Jenifer's Website Is Up!

As the HB 235 drama is proving, we're going to have to start electing our own people to public office.   That's the ONLY way we can ensure that we won't get screwed when it's time to pass civil rights laws that benefit us.

In Houston, while we get great support from our elected councilmembers, it's just time to elect one of our own people to office.

In this 2011 city election cycle we have a transwoman running for Houston City Council in Jenifer Rene Pool.  She's been a declared candidate for a few months and I'm already starting to see her signs pop up since she's an at large candidate.

If Jenifer wins she would not only be our first out transperson elected to Houston city council, she'd be the first in Texas and also the first elected to one in a city over one million in  population.    Monica Barros-Greene of Dallas was the last transperson to attempt to win a large Texas city council seat back in 2005.

No hate from our fundie foes Dave Welch or Hotze's Nazis yet, but I expect it by the time the campaign.gets into the home stretch. 

Others are waiting to see how the new reapportioned and redrawn city council single member district boundaries shake out before they declare one way or the other.   

She now has her website online, so check it out.

Happy Birthday Again Alexandra!

The Alexandra I'm talking about is multitalented actress Alexandra Billings, who was born on this date in 1962. 

So yeah sis, you got me by a few weeks.

Thanks for your blog, all you do and have done as one of our iconic trans women to ably represent yourself and our community.   May you have a blessed and low stress birthday with much continued success and blessings in your career and your life.

 Happy birthday Alexandra!

Whoopi Blasts Donald 'Birther' Trump On 'The View'

Whoopi calls out Donald Trump on his (ho hum) pandering to the birthers.

Utah Transwoman Humiliated At DMV, Ciswoman Stands Up For Her

If you want to know why many of us have been going straight the hell off about the unjust HB 235 law being pimped in Maryland by our 'allies', this news coming out of Utah will add more gasoline to the fires of our discontent.

On Thursday Amber Anderton entered a branch of the Utah DMV in Salt Lake City simply wishing to get her Utah drivers license renewed.   Instead of courteous service by the civil servants employed there, she watched as a trans citizen of the Beehive State ran into disrespect, transphobic ignorance and bigotry.

Anderton watched as the 29 year old anonymous transwoman was subjected to being mocked by DMV employees, have transphobic slurs hurled at her, and was forced to scrub her face of her makeup and pull her hair back before she was allowed to take her license photo.

Appalled at what she'd just witnessed, she went to the abused transwoman to comfort her and asked her if she was going to file a complaint.  Even though the transwoman was livid, she replied to Anderton she didn't want to cause a scene.

Homegirl's better than me.   

Anderton decided to file the complaint over what she had witnessed and marched up to the DMV branch supervisor who only gave his first name as John.    When Anderton said to him, “How dare you treat people this way! Would you make any other woman take off her makeup to get her licensed removed?” The supervisor coldly responded that “That is not a real woman, it’s a man."

I hope that the Utah transwoman who endured that harassment will channel that anger into action against the Utah DMV branch like Amber Yust did in California.   The employees who dehumanized her need to pay for their actions.   Iinaction will only ensure that the next transperson who enters that branch or even some cis person with ambiguous gender characteristics will get disrestected in the same manner..  

But at the same time, kudos to Amber Anderton for standing up for one of our sisters.    You've done more to stand up for a transperson's dignity, human rights and self respect in one day that gay advocacy orgs have done in decades.  

George, You Still Owe Wendy An Apology

Especially in light of the fact she has been a guest on your show.



So, when are you going to say 'I'm sorry' to her for the transphobic slur you aimed at her in your routine?

March 27, 2001-Another Day That Will Live In Trans Infamy

Today was the day exactly ten years ago that the trans community in Maryland was cut out of a GLB civil rights bill that surprise surprise, has public accommodations language in it.

The unjust one they are trying to force down our throats in the name of  'equality' unfortunately passed the Maryland house of delegates Thursday and is now on its way to the Maryland Senate.   

At any rate, thanks to Transadvocate, here's the post documenting the sad history of this day that will live in trans infamy and a previous screwing by our GL 'allies'.   

The Drive For 155

Since I have close friends living north of the border, I've always liked Canada and want to visit the country someday, I've made it a point to keep up with what's happening there politically.  

Renee of Womanist Musings finally got her wish Thursday as the Conservative run Canadian government of PM Stephen Harper fell on a 156-145 no confidence vote.   That means that Parliament gets dissolved and new federal elections, the fourth in seven years will be held on May 2.    Canada has been run by a series of minority governments since 2004.   The latest minority government since 2006 has been run by the Sweater Vest and his Conservatives.   In the October 2008 election they fell just 12 seats short of getting the majority

As to what this means for the Trans Rights Bill, since C-389 hadn't cleared the Canadian Senate and received Royal Assent to become law, the whole process will have to start over again from scratch in the next Parliament.    It also means that if it does, there will be someone else besides MP Bill Siksay leading the charge on it since he has announced he's retiring

The Canadian House of Commons has 308 seats that the political parties in that country will be battling to get.    Currently the Conservatives hold 143 seats, the Liberals 77, the Bloc Quebecois 47, and the New Democratic Party 36. There are two independent lawmakers, and three seats are vacant.

To form a majority government the magic number is 155 seats.   If  you fall short of that, you have to form a coalition with another party or combination of parties to give you the numerical governing majority, and that's known as a minority government.   Of course, if you want to fully implement your platform without having any interference from opposition parties your main goal for this election is to get 155 or more seats.

The leader of the party with the most seats, or a coalition that gives them a majority of House seats becomes the Canadian prime minister.   The current major party leaders are Stephen Harper for the Conservatives, Michael Ignatieff for the Liberals, Gilles Duceppe for the Bloc Quebecois, and Jack Layton for the New Democratic Party. 

So as you can tell by the party websites I linked to they have already swung into campaign mode.   Until May 2 the political commercials will be hot and heavy on Canadian TV sets and for those of you on our side of the border with cable systems that have Canadian stations on them.

I'll be keeping a long distance eye on what's transpiring in these elections north of the border because they will have an impact on our Canadian trans cousins, and by default, that means it will also indirectly impact us as well south of it.