British society, race and the royal family, and discussions of race in Great Britain is a question that we'll have to wait and see what happens .

Congrats Mr. & Mrs. Brady!

Have to give a TransGriot shout out to one of my fave couples in Myles Brady and Precious Davis, who finally jumped the broom into the land of matrimony in front of their family and friends at the Rockefeller Memorial Chapel on the University of Chicago campus yesterday..

The Trans Obamas as we jokingly call them in the community were featured on the 2016 Windy City Times Wedding Guide in another indication of just how much attention their wedding got.

I last saw them both during #CC16, and have much love and admiration for both of them. Black love, and especially Black trans love is a beautiful and revolutionary thing to witness, and wish I could have been in Chicago for the wedding.

We also finally got to see what wedding dress Precious chose on that episode of Say Yes To The Dress she appeared in that was aired back in January.

Congrats to Mr. and Mrs. Brady!   Glad your special day went as perfectly as you wished it to happen.  May you two have a long, healthy and happy marriage!

Shoutout To Our 2016 Trans Wedding Couples

June is traditionally considered the month for weddings, and for people who make their money in photography, wedding planning, making wedding dresses and DJing, this is the beginning of the time that they make their money.

Trans folks get married, too.  Unfortunately over the last few decades we have had to fight tooth and nail in courts in Texas and around the world just to have the right to say 'I do' as witnessed in cases like Delgado v. Araguz, Ms. W in Hong Kong, and Joanne Cassar's in Malta.

One of the other things that I have been so happy to see besides the landmark marriage case wins is continuing to see trans folks hooking up with each other in long term relationships that end up with them saying 'I do' in front of their families and friends.

While we in Trans World are aware the anticipated wedding of the Trans Obamas, AKA Precious Davis and Myles Brady is going to happen soon, just last month we had another out trans couple get married in Logan and Laila Ireland.

Logan and Laila got married in Hawaii on May 17, and I couldn't be happier for both of them.  Still looking forward to the day i meet both of them.

As for Myles and Precious, we've already seen her make a little trans history of her own on Say Yes To The Dress as we and the rest of America got to watch her pick between several gowns.

As for which one she finally did choose, we and Myles won't know until their wedding day..

But I also want to take this TransGriot shoutout post time to salute not only our trans couples, but our couples in which a trans person is marrying or have been happily married for years to a cisgender person.  

But no matter what type of couple is walking down the aisle, I wish you well.   I envy you  because you have found your soulmates.  I'm exceedingly happy for you, and hope and pray those relationships stand the test of time as long, healthy and happy ones..

Precious 'Says Yes To The Dress' Tomorrow

The clock is ticking toward the wedding of Precious Davis and Myles Brady this summer at the Rockefeller Chapel on the University of Chicago campus.   The couple has been engaged since last February and their much anticipated wedding has a intimate guest list of 200 people.

She'll be selecting her wedding dress in front of millions of television viewers.

The clock is also ticking toward the historic broadcast of  Say Yes To The Dress: Atlanta,  Precious will become the first trans bride ever featured on the show, and has an unlimited budget to select a wedding dress for her and Myles' upcoming wedding.

I'm anxious to see it along with everyone else in Trans World since we haven't had many opportunities for Black trans people to get positive media coverage like this, and reality TV shows have been hit or miss when they cover our lives and issues.

If you wish to watch or DVR this episode of Say Yes To The Dress: Atlanta featuring the #TransObamas, it will be broadcast on TLC at 8 PM CST Friday.

Happy Anniversary Tiq and Kim!

You know I had to give a TransGriot shoutout to one of my fave bi-national couples on their first wedding anniversary.   Besides, it's easy for me to remember the day they got married because it's the day after my birthday.

One year ago today Tiq and Kim Katrin Milan got married in New York.   I have much love for both of them because they are and continue to be amazing advocates for the issues they are passionate about.  

Thank both of you for doing what you do individually and collectively to make our planet better, spread knowledge and role model what Black love looks like in action.

And yeah they make one cute couple.

Happy anniversary Kim and Tiq!   May you have many more, and looking forward to the next time or event we get to spend some quality time together.

Ruby Corado Gets Married!

Whenever I pop into Washington DC, one of my mandatory stops, especially when she makes it happen by grabbing me at the airport before my other DC area friends do, is one at Casa Ruby.

It's run by longtime DC activist Ruby Corado, who has overcome a lot of personal challenges in her own life to become an iconic leader inside I-495.   She is building Casa  Ruby into the go to bilingual service provider for LGBT people in Washington DC, and I've been thrilled to watch it grow and prosper  .

Yesterday my homegirl got married to her fiance David in a ceremony held at the Mayflower Renaissance Hotel in which the blushing bride was escorted down the aisle by Washington DC Mayor Vincent Gray.

I met Ruby's now hubby David a few moths ago during the Philly Trans Health Conference, and there is no doubt that these two love each other.  

And I couldn't be happier for her. 

She's still basking in the afterglow of her special day, because here is her comment about it from her Facebook page entitled 'Dreams Do Come True!'

***

My whole life, I have been told that I was not supposed to love or be loved.
I was not supposed to love myself because I was different( Trans, indigenous, dark haired, immigrant, HIV Positive, you name it). I was made to believe that no one could love me back because I was different.

Yesterday, life proved everyone wrong.

I love myself more than ever because I am SOMEBODY.  My husband showed the world that it is ok to love me even though I am different.  My city's mayor Vince Gray walked me down the aisle and showed the world once again that he stands for love.

My friends and Family showed me, that I am SOMEBODY, and they stand with me in sickness and in health until death do us part.

Today as I lay next to my husband, I want to tell my friends, clients, supporters, followers and the entire world that It is ok to be different and that no matter what anyone says, YOU ARE WORTHY OF LOVE AS MUCH AS I AM

Never stop dreaming, never stop believing because dreams do come true.

A Million Thanks To Everyone Who Shared This Special Moment in person or from A distance, I felt your love

Love For All
Ruby Corado-Walker

***

Congratulations Ruby and David!   May you two have have a long, healthy and happy marriage.

Transwomen Who Got Married

June is traditionally the month for weddings, and over the last few years we've had the pleasure of seeing our transsisters around the world get the double blessing of not only transition, but find that special person who loved them enough to marry them.

So let's take a moment to check out these beautiful brides.





Best wishes to all brides getting married this month and the rest of the year, be they cisgender, lesbian or transgender women.