Pam's Ponderings-Black Transwomen Need Love Too

TransGriot Note: The musings of author Pamela Hayes

We all know about the horrific beating that Chrissy Lee Polis endured in McDonalds. Countless articles recounting the incident has been on the Internet, so has the video. It was ghastly, inhumane. It should never have happened. And thank God Chrissy’s assailants have been apprehended and charges have been preferred against them. They should be incarcerated. They should lose rights because of a felony conviction. They brought it on themselves. I feel no compassion for them. The trans community have banded together and protested what happened and have threatened to boycott McDonald’s. Chrissy has been shown love in abundance. And she deserves it. 

But you know, people, black transgender women have had the hell beat out of them. It has happened many times. Black transgender women have been murdered because of who they are. So have white trans girls, of course. But that’s not the subject at hand. And when these heinous crimes happened to black trans women, I didn’t see this outpouring of love and assistance.

Or if it did transpire, it certainly was not with the same degree of fervor that is going on with the Chrissy Lee Polis incident. 

I’m sure that white trans people orchestrated all the support that has been given to Chrissy. That is because Chrissy looks like them and what happened to Chrissy could happen to them, so they want to help. They want to let violent trans haters know that such savagery will not be tolerated. And that's a damn good thing to put out there. 

But remember, there are black trans women who need help too. And black trans women should recognize that we can’t depend on white groups for support or to fight our battles. We are going to have to watch out for our own best interests. 

Do not accuse me of suggesting that Chrissy Lee Polis doesn’t deserve love, support and monetary damages for what happened to her at McDonald’s. She most certainly does.   Her attackers should be jailed and the miscreant who videotaped it should be charged as an accessory. After all, he watched the beating and warned the attackers that the police had been summoned. 

But we need to come to the aid of the Tasha’s and Tanisha’s who find themselves in horrific scenarios like Chrissy Lee's. Tasha and Tanisha need love too.

Don't Mess With Trans Texans!

The Don't Mess With Texas anti litter campaign tagline has not only become an iconic part of Texas culture after 25 years, the tagline has become a battle cry for the entire state.

The Texas born and bred TransGriot is about to adapt it for another group of proud Texans, those of us who are trans.

Yep, it's time for us to loudly proclaim Don't Mess With Trans Texans!

There are four Texans on the list of IFGE Trinity Award winners with hopefully more to come.   Before the Southern Comfort Conference became the largest trans themed conference in the US, there was the Linda and Cynthia Phillips organized Texas T-Party that grew to become the must go to trans convention of the late 80's and early 90's.    Texans such as Phyllis Frye, Sarah DePalma, Tere Prasse and the late Dee McKellar were early and still iconic leaders locally, in the state and nationally.

Trans Texans like Toni Mayes not only fought early battles that set the stage to emancipate our community such as Mayes' 1975 suit to stop HPD harassment of her, Phyllis Frye lobbied in 1980 to torpedo Houston's anti crossdressing law that HPD was using to harass Toni, Phyllis and others in the community.. 

Trans Texans were part of the team that helped organize NTAC in 1999.  We impacted and shaped trans law with the formation of ICTLEP and holding that ground breaking trans themed law conference in Houston in the mid 90's.  And Phyllis even became a associate municipal judge.. 

Even some of the legal cases we talk about in the community such as Littleton v. Prange, Kantaras v. Kantaras, Lopez vs. River Oaks Imaging and the ongoing Delgado vs Araguz one have a Texas twang to them.

We had our larger than life people such as Kathryn McGuire who was part of the Houston social scene while educating people about our issues.  . 

And when its time for thought provoking commentary, education, needing to get something done, providing visionary leadership or have someone bluntly tell you you're all hat and no cattle, call up Cristan Williams, Kat Rose, Vanessa Edwards Foster, Jo Tittsworth or some award winning African descended trans blogger from Houston.

Even our transmen are stepping up and providing the leadership our community needs as well as the folks who weren't born in Texas, but got down here as fast as they could..

I also have to take a moment to light a candle in remembrance of the 25 trans Texans who have tragically ended up on the Remembering our Dead list.     We shall never forget you. 


Yep, we trans Texans are a diverse bunch proud of the history we've complied (and still are writing), love our state and are fighting tooth and nail to ensure that our civil rights inside and outside the Lone Star State aren't trampled on by anyone inside or outside our community.

So no, don't mess with trans Texans!

Caster Semenya To Tackle 1500m As Well

The London Olympics will be taking place next summer, and 2009 800m world champion Caster Semenya of South Africa has decided she will attempt to go for the gold in the 1500m as well.

"I'm going for my second successive gold medal in Daegu in August," she said to the Guardian. "This will also be part of my preparations for the 2012 London Olympics. I'm looking forward to my first Olympics and the plan is to include the 1500 meters."

She's prepping for the 2011 World Championships by  not only running races in her homeland, but an upcoming May 28 event in Dakar, Senegal and the Nike Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, OR on June 4.  

The Nike Prefontaine event will be a major test as to whether Semenya is close to being back to her championship level form that shocked the world in Berlin.       

The 2011  IAAF World Championships will be held in Daegu, Korea from August 27-September 4.   I'm  hoping that after all the unnecessary drama she was put through she not only wins gold at Daegu, but I hope she does the same next summer in London as well.

Upcoming 2011 Houston Unity Banquet

I won't be there because of other family commitments and haven't attended one since 2001, but one of the Houston trans community's signature events will be taking place at the Sheraton Brookhollow Hotel on April 30.

It's the Houston Unity Banquet, and the proceeds from this event go to support the Peggy Rudd Transgender Scholarship Fund. 

The banquet is a production of the Houston Transgender Unity Committee, an amalgamation of all the Houston area trans specific organizations.and tickets are $50 in advance and $60 at the door 

The keynote speaker this year is DRED AKA MilDRED Gerestaint, who I had the pleasure of meeting a a recent performance event she was part of at the University of Houston.

It should be an interesting event, and maybe I'll have the opportunity to attend it next year.

Suspect Arrested In Brutal Attack On PR Transwoman

I've written about the spike in anti trans murders and assaults in Puerto Rico and speculated that one of the causes of it is the anti trans attitudes and trans hate doctrine coming out of the Catholic Church. since 2003.


Ironically on the same April 18 day that Chrissy Polis was getting attacked in the Baltimore 'burbs, Francheska Gonzalez was minding her own business pumping gas in her car at a Rio Piedras, PR gas station when she was viciously assaulted.

According to an April 20 Radio Isla interview with Francheska's mother Olga Vazquez, she was kicked in the head and all over her body by her assailants.  Gonzalez suffered a fractured vertebrae and bruises all over her body as a result..

22 year old Jose Ortiz, one of the assailants in Gonzalez's attack was recently arrested after police responded to reports that a group of men were robbing and assaulting trans women in San Juan's Santurce neighborhood.

Gonzalez picked him out of a police lineup, and he will be charged on Wednesday April 27..

"We are satisfied that the suspect has been identified. Now we call upon the authorities to investigate the hate angle on this case, but foremost to do justice," Pedro Julio Serrano of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force told EDGE.. "Anti-LGBT violence cannot be condoned and the government has to send a message that it will not tolerate any bias attack against the LGBT community or any other community."

Pray for Francheska's speedy recovery from her injuries and hope that justice is done in this case as well.
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