Is She Or Isn't She Linda?

For those of you who are fans of The Matrix trilogy, you are well aware of the fact that it was written, directed and produced by the Wachowski siblings.

You may be saying to yourself, don't you mean the famed movie making, writing and producing team the Wachowski Brothers?

Umm, that's a good question.

Larry, the elder Wachowski sibling, in 2003 began making public appearances en femme. The rumors quickly started flying that a gender change was beginning and Lana Wachowski was beginning to emerge.

The break up of Wachowski's nine year marriage to childhood sweetheart Thea Broom only added more fuel to the rumors swirling around Hollywood and beyond.

A May 30, 2003 column by David Poland said, "Every indication I have says that Larry Wachowski is now in the process of changing his sex. Dressing in public like a woman, taking female hormones and yes, having a sex change operation."

The story only got more interesting after the movie V For Vendetta was released and the writing credit went to the Wachowski brothers. The same was true for Speed Racer as well.

While producing, directing and filming the live screed adaptation of Speed Racer in 2007 there were denials that gender reassignment surgery had occurred.

But then pops up this April 17 photo of Linda leaving LAX. I say Linda because once again, another rumor surfaced that she's officially changed her name.

Hmm, does this person look like a dude to you? Yeah, right.

Due to the reclusive nature of the Wachowski siblings, we don't have a definitive answer to that question yet. The only way we'll get it is when Linda Wachowski calls that press conference or releases a statement through a publicist.

Only then will we have concrete proof confirming what has been widely speculated through much anecdotal and photographic evidence to have occurred.

And even Neo and Morpheus can see that.

Congrats Laverne!

My sis Laverne Cox had a wonderful trip to San Francisco recently. During the May 27 GLAAD Media Awards her appearance in the I Want To Work For Diddy reality show tied with Calpernia Addams' Transamerican Love Story for the Outstanding Reality Series Award.

Here's Laverne's speech from that evening, followed by Calpernia's.



Congratulations to both of you ladies for representing us with class, glamor and dignity. As you said in your speech, Laverne, it was an amazing year for transgender representation on television. Hope it only gets better.



Deepest thanks and appreciation to you Laverne for ensuring that for the first time, we had a media portrayal of a Black transwoman that wasn't rooted in stereotypes.

Dag Gay Peeps-Stop Tripping II

There's increased frustration and sniping coming from the gayosphere about their perception that President Obama is 'ignoring' them.

May I remind you gay peeps once again that President Obama is more than a little busy cleaning up the political and economic mess left him by the previous misadministration that many GLBT peeps got bamboozled by?

I'm getting more than a little annoyed with GLBT peeps whining less than six months into Obama's presidency that 'he isn't moving fast enough on our issues', especially when many of y'all:

A-supported Hillary
B-gave the Bush administration more time to do absolutely nothing for us.

I'm not saying President Obama isn't above criticism. But my lack of patience with it is tempered by the fact that I recall many white GLBT peeps calling him the worst president ever on GLBT issues and he hadn't even taken the oath of office yet.

So yeah, I'm giving him more time to let his deeds live up to his words.

The point is that there are more important things on the national plate than your ability to get married, DOMA and DADT repeal. I want ENDA and hate crimes passed like yesterday, and like many African-Americans we have issues on the table that we've waited years to get dealt with, too.

But the difference between the African-American community and the gay community is that we're looking at the big political picture. The GLBT community is politically immature and impatient at times, muddles its political messages, fails at times to look at the big picture and doesn't grasp the importance of unspoken communication and symbolism.

The flag issue is an example of that, and don't even get me started on its monoracial leadership.

Well, the way to build political power is to be a good ally first. If you help them pass their pet issues or support them with more than lip service, then they'll be on board with helping you with yours.

That means the next time the labor movement needs a helping hand with a protest, Latino/a's request your support on the Sotomayor nomination or African-Americans request some help trying to get congressional representation for DC, that y'all need to show up and push just as hard for those issues as you would your own.

The 2012 election cycle will be here soon. Obama has to worry about the 53% of the population and the 69,492,376 peeps that put him in the Oval Office, not just 13% (African-American US population) or 10% (the GLBT US population).

Contrary to the vanilla flavored bullshit many GLBT peeps are spouting, y'all didn't put Obama in the White House by yourselves. We Americans wishing for a progressive direction for the country did.

That means Democrats, Republicans, independents, liberals, moderates, conservatives, African-Americans, Latino/a's, Asians, Whites, Native Americans, gay, straight, bi, intersex, transgender, cisgender...Well, you get the picture.

That means gay boys and girls, to paraphrase Spock's line from Star Trek, the needs of the progressive many outweigh the needs of the progressive few.

It may have escaped those of you GLBT peeps who live in The Castro, inside the Capital Beltway or in Manhattan south of Christopher Street, but the progressive GLBT agenda for those of us in 'flyover country' doesn't begin and end with same gender marriage, DADT and DOMA repeal

You don't think GLBT peeps need universal health care? That GLBT peeps don't want or need good jobs at good wages? That there are GLBT service members not ensnared in DADT issues who want the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to end and come home?

That there are GLBT peeps who understand the importance of having a Democratic president in office for the next seven years not only selecting diverse progressive federal and Supreme Court judges, but pushing progressive change?

Whether you believe it or not, politicians noticed the gay community's decades long penchant for selling out its transgender allies and couching it in 'incremental progress' weasel words to selfishly get their own rights passed.

They also noted the lack of intersectionality work by gay community peeps who loudly dismissed it with the words 'it isn't a gay issue'.

The way the political peeps look at it, if you gay peeps repeatedly sell your own allies down the river, what are they going to do with us?

If they have to face angry constituents back home, the political peeps factor that into their cost-benefit electability analysis.

Besides, the president can't sign progressive legislation if Congress doesn't introduce or pass it. It's on us to hold Congressional feet to the fire and let them know that it's progressive change we want, not bills watered down by conservacrap.

So yeah, I believe much of the GLBT criticism being directed at President Obama is sour grapes.

I'm sick of it and y'all need to stop tripping.

I'm Sorry That My GOP Racism Offends You

The sheet wearing racists that inhabit the RepubliKKKan Party just can't resist their programming.

First it was a GOP official in South Carolina who compared the First Lady to a gorilla.

Now comes word of the latest outrage from Tennessee. Then again why should I be shocked. The Tennessee GOP had their hate on for the FLOTUS as well during last year's Tennessee primary and came up with the infamous 'Call Me' ad during the 2006 US senate race between John Corker and Harold Ford, Jr.

Tennessee is the home state of Chip Saltsman, who created the infamous “Barack the Magic Negro” CD and was one of the candidates for the chairmanship of the national Republican party.

Well, in the latest chapter of the GOP White Sheet Chronicles, a staffer in Tennessee state senator Diane Black's (R-Gallatin) office named Sherry Goforth e-mailed a composite picture of our country’s 44 presidents, but represents President Obama with only a set of eyes.

It gets more interesting because Sen. Diane Black happens to be the chair of the Tennessee Senate Republican Caucus.

When confronted by Christian Grantham of the Nashville Is Talking blog about the e-mail, she confirmed she had sent it. Goforth also stated she had received a letter of reprimand from her superiors but will stay on the job.

When asked by Grantham if she understood the controversial nature of the photo, Goforth would only say she felt very bad about accidentally sending it to the wrong list.

Grantham gave her a second chance to address it and she repeated that she only felt bad about sending it to the wrong list of people.

Hmm, I wonder who's on the right wing, er right list?

“I went on the wrong email and I inadvertently hit the wrong button,” Goforth told NIT. “I’m very sick about it, and it’s one of those things I can’t change or take back.”

Rep. John DeBerry, the chairman of the Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators, wasn't laughing at the so-called 'joke'. He said the incident reflects poorly on Tennessee and lawmakers.

“It’s unfortunate, and it’s another in a series of unfortunate incidents that have happened across this country with this president,” he said. “It sends the wrong message from the state of Tennessee, and it sends the wrong message from the House and Senate. I wish it hadn’t happened.”

But it's going to continue to happen. The GOP as the home of the Dixiecrats and the Southern Strategy, can't resist or are unwilling to resist and overcome their racist programming.

Well, it's a large part as to why the GOP only has 20% support. In the minds of many peeps GOP=Racism and they are doing little to dispel that impression.

These incidents happen with far too much regularity and speaks to the vanilla flavored privilege and ignorance that Republicans in the local, state and national level parties wallow in on a daily basis.

And note to Rusty DePass of South Carolina, hope you are aware of the fact that white gorrillas do exist.

The Transgender Archie Issue

I'm waiting for the latest chapter of the Archie saga to play out and hit my favorite comic store in August.

In case you hadn't heard, Archie proposed to Veronica as the beginning of a six episode comic run in which the gang has graduated from Riverdale High and are just beginning their post college lives.

So while I'm waiting for those issues to hit the stand, thought I'd talk about the Archie story with a transgender twist.

It appeared in Issue 516, and was called 'The Other Side Of The Fence'. Thanks to the peeps at TG Graphics and Fiction Archive, you can actually read it.

Just click on the images to enlarge them and enjoy.

Lessons from KRXQ-FM: Hate Speech Shouldn’t Go Unchallenged

TransGriot Note: This is my latest post for Global Comment.

In the wake of the KRXQ-FM controversy in which Sacramento, CA based shock-jocks Arnie States and Rob Williams attacked a transgender child during a May 28 on-air diatribe, the station’s defenders, most of whom just happened to be conservative, male and white, claimed that these radio hosts’ First Amendment rights were being trampled on.

Yeah, right. Peddle that bull feces somewhere else.

With free speech come consequences. For example, I express my opinions on my blog on a daily basis. Some agree with what I have to say, while there are others who don’t. If you express dissent in a respectful manner, I’ll listen to it and probably leave your comments on the thread.

In the United States, the First Amendment is used by conservatives and others as a shield to stifle criticism of their reprehensible commentary. Yes, the United States Constitution’s First Amendment guarantees your right to free speech. At the same time, it guarantees that others with views contrary to yours get their say too.

The problem comes when your so-called free speech is inciting or advocating violence against a minority group. Far too often in American history, white males wallowing in vanilla flavored privilege have repeatedly done just that.

Their hate speech has had terrible consequences for the minority groups targeted.

Do the Holocaust, the African Slave Trade, the wars against Native Americans, and the terrorism executed by the defenders of Jim Crow segregation ring a bell?

From where I sit, as an African-descended transperson who is cognizant of her history, hate speech leads to escalating violence which can ultimately lead to genocide.

Finish reading at Global Comment.

Happy 40th Birthday Ice Cube!

Time does fly doesn't it?

Today is definitely a good day for O'Shea Jackson, better known to his fans and the rest of the planet as Ice Cube.

He was born on this day 40 years ago in Los Angeles, CA and the MC, songwriter, actor, screenwriter, and film director is still doing his thang to this day.

While he isn't making much music these days because of the focus on acting, he is still regarded as one of rap musics greatest artists.

Happy Birthday Ice Cube!

GLBT Peeps, If You Want Your Rights, Fly This Flag

The gay community has gone through post mortem after post mortem in terms of dissecting why the Prop 8 fight in Cal-ee-forn-ia was lost last year. But I doubt anyone thought about one simple change that will help immeasurably in this struggle.

Flying the American flag.

Since today is Flag Day, starting like yesterday, the TBLG community should make sure Old Glory is front and center at every protest, every march, and the backdrop at every press conference that's held from now until the next electoral showdown in 2010 and beyond.

One factor as to why the GLBT community continues to lose is that it hasn't forcefully made the unassailable case that we are AMERICANS who deserve and are demanding our constitutional rights.

And how do we do that? The easiest way to prove that we are is by flying the flag.

By continuing to fly only the rainbow flag we make it ridiculously easy for the right-wing Christohaters to paint us as un-American.

Making sure that American flags are front and center and prominently displayed is a major lesson of the African-American Civil Rights Movement.

The immigration movement made the same mistake early on, but after getting savaged by conservative haters about the lack of American flags quickly picked up on that error and swiftly corrected it.

An immigration protest now doesn't happen without American flags being prominently displayed and dispersed amongst the marchers and I fail to understand why the GLBT movement continues to make this fundamental mistake.

Yeah, I've heard the philosophical reasoning that some of you sent my way when I wrote about this topic last year. I know some of you have issues with the American flag. But if you want your rights, better get over those issues with the quickness and bury them

It's time to realize that only flying the rainbow flag not only isn't going to cut it, it's past time to try old school tactics for the new millennium.

Face the facts that no American civil rights movement agitating for the constitutional rights of a minority group has been successful or done so without consistently flying and prominently displaying the American flag at its myriad events.

And gay people aren't any different as far as the powers that be are concerned. We are seen as the 'other' unworthy of rights. Mike Huckabee's November 2008 comments on The View that 'the gay community hasn't suffered enough' for their rights should have clued y'all in to that jacked up line of conservathinking.

So it is incumbent upon the GLBT community to prove the haters wrong and establish we are red-blooded Americans.

What the Stars and Stripes represents at its fundamental level is our country. It is not a bought and paid for symbol of the Republican Party or the conservative movement, who by the way NEVER fail to fly it at their events.

Failing to fly it makes the rights case a non starter with persuadable people who do believe in mom, apple pie, fairness, the American Dream and tear up when they hear the Star Spangled Banner.

And if you won't do it for yourselves, do it for the TBLG veterans who served and the GLBT service members who died defending it on foreign soil so you can use it.


Crossposted to The Bilerico Project

Teish Trial Updates, Notes And Thoughts

Looks like there's been some positive developments in the wake of my post on the lack of coverage of the DeLee trial vis-a-vis the Zapata one.

Cara posted on Feministe, and hopefully we'll see other commentary elsewhere in the blogosphere. If Teish is going to receive justice, we have to relentlessly remind people now that transpeople are human beings, too.

The trial of Teish's alleged murderer has been pushed back to a Monday, July 13 start, assuming it doesn't get delayed again.

I'm hoping that Black transpeople actually get some media face time in terms of being spokespersons about this case.

Thanks to TransGriot regular reader Gina, a Facebook group has bee started as an info clearinghouse for the upcoming case.

The Syracuse media's terminology is still problematic, so GLAAD needs to be called in to work with them and make them aware of the AP Stylebook standards for covering trans people. GLAAD also has on their website a media press kit as well with downloadable PDF documents

Oh yeah, once again, here's what the AP Stylebook has to say about covering transgender people:

transgender-Use the pronoun preferred by the individuals who have acquired the physical characteristics of the opposite sex or present themselves in a way that does not correspond with their sex at birth.

If that preference is not expressed, use the pronoun consistent with the way the individuals live publicly.

So Syracuse media, no more using the old name in your newscasts and newspaper/print/Internet articles. Teish Cannon lived 24-7-365 as a woman, so the SHE pronoun is appropriate to use to respectfully discuss her and the case.

What's not cool is using the word 'lifestyle'. That's a right-wing tactic and problematic terminology which is seen by TBLG community as disrespectful.

Homo Harlem Film Retrospective

TransGriot Note: Received this interesting e-mail from the Maysles Institute in NYC about a TBLG film retrospective slated to kick off on Juneteenth (June 19) at the Maysles Cinema.

With arguments often eerily reminiscent of old rationales for black oppression, gays and lesbians remain openly, legally and even, 'righteously', discriminated against.

For LGBT people of all races, knowing ourselves, making our extraordinary history known to others, much as with blacks, becomes a key component to liberation. If LGBT heritage remains often obscured and belittled, achievements of African American lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people, are less well known still.

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion, the film festival, Homo-Harlem: A Film Retrospective, Friday, June 19th-Saturday, June 27th, cosponsored by the Maysles Cinema at 343 Malcolm X Boulevard with Men of All Colors Together, seeks to help to remedy this lack of recognition.

Through a series of coordinated screenings, critical discussions and walking tours, Homo-Harlem for the first time officially brings Stonewall observations uptown to focus on and honor, figures as diverse as poets Audre Lorde and Langston Hughes, social justice activist Bayard Rustin, composer Billy Strayhorn, photographer Marvin Smith and living legend Storme DeLarverie, whose courageous stand at the Stonewall Bar, 40 years ago, literally helped set in motion the entire Gay Pride Movement.

We LGBT people have always been busy making Harlem better, as one resident reported in 1928, "Never no wells of loneliness in Harlem..." Space is limited for this exhilarating experience, so be sure to make a reservation in advance and get ready to be enlightened, to be amazed and to party hard!

Homo-Harlem Curator and Author Michael Henry Adams

Please direct all press and requests for reservations to cinema@mayslesinstitute.org
Homo Harlem: A Film Retrospective

$10 Suggested Donation For All Screenings

Friday, June 19th
Opening Night at the Museum of the City of New York
(1220 Fifth Avenue at 103rd St, Enter at 104th St)

6:00pm Cocktail Reception

7:00pm Discussion: Kirk Shannon-Butts, Michael Henry Adams

7:30pm Screening
Blueprint (Short Preview)
Kirk Shannon-Butts, 2008
Harlem shot and set, Blueprint is the story of Keith and Nathan - two New York City college freshmen trying to make a connection.

Billy Strayhorn: Lush Life
Robert Levi,1999, 83 min.
Today, historians and scholars agree that Billy Strayhorn remains one of the most under-recognized American composers in history. Born in 1915, Strayhorn chose to live openly as a gay black man. It was perhaps this decision-and his lifelong devotion to Duke Ellington-which contributed to his near anonymity as a major American composer. While Ellington is arguably the most influential and celebrated jazz composer of the 20th century, Strayhorn is unrecognized. Billy Strayhorn: Lush Life poses answers to the question of who was Billy Strayhorn, and why is he still relatively unknown?

(Maysles Cinema, 343 Lenox Ave. between 127th & 128th Street, June 20th-27th)

Saturday, June 20th
2:00pm
The Edge of Each Other's Battles: The Vision of Audre Lorde
Jennifer Abod, 2002, 59 min.
This powerful documentary is a moving tribute to legendary black lesbian feminist poet Audre Lorde (1934-1992). One of the most celebrated icons of feminism's second wave, Lorde inspired several generations of activists with her riveting poetry, serving as a catalyst for change and uniting the communities of which she was a part: black arts and black liberation, women's liberation and lesbian and gay liberation.

Litany For Survival: The Life and Work of Audre Lorde
Ada Griffin and Michelle Parkerson, 1995, 60 min.
From Lorde's childhood roots in Harlem to her battle with breast cancer, this moving film explores a life and a body of work and makes connections between the civil rights movement, the women's movement and the struggle for lesbian and gay rights.

Greetings from Africa
Cheryl Dunye, 1994, 8 min.
In this highly entertaining short, Cheryl Dunye uses her dry wit to ruminate on lesbian dating '90s style. Cheryl (playing herself) is searching for someone to date. Unfortunately, most of her friends are still stuck in those long-term "relationships from the '80s". Just when she thinks all is lost, she meets L, a beautiful, mysterious and captivating woman. Cheryl gets caught up in the chase and L leads her in and out of hot water.

Sunday, June 21
2:00pm
Prepare for Saints: The Making of a Modern Opera
Steven Watson, 1999, 27 mins
A chronicle of the making of the Modernist 1934 Virgil Thomson/Gertrude Stein opera, Four Saints in Three Acts, (which included an all-black cast from Harlem church choirs and nightclubs.)
Q&A with Director Steve Watson

Portrait of Jason
Shirley Clarke, 1967, 105 min.
Interview with Jason Holliday aka Aaron Payne, house boy, would be cabaret performer, and self proclaimed hustler giving one man's gin-soaked pill-popped, view of what it was like to be black and gay in 1960's America.

Monday, June 22
7:00pm
Storme: Lady of the Jewel Box
Dir. Michelle Parkerson, 1987. 21 min.
"It ain't easy...being green" is the favorite expression of Storme DeLarverie, a woman whose life flouted prescriptions of gender and race. During the 1950's and 60's she toured the black theatre circuit as a mistress of ceremonies and the sole male impersonator of the legendary Jewel Box Revue, America's first integrated female impersonation show and forerunner of La Cage aux Folles. Storme herself emerges as a remarkable woman, who came up during hard times but always "kept a touch of class." Storme was also a witness to the Stonewall Rebellion 40 years ago and is a founding member of the Stonewall Veterans Association.

How Do I Look
Wolfgang Busch, 2007, 48 min.
How Do I Look captures the Harlem "Ball" traditions that originated in the 70s, which was historically an off shot from the Harlem "Drag" Balls from the 20s. Because of the loss of hundreds of members and leaders of the "Ball" community due to the HIV epidemic, this film recorded an important aspect of history while it was still available.

Panel TBA

Tuesday, June 23
7:00pm
Brother to Brother
Rodney Evans, 2004, 87 min.
Winner of numerous awards including the 2004 Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Prize and the Gordon Parks Screenwriting Award, Brother to Brother follows the emotional and psychological journey of a young black gay artist as he discovers the hidden legacies of the gay and lesbian subcultures within the Harlem Renaissance.
(with a short clip of an interview with Bruce Nugent on Gay life in the 20s.)

Q&A with Tom Wirth, Literary Executor for Bruce Nugent

Wednesday, June 24
7:00pm
Brother Outsider, The Life of Bayard Rustin
Nancy Kates and Bennett Singer, 2002, 83 min.
This meditation on the parallels between racism and homophobia illuminates the life and work of Bayard Rustin, a visionary activist and strategist who has been called the "unknown hero" of the civil rights movement. Daring to live as an openly gay man during the fiercely homophobic 1940s, 50s and 60s, Brother Outsider reveals the price that Rustin paid for his openness, chronicling both the triumphs and setback of his remarkable 60-year career.

Panel:
Dir. Bennett Singer
Walter Naegle, Rustin's partner until his passing in 1987 at 75
Ernest Green, The Little Rock Nine
Adam Green, Historian, Author of "Selling the Race: Culture, Community, and Black Chicago, 1940-1955"
Moderator: Michael Henry Adams

Thursday, June 25
5:30pm
Walking Tour*

7:30pm
Paris is Burning
Jennie Livingston, 1990, 78 min.
Many consider Paris Is Burning to be an invaluable document of the end of the "Golden Age" of New York City drag balls, as well as a thoughtful exploration of race, class, and gender in America.

9:30pm
Dinner & Afterparty at Billie's Black*

*Complete package (walking tour, screening and after party) cost is $50.00
Contact- homoharlemtour@aol.com
60 person limit on tickets so get them while you can!
Tickets for the screening only can be purchased at the Maysles Cinema the night of.

Friday, June 26
5:30pm
Walking Tour*

7:30pm
Looking for Langston
Isaac Julien, 1988, 45 min.
A black and white, fantasy-like recreation of high-society gay men during the Harlem Renaissance, with archival footage and photographs intercut with a story. The text is rarely explicit, but the freedom of gay Black men in the 1920s in Harlem is suggested and celebrated visually.

James Baldwin: Witness
Angie Corcetti, 2003, 60 min.
A minister's son from Harlem, James Baldwin moved to Greenwich Village and began writing essays for left-wing journals. With the success of his first novel, Go Tell It on the Mountain, and dozens of non-fiction works, Baldwin became an international voice on American Black life in the 1950s and 60s. A look at this Black American Gay icon's life.

9:30pm
Dinner at Miss Maude's Spoonbread Too*

*Complete package (walking tour, screening and dinner) cost is $50.00
Contact- homoharlemtour@aol.com

Saturday, June 27
11:30am Brunch at Chez Lucien*

1:00pm
Walking Tour*

3:00pm
M&M SMITH: For Posterity's Sake
Heather Lyons, 1996, 57 min
Morgan and Marvin Smith, twin brothers and prolific African American artists, boldly moved from Kentucky to New York in 1933 to pursue artistic careers. By 1937 they had opened a photo studio next door to Harlem's renowned Apollo Theatre. Thus began 50-year-long careers as still and motion picture photographers, painters and sound recordists. This story is richly visualized through the Smiths' photos, films and paintings and poignantly told by Morgan and Marvin Smith and friends such as Eartha Kitt.

Clip of Short Conversation with Marvin Smith
40 min.

*Complete package (walking tour, screening and brunch) cost is $45.00
Contact- homoharlemtour@aol.com

Shut Up Fool! Awards-Lateisha Green Memorial Edition

Well, the trial of Lateisha Green's alleged killer Dwight DeLee is due to start July 13 in Syracuse, NY. You wouldn't know it based on the deafening silence that's coming from New York state. Even the news cycle ain't helping in terms of the multiple events going on.

Well, Teish, even if I'm the only one covering it or even mentioning your trial from now until the end, I'll proudly do so. Hopefully you and your family will receive justice despite the almost nonexistent news coverage.

We dedicate this week's edition of skewering fools to your memory.

Now let's move on from the trial to convicting and sentencing fools in the Court of Public Opinion.

There were many worthy fools who committed crimes against common sense and decency this week. But this week it goes to Neal Boortz, another right wing radio hater bucking to get banned in Britain as well.

He's had his hate on for New Orleans peeps in the wake of Hurricane Katrina's devastating 2005 landfall there. Instead of calling out the incompetence of the Bush administration, the beyond piss poor crisis management, and the seizure of this disaster to do some partisan political machinations of the recovery in order to turn Louisiana red, he attacks the residents of New Orleans instead.



Neal Boortz, shut up, fool!

What If There Was A Trans Trial And Nobody Cared?

The trial of the alleged killer of Lateisha Green, Dwight DeLee was supposed to start yesterday in Syracuse.

You wouldn't know that because if you Google it, check the local Syracuse media, the website of the Onondaga County DA's office, and even the websites of GLBT groups in the area, you won't find anything on the DeLee trial except old stories and link backs to TransGriot.

I guess if the victim is a Black transwoman, nobody gives a shit, especially if the trial is falling just before the 40th Anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion that peeps who share Lateisha's ethnic heritage helped jump off.

I would love to be able to tell you what the prosecution's opening statement was, whether the defense is using the trans panic defense, or even what the Cannon family's reactions are.

But I'm not in Syracuse right now, so that makes it difficult if not impossible to do so because unlike the Zapata trial, there isn't a Crystal Ann Gray or an Autumn Sandeen on site to cover it. There's no legal analysis from Banfield and Ford being broadcast on cable TV for people to watch.

So as usual in American society. the unspoken message is being sent that a Black life, especially a Black transperson's life doesn't mean jack, even in the TBLG community.

And we Black transpeople are hearing that message loud and clear.


TransGriot Note: Cara from Feministe sent me a link to another story that states the trial has been moved to mid July.

The post has been modified to reflect the new info.

While that explains why I didn't see any news about it anywhere yesterday and spent several hours searching before I wrote the post, I'm still not happy about the lack of coverage, and the piss-poor reporting this story has received vis-a-vis the Zapata trial.

Introducing Transman Chaz Bono

Chaz Bono came out two decades ago and has been a visible spokesperson and activist for the LGBT community.

I'd been hearing rumors for several months that Chaz Bono was either about to transition or had done so, but could never find the evidence to either confirm or deny it.

Well, as many of you know by now, it's official. Chaz is beginning the transition process according to his spokesperson Howard Bragman.

"Yes, it's true -- Chaz, after many years of consideration, has made the courageous decision to honor his true identity. He is proud of his decision and grateful for the support and respect that has already been shown by his loved ones.

It is Chaz's hope that his choice to transition will open the hearts and minds of the public regarding this issue, just as his 'coming out' did nearly 20 years ago. We ask that the media respect Chaz's privacy during this long process as he will not be doing any interviews at this time."

Chaz once worked for GLAAD as its Entertainment and Media Director, and GLAAD President Neil G. Giuliano had this to say about the news.

“Chaz Bono's decision to live his life authentically represents an important step forward, both for him personally and for all who are committed to advancing discussions about fairness and equality for transgender people.

"Coming out as transgender is an extremely personal decision and one that is never made lightly. We look forward to hearing Chaz's story in his own words in the future."

“GLAAD encourages media outlets to cover this story accurately, and to avoid speculation about the details of Chaz’s story before he is ready to tell it in his own words.”

I look forward to hearing Chaz tell his story as well when he's ready to do so, along with the rest of his transgender brothers and sisters.

40 Trans Heroes? You're Kidding, Right?

One of the reasons I became a trans activist a decade ago was because of my pissivity over a relatively melanin free IFGE list of out and proud transpeople.

To pour gasoline on it, they not only neglected two future IFGE Trinity winners in Dr. Marisa Richmond and Dawn Wilson who were doing thangs at the time, the only two African descended people on it were RuPaul and Dennis Rodman, who have publicly stated they aren't and didn't want to be.

Well, history repeats itself.

The International Court System in conjunction with The Task Force put together a list of 40 Trans Heroes to in their words, 'highlight the importance of the transgender and gender-nonconforming community as an equal and important part of the broader LGBT community.'

The “40 Trans Heroes” were solicited and selected from hundreds of nominations by a special committee of the International Court Council.

And this is the final list they came up with.




Sylvia Rivera
Shannon Price Minter
Mara Keisling
Jose Julio Sarria
Ru Paul
Marsha Botzer
Nicole Murray-Ramirez
Norma Kristie
Masen Davis
Melissa Sklarz

Lady Bunny
Leslie Feinberg
Gunner Scott
Lynn Conway
Chi Chi LaRue
Marsha P. Johnson
Riki Wilchins
Barbra Casbar Siperstein
Yosenio Lewis
Robin Tyler

Coco LaChine
Valerie Spencer
Jim Flynn
Nancy Nangeroni
Lady Chablis
Rosalinda dela Luna
Cecilia Chung
Loren Cameron
Maria Roman
Theresa Sparks

Karina Samala
Grace Sterling Stowell
Donna Sachet
Shirley Bushnell
Cole Thaler
Darcell
Jamison Green
Sister Roma
Billy deFrank
Frank Marino

"This is by no means a complete list or a ‘best of’ or ‘top 10’ list. It is merely a beginning tribute to the thousands of transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals that have made our modern-day movement possible," says Thom Hansen, president of the International Court Council.

“This momentous tribute to the transgender community is a long time coming. The International Court System is honored to partner with the Task Force. Together, we pay tribute to those whose lives and works have impacted each and every one of us."

“On the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, let's remember the legacy of those who started our struggle for equality and liberation," says Rea Carey, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

"Recognizing 40 of the many transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals who have worked tirelessly and passionately in favor of full LGBT equality throughout these four decades is a reminder of the determination and persistence of the transgender community and of the human spirit. Let's continue to honor these important contributions toward a more just and equal society for all of us.”

The International Court System will present a commemorative plaque inscribed with the names of these outstanding individuals on June 25 to be placed at the Stonewall Inn.

If the joint Task Force-International Court compiled list was intended to honor transpeople, it is not having the desired effect.

Transgender historian, scholar and attorney Kat Rose minced no words after seeing the list.

"Did NGLTF actually have anything to do with this list? Or is it a counterfeit list made up by that Stampp Corbin guy to make his claim on Bilerico the other day (that HRC 'put the T in LGBT') seem believable?

"Darcell? No offense, but who or what is a Darcell? Chi Chi LaRue? I guess I should have gone to porn school instead of law school. And Robin Tyler? Based on her stance on ENDA in 2007, she should be on John Aravosis's top-40 list instead of this one.

On a personal level, I have no love lost for Phyllis (Frye) - but in objective terms, I would have to say she rates higher than most of these people, and significantly higher than some.

And Cole Thaler, eh? Easy to make it onto the list when you get to be in the position to be on the list because you're a young FTM and the organization you work for won't hire 40 year old MTFs.

Oh well - I'm off to read some more imaginary history books written by that imaginary transsexual woman, Susan Stryker.

2005 IFGE Trinity Award winner, NTAC founder and Trans Political blog author Vanessa Edwards Foster stated:

"RuPaul? As one of the 40 top trans people? And Robin Tyler (if it's the lesbian activist) has never to my knowledge voiced that she's trans (and used to have some less-than-inclusive thoughts on us to boot!) Well, being from the Imperial Court ... I can believe it. Way to endorse, NGLTF!

There's a bunch of folks on here I've never heard of ... and note the pro-NCTE slant of their choices! No NTAC folks (besides Yo), no Phyllis Frye, no Alyson Meiselman, no Kat, no Randi Barnabee, no Ethan or anyone from IFGE (or other competing orgs), no Jessi Xavier or Joanna Keatley, no Andre Wilson or Dawn Wilson, no Julie Johnson, no Calpernia (Addams) (strangely enough for them!) and on and on! Ca-LUE-less!

Then again, maybe they meant the 40 top Drag heroes!"

I'm channeling my inner Maya Wilkes and saying a hearty, "Oh, Hell No!" to this list.

First, the list doesn't have the 'Godmother of the Transgender Rights Movement' in Phyllis Frye. No Vanessa Edwards Foster, no Kat Rose, no Dr. Susan Stryker, no Monica Helms, a 2003 IFGE Trinity Award winner who co-founded with Angela Brightfeather the Transgender American Veterans Association.

It's predominately East and West Coast centric. It ignores the major contributions to the transgender movement of people who live in 'flyover country'.

And as usual, out of the four African-Americans on this list, two are entertainers. I like the Lady Chablis, own an autographed copy of her Hiding My Candy autobiography and have met her, but I haven't seen her lobbying on Capitol Hill.

Get this through your heads gay people. RuPaul has stated he isn't and doesn't want to be trans. I'm beyond sick and tired of vanilla flavored privileged people holding him up as an example of an African-American transperson.

How the hell did you forget (or conveniently did so) the only three African-American IFGE Trinity Award winners in Dawn Wilson, Dr. Marisa Richmond and some award winning blogger who happens to be one of the founding members of NTAC, helped create the first standalone African-American oriented transgender conventions in 2005-06 and oh by the way, won the 2006 IFGE Trinity Award in the process?

Dr. Richmond in addition to winning the 2002 Trinity Award, was the first African-American transgender delegate to a major political convention and runs the Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition.

Dawn helped pass transgender rights bills in Louisville and Lexington, KY in 1998 and was the first African-American Trinity winner in 2000.

Hell, at least they did recognize Marsha P. Johnson and Valerie Spencer, but you left off Lorrainne Sade Baskerville, who happens to be a 2000 inductee of the Chicago GLBT Hall of Fame. Dionne Stallworth is not on this list, who is a founder of GenderPac, and neither is Cydne Kimbrough.

But Robin Tyler? Please, she's regarded by some peeps in the trans community with the same distaste I have for Ward Connerly, Michael Steele, Clarence Thomas and Condoleezza Rice.

Don't even get me started ranting about the long list of trans leaders around the planet who aren't US based.

But this speaks once again to an issue that I constantly harp on, along with Kat and Dr, Stryker. Know your history, claim it, own it and zealously defend it from all attempts at whitewashing it.

Because if you don't, others will write it for you, and you may not like the resulting portrait they paint of you when they're finished.