Moni's Latest TransFM Podcast Is Up!

Thanks to Marti and Ethan for inviting me to speak on Sunday's TransFM podcast concerning the NAACP diss of the bi and trans community at Monday's LG(bt) Town Hall

It's now been archived and you can hear Sunday's podcast by clicking on the link.

METRORail Station Survey

It may be in the triple digits temperature wise, but that doesn't slow down construction here in H-town.  They just make sure the workers get plenty of cold water, rest and keep going until they get the project done. 

I'm a big fan and supporter of the expansion of light rail in my hometown.   I've been keeping tabs on the progress of METRORail construction on the Southeast, North and East End lines, especially since one of the new lines will terminate not far from where I live now.

It's moving along to the point that the construction crews began laying rail on some of the lines earlier this month that are scheduled to be completed in 2014..     

METRO asked for public input on names for the future  stations on the various rail lines.   The deadline passed in May for that phase of the process, but they are now conducting a survey until August 31 to get further citizen input on some of the contenders for station names on the various routes.

The METRO board will choose the permanent names of the rail stations at their September 2011 meeting.

I've had my say about the Southeast Line and will chime in later on the other two, so I thought I'd make it easy for you Houstonians or homesick ex-pats to chime in and have your say about what names should grace those station platforms.

But to be honest, I'm beyond ready for those station platforms to not only be constructed after they finish laying the track, but for those light rail trains to start running along those tracks when they're done.

Janet Speaks!

Looking forward to meeting Janet Mock one of these days and having a nice long chat with her, but in the interim, I'm reading her blog posts at Fish Food For Thought before that day comes and I get to give her that hug I keep promising her.


This one definitely needs to read by y'all.   It talks about her first post coming out speaking engagement at the Hetrick-Martin Institute in New York.

In case you're wondering, it's the organization that hosts the Harvey Milk High School for TBLG teens.  

After detailing my transition story, my move to New York, my career as a writer and editor, I left with one message, the one thing that my biggest cheerleaders had told me as a teen when all I seemed to care about was fully embodying my womanhood: “You are so much more than your circumstance. You are so much more than a transgender teen or a gay high school student. It’s just a facet that makes up the multifaceted beautiful being that is you.”

Amen..now y'all go read the rest of this post at Janet's blog. 

The Trans-Free NAACP Town Hall Is History

Yesterday the first ever LGBT Town Hall meeting was held at the 102nd annual NAACP Convention in Los Angeles.   But instead of a groundbreaking event that would have been a watershed moment for the entire African descended rainbow community, it's left hurt feelings in the bi and trans sectors of it and the sense that once again, transpeople don't matter..

That message is even harder to swallow in the wake of a transwoman being killed in Washington D.C.days before the convention started in the historic back yard of the NAACP and her vigil being held the first day of the convention..


When a trans free panel happens, one of the things that we transpeeps are most concerned about is when there are no transpeople at the table, it equals jacked up misinformation about transpeople around and emanating from the table

And that happened at yesterday's NNACP panel.   Ashley Love happened to be in the room and called moderator Don Lemon out on a problematic comment.



The town hall has yet to be archived to the NAACP convention website webcast area and you know I'll be waiting with interest when it does show up so I can see the entire event.

And FYI, it seems the pressure and loud displeasure expressed about our erasure here, across the Net and through our allies has resulted in a promise by Julian Bond to include us at the next LG(bt) town hall meeting at the 2012 NAACP convention.

Yeah, right.  We'll see about that.   We have long memories about just how well organizations keep their promises to African descended transpeople.  


Okay, so we're pissed about being dissed and excluded from this year's GL dominated event.   So what do we do about it going forward?

My first suggestion is join the NAACP.   Since they seem to think we transpeople don't exist, the specter of NAACP membership card carrying transwomen in local NAACP chapters will blow that assumption away immediately.  

Our allies can also help in terms of introducing POC transpeople to any NAACP leaders they personally know. 

I want to make it impossible for the NAACP to ever be in the position in which they feel they can diss us like they did with this event ever again without repercussions.


So who's with me on this?


TransGriot Note: Thanks to Queerty for the graphic of Wanda and Don gracing this post