Damn Black People- Can You Chill With The Transphobia?

While posting some links to some fresh TransGriot content on Twitter this particular tweet from Kola Boof caught my attention.

KolaBoof

Why do people keep saying that CIARA is a man? I just don't see it. BTW--I've heard that said about me as well. @Drea141 @ditBOMB

And after clicking on a few tweet links, this transphobic gem popped up:

*shots* LOL RT @ditBOMB: I wonder if Ciara can watch her own videos and get an erection?

It's the fracking rumor that will not die.

Let's break this down, shall we?

Ciara Princess Harris was born in Austin, TX. Unless somebody can prove otherwise, has a copy of Ciara's original birth certificate, or has video of a Ciara press conference stating otherwise, the beautiful person standing in front of us on stage and in numerous photographs is a cis African American female.

I'm a Phenomenal Transwoman who is proud to be militantly Black and trans. But one of the things I share with my cis sisters is having to fend off attacks on our images from people who aren't qualified to be members of the femininity police.

Just because a cis African American woman is above 5'7" tall doesn't make her trans any more than being below that height makes one a ciswoman.

But I'm more than a little tired of the ghost of Sara Baartman playing itself out on Twitter, the Net and in other venues inside and outside our community.

I'm fed up with Black womanhood constantly being disparaged. Unfortunately Black men, instead of being the peeps that ought to be front and center defending it, are the ones leading the attacks on the images of Black women.

I'm tired of insecure people jealous of or intimidated by confident, accomplished, and talented sisters throwing 'that's a man' shade at them. In many cases it escapes the clueless that the women having the trans accusation hurled at them are people who have given birth to children.

The point is that you get half your genetic material from mommy, half from daddy, and we are all blends and combinations of traits that purportedly belong to the other gender. There is also as we are discovering, a fine line between being born in a masculine body and a feminine one.

Accumulating medical and scientific evidence is also making quite clear that gender identity is between your ears, not your legs.

But why is it so hard for some of my people to get that through their thick curly haired heads? Maybe it's because some of these people refuse to pick up science textbooks and are too quick to quote some money grubbing right-wing fundie pastor.

Bottom line people, unless a person declares they are trans, they ain't.

It also ain't your business unless you're dating that person or are about to get busy with them what genitalia they do or do not have concealed in their panties.

So can you chill with the transphobia and stop making the rest of the African American community that does have a clue about gender identity issues look bad?

To QI & Mr Stephen Fry: Transgender Women Are Not Blokes And Are Not There To "Fool" Anybody

TransGriot Note: This is the text of a complaint letter sent to the BBC by Sass Rogando Sasot concerning a transphobic January 8 segment of a British TV show called Quite Interesting. For my UK readers you can watch that January 8 episode here, for the rest of us, the player isn't set up for viewing outside of Great Britain.

If you wish to send your complaint to the BBC, here's the link. You can also send it to the QI contact person Sarah Lloyd (sarah@qi.com)

Here's Sass's letter

Dear QI:

I'm writing to complain about the comments and questionable opinion of your host, Mr Stephen Fry, about transgender women in your episode entitled "Girls & Boys" on January 8, 2010. The disrespectful comments and questionable opinion of Mr Fry were said during the discussion that came after he asked the question: "How can you be so sure she's not a bloke?"

After discussing why the Adam's apple can't really be a sign that someone is a man, Mr Fry said that: "Basically, a good ladyboy can imitate almost anything female, in terms of how they hold(?) their legs and you know...anything like that."

Then one of the guests asked "Hands and feet?". Mr Fry answered that there are also other women who have large feet then he said: "A dainty ladyboy can easily fool and often has."

Finally, Mr Fry concluded this segment by saying: "The truth is,
Without undressing them or testing their DNA, you can't be sure what sex someone is. So be careful out there."

I find the comments disrespectful and questionable on the following grounds:

First, the term "ladyboy" is a term that is usually used in the sex industry, specially in porn that features Asian transgender women. This term has the same offensive connotation as the term "she-male". I suggest that you refrain using this term as calling transgender women a ladyboy is no different than simply calling them "boys/men", thereby disrespecting their gender identity as women.

Second, the comments about transgender women "imitating anything female" and "a dainty [transgender woman] can easily fool and often has" suggest that transgender women are out there to deceive people. Transgender women are not deceiving anyone because they are just simply living their gender identity as women. This is a courageous manifestation of one's inner truth and not a sinister ploy to fool anyone. More than disrespectful, this comment is also disturbing as this is the same line of argument being used by the perpetrators of violence and discrimination against transgender women to justify their acts.

And third, the opinion of Mr Fry that someone's "true sex" is determined by what's between our legs OR by our DNA is highly questionable.

The external genitalia is now losing ground in being the "true" determinant of someone's sex. As what Dr. Louis Gooren, a Dutch endocrinologist and one of the leading experts on transsexualism, said in his closing speech during The Council of Europe: 23rd Colloquy on European Law: Transsexualism,
Medicine and Law, that:

"It has always been assumed that the sexual differentiation was completed with the formation of the external genitalia. But it is NOT. Since the beginning of this century we have known that the brain, too, undergoes a sexual differentiation. This has been firmly established scientifically in lower animals, and it occurs relatively late in development, in most species just before or shortly after birth...What do we know about man, the human species? We know that the human brain, too, undergoes a degree of sexual differentiation...Long after you were born and after your sex had been determined by the criterion of the external genitalia, your brain still had a long way to go to become sexually differentiated; it does not do so not before the age of 3 to 4 years. These scientific findings may shed light on the problem of transsexualism where we find a contradiction between the genital sex on the one hand and the gender identity on the other hand."


And DNA testing is as problematic as using external genitalia as determinant of the "true" sex of anybody. As what Dr Eric Vilain, a clinical genetics specialist at the UCLA Health System: "Recent advances in the field of the genetics of sexual development have shown the extreme complexity of defining males and females from a biological standpoint. There is no one biological parameter that clearly defines sex. ”

In fact, the United Kingdom, with its Gender Recognition Law, is now one of the countries in the world that has now legally recognized that one's gender identity is the best determinant of one's sex.

I understand that the comments of Mr Fry were meant to be humorous. However, there's a fine line between having a good laugh and turning a group people into an object of ridicule. And as a quiz show, we expect that QI would be curious enough to discover and use information that reflects current discoveries and understanding of the concepts that are being discussed in the show. This segment is not about furthering scientific understanding but more about furthering the opinion that transgender women are "really" blokes.

I trust that QI and Mr Fry would rectify this unfortunate and unbecoming display of ignorance.

Thank you.

Respectfully,

Ms Sass Rogando Sasot
transgender rights activist,
Communication Officer in Asia of
the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
Trans & Intersex Association (ILGA)

Being Transgender In Prison Should Not Equal Torture

TransGriot Note: This a guest post from the remarkable Renee of Womanist Musings.

Maria Benita Santamaria was sentenced to prison after she was arrested with ten pounds of meth. Clearly, this is against the law, however; she did not deserve to be tortured, sentenced to a men's prison and denied medical care. Her story is not unique, in fact the prison industrial complex is not equipped properly to house transgender criminals.

Maria had been on hormones for two years at the time of the arrest and therefore placing her in a male prison qualifies as cruel and unusual punishment. The state has a responsibility to protect inmates from violence and a trans woman in a male prison faces an increased risk of violence and therefore they are often placed in solitary confinement.

Maria was placed in solitary confinement where she was denied hormone treatments and thus began to grow facial hair. According to the Washington Examiner she was even referred to as “it”. She was treated no differently than any other person in solitary confinement, despite doing nothing to earn this treatment other than being a trans woman. She was placed on lockdown 23 hours a day and allowed a shower once every three days.

The following is an excerpt from an interview with CSC's Craig Haney, a psychologist who's an expert on long-term solitary confinement.

First let me note that solitary confinement has historically been a part of torture protocols. It was well-documented in South Africa. It's been used to torture prisoners of war.

There are a couple reasons why solitary confinement is typically used. One is that it's a very painful experience. People experience isolation panic. They have a difficult time psychologically coping with the experience of being completely alone.

In addition, solitary confinement imposes conditions of social and perceptual stimulus deprivation. Often it's the deprivation of activity, the deprivation of cognitive stimulation, that some people find to be painful and frightening.

Some of them lose their grasp of their identity. Who we are, and how we function in the world around us, is very much nested in our relation to other people. Over a long period of time, solitary confinement undermines one's sense of self. It undermines your ability to register and regulate emotion. The appropriateness of what you're thinking and feeling is difficult to index, because we're so dependent on contact with others for that feedback. And for some people, it becomes a struggle to maintain sanity.

That leads to the other reason why solitary is so often a part of torture protocols. When people's sense of themselves is placed in jeopardy, they are more malleable and easily manipulated. In a certain sense, solitary confinement is thought to enhance the effectiveness of other torture techniques.

The prison industrial complex is overburdened and the US has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world. Once someone is imprisoned, often the larger society fails to recognize their humanity and they are subject to treatment that is abominable. If the person in question is part of an already socially marginalized group, the negligence and cruelty often escalates. After six months in solitary, daily being misgendered, and denied medical treatment, is it any wonder that Maria Benita Santamaria contemplated suicide?

H/T The Bilerico Project.

Archie Marries Betty

Finally picked up my copy of Archie 604, which continues the six issue story arc of the comic world's favorite playa-playa deciding to settle down with one of the two lovely ladies vying for his romantic attention.

In Issues 600, 601, and 602 it shows us Archie's life after marrying Veronica, complete with twins, living large lifestyle and an executive job at Lodge Industries.

But fans of the Archie comics, and count the TransGriot among them, were rooting for Betty to marry Archie, and starting with issue 603 that's what we got.

We're treated to the other fork in Memory Lane and what transpired as Archie gets engaged to and is now on the verge of marrying Elizabeth Ann Cooper.

Unlike the earlier issues in which Veronica's spare no expense wedding was the hit of the social season that garnered media coverage, Archie and Betty's wedding is a small scale one at Pop's.

Archie is having a hard time finding a job like everyone else in America these days. Betty ends up getting the job in New York she applied for prior to graduating from college and she and Archie move there after their wedding.

Veronica pins him down at the reception and Archie explains why he chose Betty over her. She offers as the maid of honor to pay for the honeymoon since money is tight for the newlyweds, but Archie declines the offer. (Hmm, Veronica's growing up)

After a year in New York, they move back to Riverdale on their first anniversary and end up with teaching jobs at Riverdale High. I'll let you read 604 to find out why.

Betty also drops the bomb at the end of the issue that she's pregnant.

Looking forward to picking up Issues 605 and 606, the final one in this six comic series arc that wraps up this storyline.

Oh by the way, if you missed any of these issues, there will be one coming out around March which will consolidate the entire story arc in one issue tentatively titled Archie, Marry Me.

Anxiously waiting for Issue 605 to hit the stands now to see if Betty has twins.

Goodbye Mary Daly-And Please Take The Transphobia With You

TransGriot Note: My latest post for Global Comment.

One of the major reasons I don't like radical feminism is the virulent transphobia that was espoused by the quartet of Sheila Jeffreys, Janice Raymond, Germaine Greer, and the woman that died January 3, Mary Daly.

While Daly was a brilliant thinker, she was controversial to put it mildly.

She once advocated that only ten percent of the men on Planet Earth should be left alive, and refused to allow men in her women's studies classrooms at Boston College.

She was called out by womanist Audre Lorde for her racism in Lorde's famous May 6, 1979 Open Letter To Mary Daly.

Lorde criticized her for failing to address race or acknowledge the stories of women of color in Daly's 1978 book Gyn/Ecology.

Daly never responded to Lorde's letter, which she published four months later.

Daly's transphobia was in full effect in Gyn/Ecology as well when she referred to trans people as "Frankensteinian" and living in a "contrived and artifactual condition".

“Although the resistance Mary Daly’s feminist theology offered to patriarchal oppression is commendable, a spirituality that elevates one’s own kind by demonizing an ‘other’ – as hers did for transgender/genderqueer folks – is ultimately one for which I have no sympathy,” said transgender activist and historian Dr. Susan Stryker. “Her moralistic condemnation of transsexuals as death-loving Frankenstein monsters was a powerful impetus for my own efforts to reclaim the transformative power of the monstrous and refute its stigma for trans people.”

You can read the rest of the Mary Daly post there.

When You Republicans Start Consistently Doing Things For The African-American Community, Only Then Will We Cut Y'all Some Slack On Race Gaffes

The GOP is up in arms because of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-NV) foot in mouth moment that recently came to light thanks to the recently published book 'Game Change'. During the 2008 campaign he's allegedly quoted as saying that it was an advantage for for then candidate Obama to be a 'light skinned Black with no Negro dialect'

Sen. Reid quickly apologized for it, the president accepted the apology along with other African-American political and thought leaders.

"While there is no question that Senator Reid did not select the best word choice in this instance, these comments should not distract America from its continued focus on securing healthcare or creating jobs for its people," Sharpton said.

Congressional Black Caucus Chair Barbara Lee (D-CA) stated, 'But while there is "a deep unease about race which cannot be swept under the rug, Reid's public actions speak louder than words."

"Over the years, I have had an opportunity to work with Majority Leader Reid. Senator Reid's record provides a stark contrast to actions of Republicans to block legislation that would benefit poor and minority communities," she said, citing health care reform as one example. "I look forward to Senator Reid continuing to serve as Majority Leader to guide this important agenda through the Senate."

Michael Steele and friends immediately screamed foul and demanded Sen. Reid's resignation as Senate Majority leader, claiming a dubious 'double standard' on race when it comes to Republicans versus Democrats on race issues.

There's a double standard alright, and it's one the Democrats have earned thanks to forty plus years of fighting for and passing legislation that helps my community.

The Republican whining is especially acute in light of the resignation of Trent Lott (R-MS) from his majority leadership position after making racially insensitive remarks in 2002. He stated at then-Senator Strom Thurmond's 100th birthday celebration if Thurmond's 1948 pro-segregation presidential bid had been successful, the country would have been better off.

There's light years of difference in the two situations that anyone with functioning brain cells can see. Sen. Harry Reid doesn't have the long history of working with white supremacist groups and negative NAACP Congressional Report Card ratings (F by the way) that former Senator Trent Lott had.

Unlike Sen. Trent Lott, who spent his career along with his party fighting legislation that would help African-Americans, Reid has been on the other side of the issues fighting to pass them. and has the A rating from the NAACP to prove it.

The Republicans can stop whining because they have caused and continue to exacerbate their problems with race that feed the false 'double standard' they complain about in the first place.

I don't see Democrats actively working to suppress voter turnout in African American communities, advocating tax policies that only benefit their well heeled supporters, and being openly hostile to advancing civil rights legislation.

When they stop acting like the party of George Lincoln Rockwell and build up a history in this century of tirelessly working on issues that will benefit African-Americans and other working class Americans, and have done so for 40 plus years, then and only then will African Americans consider giving them a pass when they make mistakes on race issues.

A Quality Black Woman Needs Quality People Surrounding Her

As I've stated before, I consider myself to be on an evolutionary path to become a quality black woman.

I have my days in which that road is surprisingly smooth and drama free, while others are full of potholes I either run into unexpectedly or see in enough time to avoid them.

One of the things that is vitally important as you embark upon this journey besides the spiritual roadmap, love of and confidence in yourself and a little divatude is having quality people around you in your sistah circle.

They not only have to be people who have various positive qualities you admire and wish to emulate, they must be people you know beyond a shadow of a doubt have your back. You need to have people in your life who will call you on your BS, give you a hug and positive reinforcement when you're down, praise you when you deserve it and give you a swift motivational kick in the rear when it becomes necessary.

If that cluster of people surrounding you in love happens to be older, younger, multiethnic, multicultural, cis, LGB or trans, blood relatives or relatives you chose, so much the better.

While it's important as a trans person that you have the sistah circle as part of the journey to quality Black womanhood, the cadre of quality people surrounding you also needs some testosterone based lifeforms in it. There are times when you will need to hear the male point of view as well.

I am blessed to have such a group of people surrounding me, and constantly challenging me to be a better person today than I was the day before. I can count on them to be chewing on my behind to ensure I'm a better person next week, next month, six months from now and next year.

And as a person striving to be a quality Black woman, I want to be farther down the evolutionary path than I am at the moment I am composing this post today.

Can A Media Sistah Do Her Job Without Being Labeled Trans, Ugly Or An Affirmative Action Hire?

When I'm writing sometimes I'll flip on the TV and tune it to the Weather Channel. I love the two sister on-air weather presenters Betty Davis and Vivian Brown. Betty is usually doing the weekend on-air weather reports from 7 AM-11 AM EST while Vivian is on-air during the workweek.

I also like checking out their fashion styles as well as I'm finding out what the weather's going to be like here in Da Ville and the surrounding region.

So being the curious person I am, while pondering the backgrounds of my fave sistah weather casters, I Googled their names to see what would come up.

I was not surprised to discover that these ladies both have it going on.

In Betty's case she's a native Georgian and mother of two children who graduated magna cum laude from Spelman with an English degree. She has a BS in meteorology from Mississippi State and her seals of approval from the American Meteorological Society and National Weather Association.

Vivian is a Jackson, MS native who was a world class track athlete during her time at Jackson State University, where she earned her BS in Meteorology.

She's also a mother of two, has her seals of approval from the American Meteorological Society and National Weather Association, is the Weather Channel expert on tropical weather, a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc,, an entrepreneur who started a maternity clothing store in the ATL that features professional attire, a tennis buff and is a member of the Jackson State University Sports Hall of Fame.

I also ran across as I Googled both ladies transphobic, racist and sexist comments as well in this 2005 airliners.net thread and here about Ms. Davis and this one in my Hattiesburg.com about Ms. Brown.

Once again, this is an example of the ongoing centuries old attacks on the beauty and images of African descended women. You also have factored into this situation news and media outlets using young blonde weathercasters to add sex appeal to their newscast and draw viewers.

Some Weather Channel viewers drool over people like Alexandra Steele and have constant debates over who is the most beautiful woman on the channel. Give you two guesses whose names don't enter in that conversation.

Betty Davis and Vivian Brown are two accomplished, intelligent, and talented sisters who stylishly present the weather information we need to get through our days and work weeks. It's obvious they have the talent to do so and The Weather Channel is happy and lucky to have them. CNN hired away the other sister who used to work at the channel in Eboni Deon.

I'd damned sure be happy to stand in these two beautiful ladies pumps, and you folks who are insulting these ladies need to buy a vowel and get a clue about gender identity issues.

You also need to deal with the reality that beautiful women come in a wider variety of shades, ethnic backgrounds, body builds and skin tones besides petite, blonde, thin and white.

Shut Up Fool! Awards-Let It Snow Edition

It's the first full week of the New Year and the second decade of the 21st century. We in Da Ville have spent the last 48 hours shoveling snow, slip sliding on the highways and byways of Kentuckiana and sliding down the various designated sledding hills since we got dusted with 3.5 inches of snow Thursday.

It's Friday and you know what that means people. Now that I've finished shoveling snow and clearing the sidewalks, time for me to shed a bright spotlight on the fool or fools that embarked and engaged in unleashing a blizzard of BS, buffoonery, idiocy and jibber jabber.

This year, I'm going to put a new wrinkle in the Shut up Fool! awards. From time to time I'll ask the people who are signed up on my Twitter or Facebook page to select the Fool of the Week.

This week I asked the people on my Facebook page who should win this week's award.

The winner this week was David Letterman

Dave did a skit which turned the historic appointment of Amanda Simpson into a stereotypical transphobic sight gag.



Never mind the fact he did so at the same time transphobic reporting on it was happening in the New York Post and the Not Enough Family Research Council was piling on and attacking the appointment.

GLAAD called him on it along with others in the trans community.

And this week, you earned this-

David Letterman, shut up fool!

Kentucky-Black Head Coaching Hotbed?

Over the last few years, there has been a marked increase in the numbers of minorities getting the head coaching jobs at NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division 1) schools. I'm proud to say my alma mater, the University of Houston is one of them.

But the interesting trend that has happened lately on the NCAA African-American head football coaching front is transpiring in Kentucky.

There are three schools in this state, Louisville, Kentucky and Western Kentucky that play at the FBS level. With the recent elevation of offensive coordinator and UK alum Joker Phillips in the wake of the retirement of Rich Brooks, U of L's hiring of Florida defense coordinator Charlie Strong and the hiring of Hilltopper alum and Stanford assistant Willie Taggart at WKU, the state of Kentucky's FBS football programs are all headed by African-Americans.

That means out of the 12 African-American head football coaches in the FBS, Kentucky is home to one quarter of them.

In addition, Joker Phillips' elevation to the position makes him only the second ever African-American head football coach in the SEC. Sylvester Croom broke that barrier when he was hired by Mississippi State in 2004 and held the position until he resigned at the end of the 2008 season.

Kentuckians are taking football as seriously as they do King Basketball in light of the fact these three programs have been making competitive noise.

The Wildcats have been steadily building the foundation since the arrival of Brooks and have become competitive in the SEC East, the toughest division in college football.

The Cards won a BCS bowl in 2005 as Big East champions but have slipped from that elite level.

Western Kentucky won the 2002 Division I-AA National Championship, elevated its program to FBS level and had a rough 0-10 maiden season adjusting to FBS level football.

It's great to see that all three institutions have decided to have these well qualified gentlemen run their programs. Strong was defense coordinator for the NCAA Champion Florida Gators. Phillips has been the offensive coordinator for the Wildcats. Taggart was an assistant coach at WKU for a decade before he moved on to Stanford.

It's even more gratifying to see in Phillips' and Taggart's cases former players who have been given the opportunity to coach at their alma maters. In Taggart's case he is one of only four WKU players in the 91 year football history to have their jersey number retired.

May all three have much success leading their respective programs to the next level of development in the future, unless they're playing Kevin Sumlin and my Cougars.

How To Respectfully Cover A News Story Involving A Trans Person

I love Rachel Maddow for a lot of reasons, but the most important one is that she covers news stories with intelligence and humor, something sorely lacking in most journalism outposts these days.

Makes me glad she's on the progressive side.

Take notes MSM. Notice how Rachel covered the unfolding Amanda Simpson presidential appointment story. This is how you RESPECTFULLY cover a story involving a trans person.



If you need further 'ejumacation' on the issue, you can go to the GLAAD website or peruse your latest copy of the AP Stylebook

Tiger, Now That You Lost 'Honorary White Male' Status, Don't Come Running Back To Us For Support

Now that Mr. Cablinasian has fallen seriously out of favor with the predominately white fans of the golfing world over his marital woes and infidelity issues, I wonder how long it's going to take before he remembers he's Black and tries to appeal to us for support?

Save it homes. Seen this pattern before with the most recent examples being O.J. Simpson and the late Michael Jackson.

Been there and done that. The sad part is I'm a huge fan of the Athlete of the Decade, but I and much of the African-American community is just through with Eldrick Woods.

There are a lot of ways to be Black, but we get more than perturbed with the lot of you who have at least one African descended parent and are in severe denial about the African part of your heritage.

We get a little pissed with you peeps who are chasing 'honorary white male' status, ignore Black women as potential life partners as a part of that and our community as a whole during your pursuit of superstardom.

But when your ample round butts get into trouble or you fall out of favor with whites for whatever reason, you suddenly remember you're Black and start calling up African-American media outlets and magazines to do interviews. You then try to show you're down with the people in your bid to mend fences with the African-American community and garner our support.

Naw homes. We don't want sloppy seconds. We wanted then and still want to be your first love. But your declaration you were Cablinasian, that you had every right as an individual defining himself to make, was seen as a slap in the face by those of us who are proud to be Black.

One of the biggest surprises of President Obama's Inauguration Week last year was Tiger's participation in the Sunday 'We Are One' event.

Many peeps in the African-American community expressed surprise he was even there, seeing his reluctance to speak out on any issues political or otherwise pertaining to the African-American community over the last decade. Even when he did his short speech, he did so without mentioning President Obama by name.

If we weren't good enough for you to show solidarity and pride with beyond the superficial level when you were doing all those amazing things on the golf courses of the planet, give me and the African descended community one good reason why we should show any love or support to you in return, especially in light of the fact that many of your golfing buds like Jesper Parnevik are openly turning on you like rabid dogs?

But being we African descended peeps are a forgiving bunch, after we get over the simmering anger of being jilted and ignored for the last decade, if Mr. Woods is sincere about doing a much better job in the 2k10's and beyond about staying in better touch with his African descended roots, we'll probably make room for him at the family table.

Hell, somebody's gotta show him some love. But it's definitely going to take awhile before we warm up to you again.

Every Month Is Black History Month

We're close to celebrating another Black History Month. Unlike most people, thanks to my parents and my late godmother, I have a deep love of history in general and Black history in particular.

It drives a thirst for knowledge of my people that happens 365 days a year and 366 days in a leap year.

I'm one of those people who firmly believes that every month is Black History Month. Every month contains either the birthday of a historic figure in our history besides the January 15, 1929 one of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the anniversary of a groundbreaking event, the founding of an iconic organization such as the NAACP or the date a historic achievement occurred for our people.

For example, on this January 7 date inventor W.B. Purvis patented the fountain pen.

In 1891 writer Zora Neale Hurston was born in Eatonville, FL.

In 1955 Marian Anderson, the first African American singer in the company's history, made her debut at New York's Metropolitan Opera House as Alrica in Verdi's Masked Ball.

In 2002 Shirley Franklin was sworn in as the first African American female mayor of Atlanta.

We also can't sleep about the Black history that's being made right now in the White House, across the Diaspora, and the people that are making that history happen.

It's not just limited to the borders of the United States. Black history month is increasingly becoming an international event to reflect the fact that there's Black history being made in Canada, the Caribbean, in Europe, the African continent and wherever African descended people reside on this planet.

History is more than just remembering dates, places and larger than life personalities. It is the story of a people as well and endless What Ifs that had they occurred, could have changed the world we are living in at this particular moment in time.

And as I must remind people, just because we are GLBT people, it doesn't mean we became less Black. African descended same gender loving people and trans people have and will continue to play major roles in driving events shaping our people's history such as Bayard Rustin's involvement in the Civil Rights Movement and Marsha P. Johnson being involved in the 1969 Stonewall Riots and the events after it that resulted in the early trans rights movement.

Kelly Miller wrote in The Voice of the Negro in 1906, 'All great people glorify their history and look back upon their early achievements with a spiritual vision.'

Well, we African descended Americans come from a great people who reside on the second largest continent on our planet.

Those of us who ended up in the Western Hemisphere either voluntarily or on that involuntary boat trip have done remarkable things and contributed mightily to building this country.

And we need more than 28 calendar days to properly pay homage to that history.

GLAAD Ain't Happy About Letterman's Amanda Simpson Skit...And Neither Am I

Damn, can a transwoman, or transpeople in general get through the first full week of the New Year and new decade without being disrespected?

Sadly, the answer is no.

We have a moment in which the entire trans community is bursting with pride at one of our own getting an historic federal appointment by the president, only to have tabloid newspapers and comedians turn it into a fracking joke.

GLAAD has already highlighted some problematic coverage of the news by the reliably transphobic New York Post, and now David Letterman piles on with this skit from last night's show.



The 'cis man gets physically ill at presence of transwoman' is unfortunately a lame and depressingly far too common meme in the entertainment world.

It has manifested itself in films such as Bachelor Party, The Crying Game and Ace Ventura Pet Detective.



Guess I should be counting my blessings that Late Night bandleader Paul Shaffer didn't fire up the band and play 'The Crying Game' song to go with it.

And before y'all start typing the 'damn it's just a joke, lighten up' BS in the comments, I have a sense of humor as people who know me will tell you. I know the difference between a good joke and one that goes a bit too far and is hurtful to the persons and the community that was the punchline of said joke.

The Letterman Amanda Simpson skit crossed that line last night. It mined a tired meme for the sake of a laugh.

And the 'cis man gets ill at sight of transwoman' sight gag needs to die

PETA's Feathers Ruffled Over Chicken Statue Permit Delay

Yum Brands, Inc. is the parent company for Kentucky Fried Chicken and is headquartered here in Louisville Metro.

That means that we've been getting visits on the regular by the boys and girls from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

In addition to picketing various KFC locations and Yum Brand, Inc. headquarters, they even showed up to picket Sunday services at the massive Southeast Christian Church, where some of the Yum Brands execs worship.

PETA asserts that KFC's chicken processing methods are cruel and harmful to our future Original Recipe pieces. Even if that's true, PETA as usual has done their usual stellar job in alienating supporters and pissing people off to the point in which many of us who are sympathetic to the cause stopped caring what PETA had to say a long time ago.

PETA's in Da Ville threatening to sue the city over their stalled request to erect for three months a five and a half foot tall statue of a bloodied chicken on crutches.

PETA wants to put it downtown on the corner of Fourth and Market Streets. The statue was created by New Yorker cartoonist Harry Bliss and reads at its base 'KFC Cripples Chickens'

Martina Bernstein, PETA’s litigation attorney, wrote a letter to James Mims December 17 stating metro government’s denial of a permit for the display is bogus and doesn’t “survive even the mildest scrutiny.”

“Accordingly, PETA respectfully requests that you exercise your authority to reverse the (Department of Codes and Regulations’) decision on the grounds that it is baseless and order the department to issue the requested permit forthwith.”

James Mims, the director of the Department of Codes and Regulations, wrote a December 28 letter saying PETA did not pay its $25 application fee and gave the city no “site map” of the proposed location of the statue.

“All I want to do is make sure that whatever we’re doing in the way of permitting this object recognizes required exits and entrances into buildings, doesn’t disrupt emergency services, allows for passable pedestrian areas in front of the buildings, and does not create a hazard that would impede pedestrian travel.”

He also stated in a Courier-Journal interview that PETA’s application was never denied and the application will be processed as soon as they receive the site map required by city ordinance.

PETA claims it has already done so, and the city is just stonewalling them.

PETA applied for a similar permit in July, but no decision was made because the city instituted a moratorium on temporary structures in public rights of way until new rules could be written.

Those new requirements say groups putting up a temporary structure must get adjacent property owners’ permission before the display can be approved by the city.

KFC spokeswoman Laurie Schalow told The Courier-Journal that that the request was a "despicable publicity stunt that we hope the city will have the good sense to disapprove."

At any rate, if and when it goes up, I'll be making a beeline once again for the closest KFC and have a picnic with a bucket of original recipe in front of the statue in question.

New Year's Message From Canada's Governor General

Y'all know how much I love Canada's Governor General Michaelle Jean. Her term expires later this year unless it is extended either by the 'Sweater Vest' or his successor for two more years.

At any rate, here is her New Year's Day message to her fellow Canadians and the peeps across the Diaspora like moi who think she's just awesome.

Either Stand Up For Yourself Or Keep Getting Discriminated Against

Find out just what the people will submit to and you have found out the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them; and these will continue until they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.

Frederick Douglass was dead on target when he uttered these words over a century ago.

What triggered this post was me recalling this Douglass quote while reading Leona Lo's blog.

In the post I was reading she discussed an incident which happened a few months ago in which a Singaporean transwoman was denied entry to a popular local club.

That transwoman asked Leona for help and she obliged. The Singaporean media was contacted, and was ready and willing to publicize the story by interviewing the transperson in question. But because she feared public exposure more than she wanted justice for what had been done to her, she backed out of the interview.

And as Leona pointed out, that's exactly what the oppressor was counting on.

Activists don't mind helping a trans brother or trans sister out when they ask for it. But when you do, bear in mind you can't just drop the problem in our laps, walk away and think you're gonna sit on the sidelines as we pick up the sword and shield and begin to do the fighting on your behalf. We expect you when we do so to be an active and engaged participant in your own liberation.

As Frederick Douglass stated in the last sentence of the quote that graces the beginning of this post, the limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.

Translation: you are a participant in your own oppression. How long and how far it goes is determined by how much injustice and discriminatory treatment you are willing to stomach.

If you're tired of being disrespected and denigrated, you have the choice of loving yourself enough to stand up and fight for your rights, or meekly submit and continue to get dissed and discriminated against.

We know from world history which strategy has worked best for marginalized people.

9-7!

On September 8, 2002 the expansion Texans shocked the NFL world and a national television audience by beating the hated Dallas Cowboys at Reliant Stadium 19-10 in their inaugural game. They joined the 1961 Minnesota Vikings as the second NFL expansion teams to win their opening game.

The Texans followed that piece of NFL history up by knocking off the Miami Dolphins to begin the 2003 season, thus becoming the only expansion team to win back to back season openers.

After consecutive 8-8 seasons, the Texans started the 2009 season with expectations of making the NFL playoffs for the first time ever. At midseason they looked like they were on track to do so with a 5-3 record.

But after another frustrating loss to their AFC South nemesis the Indianapolis Colts jumpstarted an ill timed four game losing streak, it put them in the position of needing to win their remaining four games and get help in order to make the playoffs.

They opened the 2010's with a critical must win home game against the NFL team of the 2K's, the New England Patriots. After falling behind 27-13, a 21 point fourth quarter comeback for the ages secured the 34-27 win for the Texans in front a a delirious sellout crowd and secured the first winning season in franchise history.

But to make the playoffs, thanks to their midseason swoon, they needed to have two out of three teams, the NY Jets, the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens lose.

The Broncos obliged, but the Ravens and Jets won their games, thus eliminating the Texans from playoff contention.

Despite being disappointed the Texans fell just short of making the playoffs this year, I'm still happy for my hometown team.

They posted a winning record and have some positive momentum going into the 2010 season. Maybe next year I'll finally get the chance to see my boys beat the Indianapolis Colts and play in the NFL playoffs.

Mayor Parker's Inaugural Speech

The public swearing in ceremony for new Houston Mayor Annise Parker took place today at the Wortham Theater Center with five of our previous mayors, Fred Hofheinz, Kathy Whitmire, Lee Brown, Bob Lanier and Bill White (the one she's succeeding) on the stage with her.

Due to regulations in the city charter, she was sworn in Saturday in a private ceremony to become our 61st mayor and only the second woman to hold the office.

Here's the link to Mayor Parker's inaugural speech

It figures that Phred Phelps and 4 members of his Westboro Baptist Hate Church KKKlan would show up to picket today. They were countered by an even larger group picketing them. I hope the city disinfected and scrubbed down the sidewalk where the Phelps family was standing.

Congrats Madame Mayor. May you have much success and two more terms in the mayor's chair.