Seriously Gun Nuts? Claiming Arming My Peeps Would Have Prevented Slavery?

The gun nuts keep making our case for sensible gun regulations in the United States with every passing day..

A doozy of a talking point came out of the mouth of Larry Ward, the chairman of something called Gun Appreciation Day, which is ostensibly being held on January 19, the day before before President Obama's second inauguration happens on January 20.  

Note to these history challenged conservafools.   January 19 is also Confederate General Robert E. Lee's birthday, which is celebrated as a holiday in Florida, Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Georgia and in Texas as Confederate Heroes Day.

Oops   But the crime against history I'm about to pimp slap is this ludicrous comment from Ward.

"I think Martin Luther King, Jr. would agree with me if he were alive today that if African Americans had been given the right to keep and bear arms from day one of the country's founding, perhaps slavery might not have been a chapter in our history,"

WTF?  Let's get real for a moment.  The reason you and other white males have such a fetishistic attachment to guns in the United States is because of what your ancestors did to mine during slavery.  

With your looming status as a minority in the US rapidly approaching in 2040 or 2050, you peeps are deathly afraid that once non-white peeps get power, we will do unto you what you did unto all of us.

And let's get back to that jacked up slavery talking point I'm going to have fun eviscerating.  Guns are what allowed you to kidnap Africans and bring them to the Western Hemisphere in the first place.   With slave rebellions a far more frequent occurrence than the 'happy darkie' meme let on, you damned sure didn't want free Blacks to have arms out of fear they would either use them to help free their captive relatives in the Deep South or send them that way in mass quantities to arm rebellious slaves.

Your fear level of armed slave rebellions went up dramatically after the successful Haitian Revolution from 1791-1804 ejected the French from their profitable Saint-Dominigue colony and established the Republic of Haiti.

The anxiety was especially acute in the Deep South in which they feared a successful repeat in the United States of what transpired in Haiti.

My ancestors damned sure did their best to make it happen with multiple slave rebellions in the wake of the successful Haitian one.  The most well known of the slave rebellions of that period was the one triggered by Nat Turner in 1831. . 

Frankly you didn't want to prevent slavery.  It was far too profitable for you and it took a Union victory in the Civil War and the 13th Amendment to end it.

So don't even try to peddle some stank revisionist history like that to attempt to justify your weak position of unfettered gun access.    

Shut Up Fool Awards-Good Luck Kylan Edition!

Well, to my surprise it didn't take us long to have an American trans woman attempt to compete and win Miss Universe.

26 year old Kylan Arianna Wenzel is the first ever out transwoman to compete in the Miss California USA pageant and any statewide pageant in the Miss USA-Miss Universe system.

She joins 228 other California girls tomorrow in trying to survive the first day and become one of the 20 semifinalists who will compete for the Miss California USA title on Sunday at the Pasadena Convention Center.

Good luck in your pageant title quest Kylan and know that girls like us around the country and the world are rooting for you.

Now since it's Friday, time to highlight another competition that happens on this blog without fail, and that's determining what fool, fool or group of fools will walk away with this week's Shut up Fool award..

Yes our fools runneth over this week, and here's the top three beofre we get to this week's winner.

Honorable mention number one goes to gun nut Alex Jones.  He became the poster child for all of us want sensible gun regulations when he went ballistic (pun intended) on Piers Morgan's CNN show.  He's been pimping a petition to have Piers deported that has garnered over 100,000 signatures.

You know what the White House's official response was...same as yours and mine would be.

Honorable mention number two is Matt Barber, who hypocritically tried to hijack the African-American Civil Rights movement to bash the LGBT rights movement and project what he was doing on the LGBT rights movement.  

It is “so offensive to me” and his many African American friends that “sexual anarchists” have “cynically co-opted and hijacked the language of the very, very noble civil rights movement and applied it to their disordered lifestyle.”said Barber

“The civil rights era, the true civil rights fight is pretty much over,” Barber later argued, rather astoundingly.
“So people want to be part of something bigger than themselves, they want to feel like they’re doing something important, so they cynically manipulate people and use the language of civil rights in order to dupe well-meaning young people into a cause that is contrary to freedom and facilities a lifestyle that is emotionally, spiritually destructive and doesn’t do society any good either.”

Oookay, Matt.   .

Honorable mention number three is Connecticut State Rep DebraLee Hovey (R)  who represents the Newtown, CT and Monroe areas, loudly said 'Stay out of my towns' to former US Rep Gabrielle Giffords who was there to meet with relatives of those slain during the December 14 Sandy Hook massacre.

Hovey in her rush to condemn it as a 'political visit' forgot that Gabby Giffords is a survivor of and is still recovering from a mass shooting of her own in Tucson that passed its two year anniversary earlier this week. 

Hovey apologized, but the politcal damage inside and outside the state of Connecticut may have already been done.  Hopefully I'll be writing about ex-state Rep. Hovey soon since that area did go blue in the last election cycle.

And this week's Shut Up Fool award is a group one that goes to the 67 Republican House reps who hypocritically voted against Hurricane Sandy relief money for the New Jersey, New York and Connecticut areas affected by the storm and still trying to recover from it.  

For all you Sandy 67 members from the Deep South and the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, remember karma is a rhymes with itch because hurricane and tornado season is coming.

And I hope you remember that on November 4, 2014.

Sandy 67, shut up fools! 

  

Meet Kylan, The First Ever Trans Miss California USA Pageant Contestant

Remember when I wrote the post last week stating that we not get our hopes up of seeing a trans contestant in a state level Miss USA system pageant, Miss USA or Miss Universe this year?  

Scratch that.  

The 2013 Miss California USA pageant starts its preliminary competition tomorrow, and one of the 229 women competing in this year's edition of the pageant at the Pasadena Convention center will be a girl like us.

When 26 year old Kylan Arianna Wenzel of Century City, CA noted that transwomen were now eligible to compete in the Miss Universe pageant system thanks to Jenna Talackova breaking that pageant glass ceiling in Canada, Kylan decided to go for her long held dream of being a pageant contestant confidently attempting to win the trifecta of Miss California USA, Miss USA and Miss Universe . 

She left her job as a Jamba Juice shift manager and moved up her surgery date six months to have it in August 2012 in order to compete in this year's event.

“The first time I watched a beauty pageant was when I was 11, in 1997, when Miss USA won Miss Universe. And ever since then, it’s kind of been implanted in my brain,” Wenzel told Frontiers during a January 3 phone interview. “I wasn’t sure how it would happen for me, but it was something I put out there.

“You have to put it out to the universe—what you want to do—and you have to follow up on it,” Wenzel continued. “So, let’s say for transgender individuals, even if you haven’t had your sex change and you’re not sure, you have to act like you are Miss Universe or you are the woman you see yourself being. And you do that in everyday life. So I just worked really hard. I saved for surgery. I started getting procedures early like laser hair removal—things like that. It really is about believing in yourself. But you also need people to believe in you, because you can’t really get that far, sometimes, when you don’t have that kind of support.”

Wenzel's already made some trans history by being the first out transperson to enter a state level pageant anywhere in the United States and the first trans Miss California USA contestant.  

Her attempt to win Miss California USA starts in tomorrow's preliminary round in which the 229 contestants will be whittled down to the 20 semifinalists who will compete in the Pasadena Convention Center on Sunday, January 13 starting at 4 PM PST.  

If she does emerge victorious, we'll get to see her attempt to make more pageant history in June when she will represent California at the Miss USA pageant.

But first things first.   Good luck this weekend, Kylan! 

Shoot At A Black Transwoman, Get Out Of Jail Free

Been keeping up with the ongoing story of Kenneth Furr, the inebriated Washington DC cop who while off duty shot at a group of Black transwomen and their friends.after one refused his unwanted advances in a NW Washington CVS drugstore back in August 2011. 

He was convicted back on October 27 of assault with a deadly weapon and soliciting prostitution. Furr had been suspended without pay from Washington Metro PD pending resolution of this ugly incident in which two of the transwomen were wounded and one of the wounded men was hospitalized. .

Furr was facing up to 10 years in jail and another 90 days for the solicitation charge, but I'll bet you can guess what happened during the sentencing phase yesterday.   .

Furr was sentenced to 60 months in jail with 46 months of it suspended.  That left 14 months of his jail time to be served, and isn't it convenient that is the exact amount of time Furr has already served in the Iron Bar Motel.    Long story short, Furr got to walk out a free man.

The DC Trans Coalition was understandably outraged about the jacked up sentence. 

“This result is the product of a legal system that constantly devalues trans people’s lives,” said DC Trans Coalition member Jason Terry. “Officer Furr’s defense team actively sought to portray the victims as somehow deserving of this violence, and apparently they succeeded. If roles had been reversed and a trans woman had gotten drunk and flashed a gun at a police officer, the results would be drastically different.” It is important to note that Furr was convicted only of flashing a weapon at two gay men involved in the incident, not for shooting at the trans women and others involved.

“Officer Furr exemplifies why this fear exists,” said Terry. “DC’s trans communities face blatant discrimination, harassment, and violence from police officers every day, yet when an officer drunkenly shoots at trans people, accountability seems to disappear.”

Yep, the justice just-us system just sent another unspoken message to the Black trans community in the District and all those who hate us inside I-495.   Shoot at a Black transwoman, and get out of jail free for doing so if you go to jail at all.  

TransGriot Update: Furr got three years of supervised probation, a $150 fine, and 100 hours of community service...whoopee (sarcasm meter on maximum)

2013 TTNS Dates And Location

One of my favorite events I like attending that happens here is the Texas Transgender Non Discrimination Summit   Haven't missed one since I returned home in May 2010 and won't have any excuse this year either.

Been advised of the location and dates for the fifth annual TTNS, and it will be happening on the University of Houston campus July 19-21, 2013 at UH's Roy Cullen Bldg.

Last year's TTNS happened at UH-Clear Lake and included for the first time a Trans Health Summit pre-conference event conducted by TENT, the  Transgender Education Network of Texas.  

If you're wishing to help gain transgender human rights coverage at Texas colleges and universities in their institutional policies, or seeking to learn more about the Texas transgender community, this is the event for you to attend.

If you are a member of the trans community or one of our enthusiastic allies, the welcome mat is rolled out for you and you are cordially invited to attend this annual strategy sharing summit chock full of informative seminars, presentations and inspiring keynote speeches.

And oh yeah, can't forget the chocolate break.  

You'll also make connections with those persons in the Houston area and around the state already doing this work. Learn from their successes and experiences. Gain insight and create a supportive network of interested like-minded individuals,activists and academics. 

You'll learn what works and what doesn't in changing policy on campuses to protect transgender faculty, staff, students, and allies as was recently done at SMU, and what Texas schools currently have those policies.


The TTNS website is being updated and relaunched soon, so when it officially comes online I will post the link to it and other information.  I'll also keep you TransGriot readers updated as to keynote speakers and other TTNS related info as I receive it.

'Django Unchained,' Quentin Tarantino's Broken Clock Moment

 

TransGriot: Note: Guest Post from Renee of Womanist Musings 

Long before Django Unchained was released on Christmas day, there was a lot of buzz about this movie. Spike Lee called Django Unchained an insult to his ancestors and swore that he would not see it. On just about every major Black blog and Facebook page, there has been a discussion about how this movie deals with slavery, whether or not Tarantino is a racist and what this film says about the media in general. 

Leonardo Di Caprio has publicly stated his difficulty with having to repeatedly use the word nigger in the film, Samuel Jackson has refused to answer any questions regarding the usage of the word unless the journalist actually says nigger instead of the "N word" and Kerry Washington has spoken about the difficulty of her role and the staged whipping.   This movie was difficult for the actors, for the viewers and the critics.  In terms of race, I cannot remember the last time we had a movie become so much a part of the social discussion.

I am going to preface this review with the fact that I am not in the least bit a fan of Quentin Tarantino. I think he is far too comfortable using the word nigger in his work and much of the time, it adds nothing to the plot or development of the character.  A White man can never understand how deeply casual usage of this slur hurts Blacks and Tarantino's treatment of the pain itself, has a history of being cavalier at best.

Without doubt, the usage of nigger was ubiquitous throughout Django Unchained but unlike other Tarantino movies, a setting of two years before the civil war absolutely justified its usage. It would have been ahistorical for White plantation owners to use any other word to refer to Blacks, let alone their slaves.  It is wrong to apply 21st century standards and moral sensibilities to this time and would have made slavery itself seem like a benign institution.  The problem is that given Tarantino's comfort with the slur, it makes acceptance of its inclusion in Django Unchained, feels like giving him permission to continue to litter his work with it. 

I find it interesting that there was so much fixation on the word nigger considering the context, but no one had anything to say about grown men being forced to fight to death, a slave being eaten alive by a dog, whippings and brandings.  The very idea that Quentin Tarantino reduced the barbarity of slavery by his usage of slurs, when these violent events were a part of the movie is ridiculous. As a viewer, I had no doubt that Black life was viewed as cheap and that slavery itself was beyond dehumanizing. In fact, the brutality of the violence itself, made the moments of brevity absolutely necessary to give the viewer a form of relief.

Django Unchained is like no other western I have ever seen because of it's theme and of course Black protagonist.  Watching it, I could not help but realise that no Black director could have made this film because it would have been difficult to get the financial backing.  Even George Lucas had to fund Red Tails himself because studios refuse to believe that movies about Black history, or which have a largely Black cast, can possibly be successful outside of the coonery produced by Tyler Perry.

Though Django Unchained is a western and therefore filled with violence, many have refused to consider the genre and instead have labeled this simply a revenge fantasy. Tavis (I will sell out my people for funding) Smiley had the following to say:

The suffering of black people is not reducible to revenge and retribution. The black tradition has taught the nation what it means to love. Put it another way: black people have learned to love America in spite of, not because of, so if the justification for the film in the end is, as Jamie Foxx’s Django says, “What, kill white people and get paid for it? What’s wrong with that?”­ well again, black suffering is not reducible to revenge and retribution.

It's true that the Black experience is not solely reducible to revenge; however, the turn the other cheek doctrine of Dr. King is also not the definition of the Black experience. Yes, Blacks have resisted oppression and we have done so both forcefully and violently.  Does Smiley believe that there was never a slave uprising or that Haitians peacefully asked the French for their freedom?  Does he think that Blacks always slept fearfully waiting for the Klan to ride, or can he understand that some stood on their porches with shotguns determined to meet a threat to their lives with one in kind?  Not all resistance was, or is, non-violent, nor should we necessarily demonize people who respond to the violence that Whiteness has perpetrated on Black people with violence. Anger, rage and a desire for retribution are a part of the Black experience; we have simply been taught not to validate it, or see it as a viable response.  Because one of the fears of Whiteness is a reckoning for the great evil of slavery and Jim Crow, revenge has solidly been discouraged.

Quentin Tarantino tapped into this emotion, which is why it has resonated so strongly. Black rage is a real phenomenon and it is justified, I am just not sure that Quentin Tarantino is the one to tell this story because it is so far outside of his lived experience. Take for instance the character of the house slave Stephen, played by Samuel L. Jackson.  Stephen was clearly painted as evil and was directly responsible for Django, Dr. Shultz and Broomhilda being unable to leave the plantation peacefully.  When Calvin Candie was shot dead by Shultz, it was Stephen who fell to the floor ravaged by grief.  There has long been a problematic binary of house slaves equal sell out/ field slaves pro black.  To be clear, both groups were slaves and there is no such thing as a benign form of slavery.  The relationship between house slaves and their White owners was far more complex than Django Unchained could even hope to portray.

Django Unchained is a movie worth seeing.  Far too many people are willing to form an opinion on the movie based on what they have read or their discomfort with Quentin Tarantino. It adds to the dialogue about race and slavery even if Quentin Tarantino is so high on himself that he now sees himself as the sole arbiter of Black history in film.  Despite his Whiteness and out of control arrogance, he has made a contribution worth watching and thinking about.  Even a broken clock is right twice a day and Django Unchained is most certainly Quentin Tarantino's moment.

'Scandal' New Episode Tonight

All my friends and family are quite aware of how much I love the ABC show Scandal.   I love it to the point they don't even bother trying to call me between 9-10 PM CT on Thursdays because I'm busy watching Kerry Washington, Columbus Short and 'errbody' else on the show.

But like the rest of Scandal watching America, I wanna know 'What the Huck' is going on in terms of who really shot President Grant?  I want to know if Olivia's second go around with Edison is going to last, if Cyrus has discovered that James has figured out that the election was stolen, and the other drama surrounding the White House and Pope and Associates.


It's rumored that Scandal has already been given a third season, but haven't seen any official announcement yet concerning that or the number of episodes ordered. 

But while myself and other Scandal fans are waiting for that, I'll enjoy tonight's episode.

Upcoming Can We Talk For Real Show Appearance

I have the honor and pleasure of doing interviews either in print, radio or on radio podcasts on behalf of this community. 

Hopefully you'll be seeing my smiling face discussing trans issues in television and video interviews in 2013 because I do want to put the GLAAD National POC Media training I received last year to good use. 

Enough jibber-jabber.  My first 2013 interview will be courtesy of the Can We Talk For REAL podcast team of Terry Boi, Michelle and Ina on January 16.  

Can We Talk For REAL is a Blog Talk Radio Show geared toward discussing the important issues of the LGBTQ Community including many issues that are hard to discuss within the community

I along with TPOCC Executive Director Kylar Broadus and Chicago's Kokumo Kinetic will be discussing trans issues with the Can We Talk for Real broadcast team, and whatever issues crop up in our on air discussion during the time we're on the air. 

You can also take part in that discussion or listen to the show if you're not near your computer by calling 347-215-8985.   

Looking forward to talking to everyone next week and having another dynamic discussion on trans issues and how they affect our community.
 

My 'Real' Name Is What I Tell You It Is

When we trans people go through a gender transition, we spend a lot of time and thoughtful contemplation considering what our new name will be that matches our gender presentation. 


So when we hear someone ask us the question "No, what's your 'real' name?", which is a roundabout way for that cisperson to broach the subject of what was the name given to us at birth that no longer fits our lives, it can be irritating, unsettling and insulting to the trans person. 

Read my lips and this next sentence.   My real name is what I tell you it is.

So use it, and get used to having it cross your lips on a regular basis. Calling me or any other transperson by a name that doesn't fit the way we live our lives now is not only disrespectful, if you do so in front of a person who didn't know our gender business, you have just inadvertently outed us by doing that. .If that person is a transphobe, you may have just set the wheels in motion for that person to experience discrimination at their place of employment or set them up for a hate crime.

And using a transperson's name in all situations is to them vitally important and a sign that you respect them.

One of the things that pisses me and many transpeople the hell off is when media people reporting on trans issues or transpeople use that 'born as _____"  line in a story about them, put their chosen name in quotation marks or ask them that question during an interview.  

It's unnecessary, and you don't do it to Cher, Muhammad Ali, Tom Cruise, or any other celebrity or cis person who has changed their name for whatever reason.   So why do you feel you need to know what the transperson in question's old birth name was?   That's in none of your business territory just like what genitalia we are currently sporting between our legs.

So the next time you think about asking a transperson what their 'real name' is, don't.  Our real name is what we tell you it is.  Accept that fact and move on.

Well Duh, MSNBC Black Viewership Increased 60%

In the news that really didn't surprise me department, MSNBC president Phil Griffin proudly touted the fact his network grew its viewership amongst African-American viewers by an astounding 60% in 2012.

Well, duh!  When you see yourself reflected in the news, people like you delivering it, people who share your ethnic background pontificating on it, and stories that reflect your lived cultural experience, you will definitely have people in that particular demographic group tune in to your broadcasts.

One of the major reasons I started watching MSNBC was because I was tired of CNN trying to be Fox Lite and kiss conservative azz all the time.

I was also tired of the infuriating pattern of longtime CNN African-American journalists such as Roland S. Martin, Suzanne Malveaux and countless getting passed over to anchor weekday and prime time shows in favor of white journalists (and non-journalists in Eliot Spitzer's case) that would subsequently fail.

Campbell Brown ring a bell?   

And I am still perturbed with CNN over what happened with Rick Sanchez

MSNBC has three shows that are hosted by Tamron Hall, Rev. Al Sharpton and Melissa Harris-Perry on the weekends.  MSNBC has as commentators Karen Finney, Joy Reid, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, Jonathan Capehart, Eugene Robinson and Michael Steele to provide the conservative point of view. 

You also have guests such as Aisha Moodie-Mills who has been on Melissa Harris-Perry's show a few times and Janet Mock has appeared on Thomas Roberts' show.   On the various MSNBC news programs you'll see African-American academics such as Dr. Dorian Warren and Dr. James Peterson and longtime journalists such as Bob Herbert

And that's before I even start talking about the Latin@ and Asian commentators, academics, pundits and guests that routinely appear on MSNBC programs as well .

MSNBC looks like America, reports stories in depth, is diverse, treats its viewers like the intelligent people we are, ain't 'scurred' to tell the truth and shame the conservadevils, and gives us a wide variety of perspectives of the issues of the day. 

It's also nice to see members of Congress from the Congressional Black, Hispanic, Progressive, LGBT and Asian-American caucuses being interviewed about national political issues as well.

And if MSNBC gets a detail in a story wrong, they are quick to do corrections.

The hatred and dismissive comments the conservative movement aim at MSNBC tells me they're plucking conservanerves while they do so. 

You know what they say conservafools. Truth has a liberal bias.

So yep, no mystery why MSNBC is the number one cable news network amongst African-Americans and its ratings climbed an astonishing 60%.  

And yep, I watched them for convention coverage commentary when I wasn't watching C-SPAN and unlike Fox Noise, their 2012 Election Night calls were accurate.

I noted CNN is belatedly trying to catch up diversity wise in its host lineup by finally giving Soledad O'Brien and Suzanne Malveaux shows, and because they did, their ratings amongst African-Americans climbed 23%.

Megahint CNN to increase those ratings:  Give Roland S. Martin his own show.

Now if they'd just dump the prison show and go news and commentary all weekend, and have a show with a Latin@ host, that would be a happy-happy joy-joy moment for me as a news junkie. 

.

NBJC Will Get 10th Anniversary Year Started At Upcoming Creating Change Conference

2013 marks the tenth anniversary year since the National Black Justice Coalition was founded back in 2003.

This anniversary year of Black LGBT people Owning Our Power gets off to a flying start with presentations at the upcoming 2013 National Conference on LGBT Equality AKA Creating Change in the ATL. 

You'll have to register for Creating Change when it happens from January 23-27 at the Hilton Atlanta, but it will be worth it to see these NBJC presented workshops.    

The two NBJC workshops will happen on January 25 and January 26.

A Morning With NBJC: LGBT Emerging Leaders Briefing
Friday, January 25
9:00am – 10:30am
Hilton Atlanta
255 Courtland Street NE
Atlanta, GA

As an introduction to the work of the National Black Justice Coalition, this presentation is an opportunity for LGBT emerging leaders and stakeholders to meet, network and engage. Attendees will have the opportunity to interact with the NBJC staff and leadership, learn about NBJC’s overall mission and strategy, and become acquainted with our specific programs for Black LGBT youth including the Emerging Leaders Council, the White House Policy Briefing for Black LGBT Emerging Leaders, the NBJC Historically Black College University (HBCU) LGBT-Equality Initiative, and the launch of the NBJC HBCU Affiliates Program for student organizations.

Beyond 2012: Crafting an Agenda for the Black LGBT Community  
Saturday, January 26
10:45am – 12:15pm
Hilton Atlanta
255 Courtland Street NE
Atlanta, GA

This past administration has made historic accomplishments as it pertains to the advancement of equality for LGBT people in this nation. From the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, to the signing of the Affordable Care Act, and the President publicly expressing his support for same-sex marriage, it cannot be denied that there were significant political gains on behalf of the LGBT community. As we enter into a new presidential administration and congressional make-up, what are our political goals? What adjustments need to be made to our strategy and messaging? How do we maintain the political gains of the last administration?

You may also want to consider attending NBJC's fourth annual OUT on the Hill Black LGBT Leadership Summit in Washington DC this September.  I've had the pleasure of being at the last two OUT on the Hill Summits to cover and participate in them.

You'll also have the opportunity to attend events at the CBCF-ALC and there is always an NBJC sponsored panel discussion or event during the CBCF-ALC as well.  


The fourth annual one since it is occurring during this anniversary year for NBJC will be a highly anticipated one that will include the first ever all Black transmen's town hall meeting 

I will be keeping you updated as the OUT on the Hill date gets announced and the seminars and workshop schedule gets fleshed out, but you'll definitely want to be there when it happens. 

There are not many events you get to meet and hang out with Black LGBT leaders from around the country, and this is the one you want to be in the room for.



Happy 10th anniversary NBJC, and may this be a fantastic year of growth for you. 
    

Happy Birthday Niece!

For you regular readers of TransGriot, you've seen me write posts from time to time about the exploits of Dr. Kaila A. Story, also known to moi as Niece.  

I had the pleasure of meeting one of the rising intellectual stars in academia back when I lived in Louisville in 2008. 

She's the Assistant Professor of Women's and Gender Studies at the University of Louisville, with a joint appointment in the Department of Pan-African Studies. She also holds the Audre Lorde Chair in Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.

I've had the honor of doing some trans related panel discussions for her classes when I lived there and when she's not teaching her lucky U of L students, she's the co-hostess of the WFPL-FM radio show Strange Fruit along with Jaison Gardner, AKA Nephew.

But it's all about Niece in this post because today is her birthday!

Happy Birthday Niece!    May it be a day as beautiful as you are.  May it also be one that is chock full of abundant blessings.   And yes, may you celebrate many more of them!   

Saying No To Soccer Racism

Been talking about from time to time in various TransGriot soccer related posts about the now decade old FIFA Say No To Racism campaign that has the ambitious goal of eradicating racism from international football matches. 

Racism still rears its ugly head in matches like it did during the recent UEFA Euro 2012 tournament but you have more superstar players and national teams working harder to condemn and eradicate it than silently condoning the boorish behavior of their fans.

They are doing so not only from a personal distaste with what is happening in international football, but face a situation in which the club in question or national organization can get fined, suspended from FIFA sanctioned international tournaments or have both penalties happen for not expeditiously doing so.  

Something amazing happened at a recent match.   AC Milan player Kevin-Prince Boateng hears some wastes of DNA shouting racist chants at him, punts the ball into the stands and walks off the pitch.  

Boateng is not alone.  He is joined in his walk off the pitch by his teammates and players from the entire opposing team. 

How cool is that?   It starts at the 0:09 second mark in the video.

Girl Scout Cookie Time 2013!

Remember last year's series of posts I wrote urging the trans community and the liberal progressive blogosphere to support an organization that stood up for us and was getting attacked by to conservafools for it?

The wingnuts tried and failed to go after the Girl Scouts annual cookie drive in 2012, and now that we are into the second week of the new year Girl Scout cookie time is upon us once again. 

I don't doubt for a millisecond that the conservafools will try that reprehensible tactic again.

There were 760 million boxes of cookies sold in 2011, 714 million sold in 2010 and I have yet to see what the numbers were for 2012.  The wingers will probably be deploying their conservahatred of the Girls Scout again, so we need to be ready to rebuke that bull feces when it starts.

You'll be seeing these beautiful young ladies hanging around your local area stores, so do those younglingss in the Girl Scout uniforms a favor and buy some cookies from them.  You'll not only be supporting a great organization now into its second century of service to all young women around the world, you'll also be support an organization that stood up for the trans community too.

Here's a link to find those cookies

And I think that's worth spending a few bucks on several boxes of Thin Mints, shortbreads, or whatever your fave Girl Scout cookie flavor is.

The Wedding Reception

I haven't treated you TransGriot readers to my fiction writing talents in a while and I'm going to do so with an assist from the characters of the anime series You're Under Arrest.  

I've written about the show and one character in particular in the person of Sgt. Aoi Futaba, who despite what far too many cis people in anime world mislabel as a crossdresser and misgender her, is undeniably a girl like us.

Aoi in the You're Under Arrest series realistically experiences the issues and emotions we go through as she lives her life and does her job as a Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department officer.

This photo I stumbled across of Miyuki and Ken's wedding gave me an idea for a short story based on Aoi and the You're Under Arrest characters..

Hope you enjoy it.

***

"Congratulations,  Mr. and Mrs. Nakajima!"  
"Thank you, Chief," Ken and Miyuki said in unison as they sat at their bride and groom table in the redecorated Bokuto Station cafeteria where their wedding reception was being held.  
"Took them long enough," said Natsumi.
So when are you and Shoji tying the knot, Christmas Cake?"
"I got your Christmas Cake, tramp"
"That's Mrs. Tramp to you, Natsumi." Miyuki said with a mischievous smirk on her face. 
"Keep it up Miyuki and I'm taking my wedding gift back."
"That would make you look bad, Ms. Maid of Honor."
As everyone chuckled over the good natured ribbing best friends Miyuki and Natsumi were giving each other, Miyuki noticed Aoi sitting at one of the tables in her bridesmaid dress forlornly picking at her food and gazing at the other couples dancing.  Ken noticed the concern etched on his bride's face when he asked, "What's wrong with Aoi?"
"Yeah, she was fine this morning before the ceremony," said Saori.
I think I know what might be bothering her, thought Miyuki.

"I'll find out," said Yoriko as she turned on her heel with the bridal bouquet in hand and walked in the direction of Aoi's table. 
"Kenny, do you have your cell phone?"
"Yeah Miyuki. Why?" he asked as he pulled it out of his tuxedo jacket pocket and handed it over to his wife.
"I'll explain later," she said as she started dialing a number and watched Yoriko amble toward Aoi.. 
Moments later she was at Aoi's table and settling into a chair next to her. "You all right?"
"I'm fine,Yoriko."
"You don't look fine, Aoi. You look unhappy."
"Just thinking about something, that's all."
"About what?"
"About my chances of experiencing a day like this."
"Aww, it'll happen for you."
"More likely it'll happen for you since you caught the bouquet."
"I was just lucky as usual."
"Umm hmm.  And who shoved me and two other girls out of the way so you could catch it?"
"Well, all's fair in love, war and catching bridal bouquets."
"I'll keep that in mind the next time one of your boyfriends is hitting on me."
Yoriko's eyes widened in shock before Aoi allowed a grin to spread across her face. .
"I'm kidding." Aoi said in an earnest tone. "You're my partner, I love you and you know I'd never disrespect you like that."
Yoriko nodded as they watched Miyuki and Kenny continue to accept congratulations from fellow officers and the reception attendees as Aoi sighed again..
"Miyuki made a beautiful bride today didn't she?"
"Yes she did.  She looks so radiant."
"She should.  She's been waiting for this day to happen for years."
After a few more sighs from Aoi and silent pauses to watch the happy couple, Yoriko finally decided she'd had enough and it was time to get busy with her mission of finding out what was bothering her patrol partner.
"So what's really bothering you Aoi?"
'What do you mean?"
"Ever since I sat down at this table, you been looking at the other couples, Miyuki and Kenny and sighing.  They noticed how sad you looked."
"I didn't mean to worry her."
"Well, she is.  She's concerned about you and so am I.   So spill it.  What's wrong?"
Aoi paused a few moments to gather her thoughts before she turned in her seat and faced Yoriko.
"This wedding has caused me to review my romantic life and notice it sucks."
"It sucks? You're the one that has handsome guys falling all over you every time we go out or on patrol," Yoriko said.
"Don't even go there, Miss I-Had-a-Middle Eastern-Prince-Falling-All-Over-Me."
"And I guess you forgot about.Go Kitakoji proposing to you."
"No, I haven't."
"What do you mean?"
"I've been thinking a lot about him this week."
"Really?" said Yoriko with a raised eyebrow.
"Umm hmm.  We were a couple for about a year."
"Wait a minute.  How did you pull that off and not have me or the media find out?"
"It wasn't easy.  And neither was keeping you from finding out."
Yoriko chuckled as Aoi recounted the story. "Three years ago he asked me to meet him in Hong Kong for a movie he was shooting there."
"You went to Hong Kong, too?"
"Sure did."
'So what happened?"
"He sent me round trip first class tickets from Narita.  When I arrived in Hong Kong I was picked up in a white limo and taken to one of the best hotels in town.   When I arrived in my room there were several vases filled with my favorite red and white roses." Aoi said as she savored the memory. 
Yoriko nodded as she continued. "There was also a heart shaped box of chocolate with a note from Go, and when I opened it a debit card was inside."
"What did the note say?"
"It was so sweet.  Go mentioned how much he was looking forward to seeing me when he was finished shooting for the day. It also told me to use the card to go shopping and pick myself up something nice to wear for our date later that evening."
'Wow."
"I go into the bathroom to freshen up before I go shopping, and there's a basket with my favorite bubble bath, perfume and a dozen more red and white roses."
"Sounds like he went all out."
"Yeah, he did.  And when he finally arrived it was a waste of time for me to get dressed that evening because we never left the hotel room."   
"Why?"
"Neither one of us wanted to leave," said Aoi. "Although he really wanted to, he was tired from the shoot and I was tired from the travel day.  So we just ordered room service, talked and caught up on what had transpired in our lives since we last saw each other."
"And?"
"And then he kissed me"
"'I knew it!" said Yoriko. "Get to the juicy part.  What happened next?"
"We ended up going to bed with me wrapped up in his arms.". 
"Aww, that's it?"
"Like I said, we were tired.  He didn't have to shoot the next day, so we spent the day together."
"And?"
"And it was wonderful.  When we got back to my room as soon as the door closed he gave me a kiss that just rocked me to my core."  .
"See Aoi...you always get the good ones."
"Nothing happened further than us stripping down to underwear.  I still hadn't had my surgery yet and I was still very insecure and shy about my body."
'You know Go loves you and doesn't care about you being a transwoman."
"I know, but at that time I hadn't gotten past that in my own mind.  I had a hard time believing he really did love me for being the woman I am despite what was between my legs."
They observed Miyuki and Kenny taking their first dance as a couple before Aoi continued. "The weekend came to an end and I headed back to Japan.   He invited me to come to his house two weeks later to talk, and it was that moment we decided to become a couple."
'Wow."
"He wanted to be honest and open about our relationship, and Sachiko and I wanted to keep it quiet out of concerns for his career.
"Who's Sachiko?"
"Go's publicist.  I also wanted to keep it quiet to avoid a repeat of what happened with the two jealous fans at Bokuto Station"
"That must have been hard on you, Aoi"
"It was, but Go made sure we spent quality time together.  He was there when I needed him to be, even when I had the surgery in Thailand."            
"I don't remember him being there with you.  I was at your bedside."
"Yes, you were Yoriko.   But not for the two days you went to Pattaya and the beach."
"Oops..forgot about that." 
"While I was with him he introduced me to several other trans women in Japan and from around Asia.  Two of us became great friends." 
She and Yoriko watched Miyuki hug Randy Hammond and his grandfather before she continued.
"I'll never forget one of the things Go said to me that weekend in Hong Kong."
"What was it?"
"It was just before we went to sleep.  I could feel his manhood pressing against me, he was planting kisses along my neck and caressing my body.  I felt so powerful and feminine until he reached his hand inside my panties and was about to touch me there."
"I tensed up and asked him to stop.  He complied, but said before he stopped stroking down there,'The genitals between your legs does not determine whether you are a man or woman.  What's between your ears and in your heart does." 
"He's right about that, Aoi."
Yoriko and Aoi were mildly startled to see Miyuki standing there before she sat down to join them at their table. "I've said for years you were more feminine than all of us at Bokuto Station.and joked that you were the daughter my mother wanted." 
They all laughed before Miyuki continued. "I wanted you as one of my bridesmaids and so did Kenny.  You're one of our dearest friends, you're one of the girls and you played a major role along with Yoriko and Natsumi in making this day happen."
"That was sweet of you to say.  You don't know how much I appreciate that."
"Kenny and I appreciate you agreeing to be part of our wedding.  Now can you do me a favor?"
"What is it, Miyuki?" 
"Can you put that beautiful smile back on your face for the rest of the reception?" asked Miyuki. "I won't be happy heading off to Hawaii for my honeymoon knowing that you were upset about whatever is bothering you."
"I think I can manage that for you."
"Good," Miyuki said as she hugged Aoi before getting up from her chair to head back to her table.
 The DJ stopped the music a few moments later and handed the mic to Ken for him to say a few words.
"Umm, Miyuki and I thank all of you for coming to our wedding, to this reception and for all the well wishes and gifts we've received as we start a new chapter in our lives together."
"We were wondering when you were going to wise up and marry her," someone shouted as the crowd chuckled. Ken let the laughter at his expense subside before he continued.
"We would like our bridesmaids and groomsmen to come to the front of the room.  We have gifts to thank them for participating in our special day."
It took a few minutes for them to make their way from their separate corners of the room to where Ken and Miyuki were standing and form the gender specific lines to receive their gifts.  First all the groomsmen received theirs, then the bridesmaids were next.  As Aoi approached and received hers, Miyuki was handed the microphone by Ken and she said "Aoi, wait a moment, we have another gift especially for you."
Aoi looked puzzled at first along with the other bridesmaids when she said that, and a low murmur went through the crowd speculating about what this gift could be.
"Aoi was one of the people along with Natsumi and Yoriko, responsible for getting me and Kenny to see how much we loved each other and belonged together.for the rest of our lives.  Now it's time for us to return the favor."
Miyuki paused for dramatic effect before saying, "You can come in now."
Some of the women in the room began to shriek when Go walked in to the opposite entrance to the room dressed in a black tux carrying a single white and red roses along with a stylishly dressed Sachiko flanked by two bodyguards.  Shock and then glee registered on Aoi's face as she spotted them, and she hugged both Sachiko and Go when they arrived at the spot near the DJ area where they were standing.
As Sachiko fished a small box out of her designer purse Go handed Aoi the two roses, smiled as he took the box from his publicist before dropping down to one knee.
"Aoi Futaba, I have loved you ever since the day I first laid eyes upon you many years ago.  That love for you has only grown over time and will not go away despite the many obstacles that have been placed in both our paths."
The tears were starting to flow down Aoi's face as Go continued. "Aoi Futaba, I cannot waste another minute of my life not having you in it.   Will you marry me?"
"Yes!" Aoi said with excited glee as Go arose, placed the engagement ring on her finger and kissed her as  cameras flashed and people cheered .
When the excitement was over Yoriko nudged Aoi with her elbow to get her attention and then whispered into her ear, "Told you it would happen for you"
  
.

Jemele Hill Gets Racist Letter

The latest episode of the 'Post Racial America My Azz' department involves ESPN columnist Jemele Hill.

I love watching her live up to the long, proud legacy of siatah sportscasters with her commentary on all things sports related on the various shows and platforms on the ESPN network .

In addition to her ESPN.com columns and appearances on ESPN Radio, she appears on the shows First Take and Around The Horn and just completed her first season appearing as a sideline reporter for college football broadcasts on ESPN and ESPN2. 

Was not to happy to find out some pointed hood wearing waste of DNA took his time to go old school with his hatred.   He took the time to write Jemele a racist letter that she shared with her Twitter followers.

She's shown her sense of humor about the whole incident, quipping that homeboy accomplished the feat of racially insulting her without resorting to the n-word.  But it's still no joke she even received that stank letter in the first place, much less homey felt vanillacentric empowered enough to write it in the first place. .

And as I like to say about a lot of my haters, he hates you because he wants to emulate you.

Historic Day For Texas Legislature

The 83rd session of the Texas Legislature gets started today and runs for 140 days until late May.  For the first time since Glen Maxey left office in 2003 there will be a rainbow community legislator on the floor of our state capitol in Austin. .

She's 29 year old Mary Gonzalez (D) from El Paso, who was the first out woman of color to run for the Texas state legislature.   She beat two opponents in the May primary to win her District 75 seat..  She had no Republican opponent in the general election. 

Representative Gonzalez is also a trailblazer in another respect in terms of being the first legislator in the nation to declare publicly that she is a pansexual..

Gonzalez said in an exclusive Dallas Voice interview she identifies as “pansexual,” an orientation many would call bisexual, except pansexuals don’t believe in a gender binary and can be attracted to all gender identities. Gonzalez said she doesn’t believe in a gender binary because “gender identity isn’t the defining part of my attraction.”

Gonzalez originally ran for the legislature to gain access to clean drinking water and better educational opportunities for her district, but her sexuality quickly became something she had to repeatedly address on the campaign trail.  Mainstream media called her the Latina lesbian lawmaker and the coverage led to negative comments about her dating men in the past, accusations she was not a “true lesbian,” Gonzalez said.

But since her sexual orientation was made a campaign issue, she decided to wait until after the election to clarify it.   The bottom line is that she'll be the one representing District 75 and hopefully that will be for a long and distinguished legislative career.

SMU Adds Trans Policy Protections

The list of Lone Star State colleges and universities adding trans protections just grew by one.

Thanks to the hard work of the folks at Resource Center Dallas and other allies in the Dallas area. Southern Methodist University's Board of Trustees voted at their December 2012 meeting to make the necessary additions to the policy to protect the trans students matriculating on their campus. 

The revised policy took effect on January 1.

SMU will not discriminate in any employment practice, education program, or educational activity on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, genetic information, or veteran status. SMU’s commitment to equal opportunity includes nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity and expression.

Over the past several years, RCD officials provided SMU with several examples of fully-inclusive nondiscrimination policies in both higher education and other settings, and met with SMU officials to explain the importance of adding the trans protections for their students.  .

SMU becomes the first four-year college in North Central Texas to have fully inclusive nondiscrimination protections and hope others in that region step up to the plate and join them..

Is Trinidad and Tobago Making Moves To End TBLG Discrimination?

I've been happy to see that several Caribbean Anglophone island nations are discussing or starting to make their first tentative steps toward ending discrimination against their TBLG citizens.

Was happy to read that Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar in the wake of discontent over the country's Sexual Offences Act and the provision of Trinidad and Tobago's Immigration Act that bars gay and lesbian non citizens from entering the country has stated that she does not favor discrimination against Trinidad and Tobago's LGBT citizens.. 

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar in a letter to UK based Kaleidoscope Trust executive director Lance Price answered his July 2012 expressed concerns about those anti-LGBT laws.   Her letter was obtained and printed by the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian and stated. 

'With respect to the concerns raised in your letter regarding aspects of T&T's Sexual Offences Act and the Immigration Act which may target persons who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT), I wish to assure you that due consideration is being given to these issues by my Government.

'I do not support discrimination in any form against any individual, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation.

'I share your view that the stigmatisation of homosexuality in T&T is a matter which must be addressed on the grounds of human rights and dignity to which every individual is entitled under international law.  

'As such I am pleased to inform you that I have mandated my Minister of Gender, Youth and Child Development, Senator the Honourable Marlene Coudray to prepare and present a national gender policy to Cabinet over the coming months.

'It is expected that once adopted, this policy will forge the way forward for T&T as my Government seeks to put an end to all discrimination based on gender or sexual orientation.'

It will be interesting to see if PM Persad-Bissesar's words do indeed match the deeds of Trinidad and Tobago's government.   The world will be watching to see if they formulate a national gender policy that not only satisfies LGBT Trinis and reduces the discrimination and stigmatization aimed at them, but is the envy of the Caribbean and the world.

First Sunday Of The Year

Today is the first Sunday of the 52 we get every year whether or not it's a leap year.  

Some of you will choose to spend it in your chosen house of worship. Some of you will choose to spend it visiting or hanging out with family or friends. 

Some of you will choose to spend it doing whatever it is that makes you happy. whether it's watching a sporting event, participating in one or curling up with a good book  Some of you will just spend the day relaxing in whatever form that takes..

And some of you will choose to spend it contemplating how this year that it now six days old will turn out.

None of us including the TransGriot will know how this year will transpire until we turn the calendar page to December 31, 2013.   But what we can do is handle the thing we can control to make it a great year.

All we can control is the person in the mirror.  We can work on building up that person's strengths, eliminating their weaknesses, and making them the best human being they can be.  

If we are girls or boys like us, we have the added concerns of dealing with and eradicating the effects of the unholy trinity of shame, fear and guilt that plague us.   And that's a 24/7/365 job

But it's a job we are more than capable of handling on this first Sunday of the year, the other six days of the week, and beyond.