MAGNET'S Panel Discussion Tonight

MAGNET'S panel discussion entitled Women Demanding Change Now: The Dehumanization of Transsexual Women through the Gay Male Hollywood Lens will be taking place in a few hours on the Left Coast.

It will be moderated by MAGNET's Ashley Love run from 7-9:30 PM PDT at the Plummer Park Community Center, Room #6. It's located at 7377 Santa Monica Blvd.(Cross street is Martel) in West Hollywood, CA 90046.

Media Advocates Giving National Equality to Transsexual & Transgender People (MAGNET) is an anti-defamation organization dedicated to educating the media about transsexual and transgender issues. It also has as part of its mission pushing for more authentic and positive portrayals of trans people in the media.

It's definitely something that's sorely needed, and those of you in the Los Angeles area can check out what's promises to be a lively panel discussion.

How Do I Feel About The USA? How Does The USA Feel About Me?

July 4 marked the 234th anniversary of our Declaration of Independence from Great Britain. But as an African-American, our feelings about this country can be conflicted at times and can be summed up in a paraphrased line from the 'Tuskegee Airmen' movie:

How do I feel about the USA? How does the USA feel about me?

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

While I'm immensely proud that an African American president and his family resides in the house that my ancestors built with their uncompensated labor, I'm not happy about the unrelenting racist attacks he has endured since taking the oath of office in January 2009.

I'm displeased that some of the rhetoric is flowing from the lips of white GLBT people who clearly wanted Hillary Clinton to win the presidency. They demand that this president do in half of his first term what the other 43 white males in both parties that occupied the Oval Office couldn't or wouldn't do for GLBT rights.

I'm disgusted with the conservative 'take our country back' and 'real American' rhetoric I'm hearing in the runup to the November midterm elections. I deplore the rush by Republican dominated state legislatures to mimic Arizona's 'Hate On Latinos' legislation being pushed under the guise of 'immigration reform'.

I'm frustrated that as a trans African descended American citizen I'm fighting it seems at times a three front war with conservatives, elements of the Black community and the gay community just to have my humanity recognized and my constitutional rights respected and protected.

But just as I'm ready to say forget it, I'll read a speech from Dr. King, an essay from W.E.B DuBois, quotes from Barbara Jordan or some other brilliant thinker that reminds me of the price our people paid in blood for the American label.

It's our country, our flag, our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution too, even if the Founding Fathers only counted my ancestors as 3/5ths of a human being in 1787. My full citizenship rights required rivers of blood, a civil war, three constitutional amendments, multiple civil rights acts, decades of protests and numerous landmark Supreme Court decisions.

After perusing my history, I'm motivated once again to pick up the baton and become a drum majorette for justice. My faltering determination is renewed and I steel myself once again to fight for Dr. King's dream and a country that values the human rights of all its citizens.

There's a lot of things transpiring in this country right now that make me wonder which direction we are headed.

Is it toward fairness and justice for all or are we being pushed backwards to the early 20th century edition of America?

But there's enough signs that there are a lot of things right with with this country that allow me to be hopeful about its future and feel it will make it to its tricentennial birthday intact in 2076.

But I still have enough concerns about America's color line problem that compel me to ponder once again the question I asked at the beginning of the post.

How do I feel about the USA? How does the USA feel about me?

Caster Semenya Finally Races Today

Caster Semenya will participate in an 800m race at the Lappeenranta Games in Finland today. It's her first race for the 800 meters world champion since she was cleared by the IAAF to compete last Tuesday.

She was left off South Africa’s team for the African championships which start July 28 in Kenya and according to the South Africa’s athletics federation the 19 year old would work toward qualifying for the Commonwealth Games being held in Delhi, India this October.

“She is really looking forward to the competition but is not expecting anything great,” her manager Jukka Harkonen said to a reporter Thursday. “She’s in the middle of her training right now, but needs the experience of competing again.”

So am I, Caster. Hope you kick butt and take names all the way to the 2012 London Olympic Games and beyond.

Send In the ConservaKKKlowns

TransGriot Note: there is a graphic photo in the tail end of this post that may be triggering to some peeps.

Nothing gets the conservafools to let their guard down and show the white privilege and idiocy they wallow in besides hearing the words 'President Barack Obama' or 'NAACP convention'.

Faux Nnise and the entire Right Wing Noise Machine miscommunication apparatus starts railing about the nation's oldest civil right organization and how it's 'racist' and other bull feces du jour lines that are spouted by people who are still pissed off at the over a century of yeoman's work the NAACP has done to strike down Jim Crow segregation and uplift all people of color.

Check out the frothing at the mouth commentary about the NAACP's just passed resolution calling out the Tea Klux Klan racism.


From the NAACP FB page:

Joey Mincks: bet Republican Martin Luther King is turning over in his grave in disgust with the NAACP and reverse racism about now.

Gusella Mariam: I hope the NAACP has already repudiated the NBPP.

Daniel Morgan: Asked several times, what about the racism of blacks towards whites? Haven't heard any condemnation of the New Black Panther Party, Jesse Jackson, Rev. Wright, Al Sharpton and others.

The Tea Klux Klan has laughably even deployed the imitation Internet Black people and conservanegroes to 'prove' they aren't racist.

Alphonzo Miller: ACTUALLY THE TEA PARTY IS BLACK BECAUSE IM A MEMBER AND IF THE BEST YOU CAN SAY IS UNCLE TOM PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO GET EDUCATED ON THE FACTS OF THE ISSUES OF THE INNER CITY CRIME,UNEMPLOYMENT, VOUCHERS FOR INNER SCHOOL KIDS. NAACP DOES CARE ABOUT THE PEOPLE JUST LIKE OBAMA THEIR AGENDA IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN DOING RIGHT BY PEOPLE

Alphonzo, ho hum. Condoleezza Rice and Ron Christie were members of the GW Bush misadministration and look how well that eight years of misguided conservative policies worked out for our people.

I think Zora Neale Hurston's quote applies to Conservanegroes such as youself who refuse to wake up, check the alarm clock and smell the vanilla scented racism.:

All my skinfolk ain't my kinfolk.

See Alphonzo, I can call you more creative names than just 'Uncle Tom'. Does Oreo cookie chomping sellout work for you?

The only part of your long all caps statement that was correct was this one:

NAACP DOES CARE ABOUT THE PEOPLE

They sure do. Enough to for over 100 years consistently fight against and warn us about the dangers of unfettered racism and the mean spirited conservatism that festers in its poisonous soil.

Frankly I find it quite entertaining some of the ludicrous comments that pop up in various websites across the Net. I'm not even going to wade over to the conservaweb because I just ate.

Note that the conservafools daring to come to an African American dominated site to spread their BS talking points aren't the 'A' team.

They are getting their less than intellectual clocks cleaned.

Ahem, once again conservasheeple. Let me say this slowly for you so y'all can hear it above Glenn Beck's delusional screaming, shouting and fake tears.

Racism = prejudice + power

The only people who have held that kind of systemic power, repeatedly used it to maintain their advantage, and commit untold atrocities to do so throughout world (and American) history are white.

No amount of Faux 'News' spin or Beck U revisionist history can change that fact. If whiteness and white supremacy didn't exist and white peeps had CONSISTENTLY done the right thing a long time ago, there would be no need for the NAACP, La Raza and other POC civil rights orgs to exist.

But since you conservafools show no signs of wanting to 'work and play well with others' not like you, thank God the NAACP is around and has been for over 100 years to fight you misguided people.

MAGNET Media Panel Discussion Tomorrow In West Hollywood

We are a little more than 24 hours away from a panel discussion I definitely wish I could be in the room for to support my transpeeps.

MAGNET (Media Advocates Giving National Equality to Transsexual & Transgender People) is facilitating this discussion which is entitled:

Women Demanding Change Now:
The Dehumanization of Transsexual Women through the Gay Male Hollywood Lens

It will take place tomorrow, July 15th- from 7-9:30 PM PDT at Plummer Park Community Center, Room #6. The community center is located at 7377 Santa Monica Blvd.(Cross street is Martel) in West Hollywood, CA 90046.

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.

Once again, if you have an aversion to cameras the event will be filmed for those of us who couldn't be there and would like to see the discussion, so factor that into your decision to attend.

Some of the topics up for discussion are:

• Finding solutions to build authentic unity and trust within the LGBT community

• 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”

• Dangerous propaganda that mis-educates public and assaults transsexual women

There will be an opportunity for the audience to ask the panelists questions.

PANELISTS:

- Kiana Moore (transsexual woman, Hollywood producer- VH1,MTV, Bravo, Oxygen, Logo)
- Talia Bettcher, PhD (trans woman, Philosophy Professor, author)
- Cary Harrison (gay male, radio personality, award winning journalist.)
- Mannee McMurray (LGBT activist, writer, MAGNET volunteer)
- Hannah Howard (trans activist, Gender Justice LA board member)
- Matt Palazzolo (gay male, Equal Roots co-founder)
- Arianna Davis (transsexual & intersex woman, Gender ID Empowerment Coalition (GIEC) co-founder)
- Vanesa Camara (transsexual woman, activist for transsexual liberation & feminism)
- Libby Freeman ( queer woman, outspoken ally for trans people, GIEC & MAGNET organizer)

The panel discussion will be moderated by Ashley Love- (trans rights advocate, writer and an organizer with MAGNET)

It's still not too late for you to let MAGNET know your thoughts on this epidemic so we can include them in the planning and discussion.

FOR INFO and media inquiries, contact MAGNET Organizer:
Ashley Love - Email: magnet_right_now@yahoo.com.

NAACP Calls Out The Tea Klux Klan

The NAACP's 101st annual convention is taking place in Kansas City this week through Friday, and today's news from it made major headlines.

The NAACP is calling out the Tea Klux Klan.

The 2000 NAACP convention delegates passed a resolution yesterday to condemn extremist elements within the Tea Party, calling on Tea Party leaders to repudiate those in their ranks who use racist language in their signs and speeches.

Judging by the 'circle the burning cross' response from the conservafool movement, that has as much chance of happening as the LA Clippers threepeating.

And predictably, the hate is flowing from them as well.

The resolution will not become official NAACP policy until approved by the National Board of Directors in October.

"We felt the time had come to stand up and say, 'It's time for the tea party to be responsible members of this democracy and make sure they don't tolerate bigots or bigotry among their members,'" NAACP President Ben Jealous said ahead of the debate.

"We don't have a problem with the tea party's existence. We have an issue with their acceptance and welcoming of white supremacists into their organizations," he said.

Deal with it Tea Klux Klan. No thinking person is fooled by your 'we're not racist' spin.

Not even the oldest civil rights organization in America, who knows a group of racists when they see their pointed white sheets showing.

The FLOTUS ' 2010 NAACP Convention Keynote Speech.

First Lady Michelle Obama arrived in Kansas City on Monday to deliver the keynote address for the 101st annual NAACP convention. Here's the video of her keynote address.

Texas Transgender Nondiscrimination Summit Rapidly Approaching

The Second Annual Texas Transgender Nondiscrimination Summit is rapidly approaching.

It's underwritten by the Hollyfield Foundation and sponsored by the Texas A&M GLBT Resource Center, Starbucks, Transgender Foundation of America, Rice University, Frye and Associates, and Equality Texas.

The event is free and is being held on the campus of Rice University in Houston July 20-21. Both sessions in the Kyle Morrow Room of the Fondren Library start at 10:00 AM CDT and end at 4:00 PM CDT.

The registration deadline has passed, but I've been advised by the event organizers you can still register and are encouraged to come. If you do, be advised your food and parking are on your own dime.

The TTNS is a strategy sharing summit in which you can learn what works and what doesn't in terms of changing policies on campuses to protect transgender faculty, staff, and students.

It will also be an opportunity to make connections with persons already doing this work, learn about their successes and failures, and help you get up to speed and involved in the struggle to make Texas college campuses more trans friendly.

The TTNS Organizing Committee is pleased to note that 78 people are already registered to attend the summit from over 18 colleges and universities in Texas.

Here's the map for those of you driving. Rice University is accessible on the METRORail Red Line via the Hermann Park/Rice U station at Fannin and Sunset or the Memorial Hermann Hospital/Houston Zoo Stations.

The library's address is 6100 Main Street on the Rice University campus.

Looking forward to getting reconnected with and seeing many of my fellow Texas TBLG activists next week.

Black Models Aren't Loved By The Fashion Industry In ANY Economy

TransGriot Note: I and blogs such as Womanist Musings and Jezebel have talked about the fact that Black models have literally been whitewashed off the fashion runways and off the covers of many fashion magazines over the last few years.

"I think fashion is five steps behind real America, real Canada. There's been way more progress in personal and interpersonal relationships between the races than there has in fashion. Fashion is stuck in 1955, and I don't know what it's going to take to get them to move forward."

Stylist Mann from 'The Colour of Beauty' documentary.

Maybe a few discrimination lawsuits and a congressional investigation?

Jezebel has been tracking the lack of diversity of New York fashion shows for several years, so it didn't surprise me a bit when their report on the Spring 2010 shows came out and revealed the New York shows were less diverse than the last time Jezebel conducted the survey.

That's a nice segue into this Elizabeth St. Phillip film entitled 'The Colour Of Beauty' that highlights the point that Black models aren't loved by the Fashion Industry in ANY economy.



It's past time for us to stop spending money on designer labels if the designers not only aren't going to use our sisters to work their shows, but come up with weak ass racist excuses to justify it.

All Trans Cast Film 'Bella Maddo' Premieres At Outfest 2010

One of the things the trans community has long complained about is having cispeople playing trans roles in films and not getting the opportunity to do the reverse.

Now we have a groundbreaking film that not only features an all trans cast of men, women and children, they have flipped the casting script and the trans actors are all playing non trans roles.

"There are very limited roles for transgender actors in film and television," stated Bella Maddo' director Janice Danielle. "By making this film I am hoping to expand acting opportunities and increase the visibility of the trans community."

The short film by Danielle is called 'Bella Maddo' and it opened last night at the 28th annual Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.





"We are proud to premiere this witty, entertaining and ultimately ground-breaking film," said Outfest Executive Director Kirsten Schaffer. "Bella Maddo really demonstrates Janice Danielle's range as both an actor and a director."

"Bella Maddo" has appeared at the Cannes Film Festival 2010 in the Short Film Corner and is currently in development as a six part mini-series.

Some of the notable people in the all trans cast is my sis Isis King and transkid Miss Jazz from the Barbara Walters 20/20 report on trans children.

It premiered at Outfest last night and will run again July 15th as part of the comedy shorts program called "From Uranus to Titicaca". It will be part of a July 17th special event called "Transpolitics Then and Now: from Queens at Heart to Bella Maddo."

Outfest 2010 started July 8 and will continue through July 18.

Looking forward to seeing the film and hopefully the miniseries.

I Feel Ya, Chaz

“I wasted years worried about what other people would think if I transitioned, and now I wish I had those years back.” Chaz Bono

That was a comment recently posted by Chaz Bono about his transition. It resonates for me and many transpeople who finally get fed up with their situations and pull the trigger on becoming the people we need to be.

I unhappily muddled through most of the 80's feeling the same way because I was worried about what other people would think if I transitioned instead of doing what was best for me, my life and ultimately my happiness.

Do I wish I had those years back? You damned right I do.

But unless somebody invents a time machine capable of transporting me back to the 80's, that ain't happening.

I've had that conversation with various people and on this blog over the years. While I realize that the time I spent muddling around the 80's made me the Moni of the 90's, 2k's and the dawn of the 2k10's, I still wonder what it would have been like and how my life would have turned out if I'd transitioned during my freshman year in college.

But I have to deal with Moni's life here and now, not spend precious energy and brain power musing about what might have been early transition scenarios.

But I feel ya, Chaz

'Reverse Racism' Are White Racist Words

When I used to watch Good Times during the 70's, I used to chuckle when Michael Evans, the 'militant midget' as his father James called him, would utter 'Boy is a white racist word' every time his mother Florida or anyone else inside or outside the Evans family called him 'boy'.

It was a line with historical truth backing it up. Now we have another pair of white racist words for the new millennium: 'Reverse Racism.'

It's a conservative movement created term that never should have gained legitimacy because it is mind numbingly disingenuous, and flies in the face of logic and historical evidence to the contrary.

It is a term and concept coined by the conservafools to spin the fact that whites throughout history have colluded and repeatedly acted in sometimes violent ways to impede the progress of non-white ethnic groups.

Renee over at Womanist Musings has weighed in on this annoying topic along with others on the Net to debunk this conservafool coined term.

Now it's my turn.

First key to understanding where I'm coming from on this subject is a point about racism that peeps should have retained from Sociology 101.

Racism is the systemic denial of rights and benefits by whites against non-whites in all areas of human activity. Those areas of human activity being economics, education, entertainment, law, politics, labor, religion, sex, and war.

In other words, it can be summed up by a simple equation to make it easy for you to remember (or try to ignore) in the future.

racism = prejudice + power

For one group to practice racism against another group they must have MORE POWER than the race targeted with the negative behavior to do so. The only ethnic group that has that kind of power and control are whites.

If they didn't think that was the case, why are they and their GOP cohorts hollering we need to 'take our country back' or describing themselves as 'real Americans'?

The attitudes even extend to white marginalized groups. How many times have we heard from the white dominated GLBT leadership that were 'just like you'?

Feminism is so tied to and synonymous with white women that rhetorical skirmishes have erupted amongst feminists because conservative women such as Sarah Palin are claiming the label for themselves, one that women of color long ago either separated or distanced themselves from, or acted as African descended women did and became womanists.

And you don't need to be a sheet wearing, stiff arm saluting white supremacist to be a racist. As Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. once stated, "I'm more concerned about the racists wearing Brooks Brothers suits and Gucci pumps than the ones wearing white sheets.'

Many whites are not raving supremacists, but are put in the position of being racism enablers because they are silent when it happens or succumb to peer pressure within their ethnic group to support acts they may personally oppose that are inherently racist.

Thanks to unacknowledged white privilege, too many whites either willfully or unwittingly confuse racism with bigotry and prejudice.

Criticism from persons of color calling attention to or talking about the systemic racism they face or the unfairness of the system doesn't add up to 'reverse racism' or the other infuriating conservaterm we hear far too often, 'playing the race card'.

Anyone who believes that fable is wallowing in vanilla flavored privilege or has has been been watching too much Fox News.

If you're wondering why 'the Revs' (Revs. Jesse Jackson, Sr. and Al Sharpton) are hated so much by conservatives, it's because they call this crap out on a regular basis.

It's a fact that every ethnic group has various levels of bigotry and prejudice within them. However, it elevates to racism when you take your prejudices, combine them with power (social, political, economic, military) and use it to oppress or retard the progress of a minority ethnic group or individuals in it.

Minority group members do not exist in a world with a level playing field because this world is dominated by 'whiteness', which disproportionately controls all levels of human activity.

Need some examples of that?

In terms of the beauty standard, what women are held up as the pinnacle of beauty?

If you look at the ethnicity of Fortune 500 company CEO's, how many of them are POC's?

How many presidents of non-HBCU colleges are POC's?

And out of the 118 people who have been chosen to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States, only three* have been POC's.

If you're wondering why I have the asterisk after three SCOTUS POC's, Clarence Thomas is considered an 'honorary white man' by Pat Buchanan and a Oreo-cookie chomping sellout by African-Americans.

Since POC's do not have the collective or systemic power to prevent whites from doing anything that they wish to do in this society due to 'whiteness', or have the recourse to do something about it like whites do, there is no such thing as 'reverse racism'.

We do not live in a society in which white supremacy and whiteness is non-existent, nor are we even light years close to living in a society with an equalized playing field.

So at the moment, only whites have the power to be racist and it's why the claim of 'reverse racism' is bogus in the first place.

And it's also why to many people of color, 'reverse racism' will always be white racist words.

Showdown At Soccer City

The 2010 FIFA World Cup hosted by South Africa comes to a close today with the championship match being played in Johannesburg between The Netherlands and Spain.

Team USA actually won their group and were poised to make a long knockout stage run but unfortunately lost to Ghana to end their South African business trip.

Hey soccer's only our fifth best sport in the States, but it'll be a different story at next month's FIBA World Basketball Championships for Men.

I'm also proud of Team USA and the gritty way they played. A few more breaks and they may have gone a long way in this 2010 World Cup.

But we'll have to wait like everybody else on the planet except for Brazil to qualify for the next FIFA World Cup tournament in 2014.

Back to the World Cup title game. The FIFA world number 4 ranked Netherlands finished atop Group E and knocked off Slovakia 2-1, FIFA Number one world ranked Brazil 2-1 and Uruguay 3-2 to get to the finals.

The FIFA world number 2 ranked Spain got off to a rough start. They were upset 1-0 by Switzerland in their opening Group H match but recovered to win the group.

In the knockout round Spain got into an interesting pattern of being scoreless at halftime, then coming up with a second half goal to send them to the next round.

They beat FIFA world number 3 ranked Portugal, Paraguay and FIFA world number 6 ranked Germany by identical 1-0 scores to reach their first World Cup final.

It will be the first FIFA world championship for whatever team comes out on top. Will it be the Netherlands, who are in their third final but so far haven't gone home with the big prize?

Or will Spain once again keep it scoreless until halftime, then come up with the golden second half goal and make it hold up for their first ever FIFA world title?

I'll be tuned in with the rest of the planet to find out.

Renee-Happy Birthday, Eh!

Y'all know I had to show some love to my favorite Canuck and wish her a happy birthday. She's all that and three large bags of ketchup flavored potato chips.

You also got a year older today.

I'm definitely blessed to have her in my life and I'm looking forward to the day when I can finally knock on her front door, give her a big hug and spend some quality time in beautiful Southern Ontario with her and her family.

As you know she's a wonderful writer and the creative genius behind Womanist Musings.

Many times over the last year and a half we've gotten to become sistahfriends we've had some thought provoking on both sides deeply philosophical conversations that cut across a wide spectrum of issues.

Those conversations at times have had us chattering away deep into the wee hours of the morning.

Here's hoping the unhusband bought you that Coach wallet for the Coach purse you own.

You so richly deserve it for putting up with the ongoing drama of being the only estrogen based lifeform in a house full of testosterone based beings, including the undog.

If he doesn't, let him eat cake. Preferably this one shaped like a Coach purse.

Happy birthday, sis. May it be stress free, filled with abundant blessing for you, and may you have many more.

Taylorsville, Utah To Discuss TBLG Protective Law

Four Utah cities and two Utah counties have passed laws to protect TBLG people from housing and employment discrimination. Taylorsville, Utah maybe on the verge of joining them.

Equality Utah hopes to expand that list of six Utah counties and cities that have anti-discrimination ordinances to 10 by the end of 2010.

The Taylorsville City Council plans to discuss a possible anti-discrimination ordinance next week. Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Park City, Logan, West Valley City and Summit County have passed such measures to protect gay and transgender residents from .

The topic is on Taylorsville's agenda at a City Council work meeting Wednesday at 6 PM MDT at City Hall, 2600 W. Taylorsville Blvd. (5300 South). The informal meeting does not have scheduled time for public comments.

But if you live in the area, you may wish to have a friendly chat with your council rep.

St Louis Adds Gender Protections

St. Louis now joins Kansas City and University City amongst the increasingly long list of cities offering basic protections for trans people in housing, public accommodations and employment.

You'll recall I posted the news about the introduction by Alderman Shane Cohn on May 21 of Board Bill 67, which would insert gender identity into the list of protected categories which already includes sexual orientation.

Board Bill 67 gained many co-sponsors after its May introduction and moved swiftly through committee and passed with unanimous support of the Alderman.

"Extending basic protections has been long overdue," stated Alderman Cohn. "In order to remain competitive in today's marketplace and respect every member of the Saint Louis community, I am proud to have sponsored this bill."

The Bill will go into effect immediately upon signature by Mayor Slay, which is anticipated by early next week. Enforcement will be the requirement of the Civil Rights Enforcement Agency (CREA) who can be reached at (314)622-3301.

PROMO Executive Director A.J. Bockelman adds, "This is a great step forward not just for Saint Louis, but for all of Missouri. As we increase the number of people covered by basic protections, we will reach a tipping point where the Missouri Nondiscrimination Act, extending these same protections to all LGBT Missourians, becomes the natural next step."

Thanks for having our back Alderman Cohn. If you live in the St. Louis area, please take a moment to send a thank you note to cohns@stlouiscity.com

Yes, There's One Memphis Police Officer Who Respects Our Humanity

With all the notoriety that former Memphis Police Dept officer Bridges McRae brought upon the department with his jailhouse beatdown of the late Duanna Johnson, and the lack of progress toward arresting the perpetrators who murdered Ebony Whitaker and Duanna Johnson, it stands to reason that most trans people in and outside the city of Memphis have a negative view about the MPD.

Well, thanks to Bianca Phillips of the Memphis Flyer, I stumbled across this story while doing some web surfing on another topic.

It's refreshing to note that there are MPD officers that do interpret 'to serve and protect the citizens of Memphis' means ALL the residents of the city.

The TLC reality show Police Women of Memphis recently aired an episode called 'Rock Your Fuschia Hair' that showed Officer Joy Johnson exhibiting precisely that attitude.




She came to the aid of two transwomen who were minding their own business sitting on their porch until they were harassed by neighborhood boys. One of the transwomen called the police, and Officer Johnson was the person who responded to the call.

Before arriving on the scene, she tells the cameraperson riding with her, "If you are a good person, you should always be treated with respect."

The segment of the show I'm discussing starts about the 5:30 mark. Enjoy.

Officer Johnson, you are a good person as well. Thank you for not only the job that you do as an MPD officer, but making the point that we transpeople need to be treated with respect as well.

Summon That Same Righteous Anger For Black Transpeople Being Mistreated At Home

“It is often easier to become outraged by injustice half a world away than by oppression and discrimination half a block from home.”

When I read that quote from the distinguished journalist Carl T. Rowan, I thought about the recent situation involving Malawi's Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza.

People in the States and around the world mobilized to protest the outrage of throwing people in jail simply for who they chose to love. President Obama and other people around the world and across the African diaspora commented on it.

Numerous blog posts, news stories and thousands of Facebook messages and Twitter tweets were written about this case.

Some of them were jacked up as well.

But when it comes to the mistreatment of Black transpeople inside the borders of the United States who are being killed, facing discrimination, police brutality and violence, those same people who were vocal about what happened to 'Auntie Tiwo' and Steve are indifferent to, unconcerned about and frankly in some cases don't care to muster the same level of outrage and anger when it comes to us.

I'd like to see the same level of righteous anger mustered on behalf of Black transpeople at home. I'd like to see those same TBLG peeps and inside the Beltway organizations show the same level of compassion toward us.

I'd like to see the Black Church stop doing the dirty work of white fundamentalists and stop parroting their faith based hatred of trans people.

I'd like to see the African-American cis community stop shunning us and embrace their African descended trans brothers and sister.

The point is, we're affected by some of the same issues that ail the larger Black community, and it's past time we joined forces to help come up with ways to solve those problems.

I'd like to see our legendary community civil rights organizations do more to give us a helping hand integrating with the African-American community instead of the back of their hand.

And finally, we need our chocolate SGL counterparts to step up and be drum majors and drum majorettes for justice where it concerns us.

Feeling Cleveland's Sports Pain

The Decision has been made, and once again Cleveland is on the short end of it as another high profile athlete leaves for a bigger market and greener pastures.

This one hurts deeply for Cavaliers fans since LeBron is from Akron, Ohio and was a lottery pick for the team. They'd pinned their civic hopes on him breaking their sports championship title drought that dates back to 1964, when the Cleveland Browns won the 1964 NFL title with Jim Brown in their backfield.

But LeBron is taking his game and talents to Miami.

I definitely feel their sports pain. In fact, Houston has been kindred spirits with the city of Cleveland in terms of professional sports frustrations.

The Oilers were AFL powerhouses who struggled after the AFL-NFL merger. They had seasons in which they were pathetic, and others like in the Luv Ya Blue era where they challenged for NFL supremacy.

And to make it worse, the Cowboy fifth column inside Harris County never failed to remind us long suffering Oilers fans that the NFL team 262 miles up Interstate 45 was winning titles.

It was just Houston's luck they were competing in the same rugged AFC Central Division with the Pittsburgh 'Steel Curtain' squads and the Ohio NFL teams. We had a 1975 NFL season in which we went 10-4 and STILL didn't make the playoffs because the Oilers lost to Pittsburgh and Cincinnati twice.

But we did beat the Browns twice that year along with every other NFL team we played, including the future NFL champion Oakland Raiders.

I angrily watched my Oilers get screwed out of the 1980 AFC title game versus Pittsburgh on a hideous blown call during the Luv Ya Blue era, catastrophically blow playoff games to Denver and Buffalo, then painfully watched Bud Adams move the team in 1997 to Nashville and play in a Super Bowl in 2000.

The Texans, the team that replaced the Tennessee Traitors in 2002, only had their first winning season last year after back to back 8-8 campaigns in 2007-2008.

The Astros have been around since 1962 and have worked our collective sporting nerves as well.

In addition to horrid trades and lousy seasons, the 'Stros have had
their share of frustrating and heartbreaking NLCS losses in 1980, 1981, 1986 and 2004.

They made the playoffs in 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2001 and lost in the NLDS, with the 1998 season being particularly galling. We won our second of three straight division titles, had Randy Johnson on our pitching staff and won a team record 102 games only to lose in the NLDS to the San Diego Padres.

They finally won their first National League title in 2005, then got swept by the White Sox after interference from commissioner Bud Selig over the Minute Maid Park retractible roof.

My frustrations even extend to the collegiate level. The Cougars lost in the 1967 College World Series to Arizona State. The Cougar B-ballers have made it to five NCAA Final Fours, and played in three straight during the Phi Slama Jama years from 1982-1984.

They played in the 1983 and 1984 title games, and I have to painfully watch the end of the 1983 NCAA one every time March Madness fires up. In addition to that I'm still pissed along with other UH alums about the Cougars being screwed out of Big 12 membership by the Wronghorns and their arrogant burnt orange wearing fans reminding us of our C-USA membership every chance they get.

The Rockets lost in the 1981 and 1986 NBA Finals to the Boston Celtics and have had some frustrating playoff losses as well.

But the difference between me and a Cleveland sports fan is that I have witnessed my hometown teams win championships. The Rockets finally broke our civic title jinx in 1994 and repeated in 1995 with Houston homeboy Clyde Drexler in the lineup.

I got to watch the Comets win the first four WNBA titles from 1997-2000. The Dynamo moved here from San Jose, CA and won back to back MLS ones in 2006 and 2007. Rice University won an NCAA College World Series title in 2003.

So yes Cleveland, definitely feel your pain and frustration on that one.

Y'all haven't felt this backstabbed since Art Modell moved your beloved Browns to Baltimore in 1995 to become the Ravens, then watched them win a Super Bowl in 2001.

I have a pretty good understanding of why you're burning his jerseys and I take it the Cavalier-Heat games next season are going to be very interesting affairs.

When I lived in Da Ville, every time I went to or through Nashville and passed anywhere near the Tennessee Traitors stadium I flipped it the finger.

But take it from the TransGriot. When y'all finally do break through and win that elusive title, it's going to lead to the biggest cathartic release and civic celebration in your town's history.

Just hope you aren't opposing a Houston team when it happens.