African-American Sibling Fencers Win Silver Medals

The Williams sisters aren't the only African-American siblings who will be taking medals back home from Beijing.

Meet Keeth and Erinn Smart. Keeth and Erinn are the trailblazing fencers from Brooklyn, NY who were the first kids that walked through the doors of the Peter Westbrook Foundation's fencing program when he started it in 1990.

Peter Westbrook was the last American man to win a fencing medal and the first African-American one to do so. He captured a bronze medal in the men's sabre event at the 1984 LA Games. The Smarts are competing in their third Olympics, and as the old saying goes, the third time was the charm. But they've had a rough year just getting to this point.

Their parents unfortunately weren't there to witness it. Their father Thomas Smart passed away in 2005 from a sudden heart attack,. Their mother Audrey Elizabeth died recently in March after battling colon cancer for two years.

Keeth contracted a rare blood disorder that put him in intensive care for two weeks while competing in a fencing tournament in Algeria. The disorder not only threatened his participation in the Beijing Games but put his life in jeopardy as well.

The Smart's roads to their respective medals were just as rocky. In the women's team foil event Team USA was ranked seventh out of eight teams. They upset Poland and then held off Hungary 35-33 in the semifinals as Erinn held off a furious late charge by the Hungarian fencer to send them to the gold medal match versus Russia.

Unfortunately Team USA lost to Russia 28-11 in the gold medal match, but in the process they earned the first US medals in the foil event since 1960.

Keeth's run to a medal was just as dramatic in the men's team sabre event.

Smart took over in the quarterfinal with the USA trailing defending world champion Hungary 40-36. In the team event, first one to 45 wins, and the Americans had their backs to the wall. Smart rallied to tie the match at 44 all, then scored the winning touch to send them to the semifinals against the Russians.

In the semifinals, Keeth found himself not only facing a 40-35 deficit, but a personal demon as well. At the 2004 Athens Games he came on the strip in the bronze medal match against the Russians with a 40-35 lead. Russia's Stanislav Pozdnyakov rallied to lead them to a 45-44 win and the bronze medal. The loss bothered him to the point that he took a two year sabbatical from the sport.

Smart was now ironically facing the same man in the reverse situation and rose to the challenge. He outfenced Pozdnyakov and led Team USA to a 45-44 win and the gold medal match against France.

Unfortunately in the gold medal match Team USA fell behind 40-28 before Smart took over. Despite the twelve point deficit, he almost pulled it out with another miracle rally against France's Julien Pillet. He outscored him 9-5, but the deficit was too much to overcome as Team USA lost 45-37 to France for the silver, the first fencing medals for the men's sabre program since 1984.

Congratulations Keeth and Erinn for making history in the fencing world, being trailblazing role models and finally earning those well-deserved medals while persevering through a tough year for both of you off the strip.

APA Resolves To Play Leading Role In Improving Treatment For Gender-Variant People

TransGriot Note: The transgender community will be closely monitoring the APA to ensure they follow through on what has been written in this press release.

BOSTON – The American Psychological Association urged psychologists today to take a leading role in ending discrimination based on gender identity, calling upon the profession to provide "appropriate, nondiscriminatory treatment to all transgender and gender-variant individuals" and encouraging more research into all aspects of gender identity and expression.

The action came at APA's Annual Convention when the association's governing Council of Representatives adopted a resolution supporting full equality for transgender and gender-variant people. The resolution also calls on APA to:

* support legal and social recognition of transgender individuals consistent with their gender identity and expression;
* support the provision of adequate and medically necessary treatment for transgender and gender-variant people;
* recognize the benefit and necessity of gender transition treatments for appropriately evaluated individuals;
* call on public and private insurers to cover these treatments.

In addition to adopting the wide-ranging resolution, the Council of Representatives received a report by APA's Task Force on Gender Identity and Gender Variance. The six-member task force spent more than two years reviewing the scientific literature, as well as APA policies regarding transgender issues. It was also charged with developing recommendations for education, professional training and further research into transgenderism, and proposing how APA can best meet the needs of psychologists and students who identify as transgender or gender-variant.

Noting that transgender people, their families, friends and employers are increasingly turning to psychologists for help, "this trend underscores the need for psychologists to acquire greater knowledge and competence in addressing transgender issues," the report states.

Among the report's recommendations:

* APA should encourage training programs and graduate internships to welcome and support transgender and gender-variant people;
* APA should develop separate practice guidelines for transgender clients;
* APA should encourage more research into gender identity and expression, including the reliability and validity of diagnostic criteria for gender identity disorders;
* APA should advocate for antidiscrimination protection for transgender people in jurisdictions that lack such laws.

With regard to research, the task force listed a series of recommended areas of focus, including social stigma and public attitudes toward gender identity; identity development, including prospective studies of children and adolescents; the process and outcome of transgender-specific health care; and the variables associated with the efficacy of sex reassignment.

As a direct result of the task force's work, APA added gender identity to its nondiscrimination policy earlier this year. This builds upon prior adoption of gender identity nondiscrimination language in APA's bylaws, Code of Ethics and its Guidelines and Principles for Accreditation of Professional Programs in Psychology.

In addition, the task force developed a brochure, Answers to Your Questions about Transgender Individuals and Gender Identity (http://www.apa.org/topics/transgender.html), which APA published in 2006 and has made available on its Web site.

The task force recommended that APA take no position with respect to the diagnosis of gender identity disorder, which is sometimes required for transgender clients to obtain needed care. "Psychologists who work with clients with gender identity issues are not of one mind on this issue," task force members wrote. They noted that the psychiatric profession publishes the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, which contains GID, "and thus revision is their responsibility."

The report noted that APA has previously adopted resolutions discouraging psychologists from using diagnoses that are potentially harmful or discriminatory. "Accordingly, if there were evidence showing the GID diagnosis to be similarly harmful and discriminatory against gender-variant, transgender or transsexual people, there would be a precedent for a resolution discouraging psychologists from using this diagnosis," the task force wrote. "However … there is a great deal of disagreement about the GID diagnosis and whether it is helpful or harmful; therefore, the Task Force does not recommend that APA take a position on GID at this time."

'Transsexuality Gene' Makes Women Feel Like Men

16:13 29 July 2008
NewScientist.com news service
Linda Geddes

A gene variant has been identified that appears to be associated with female-to-male transsexuality – the feeling some women have that they belong to the opposite sex.

While such complex behaviour is likely the result of multiple genes, environmental and cultural factors, the researchers say the discovery suggests that transsexuality does have a genetic component.

The variation is in the gene for an enzyme called cytochrome P17, which is involved in the metabolism of sex hormones. Its presence leads to higher than average tissue concentrations of male and female sex hormones, which may in turn influence early brain development.

Clemens Tempfer and his colleagues at the Medical University of Vienna in Austria discovered the variant after analysing DNA samples from 49 female-to-male (FtM) and 102 male-to-female (MtF) transsexuals, as well as 1669 non-transsexual controls.

The variant was more common in men than women, although it doesn’t seem to be implicated in MtF transsexuality as the proportion of MtF transsexuals with it was similar to that in non-transsexual men. In women, however, there were some differences: 44% of FtM transsexuals carried it, compared with 31% of non-transsexual women.

Testosterone boost

While there are many women with the variant who are not transsexual and many FtM transsexuals who lack it, the finding raises the possibility that the variant makes women more likely to feel that their bodies are of the wrong sex, and that this is a result of their brains having been exposed to higher than average levels of sex hormones during development.

"It may increase the likelihood that people will become transsexual," says Tempfer. But he stresses that their cultural environment is also important.

"The present study found that a mutant gene that ultimately results in higher testosterone levels is overrepresented in female-to male transsexualism, says Mikael Landén of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.

"This is in line with what we previously know about masculinisation of the brain and is therefore less likely to be a chance finding", he says. "Hence, the study is important and adds to the notion that gender identity is influenced by sex hormones early in life, and that certain gene combinations make individuals more vulnerable to aberrant effects."

Motive fears

However, Janett Scott, former president of the Beaumont Society, a UK support group for transgender people, is concerned that positing a biological basis for transsexuality may encourage people to try and cure it.

"Nature may have made us the way that we are, but nurture is what gives us a problem," she says.

Tempfer strongly denies any such motive for his research: "That is completely out of the question," he says.

Nonetheless, he says, if other gene variants with a stronger association to transsexuality are identified, establishing a diagnosis might become easier. This might allow gender reassignment surgery or hormone therapy to start earlier in life.

Journal reference: Fertility and Sterility (DOI: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2007.05.056)

Real Motherhood Is About This

17 Aug 2008, 0407 hrs IST,
T S Sreenivasa Raghavan,TNN
from The Times Of India

It was a quiescent Sunday evening. The sky was alight in hues of red and purple, and an energetic breeze from the seashore whirred into the bus I had boarded from Cuddallore. I was back from an interview, an unusual one but, more importantly, one that had answered one of the nagging questions of my life.

The meeting with Kalki a transgender friend of mine had answered the question: 'Who is a real mother?' Through my life, I had never got an answer perhaps because the mental illness my mother has been suffering from for the last 43 years had created a chasm in our relationship. I grew up in my grandmother's custody. I didn't expect the question to be answered. But a phone call from the 30-plus Kalki started it all: "I've something to share if you could make it to Cuddallore..."

The stunningly beautiful trans-gender, whose father was a senior DMK leader in Tamil Nadu, is based in Pollachi, some 450 kilometres from Chennai. An arts graduate, she later did her post-graduation in journalism and mass communication. Till recently she worked for an IT giant as web designer before she decided to pursue the career of an independent media specialist.

As I reached the orphanage in Cuddallore, Kalki came running out. "It's been so long since we met," she said warmly. "I'm so happy you came. Meet my daughter, Selvi." It was then that I noticed a child who was playing with toys scattered around her.

I was fazed at first. Suddenly, I recalled a news report I'd read recently in The Guardian: 'Pregnant man gives birth to baby girl.' But I still couldn't believe Kalki.

"Don't tell me. I know you're beautiful. But, I also know..." I hesitated.

It was then that Kalki unfolded her story. In 2006, she and her friends had gone to Cuddallore to hold an HIV awareness camp. It was there that she met Selvi and her biological parents begging at the entrance to a temple.

"The parents were pitch-drunk. They were physically tormenting the child to beg," Kalki recalls. Unable to stand the sight, she approached the mother: "I'm a childless mother. Can I have your baby?"

It was a lie. But Kalki had no hesitation in mouthing it.

"Give me Rs 1,000 and take her. And don't ever bring her back," the mother replied.

Finally as she walked away nonchalantly pocketing a paltry sum of Rs 500, Kalki and her friends were shocked.I learnt from Kalki later that the mother had, in fact, sold the same girl for Rs 2,000 earlier. But the buyer returned the baby soon afterwards when a doctor told him that apart from being malnourished, she had a hole in her heart and would not survive.

But that didn't stop Kalki from doing what she felt right. "Selvi anyway would have died," she avers. "But I said to myself 'First let me make an attempt...'"

Fortunately, Selvi survived and the doctor now says that there's no room for worry, though the child is slightly retarded. "Normal or retarded, I love her...she's my daughter," Kalki told me, holding the baby to her closely. What will Kalki do if the biological mother turns up? "I won't give Selvi up. I may not have given birth to her but isn't there a motherhood that's beyond biology?" she asked.

As I took leave of Kalki and later waited for the bus, I realised to my infinite emotion that the question that had been troubling me for so long had just been answered.

sreenivasa.srinivasa@gmail.com

More Ballroom Community Video

As Clay Cane's and Frank Leon Roberts blogs document, the ballroom community is still evolving and possibly about to become more mainstream. You have Isis Tsunami competing in Cycle 11 of America's Next Top Model.

Tracy Africa went from walking the runways at New York balls to the runways of European fashion capitals.

There are balls and ball houses that have spread out from New York and now have chapters in many of the major cities of the United States.

So enjoy some of these YouTube clips of various balls.


2007 Mizrahi Candyland Ball



DeDe Balenciaga




1993 Alphabet Ball



Classic Ball Tanay vs. Onjenee


The 2007 Icon Ball Drags Face category.



Barbie Mizrahi

Venus and Serena Win Beijing Doubles Gold

My favorite tennis playing sisters shook off their disappointing quarterfinal singles losses and beat Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual of Spain 6-2, 6-0 to win the women's doubles tornament

They were the 2000 Sydney Games doubles gold medallists, but didn't defend the title at Athens because of an injury to Venus. They made a little history in the process by becoming only the second pair to win the Olympic doubles title twice after fellow Americans Gigi and Mary Jo Fernandez.

While they had their troubles in the Beijing singles tournament, they didn't on the doubles side of it. They only dropped two sets during the entire tournament and were rarely challenged. In fact, the sisters are now 10-0 in Olympic doubles competition.

The 2012 London Games tennis tournament venue, should the Williams sisters decide to defend their title and make the 2012 Olympic team, will be conducted at the Williams sisters personal playground, the All England Lawn Tennis Club.

Kellie Telesford Murderer Gets Off

Across The Pond, they've had their own high profile transgender murder trial going on. Unfortunately the results are depressingly familiar to those of us who are transgender, a transperson of color and live on this side of the Atlantic.

18 year old Shanniel Hyatt was cleared of murdering 39 year old florist and beautician Kellie Telesford. She'd met Hyatt outside the south London beauty salon where she worked just hours before she was killed.

Ms. Telesford's worried friends, who knew she rarely went anywhere without having her phone by her side and hadn't been able to successfully contact her called police. She was found strangled to death with a brown scarf around her neck in her locked South London apartment on November 21, 2007.

According to trial testimony, when paramedics found her body, the scarf was tied so tightly around her neck they could only get the tips of their fingers inside. There were also partial DNA traces from Shanniel Hyatt on the scarf it as well.

Hyatt admitted he gone out on a date with Telesford on November 18 while his girlfriend was out of town with their baby. Hyatt met her at the Norbury train station and rode back to Telesford's apartment for a drink and to watch DVD's.

He claimed she performed a sex act on him and denied that he killed Kellie Telesford in a transphobic rage after discovering she was a pre-op transwoman.

According to prosecutor Sally O'Neill, her body was on the floor with only her feet and right hand poking out from a "carefully" draped white throw. The apartment showed signs of disturbance, appearing to have been searched and items stolen such as Kellie's mobile phone, electronic equipment and her Oyster card.

CCTV images and mobile telephone records show Hyatt used Ms. Telesford's Oyster card to catch the bus from her home. He was carrying a "big bag, probably containing other items that he had stolen", according to Ms. O'Neill.

When Hyatt was arrested he told police he did not kill Ms. Telesford and had not even been aware that she was biologically male at the time. He insisted that she was alive at the time he left her apartment, with that departure time and his story changing several times during repeated questioning by police after his November 29 arrest.

Hyatt's defense attorney Joanna Greenberg admitted her client was a "cheap and nasty thief" but repeated his claim that Ms. Telesford was "fit and well" when he left her apartment. She then incredulously suggested that Kellie may have died during a consensual sex game which went wrong, or that she may have inflicted her fatal injuries herself.

Greenberg also claimed in her defense argument that there were no signs that Ms. Telesford fought Mr Hyatt, even though she had "a man's strength".

Say what?

Yeah, right. We transwomen of color are not only exotic sex fiends with large sex organs and superhuman strength, but have magical powers and abilities far beyond the capabilities of biowomen, too. But if it flies in the face of logic and scientific evidence and works to get your apartment robbing murderous transphobic client off, so be it. Gotta blame that trannie for her own death and trash her reputation while you're at it.

Even though Hyatt was acquitted of manslaughter and murder charges, he's still in custody pending a deportation hearing back to Jamaica, mon.

Why am I not surprised he's from the most homophobic and transphobic place on earth?

And once again, the family of a slain transgender person is left wondering why this senseless murder happened and why the justice system once again failed to convict the killer.

I can only hope and pray we have better results with Angie Zapata's killer.

Double B-Ball Blowouts

Spain has been having a banner year athletically. Rafael Nadal not only has become the world's number one ranked player in tennis, he's in the tennis singles gold medal match. A Spaniard won the Tour De France. Spain won the Euro soccer championship and are the defending FIBA men's world basketball champs.

But in these Games so far, when it comes to basketball, Americans rule.

The USA men did something for the first time in these Games. They finally lit somebody up from three point range and it couldn't have come at a better time.

A Group B showdown game that was supposed to be a stiff test for Team USA turned into a 119-82 blowout thanks to lethal 12 of 25 (48%) shooting from behind the shorter FIBA arc.

They've only been shooting 29% for the tournament so far, but hit their first seven three pointers as every Team USA player scored for the first time in these Games. LeBron James had 18 points, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony each chipped in 16 points, Chris Paul tallied 14, with Kobe Bryant and Deron Williams both chipping in 11 as Team USA moved to 4-0 in pool play.

Team USA has a final group match with Dirk Nowitzki and Germany before heading to the quarterfinals. They will face the number 4 team from Group A, either Australia or Croatia. If they keep winning, they will not face either Group A leader Lithuania or Spain again until the gold medal game.

The women beat Spain Friday, but it was a little tougher slog for them. Despite opening the game with a 19-4 run and holding Spain scoreless for 7:30, they fought back to trim the early Team USA advantage to 22-17 at the end of the first quarter and only had a five point halftime lead. Team USA also had a scare when Lisa Leslie went to the bench with a minor hip injury.

They tightened the defensive screws and opened the third quarter with a 20-5 run to take control of the game. Lisa Leslie had 14 points to go with her 11 rebounds while Tina Thompson chipped in 17. Diana Taurasi tallied 12 points while Candace Parker added 13 to help Team USA subdue Spain 93-55 and go 4-0 in Group B play. Former Houston Comet Amaya Valdemoro tallied 17 for 2-2 Spain.

It was the 29th straight win in Olympic competition for Team USA. Their last Olympic loss was to the Unified Team during the semifinals of the 1992 Barcelona Games.

Team USA will play their final group match against New Zealand before moving on to the quarterfinals to take on the number four team from Group A.

Subpoena of DA Records in Morris Case ‘Imminent’

By Timothy Cwiek
PGN Writer-at-Large
© 2008 Philadelphia Gay News

As the city’s Police Advisory Commission prepares to subpoena the District Attorney’s Office for records in its possession related to the Nizah Morris case, commission members expressed hope the effort will improve relations between police and the LGBT community.

“This [subpoena] certainly won’t hurt police-community relations,” said William M. Johnson, executive director of the PAC. “And I hope it will continue to build trust between the two groups. Anything that can contribute to a better relationship between the police department and the community is a good thing.”

At press time, Johnson said issuance of the subpoena was expected to take place within the next few days.

Morris was a transgender woman who died shortly after receiving a courtesy ride from Philadelphia police during the early-morning hours of Dec. 22, 2002.

Johnson said the PAC received a letter from the D.A.’s Office on Aug. 8, indicating it won’t cooperate with the subpoena due to investigative exemptions, privacy rights and other grounds.

Johnson emphasized that the PAC in no way wishes to interfere with any ongoing probe of the Morris homicide, nor does it wish to violate anyone’s privacy.

“All we’re looking for is additional information as it relates to what actions the three police officers took in their response to Nizah Morris that morning,” Johnson said. “We’re in no way trying to conduct a criminal investigation into the murder of Nizah Morris. We’re not doing that.”

The three officers involved in the Morris incident are Thomas Berry, Elizabeth DiDonato and Kenneth Novak. They remain on the police force, and were cleared of any criminal wrongdoing in December 2003.

Johnson said the PAC is particularly interested in any information the D.A.’s Office possesses concerning cell-phone conversations the officers had that morning.

“I think any cell-phone records, in particular, will help clear up suspicions or confusion surrounding the actions of police that morning,” he said.

Complicating matters is a claim by police that the entire Morris homicide file — consisting of multiple boxes — has disappeared, Johnson said; the missing homicide file is a key reason for the PAC’s effort to obtain additional records concerning the case.

Johnson also said it may be possible that the D.A.’s Office possesses information about several missing 911 transmissions recorded over police radio during the Morris incident.

Police say the transmissions no longer exist.

“We can at least ask the D.A. for information concerning these additional transmissions,” Johnson said. “I don’t know that the D.A.’s Office possesses that information, but we can at least try.”

Even if the D.A.’s Office follows through on its pledge to fight the subpoena in court, Johnson said he’s optimistic that the PAC will prevail in a legal battle.

“I think there’s a good possibility that we’ll be able to get at least the information that we’re looking for, and to review that in connection with the actions taken by the officers that morning,” Johnson said. “That’s the real focus on what we’re trying to do.”

The PAC also is considering more public hearings on the Morris case, but will not make a final decision until it reviews any additional documents obtained by the subpoena, Johnson added.

Kathleen R. Padilla, a local transgender activist, lauded the PAC for its commitment to the Morris case.

“The disappearance of Nizah Morris’ official homicide file causes deep consternation among so many community members,” Padilla said. “Anything the PAC can do to shine a light on this murky case will only serve to improve relations between the community, police and [the] D.A.’s Office.”

Morris was severely inebriated when police responded to a 911 call, canceled medics and decided to take Morris on a ride from Juniper and Chancellor streets to 15th and Walnut streets, where they purportedly thought she lived.

Minutes later, Morris was discovered by passing motorists lying on her back, unconscious and bleeding, at 16th and Walnut streets, with a fractured skull. She died two day later.

Timothy Cwiek can be reached at (215) 625-8501 ext. 208.

The Willie Houston Story

One of the things I need to point out is how pervasive gender and gender role stereotyping is prevalent in our culture. The rigid gender binary has such a powerful connotation that transgressing it as you see played out in transgender people's lives leads to harsh treatment, ostracizing and even death in some cases.

Sometimes even for people who aren't transgender.

On the Remembering our Dead lists are the names Pfc. Barry Winchell and Willie Houston. Neither of these men are GLBT, but died at the hands of others because of the PERCEPTION that they were.

Barry Winchell's story is familiar to anyone who saw the movie Soldier's Girl or who has heard Calpernia Addams speak about it from time to time.

But Willie Houston's story won't been told in a movie, and it's past time that it be heard again. People need to remember the insane reason why we memorialize him on this list. It's an example of the ignorance that some of my people show on gender issues, and unfortunately, that ignorance in this case caused an unnecessary death.

On July 28, 2001, 38 year old Willie Houston, his fiance Nedra Jones, and their friends Valerie and Melvin Holt celebrated their engagement by taking a midnight dinner cruise on the General Jackson Showboat in Nashville, TN.

When the boat docked at 2;45 AM EDT, out of concern for Mr. Holt they decided to wait until most of the passengers had disembarked from the boat before doing so themselves. Ms. Jones had to use the dockside restroom, so she asked her fiance to hold her purse. While Ms. Jones was doing so, Mr. Holt had to also use the restroom so Willie escorted his blind friend to the men's room still in possession of his fiance's purse. Ms. Jones was told by Valerie Holt what was happening when she returned.

A few moments later Houston and Melvin Holt returned from their trip to the men's room. He was still carrying his fiance's purse slung over his shoulder and he and Melvin Holt were laughing about and recounting the homophobic remarks directed at Houston in the men's room.

A few moments later a man later identified as then 25-year-old Lewis Maynard Davidson III and another man started cursing at Houston. When Ms. Jones told Davidson that he didn't have to talk to Houston like that, Davidson responded,"F--k you, fat b---h." Ms. Jones then read Davidson like a cheap novel while Houston warned the man not to disrespect his lady.

As the Holts, Houston and Jones exited the General Jackson, Davidson and his friend continued to spew abusive language and threats at them. Houston finally told Ms. Jones to stop and let Davidson and his companion pass and as he did said, "I'll f--k y'all up-you and your friends."

As they continued walking with the Holts to the parking lot, Davidson shouted insults at them again before heading off to his car. As Houston was unlocking his Davidson approached him again brandishing a gun.

As Jones shouted for security guards, Houston tried to reason with Davidson by saying, "Man, there ain't no need in acting like this. We just came on the boat to have a good time,...and we are just ready to go home."

To drive home the point that he wasn't looking for trouble, Houston pushed the gun in a downward direction, stepped away from Davidson with hands up and open palms faced outward. Davidson still shot, hit Houston in the chest and jumped into a waiting car that rapidly left the scene. Houston unfortunately died a few hours later

Davidson was caught in Ohio two months later and extradited back to Tennessee. He was tried, convicted of first degree premeditated murder and sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Willie Houston.

While Lewis M. Davidson III is rotting in jail, it still doesn't erase the pain for Ms. Jones and everyone who knew Willie Houston. It's also mind boggling to think that this tragic series of events started because the shooter was tripping about someone carrying his girlfriend's purse and ignorantly assumed they were gay.

2009 IFGE Conference Call for Presenters

The International Foundation for Gender Education is requesting presentation and workshop proposals for its upcoming 2009 IFGE Conference. The event will be held February 4-7, 2009 at the Alexandria Hilton at Mark Center, in Alexandria VA, and is being hosted by the Transgender Education Association (TGEA) of Washington DC, in coalition with other groups in the mid Atlantic region. The theme for this year's gathering is: "Working Together for Change."

This year are giving priority to presentations on the following themes:

* Issues impacting Transgender Youth, and Children of Trans Parents
* Issues impacting Transgender Elders
* Issues and concerns of FTMs (We are reserving a full track for FTMs)
* Issues and concerns of Crossdressers
* Transgender Health, Medicine and Legal Concerns
* TGs in Relationships - for Significant Others, Couples & Individuals
with or without partners
* Changing the perception of Transgender People through Education.
* Creating unity in the Transgender Community

New ideas, new topics and new faces are also of strong interest. We will be holding special panel discussions for the benefit of students, researchers and educators to learn more about the trans community.

(Student registrations rates will be available.)

Presenters and panel moderators will receive a $100 discount on any conference registration package. Registration information is available online at http://www.ifge.org/register/

If you are interested in presenting, please submit your proposal as soon as possible to insure space and schedule availability, but no later than September 30, 2008. Use the online Program Proposal Form on our web site http://www.ifge.org/conference or fill out the attached form and mail it to us.

Your proposal must include a short biography and any A/V needs. If it is for a panel, the moderator should submit the proposal and list the names and pertinent information (as to addresses, etc.), and provide bios for the other panel members. If this panel information is omitted from this initial proposal it may not be included in the program book.

If you have additional questions regarding your proposal, please contact Alison Laing by email at programs@ifge.org, or by writing:

IFGE Programs
P.O. Box 540229
Waltham MA 02454-0229

Faux News Ignorance

Y'all know how much I loathe Faux News or any right-wing conservaoutlet. It's nothing but a propaganda organ for the Republican party for starters and racist to boot. Add transphobic to the list of reasons why I make sure any TV I own doesn't spend a millisecond parked on any channel that carries it.

The news broke of Isis' groundbreaking addition to America's Next Top Model and wasn't even 24 hours old before the Faux News KKKlowns, with an assist from Us Weekly magazine's editor ar large Ian Drew started their insulting and demeaning comments.



Soon after the segment aired, GLAAD contacted both Fox News Channel and Us Weekly, calling on both to apologize. Us Weekly issued the following statement: “We apologize if any group was offended by our editor’s comments as it was by no means his intention.” Fox News did not respond.

Typical of Faux News, the bigoted white boys (and girls) club masquerading as a news organization. Feeling bad because you can't measure up, little boys?

If you feel like letting out some frustration at Faux News, here's the contact info.

Fox News Channel

Gregg Jarrett - Anchor
(212) 301-3000
gregg.jarrett@foxnews.com

Jay Wallace - Executive Producer
(212) 301-5168
jay.wallace@foxnews.com

Tom Lowell - Senior Producer
(212) 301-3000 (outlet)
tom.lowell@foxnews.com

Fashion Blackout

It seems incredible to hear that in a year in which we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the EBONY Fashion Fair fashion show, been buzzing about the first transgender contestant on America's Next Top Model and had a long list of African-American women who broke ground as models that we'd even be talking in the early 21st century about how racism still impacts the fashion world.

Even if Isis manages to win the upcoming cycle of the show, she may find it hard getting work when African-American biofemale models aren't rocking the runways like they used to.

The blackout in the modelling world has gotten so bad that if you want to see an African-American model strutting her stuff on stage in a fashion show, you'd better buy a ticket to the Ebony Fashion Fair when it hits your town.

The September 2008 issue of EBONY magazine contains a fascinating Constance CR White article entitled 'Black Out-What Has Happened To The Black Fashion Models?'

The February New York fashion shows were melanin-free, and in the European fashion capitals of London, Milan and Paris the situation was far worse. The article even reported that the situation is so bad that Miuccia Prada has gone ten years without using a Black model.

It's not like they can't find them. The modeling agencies have plenty of beautiful sisters that they're willing, able and ready to book, they just aren't getting called.

It's nothing like the 90's when sisters such as Iman, Tyra Banks, Naomi Campbell, Georgianna Robertson, Veronica Webb, Roshumba, Gail O'Neill, Cynthia Bailey and Phina were getting called and getting paid as well.

They were the heirs to a legacy of doors broken down by models such as Pat Cleveland, actor Kadeem Hardison's mother Bethann Hardison, Beverly Johnson, Mounia, Wanakee, Katoucha, Lana Ogilvy, Alva Chinn, and Peggy Dillard.

Today, you can count the number of superstar Black models on one hand. Liya Kebede, Jaunel McKenzie, Chanel Iman and up and comer Jourdan Dunn.

The article delves into some causes for the blackout. Bethann Hardison points out that this problem isn't a recent phenomenon, it has been a decade in the making.

In addition to the racism in the industry, it cited the flood of Eastern European models that mirror the blond hair blue eyes beauty standard into the mix. It also touched on Asian designers preference to feature Asian models in their shows, the rising power of casting directors for fashion shows and the lack of African-Americans in decision making capacities in the fashion industry.

Whatever is causing the blackout, it needs to be fixed. The people buying those high end clothes aren't exclusively of European or Asian ancestry. The models strutting those catwalks need to reflect not only that reality, but the reality that this is a diverse, multicultural world as well.

Transgender View Of DNC Platform

Dr. Marisa Richmond, our first African-American transgender delegate to the Democratic National Convention, has posted her comments at the Avalon Farmblog about the 2008 Democratic Party platform.

She'll also be blogging over at the Avalon Farmblog about her experiences at the upcoming convention in Denver.

As y'all know, I have much love and respect for 'Number Two' and I'm happy that she will be representing Tennessee and our community at this historic convention.

So check out her thoughtful commentary about the platform.

Good Olympic News, Bad Olympic News

This is a good news bad news kind of Olympic day so far.

Dawn made sure I was up for the 8 AM EDT start of Team USA's men's game versus Greece. The 'Redeem Team' has several members on it that have not so fond memories of the 2006 FIBA World Championships. That squad was upset by the Greeks 101-95 in a game that sent seismic shock waves through the international basketball community and led to a major reorganization in the States of how we handle our basketball business on the men's side.

The 'Redeem Team' in their first tough game of the tournament, beat down Greece 92-69 to avenge that shocking 2006 loss in Japan and go 3-0 in their pool. They also qualified for the medal round no matter what happens in their remaining pool games versus Spain and Germany.

The women kept their record perfect in pool play as well. They beat Mali 97-41 as Lisa Leslie scored 16 points on 7 of 7 shooting from the field to help Team USA earn their 28th straight Olympic victory and go 3-0 as well in Group B. Seimone Augustus chipped in 12 points, while Cappie Pondexter, Candace Parker and Tina Thompson each chipped in 10 points apiece. Lisa broke the US Olympic record of 6 for 6 shared by Katie Smith in the 2000 games and Nikki McCray in 1996. Team USA closes out pool play versus Spain and New Zealand.

I was disappointed that Houston Comet Hamchetou Maiga-Ba suffered a high ankle sprain and couldn't play. She's out for the Games and may not be able to play for the Comets when the WNBA resume play after the Olympic break.

I was watching that fantastic relay race for the ages a few nights ago. I knew Cullen Jones was making history as a member of that team, but I didn't realize just how until after they obliterated the world record in the 4 X 100m freestyle relay and edged the trash talking French for the gold.

With the upset win Cullen Jones became the second African-American swimmer to win a gold medal, and in the process helped keep Michael Phelps quest to win eight gold medals alive and on track. He's the second because in 2000, biracial swimmer Anthony Ervin tied for the 50m freestyle gold medal and won a silver medal as a member of the 4 X 100m freestyle relay team.

As a tennis fan, I watched as James Blake shockingly beat world number one ranked (until he cedes it to Spain's Rafael Nadal in a few days) and slumping Swiss Roger Federer 6-4, 7-6 (6-2) in men singles for the first time in nine tries.

Federer still has a chance to earn his first Olympic gold medal in doubles, while Blake moves on to the semifinals against 2004 Athens singles bronze medallist Fernando Gonazalez of Chile.

But unfortunately my tennis playing sistahs got zapped by the same upset bug that claimed Roger Federer. The only way the Williams sisters can win a medal in Beijing is in doubles because both lost their respective singles matches. Baby Sis lost to Elena Dementieva of Russia 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 while Big Sis was upset in straight sets to the delight of the crowd by homegirl Li Na 7-5, 7-5.

Isis-The Transsistah On 'America's Next Top Model'

You loyal TransGriot readers know that I can't stand reality TV shows.

However, with transsistah Laverne Cox being a contestant on I Want To Work For Diddy and now hearing the news that a transwoman will be one of the contestants on the upcoming season of America's Next Top Model, it's making me reexamine my militant stance on reality TV shows.

Long time TransGriot readers know that I love Tyra Banks and when I was beginning my transition in 1994, she was one of my role models. I was happy to discover that Tyra loves us transwomen back as well.

Ironically an e-mail popped up back in May 2007 from one of her talk show's producers on the Transsistahs-Transbrothas Yahoo discussion group I founded seeking transpeople willing to talk about dating for an upcoming show. It popped up too close to the show's air date for some TSTB members to let them know they were interested, but the producer made it clear that Tyra was serious about her support of and being an ally and friend to the transgender community.



Not long after that e-mail popped up on TSTB, several transgender themed shows aired on her talk show. Tyra has treated the subject with a knowledgeable respect and dignity I haven't seen since Phil Donahue tackled the subject on his Emmy award winning talk show in the late 80's.

During the previous ten years America's Next Top Model has been on, there was speculation that there may have been a stealth transwoman contestant or two, but those rumors were never confirmed.

For Cycle 11, there will be a transwoman openly competing amongst the other 13 girls on America's Next Top Model to get the top prize.

22 year old Isis is an executive assistant for a non-profit organization from Prince George's County MD, but now resides in New York. If she wins, she'll get a management deal with Elite Model Management, a $100,000 CoverGirl contract and a cover story and six-page fashion spread in an issue of Seventeen magazine.

Isis is also known in the ballroom community as Isis Tsunami. She rocks the runway category and now she'll get the opportunity to do so on a much larger stage.






Isis stated in an US magazine interview on newsstands now, "My cards were dealt differently. I like to help people, but I'm here to follow my dreams."

ISIS TSUNAMI RUNWAY ICON BALL 2008



With Tyra handling this, it'll hopefully be treated much more seriously than Janice Dickinson disrespectfully did with Claudia Charriez on her first season of 'The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency.




Here's hoping that Isis makes her dream come true. We'll get to watch her progress towards making that dream a reality starting on Wednesday, September 3 at 8 PM ET.

Are Black Transwomen Fighting A Lost Cause?

I just think that it is sad, to see a people who were fighting for their rights as second class citizens, just to get those rights, and now turn their noses up at their own brothers and sisters who are in the trans movement.

Monica Roberts, sometimes I wonder if we are fighting a lost cause? I never thought that I would ever envy a white T-Girl, but I do right now. I do, because they have more acceptance into their community, than we do ours.

Eboni T-Girl made this statement as part of a comment in my 'Speaking of Ignorance' post. It got me thinking about the subject she addressed in her comment of whether we should even bother trying to 'ejumacate' our African-American community about transgender issues even though that education is sorely needed.

Yes, we do need to continue trying to educate our people on these issues. One of the projects I was working on before I moved from Houston in 2001 was expanding the Transgender 101 educational efforts that we in TATS (Texas Association for Transsexual Support) were already doing at local universities and the Baylor College of Medicine to HBCU's Texas Southern and Prairie View.

Contrary to the spin that's out there, our people aren't the most transphobic ones when it comes to transgender issues. I've noted that outside of the Hi Impact Leadership Coalition, which is a subsidiary of white fundie Lou Sheldon's Traditional Values Coalition, the majority of those organizations fighting transgender inclusion and the ringleaders of those organizations tend to be non African-American in terms of their ethnic heritage.

But I agree our people need to step up to the plate and pay attention to science and logic on this issue moreso than loudmouth Christopimp preachers cooning for white fundamentalists brandishing faith-based bucks.

I know it's discouraging because we transsistahs love our people, honor our history, use it as a guide to chart our own destiny. We only want them to love us as much as we love them, not be disrespected, denigrated, and dismissed by people who share our ethnicity.

Yeah, it hurts, but the first people we African-American transwomen owe love to are ourselves. If our people won't or refuse to give us the love and respect we deserve as fellow African-Americans, then we need to do it for our damned selves.

Be as transsistah Sharon Davis put it, and I'm borrowing the title from her 1987 book, a finer specimen of womanhood. Be better than our biofemale detractors. Conduct ourselves with class and dignity. Stand up for ourselves when people attempt to disrespect us. Be stylish and classily dressed when we're out and about. Carry yourself like the descendant of African royalty you are.

It's time for us to organize, gather together the clusters of African-American transwomen around the country who are doing positive things in their various communities and talk to each other. We need to befriend and bond with each other. We also need to immediately band together locally while thinking and acting nationally and globally with our transsisters around the world.

If our African-American family won't embrace us, then we make our own.

We do have allies within the African-American community who see the big picture. Embrace them. If you are fortunate enough like I am to have biofemales as friends, treasure those friends. They can teach you much about the joys and pains of being Black and female in our society. They can help you make sense of those days when you're feeling unpretty. If you have biofemale relatives kicking knowledge to you as well, listen to the wisdom that's being told to you as well. It will help your own transition in the long run.

As a transwoman you are also a resource to our biosisters for helping them understand not only what we deal with as African-American transwomen, but for those of us who spent some time on the other side of the gender fence, we can help them decipher the mysteries of the male mind that their fathers, grandfathers, uncles, and brothers won't tell them.

For those biowomen who figure out that transwomen are not 'The Enemy', embrace and honor us by adding us to their sistahfriends circle, they will soon discover that it's a win-win proposition for both parties.

Education is never a lost cause. It may take us a while to get there since we're starting later in the game than our white transsisters, but get there in terms of educating our people we will.

The grass isn't greener in terms of acceptance for white transwomen either. They've got their own Astroturf situation in terms of their decades-long battle dealing with the Hateraid heaped on transwomen from white radical feminists. That's despite the advantage of massive media coverage ever since Christine Jorgenson stepped off the plane in New York from Denmark in 1953.



I'm betting that the caring, compassionate and justice loving side of African-Americans, the desire of some of our people to educate and inform ourselves on issues, the realization that we don't have the luxury as a people of ignoring and throwing away the abilities and talents of African-American transpeople, and realizing that it's the morally correct thing to do will eventually carry the day.

And it will happen sooner rather than later.

Stephanie And Ukea Anniversary

Six years ago today two young friends died in a hail of bullets. Ironically it was on the same Washington DC street corner in which Tyra Hunter had her fatal car accident a few years earlier.

And unfortunately they died for the same reason Tyra did. Somebody didn't like the fact they were transwomen and felt that gave them the right to terminate their lives.

The story of Stephanie Thomas and Ukea Davis.

Rest in peace, ladies. We'll never forget you.

More Transgender Themed Commercials

Theere was a post I did a while back on transgender themed commercials from around the world. Found some more on YouTube for you to peruse.


The Sierra Mist Undercover Oramge one with a Get Smart theme.




The NTAC PSA we cut.




A Braun commercial featuring the late Karen Dior

Tina...Tina ...Tina

As a card carrying member of the Sea of Red and a former Comets season ticket holder, I love me some Tina Thompson.

She had a relatively quiet opening game for her Saturday with only seven points, so you know I was having a blast watching my girl light up the Chinese women for 27 points on 7 of 8 shooting that jumpstarted a 23-0 USA run. Team USA exceeded what the men did yesterday and beat China 108-63.

The guys beat China and Yao Ming 101-70 in what's being called the most watched basketball game ever played.

The rest of the team shot lights out as well. Candace Parker added 12 points, Sylvia Fowles chipped in 16 as Team USA shot 57 percent from the field and outrebounded the Chinese 47-30. They are now 2-0 in their pool and extended their Olympic winning streak to 27 games.

My favorite tennis playing siblings are also doing well so far. Venus, the 2000 Sydney Games singles and doubles gold medallist won her opening Olympic match versus Switzerland's Timea Bacsinszky 6-3, 6-2. Baby Sis concluded her rain delayed beatdown of Olga Govortsova of Belarus, 6-3, 6-1 in her frist singles match of the Beijing games as well. The Williams sisters are also competing in doubles as well. James Blake is the only American left on the men's singles side after defeating Aussie Chris Guccione 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) in his opening Olympic singles match.

The summer Olympics come only come once every four years, and you can't beat it for excitement and drama.