Every Transwoman Needs Sistafriends In Her Life

One of the things I've discovered in this ongoing feminine journey is that every transwoman needs a group of sistahfriends in her life.

Roberta Angela Dee, one of my trans mentors once said, "I'm a woman in mind, heart and spirit. That's all that matters. They can cut things off, paste things on, or reconfigure my body parts. If you're a woman, you're a woman. Period."

But the problem becomes getting to that point in your life in which you get to that level of confidence that Roberta expressed in that quote.

And that's where your sistahfriends enter the equation.

Your cis and trans sistahfriends can not only help you learn, grow and deal with some of the issues currently affecting your life, they can give you a comforting hug when you need it or that swift motivational kick in the butt to get you going when you feel down.

They are your mutual support system. They help you celebrate your triumphs and are there to console you when life hands you momentary defeats. They help you confidently get through this journey we call life.

Your trans sistahfriends not only help kick knowledge to you about dealing with some of the issues we have to grapple with inside and outside the community as transwomen, but help us avoid situations that could get us severely beat down or killed if we're not cognizant about it at all times.

If you are fortunate enough as a transwoman to have a group of ciswomen as your friends, they are invaluable in helping you to understand what it's like to grow up female with a developing female body in a male dominated society.

They can explain or clue you in on the drama you missed growing up, share some of the good and bad times of their early feminine journeys, and help you make sense of various issues that crop up in your own life in terms of dealing with sexism, misogyny, and sexual harassment issues.

It's also crucial to get you to the point of understanding that the feminine journey is a lifelong and constantly evolving one.

A transwoman that has a network of sistahfriends around her made up of cis and trans women not only gets untold benefits from it, she emerges from that stronger in spirit and better equipped to take on a hostile world arrayed against her.

My Thoughts About The Ashia Ajani Article

March is Women's History month, and I was surprised to see this Ashia Ajani article celebrating the 14 years that TransGriot has been around to drop knowledge about the Black trans community and express myself about the current events of the day since January 1, 2006.

If you haven't seen the article, here's a link to it.

Every time I start thinking I haven't done enough for the community, or wonder if anyone is even paying attention to what I write at TransGriot, an article like this comes out reminding me yes, you have been doing a lot since 1998, and I'm still blessed to be in a position to do even more.

I'm also blessed as a yelder to watch and mentor the current generation of Black trans leaders, and also have them drop knowledge on me that causes me to think about issues from a different angle.

Thank you Ashia for the article, and for the reminder that y'all see me as a journalist.

All I've done is pick up the torch that Roberta Angela Dee left behind when she joined the ancestors in 2003, and took it to another level.   I suspect that when it is time for me to pass it on, there will be other Black trans folks I inspire to get into media work, because telling our stories for historical posterity is important.

It is also vitally important in a media environment that seeks to demonize trans folks every chance they get, that we have Black trans media folks pushing back against the lies and disinformation.

We also need people to accurately tell our stories, and also talk about our successes, not just push the 'tragic transsexual' narrative.

Post Number 9000!

The milestones just keep on coming here at TransGriot, and it caps an amazing week in which I had two of my posts, the Dating a Trans Woman Doesn't Make A Cis Man Gay and one slamming the upcoming whitewashed and trans erasing Stonewall movie  go viral within days of each other. for the first time ever on my blog.

I sincerely thank you readers for making that TransGriot blogging first happen.   Another milestone I need to celebrate is that you are looking at Post Number 9000 since I started the blog back on January 1, 2006.  

Still hard to believe at times that after near ten years, I've not only written that many post and the hundreds of words that comprise them, it's a blessing that I'm still be writing daily posts on this electronic platform.

I'm keenly aware that some of the blogs that either started before or after I did for various reasons are no longer publishing, and that saddens me to think about that from time to time.

There have been some bumps and bruises along the way to 9000 posts..   Several moves including a major one from Louisville where this blog started back to my native Houston.  Times in which I wasn't sure I'd be able to keep pressing on with it.   A kerfluffle or two in which my haters REAL:LY disliked something I wroteconcerning whiteness and white supremacy and called me 'racist' for it.  . 

There have also been numerous times my unapologetically Black trans tell it like it T-I-S is self has been called everything but a child of God by my haters, in cluding, the N-word, B-word, T-word, a combination of the three, or all three at the same time

But those of you who chip in on the blog's Tip Jar, who read my posts and the people I meet at various conferences and events around the country keep letting me know how much you appreciate me and my writing.   My writing means nothing if i don't have people reading it and sharing it with others.

Now more than ever it's vital it is is to have a Black trans owned and operated blog fearlessly speaking truth to power inside and outside our community, talking about trans issues from an Afrocentric perspective while also discussing about our trans community history and current events in the world around us.

I hand one person on the anniversary of her  July 16 birthday call me a modern day Ida B. Wells.  It's funny and an interesting comparison because when I started TransGriot, I was simply shooting to pick up where the late Roberta Angela Dee left off.  

To be compared to and outstanding Black writer and journalists like Ms. Wells is something I hope I can live up to as a writer with a focus on human rights and social justice issues..

It lets me know that the commitment I made to ensure that trans issues of interest to African-American and other trans people of color had a voice and platform in the blogosphere is appreciated my my readers and proven by some of the awards I've either won or been nominated for. 

That's to all my readers over the years old and new, for the times that you have shared my posts to your influence circles, and the college professors who have informed me they use them at times for reading assignments in their classes.  It's not only humbling to know that, but it ensures I don't get sloppy with my writing, lazy with my thought patterns, and stay on point with my commentary.

Well, only 1000 more posts to go until I reach the 10,000 post milestone.. Time to get busy doing the writing to get there.

Dreams Can Come True For Transpeople, Too

Today I've had one of my dreams as a writer come to pass that when I started my transition back in 1994, seemed to be about as farfetched from happening as the LA Clippers becoming an NBA title contender.

The Clippers are on pace to make the playoffs and I got published at EBONY.com

When I started seriously focusing on my writing in 2001, it has been a dream to one day I would have something I wrote published by two of the iconic magazines in our community, ESSENCE and EBONY.

It's the online version to be sure, but still, it's EBONY magazine and I'm ecstatic it happened.      

A lot of hard work, long hours and effort went into getting myself ready and in position to take advantage of my break when it happened.  Even so I was still stunned when I received the e-mail letting me know they were interested in the piece.

So thanks to everyone who has been blowing up my Twitter feed, Facebook page and e-mail inbox congratulating me for making this happen.   All I did was pick up the torch Roberta Angela Dee carried for our community until she passed on in 2002.  

I'm trying to do my part to live up to her legacy and the standard she set in being an African-American trans writer while adding my distinctive touches to it and expanding the boundaries of what we talk about so that we simply are discussed as writers. 

Janey Mock will and is already exceeding what I do as the editor of People.com   I know when I can no longer carry that torch, we'll be in good hands

One of my writing dreams has come true (take that haters and KMBA) so now I get to move on to the next writing dreams and goals I have in mind.   I'd love to see my writing eventually appear in print in addition to other online sites.  

But today is also a concrete example to my transpeeps that your dreams don't have to die just because you transitioned.   With some determined effort, they can, do and will come true as well.

2 Million Hits!

Another day, another milestone here at TransGriot.   Thanks to you loyal readers I reached the 2 million hit milestone as of  5:05 PM today.

Wow, I can't thank y'all enough for the support, the kind words letting me know how much you appreciate what I do here, my blogging peers who let me know on a regular basis how much I'm loved and respected in the blogosphere, the loyalty and even digging into your pockets and purses at times to contribute to help keep the blog going.

I deeply appreciate it.

I'm also exceedingly grateful for the love that my own African descended transpeeps show me as well.

I never forget that I represent you, the late Roberta Angela Dee and the best our community has to offer as well when I write here.  

Once again, thanks for continuing to surf by TransGriot, and now it's on to the next milestone.