DC Transperson Minding Own Business, Gets Dissed, Then Arrested

There are some days in which even when we transpeeps are minding our own damn business, we find ourselves in 'Twilight Zone' situations.

25 year old Chloe Moore of DC found herself in one of those situations on December 1  

Chloe and a trans friend were walking in the 1500 block of K St. NW around 2 AM EST and crossed paths with off duty officer Raphael Radon and his male and female friend.    Chloe's friend was a smoker, didn't have her lighter on her, noted Radon had a cigarette.and asked for a light.

“We didn’t have a lighter and we see a gentleman who had a cigarette lit,” Moore told the Washington Blade.  “My friend goes and asks for a light and he said, ‘Hey ladies, how you doing?’ And we said we’re doing fine.”

According to Moore, as Radon approached them he discovered they were trans he became hostile, uttered transphobic statements and disparaging remarks at Moore and shoved her.   Knowing what we all know about anti-trans violence aimed at us, in self defense she maced him and ran.  Radon gave chase, caught up with her two blocks later, tackled her,  and then identified himself as a police officer .

Of course Radon's blue buddies charged Moore with simple assault, but DC criminal law attorney Dale Edwin Saunders, described as “highly unusual” the decision by police and the United States Attorney’s office to charge Moore in the case.

“This person would have never been arrested or papered if the complaining witness had been a civilian,” Saunders said. “The defendant had two witnesses corroborating her version of the events.”
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Moore is also filing a complaint against Officer Radon as well.   


The case is still pending, but it's just more empirical evidence that when it comes to transpeople, 'Officer Friendly' ain't so friendly.

TransGriot Update:  The DC Trans Coalition has released a statement condemning Officer Radon's attack on Ms. Moore.

Yo Haters, You Don't Have A Right To Vote To Take Away My Rights

The right to vote should never include the power to eliminate the rights of one's neighbor; rather, 'equal protection' means each of us is bound to treat our neighbors as we would be treated ourselves, at least when voting on the scope of legal rights." Lambda Legal

Saw that in conjunction with a tweet following the Prop 8 trial and it is so dead on target.

But since the conservafools hate on Lambda Legal, let's see what the Constitution has to say about that issue: 

14th AMENDMENT
No State shall deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

There it is, people.   It's past time that we as a community did something about the arrogant right wing propensity to use the referenda process to take away people's civil rights.    It's morally wrong, it's probably unconstitutional and it needed to be shut down a long time ago.

Failing that, let's propose some progressive ballot initiates of our own.   They ain't the only people that can get organized to put initiatives together and get them on the ballot     Let's start proposing and putting some on the ballot that reflect our values, will bring progressive voters to the polls, and enhance people's civil rights, not take them away   

There's one thing we as liberal-progressive people  need to do a better job of in the upcoming year and beyond, and that's working to put initiatives on the ballot that reflect the type of country we'd like to live in.   

It also has the added beneficial effect of making them look like the fools they while making them spend their time, money and energy fighting them.

It also reminds the haters that we outnumber them, not the other way around.  

It also reminds them that they don't have the right to take away via referendum our civil rights.

Why Trans People Are Pissed About Being Legislatively Left Behind

Some of our lesbigay brothers and sisters may be puzzled as to why we in the trans community have had the mixed bag mostly negative reaction to last Wednesday's signing of the DADT Repeal Act

Much of this political drama painfully reminds us of the line that was repeated like a mantra on the reimagined Battlestar Galactica show when it was on the air.

All of this has happened before-and will happen again.

Those of us who have been in the TBLG rights trenches since the 90's and in the preceding decades have long memories about dealing with backstabbing predominately white gay and lesbian activists and organizations whose standard operating procedure back in the day was 'frack the trans community'.

The signing ceremony reminded us of the far too familiar pattern and numerous times that the GL community either brazenly cut us out of civil rights legislation that started out inclusive or used us as a bargaining chip to get the 'sexual orientation' only legislation they actually desired.  

The GL community activists and their trans apologists would then attempt to soothe our righteous anger over being screwed by our so called allies by parroting their standard 'incremental progress' mantra.   They would say the sexual orientation only law 'wouldn't have passed with trans in it', play the shame and guilt card by saying 'if we include you, it'll hold up needed rights for others', flip the script and call us 'selfish', say we need to do 'more education' of legislators, or pimp the classic 'half a loaf of bread is better than none at all'.

If that didn't work, then they'd smile, pat us on the back they just stabbed us in and say 'we'll come back for you'.    

Yeah, right.  Once the lesbigay community gorged themselves at the civil rights table and celebrate their victory in obtaining a GL only protective law, they would never follow through on that promise.   

Think I'm kidding?   Ask the trans peeps in Wisconsin and Massachusetts if the GL community has come back for them?

So no, trans folks are NOT happy about being thrown under the civil rights bus again or being Left Behind from civil rights coverage that we desperately need.

When are we transpeople going to be included in the 'We The People' part of the United States Constitution? 

We're sick and tired of being sick and tired of the jacked up situation where the trans community is treated like a disrespected junior partner or being used as legislative bargaining chips.

The anger is even more intense about this situation in the trans communities of color   We don't even have a fracking seat at the table to help determine the policy direction that will benefit us and the entire movement..


We need JOBS, JOBS, JOBS.   We needed an inclusive ENDA passed years ago and we needed Rep Barney Frank to stop being a lavender oppressor and start being an ally.    We need to pass a TBLG rights law such as ENDA that benefits not only the entire GLBT rainbow, but helps straight people as well,.  

But what does the trans community hear in the gayosphere that the GL community wants to spend this hard earned political capital on?     Gay marriage.    

It's another issue that only benefits a narrow slice of the GL community.   Most of us in the BTLG community could care less about same gender marriage.   It's not high on our priority lists when we struggle to get and keep jobs. You can't get married unless you have a J-O-B and money in your pocket or purse to pay for the wedding license, the wedding ring, the wedding and the wedding reception. 

In addition the 0-31 gay marriage push has had a deleterious effect on trans people's abilities to get married.



What was the chant the GL community screamed at the POTUS in this DADT drama? No delays, No excuses. That also goes for you GL people and the Gay, Inc orgs that represent you.

Take your Dallas Principles and apply them to yourselves.     You have no excuses for not passing trans inclusive legislation and doing it right the first time without delay


So if you wanted to know why many of us were a little lukewarm in terms of letting the congratulations flow  for DADT repeal passage, now you know.