Technical Difficulties

TransGriot Readers, if you were expecting your usual posts and features that you love coming here for, had multiple problems that prevented me from posting yesterday. 

I had a connection issue that didn't get resolved until today.   To add to my Internet woes, wasn't feeling well and I spent most of the day in bed getting over whatever bug waylaid me in the first place.

To add to my pissivity over my connection issue and grumpiness about being sick, kept getting calls from some telemarketer just as I was on the doorstep of nodding off to dreamland

I'm starting to feel a little more alive and in a better mood than I was yesterday, so I'll probably finish and put the posts up that I was planning to do on Friday.

Thanks for the concern and love y'all showed me, it's always appreciated.

HISD Passes Trans Policy Language On Unanimous Votes

The Houston Independent School District is the largest in Texas and the seventh largest in the United States.

Last night I had the pleasure of witnessing the HISD school board vote on a nondiscrimination policy that has gender identity and expression language that covers both students and employees.

I also signed up to speak at the board meeting to thank them and urge passage of the measure, which it did on a 7-0 first reading vote.

The policy will face a final vote in August.

Also up during last night's meeting was a HISD Code of Student Conduct change for the 2011-2012 school year that adds gender identity and expression language.   That also passed on a 7-0 vote and is a done deal.

One of the surprises I got during the meeting besides Trustees Anna Eastman and Juliet Stipeche coming to personally thank me and the other supporters of the issue for coming was finding out HISD Board President Paula Harris knew my best friend in high school who is no longer with us, Joel Anderson.   

I'm so proud as a trans HISD alum this happened.   Thanks to Chris Busby and Jenifer Rene Pool for doing the hard work to make this happen.

Now lest hope the rest of the school districts in the Houston area follow HISD's lead

2011 Williams Watch-Serena Moves To Third Round

Little' Sis suffered through another slow start in her  second round matchup against Romania's Simona Halep and dropped a set before she got into tennis beatdown mode and powered to a 3-6,6-2, 6-1 win.

Halep got off to a quick 4-1 lead due to nine unforced errors by Serena, breaking her serve once and some flawless shots by the No. 58th ranked player as she took 37 minutes to win the first set

But the two time 'Williams'-don champ got it together and committed just ten unforced errors the rest of the match.  She focused and shifted into tennis beat down mode to dominate Halep in this set and even the match.

Little Sis took only 28 minutes to win the third set and the match 6-1 thanks to a 5-0 knockout blitz and stay on track for a threepeat and her fifth Wimbledon singles title. 

Next up in the third round for Serena will be the winner of the Maria Kirilenko -Tamarine Tanasugarn match.

Nobody Reads My Blog, Eh?

For somebody my detractors insultingly claim 'nobody reads my blog' when they tangle with me, I do find it interesting that I get quoted, Monispeak and Moni quotes end up being repeated by politicians and other bloggers, my posts are linked to, I have love and respect from international transpeople, and it seems that when I put people on blast, stuff starts happening in reaction to it.

Found it interesting that not long after I slammed Gender Rights Maryland for not having a single transperson of color on their board in a state that is 30% African American,  I hear through the trans grapevine that they've now gone out and grabbed Cydne' Kimbrough to sit on GRMD's board

Verrry innnnnteresting.

But nobody reads my blog?    Obviously somebody on GRMD does out of the 4000 hits per day I get. 

I'm just sayin'.

2011 Williams Watch-Venus Rising

It was Big Sis' turn to play at Centre Court, and the folks in attendance there got an entertaining three hour show in her match with Japan's Kimiko Date-Krumm.

Date-Krumm at age 40 is the second oldest woman ever to make it to the second round at Wimbledon and served notice early in this match she was more than willing to go through Venus to get to the third round..  

She built up a 5-1 lead in the first set before Venus battled back by winning five straight games to force a tiebreaker.  

In the tiebreaker, Date-Krumm raced out to a 6-2 lead, and once again Venus fought off four set points to tie it at 6-6.  She eventually dropped the tiebreaker 8-6 after Date-Krumm hit a shot that clipped the line and was confirmed by video replay and Big Sis hit her next shot into the net. .

Big Sis focused and took the second set in convincing 6-3 fashion thanks to breaking Date-Krumm twice

The third set was as tight as the first one, with both players getting early breaks but staying on serve until Venus broke her to clinch a hard fought match 8-6 after Date-Krumm sent a shot wide.

Next up for Big Sis in the third round is Spain's Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, who sent Jelena Jankovic home early  in the first round.    Should be fun to watch, but as a certain former Houston Rockets coach said, never underestimate the heart of a champion.

You also never underestimate a Williams Sister at Wimbledon either.

Gun Hill Road- Movie With An Interesting Storyline

Thanks to Foxx Jazell, found out about an upcoming movie called Gun Hill Road.

The movie produced by Boogie Down native Rashaad Ernesto Green focuses on an ex-con named Enrique played by Caprica's Esai Morales who after three years in prison is released.   He is determined to not go back to that world and heads back to the Bronx to pick up where his life left off.

But there have been major changes since he left.   He is estranged from his wife (played by Scrubs Judy Reyes) and his now teenaged son is in the middle of a gender transition when he arrives..

Oh yeah, did I mention the cool part?   The transteen in Gun Hill Road is played by a real life transwoman in actress Harmony Santana 

Here's the trailer for the movie.






About time we had a movie with a storyline involving a transwoman of color that doesn't involve said transwoman being on drugs, playing a hooker or both of the above.  It will also for you LA peeps be part of the Outfest 2011 movie lineup.

Looking forward to seeing this movie when it comes out.