We have news that another GOP Pink Elephant has come out of the closet in former Republican chair Ken Mehlman.
Ho hum. Dude, you were pegged as family a long time ago.
There was more than enough whispering and chatter in the GLBT community that gave hints and clues that he was flying the rainbow flag long before Bill Maher called Mehlman out as a pink elephant in his 2006 CNN Larry King interview.
But Mehlman's coming out has not been met with joy and rapture by his fellow travelers because of his role as GW Bush's 2004 campaign manager and later the head of the Republican National Committee from 2005-2007.
A party and a presidential campaign mind you that demonized his fellow GLBT citizens simply for political advantage. Mehlman enabled the major damage done to their lives and civil rights.
So yeah, while there may be a few people like the Log Cabin Republican and GOPProud sellouts immediately embracing him with open arms, there will be more than a few people in GL world giving him cross eyed looks and a lot of grief for a while.
And that's just the white GLBT people.
GLBT people of color definitely have no love for him for a long list of reasons. Does the 'Southern Strategy' the piss poor politicized 2005 Hurricane Katrina response from the Bush misadministration and Latin@ bashing on immigration issues ring a bell, Kenny boy?
I'm glad you've come out of the closet, Ken. But you have a lot to atone for.
Thanks to you loyal TransGriot readers I reached another milestone.
At 10:54 PM CDT the 1.5 millionth visitor surfed over to my blog since I installed the hit counter on January 17, 2007.
That's a lot of people from around the planet checking out what I'm writing about on this humble little blog. I deeply appreciate y'all taking time out of your precious day to do so.
I also appreciate those of you who love what I do so much that from time to time you hit the DONATE button and drop precious change out of your purses and wallets to do so.
I work hard to keep TransGriot fresh, relevant, topical, entertaining and informative, and many of you have expressed over the years not only how much you like this blog, but appreciate my efforts.
Now that the 1.5 million hit milestone has been passed, on to the next one thanks to you TransGriot readers.
TransGriot Note: Victoria Kolakowski is another one of our groundbreaking trans candidates during this 2010 election cycle. In addition to celebrating her birthday, (Happy Birthday Vicky!) she is vying to become the first trans person to be elected to a trial court judgeship.
She running for Superior Court judge in Alameda County, and has a long list of endorsements and support from organizations in the Bay Area and the state of California from people such as California state senator Mark Leno and California state Rep. Tom Ammiano as we get closer to election day.
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The Kolakowski for Judge Birthday Bash & Fundraiser is this Sunday!
Here are the details:
Sunday, August 29th from 5-7pm Home of Geoff Kors and James Williamson San Francisco, CA Location of private residence will be provided after ticket purchase or RSVP by email.
'It is past time that our fellow transpersons and citizens around the world realize that we are beautiful, talented and intelligent people with much to offer the societies of the various countries we inhabit if just given a chance to do so.'
Monica Roberts commentary 'Ah Kua Show Program' 2009
Desiree Hines playing the organ
Leona Lo painting
Andreas Krieger and wife
Sass Rogando Sasot speaking at the recent Trans conference in Spain
Sometime today or tomorrow I will pass the 1.5 million hit milestone for TransGriot.
I can't thank you enough for stopping by my cyberhome, reading the posts, leaving comments, occasional change on the DONATE button, and reading and sharing with others what this Lone Star based blogger has had to say about a wide range of subjects for almost five years.
And granted, some months more than others I have a lot to write about.
But once again, without you peeps surfing by at regular intervals from around the world, I wouldn't be hitting these milestones on a regular and increasingly speedier pace.
So let's segue into our Friday Shut Up Fool! Award 'bidness'.
As usual, we had a bumper crop of fools on display. The Maine Teabaggers for their racist travel tips to DC in the runup to their civil wrongs rally tomorrow. Rush, Hannity, Beck, Palin, O'Reilly, and local Houston homobigot Dave Welch.
But our winner this week is 2009 Shut Up Fool! of the Year Michael Steele.
In a televised interview on the Spanish-language television network Univision, Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele said: "The actions of one state's governor is not a reflection of an entire country, nor is it a reflection of an entire political party."
Um, dude, y'all have been hatin' on Latinos since the 2006 election cycle. Several GOP state legislators, including state Rep. Debbie Riddle here in Texas want to replicate the SB 1070 style Juan Crow laws in their areas.
I'd need another full post to document the hateful and racist rhetoric coming out of the mouths of GOP peeps on this issue.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation announced it is changing its policy on how trans people identify themselves on driver's licenses.
PennDot and Equality Pennsylvania announced a settlement agreement Wednesday that allows people to change the gender on their licenses if they are living full-time in their new gender and it can be verified by a licensed medical or psychological caregiver.
The new policy will take effect immediately and aligns PennDot with the 25 states that have already adopted similar policies.
The previous policy only allowed changes in gender for drivers who could prove they had sex reassignment surgery.
In Cristan's latest video update, she lays out why we Texans have been saying to anyone who will listen why y'all peeps outside the Lone Star State's borders need to be paying attention to what's happening here and ensuring that Phyllis' legal team has the resources they need besides prayer to win it.
Yes people, legal cases have repercussions far beyond the borders where they originated. It's why I'm keeping a very close eye on a Hong Kong marriage case currently being litigated. If you think that's BS, a British case called Corbett v. Corbett ended up biting Texas transpeeps in the behind in 1999.
The resulting travesty of Littleton v. Prange ended up whacking J'Noel Gardiner in Kansas a year later.
And in the Hong Kong case I talked about, Monica Carss-Frisk, the barrister hired by the Hong Kong government to defend them, is using trans adverse case law from several countries to bolster her case defending the jacked up status quo.
You know, the last time y'all failed to heed the warnings of Texans, we and the USA ended up with eight jacked up years of a presidency. Don't make the same mistake again.
And now, from the TG Center in Montrose, heeeerrres Cristan.
TransGriot Note: This editorial piece by NBJC executive director Sharon J. Lettman was originally published in the Bay Area Reporter on August 12.
Barbecues, backyard parties, and soul-food jams. Summer is a time for family get-togethers. A time when people all over the world take vacations so they can make memories with close friends and loved ones, but in African American communities only some of us feel comfortable going home.
In our communities, only some of us feel safe enough to be who we are in the company of those who raised us. Only some of us can show up and be all of ourselves all of the time with the people we love most. The pain of moving through our families – closeted, and, in many instances, alienated – is devastating black families everywhere.
Homophobia and the anti-gay oppression it engenders severely limits the extent to which African American LGBT people live out and open lives. In recent years, we have seen significant efforts to undermine black families due to restrictive laws and regulations based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Such laws include the 2008 proposition passed in Arkansas outlawing adoption by LGBT people, even though 21 percent of black LGBT couples are biological parents and 2.2 percent are adoptive or foster parents (2000 U.S. Census).
As America's only nationwide black LGBT civil rights organization, the newly re-imagined National Black Justice Coalition has accepted the charge to lead black families in strengthening the bonds and bridging the gaps between straight and LGBT loved ones and communities.
"Building Stronger Black Families" is the theme guiding NBJC's strategic plan and program development. As a part of our commitment, we focus on eradicating policy-based initiatives that we know weaken our families, our communities, and ultimately, our country.
Specifically, we focus on working in coalition with ally organizations to combat harmful laws that are tearing apart our families. In collaboration with Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, we work to repeal laws like "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" because African American women are discharged from the armed services at three times the rate they serve, due to DADT. Upon discharge, an individual's access to health and retirement benefits are denied and their professional record is permanently marred, affecting their ability to find new work to support their families.
In conjunction with the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Center for Transgender Equality, we focus on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act because everybody deserves an opportunity to excel in their chosen profession without fear of being punished or terminated due to gender identity or sexual orientation, qualities over which none of us have any control. Racism, homophobia, and transphobia combine to form powerful discriminating forces that prevent LGBT people of color from obtaining and sustaining jobs, which can lead to impoverished conditions for them and their dependents. In a 2007 NGLTF/NCTE national transgender discrimination survey, 35 percent of black transgender respondents were unemployed, which was five times the rate of the general population at the time of the study. ENDA is a federal bill that would prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
NBJC is partnering with the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network to put an end to bullying in schools because every child deserves to learn in an environment where they feel safe enough to explore their hopes and dreams without fear of being harassed or physically assaulted. Further, every child deserves to have teachers and administrators who will protect them when these incidents are reported. When children are the targets of anti-gay bullying, families that don't receive this level of support and accountability from schools suffer losses like the tragedy experienced by Carl Joseph Walker's mother. Her son hanged himself last year after enduring daily bullying and anti-gay taunts. Carl is one of several suicides of very young children linked to bullying. We will never know what Carl's promise held and his family is forever scarred by his untimely departure.
NBJC is working with a host of organizations through the Civil Marriage Collaborative DC Coalition, in a public education campaign promoting marriage equality in and around Washington, D.C., where 54 percent of the community is African American, and gay and lesbian couples can marry legally.
Polls have repeatedly shown that respondents who know an LGBT person within their family, workplace, and/or social networks have increased support for policies that foster equal rights. Increasing acceptance and respect for black LGBT people within their families and communities is essential to growing support within African American communities for LGBT issues of inclusion and equality, which, ultimately, affect us all.
NBJC is working toward a world where all of us can go home and be all of who we are, authentically and safely, with family and friends, all of the time. We hope that you will support us by participating in action alerts around policy initiatives that help level the playing field for all LGBT people and allies – regardless of race, creed or color.
Sharon Lettman is the executive director of NBJC, which is a civil rights organization dedicated to empowering black LGBT people. Its mission is to end racism and homophobia. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., NBJC was founded on December 8, 2003, by a group of committed and passionate black LGBT people, led by activist, author, and commentator Keith Boykin, who believed there needed to be a strong voice advocating on behalf of black LGBT people.
Well, better late than never, but the late Duanna Johnson has received justice in her excessive force case.
Bridges McRae, the former Memphis po-po who administered the videotaped beatdown of her at the Shelby County jail in February 2008 pleaded guilty to federal civil rights violations earlier today and agreed to a two year stint at Club Fed.
The 43 year old Johnson was later found in a North Memphis neighborhood shot dead in November 2008 in a still unsolved case.
You'll recall that earlier this year McRae was tried in federal court, but after four days of deliberations a mistrial was declared because the jury of five men and seven women could not reach a unanimous verdict.
One juror was later quoted as saying they were leaning 11-1 for a guilty verdict.
McRae was probably motivated to settle now because his case was scheduled to be retried next month and he was facing ten years in federal prison if he had been convicted on all the counts he was facing.
What probably factored into his decision as well is the knowledge that once federal prosecutors get a second crack at litigating a case, they have a 97% conviction rate.
Both sides agreed that a two year prison sentence would be appropriate, but the judge will have the final word at McRae's sentencing hearing in January.
“We came to terms we could both agree with, the defense and the prosecution, that were fair and reasonable,” defense attorney Bill Massey said after a change-of-plea hearing before US District Court Judge S. Thomas Anderson.
While we're still trying to find out who killed Duanna, her family can be comforted in the knowledge that the man who violated her civil rights will be doing time for it.
You know that I've been watching with major interest the potentially historic election taking place north of me in Oklahoma City in which attorney Brittany Novotny is taking on notorious homobigot and Republifool incumbent Oklahoma state Rep. Sally Kern.
While I've been tracking Novotny's progress since September, I've wondered why the gay community hasn't realized the fact they have a golden opportunity to take out one of their notorious enemies and help their trans allies at the same time by supporting Novotny.
In case you need any reminders of what a waste of DNA Sally Kern, check out this link to her August 7 speech hatin' on gays and 'libruls' and the YouTube video, loyal TransGriot readers:
LGBT activist Ben Patrick Johnson and trans activist Ashley Love are teaming up to host a fundraiser for Brittany at the Hollywood Hills home of Mr. Johnson on August 29. It will run from 4-6 PM PDT and at this event you'll have an opportunity to meet the woman who is poised to write a new chapter in trans political history.
You'll also get a chance to help a sister out and pause to drop some bucks for the cause. Of course, for those of you who aren't in OKC, y'all can still donate to her campaign by hitting up Brittany's website at www.brittany4hd84.com
It'll also be beautiful if Brittany can get some serious cash out of this fundraiser. Per their usual political tactics, the national wingnuts are probably going to throw a blizzard of cash and negative ads late to save Sally's sorry behind and Brittany will need the money to rapidly respond to it.
If you're interested in attending the fundraiser, RSVP to Ashley Love at ashleylapr@yahoo.com so they can get a firm headcount of the number of people attending.
People wanted someone to run against Rep. Sally Kern. Brittany accepted the challenge. Now help her win on November 2.
The National Black Justice Coalition is hosting its first annual OUT on the Hill Black LGBT Leadership Summit in Washington, DC, September 15-18.
If you're noticing that the date coincides with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s–Annual Legislative Conference Weekend, go to the head of the class, it's not an accident.
The CBCF-ALC is an event I've wanted to attend for years because thousands of African American policy makers, organizers, and concerned citizens travel to our nation’s capitol for it. It's held at the Washington Convention Center and has more than 70 issue forums and 13 session tracks offered to address critical challenges facing Black communities, many led by CBC congressmembers.
In my mind, one of the challenges that needs to be addressed is integrating African-American GLBT people into the everyday economic, social and political discourse of our African-American family.
Black TBLG people and our leaders need to be there for that weekend. I realized the importance of it years ago, but unfortunately circumstances on one level or another have kept me from attending. Maybe I'll be blessed to catch a break and have something positive happen where I can this year.
Now let's return to talking about about OUT on the Hill 2010.
This event will convene the nation’s top Black LGBT thought leaders, philanthropists and activists to participate in social action that empowers our communities while educating our Congressional leaders, the Obama Administration and federal agencies about our public policy concerns.
The NBJC plans to make this an annual event in which we come together to let the powers that be know that we exist, we are organized and informed, and we have the ability to move the masses towards an America that is more inclusive of Black LGBT people.
The August 31 midnight deadline for voting in the 2010 Black Weblog Awards is fast approaching, and as you know I'm a finalist in the 'Best LGBT Blog' category.
This is a Republican election, so you can vote once per day until Tuesday. According to the latest newsletter I've received from the esteemed webmaster, several categories are very close voting total wise.
Renee's Womanist Musings was nominated for 'Best International Blog', so show her some ballot love as well
If you've voted for me already, I thank you. If not, I humbly ask that you take just a few moments to do so.
We'll know the winners next month, and I hope I'll have good news to report.
As I continue to point out, the misconceptions and spin about African American transpeople are so far off the mark. In addition to being part of the diverse mosaic of human life, we have so many intelligent, talented and together brothers an sisters who have much to offer to the world and the community if just given the opportunity to do so.
Meet T. Desiree Hines, an organist at the First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia who has been getting increased and well deserved attention for her musical skills.
My homegirl Tona Brown made me aware of her talents before the May 29, 2009 story came out in the Philadelphia City Paper I would love to share with you.
It was after a thank you Lawdy 2004 Olympic bronze medal, hard on the heels of an embarrassing and unacceptable sixth place FIBA worlds finish on home soil that Team USA revamped the way it approaches international basketball on the men's side.
The Team USA women, ahem are handling their international basketball business.
The 2010 FIBA World's edition of Team USA returned to the scene of that basketball crime to take on Greece yesterday in their final tuneup game before the start FIBAworlds pool play Saturday against Croatia.
I watched Team USA take the opening tip and go wire to wire in Athens for the 87-59 win, but as Team USA Head coach Mike Krzyzewski cautioned us, “The score is insignificant really because they didn’t have their complete team against us.
The Greeks did not use their centers 'Baby Shaq', AKA Sofoklis Schortsanitis and Yiannis Bourousis. 'Baby Shaq' was injured in warmups and did not play. Greece also didn't play much zone because we probably will see them again in the knockout rounds.
But it was fun to watch this team run up and down the floor and roll up a 22-2 edge in fast break points, have Eric Gordon come off the bench and light it up from FIBA three point range (and lead all scorers with 18 points), force 21 turnovers, and have a 44-22 rebounding edge.
But now the real work starts to bring the Naismith Trophy and the 2012 automatic bid back to the USA. Team USA will play five games in six days starting on Saturday against Croatia, and from this point until they are hopefully hosting the trophy on September 12, the games count.
As the date for Carla Wallace's Lawn Party gets closer, missing all my peeps in Da Ville. Just wanted to post this and let you wonderful people know I'm thinking about y'all.
This is from a 1978 Bootsy's Rubber Band concert in Da Ville which has a Louisville centric version of 'What's The Name Of This Town?' Calicard turned it into a video tribute to his hometown that made me smile when I saw it.
The Michigan Republican convention will be happening on the Michigan State University campus August 29.
One of the issues to be decided at that event will be which one of the six candidates running to replace term limited Secretary of State Terri Land will become the party's nominee to run against Democratic party nominee Jocelyn Benson for the office
Trans Michiganders and their allies were already concerned because of one of the candidates in this race, half term conservanegro state legislator Paul Scott.
He promised in January that if he was elected secretary of state, he would deny transpeople the ability to change gender markers on their drivers licenses.
Now we have another candidate in a bid to match Scott, that is playing the transphobia card. The galling part is this candidate in 2002 received the endorsement of Triangle PAC, a pro-gay rights organization in Detroit.
Ruth Johnson issued a statement not only disavowing her 2002 endorsement by Triangle PAC, she also echoed Scott by stating, "No I do not support allowing people to change their gender on their license as a result of surgery or lifestyle.”
The reaction was swift from Alicia Skillman, the executive director of Equality Michigan. “It’s unfortunate that the conversation has come back to the issue of denying fairness to transgender residents in the state of Michigan,”
“We need to move forward, not take giant steps backwards regarding trans-equality. To refer to transgender individuals changing the sex on their driver’s licenses as “dishonest” is insulting and downright oppressive. Michigan needs to catch up to states that value difference. Michigan needs to keep the conversation moving toward fairness and equality for every person in the state.”
Julie Nemecek, who in 2007 made national headlines when she was fired from the conservative Christian Spring Arbor University for being trans, also blasted the move.
“To not allow a transgender person to change their gender marker on a driver’s license is to ignore the advice of the AMA (American Medical Association), APA (American Psychological Association), WPATH (World Professional Association for Transgender Health), and other healthcare organizations that understand this medical condition. The US State Department allows changes on a passport even without surgery,”
A survey filled out by Johnson and released by homobigot Gary Glenn and his Campaign for Michigan Families, conclusively shows Johnson has no support for LGBT issues.
Not only does Johnson say she would oppose allowing transgender people to change their gender markers on state issued licenses, but that she opposes adding sexual orientation and gender identity to the state’s civil rights law to prevent discrimination, opposes hate crimes legislation which includes the LGBT community and opposes allowing same-sex couples to adopt children. On top of that, Johnson says she would fight to keep the state’s constitutional amendment which prohibits marriage equality for same sex couples.
This is what you'll get trans Michganders, if she or heaven forbids, Paul Scott gets the GOP Secretary of State nomination and subsequently wins on November 2.
Trans Michiganders, if you don't like being used as a political football, stand up and do something about it. While we have no control over (unless you're a trans Republican attending the GOP convention) who gets the GOP nomination, we do have a major say over who will be taking the oath of office in January.
You can start by donating and working to ensure Jocelyn Benson has everything she needs to ensure she becomes Michigan's Secretary of State on November 2.
The Team USA Men's FIBA world championship squad is in Athens for the final game of their exhibition tour to take on Greece.
We USA basketball fans remember the last time we tangled with them in FIBA play. Greece and Sofoklis Schortsanitis AKA 'Baby Shaq' sprang a 101-95 semifinal upset in Japan that sent Team USA to the bronze medal game after winning their first seven games and their preliminary group.
They'll head to Turkey tomorrow to begin preparation for their opening game in the 2010 FIBA World Championships in Istanbul against Croatia and try to bring the Naismith Cup back to the USA for the first time since 1994.
But some of the suspense is already gone prior to the 12 PM EDT start USA time of their game with the Greeks at OAKA Arena. We now know who made the USA FIBA worlds squad.
Your 2010 FIBA World Championship squad is: Chauncey Billups (Denver Nuggets); Tyson Chandler (Dallas Mavericks); Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors); Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder); Rudy Gay (Memphis Grizzlies); Eric Gordon (Los Angeles Clippers); Danny Granger (Indiana Pacers); Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia 76ers); Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves); Lamar Odom (Los Angeles Lakers); Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls); and Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder).
This squad averages 24.66 years of age, 5 years of NBA experience, will have six players who are 22 years or younger and four 21 year olds. Chauncey Billups is the old man at age 33 and the only player with FIBA international experience. The 2006 FIBA Worlds team by comparison averaged 24.58 years of age.
But Rajon Rondo isn't one of them. He's headed back to the States.
While announcing the final 12 man FIBA Worlds roster, USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo said, “Rajon came to us and said he was going to withdraw from the team, that he had some family matters to attend to and some things to take care of before the NBA season. He did an outstanding job during our training, we appreciate the effort and commitment he made to our program and he completely has our support."
This will be another stern test in front of a raucous home crowd for what the world calls 'The 'B' Team'.
We'll see if Team USA has the right stuff in this game and also from August 28-September 12 when the FIBA Worlds finally kick off.
Hopefully this young squad has what it takes to bring that FIBA Championship back to home soil along with the automatic qualifying berth in the 2012 London Games.
For the first time since she was reinstated by the IAAF to compete, South African 800m world champion Caster Semenya faced world class competition in her event.
On Sunday she ran her third race since she was was forced to sit out 11 months to undergo gender verification testing at the behest of the IAAF after running the fifth fastest 800m time for a woman in last year's World Championships.
She returned to the scene of last year's triumph in Berlin and showed little effects from the alleged HRT she's undergoing and lack of elite level competition. She won the race by closing a 20 meter gap down the homestretch to win in 1:59:90.
But her competitors are still chomping Hater Tots and drinking Hateraid Fierce from 55 gallon drums.
British runner Jemma Simpson, who finished fourth in this race, let loose in a Telegraph interview.
"It's obviously a human rights issue but human rights affect everyone in the race, not just one person," Simpson said. "The rest of the field just gets ignored. No way is it a personal issue but it's a debate about what is right and fair for everyone. It's a really tough subject and a lot of people are very careful about what they say. You have to be.
"You have to be diplomatic and keep your opinions to yourself but sometimes it is so frustrating."
Canadian runner Diane Cummins plied on in her interviews comments.
"Unfortunately for Caster, she's grown up in an environment that is complicated not just for her but for human science. Basically, is she man, is she lady? What constitutes male, what constitutes female?"
"Even if she is a female, she's on the very fringe of the normal athlete female biological composition from what I understand of hormone testing. So, from that perspective, most of us just feel that we are literally running against a man."
"It is certainly frustrating to be running against someone who seems to be doing it effortlessly. We all believe that Caster Semenya, pushed to her full potential, could break the world record.
Semenya's grandmother said in a BBC interview last year, "I know she’s a woman – I raised her myself. If you go at my home village and ask any of my neighbors, they would tell you that Mokgadi (Semenya's given name) is a girl. They know because they helped raise her. People can say whatever they like but the truth will remain, which is that my child is a girl. I am not concerned about such things."
Canadian cyclist Kristen Worley, who attempted to become the first trans Olympian ever in 2008, is a co-founder of the Coalition of Athletes for Inclusion in Sport. She said the 19-year-old runner’s gender should never have been in question and blasted Cummins.
“She’s ignorant,” Worley said. “You’ve got a bunch of athletes who are women who are upset because they’re not running fast enough. It’s bad sportsmanship, that’s what this is. … It’s totally sour grapes.”
Worley took aim at the gender based performance double standard vis a vis Usain Bolt and Caster Semenya.
“Basically when Usain shows up, it’s a question of who’s going to be second and third. That’s a given,” she said. “We make him king of the day. We make him world champion. We the media, we society say ‘Usain, go faster, show us what you can do.’
“But when a woman does it, who didn’t actually set a world record (in winning at the Berlin worlds last year), who (more than 10) women have run faster than her, who didn’t set a meet record, we throw her into stirrups and virtually rape her. We did that because of the way her face looks and her voice.”
I agree and have said it since this controversy broke out last year. It's sour grapes tinged with transphobic bigotry.
Just win, Caster. The London Games are only two years away.
Well, it didn't take long for our latest episode of Reporter Gone Transphobic to manifest itself. Jeff Hager is the latest one that has show blatant ignorance of the AP Stylebook when it comes to reporting on transpeople.
Jeff not only totally disrespected Tamara King in this jacked up report, he also outed Ms. King to her next door neighbor.
And now Jeff, here's the pertinent section of the AP Stylebook you'll need to review that my brothers and sisters in Baltimore are probably reminding you of right now.
transgender-Use the pronoun preferred by the individuals who have acquired the physical characteristics of the opposite sex or present themselves in a way that does not correspond with their sex at birth.
If that preference is not expressed, use the pronoun consistent with the way the individuals live publicly.
Such a simple concept, and yet you still can't get it right.
The more the Tea Klux Klan tries to prove and protest they aren't racist, the more those white sheets come out of the closet. The DCist posted a link to the latest exhibit of that.
The Maine Teabaggers posted a Washington D.C. travel guide to their site to advise the conservasheeple 'Real Americans' going to Glenn Beck's fake civil rights rally this weekend.
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DC's population includes refugees from every country, as the families of embassy staffs of third world countries tend to stay in DC whenever a revolution in their homeland means that anyone in their family would be in danger if they went back. Most taxi drivers and many waiters/waitresses (especially in local coffee shops like the Bread and Chocolate chain) are immigrants, frequently from east Africa or Arab countries. As a rule, African immigrants do not like for you to assume they are African Americans and especially do not like for you to guess they are from a neighboring country (e.g. Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia) with whom they may have political or military tensions. It's rare to meet anyone who gets really offended, but you can still be aware of the issue.
Many parts of DC are safe beyond the areas I will list here, but why chance it if you don't know where you are?
If you are on the subway stay on the Red line between Union Station and Shady Grove, Maryland. If you are on the Blue or Orange line do not go past Eastern Market (Capitol Hill) toward the Potomac Avenue stop and beyond; stay in NW DC and points in Virginia. Do not use the Green line or the Yellow line. These rules are even more important at night. There is of course nothing wrong with many other areas; but you don't know where you are, so you should not explore them.
If on foot or in a cab or bus, stay in Bethesda, Arlington (preferably north Arlington), Crystal City, Falls Church, Annandale, or Alexandria, or in DC only in northwest DC west (i.e. larger street numbers) of 14th or 16th streets, or if on Capitol Hill only in SE Capitol Hill (zip 20003) between 1st and 8th Streets, not farther out than 8th (e.g. 9th, 10th etc). (Or stay on the Mall and at the various monuments.) Again there are many other lovely places, from the Catholic University of America to Silver Spring, Maryland. But you don't know where you are so you cannot go, especially at night, unless you take me with you.
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Yeah right. What's the Black population of Maine again?
This rally is already foul enough that you're trying to hijack the civil rights movement that you have spent much time,energy and money opposing.
I'm looking forward to seeing how spectacular a failure this one will be and what kind of spin comes out to cover it up.
We have news that another GOP Pink Elephant has come out of the closet in former Republican chair Ken Mehlman.
So yeah, while there may be a few people like the Log Cabin Republican and GOPProud sellouts immediately embracing him with open arms, there will be more than a few people in GL world giving him cross eyed looks and a lot of grief for a while.
