Ghana's Snow Leopard Hopes To Take A Bite Out of The Olympic Competition

I am a big fan of the Olympic games, be it winter or summer variety.

One of the things about the nature of the winter Olympics is that you don't see many athletes of African descent competing in them very often.

In Calgary there were the Jamaican bobsledders in 1988 who were immortalized in the movie Cool Runnings and competed at Albertville in 1992. There was Kenyan cross country skier and three time Olympian Philip Boit competing in the 10K event at Nagano in 1998, in Salt Lake in 2002 and in Turin in 2006. Boit fell just two points short of the ISF qualifying standard of 300 points in order to compete in his fourth winter games.

In Vancouver, say hello to the Snow Leopard, aka Kwame Nkrumah Acheampong of Ghana.

He was born in Glasgow, Scotland, but as a baby moved with his parents to his homeland. He returned to the UK in 2000 to attend college and while working at Milton Keynes he took a run down a 170 meter indoor ski slope that changed his life and got him hooked on the sport.

Since then Aceampong has made the remarkable self-financed leap from that indoor run to the World Cup ski circuit. He's been the only continental African on the World Cup tour since 2005 and barely missed qualifying for the 2006 Turin Games downhill race.

By March 2009 he'd reached his goal of qualifying for the Vancouver Games by getting his International Ski Federation rating down from over 1000 to the ISF qualifying standard of less than 140.

Qualifying was only the beginning. In addition to sticking to his training regimen, he had to do all the paperwork required to be recognized and registered by the Ghana Olympic Committee.

It wasn't easy for the Snow Leopard and there were some trying times along the way. Being self financed on the World Cup circuit meant there were many competitions in which he slept in his freezing cold van overnight.

When the men's giant slalom competition gets underway at Whistler on February 21, he will become the first person ever from Ghana to compete in the Winter Games. It's an even more remarkable feat considering the 34 year old has only been skiing for six years.

Aceampong is not only chasing Olympic gold in the giant slalom and slalom, he has another dream he's working hard to fulfill.

"As well as doing my best at the Olympics, I want to make an impact that leaves a legacy for future generations that will one day see the Ghana ski team as a serious competitor on the international stage."

You Don't Have The Right To Deny Me My Rights

No man has a natural right to commit aggression on the equal rights of another, and this is all from which the laws ought to restrain him.

Even though Thomas Jefferson didn't practice what he preached in his own life as a slaveholder, he was right on target as usual concerning this subject.

The Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution contains many basic human rights we hold dear as American citizens. But nowhere in it does it say or even imply that the majority has the right to take away the civil rights of a minority group it despises.

But then again most of the peeps with that attitude never read the Constitution.

I fail to understand why some people arrogantly think that they should have a say in who does or doesn't get civil rights coverage, much less think they should vote on it.

Methinks they would have a very different opinion about the subject if it were their civil rights on the electoral chopping block.

One of the things I am really sick of is the use of referenda by conservatives to take away the civil rights of people they hate on. It's also more odious when they do so to drive their turnout to the polls in national election cycles.

This practice causes resentments to build up in the minority group targeted by that nefarious action, is counterproductive to building a unified and strong nation and should be banned.

No, you don't have the right to deny me my rights. Mine nor anyone's civil rights should be decided by the tyranny of the majority.

Miss Me Yet? Hell Naw!

This billboard is greeting passengers traveling along Interstate 35 near Wyoming, MN.

The people who paid for it are wishing to remain anonymous, but I have an answer to the question posed on the billboard.

Hell naw I don't miss Bush.

I'm proud to say I never fell for the 'compassionate conservatism' okey doke. I never voted for him as Texas governor nor for the presidency.

His disastrous stints as Texas governor and president proved many times over the wisdom of me voting for his opponents, and I'm glad the worst president ever is back in suburban Dallas.

Alexandra Billings Documentary

Alexandra Billings is another one of our iconic transwomen I'm looking forward to meeting one day. I'm looking forward to seeing her in 'Stealth' when it finally hits a multiplex near you.

While searching for trans themed videos I ran this documentary about her life entitled Schoolboy to Showgirl:PThe Alexandra Billings Story posted to YouTube.

Enjoy



Part 2



Part 3


Part 4

Shani's Drive For Five Is Down To Four

Was disappointed to learn that Shani Davis is not going to attempt to match Eric Heiden's feat of winning five Olympic gold medals in speedskating in a single Olympic games.

Davis decided to drop out of the 10,000 meters before the January 17 deadline to submit final entries to the International Skating Federation. His 10,000m slot will be filled by Jonathan Kuck.

Guy Thibault, the high-performance director at U.S. Speedskating stated "I'm sure Shani knew already that doing all five was a big thing. That was a big task to do,'' "He didn't want to close any doors, so he could see how things were going in training, before he decided he needs to cut one.

"I want Shani to be the best at what he does,'' Thibault said. "I would rather him focus on the distances he can do something in, instead of getting silver and skating everything.

Even though he's no longer competing in the 10,000m, he's still going to be a busy man in Vancouver. As the reining world champion in the 1000 and 1500 meters he's a favorite to win gold in the 1000 and 1500 and is considered an outside medal contender in the 500 and 5000.

And Shani's busy week in Vancouver starts Saturday with the 5000m.

Teabaggers, You Owe Great Britain A Lot Of Money!

TransGriot Note: I have no love for the racist white wing Teabagger movement. Saw this interesting post from Maura Hennessey which points out that if the Teabaggers continue to claim they are the heirs of the peeps who conducted the original 1774 Tea Party in Boston, there may be potential legal and fiscal consequences.

Teabaggers, you owe Her Majesty's Government a lot of money

Dear Teabaggers,
As a former counsel attached to the Chancellor's office, and having once represented the parent company of Messers Davison, Newman and Company, Ltd, I feel that it is my duty to my clients to bring to your attention the following facts:

You claim to be the legal heirs, as well as the moral heirs, to a group of gentlemen who illegally trespassed upon the merchant ship Fortune, a brigantine then commanded by Benjamin Gorsham, Master and carrying a mixed cargo, including Twenty Eight Teak Chests containing Tea, the lot consigned to Mr Henry Lloyd of Boston Massachusetts, a merchant.

These gentlemen committed the following illegal act on the Seventh of March, the 1774th year of the Common Era and the Thirteenth Year of the Reign of HRM King George III of happy memory, to wit: They did trespass upon Fortune, breaking into the hold, and brought the tea onto the decks where they broke the chests and spilled them into the Charles River.

Of this shipment, Sixteen Chests were the property of Davison, Newman & Co, Tea Merchants and Importers, London. Said Sixteen Chests and their Contents were insured by Messers Peregrine Cust, James Bradley, Charles Harris, Robert Thornton and William Greenwood who wrote a policy with themselves holding the Risk at Lloyds signed and effective upon the Twenty Third of December in the year 1773.

Messers Cust, Bradeley paid to the policy holders Messers Davison, Newman & Co the sum of Four Hundred Eighty Pounds Sterling, the agreed and insured value of the Sixteen Teak Chests and their Contents.

Messers Cust, Bradley et al did therefore petition His Royal Majesty for relief, successfully, with His Majesty's Government covering the expenses and levying a tax to recover said expenditures upon the responsible individuals.

Owing to the subsequent unpleasantness in the Americas between 1775 and 1783, this amount was not reimbursed in spite of it being legally levied in response of the willful destruction of private property.

Therefore, the responsibility for the payment of said amount devolves upon the legal heirs and assigns of said perpetrators, which you freely claim to be.

Said legal heirs currently include Ms Sarah Palin, Mr Glenn Beck and the membership of an Organisation known as "Tea Party Patriots"

On behalf of the Government of Her Royal Majesty Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, etc, the successor to the Government of His Late Royal Majesty George the Third, I petition and demand that the owed sum of Four Hundred Eighty Pounds Sterling, legally levied in the Year 1774 be paid with suitable interest, said sum in current monetary value now being the equivalent of $8,924,601,649.92 reckoned at six percent per annum.

I remain your Obedient Servant,
Maureen Eileen Hennessey, Q.C.
On behalf of Her Majesty's Government

Transsister Slams Trans Community Bigotry Aimed At Black Transwomen

I've talked about and written commentaries slamming the 'Black Transwomen Are Ugly' meme that keeps popping up like kudzu in the blogosphere and beyond.

While searching through YouTube this weekend for fresh trans related video, I stumbled across this video from a transsister who was letting somebody have it about a 'Top 100 Ugly Black Transsexuals' video posted on YouTube (that I haven't found yet).

You know if I do, somebody's getting called out. But while I'm searching for that video bigotry aimed at Black transwomen, enjoy this YouTube takedown of it by a biracial transwoman about it.

When Will African American Trans People Be Able To Tell Our Stories On HBCU Campuses?

One of the things I and other transsisters enjoy doing is telling the story of African descended trans people to college students around the nation.

Since only one side of the story has been told for the last 50 plus years, it is a joy to pass along our knowledge to students, administrators, and instructors eager to learn more about transgender issues from our unique chocolate flavored vantage point.

But while we African descended trans people deeply appreciate the opportunities that we get to do so, one thing that bothers us is the fact that we are primarily holding these discussions at predominately white institutions.

I've been doing these trans oriented panel discussions for collegiate groups for more than a decade, and I have yet to do one on a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) campus.

The histories of HBCU institutions are deeply linked with the history of our people. Some of our best and brightest minds and historical figures have graduated from HBCU campuses. Ground breaking research benefiting all Americans has happened on campuses such as Tuskegee University.

But one area HBCU's are sorely lacking in is understanding what's up with African descended GLBT people. The transphobic and homophobic incidents that have occurred on various HBCU campuses in the last two decades point out the pressing need to dispel some misconceptions about who and what we are. Some of my African descended peeps could definitely use the face time with transpeople to dispel the faith based lies they're being fed about us as well.

Not being able to or being extended the invitation to do trans presentations on HBCU campuses is wounding on another level as well. We have seen our white brothers and sisters get routinely invited in the same time period to do these collegiate discussions, and it hurts when we see there aren't similar efforts taking place at HBCU's.

That bothers me and other proud African descended trans people. We get the perception that we are being unfairly rejected by our people. But we know having the gender issues dialogue is too important to let slide and we aren't giving up.

HBCU's are currently educating our next generation of business leaders, doctors, lawyers, teachers, social workers and yes, politicians. Students at HBCU's need to be exposed to our lives as well, especially in light of the fact that many of my people are willfully ignorant about trans issues.

But the point we will continue to make is that we did not give up our Black Like Me cards when we transitioned. Some of us graduated from HBCU campuses and we have much to offer the African descended community in terms of our talents and expertise. If HBCU's such as Howard can bring people such as Black conservative and RNC chair Michael Steele to their campuses to speak, what's stopping them from doing the same with African descended transpeople?

For us to have forward momentum as African descended trans people, we must begin breaking down that wall of ignorance in our community. HBCU's will play a key role in making that happen. African descended trans people are more than willing to do our part by candidly speaking about our lives.

But you have to meet us halfway so we can start that dialogue.

Who Dat Gonna Be NFL Champs!

The New Orleans Saints were founded in 1967 and have endured 43 seasons of good, bad and ugly football. After Hurricane Katrina devastated the city in 2005 and wrecked the Superdome, it wasn't even certain that the Saints would even be playing their future NFL games in New Orleans.

Today you can call them NFL champions after playing and winning in their first Super Bowl appearance.

They ain't the Aints no more.

In a Super Bowl for the ages the Saints turned a 10-6 halftime deficit, gutsy play calling and stout defense into a memorable 31-17 win and a well deserved championship for the long suffering Saints fans.

Mardi Gras has already started, but this party will probably be going on until tomorrow morning and maybe into next week.

Congratulations Saints. Way to geaux!

Black Transwoman Telling Her Story On GSU Campus

Interesting video of a panel discussion at Georgia State University and a transsistah telling her story.

Super Bowl XLIV

Will Who Dat win? Or will another Vince Lombardi Trophy be heading back to Indiana?

Starting at 6:25 PM EST America and a large television viewing audience will know the answer to that question as Super Bowl XLIV kicks off.

The NFC Champion New Orleans Saints will tackle the AFC Champion Indianapolis Colts in Miami with an NFL title on the line.

I'm hoping for a good game that will be fun to watch.

As for what team I'm rooting for? I lived in New Orleans for two years.

Geaux Saints!

Houston's Transgender Center

This is old KTRK-TV news video about the transgender center back home, but still worth a look.

And yes, in this case I know one of the peeps profiled in the story.

Shut Up Fool! Awards- Super Bowl Weekend Edition

Super Bowl XLIV will be kicking off in Miami this weekend between the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints, an I'll be parked in front of the TV watching it along with a few friends.

I'm torn on two levels for this game as to which team I'd like to see win it. Indy has a brother coach in Jim Caldwell, and although I can't stand them since they are in the same division with my beloved Texans, I'd like to see Jim make history.

Then there's the Saints, my other fave NFL team. It's not only their first Super Bowl after 43 years of football frustration, they are playing for a city that is still trying to recover from the devastation Katrina wrought in 2005. If there's ever been a city that deserves a NFL champion, its New Orleans.

We'll see on Sunday who wants it more.

And now it's time to see what fool, fools or group of fools exhibited championship level stupidity this week.

As always, there were many worthy contenders this week, and some I can count on with nauseating regularity to do so.

This week's Shut Up Fool Award Winners are Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin.

After Palin goes on a politically motivated rant demanding that White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel be fired for the use of the word 'retard' back in August, and exploiting her disabled child once again, Rush turns around and not less than 24 hours later uses it multiple times in commentary on his radio show.

It is pointed out by Keith Olbermann on 'Countdown' that Texas Governor Rick Perry's campaign manager Dave Carney also has used it along with Glenn Beck.



Did Sarah call for her fellow Republicans to be fired from their various positions?

Is Sarah Palin still the governor of Alaska?

Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin, shut up Fools!

Urban Dictionary Definition of Monica

Monica

A name derived from the Latin language meaning "A wise councilor." A Catholic Saint.

The sexiest woman on the planet. Never see her without peeing your pants. Can't help but pop one when you look at her. Always laughing and has a smile that makes you poop your pants, but you gotta love her.


Okay...

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=monica

Up, Up You Mighty African Descended Transpeople!

I love talking to younger transpeople when I have the time to do so. One of those opportunities came yesterday when I received a call from my friend Tona.

After catching up on what had been transpiring in our lives since the last time we talked, our conversation over the next two hours focused on various issues affecting the African descended trans community.

One of the issues we discussed was networking. We both lamented the fact that white transpeople do a far better job of networking (at least from where we sit) and pulling each other up than we do in the African descended trans community.

We are in the second month of a new decade, and if we are going to exit the end of the 2K10s in better shape as a community than we entered it, some fundamental things about the way we do business in the African-American trans community must immediately change.

One of them is the networking issue that Tona bought up. We have a tradition in the African descended community we need to go back to of 'each one, reach one, teach one.' That needs to happen ASAP.

Trans elders like myself need to pair up with younger transpeople in the African American trans community and make it a point to pass down our history and accumulated knowledge to people who are serious about uplifting the community and helping it move forward. I and others also need to do a better job talking to our trans elders about the history they have experienced as well so that we can pass that down to the younglings.

We also need to forcefully call out the shady African descended trans people, sellouts, scam artists and borderline criminal elements in our community that do shady crap.

We are already laboring under an image handicap, and some of the things the shady people do are counterproductive to us building a positive image as African descended trans people, establishing trust-based working relationships with each other and our cis allies. The calling out process also extends to cis people who mischaracterize our lives inside and outside the African American community.

We must begin doing our own political lobbying for our community and our issues. It's painfully obvious we can't leave that to others as we have done over the last 15 years.

While some of the white-run trans organizations may try, they don't have knowledge of the unique issues inherent with being an African descended transperson, nor are they rushing to be fierce advocates for them as evidenced by the lack of diversity in their organizational structures.

When it comes to fighting for respect and fairness in our African-American family, that job is our and ours alone to do along with our cis allies.

And finally, those of us African descended transpeople who are serious about doing this work and uplifting our community need to just ignore the naysayers and get busy doing what we need to do to make this a better world for all of us.

It's Triple V for victory time. It's time we fought for our human rights within our own African descended family, within the overall trans community and our country.

We come from people who have made a way out of no way, and it's time we emulate our forefathers and foremothers in standing up for our human rights and building a community we can be proud of.

It is past time for the sleeping giant to awaken. Up, up you mighty African descended transpeople.

Trans Woman Wins IRS Suit To Deduct Surgery Costs

A 57 year old trans woman battling the IRS over a tax deduction for the costs of her sex realignment surgery says she feels like she won a victory for all transgender people.

Rhiannon O'Donnabhain (oh-DON'-oh-vin) with the help of GLAD (Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders) sued the Internal Revenue Service in 2007 after the agency rejected a $5,000 deduction for about $25,000 in medical expenses associated with her surgery, asserting it was a cosmetic procedure and not medically necessary.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Tax Court ruled that O'Donnabhain should be allowed to deduct the costs of her treatment for gender-identity disorder, including sex-reassignment surgery and hormone replacement therapy on an 11-5 vote.

"The tax court has spoken for my community and has supported my community by saying that this is a proper medical deduction, much the same as an appendectomy or open heart surgery," O'Donnabhain said in an interview Wednesday.

In a dissenting opinion, Judge David Gustafson said he believes sex reassignment surgery falls within the "cosmetic surgery" category of the tax code and the expense is therefore not deductible.

Even if such surgery "is medically indicated ... it is an otherwise cosmetic procedure that does not 'treat' the mental disease," Gustafson wrote.

GLAD said the decision could potentially affect thousands of people a year in the United States who undergo similar operations.

"It was a proper medical deduction, and it certainly is not cosmetic surgery as the IRS contended," she said.

IRS spokeswoman Michelle Eldridge declined to comment on the ruling.

Lambda Legal called the ruling "a case of the federal government catching up with medical standards."

"I think it's an important decision that could help educate and bring along transgender rights in other areas because it ratifies what the medical community has said clearly for years, which is for people with gender identity disorder, this type of surgery is frequently a medical necessity for their lives and for their health and for their well-being," said Hayley Gorenberg, deputy legal director at Lambda Legal.

Julie Bindel-Mary Daly For The New Millennium

Mary Daly is no longer walking this planet, but fear not, her transphobic radical feminist replacement is on the case.

Julie Bindel is spreading lies and disinformation about trans peeps and sitting in vanilla flavored privileged judgment of our lives.

Like Janice Raymond, she gleefully wallows in transphobia and advocates that biology is not destiny unless you are trans.

Real nice words coming from a lesbian. The oppressed now becomes the oppressor.

Bindel has the nerve to whine that trans people are stifling her free speech. Yeah right. Free speech has consequences, Mary Daly for the New Millennium.

Did you actually think transpeople were just going to sit in a corner and sulk while you spewed forth transphobic rants and insults with impunity?

Um no Miss Deluded Thang, unlike the Disco Era where our voices were drowned out by the trans hatred chorus of Daly, Greer and Raymond, new decade, new rules.

We can and will hit back just as hard.

Besides, as a minority, I know all too well that hate speech such as Bindel's must be called out as early and forcefully as possible, not greeted with silence.

Too often over recorded human history hate speech becomes hate violence which leads to genocide.

And it's past time that Julie Bindel be called out for her transphobia, not excused for it.

You Can Take The Girl Out Of Texas...

But as I've discovered over the last eight years of being a Texan in exile, you can't take the Texas out of the girl.

The time I've spent in Louisville and the state of Kentucky has been an interesting part of my life. I've met and made some wonderful friends here and needed the change of scenery back in 2001. I've been embraced by the progressive community, met some of the movers and shakers here and had delightful days at Keeneland.

I'm only a ten hour drive from Washington DC, five hour drive from Chicago, four from St Louis, two from Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Nashville, seven hours from Charlotte and six from the ATL.

And Impellizzeri's and Spinelli's pizza is the bomb along with Adam Matthew's cheesecake and Derby Pie.

But despite all the positive experiences, it ain't home despite the fact they sell Blue Bell up here. I'm just simply a Texan who misses Texas.

The recent bus trip I took back to Houston was the best Christmas I'd had in eight years in addition to being a microcosm of the last decade of my life. I just seemed to come alive when I crossed the Mississippi River, the Texas state line, the Harris County line and entered the Houston city limits. I don't get that same feeling when I'm crossing the Mississippi heading east, the Kentucky border or into the Louisville city limits.

My homegirl Jo Tittsworth reminded me when we were eating at Katz's in Montrose and I was happily scarfing up their caramel fudge cheesecake that you can take the girl out of Texas, but you can't take the Texas out of the girl.

I pondered that comment on the long ride back to Da Ville and she's right. I'm a Texas girl who misses everything about it.

I miss high school football Texas style. My childhood friends. Mom and pop barbecue stands on every corner along with fresh seafood. Tex-Mex. Pop top stadiums and professional sports. Having two HBCU's in my backyard like Texas Southern and Prairie View A&M. The Ensemble.

I miss being a 30 minute drive from the Gulf of Mexico or being a five hour drive down I-10 from New Orleans. I miss the bluebonnets blooming alongside the highways in the area. I miss being two hour drives away from Austin, rolling west on I-10 toward San Antonio and being four hours from Dallas up I-45.

I miss knowing with certainty that when one of my favorite artists does a concert tour I won't have to drive several hours to a neighboring city in another state to see them.

I also miss 60 degree weather in January. These single digit temperatures are for the birds but I did adapt to it.

But a lot of my pining for the Lone Star State has to do with the bulk of my family living in either Dallas or Houston and spending most of my life on the Gulf Coast. I have unfinished business in Houston that calls out for resolution as well.

During my time as a Texan in exile I've evolved and grown a bit toward becoming a proud African descended Phenomenal Transwoman. When I arrived in 2001 I was embraced by the local progressive community and my church family here and it was deeply appreciated at a time when I was in a down period of my life. Dawn, AC, Susan, Karen and her nieces are my family up here, and it's been an interesting eight years getting to know them better.

I've tried to do my part in the time I've lived in Louisville to make the city and the state a little better than it was when I arrived.

Maybe it's time for me to do the same back home.

'Precious' Gets Six Oscar Nominations

One of the things I love to do I go to my local multiplex and watch my fave movies when they come out. The last one I've had a chance to see was the Lee Daniels directed film 'Precious' and it's making some movie and Black history of its own.

'Precious' was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture.

Lee Daniels became only the second African-American director to garner a Best Director nod (John Singleton was the last for 1991's 'Boyz In The Hood'). 'Precious' also holds the distinction of being the first African-American directed film in the 82 year history of the Oscars to be nominated for Best Picture.

"After 82 years, it's the first film nominated for best picture directed by an African-American," Daniels said. "Isn't that great? It's so exciting."

Lee Daniels wasn't the only one getting Oscar kudos. The movie was based on the novel "Push" by Sapphire, and also earned a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination.

Gabourey Sidibe earned a Best Actress nomination in her debut film, and Mo'Nique is up for Best Supporting Actress for her role in 'Precious' as well.

In addition to 'Precious' six nominations, Morgan Freeman received a Best Actor nomination for playing Nelson Mandela in 'Invictus', and Disney received a Best Animated Feature nomination for 'The Princess And the Frog'

Hmm. Looks like I'll have multiple reasons to watch the Oscars March 7 telecast this year.

Single Ladies-Chipettes Style

In honor of my Houston homegirl Beyonce snagging six Grammys, including the Song of the Year Grammy for 'Single Ladies', had to post the Chipettes version from the recent Alvin and The Chipmunks sequel movie.

Black Transpeople Are Making Black History, Too

It's Day One of Black History Month. It's the time that we set aside to honor our past, celebrate the present and look forward tom our future.

As the child and godchild of historians I believe that every month is Black History Month, but I've already talked about that in a previous post.

What I wanted to do is focus on the Black History that is being made by people like me, transpeople of African descent.

Some of it sadly has been lost to us because of our invisibility, but there has been a surprising amount of it recorded in unexpected sources like EBONY, JET and Sepia Magazines.

Increasing numbers of blogs like TransGriot penned by African descended transpeople are helping to record the history that Black transpeople are making today for future generations and provide knowledge of role models that African descended transkids can look up to today.

Just like the overall story of our people, we have an interesting one to tell and it's still being written.

I'm more than a little tired of the erasure of the efforts and contributions that Black transpeople have made to the overall GLBT rights movement and making history in the context of living their lives.

We can't allow the contributions of Marsha P. Johnson, Miss Major, Alexander John Goodrum and countless others to just fade away. That's a travesty for our transkids who are growing up without knowing that history.

It's also important for cis African-Americans to realize that we trans African Americans are integral parts of the community, not tragic murder victims. We have people who are not only proud to be Black, but are fighting to have our human rights recognized at the same time we fight to advance the entire African American community.

So yes, it's important for cis African descended people to know who our three African American IFGE Trinity winners are. It's important for them to know that Marsha P. Johnson and Miss Major were part of the 1969 Stonewall Rebellion. It's important for people to know who Lorrainne Sade Baskerville is, or what Earline Budd has done to make the lives of transpeople in the Washington DC area a little brighter.

It's important to talk about the 1965 Dewey's Lunch Counter Protest in Philly being not only one of the first instances of a protest organized around trans specific issues. but being a predominately African-American production as well.

And just like I can tick off the top of my head who was the first African-American to do various things or head an organization, cis African-Americans need to know that Zion Johnson was the first African-American head of FTMI.

They need to be aware that Dr. Marisa Richmond was the first African American transperson to be elected a delegate to a major party convention, Dawn Wilson was our first IFGE Trinity Award winner in 2000, and Valerie Spencer was part of the first all transgender performance of the Vagina Monologues in 2004 among the other work she does in the LA area.

African descended people cis and trans need to be aware of Alexander John Goodrum being the founder and director of TGNet Arizona, one of the first statewide transgender organizations in the United States or Avon Wilson being one of the first people to go through the now closed Johns Hopkins Gender Program.

They need to know that NTAC, the National Transgender Advocacy Coalition was founded in 1999 with the help of African descended trans and intersex people and the first two chairs of the multicultural organization were African American and Afro Latino.

I've picked up the torch that writer Roberta Angela Dee left when she passed on in 2003. I'll only be able to carry it forward for a certain amount of time before I have to one day hand it off to my successor.

But while it's in my hands, I will do as much as I can to tell our story. It's one of my Prime Directives at TransGriot to document and talk about that history. Because if I don't do it, who will?

Contrary to what some people and our haters may think, African descended transpeople are not only part of the community, we're making Black history as well.

The Choice Is Clear

Since this is Black History Month, I think this is an appropriate time to post this fresh for the 2K10 wake up call.

Don't think because I and other peeps haven't mentioned it for a few months that our pissivity over being ignored or not called for hearings, White House events, or television appearances when they pertain to educating the general public on transgender issues has gone away.

The African descended trans community is fed up with the racism and being demonized and marginalized while taking the brunt of the anti-trans violence.

We are increasingly sick and tired of being in Fannie Lou Hamer mode about the jacked up situation we find ourselves in and more than a little frustrated with the white run trans movement right now.

It's a movement that seems like it's hellbent on replicating the same failed 'just like you' political strategy that has plagued the GL movement and stalled its legislative progress while ignoring the fact that the main thing all transpeeps need are jobs, jobs, jobs and legislative protection to keep them.

New decade, new rules.

Some of y'all may like the status quo, but African descended trans people definitely aren't feeling it.

I continue to hear that frustration expressed from African descended trans leaders and other trans people across the country. There's a restlessness, awareness and growing dissatisfaction with our lack of visibility and participation in setting the trans community political agenda.

And the racism is only pouring gasoline on the smoldering resentment.

There's growing sentiment that we handle our business just like our grandparents and great grandparents did when they found themselves being disrespected and shut out of power from white-run institutions.

Form our own.

Once again, you can either take this as the warning it's untended to be, or continue listening to the peeps that have mishandled this situation, slimed the messenger and pooh-pooh it.

There is a chasm developing between the African descended trans community and the European descended one. It's either voluntarily do the morally correct and sensible thing on your own or else the divide will become as wide as the Grand Canyon.

And when that happens, you will find yourselves in the same predicament feminism is currently in.

You'll wake up one day to discover the Transgender Talented Tenth have risen up to bid you goodbye and good luck as we take control of our own destinies.

You'll find yourself at that moment, just as feminism did in the late 80's early 90's, staring at an African-American led and run trans movement that neither wants or will be inclined to include you.

With prudent positive action, you may avoid the fate of feminism, but the clock is ticking.

Choose wisely.

80's Music Better Than The 70's? Yeah, Right

Being the 70's music lover I am, there was an interesting topic posted on Womanist Musings in which Renee and Sparky debated 70's versus 80's music.

You know I had to say something about it.

I was a teenager in the 70's. There's no comparison. The 70's, no matter what genre you listened to, beats the 80's hands down.

Now just focusing on the R&B end of it...hmm.

Earth, Wind and Fire, WAR, The Brothers Johnson, The Commodores, Angela Bofill, Phyllis Hyman, Diana Ross, Parliament-Funkadelic, The Jackson Five, Bootsy's Rubber Band, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight and the Pips, The Whispers, Shalamar, Chic, The Emotions, The Staple Singers, Curtis Mayfield, Graham Central Station, Al Green, Barry White, Teddy Pendergrass, Lou Rawls, Rick James, Teena Marie, LTD, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, Deniece Williams, Natalie Cole, Donna Summer, Change, Gil Scott-Heron, Minnie Riperton...



And that's just scratching the surface of it.

Even the artists you could counter with that had success in the 80's such as Cameo, Michael Jackson and Prince all released hit records in the 70's.



Luther Vandross? Released two hit singles with Change, sang backup with Bowie.
The Sugarhill Gang's 'Rapper's Delight' was released in 1979 and used Chic's 'Good Times' as its music track.

As a matter of fact, without music from Parliament-Funkadelic, Chic and James Brown to sample, most 80's hip hop/rap wouldn't exist





Face the facts 80's music fans. The concerts were flashier and better, the music groups more talented, and may I point out, had to use real instruments and read and write music to do so.

And how many 80's artists won four consecutive Album of the Year Grammys as Stevie Wonder did, much less have their songs spark legislation or become signature anthems for various social issues such as Freda Payne's 'Bring the Boys Home', Marvin Gaye's 'What's Going On', Diana Ross' 'I'm Coming Out' , McFadden and Whitehead's 'Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now' or 'Wake Up Everybody' by Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes?

The Philly Sound, P-Funk, Disco, Motown jazz fusion and rap all either began or evolved during the 70's

Game, set and match to the 70's as the best and most innovative music decade.