2007 Weblog Awards Nominations Are Open

The nominations are now open until October 15 for the 2007 Weblog Awards. I'm going to shoot for the Best LGBT Blog award and Best Individual Blog. I'm also going to be nominating a few blogs that I believe are worthy of garnering recognition as well.

While getting awards isn't the motivation I had for starting TransGriot, it doesn't hurt to be recognized either. I'm told that this is a quality blog that has inspired and motivated people, and awards tend to verify that.

So may the best blogs win.

A View To A Protest

Got back a few hours ago from my business ttip to Washington DC protesting the HRC national dinner.

These are Vanessa Edwards Foster's observations of the HRC protest.

I've been an activist for a long time, but believe it or not that was my first protest.



I left The Ville with AC at 6 AM and literally got dropped off on the steps of the convention center at 4 PM wih signs in hand while AC parked the car. We spent the next three and a half hours engaging HRC dinner attendees, various citizens, and attendees of other conventions talking place the same day at the convention center.

I spent most of the protest laying out the history to young transgender people, curious convention center employees, passerbys and explaining why we were there. I pointed out that the battle over HR 2015 is not just a transgender issue. I gave numerous examples of why it was important to have 'gender identity' in ENDA.

Without 'gender identity' in ENDA, it's a worthless piece of paper. Lambda Legal has said as much. Frank's Folly (HR 3685) not only doesn't cover us, it won't cover 90% of the GLB population or straight people. We all know women who have masculine body builds and upper lips they have to ruthlessly wax and shave and uncles who are slight of build and femme looking.

I also threw an occasional sarcastic comment or two into the chant mix.

I had a wonderful conversation with James, a gay man who exemplifies HRC's dilemma. Basically the young GLB people have interacted with transgender people their whole lives. The problem is the Mattachine gays who run HRC right now disproportionately come from my generation and hate transpeople.

I enjoyed the conversations I had with straight folks as well. Some absolutely get it. It's too bad that some of the peeps inside the Washington Convention Center that night and a purple congressman from Massachusetts don't.

Morally Bankrupt

TransGriot Note: This is a guest post by 2000 IFGE Trinity Award winner Dawn Wilson

You may be wondering why I've been selective in terms of picking and choosing the times that I commit myself to helping the transgender community over the last few years.

Frankly, the reason is that I don't do business with morally bankrupt leaders or paper tigers.

I say this because at this juncture in our history Washington DC is in a state of confusion these days. It started with arrogance and pride, and has led to a downfall of serious proportions.

For the last ten years we've been struggling to not only get into ENDA, but stay there. Unfortunately due to the arrogance, pride, ineptitude and ignorance of some people the TG community was sold a bill of goods that turned out to be counterfeit.

What am I speaking about? The fiction that was being pushed by certain transgender leaders that HRC was our friends.

When NTAC was pushing HRC to do the right thing in 2002 and include us in ENDA, some people decided to collaborate with them after being told they didn't want to talk to NTAC.

But as author Alice Walker pointed out, "No person is your friend who demands your silence or denies your right to grow."

The transgender community decides who our leaders should be. It was pure arrogance on HRC's part to think that they have the power to dictate to the transgender community people who they deem acceptable to meet with. If HRC were truly our allies, then they needed to talk to whomever WE chose as our leaders.

Unfortunately some people fell for that 'okey-doke' illusion of inclusion strategy and instead of giving a multicultural NTAC a chance to represent us, went out and formed another white-dominated organization and anointed its leader as THE spokesperson for the community.

Because of this, the tranquilizing drug of complacency was injected into the transgender community and put us in the position once again of being sold out. The community was jolted out of that haze as a result of Rep. Barney Frank's recent actions to cut transpeople out of ENDA.

As reprehensible as those actions were, there was a silver lining in all of this. While it exposed some of the paralyzing inaction and lack of political vision of some of the TG leadership, others rose to the occasion. I was pleased to hear that five Trinity winners and a Virginia Prince winner were present at this weekend's protest of the Washington HRC dinner.

One of the lessons I was taught by my Sunday School teacher Sister Willie Mae Lewis was a mantra drilled into us that I remember to this day that resembles a math equation.

Accountability + Responsibility = Credibility

She also reminded her students that before one can lead, one must be willing to follow and hold themselves accountable for their actions.

It seems that some TG community leaders and other people inside the Beltway have forgotten that lesson, much less been taught it.

We need profiles in courage more than ever. Donna Rose's resignation from the HRC board was not only courageous and principled, she exemplified what this community desperately needs: Moral leadership.

Before we start castigating HRC and Rep. Frank for their failures of moral leadership, we need to take a look in the mirror ourselves. We need visionary, intelligent, morally upright, and scrupulously honest people of integrity to step forward to represent us.

But what we get is misbehaving egocentric kindergartners that refuse to play nice and work well with other transgender leaders that may be more skilled than they are. In some cases personal issues such as racism and jealously factor into this equation.

It not only makes us look bad and puts us at risk of undoing all the hard work of our transgender pioneers, it nearly had catastrophic political repercussions for our community. Had it not been for the timely interventions of NTAC, TAVA, IFGE and other individuals providing courageous and decisive leadership in our time of need, I submit that our community's political viability would have been destroyed. This debacle causes us to question the perceived political acumen of a certain highly touted TG political leader.

The moral leadership point is critical to garnering and keeping the support of the African-American transgender community. We take civil rights seriously. We want and need to have leaders and allies we can trust. If you say you're going to do something, we expect you to follow through on it. If you tell us one thing, then stab us in the back to cut a deal, we may forgive you for it, but we won't forget it either. We will NEVER trust you again and to compound your problems, we'll make sure to tell our peeps to avoid you like the plague as well.

We also have a severe problem with incompetent leaders as well. If you show by your actions that you don't have a clue as to how to acquire them (civil rights)or zealously protect them, we aren't down with your cause.

I will also step up as my schedule allows and do more to not only talk the talk, but walk the walk. If you need a poster child for the type of leadership we need in this critical time, I'm willing to provide it, but I also need others in the transgender community to step up their game as well and provide the type of leadership we all deserve.

Who's with me?


TransGriot Note: Dawn Wilson in 2000 became the first African-American transperson to win the IFGE Trinity Award, and was a founding member and first board chair of NTAC.

Gone Protestin'

The TransGriot is joining her transgender brothers and sisters and our allies in raising some hell at the HRC dinner in Washington. Tell y'all about it when I get back.




Y'all can help us out by continuing to keep the pressure on Congress. Please call your congressmembers and tell them to vote YES for HR 2015, the transgender-inclusive ENDA and vote NO for Frank's Folly, HR 3685, the non-inclusive one.

Another Stereotypical TV Transsistah

In a 2007-2008 TV season which continues last year's trend of having transgender characters, in 2007-08 we have the novel concept of a transwoman playing a transwoman

Unfortunately we transsistahs are still getting the short end of the stick.

While many people in the transgender community are excited about Candis Cayne playing Carmelita on ABC's Dirty Sexy Money, and are looking forward to the continued Season 2 exploits of Rebecca Romijn's character Alexis Meade on Ugly Betty, there was another transgender character that debuted this week as well.

On the ABC show Big Shots, it intrduces us in the debut episode to a character played by a transsistah named Jazzmun.

But before we hail that as progress, Jazzmun is playing Dontrelle, a transsexual hooker.

It figures that we transsistahs once again get stuck being painted by the hooker brush while white transwomen are seen running a magazine or being the love interest of a US senator.

As the late Esther Rolle said in her Good Times role as Florida Evans, "Damn, Damn, Damn!"

Memo to Hollywood: Is it so hard for you to create an African-American transgender character that fits the reality of the 90% of us who don't partake of sex work to make our living? Is it that difficult for you to craft an African-American transgender character that isn't the punchline of a joke or doesn't end up dead in the first five minutes of the show?

If it is, may I suggest calling Sheryl Lee Ralph, who played a transsistah named Claire on Showtime's short lived Barbershop: The Series. I think she'd be happy to give y'all some pointers on creating a non-stereotypical transwoman of African descent. If she's not available, dial up Norman Lear, who in addition to creating All In The Family's Beverly LaSalle, created Edith Stokes, the first realistic transsistah character for The Jefferson's back in 1977.

If they aren't available, just e-mail me and I'll be happy to do it if the price is right.

I'm sick of seeing transsistahs being portrayed as hookers or murder victims. We have enough problems in the African-American community trying to dispel that negative image. Just when we're starting to make a little progress, here comes a TV show that reinforces the negativity that we've worked so hard to counteract.

I'm looking forward to the day when I see an African-American transgender character on TV again that reflects my values and the way that I live my life.

I guess if I want to see that type of positive transsistah character, I'm gonna have to dust off that script I was working on and do it my damned self.

Mother Speaks Out For Wounded Trans Child

TransGriot Note: Not having transgender protections codified in federal law leads to a climate in which thugs repeatedly do this type of crap to transpeople because they feel they can get away with it.
----------------------------------------------------
Mother speaks out on behalf of wounded trans child

By Timothy Cwiek
PGN Writer-at-Large
© 2007 Philadelphia Gay News

As a young transgender woman clings to life with a bullet in her head, her mother is speaking out about violence against the trans community.

"I'm speaking out for Tiara, and for her community," said Arlene Coleman-Powell, mother of Tiara Coleman, a trans woman who was shot in the head inside her Frankford apartment Sept. 22.

Coleman, 25, remains comatose, in critical but stable condition, at Hahnemann University Hospital, unable to tell investigators what happened. She also was stabbed repeatedly about the head and face, her mother said.

"I want everyone to know about this brutal attack," Coleman-Powell said. "People don't understand the hard life that trans people have. I'm learning more about this every day."

Coleman-Powell expressed hope that other parents of transgenders will avoid the anguish she's enduring.

She heard of the incident at about 7 a.m. Sept. 22, when a friend notified her that her child had been taken to the hospital as a gunshot victim.

"The first week, I was just in a daze," she said. "I was totally lost."

Police said they don't have a suspect. "There are no arrests and the job is still under investigation," said Officer Raul Malveiro, a police spokesperson.

A resident of the Olney section, Coleman-Powell rented a hotel room near Hahnemann so that she could be closer to her child.

She said Coleman cannot speak, but she recently made a movement to acknowledge her mother's presence.

"I got some acknowledgment that she knew I was there," the parent noted.

Coleman spent most of her youth in Virginia, but returned to Philadelphia as a teenager and attended Strawberry Mansion Junior High and Northeast High, her mother said.

She became a talented hairstylist, who always brought joy to her mother.

"She was always saying things to make me laugh. When I would come home from work, tired, she was so good to me. She'd do things to make me feel better."

Jaci Adams, an advocate for Coleman, hopes the victim will regain consciousness soon. "My hope is that she can recover in some capacity to tell us what happened," Adams said.

Coleman-Powell plans to continuously prod detectives until the case is solved.

"I will not let this drop," she said. "You have to get involved. You can't sit back and wait for someone else to do everything."

In addition to regular visits from her mother, Coleman frequently receives visits from her older sister, Tara, and members of her large extended family, including nine aunts and uncles, her mother said.

The assault has been life-altering, not only for Coleman, but for her mother.

"My life will be forever changed because of this," she said. "I'm going to take care of my child forever."

www.epgn.com

Kitchen Challenged

One of the things that bugs me (and my roomie Dawn never fails to needle me about it) is my perceived lack of culinary skills.

In reality, I do know how to cook some of the foods I like, ain't 'scurred' of a stove and some of my skills do go beyond boiling water and sticking things in the microwave for three minutes.

I've peeled and sliced potatoes, prepared fried oysters complete with rolling them in a seasoned corn meal batter, cleaned and cooked my own shrimp, know how to season and fry chicken and I make my burgers complete with cheese, pan toasted buns and draped with bacon.

But I'm nowhere near B. Smith's level. Put an uncut chicken in front of me and I'm lost. Don't even ask me to prepare an elaborate meal from scratch.

The interesting part of this scenario is that I'm surrounded by great cooks in my family. Mom, my grandmother Lou Ella, my late grandmother Tama and my late great grandmother Emma could burn. My late Aunt Jen ran a catering business and cooked the food for my brother's rehearsal dinner in 2005. Mom also makes pancakes from scratch that are so delicious that I avoid them on most restaurant menus when I eat out because I don't like the taste of them.

My dad, being an only child is also an excellent cook as well. He'd kick my mom out of the kitchen on Sundays and cook dinner for us. Ironically his meatloaf is better than my mom's. Don't even get me started on my dad being a grillmaster par excellance. When I asked him one day about how he acquired his culinary skills, he said, "I either had to learn how to cook or starve. I like to eat."

Mom can also bake as well. One of the reasons I get homesick during the holidays is because I have visions of mom's homemade peanut butter cookies and German chocolate pound cake dancing in my head.

I think a few reasons my culinary skills haven't developed to the level I'd like them to be is because I'm a picky eater. I also spent a decade by myself in my own place, worked long hours sometimes at IAH and rarely had someone else besides moi to cook for.

In my childhood I ran from one of the few opportunities that would have allowed me to do something perceived in those days as 'feminine' without getting any flack for it when mom offered to show me some of her culinary secrets. It was gonna be a while before she could do that for my sisters since they were toddlers at the time.

Never mind the fact that during my teen years in the 70's 'the cooking is for girls' stereotype was being shattered. I remember the ribbing my classmate Barry used to get when I was in junior high for being the only male in home economics. That laughter ended when he won a school baking contest and made it to district championship level. For the rest of the time we were at Thomas a class party wasn't complete without my music collection and Barry's cookies or cakes being a part of it.

My tormentor Dawn is fortunate that she grew up working in her home church's kitchen in Lexington that her late great aunt ran with military precision. At her church everyone regardless of gender was expected to know how to prepare the Sunday dinner staples. That training helped her become the excellent cook she is.

I'm already counting down to Thanksgiving Day. I'm looking forward to once again tearing into her perfectly moist turkey and dressing balls. From time to time she gets an assist from AC, the other excellent cook in my life.

I know there's no shame in being kitchen challenged. There are plenty of biowomen out there who couldn't boil water without detailed instructions and my late ex-girlfriend was one of those peeps.

But I've resigned myself to the fact that you can't be proficient at everything. There are things that I excel at that Dawn doesn't and I give her crap about it in retaliation for her picking on my culinary skills. But that's my homegirl and I love her.

I also love her cooking as well.

International Federation Of Black Prides Supports HR 2015

Dear Black Pride Organizers/Attendees:

As you may know, a critical discussion regarding the rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Same Gender Loving people (LGBT/SGL) is being debated in our nation’s capital, Washington, DC between the congressional leadership, its members and representatives from various LGBT/SGL related national organizations, including the International Federation of Black Prides (IFBP).

The discussion centers on language contained in the Employment
Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), drafted by the Congressional Leadership. Currently there have been two different bills drafted. One bill (HR 2015) includes language offering protections to all members of LGBT communities from employment discrimination and another offering protections from employment discrimination to members of only the LGB communities.

The IFBP has joined a majority of the national LGBT related organizations and civil rights organizations by declaring our vehement opposition to the language contained in the bill (HR 3685) offering protections from employment discrimination to members of only the LGB communities and excluding our Trans brothers and sisters.

Some have gone as far to say that “blacks didn't get civil rights over night” and we shouldn't expect that LGBT communities would get protections from employment discrimination in that way either. This is at best a “losers game” in political maneuvering that threatens to further harm members of our communities who have already been harmed the most by our various discriminating systems, including unfortunately by some in our communities.

We all know that members of our communities whether or not we are members of Trans communities, have been harmed by gender role stereotypes in employment and many other public interest areas. We also know that members of the LGB communities even with discrimination still happening, often have roads of recourse not yet available to members of Trans communities because of certain local laws offering such protections. In addition, we all know that members of Trans communities have been some of our brightest “torch barriers” on our road to many of the rights we enjoy today as members of LGBT communities. Further, in 31 states, it's still legal to fire someone because they're gay and in 39 states it is legal to fire someone for being Transgender.

The IFBP is clear that the exclusion of Trans people in the language of ENDA will represent a loss that will have a grave affect on members of African American/Black Trans communities and LGB communities given the high rate of discrimination, unemployment and poverty already present in these communities. Additionally, splitting the community on this issue only plays into the plans of those who want no bill to pass and wastes the resources the community could be devoting to passing this bill while disillusioning people; making them less motivated to become in resolving the many other issues facing our communities.

So today we are calling on you to lend your voice of support to the full inclusion of LGBT communities in the ENDA Bill that will be voted on by Congress.

ACTION STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TODAY:

1.Send an Email to your Congressional Representative by clicking;
http://eqfed.org/campaign/keepENDAinclusive_clone_8?rk=g1AEcKp1BlY-W

2. Individuals can sign onto the two online petitions, and groups can
encourage individuals to sign them.

a. http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/transgender_inclusive_ENDA/ developed by the National Center for Transgender Equality and the Transgender Law Center.

b. www.nosubstitutes.org developed by
National Stonewall Democrats

3. Individuals/Organizations can also join the Facebook group “One ENDA: For the Employment Protections of All LGBT People”:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5065064220

Thanking you in advance for raising your voice and raising our Pride!

Earl D. Fowlkes, Jr.
Michael S. Hinson, Jr.
Founder/CEO, IFBP Chair,
Board of Directors, IFBP,

Your Transistion Ain't Like Mine

A few months ago I had someone post a comment to a blog post I'd written and ask the question, 'Is transition for an African-American versus a white person really that dufferent?

Yes, it is.

I say that because we start from two very different places on the social scale. A white male to female transperson is coming from a position of privilege, whether they acknowledge it or not. The society revolves around you. Because of that, many feel they have too much to lose if they transition, and tend to do it later in life.

It adds complications once they do so. Many tend to be married and deep into careers. It also impacts passability. The later you do a gender transition on the M2F side, the more testosterone buildup you have to overcome. In addition to that most white women on average tend to be shorter.

An African-American male to female transperson comes from a position in which they are reviled by society. For an African-American M2F it's an improvement in status because Black women tend to run thangs in our community. We also deal with our issues at an earlier age, which helps with passability because there's less testosterone buildup to impede feminization. Another thing that helps enhance our passability is that it's not unusual to see full figured sistahs or sistahs over six feet in height with broad shoulders.

I honestly believe that one of the reasons transpeople receive so much flack is because in addition to confounding rigid gender boundaries and making peeps insecure and uncomfortable with their gender identity or sexual orientation is WMP (white male privilege).

I think some white males find the idea of one of their own willingly stepping down from white malehood and all the perks that it bestows upon them to become a white woman so incredulous that they take it upon themselves to punish this 'deluded' individual for the 'crime' of abandoning white manhood.

The elements of the gay community that bought into Jim Fouratt's rantings tend to believe this as well.

It's more odious to the peeps who feel that 'whiteness' is under attack by the demographic trends stacked against them. They feel that EVERY white male is valuable and must not only stay in that gender role, but help produce their share of babies to perpetuate the race or get assimilated out of existence.

If you think I'm off base about this, then explain to me why white fundamentalists have basically been preaching this message since the early 90's, have a virulent hatred for gay people, have savagely attacked immigration with disgusting racist rhetoric and pressure their wives to leave the work force and have multiple children?

Black transpeople not only get the residual fallout from the attacks on white transpeople, but we get attacked by segments of our own community as well. We have to deal with the sellout ministers preaching anti-gay sermons in order to keep their faith-based bucks flowing into their pockets. That message gets interpreted by the nekulturny elements as 'it's okay' to attack transpeople.

Since we are the most visible spectrum of the GLBT community, and because one of the tragic instances of early transition sometimes results in some kids being tossed out of their homes by 'christian' parents, it leaves many of my sisters more vulnerable to the violence stirred up by these hatemongers.

While we do catch hell from some portions of the African-American community, on the other hand, we receive love and acceptance from the parts of it who correctly believe that our solidarity as African-Americans trumps the BS. They feel that people who have been historically hated for who they are shouldn't be doing the same things to transpeople, who are also being hated for superficial reasons as well.

In the African-American GLBT/SGL community, for the most part we don't have the gays and lesbians vs transpeeps or transpeeps vs. crossdressers battles that roil relations in the white GLBT community. One thing that keeps it in check for all of us SGL community members is the realization that 25% of this country hates us no matter if we're straight or gay.

We African-American transwomen have our own cross to bear when it comes to our images. We transsistahs have the double whammy of getting saddled with the hypersexy vixen image that burdens our biosisters, the angry neck-rolling SWA (sistah with attitude) stereotype and being considered less attractive when we are compared to European beauty standards.

We are also disproportionately saddled with the burden of having African-American transwomen images (along with Latina and Asian transwomen) and sexuality linked in some people's minds to transgender porn and the sex industry.

So no, our transgender journeys are not alike. We have common interests in terms of having our civil rights protected, codified into law and respected. We are both concerned about unemployment/underemployment issues. We have to continually work on educating the public about our issues and understand each other enough to build a larger transgender community as well.

But on others, we must bear that burden alone.

Whip Count Questions

Barney's excuse for this ENDA mess is that a whip count was called that precipitated the removal of the transgender inclusive ENDA (HR 2015) to be replaced with Frank's Folly (HR 3685).

Did anyone in the media, gay or straight or the blogosphere ask the guy who IS the House majority whip whether he actually called that whip count?

The House majority whip is Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC). I'm still trying to confirm it, but I have a strong suspicion that Frank is lying about it. I'm making that assertion because what a lot of people missed is that the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's Annual Legislative Conference started on September 26 and concluded on the 29th.

All 42 CBC members voted for passage of the Hate Crimes Bill despite intense browbeating from the Lo Impact Misleadership Coalition. I was also told when I visited many CBC offices in May that they were in favor of voting yes on HR 2015 as well.

The ALC is a must-attend event for any African-American that's politically active and is the premier African-American conference for discussing policy issues. This is where in one event you'll have politicians from all over the US at all levels of government, athletes, actors, activists, and academics getting together in one place.

In 2002 I had an invitation extended to attend the ALC in order to teach a Transgender 101 presentation to the CBC. There was a proviso that it stay secret since the 2002 midterm elections were a few months away.

A well-known white activist leaked details of the event to HRC, who sent lobbyists into CBC offices demanding to know what was going on. My invite to the ALC got cancelled as a result. I'm still pissed to this day at that activist.

But back to the regularly scheduled post. I find it very interesting and highly unlikely that this alleged whip count was called, but I'm trying to confirm that as well. The ALC was taking place in DC and as some of you may have seen on C-SPAN over the last few days many of those seminars are hosted and conducted by CBC member reps.

The seminars and brain trusts started on Thursday and Rep. Clyburn was conducting one on Enviromental Justics Friday morning. It's not just a Black thang either. The House recessed early so that members could attend and take part in that event. Sen. Ted Kennedy spoke during the ALC.

I have my doubts concerning Barney's version of events. I have to consider the timing. This happens during the ALC weekend and a week before a major HRC fundraiser in Washington that Speaker Pelosi is slated to attend. I also know that there are some HRCites in Dem offices that work as aides and staffers who hate transpeople as much as the Purple One. They were definitely feasting on Hater Tots when they pulled this stunt.

Congress adjourned on Wednesday afternoon. The whip count took place at 8 PM later that night. Rep. Clyburn was speaking at the Washington Convention Center during the opening ceremony for the CBC ALC Weekend that kicked off at 6 PM, so unless he has a clone I don't know about, he couldn't be on the Hill and at the convention center at the same time.

Hmm.

ENDA Update

The news has been coming fast and furiously since transphobic Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) tried to pull HR 2015, the transgender-inclusive ENDA and split it into separate bills. He created a firestorm of controversy, a political black eye for Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and almost touched off a GLBT civil war.

I'm reminded of an old African-American community saying that's apropos in this mess.

If you dig a grave for someone else, better dig one for yourself.

In Barney's haste to screw the trannies, he screwed his OWN community. It turns out that Lambda Legal did a preliminary analysis of HR 3685 (which I'll call Frank's Folly).

Lambda Legal is an organization that has worked on employment discrimination issues for a long time in the GLBT community. They have also represented clients who have faced discrimination or harassment at work based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Lambda Legal's preliminary assessment of the revised version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (HR 3685) shows the bill to be riddled with loopholes in addition to failing altogether to protect transgender people against discrimination.

"Leaving out protections for transgender people is unacceptable, and passing a bill riddled with loopholes will make it harder to achieve equality on the job," said Kevin Cathcart, Executive Director at Lambda Legal. "You can't be fired for being a lesbian or a gay man, but you can be fired if your boss thinks you fit their stereotype of one."

"After working together for so many years on a bill to provide protections for the LGBT community on the job — we can do better than this," Cathcart added.

Preliminary Analysis Summary:

*As a point of clarity for the community: The recent version (HR 3685)is not simply the old version with the transgender protections stripped out — but rather has modified the old version in several additional and troubling ways.

*In addition to the missing vital protections for transgender people on the job, this new bill also leaves out a key element to protect any employee, including lesbians and gay men who may not conform to their employer's idea of how a man or woman should look and act.

This is a huge loophole through which employers sued for sexual orientation discrimination can claim that their conduct was actually based on gender expression, a type of discrimination that the new bill (HR 3685) does not prohibit.

*This version of ENDA states without qualification that refusal by employers to extend health insurance benefits to the domestic partners of their employees that are provided only to married couples cannot be considered sexual orientation discrimination.

The old version (HR 2015) at least provided that states and local governments could require that employees be provided domestic partner health insurance when such benefits are provided to spouses.

*In the previous version of ENDA (HR 2015) the religious exemptions had some limitations.

The new version has a blanket exemption under which, for example, hospitals or universities run by faith-based groups can fire or refuse to hire people they think might be gay or lesbian.

You're Under Arrest

I'm not a big anime fan, but I've gotten hooked on this particular anime series thanks to Dawn.

It's called You're Under Arrest and ran for two seasons on TV in Japan. The show centers on Miyuki Kobayakawa and Natsumi Tsujimoto. They are roommates, friends and partners who are Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department officers. They are stationed at the fictional Bokuto Station in the Sumida Ward of Tokyo.




Miyuki is a computer whiz who is shy, polite, punctual, proficient at her job and not as physically strong as her best friend. They are traits not shared by her partner Natsumi. She's tough, brash, a slacker, loves to excessively eat and drink and is chronically tardy. But despite that she's an excellent officer. She and Miyuki make an unbeatable team that has garnered a reputation around Bokuto Station for solving many cases.

The show focuses on their lives on and off duty and includes some of the other officers at Bokuto Station. There's the whiny Yoriko Nikato, the dispatcher and station gossip. She's a klutzy bumbler who gets her fellow officers in awkward situations, but her lucky streak gets them out of the trouble she inadvertently creates. When she was at the police academy she managed to graduate at the top of her training class and earn the ire of rich witch Chie Sagamiono in the process.

There's the 'White Hawk', handsome motorcycle cop Ken Nakajima. He's an expert rider who is good enough to where he could have had a pro racing career, but loves his job. He also likes Miyuki, but just like her is too shy to express his feelings to her. They actually made progress towards kindling a relationship at the end of Season 1

There's Strikeman, the local costumed vigilante that fancies himself as a superhero. He's the bane of drunks, peeping toms, perverts, parking violators and people who are disrespectful to seniors. They usually find themselves at the other end of one of his fastball pitches

He's an annoyance to not only the citizens of the Bokuto precinct, but the officers of Bokuto Station as well. Strikeman refers to Natsumi as 'Home Run Girl' due to her ability to whack Strikeman's pitches into orbit.

The character I really love is Aoi Futaba. Prior to joining the police force he was an accomplished high school basketball player. After becoming a police officer Aoi was assigned to the vice unit. In order to crack a case involving a serial rapist, Aoi crossdressed as part of the investigation and assimilated into womanhood so thoroughly that Yoriko said about her in one episode, "she's more woman than we are".

Yes, peeps Aoi is transgender.

Aoi's arrival at the station was initially met with resistance, with Yoriko being the most vocal about it, but over time the Bokoto officers accepted her as part of the family, began using the correct pronouns to address her and she became one of the girls. Yoriko overcame her initial resistance to her and became Aoi's patrol partner when she transferred to street duty.

She basically says that her spirit is female, and she's more girly-girl than many of the female officers she works with. There are numerous episodes where Aoi ends up in situations in which her gender issues rear their head at inopportune times. A famous actor fell for her in one episode, and despite the fact she was falling for him, had to reluctantly tell him that she's still pre-op.

There was another episode when she was on Christmas vacation with her fellow Bokuto officers and a local mountain kid invaded her room while she was asleep. He tried to force himself on her and ended up with a surprise when he grabbed between her legs.

He also earned a beat down from Natsumi as well.

I found You're Under Arrest fascinating. I love the characters, it's beautifully drawn and illustrated and for the most part does an excellent job in depicting the day to day realities of police work.

Strikeman is a trip as well. ;)

I Ain't Hatin' I'm Appreciating

I Ain’t Hatin’, I’m Appreciating This was the column I submitted to THE LETTER for printing in September for the October issue.


I have much love, admiration and respect for the illusionist community.

Yes, there are certain things about it that irritate me and people involved in it that I won’t be breaking bread with anytime soon, but hey, they are my sistahs too.

And for you illusionists, don’t assume that activists don’t know about your issues, don’t care or haven’t walked in your pumps. Some of the best activists I know used to perform (or still do) on various stages or were pageant titleholders. Some are leaders in their local GLBT communities when they’re off stage.

In the early 80’s, I was a scared kid first starting to venture out in Houston’s gayborhood called Montrose. I didn’t know anybody, was still trying to sort out things and nervous about whether my femme presentation was up to snuff. It was Houston’s legendary drag queen and show emcee Cookie LaCook who took a few moments out of her busy evening to speak to me when other peeps wouldn’t. It jump-started a conversation that put me on the road to becoming the Phenomenal Transwoman you see today and earned me ‘cool points’ with the regular patrons of Studio 13.

Over the next two decades Cookie and I would get into some deep conversations over the years. She sometimes incorporated me into her monologues as “Soul Sister Number One.” I was saddened to find out she passed away July 27

I know what illusionists do isn’t easy. It takes a lot of work, time, talent and effort to perfect the onstage persona, much less perform. I found that out firsthand when I went on stage at small club back home as a favor to a Latina illusionist friend of mine named Brittany Paige. She’d been asking me to do a Talent Night for two years before I finally said okay. It’s not my cup of tea and I’m more comfortable on a stage with a podium, a microphone and a speech in front of me and she knew that. The joy that lit up Brittany’s face is one image that brings a smile to my face whenever I think about her. A week after my one time performance she lost her battle with AIDS.

My illusionist friends helped me polish my feminine presentation. They taught me a few tucking techniques and trade secrets that aided my transition. For the ones that only did girl onstage I got the pleasure of sitting backstage, watch them morph into the gorgeous divas that you peeps tip and learn some makeup secrets in the process.

And speaking of tips, if you like the performer, give ‘em a little somethin’ somethin’. Makeup and all the things ‘the gurls’ need to transform themselves into the beautiful peeps you see ain’t cheap.

They were generally cool people to be around and the source of some entertaining moments as well. I’ve watched illusionists read each other, trifling boyfriends, and hecklers. I’ve seen them beat the crap out of suburban bigots who thought they were easy targets outside of clubs and get into wig-pulling fights. But these same people when I was kicked back and chilling at their cribs challenged and expanded my worldview. They inspired me to check out my African-American LGBT history, helped me sort out my gender issues and kicked knowledge to me about a wide range of subjects.

I can’t forget the greatest gift the illusionist community gave us in conjunction with transgender peeps. They jump started the GLBT rights movement with the 1967 Compton’s Cafeteria riot in San Francisco and Stonewall two years later because they were mad as hell and tired of being jacked with by the police.

So no, I’m not hatin’. I’m appreciating all the things the illusionist community does in their own way to make this a better world for all of us.


TransGriot Note: I discovered after I sent it off to be printed that the Compton's Riot actually happened in August 1966. I also discovered that my editor refused to print this one as well. More details on what's transpiring in regards to my newspaper column in an upcoming post.

USA Women Ballers Are Beijing Bound

When the Olympics kick off in Beijing next summer, the three time defending Olympic champion US women ballers will be marching into the stadium.

Team USA completed their business trip in Valdivia, Chile by beating down the Cubans 101-71 in the finals of the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship for Women to take the gold medal. More importanly they clinched the FIBA Americas Zone automatic Olympic berth.

The number one team in FIBA's world basketball rankings started their run to the title on September 26 in shaky fashion. In their Group B opener the Cubans actually led our girls 34-33 at halftime and were up 58-55 at the end of the third quarter thanks to center Yakelyn Plutin-Pizon's game-high 23 points.

With the Chilean crowd at Antonio Azuermendy Arena loudly cheering for the Cubans the entire game, Sue Bird led the final Team USA charge to victory over Fidel's Belles with five minutes left in the game. She dished out 9 assists to fuel the three point shooting barrage from Tina Thompson, Katie Smith and Diana Taurasi to cap a 30 point fourth quarter surge that helped them escape with an 85-79 win.

Candace Parker led Team USA with 21 points, Diana Taurasi chipped in 16 on 4 for 7 three point shooting, Tina Thompson (my girl) and Katie Smith both finished the game with 13 points.

Team USA showed no love to the Jamaicans during their September 27 Group B game. Seimone Augustus was one of five Team USA players in double figures as she led all scorers with 19 points in the 115-47 victory. Tina Thompson scored 18 points, Diana Taurasi chipped in 12 with Sue Bird and Kara Lawson scoring 11 each. Every Team USA player scored as Coach Anne Donovan rested the starters. Ms. Deux's favorite player Cappie Poindexter got significant minutes in this one. She contributed 6 points in her 20 minutes of action as Team USA moved to 2-0 in Group B preliminary round play.

On September 28 it was No Canada as Team USA sprinted off to a 38-18 first quarter lead, held our neighbors to only six points in the second quarter and took a 59-24 halftime lead. The commanding 85-37 win secured their spot in the semifinal round as they finished Group B play with a 3-0 record.

11 of the 12 Team USA players contributed buckets as everybody got playing time. Tina Thompson led all scorers with 14 points with Delisha Milton-Jones and Candace Parker chipping in 12 apiece.

In the Semifinal round on September 29 Team USA took on Argentina, who finished second in Group A behind the Brazilians. The Argentinians were probably saying 'no mas' on their way to the locker room as Team USA's stifling defense and torrid shooting propelled them to a 58-15 halftime lead.

This time it was Rebekkah Brunson doing the damage as she took only 18 minutes to score 20 points on 7 of 9 shooting and grab 6 rebounds. Cappie Poindexter chipped in 5 points along with the 3 steals and 7 assists she dished out as all Team USA players scored for the second time in this tournament. Candace Parker, Seimone Augustus and Katie Smith were also in double figures with 17, 15 and 11 points. Delisha Milton-Jones chipped in 6 assists to go with her 8 points and 5 rebounds in her 17 minutes of work as the 104-53 spanking vaulted them into the championship game.


In the final that was played today, one of Team USA's missions in addition to winning the game was shutting down eventual tournament MVP Yakelyn Plutin-Pizon. She lit up the Brazilians for 28 points enroute to the Cubans 69-67 semifinal win that propelled them into the FIBA Americas Tournament for Women Gold medal game and a rematch with Team USA.

Team USA made sure there wasn't going to be a repeat of their opening round nail biter. They held Plutin-Pizon to 11 points on 4 for 11 shooting as they raced to a 29-13 lead at the end of the first quarter and expanded it to a 49-30 margin at the break. Tina Thompson led all scorers with 18 points and grabbed six rebounds. Diana Taurasi had a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Kara Lawson was 4 for 7 from three point range as she finished with 14 points. Candace Parker contributed 12 points and Katie Smith scored 15 in the Gold medal game.

In the bronze medal game the Brazilians shook off a slow start and cruised to a 71-41 win over Argentina. Team Canada finshed fifth by beating the host Chileans 86-68.

Team USA's future is so bright we'll need shades. Candace Parker, Seimone Augustus, Diana Taurasi, Rebekkah Brunson and Cappie Poindexter made significant contributions along with the vets.

Team USA also looks forward to the return of center Lisa Leslie, who's still getting in playing shape after missing the 2007 WNBA season to have a baby. While our players stay sharp (and hopefully injury free) during the 2008 WNBA season, the silver medallist Cubans, the Brazilians and the Argentinians get one final chance to qualify for Beijing next summer at the FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

Looking forward to next summer's Olympic Games basketball tournaments already.

I Am She

An MKR poem

I am she
Was never he
May not agree
But here I be

Whoopee
I'm a divorcee
From masculinity
I'm so happy

Femininity
Is my cup of tea
But society
Questions my sanity

Fortunately
I'm not a devotee
Of your whacked ideology
And let my femme spirit free

Take a look and see
The curvy femme body
Matching the femme personality
Residing in me

Born a he
Theoretically
Ain't easy being T
But I love myself unconditonally

I am she
Was never he
I say it with glee
For eternity

The New Barney Theme Song

(Sung to the tune of the Theme From Barney)
Dedicated to the transphobic congressman from Massachusetts

I love you, you love me
But I don't if you are T
With a wink and a nudge to my friends at HRC
Took transpeeps out of ENDA, yes sirree.

Wait Your Turn?

Frankly, I have never yet engaged in a direct action movement that was 'well-timed' according to the timetable of those who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation.

For years now I have heard the words "Wait!" It rings in the ear of every Negro with a piercing familiarity. This "Wait" has almost always meant "Never".

Rev Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr
'Letter From Birmingham City Jail', April 16, 1963.

Ever since I begun fighting in 1998 in conjunction with other transgender people around the country to expand the work of Dr. King, I have heard a late 20th-early 21st century variation of that paragraph uttered from the lips of numerous gay and lesbian people when it comes to transgender civil rights.

Wait your turn.

Wait my turn? Wait my turn for what?

Did you gay and lesbian people 'wait you turn' when you pushed for inclusion in civil rights legislation in the 70's?

Did you gay and lesbian people 'wait your turn' when you demanded that funding for HIV/AIDS research and finding a cure for it get higher priority in the 80's?

Did you 'wait your turn' when you demanded that your rights be acknowledged and respected in the 90's?

Did you gay and lesbian people 'wait your turn' in 2003 when you disastrously pushed for marriage equality one year before a critical presidential election?


How dare you part your lips to even say that to us. We transgender people are the ones who had the cojones to stand up to police harassment in San Francisco in 1966 and during the Stonewall Rebellion in 1969 while you gay and lesbian peeps were cowering in your closets. It is transgender blood that is being shed and transgender peeps who are discriminated against, denigrated, and disrespected by our foes and even by you, our so-called allies.

You have repeatedly cut us out of civil rights legislation on every level of government with the soothing words of 'we'll come back for you'. That has been proven over the years to be an odious lie as we wait for you in many jurisdictions across the United States to fulfill your broken promises.

Yesterday, led by your point gay Rep. Barney Frank, you once again cut us out of a bill that frankly, we need more than you do. You uttered the lie that 'we'll come back for you' and help you pass the 'GENDA bill' while pulling HR 2015 that was inclusive and replacing it with a gay and lesbian only one in addition to GENDA.

We transpeople know that you will bury that GENDA bill in a subcommittee, never call hearings on it and let it die a painful death while you selfishly fast-track your gay and lesbian only ENDA bill to the House floor for passage.

The sad part is that President Bush isn't going to sign it, so why start a civil war in the GLB community over this issue?

If there's anything that the misguided pastors of the Hi Impact Leadership Coalition have been proven right on is that your GLB civil rights movement is not like ours. Your GLB movement is selfish, morally bankrupt, exclusive and has been so since 1971, while the Civil Rights Movement led by Dr. King was a morally strong and inclusive one. You have more in common with the Dixiecrats than with civil rights warriors such as Rep. John Lewis (D-GA).

You say the country is not ready for transgender inclusion in civil rights law. Just today Oprah Winfrey did a show on transgender people and is doing another one on October 12. Transgender people are getting more positive coverage every day. Surveys prove over and over again that the public is more enlightened on the transgender issue than the Barney Franks of the GLB movement who are still drinking the hate-on-transpeople Kool-aid of Janice Raymond and Jim Fouratt.

As a transperson who also happens to be a proud African-American, the 'wait your turn' to me and transpeople who share my ethnic heritage sounds eerily similar to what Supreme Court Justice Roger B. Taney wrote in the Dred Scott Decision majority opinion 150 years ago: That I have no rights that you are bound to respect.

Wait your turn.

Rep. Frank and all you gay and lesbian conservaqueers who share his myopic self-centered views, how long must I and other transgender people wait for their constitutional rights in your infinite wisdom? It's sickening that transpeople in other countries around the world such as Spain and Great Britain are gaining and have more rights than those of us who live in the so-called cradle of democracy.

Will little six year old Jazz, the transkid profiled in Barbara Walters 20/20 story on transgender people have to wait until she's 21 to get constitutional protection?

How about Rochelle Evans in Fort Worth? Will she have to wait until she's 45 to get a law that protects her civil rights?

How long will transgender prom queen Crystal Vera have to wait? How long will Jake, the 16 year old transman profiled on today's Oprah show have to wait?

Rep. Frank and Speaker Pelosi, do you have the balls to tell the parents of these transkids that they must 'wait their turn' for their constitutional rights?

How long will transpeople who've been fighting this pitched battle with you for a decade over ENDA and simple inclusion in the GLB community since the 1970's have to wait? Can you walk into a TAVA meeting and tell our transgender veterans who honorably served our country, fought to protect, extend and defend people's civil rights and freedoms abroad that they have to 'wait their turn' to have the same freedoms extended to them at home?

Can you look all the parents and family members of deceased transpeople such as Rita Hester, Tyra Hunter, Gwen Araujo, Brandon Teena, Deborah Forte, and hundreds of others in the eye and tell them that transpeople have to 'wait their turn 'to have their civil rights codified into law?

So if you couldn't 'wait your turn', then why would you dare ask us, the shock troops of the GLBT movement to do something that you yourselves are unwilling to acquiesce to?

Fight The Power

TransGriot Note: Whenever I get in a militant mood (which this ENDA bullcrap has me in right now), I pull out my Isley Brothers CD along with Public Enemy's 'Can't Truss It', Cameo's 'Talking out the Side of Your Neck' and other political themed songs. I've been playing this one most of the day.


Time is truly wastin'
There's no guarantee
Smile is in the makin'
You gotta fight the powers that be
Got so many forces
Stayin' on the scene
Givin' up all around me
Faces full a' pain

I try to play my music
They say my music's too loud
I tried talkin' about it
I got the big run around
And when I rolled with the punches
I got knocked on the ground
By all this bullshit going down

Time is truly wastin'
There's no guarantee, yeah
Smile's in the makin'
We gotta fight the powers that be
I don't understand it
People wanna see, yeah
Those that got the answers
Red tape in the way
I could take to it easy
That's just half the fun, naw naw
Seeking my satisfaction
Keeps me on the run

I try to play my music
They say my music's too loud
I tried talkin' about it
I got the big run around
And when I rolled with the punches
I got knocked on the ground
By all this bullshit going down

Time is truly wastin'
There's no guarantee, yeah yeah
Smile is in the makin'
We gotta fight the powers that be
Fight it baby, yeah

Ooh, yeah, If you do it I can - fight the power
C'mon, Fight it, fight the power
Fight it, fight the yeah baby, yeah baby
Fight it, c'mon, fight the power
Fight it, fight it, fight the power
Fight, fight, fight the power
Stand up and fight it, fight the power
Stand up, Stand up Fight the power
Fight, fight, fight

fight fight the fight power
I believe, I believe flight the power

I'm Not Surprised: GLB Version

One of the things that I've been worried about since my DC lobby trip was a scenario in which they kept transpeople in hate crimes and let it pass, but transpeople got stripped out of the more critically important HR 2015, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

Well, that scenario just happened. HR 2015 as of this morning is no longer being moved. It was replaced with two separate ENDA bills filed Thursday by the transgender community's old nemesis, the Purple Dinosaur AKA Rep Barney Frank (D-MA).
One bill is gay and lesbian only, the other has the 'gender identity' language.

The resident transphobe on Capitol Hill has PERMANENTLY earned the wrath and vitriol he's gonna get from transpeople.

Barney has been the point gay on keeping us out of ENDA. He has basically provided the religious right with their talking points over the last decade to use against transpeople by bringing up the shower issue and calling Riki Wilchins 'Read My Lips' book a transgender handbook. (which is laughable)

Of course the 'sell the trannies out' gay and lesbian voices are in full throat with their 'wait your turn' spin. What they won't tell you is that we've done canvass after canvass of congresscritters over the last decade that indicate that transgender inclusion won't sink ENDA.

And they know that as well. The Mattachine wing of the gay rights movement has reared its ugly trans-hating head.

I think we need to make a serious push toward getting transpersons elected to Congress. In the interim, somebody needs to run against Barney Frank in the primary next year to send him (and any other transphobic legislator) a personal message that we've had it with being cut out of civil rights bills.

Political Good News-Bad News

Today is a day of mixed emotions for me. This morning the Senate passed by a 60-39 margin (John McCain R-AZ abstained) Sen. Ted Kennedy's (D-MA) Hate Crimes amendment to HR 1585 that covers transgender people like myself.

You'll recall the trip I made to DC last May in order to lobby in favor of HR 1592 (the Hate Crimes Bill) and HR 2015, the Employment Non Discrimination Act or ENDA. And that's a nice segue into the bad news part of this post.

During the night a Washington Blade story broke the news that there may be a move underway to cut transgender people out of HR 2015. That news has incensed myself and other transgender activists who have seen this scenario replayed over and over during the last decade.

Some gay and lesbian activists make the claim that GLBT civil rights legislation such as ENDA won't pass with transpeople in it. They cut us out of it, claim they'll come back and help us pass a transgender-only bill after they get 'their' rights and then leave us hanging out to dry.

Not this time. We're beyond sick and tired of this crap. We're the ones dying, we're the ones being discriminated against and we're being arrogantly told by some elements of the gay and lesbian community that 'it's not your turn' to get rights?

What kind of Bush Bizarro World logic is that? Without the 'gender identity' language in this bill it doesn't cover YOU.

ENDA's currently being debated in the House Committee on Education and Labor's Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions. We transpeople need your help. We have initiated a a phone and letter writing campaign in order to keep transpeople in this bill.

Call, write, e-mail, fax - don't wait, contact them now!

Further information on how to reach House members is available at www.house.gov.

Committee on Education and Labor
2181 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-3725


If you call or write, please emphasize these points.

*Transgender people are the most discriminated against minority in the workplace today, with estimates of over 70% of transgender people having actually experienced workplace discrimination.

*Without transgender inclusion, gay and lesbian people will continue to face legal discrimination in the workplace because of their lack of congruence with societal norms of gender presentation and behavior.

If you have personal discrimination stories to tell, I encourage you to do so. That tends to be powerful testimony. It might make the difference in turning a hardline NO vote to a YES one, or if they're worried about political retribution, give them cover to abstain.


Who to direct the call or letter to:

Members of the Committee on Education and Labor.

Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Members in Bold

Pertinent Staff Members:

Jody Calemine, Labor Policy Deputy Director
Jeffrey Hancuff, Staff Assistant, Labor

Democrats

All Phone numbers are in the (202) area code

* George Miller, Chairman (CA-07) 225-2095 Rm 2205

* Dale E. Kildee (MI-05) 225-3611 Rm 2107

* Donald M. Payne (NJ-10) 225-3436 Rm 2209

*Robert E. Andrews (NJ-01) 225-6501 Rm 2439 (Subcommittee chair)

* Robert C. Scott (VA-03) 225-8351 Rm 1201

* Lynn C. Woolsey (CA-06) 225-5161 Rm 2263

* Rubén Hinojosa (TX-15) 225-2531 Rm 2463

* Carolyn McCarthy (NY-04) 225-5516 Rm 106

* John F. Tierney (MA-06) 225-8020 Rm 2238

* Dennis J. Kucinich (OH-10) 225-5871 Rm 2445

* David Wu (OR-01) 225-0855 Rm 2338

* Rush D. Holt (NJ-12) 225-5801 Rm 1019

* Susan A. Davis (CA-53) 225-2040 Rm 1526

* Danny K. Davis (IL-07) 225-5006 Rm 2159

* Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ-07) 225-2435 Rm 1440

* Timothy H. Bishop (NY-01) 225-3826 Rm 225

* Linda T. Sánchez (CA-39) 225-6676 Rm 1222

* John Sarbanes (MD-03) 225-4016 Rm 426

* Joe Sestak (PA-07) 225-2011 Rm 1022

* Dave Loebsack (IA-02) 225-6576 Rm 1513

* Mazie Hirono (HI-02) 225-4906 Rm 1229

* Jason Altmire (PA-04) 225-2565 Rm 1419

* John Yarmuth (KY-03) 225-5401 Rm 319

* Phil Hare (IL-17) 225-5905 Rm 1118

* Yvette Clarke (NY-11) 225-6231 Rm 1029

* Joe Courtney (CT-02) 225-2076 Rm 215

* Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01) 225-5456 Rm 1508

Republicans

* Howard P. "Buck" McKeon, Ranking Member (CA-25)225-1956 Rm 2351

* Thomas E. Petri (WI-06) 225-2476 Rm 2462

* Peter Hoekstra (MI-02) 225-4401 Rm 2234

* Michael N. Castle (DE-At Large)225-4165 Rm 1233

* Mark E. Souder (IN-03) 225-4436 Rm 2231

* Vernon J. Ehlers (MI-03) 225-3831 Rm 2182

* Judy Biggert (IL-13) 225-3515 Rm 1034

* Todd Russell Platts (PA-19) 225-5836 Rm 1032

* Ric Keller (FL-8) 225-2176 Rm 419

* Joe Wilson (SC-02) 225-2452 Rm 212

* John Kline (MN-02) 225-2271 Rm 1429 Subcommittee Ranking Member)

* Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05)225-2006 Rm 1708

* Kenny Marchant (TX-24) 225-6605 Rm 1037

* Tom Price (GA-06) 225-4501 Rm 424

* Luis G. Fortuño (PR) 225-2615 Rm 126

* Charles W. Boustany, Jr. (LA-07) 225-2031 Rm 1117

* Virginia Foxx (NC-05) 225-2071 Rm 430

* John R. "Randy" Kuhl, Jr. (NY-29) 225-3161 Rm 1505

* Rob Bishop (UT-01) 225-0453 Rm 124

* David Davis (TN-01) 225-6356 Rm 514

* Timothy Walberg (MI-07)225-6276 Rm 325

* Dean Heller (NV-02) 225-6155 Rm 1023

Important Members of Congress Who Need To Be Contacted:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) 225-4965 Rm 235

Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) 225-4131 Rm 1705

Barney Frank (D-MA) 225-5931 Rm 2252

Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) 225-2906 Rm 2446

Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) 225-3315 Rm 2135