SB 723 Update 3

Meghan Stabler is not only still in Austin watching the Texas Senate and what they're doing on SB 723, the cavalry's coming from Houston.    Nope, the TransGriot's not needed yet at the capitol but I'm standing by.

Nikki Araguz is in Austin along with Meghan hoping to talk to some of the Democratic senators in person and implore them to keep up the united front against the unjust bill.   

The bill is still on the intent calendar, and the action on the senate floor will resume at 11 AM CDT.   just a reminder Meghan will be tweeting the proceedings and you can follow along with the TXSB723 hashtag on Twitter.

Wavering legislator that needs focus today is Sen. Carlos Uresti.   His district covers West Texas to El Paso County and the cities of Eagle Pass, Del Rio, and southern Bexar County   Please send you e-mails to him and thanks to the other Dem senators for their continued support in killing SB 723

Here are those addresses and phone numbers.   Let them know the eyes of trans Texans are upon them.:

Mario Gallegos (512) 463-0106
mario.gallegos@senate.state.tx.us

Wendy Davis (512) 463-0110
wendy.davis@senate.state.tx.us

Rodney G. Ellis (512) 463-0113
rodney.ellis@senate.state.tx.us

Kirk Watson (512) 463-0114
kirk.watson@senate.state.tx.us

John Whitmire (512) 463-0115
john.whitmire@senate.state.tx.us

Carlos I. Uresti (512) 463-0119
carlos.uresti@senate.state.tx.us

Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa (512) 463-0120
juan.hinojosa@senate.state.tx.us

Judith Zaffirini (512) 463-0121
judith.zaffirini@senate.state.tx.us

Royce West (512) 463-0123
royce.west@senate.state.tx.us

Leticia R. Van de Putte (512) 463-0126
leticia.vandeputte@senate.state.tx.us

Eduardo A. (Eddie) Lucio, Jr. (512) 463-0127
eddie.lucio@senate.state.tx.us

José R. Rodríguez (512) 463-0129
Jose.rodriguez@senate.state.tx.us

British Transpeople Successfully Shut Down Transphobic UK Conference

Did I not stress to folks that the trans rights struggle in the 2K10's would be conducted under new rules?

In addition to fighting tooth and nail any unjust laws aimed at us and demand we be part of the process in compiling any laws that benefit us, we are also going to take control of the education message. 

In other words, we are no longer going to allow non trans people to lie to the public about who we are.

Our British trans cousins have been busy across The Pond fighting a May 20 London trans conference sponsored by the Royal College of Psychiatrists Lesbian and Gay Special Interest Group.


The ‘Transgender: Time To Change’ event by the RCP drew the ire of the British trans community because they felt not only was it going to feature two of our major detractors in the UK, radical lesbian hate feminist Julie Bindel and Dr.Az Hakeem, the RCP's Lesbian And Gay Special Interest Group had no expertise on trans issues.

Their efforts were successful when the Gender Identity Clinic at Charing Cross Hospital, the UK's oldest and most respected trans treatment center pulled out of the event and it was subsequently canceled by the Royal College of Psychologists.


A spokeswoman for the Center stated: “Although we were somewhat wary of engaging in what is essentially a clinical discussion with a predominantly non-trans panel, which, moreover, features a non-clinician (Bindel) whose personal opinion is already well known, we agreed to do so in order that discussion might focus on evidence rather than anecdote. 

“The Royal College should be aware that there is a great deal of disquiet around this event within the trans community. Interested parties should also note that the discussion as it now stands will be one-sided at best.”

Activist Jane Fae, speaking for the organizers of the trans protest said: “The only people to blame for this are the Royal College. They could have had a very successful event if they had talked to the trans community and included people.”

Gee, sounds familiar to what's been happening on our side of the Atlantic.

But congratulations British trans cousins for stopping what was certain to be a disastrous event in your nation's capitol that could have had a deleterious effect on trans policy issues in the UK.  

It also sends a message that the next time you wish to hold a trans conference, start by having the people who live trans lives involved in the planning of it.

Happy 60th Birthday 'Lufer'

Today would have been the 60th birthday of Luther Ronzoni Vandross, who was born on this date in New York City in 1951.  There are more than a few of you younglings who probably owe your existence on Planet Earth to the fact that your parents were listening to his music the night you were conceived.

And what music it was.   While we all remember the romantic ballads and remakes of classic songs that he gave that Luther touch, he could put together some songs that would make you move as well.

And he is a music legend that is sorely missed.   




 

My SB 723 E-Mail To Senator Rodney Ellis

TransGriot Note:  My SB 723 E-mail to my Texas State Senator Rodney Ellis.  


Peeps get busy writing yours, especially if you live in Dallas and Senator Royce West's district.


Dear Senator Ellis,
As one of your trans constituents who also happens to be a proud African American Houstonian and Texan I am concerned about Sen. Tommy Williams blatant attack on mine and other trans Texans human rights.

SB 723 if passed has the potential of turning the Littleton v. Prange case into legislative intent for the entire state that will possibly be used to prevent Texas' courts or agencies from issuing corrected identifying documents like driver's licenses or birth certificates to trans citizens of the Lone Star State.

It could also be used to call their marriages into question like Christie Lee Littleton's was in 1999 and Nikki Araguz's is now.

It's already tough enough to be a trans person living in our state.  Passage of this bill would make it worse in terms of opening us up to discrimination triggered by mismatched identification that if Sen. Williams has his way, we'll have no way of changing.

I'm asking that you not only vote NO on this unjust bill, but that you and your Democratic colleagues stand together to kill SB 723.


Thank you,
Monica Roberts

SB 723 Update 2

According to Legislative Queery, which keeps an eye on the Texas legislature and all their shenanigans that affect the TBLG community of Texas,  there were 63 bills on yesterday's consent calendar that included the unjust SB 723.    The Senate got to 9 of them before adjourning for the day and the fun starts at 11 AM CDT.  

Meghan Stabler is standing by in Austin once again prepared to tweet the proceedings from Austin with the TXSB723 hashtag .    In the meantime in order to kill SB 723 we still need y'all calling and e-mailing the Texas Democratic senators and letting them know to stick together

This is why this unjust bill must die.

Here are those addresses and phone numbers.   Let them know the eyes of trans Texans are upon them.:

Mario Gallegos (512) 463-0106
mario.gallegos@senate.state.tx.us

Wendy Davis (512) 463-0110
wendy.davis@senate.state.tx.us

Rodney G. Ellis (512) 463-0113
rodney.ellis@senate.state.tx.us

Kirk Watson (512) 463-0114
kirk.watson@senate.state.tx.us

John Whitmire (512) 463-0115
john.whitmire@senate.state.tx.us

Carlos I. Uresti (512) 463-0119
carlos.uresti@senate.state.tx.us

Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa (512) 463-0120
juan.hinojosa@senate.state.tx.us

Judith Zaffirini (512) 463-0121
judith.zaffirini@senate.state.tx.us

Royce West (512) 463-0123
royce.west@senate.state.tx.us

Leticia R. Van de Putte (512) 463-0126
leticia.vandeputte@senate.state.tx.us

Eduardo A. (Eddie) Lucio, Jr. (512) 463-0127
eddie.lucio@senate.state.tx.us

José R. Rodríguez (512) 463-0129
Jose.rodriguez@senate.state.tx.us

Black In Latin America Series On PBS

I've been aware that there were people of African descent that spoke Spanish, French and Portuguese for a long time.

I knew about Haiti's history as the first Black republic, that Mariah Carey's father was a Black Venezuelan, had Panamanian friends who are proud of their Black and Latin heritage, and was intrigued to discover after watching coverage of an NABJ convention panel discussion about Hurricane Katrina on C-SPAN CNN journalist Soledad O'Brien has an Afro-Cuban mother.   I also wrote posts that talks about Mexican president Vicente Guerrero and his African heritage and about Black  Latinas. 

My fascination with it was triggered by the 1972 Munich Olympic Games.    I was watching the boxing competition with my father and the match that was on ABC was an early round one involving the great Teofilo Stevenson, who was about to start his run of microwave beatdowns enroute to the gold medal.

When I remarked to my dad while watching the Stevenson match that I wasn't aware there were brothers and sisters in Cuba, my dad said in a matter of fact tone,"the slave ships stopped in Cuba, too."

Yep, they did.    Out of the 11.5 million Africans who survived the brutal Middle Passage across the Atlantic Ocean and ended up in the Western Hemisphere, only 450,000 arrived in the United States.   Brazil received ten times that number.    Africans also arrived in Peru, Mexico, Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic.   

Renee talked about it on her blog, but I'm looking forward to the latest PBS special courtesy of Dr. Henry Louis 'Skip' Gates entitled Black In Latin America.    The four hour series will explore race and identity issues in Latin America.

The shows will cover the following topics: 

• April 19 - Haiti & the Dominican Republic: An Island Divided
• April 26 - Cuba: The Next Revolution
• May 3 - Brazil: A Racial Paradise?
• May 10 - Mexico & Peru: The Black Grandma in the Closet

I'm looking forward to watching this PBS series that starts at 8 PM EDT on your local PBS stations and getting my learn on..
.