Whyte Radfem Womyn Gone Wild

What's up with the RadiKKKal 'feminists' and their off the charts hatemongering lately? 

Are they mad because they no longer have a free ride in terms of saying whatever they want about us and thanks to the Net and the blogosphere, we trans people can push back just as fiercely against their loud and wrong bull feces? 

Maybe they're upset because reputable venues like Conway Hall won't host their London convention hatefest and the only places they can discriminate against us are places they own like 'The Land' in Hart, MI

Or maybe what is chapping their white sheet wearing behinds is that everywhere they turn, there is a story about transwomen winning all over the world despite their over thirty year failed efforts to pimp their disco era lies about us and prevent trans human rights from happening.

Sucks to be y'all doesn't it?  Well, can't help it that y'all are drunk on the overwhelming scent of whyte womyn cisprivilege, are increasingly aware you're on the wrong side of the moral arc of the universe and even your fellow feminists are disgusted by how you are corrupting their movement label with your off the charts transphobia and nekulturny behavior 

The RadiKKKal 'Feminists' love to claim they're under attack but are the ones who consistently instigate these confrontations.  Once they do they run and hide behind their whyte womyn cisprivilege and cry white women's tears all day long when I or any other trans woman calls them on their racist kyriarchal behavior. 

They are so full of foaming at the mouth vitriol for trans women they are not only emulating masculine bullying right wing conservafool distort and denigrate tactics, they have resorted to the unhinged behavior of outing a 17 year old high school transteen.

And Sheila Jeffreys wants to know why we call them hatemongers? 

Because the Birkenstocks fit and they are more than willing to wear them to gleefully kick and oppress  transwomen of all ages, and we're tired of it.

Especially when you are stooping to the level of attacking our transkids exercising their free speech rights.

Blogging For Trans Equality Panel Video

For those of you who didn't get to see it, the video is up for the historic Friday, June 8 Netroots Nation trans panel that involved myself, Dr. Jillian Weiss moderating, Autumn Sandeen, Jos Truitt and Jennifer Levi of GLAD.

Watch live streaming video from fstv2 at livestream.com

Argentina's Gender Identity Law Takes Effect

Our trans cousins in Argentina are also savoring a huge win for transkind as their groundbreaking Gender Identity Law took effect on June 4. 

It overwhelmingly passed both houses of the Argentine Legislature by lopsided margins.  It passed in the Argentine Chamber of deputies by a 167-17 margin and a 55-0 one in the Argentine Senate before being signed into law by Argentine President Cristina Fernandez. 

It makes it easier for trans people in that country to change their national identity documents to reflect who they are now in addition to adding groundbreaking benefits that ensure access to trans specific medical care in their national health plan..

Transpeople in that nation are eagerly lining up to take advantage of their new rights to change their identity documents without having to navigate the hurdles of a doctor or a judge and it's something that needs to be replicated in the United States.

Welcome New TransGriot Readers!

During my highly enjoyable time at Netroots Nation I was pleased and proud to meet not only some of my blogging heroes and sheroes, but people who are toiling away whose names aren't known yet in their local communities doing what they can do to make life better for all of us.

Some of them are just now becoming aware of TransGriot, started reading it during the conference, told me how much they liked what I had to say on many issues and appreciated most of all the unapologetic chococentric point of view I have about issues inside and outside the TBLG community.

Some have even begun putting links to TransGriot on their own blogs and I'm reciprocating to those who do so in my own blog link list which frankly needs a makeover.

So for those of you just discovering my electronic cyberhome, welcome.   Check out the over 5500 post that I've written over the last six years.  Some might make you laugh, others will make you cry when you read them.  Others will piss you off while others will enlighten, educate and empower you. 

I also thank you longtime TransGriot readers as well for being there and reading me for all these years and you also let me know at Netroots Nation 2012 how much you love and appreciate my writing. 

But TransGriot is basically designed with one purpose in mind, and that is to get you to critically think about trans issues and see them from a different perspective.

Alberta Reinstates SRS Funds

Any time Alberta is mentioned in our conversations concerning Canadian politics, my Timmy's Ice Capp loving homegirl refers to Wild Rose Country as 'that wretched province' for its rampant Canadian style conservatism.  

I end up feeling obligated to defend Alberta and its dedicated activists who live there like Mercedes Allen.  I know all too well what it is like to have your nation's liberal progressive activists comfortably ensconced in liberal areas taking frequent potshots at your home turf due to the conservafool politicians in charge of it pimping jacked up social policies.

Never mind the fact you and others are busting your behinds to get progressive political momentum restarted in your conservative leaning home area.

Well, there was a big win for the Canadian trans community, and it happened in wait for it, Alberta.

On April 7, 2009 Alberta's conservative provincial government delisted SRS from its provincial health plan in order to save money, but discovered that the 700,000 CAD it costs for the 16 surgeries a year was just a tiny sliver of the 12.9 billion CAD provincial healthcare budget.  It not only didn't produce the savings they thought it would, all it did was piss trans Albertans off enough to cause a tipping point moment that got them to organize, fight and file lawsuits against the province over the issue.

Well, it was announced that Alberta would be reinstating SRS funding in its health care plan for SRS effective June 15.  

Of course our trans cousins in Alberta are ecstatic about the welcome news. 

We are pleased that the current administration sees value in caring for all Albertans needs, enabling them to live happy, fulfilled lives.  The return of this coverage, whose removal only saved Albertans $0.18 each annually, will give hope to those for whom GRS was previously out of reach.  While there are many other issues facing Trans-identified Albertans, this is a huge step in the direction of respect and dignity for the Trans Community by the Alberta Government. Thank you for taking this important first step.

Those Alberta lawsuits probably would have been successful because Ontario tried a similar delisting tactic in their OHIP provincial healthcare plan.  After a ten year battle, in March 2008 they had to restore SRS funding in OHIP after losing a human rights lawsuit similar to the ones being filed in Alberta.

Once again, another win for the Canadian trans community and in conservative dominated territory on top of that which makes it even sweeter.  Way to go, Alberta trans community!

Netroots Nation Post Trans Panel Thoughts

Autumn, Jennifer, Jillian, Jos and I only had an hour and thirty minutes to discuss Blogging For Transgender Equality and the wide variety of issues, challenges and triumphs that have resulted in us engaging in this new media medium.

And yes, we started on time at 10:30 AM EDT in doing so and still the hour concluded with us not being able to talk about a long list of issues I would have liked to have addressed.

But in the wake of this historic panel and the discussions it generated at Netroots Nation and hopefully will continue across the liberal progressive political sphere, y'all know the TransGriot has some things to say that I didn't get to articulate during that panel and in the two radio interviews I was a part of during that event.

One of the things that was glaringly clear to me even before I arrived in Providence was that we needed a Latin@ trans blogger on that panel and a trans man.   GLAD did a wonderful job in putting it together and even they recognize that point.

We also need at future Netroots Nation events (and any other liberal progressive conferences) several trans panels dealing with a wide range of subjects.   I would also submit a trans POC panel is desperately needed to highlight and give exposure to our emerging and long time trans leaders of color, touch on and explore those issues that deleteriously affect us and highlight the intersectional overlaps with the other communities we are part of.

I was honored to be part of that historic Friday discussion, the LGBT pre-conference event on Wednesday and the Netroots Nation Black Caucus on Thursday.  Only thing that prevented my participation in the LGBT caucus was me flying back to Houston. 

Netroots Nation 2012 helped me make some contacts, meet some people and drive home the point that yes, trans African-Americans exist and yes we are capable of speaking on behalf of this community and many others.   The question remains that will the people I made contact with follow up and how serious are they about their commitments?  

I certainly plan on doing so and letting you know how successful those efforts are as I attempt to honor the commitments I made on behalf of myself and the African-American trans community.   I want to do my part to ensure that the conversation, policies and political strategies that result from these conversation include input from us and benefit our community as well.   

NBJC ED Sharon-Lettman Hicks' 'Own Our Power' words were ringing in my ears when I stepped off the plane at TG Green Airport Tuesday night along with a conversation I recently had with Leslye Huff when we were talking about out Out On The Hill and ALC 2011 experiences.  I decided I wasn't just going to hang out in my LGBT comfort zone, but also make my voice heard in African-American spaces as well.  

When I walked into that Black caucus meeting Wednesday afternoon and made my statement that the Black community needs to stop treating the Black TBLG one as a separate entity, pointed out politically astute down with the Black community's uplift and progress trans people exist, and Black BTLG people were part of the kente cloth fabric of the community little did I realize that two hours later that would get me on Elon James White and L. Joy Williams 'Blacking It Up radio podcast.

They  moderated that Black Caucus event, and my interview with Elon and Joy also got the attention of Michaelangelo Signorile's producers because he was hearing and watching it as well.

Note to my haters (and you know who you are), and still I rise despite your best efforts.

It also for the remainder of the event got me much love from African American LGBT peeps of all ages and our allies who were thinking the same thing but Moni was bold enough to state the obvious.

The point is that trans human rights coverage not only benefits me personally, it expands your human rights and is good for you and all the communities trans people intersect and interact with. 

Shut Up Fool Awards-Moni's Delayed Netroots Nation Edition

Due to technical difficulties not of my own making, my usual Friday Shut Up Fool post was disrupted this week and I had to wait to post it on Saturday when I got back to Houston.

So without further ado, this week's Shut Up Fool Award is an easy one.  It goes to the Nashville, TN based Uniguest internet monitoring system that was installed at my Netroots Nation hotel's computer in Providence, Rhode Island.

I was unable to access TransGriot on the Courtyard by Marriott Downtown's computer after writing an initial post on it announcing my arrival in Providence at 6:26 AM EDT on June 6 with no problems or issues . 
My plan was to give you readers posts chronicling my thoughts as those days events unfolded and my take on the convention.  That plan went out the window because some Rad Fem Borg drone (or somebody else) had a problem with my post announcing that the Conway Hall venue that was supposed to host the July London rad fem conference was backing out due to concerns about violations of Britain's Equality Act and the hateful transphobic rhetoric coming from keynote speaker Sheila Jeffreys and company.

I suspect a rad fem because the hotel computer browser history indicated somebody read radfem hub that day. 

So why was TransGriot blocked?  According to Uniguest it was for the word 'hatemonger'.  Interesting coincidence that the most recent post with that word in it is talking about the radfems being called on their transphobic bigotry.

I was frustrated and angry that at one of the biggest progressive blogging conferences in the nation I was attending for the first time, my ability to blog about my experiences on TransGriot was thwarted by some BS. I was also pissed about the inability of the staff over the time I was a guest in that hotel from June 6 when I first brought it to their attention to June 9 to satisfactorily rectify the situation.

Really Uniguest?   The word hatemonger is enough to block a website?    Shut up fools!.

Headed Back To H-Town

One of the things that happens when I travel to and from H-town for these speaking engagements or panel discussions is they are planned well in advance of the actual date of the event. 

I have several months to hash out the details, get excited about it while doing so and conduct my research to ensure what I confidently say while I'm on that stage during that event is on point. 

Then that moment arrives and is gone faster than the months it took for me to impatiently get to and prepare for this day.

Well, I'm about to leave Providence after a very interesting and educational multiple day stay here at my first Netroots Nation event and this historic panel discussion.   I enjoyed spending some quality time with my fellow panelists, the wonderful people at GLAD, the radio interviews on Blacking It Up and Michaelangelo Signorile's Sirius XM show  and everyone I met during Netroots Nation 2012.

But not it has come to an end and I have to pack my Houston Comets bag, check out of my room and head back to my Lone Star State life.


Will get to fly through Newark and see many of my former co workers on the journey back home, and it'll be the first time I've been through that airport since 2000 as well.

It'll also have time on the long flight home to ponder everything that took place during my time at Netroots Nation and plot a way forward with allies new and old as I contemplate what my shero Barbara Jordan once said.  

'It is a burden of Black people that we have to do more than talk

And that is also true of Black trans people as well.  

Netroots Nation Prepared Trans Panel Remarks

TransGriot Note: In the preplanning conference call session we engaged in before the June 8 event we were originally going to present individual five minute statements about our takes on the Blogging For Transgender Equality topic   The decision was made to cut that down to two minutes before heading to the conference room on Friday morning so there would be more time for questions and answers from the interactive panel

So what follows is the statement I came up with and practiced a few times based on having five minutes to read it.  But with the individual initial presentation times in the panel discussion being cut to two minutes I basically had to wing it and use what I felt were the most important parts I wanted to convey to the panel discussion audience.

Anyway, here's the text of the full statement 

***

I'm Monica Roberts, the founding editor of TransGriot and have been an award winning activist since 1998

I thank GLAD, the Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders for the invite to take part in this historic panel at Netroots Nation and hope and pray this is just the beginning of many more to come.

The clock is ticking on my five minutes, so let me discuss my take on our topic of Blogging For Transgender Equality and its history, challenges and progress from my Afrocentric perspective.

As trans blogging took off around 2005 one of the things I noted is like the general vanillacentric trans narrative, the one in the emerging Transosphere was also framing issues and discussions from the perspectives of my white transbrothers and transsisters.  I was complaining about that in a November 2005 phone call with Jordana LeSesne when she  bluntly asked me, "So when are you going to start your own blog?"

At midnight on January 1, 2006 TransGriot was born with the mission of reclaiming and discussing Black trans history, talking about rainbow community issues from an Afrocentric perspective and discussing  trans developments across the African Diaspora. Six years, over 5500 posts and 3.8 million hits later it's still going strong

Another one of the reasons I founded TransGriot can be summed up by the words of W.E.B DuBois. He wrote in the 1906 Niagara Movement platform, 'We refuse to allow the impression to remain that we assent to inferiority, are submissive under oppression, and apologize before insults." 
 
If you haven't heard, Black transpeople are catching hell as the National Transgender Discrimination Survey documented last year.  The enemies of the trans community have had a four decade run of negatively defining our community and playtime is over.

We're sick and tired of being sick and tired of the lack of visibility, the erasure of our trans heroes and sheroes who helped build this community, the lack of knowledge and ignorance about current trans African-Americans who are continuing to uplift themselves, th trans community and do their part to uplift the race at the same time.

One of the challenges of blogging for trans equality from my perspective is that trans blogs, much less those of trans people of color aren't well known.   People have heard of Pam's House blend or Rod 2.0 beta but not mine.  When blogging awards get decided in the LGBT category I get nominated but it's rare I win them. 

Many of the Black trans blogs that got started after mine shut down for various reasons but probably because of economics and those persons coming to realize that putting out quality posts on a consistent basis is hard work, time consuming, and won't be a quick route to fame and fortune.  It also costs money to buy and maintain computers, Internet connections, et cetera which is why I have that donation button on the left hand side columns of TransGriot.

As an African-American trans social justice blogger, when I comment on race and class issues in this community, non POC's get nervous, defensive or hostile and call me 'racist', 'violent', 'angry' or 'divisive' for doing so which is draining and microaggressive.

Damn right I'm angry about oppression aimed at transpeople.  I sure am not a happy camper about losing young Black transwomen to anti-trans violence at the rate of two per month.  I'm also not going to be silent about the racism and injustice inside and outside the TBLG community that deleteriously affects our lives because if I don't call it out, that's activism malpractice.

In closing, how do we progress to the point that Nelson Mandela described of ensuring that color, race and gender become only a God-given gift to each one of us and not an indelible mark that a special status to any?   The Transosphere and trans bloggers will play a major role in this decade and beyond in making that world a reality.  

Blogging has already helped raise the profiles of African-American trans people enough to make cis people realize we exist and not just as 'tragic transsexuals'.  

People inside and outside the African-American community are becoming aware of the fact we are part of kente cloth fabric of African-American life.   They are becoming cognizant of the fact we have trans heroes and sheroes, visionary trans leaders and history makers, and people more than capable enough to lead the entire trans community and not a small section of it.   It's also helping us become a part of the greater community even as we are simultaneously closing ranks and organizing in the Black Trans Revolution that will not be televised. 

The Transopshere has finally given African-American transpeople and other POC bloggers the powerful platform to amplify their voices and say, "We're here, we exist, we aren't going away, and you will respect our humanity and our human rights." 

Netroots Nation Blogging For Transgender Equality Panel Today

After a nearly two month wait, the day and the moment has arrived.  At 10:30 AM EDT I will be taking part in the first ever trans themed panel discussion at Netroots Nation along with GLAD's Transgender Rights Project Director Jennifer Levi; bloggers Autumn Sandeen, and Jos Truitt; and moderator Dr. Jillian T. Weiss for a look at the role of blogging and online advocacy in the movement for transgender equality.

Transgender advocacy has exploded in recent years. Online organizing has been crucial to creating a visible transgender community. It's also been crucial to creating offline change on the ground. One example is the outcry against the 2007 stripping of gender identity protections from the federal Employment Non Discrimination Act (ENDA), which was reversed in 2009, demonstrating this community's online power.

The panel will talk about the role of online activism in securing a place at the table for the transgender community, despite the prejudices, and how trans bloggers and activists translated their online efforts into offline political and policy results, despite the political forces in opposition. We will also explain why political allies should connect with trans issues in their blogging and activism.

Presenters will share examples of the powerful role this online community plays in moving progressive rights forward, while also examining what is missing from the conversation.If you're at Netroots Nation, hope you'll check us out.

2012 African-American Music Appreciation Month

The tradition continues starting on June 1 of loving and appreciating our music in all its various forms and the people who helped raise it to new heights

Thanks to music super producer Kenny Gamble convincing President Jimmy Carter to issue the first presidential proclamation declaring June as then Black Music Month, we have celebrated it every year since 1979.


We've already lost two musical icons this year in Don Cornelius and Donna Summer and it's not too far from my mind that many of our iconic music stars are in their 50's, 60's and 70's age wise.

But the one thing that stays the same regardless of the various forms of Black music is its power to motivate, inspire and entertain us. 

It was the beat that we marched to to gain our human rights coverage.  It soothed our sorrows and stirred our souls on Sunday mornings  .It is the soundtrack of our lives in which hearing a particular song can trigger a flood of positive memories. It inspires our athletes at all levers to achieve greatness

It is the heart and soul of a mighty people.

Whether it's gospel, hip hop, rap, neo-soul, R&B, opera, disco, Afro-punk, country, house, rock and roll or jazz, we've not only had a role in taking them to greater musical heights through our creativity and talent, some of those genres we created for the world to enjoy.   

So happy African-American Music Appreciation month.

Still Fighting For Our Trans Marriage Rights

Since June is considered the traditional start of wedding season, and #GirlsLikeUs make some beautiful brides, thought this would be a perfect time to remind 'errbody' that we still have several trans marriage cases percolating around the world.

Unfortunately, due to the same gender marriage push, our ongoing trans marriage fights have increasingly been entangled, conflated and negatively impacted by the politics surrounding the conservafool backlash against marriage equality.

Just a few updates on the three ongoing trans marriage cases that have gotten international attention.

Nikki Araguz's case is still percolating at the Texas appeals court level and we're waiting a ruling on this round of it after GOP judge Randy Clapp invalidated her marriage.   The judges at the Thirteenth Court of Appeals level are Democrats based in Kingsville, TX, a suburb of Corpus Christi, so stay tuned, this could get interesting.

On the other side of the Pacific in Hong Kong, Ms W is gearing up for another legal round in her ongoing fight to marry her boyfriend.  She has lost two legal rounds in this case, most recently in October 2011.  She is now at the highest level of Kong Kong jurisprudence, the Court of Final Appeal.

In Europe, Joanne Cassar has taken her case to the European Court of Human Rights after exhausting all her legal options in Malta where she's won and lost rulings.

Yes, trans rights are human rights, and we deserve to pursue our opportunities to achieve happiness without interference from you haters.  That includes the ability to marry the person we love as well.

Live From Providence-It's Moni

After a travel day that started for me at 6 AM CDT and ended with me falling asleep in my hotel room a little after midnight on the 6th to the somewhat depressing news that Scott Walker survived his recall election, I finally arrived in Providence ready to partake in the Netroots Nations happenings starting officially tomorrow.

While I had an enjoyable and emotional at times transit through IAH and got reacquainted with some of my former co-workers on my initial United flight out of Houston yesterday afternoon, was a bumpy ride up to Cleveland.  I was early getting there, but  was delayed on that next leg out of Cleveland to Providence because the commuter plane hadn't left Kansas City yet.

It eventually arrived and I had a wonderful conversation with my seatmate on the CLE-PVD leg that made me forget I didn't get to my hotel until 11:25 PM EDT.   My room also made up for the anxiety that built up in catching the last bus from the airport to downtown by mere seconds. 

It has a fantastic view of the Rhode Island state capitol building, I'm across the street from a mall and the Rhode Island Convention Center.  It's also up the street from a 7-11 which I'll be visiting later to destroy a Slurpee or two before I head back to H-town.

But today is about me registering for the conference, getting the lay of the land in the hotel area, attending the LGBT Connect event I'm looking forward to and eagerly awaiting the meeting with myself and my fellow panelists.

And yes, TransGriot readers, I'll be chronicling the happenings on these electronic pages as well.

Miss USA 2012 Says Trans Competitor Would Be Okay

Was focused on watching other things besides the Miss USA 2012 pageant Sunday night but was happy to hear about what the new Miss USA Olivia Culpo from Rhode Island had to say during her five finalist Q&A.  

The question she was asked was: would it be fair for a person born a man to be named Miss Universe after becoming a woman?

Y'all know what the TransGriot and a majority of the transfeminine community's answer to that question would be, but we weren't on the stage standing in Ms Culpo's pumps competing for a shot at the Miss USA Universe title

And she proved (so far) she isn't Carrie Prejean or a radfem.

"I do think it would be fair..." because "there are so many people who have a need to change for a happier life. I do accept that because I believe it's a free country."

Time will tell how much of an ally she is to our community, but she definitely is well on the way to making a lot of trans female friends.   The opening of the Miss Universe system starting in 2013 to transwomen is still a contentious subject as cis women have come down on both sides of the issue.    

But thanks to Miss USA 2012 for standing up for fairness.

Handle Your Electoral Business, Wisconsin

You've been outspent 25-1 by an avalanche of corporate and right wing billionaire money.  The polls are all over the map and the conservafools have sent Bobby Jindal,  Nikki Haley and a parade of conservafools to your state to campaign for Scott Walker.   Fox Noise and the conservafools don't think you'll kick him to the curb. 

It's Tuesday June 5, the day you peeps in Wisconsin worked hard to make happen.  Now it's time to bumrush the polls, recall Scott Walker the four Republican senators and you lieutenant governor and end the GOP dictatorship . Grab a friend (or two or three or four) and take them to the polls with you to help make it happen.. 

The Republifools are already running 'scurred'.  Walker got eviscerated in the debate with Barrett since all he can do like any Republican is lie through his felonious teeth and run false attack ads.  Reince Priebus is already whining about 'voter fraud'.  The conservafool media is on the attack. 

But I'm not telling you peeps in the Badger State stuff y'all don't know already.   The eyes of the nation and the world are on you,. Make us liberal progressives proud, be agents of your own liberation and show us the Badger State ain't taking this conservamess.  

Handle your electoral business, Wisconsin..   .

Leaving On A Jet Plane-For Providence

Moni is headed to IAH and hopping on a plane later this afternoon bound for Providence, RI and Netroots Nation 2012.

It's not only the first time since 2000 I'm taking a United flight out of IAH, but the first time I've been on the airline since the merger.  It's also the first time I've been to Providence or the state of Rhode Island. 

I've been to western Massachusetts twice and flown into Hartford, Connecticut a few times but that's the extent of my travel forays into the New England states. 


I'm excited to finally be heading up there for my first Netroots Nation conference and be in the house with liberal-progressive activists from all over the country.  I'm also eagerly looking forward to the panel discussion I'm taking part in on June 8 with Jillian, Jennifer, Autumn and Jos along with meeting and interacting with many of my fellow bloggers while I'm up there. 

The panel discussion I'm taking part in on June 8 will be webcast live and you can  follow it from the Netroots Nation website at http://www.netrootsnation.org/nn12/streaming/


See y'all in a few hours airline family and Netroots Nation attendees.

Naw China, We Haven't Forgotten What Today Is

June 4, 1989

Student demonstrators calling for government reform and an end to corruption in their government occupied Tiananmen Square in the heart of Beijing for five weeks in the spring of 1989.

Those simple demands and the demonstrations backing them up captured the world's attention, but unfortunately between the late evening of June 3 and the early morning hours of June 4, the plug was pulled on the international foreign networks such as CNN broadcasting the event and PLA soldiers backed by tanks subsequently opened fire on civilians in and around the square with casualties estimated between 200-1000 dead.


It's also a reminder to us that democracy requires eternal vigilance. Because once you lose freedoms, it's hard as Hades to get them back. 

Frankly, the Republicans and the conservafool moment are staging an all out assault on our basic freedoms while wrapping themselves in the flag, hiding behind the Bible and pimping vanillacentric racial resentment, hatred of GLBT people and fear.  People in the USA need to wake the frack up about it and push back against these domestic enemies to our Constitution.

Keep that in mind people when November 6 rolls around.

Political rant ended, back to the post.

Those PLA tanks and troops may have crushed the demonstration, and you continue to try to erase what happened and deny it, but you can't crush the root of freedom from which democracy will inevitably flower  once it has taken root.
.
Naw China, we haven't forgotten what today is and neither have the people who experienced it and live to tell the story.  The world hasn't forgotten those Chinese citizens who died simply because they wanted to make their country a better place to live and their government more accountable to them.

CeCe Being Sentenced Today

The eyes of trans people around the world and our supporters will turn in the direction of the Hennepin County, MN Courthouse in a few hours as we find out how much jail time Cece McDonald will get.

As part of a plea deal, McDonald plead guilty May 2 to second degree manslaughter in the June 5, 2011 incident in which she and a group of TBLG friends were attacked by a group of white people outside a south Minneapolis bar and white supremacist Dean Schmitz died. 

Until May 11, she was the only person in the incident charged, but now Molly Shannon Flaherty has been arrested and is being charged by Washington County prosecutors with second degree assault with a deadly weapon and third degree assault causing substantial bodily harm for smashing a glass in McDonald’s face during the fight. 

Both charges are felonies that carry a maximum sentence of seven years and five years in prison.

Hennepin County Prosecutor Michael Freeman (D) is still trying to cover his behind, but nobody's buying it in light of the fact one of the people involved was a white supremacist and Cece and friends were the victims of a hate crime.

Speculation is that CeCe will be sentenced to time served plus good time already accumulated by the judge in this case and will only have to do 20 months.   There is lobbying occurring asking the judge to sentence her to home incarceration for that time instead of sending her to prison.

We'll see what happens at 1:30 PM CDT today.

Happy Milestone Birthday Dr. Barrett

I wrote a post back in 2007 about the late Dr. Monica M. Holloway-Barrett, and told the story about how I met her during the spring of 1980.. 

She impressed me so much that when I did finally get around to transitioning Monica was the name I chose in honor of her.  Her husband and daughter later discovered my initial post and thanked me for writing it.  

It was something I felt moved to do.

I've been thinking about her again because today would have been Monica's milestone birthday, and I couldn't let this day pass without saying something about it.

Happy milestone birthday, Monica.   You are still sorely missed by all who loved you, called you their friend and any of us who had the honor and pleasure of meeting you.

2012 African-American Music Appreciation Month Proclamation

AFRICAN-AMERICAN MUSIC APPRECIATION MONTH, 2012
- - - - - - -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION

As a long-cherished piece of American culture, music offers a vibrant soundtrack to the story of our people and our Union. At times when words alone could not bring us together, we have found in melodies and choruses the universal truths of our shared humanity. African-American musicians have left an indelible mark on this tradition, and during African-American Music Appreciation Month, we pay special tribute to their extraordinary contributions.

Generations of African Americans have used music to share joy and pain, triumph and sorrow. Spiritual hymns gave hope to those laboring under the unrelenting cruelty of slavery, while gospel-inspired freedom songs sustained a movement for justice and equality for all. The smooth sounds of jazz and the soulful strain of the blues fed a renaissance in art and prose. The rhythm and blues that began in a basement in Detroit brought people together when laws would have kept them apart, while the urban beats and young wordsmiths from cities coast-to-coast gave voice to a new generation. And on stages and in concert halls around the world, African-American singers and composers have enhanced opera, symphony, and classical music by bringing energy and creativity to traditional genres.

At its core, African-American music mirrors the narrative of its original creators -- born of humble beginnings and raised to refuse the limitations and circumstances of its birth. This month, we honor the African-American musicians, composers, singers, and songwriters who have forever shaped our musical heritage, and celebrate those who carry this rich legacy forward.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2012 as African-American Music Appreciation Month. I call upon public officials, educators, and all the people of the United States to observe this month with appropriate activities and programs that raise awareness and foster appreciation of music that is composed, arranged, or performed by African Americans.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand twelve, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth
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BARACK OBAMA