Coming Soon To A Track Near You-Caster Semenya!

800m world champion Caster Semenya of South Africa has had a tumultuous eleven months ever since she claimed the championship in convincing fashion at last year's IAAF World Championships in Berlin in the fifth fastest time ever run by a female athlete.

The now 19-year-old Semenya was given the green light to run again after a review by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) of her gender verification tests.

The approval clears the last hurdle standing in her way to compete in IAAF sanctioned international track events. She can compete as early as the IAAF World Junior Championships taking place in Moncton, NB, Canada July 19-25 and the October 3-14 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India.

The IAAF said in a statement on the matter, "The IAAF accepts the conclusion of a panel of medical experts that she can compete with immediate effect."

"The medical details of the case remain confidential and the IAAF will make no further comment on the matter."

Semenya and South Africa were obviously happy about the IAAF decision.

"I am thrilled to enter the global athletics arena once again and look forward to competing with all the disputes behind me," she said in a statement released by her lawyers.

Her attorney Jeffrey Kessler said, "We are delighted that Caster is finally being permitted to compete with other women, as is her legal and natural right."

"Hopefully, this resolution will set a precedent so that no female athlete in the future will have to experience the long delays and public scrutiny which Caster has been forced to endure."

Ruling ANC spokesman Jackson Mthembu stated about the decision, "The ANC welcomes the decision by the IAAF to finally clear our 'golden girl', Caster Semenya, to participate in all athletics meetings as well as the international ones as a woman,"

"The decision by the IAAF of clearing Caster is a vindication of the ANC, her family, our government and all progressive forces who stood behind her during her time of need."

Mthembu added: "We appeal to all South Africans and people of the world and other athletes to assist Caster in putting the unfortunate past behind her so that she can continue on what she does best, which is running."

Alright, Caster! Hope you kick ass, take names and will be standing in 2012 on the top steps of the victory podium in London holding the 800m Olympic gold medal.

MAGNET Changes Name Of Upcoming Media Panel

After consultation with LGB allies, MAGNET has changed the title of the upcoming July 15 panel discussion taking place in the Great Hall at Plummer Park in West Hollywood, CA.

Some of the allies have objected to the 'Gay Male Media Mafia' term used in the initial title, so after consultation it has been changed to 'Gay Male Hollywood.'

The full explanation of why MAGNET did so is contained in this post from their blog.

Phred Phelps Does Dallas -Resource Center Dallas Profits

Phred Phelps brings his reprehensible Phamily of Phools to Dallas starting July 9 for a series of protests. The primary targets are The Resource Center Dallas, and Beth El Binah, a mainstream Reform Jewish congregation with a longtime LGBT outreach that meets at the Center.

They also are planning protests at several other North Texas sites such as the Dallas Holocaust Museum in the West End, the Texas Jewish Post and Cathedral Guadalupe.

As is the case with many GLBT communities or organizations faced with dealing with his Westboro Baptist 'Church' christofools, local organizations use his visits as an opportunity to fundraise for causes within the community.

The standard operating procedure is to have people offer to donate a certain dollar amount for every minute Fred's Fools protest in their city, with that money going to help GLBT community causes.

It has the dual effect of not only turning the Phelps Phamily sojourns into money raising opportunities for the targeted community, once the Phelpses find out, they cut their protests short.

Resource Center Dallas has started a 'Hell Freezes Over' campaign in advance of the Westboro Wackos visit. As of 11 AM CDT they have already raised just over $1000 for their counterprotest, and Phred hasn't even arrived in the Dallas area yet.

Resource Center Dallas in addition to serving as the host location for a GLBT friendly Reform Jewish congregation, has provided a hot meals program for more than 100 HIV-positive clients. They have served those nutritious lunches on Monday through Friday since the early 1990’s.

The Center recently had their ice machine break down. They are temporarily receiving ice from their partners Caven Enterprises and Cathedral of Hope, but need $3000 to purchase a new energy-efficient unit to replace the old one.

The money raised in this campaign will go towards replacing the ice machine first, and any funds raised above and beyond that will go to the Center's general operating fund.

So here's hoping Phred's Phools spend lots of time in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and raise lots of cash for Resource Center Dallas in the process.

M&M's Elections

While we have a more important one happening in the States on November 2, M&M's is giving you an opportunity to vote for your fave spokescandy until July 15.

It's a vote early and often affair, so you get to vote once a day until that date. It's also part of a sweepstakes that pays $50K to the Grand Prize winner.



There have been over 3 million votes cast so far, and if you're curious as to which spokescandy is leading right now it's Green with 23% of the votes cast.

Yellow is seconds with 21%, Orange at 19%, Blue at 19% and Red at 18%.

As to who I voted for? The estrogen based spokescandy of course.

Legal Victory For Vandy Beth!

Justice has been served for a Georgia transwoman!

Thanks to the efforts of Lambda Legal, late Friday afternoon the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia ruled in the Glenn v. Brumby et. al case that the Georgia General Assembly discriminated against transwoman Vandy Beth Glenn. She was fired from her job in 2007 as a Legislative Editor after she told her supervisor that she planned to transition.

"...avoiding the anticipated negative reactions of others cannot serve as a sufficient basis for discrimination and does not constitute an important government interest." wrote United States District Court Judge Richard Story.

Dru Levasseur, Transgender Rights Attorney at Lambda Legal, who represented Glenn in her legal fight along with Greg Nevins, Lambda Legal's Supervising Senior Staff Attorney for their Atlanta Southern Regional office stated, "The evidence was clear - Vandy Beth was fired because her boss didn't like who she is, and that kind of treatment is unfair and illegal."

Glenn worked for two years in the General Assembly's Office of Legislative Counsel as an editor and proofreader of bill language. She loved her job, but living as a male was increasingly painful and distressing for Glenn who has a longstanding female gender identity.

After Glenn's health care providers diagnosed her with Gender Identity Disorder (GID) and agreed that gender transition was necessary for her health and well-being, Glenn informed her immediate supervisor, Beth Yinger, that she planned to proceed with her transition.

She showed Yinger photographs of herself in professional female attire and Yinger passed the information on to her boss, the General Assembly's Legislative Counsel, Sewell Brumby.

After confirming that Glenn intended to transition, Brumby decided to fire Vandy Beth because he thought her transition "...was inappropriate, that it would be disruptive, that some people would view it as a moral issue, and that it would make Glenn's coworkers uncomfortable."

Lambda Legal filed a lawsuit in July 2008 claiming that Glenn's termination violated the Constitution's Equal Protection guarantee because it treated her differently due to her nonconformity with sex stereotypes and her medical condition.

After the State's motion to dismiss failed, the two sides filed motions for summary judgment in September 2009. Using the high standard of scrutiny required for sex discrimination claims, the Court ruled that Georgia General Assembly officials violated the Constitution and discriminated against Glenn by terminating her for failing to conform to gender stereotypes. Using a lower standard of review, the Court rejected the second Equal Protection claim that Glenn was discriminated against on the basis of her medical condition.

The Court's ruling relied in part on Lambda Legal's prior work in Lopez v. River Oaks, a federal discrimination case on behalf of a transwoman in Texas who had a job offer rescinded because she is transgender.

The Court has set a hearing for July 13 to determine a remedy.

"This is a major victory for all transgender people across the country, and I hope that a federal discrimination law will follow in its wake," said Vandy Beth Glenn.

Amen, Vandy Beth. Here's hoping that the message increasingly gets sent to bigots and the Forces of Intolerance that discrimination against trans people will not only not be tolerated, but carries a financial cost as well.

For you legal eagles, here's the ruling.

Upcoming MAGNET Panel Discussion On Negative Trans Media Images

MAGNET (Media Advocates Giving National Equality to Transsexual & Transgender People) organizer Ashley Love is announcing that on Thursday, July 15, 2010 there will be a panel discussion in Los Angeles entitled Women Demanding Change Now: The Dehumanizing Misrepresentation of Transsexual Women through the Gay Male Media Mafia Lens.

The final venue location has yet to be determined, but the time has already been set. It will run from 7:00 PM PDT - 9:30 PM PDT and will be in either the Hollywood or West Hollywood Area.

You can monitor the MAGNET blog for details, and as I get updated information I'll post it to TransGriot for those of you interested in either attending the event o participating in it.

MAGNET is planning to film it as well, so if you are security conscious, just letting y'all know ahead of time what's gonna happen.

Some of the topics being discussed at this event will include:

• Finding solutions to build authentic unity and trust within LGBT community
• Spiritual/mental/physical violence incited by messages in film and TV
• Gay males producing stigmatizing, over the top and unkind images of transsexual women
• Gay Inc. and some transgender activists co-opting the medical condition transsexualism
• Inaccurately depicting transsexual women as “drag queens”, “caricatures of femininity”
• Countering propaganda, objectification and miseducation assaulting transsexual women

MAGNET plans to allow time during this panel discussion for the audience to ask the panelists questions.

As of today, four panelists have been confirmed:

Kiana Moore (transsexual woman, Hollywood producer- VH1, MTV, Bravo, Oxygen, Logo)--
Arianna Davis (trans & intersex- Founder of Gender ID Empowerment Coalition)
Cary Harrison (gay male, Radio personality, award winning journalist)
Amanda McMurray (LGBT activist, writer, MAGNET's San Francisco Director)

MAGNET is seeking to make the array of opinions and thoughts on the topic as broad as possible, and is particularly interested in having media or entertainment LGBT/ally professionals, teachers, LGBT or feminist activists participate.

If you have some suggestions as to persons who would make excellent panelists for this discussion, email MAGNET at magnet_right_now@yahoo.com.

More details to come on the other participation panelists and venue.

MAGNET is also seeking the opinions of people who aren't in the LA metro area on the panel discussion topic to include them in the discussion.

You can send those comments to MAGNET at:

www.TheMAGNETSource.blogspot.com
www.TransFormingMedia.blogspot.com

MAGNET is an anti-defamation organization dedicated to educating the media about transsexual and transgender issues, as well as pushing for more authentic and positive portrayals of trans people in the media.

Good Luck At Summer Nationals, Dawn!

My sis in Da Ville shot me a message stating that she was leaving Louisville later tonight to take part in the 2010 USFA Summer Nationals Championships fencing tournament in Atlanta.

It started fittingly on July 4 and will be running through July 13 at the Georgia World Congress Center

She's currently ranked number 6 in the nation amongst the 'Baby Vets' in Veterans 40's women's saber. In the veterans combined saber rankings, which ranks the Vet 40's and the Vet 50's 'Senior Mamas' together, she is number 9 in the nation.

There is also a Vet 60's and Vet 70's women's saber division in which my Da Ville friend Lou Felty is tied for the Number 1 ranking.

Dawn's competing on Thursday and Sunday in women's saber, so if you're in the Atlanta area and curious to see what a fencing match looks like, hop on the MARTA and roll by the Georgia World Congress Center.

You can cheer for her and the rest of the 'Baby Vets' and 'Senior Mama's'.

Good luck sis!

US Passport Fees Increasing

It figures that just as we get a significant change in policy that benefits us in terms of being able to have a passport with proper gender markers, the fees are going up on July 13.

A new passport after that date will cost $135 instead of the $100 current price. If you need to renew your passport, that fee is increasing from $75 to $110.
Adding visa pages for you jetsetting and frequent international travelers will now cost you $82 to do so.

To see the complete list of consular service fees that are increasing, click on this link that will take you to the US State Department website.

Open Letter To My Young Black Transsisters

Dear Young Black Transsisters,

Been a while since I wrote one of these open letters, and this time I thought I'd direct this one at you since y'all don't get enough love sent your way.

One of the cool things about being the TransGriot is from time to time, I get to chat with some of you either online or on the phone. I get to hear your joys, your sorrows, your concerns, your triumphs, and your disappointments.

First thing you need to know and always remember is that you are not alone. Even if you have some issues separating yourselves from your blood family, know that you are loved not only by God or whatever you address the higher power as, but by us as well.

Your family has expanded, not contracted, and your sisters are all over the planet. You are part of the interlocking mosaic of humankind, and you are special.

While it's going to be tougher for you than your cissisters to find that special someone, it's not impossible either. One thing that will make that bumpy road to romance a lot smoother is if you start by loving yourself first. Once you get that loving yourself first party started, everything else will fall into place.

You have people like myself who are willing to fight tooth and nail for you in order to make your lives better. We are ready, willing and able to pass on our hard won knowledge about dealing with life as a transperson of African descent.

We stand ready to give you that motivational kick in the butt when you need it or a comforting hug when it's necessary. We fight the Forces of Intolerance inside and outside our community so that your generation of transwomen and succeeding ones have it a little better than we did.

These aren't just one way interactions, my young Black transsisters. We get to understand how much the world has changed since we were your age and walking in your pumps. In some cases we get to listen to you kick it to us about new ways of approaching a situation or thinking about these issues.

We are proud to note that you are the best educated, smartest and most tech savvy group our people have produced. We know you are capable of great things if you just get that break you need to excel.

I don't see it as a burden to interact with you, I see it as an honor, privilege, and something I am called to do. It's a promise I made to God that if I was blessed to transition, I would happily serve as a mentor to the transkids coming behind me since I and my peers were denied that.

In the best traditions of our people, I hope that I have either done, written or said something that inspired you. I hope that you feel that I have lifted you up as I climbed. All I ask is that you do the same someday for the transsisters that transition behind you.

I get the pleasure of answering your questions, passing your history on to you, and sometimes just enjoying chilling with you for that fleeting moment of time I'm conversing with you

My generation didn't have the benefit of our African descended trans elders kicking knowledge to us due the WPATH standard in place at the time demanding that they hide once their transitions were completed. Some chose to live stealth lives for various reasons as well.

It's one of the reasons why we are just now finding out about some of the accomplishments of our African descended transsisters. Consider yourselves blessed that we are now able thanks to 21st century communications technology and changes in those restrictive policies to do so for you.

The French philosopher Simone de Beauvoir once stated, 'One is not born a woman, one becomes one. Our cissisters don't come out of the birth canal knowing everything there is to know about womanhood, they have to learn it just like you do and it is a lifelong process.

The major difference is you face resistance from society and your blood families in some cases as you try to navigate all the issues wrapped up with wandering Planet Earth in an African descended feminine body. To complicate matters, you don't have as much time to learn what you need to know.

You also face faith-based ignorance, prejudice, discrimination, being walking targets for sexual assault and the Black Woman's Burden of having her beauty and intelligence denigrated and disrespected.

You have a history despite the best attempts of people inside and outside the community to erase you from TBLG history and try to tell you what you can't do or accomplish.

People who share your ethnic heritage executed the first trans oriented protest in 1965. Miss Major was present at Stonewall in 1969. Marsha P. Johnson in conjunction with Sylvia Rivera helped organize STAR. It was an African American transwoman named Avon Wilson who was the first client in 1966 of the now closed Johns Hopkins Gender Program. Over the last ten years four of us have picked up IFGE Trinity Awards for the work we have done to uplift the entire trans community. Tracy Africa was a successful fashion model in the 70's and 80's. Dr. Marisa Richmond was present at the 2008 Democratic Convention as the first trans African American elected delegate to a major party convention. Some of you, like Isis are making history today.

There are many of your transsisters working in a wide range of professional fields and occupations around the country and across the Diaspora.

You are African descended transwomen. You have nothing to be ashamed of in saying that. Up, up my mighty sisters, and accomplish what you will.

But in the end, the best advice I can give you is that you must love yourself and have pride in everything that you do. You are the descendants of queens and history making women of action who have been the backbone of our culture and our people, and that is a towering legacy to live up to.

I hope that I and other African descended transwomen have provided you with role models that we didn't have or didn't know about back when we were your age in terms of how to become quality women of trans experience.

I have no doubts that you will exponentially improve on what we've been able to accomplish and write impressive new chapters in future history books where the African descended transwoman is concerned.

And as you climb, know that we will be happily watching you every step of the way.


Sincerely yours,
Monica Roberts
The TransGriot

Labi Siffre 'So Strong'

TransGriot Note: I've always loved this song and the lyrics contained in it by British singer Labi Siffre. While this 1985 song was inspired by events in apartheid ruled South Africa, it reminds me of the struggles that trans African Americans face not only to claim our rightful place in American society, but our struggles within a TBLG community that seeks to denigrate and whitewash our existence out of a history we helped write, and elements of the African American community that tries to deny our existence on specious religious grounds.

***

The higher you build your barriers
The taller I become
The farther you take my rights away
The faster I will run
You can deny me
You can decide to turn your face away
No matter, cos there's...

Something inside so strong
I know that I can make it
Tho' you're doing me wrong, so wrong
You thought that my pride was gone
Oh no, something inside so strong
Oh oh oh oh oh something inside so strong

The more you refuse to hear my voice
The louder I will sing
You hide behind walls of Jericho
Your lies will come tumbling
Deny my place in time
You squander wealth that's mine
My light will shine so brightly
It will blind you
Cos there's...

Something inside so strong
I know that I can make it
Tho' you're doing me wrong, so wrong
You thought that my pride was gone
Oh no, something inside so strong
Oh oh oh oh oh something inside so strong

Brothers and sisters
When they insist we're just not good enough
When we know better
Just look 'em in the eyes and say
I'm gonna do it anyway
I'm gonna do it anyway

Something inside so strong
And I know that I can make it
Tho' you're doing me wrong, so wrong
You thought that my pride was gone
Oh no, something inside so strong
Oh oh oh oh oh something inside so strong

Brothers and sisters
When they insist we're just good not enough
When we know better
Just look 'em in the eyes and say
I'm gonna do it anyway
I'm gonna do it anyway
I'm gonna do it anyway
I'm gonna do it anyway

Because there's something inside so strong
And I know that I can make it
Tho' you're doing me, so wrong
You thought that my pride was gone
Oh no, something inside so strong
Oh oh oh oh oh something inside so strong

Because there's something inside so strong
And I know that I can make it
Tho' you're doing me, so wrong
You thought that my pride was gone
Oh no, something inside so strong
Oh oh oh oh oh something inside so strong

About Damned Time Y'all Direct Your Hateraid To The Source

Every now and then I get a post comment that compels me to respond to it.

This one from Marlene was in response to a July 24, 2009 post I wrote called About Damned Time II that referred to my sis Isis' appearance on a Larry King show about trans issues.

My only beef with Isis is she got her surgery for the simple fact she passes well and was on the show. When will those of us in the majority (poor, a bit overweight, and can't pass even at the bottom of a cave) get our shot at $20k in free surgeries?

And I have to ask, why are you hatin' on Isis? She has no control over the fact that she came out of the birth canal with a combination of features that makes her strikingly beautiful.

That's life.

In addition, Isis busted her ass to get through school, has mad talent in terms of being a fashion designer, and caught a major break by being in the right place at the right time that led to her history making appearance on Cycle 11's America's Next Top Model.

So Tyra Banks paid for her SRS. That ain't nothing to be mad at her for.

Who you need to be directing your anger at is Janice Raymond. She's the one who colluded with Jesse Helms in 1981 to kill our ability to use the Medicaid and Medicare systems that our trans tax dollars pay for to fund our SRS.

That happened three years before Isis even arrived on the planet.

You need to be pissed at Mary Daly, Germaine Greer, Catherine MacKinnon, Robin Morgan, Sheila Jeffreys and other radical feminists for pimping that 'hate on transwomen' tripe that new school radfem hater Julie Bindel is now disgustingly co-signing in her baseless screeds.

As for when will the feds finance SRS for the rest of us who don't have long green in our pockets, aren't blessed with supermodel physiques, or moneyed benefactors who pay for it, that's why many of you needed to be screaming at your congressmembers last summer when health care was being debated instead of sitting on the sidelines saying 'that's not a trans issue'.

We all need universal single payer health care. If you are upset because you can't pay for SRS, your voice needed to be front and center in that debate instead of the teabaggers.

Not directed at being pissed at Isis because she got hers.

It also needs to be directed at the inside the beltway organization that purports to represent you at the national level as well, not scapegoating a 25 year old woman who didn't create the problem you're shunting the blame at her for.

Higher Standards

July 4 has come and gone, and I spent most of the day doing some hard, solid thinking about the state of the trans community and the African American segment of it.

I'm not feeling much pride in a community in which I do not see myself or people who share my ethnicity represented in it's senior decision making leadership ranks.

I see my people along with our Latina sisters taking the brunt of the casualties from anti-trans hatred. I don't see the issues we consider important reflected in the priorities of a movement we helped jump off.

I'm also tired of the negative media images aimed at African descended transpeople and being ignored by our so called allies.

So what are I and my chocolate trans brothers and trans sisters looking for?

What we're looking for the day after our 234th birthday as a nation is for the trans community to live up to the ideals and concepts articulated in the Declaration of Independence and enshrined in our Constitution.

You know, the 'all men are created equal' part in the second paragraph.

We too are endowed by the Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

We wish to pursue 'life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness' as well.

We're not only demanding fairness from our African American family, we're demanding it from our allies as well.

Since we're now seven months into a new decade, it's past time that we hold you to as fellow trans people the same higher standard of behavior and accountability that you are holding the president that shares my ethnicity to on TBLG issues.

It's unacceptable to have trans organizations that claim to speak for the entire trans community having no POC representation in them or on their decision making boards.

It's unacceptable that African descended transpeople don't have input or a major voice in the policy decisions of those organizations.

It's unacceptable that our opinions and thoughts aren't respectfully asked for and our grievances are ignored.

We are tired of being disrespected as well.

The only thing tougher than being a Black man or a Black woman in this society is being a Black man or a Black woman in this society with a mismatched body. We don't need our fellow vanilla transpeople adding to our burdens.

The reality is, there are differences between how a white person transitions and how a person of color does so, and that needs to be taken into account when policies are formulated and pursued that are alleged to represent the entire trans community.

We need y'all to rise to the challenge of holding yourselves to higher standards of ethical behavior than have been exhibited by the white dominated GL community towards us.

The choice is clear. Our frustration levels with this situation are rising. You can either rectify those problems or suffer the consequences for not doing so.

Why do I have the feeling that you'll take the King George III approach?

Happy Birthday USA!

Today is Independence Day, and depending on the weather where you reside there are probably parades, picnics and fireworks displays going on taking place all over the country.

There's a big one downtown at Eleanor Tinsley Park just west of downtown Houston, and thanks to the remnants of Hurricane Alex dumping rain on the area for the last two days, it is probably going to be muddy.

But as an African American, our feelings about this country can be conflicted at times. It can be summed up in a line from the Tuskegee Airmen movie:

How do I feel about my country, and how does my country feel about me?

Frederick Douglass touched upon that in his famous July 5, 1852 'The Meaning of July Fourth For The Negro' speech that still resonates with many African descended Americans today.

Unique, Super, Awesome!

Today is Independence Day, the day 234 years ago that we declared our independence from Great Britain (Sparky) and founded our wonderful country.

Seems like a certain Canadian (Renee) had a little too much Canadian Club and was talking smack on her nations national holiday, so it's time for me on my country's birthday to uphold the honor of the United States and extol the virtues of my native country.

First up, let's talk about national symbols.

Seriously, the beaver? Nothing beats the majesty of a bald eagle soaring majestically in the sky. It's a metaphor for our unbridled optimism and can do spirit.

You can keep Canadian Bacon, I get to happily scarf up barbecue.

And the best is cooked up in my home state of Texas. Nothing beats brisket, steak, burgers, sausage and chicken grilled over a mesquite wood fire.



As far as hockey's concerned, since you brought it up, may I remind you that the first women's Olympic hockey medals were awarded at Nagano in 1998. We beat y'all TWICE to get them and that's our THIRD or FOURTH ranked sport.

The sport we care about is basketball, and business is booming at the international level. We will prove that at the upcoming FIBA World Championships for men and women. You Canucks may have invented basketball, but we perfected it.



Speaking of can-do spirit, President John F. Kennedy set a goal of putting a man on the moon before the end of the decade and returning him safely to Earth, and we accomplished it on July 20, 1969.



Our money may not be colorful, but if you want to buy stuff on the world commodities markets such as oil, you'll be making those purchases with those 'ugly' greenbacks.



And yeah, doesn't my current president, Barack Obama rock?



And have to show some love for the First Lady as well.



And Sparky, what's up with that wimpy football y'all invented where people flop at the first opportunity and the officials can't make the proper calls on it when you do score an infrequent goal? And Renee, don't even bring up that three down, extra wide and extra long field Canuck version.

This is football.



And I would be remiss if I didn't mention in this post the greatest American our people have ever produced, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.



And don't forget the world's favorite soft drink was invented in the USA



You can keep Alberta, the Sweater Vest, Bob Rae, Don Cherry and Ben Mulroney. We have enough homegrown fools to deal with.



Happy Independence Day! On that note gotta go. Have a fireworks show at Eleanor Tinsley Park to attend later today.

Maria Roman Interview

The first time that many people outside of Southern California heard her name was in conjunction with the 2007 Transtasia documentary. But this telegenic trans Latina has been involved in fighting HIV/AIDS in the Los Angeles area for over 15 years as well as being a eloquent voice for transpeople on Spanish language and other media.

Here's a link to a recent interview done with Maria on the Raant blog.

2010 Wimbledon Williams Watch-Serena Repeats!

6-3, 6-2. Take that Williams haters.

Serena Williams started the 2k10's the same way she and Big Sis started the last decade. She took only 67 minutes to beat down Russia's Vera Zvonareva for her third straight Wimbledon Ladies' singles title, fourth overall, and 13th for her career.

She now ranks 6th overall for Grand Slam singles title wins, passing Billie Jean King on the all time list.

Next target is Chris Evert with 18.

Little Sis won another Venus (and Serena) Rosewater Dish without dropping a set and by serving a Wimbledon record 88 aces. She had only eight in her demolition of Zvonareva, who was in her first Grand Slam final.

Rhode Island Governor Vetoes Addition of 'Gender Identity and Expression' To State Hate Crime Law

Rhode Island Governor Don Carcieri (R) vetoed a bill June 23 that would have expanded the state’s definition of a hate crime and protected Rhode island's trans citizens.

House Bill 7044/Senate Bill 2055 proposed that gender identity or expression be added to Rhode Island’s hate crimes statute. Carcieri vetoed the measure because he said the law already addresses actions "motivated by racial, religious, sexual orientation, gender or disability prejudice."

"The governor has once again shown his disdain for LGBT Rhode Islanders, especially his utter lack of caring about transgender people who face immense harassment and violence based on how they present their gender," said Susan Heroux of Queer Action. "One wonders what the governor would do if one of his grandchildren turns out to be gay or transgender. Would he continue to not care about us?"

The Rhode Island General Assembly could override his veto, but adjourned early this year so that members could begin their fall election campaigns.

Carcieri's is term limited and his term expires in January 2011, so you Rhode Island residents get the opportunity this fall to choose his replacement.

Shut Up Fool! Awards-Fourth of July Weekend Edition

It's Independence Day Weekend, and we celebrate the 234th anniversary of our Declaration of independence from Great Britain.

Thanks to the remnants of Hurricane Alex it's going to be a soggy one. It's rained for the last two days, and while that's a bummer, the good news is the temperatures here in H-town have been in the 70's for the last few days.

Speaking of celebrations, lets move on to determine who gets this week's Shut Up Fool Award.

The usual suspects were in the running, Beck, O'Reilly and Palin. Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) Rep. John Boehner (R-OH), Fox News, Matt Drudge, and Gov. Jan Brewer (R-AZ)

But this week's award is a group one, and it goes to the Republican Party.

They trashed Justice Thurgood Marshall, apologized to a foreign corporation (BP) whose Exxon Valdez sized oil spill has jacked up the Gulf and the livelihoods of thousands of people along the Gulf coast, cut off unemployment benefits in the middle of a recession. and fought Wall Street reform.

Yep, profits over people. It's the GOP way.

And they think the reality based American public is going to give them another chance to frack up the country in the November midterm elections?

Republican Party, shut up fools!