I Believe There's An LGBT Community, But...

One of the ongoing arguments I hear and I reject whether it comes from the LGB end of the spectrum or the trans end of it is that 'there is no LGBT community'. Granted I've railed more than a few times on this blog about some of the contentious history that has occurred between elements of it, but the evidence is overwhelming that an LGBT community exists.

While I believe there is an LGBT community, at the same time I as a person of color have seen, heard and experienced enough negativity to give me pause.enough to seek to emulate what my people have done in interacting with a predominately vanillacentric privileged parent society.

The BTLG community as a microcosm of the society at large has the same drama, race, class and inequality issues that permeate the parent society and just because we fly rainbow or pink, white and blue striped flags it didn't change that dynamic one bit.

Black trans and same gender loving (SGL) peeps still get called the n-word just as quickly by people inside this community as they do by knuckle-dragging idiots outside of it.  So to combat that, for our own sanity and well-being we POC members of this contentious group we interact with have to do our parts to ensure we have vibrant trans and same gender loving communities of our own across the nation..

It's why during this Black History Month I'm making sure that trans history makers get highlighted on my  blog and my Facebook page.  It's why the National Black Justice Coalition got founded ten years ago and the Trans Persons of Color Coalition got founded in 2010.  I don't doubt because of that same dynamic you will soon (if it hasn't happened already) trans and SGL organizations that cater to the issues unique to the Latin@ community. 

We aren't doing it just to separate from predominately white TBLG groups as we've been accused of doing, but to strengthen our own voices.   We're owning our power and pointing out to the members of the ethnic groups we belong to that yes, we exist and being a person of color and trans, gay, bi or lesbian is not an oxymoron.   We're addressing in our ranks the shame, guilt and fear issues by building pride in being same gender loving and trans people of color.  That's needed so that we can be better, more powerful allies in our common human rights struggle.
We're also calling attention to the fact that we're feeling marginalized, invisible and ignored in the greater GLBT community and that policy issues need addressing besides 'all marriage all the time'.
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This LGBT community is a diverse group we are a part of, and we all agree that our human rights as BTLG citizens of our nation must be respected and protected under the laws of our land and the 'We the People' in the United States Constitution also applies to trans and same gender loving citizens of this nation 

I believe there is an LGBT community.  But because we are a diverse bunch, much work has to be constantly done to ensure we are all on the same human rights page and keep moving forward to accomplish our human rights goals.

Oh Hell No! Man Utters N-word And Slaps Crying Child On Delta Flight

This is definitely a Maya Wilkes moment  and a well earned nomination for Shut Up Fool of the week.

Heard about Joe Rickey Hundley, who while traveling on a February 8 Minneapolis-Atlanta Delta flight let his inner bigot out while in seat 28A next to 33 year old Jessica Bennett and her 2 year old toddler Jonah.

Jonah began crying while on final descent.into Hartsfield-Jackson Airport on Flight 721 probably due to the altitude change that can cause some brief ear discomfort.  

Bennett believed that Hundley was inebriated and claimed he drank several double vodkas during the two hour flight  

The 60 year old Hundley is not only alleged to have said to Bennett "Shut that n----r baby up," he took it a step further by following the racist comment up with a slap to Jonah's face that only intensified the crying.

He denies it, but other passengers have verified it was said.. Once that happened other nearby passengers intervened and Hundley was arrested upon arrival at the gate.

He was charged with simple assault (really?) and faces up to a year in prison if convicted of the misdemeanor count.  He was also charged with public intoxication and has been suspended from his job as president of Idaho-based Unitech Composites and Structures.


TransGriot Update: Now that his story has gone viral and international,reports are that Hundley has now been terminated from his job.

Congrats On Your Fab Fashion Show, Isis!

What many people don't realize about my multi-talented sis Isis is that she is a fashion designer who creates many of the dresses she wears when she's on the red carpet of some of our community events.

Last week was Fashion Week in New York, and Monday night at the Wix Lounge saw the debut of Isis' Fall 2013 clothing line. 

The people in attendance at 'The Goldest Winter Ever' included Laverne Cox and Janet Mock.  The models walking the runway included some of her castmates from America's Next Top Model wearing her clothing designs that were a hit with the crowd and reporters covering it.

Isis was appreciative of the love and support she received from peers, friends, family members and fans. "I am still in shock and overwhelmed," she said in an interview. "Great turnout, great press, everything looked amazing on the girls. My stylist Hayden pulled amazing pumps for the girls to wear. Their faces were gold like I wanted. The world gets to see my imagination come to life."

Yep, but I said as much back in 2008, so it really shouldn't have been a big surprise

Sis, you have the look, the intelligence and the talent to go all the way. I have no doubts that you will succeed at whatever you choose to do. You also have something else going for you that many people don't have who are trying to enter the fashion industry- a worldwide community of people who love you and wish you nothing but success.

And those people who love you and wish you nothing but success include a certain Texas based blogger.   Congrats on a fabulous show and hope you have many more like it to come at future Fashion Weeks..

This Week In The 2013 Texas Lege-Week Ending February 15

Since our conservafool dominated Texas Legislature is in session until May, we definitely need to be keeping a nervous eye on what's happening in Austin until it mercifully ends.

Valentine's Day may have been Thursday, but the conservative movement still has no love for LGBT people or people of color inside or outside the borders of the lone Star State.. 

Thanks to Equality Texas' Daniel Williams, we have the right man for the job.   Here's his legislative report for this week in the Texas Lege ending February 15.

Moni's Going To The LGBT Media Journalist Convening

Didn't find out about this event until it was way too late to attend last year.  Irritates me even more that it was in my Houston backyard. 

This year I was one of the people invited to attend the 2013 edition of the LGBT Media Journalists Convening being held February 22-24.  It'll be the first time I've been back in the Philadelphia area since my 2009 Bryn Mawr speech..

It's an event in its fourth year that is made possible through a grant from the Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, and administered by the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association.

This year's theme for the Philadelphia convening will be “Coalition Building”  Social justice leaders will be on hand to pass on the latest developments to the TBLG reporters and bloggers in attendance and educate us about emerging and pressing issues.   Some of the topic we will tackle are new developments in immigration, international issues, trans issues, race relations, the labor movement and LGBT seniors.  .

The goal of the forum is to strengthen the capacity of LGBT members of the media and blogosphere to more deeply understand and more effectively communicate regarding critical issues facing the LGBT community, as well as assist in increasing the presence and diversity of LGBT bloggers in the national blogging community.


This is also the second year the NGLJA has been part of this forum

There were 40 participants at last year’s convening in my hometown, and there are 70 invitees expected to come to the City of Brotherly Love for the 2013 Convening.

For my TransGriot readers in the Philly area,there will be a meet and greet event at the Tavern on Camac, 243 S. Camac Street. I and many of your fave bloggers and rainbow flag community journalists will be there.to hang out with.

I'm looking forward to the convening on several levels.  I'll get the latest news I can pass on to you TransGriot readers while seeing some old friends in the blogging and LGBT media world and meeting some new ones.   And oh yeah, if I have time, I'm definitely going to make sure I get a cheesesteak while I'm there.

See y'all in Philly next week. 

Shut Up Fool Awards-2013 NBA All Star Weekend Edition

It's NBA All Star Weekend here in H-town! 

The events got kicked off with the opening in the George R. Brown Convention Center of the NBA All-Star Jam Session, which is the interactive basketball celebration that covers most of the cavernous GRB.

The NBA Rising Stars Challenge happens tonight with teams coached by Shaq and Charles Barkley.   The All-Star Saturday Night happens with the dunk contest, three point shooting and skills contest all capped off by the 62nd NBA All-Star Game being played at the Toyota Center on Sunday.

I'll probably be watching some of the All-Star weekend activities on TV, and many of the players have already arrived in town or are on their way. 

But y'all didn't surf by the blog to see jibber-jabber about All-Star weekend, y'all want me to get to the usual Friday 'bidness' of calling out our Shut Fool Award winning all-star team of fools.  

This was a week chock full of fools, so let's get right to it.

Honorable mention number one goes to Rep Steve Stockman (Teabagger-TX) for inviting NRA board member Ted Nugent  to the SOTU speech.

Honorable mention number two goes to Sen Marco Rubio (Teabagger-FL) for his jacked up SOTU response speech that we'll never forget because he took a water break in the middle of it.

Honorable mention number three goes to Wayne LaPierre, who every time he opens his mouth makes his organization more irrelevant in American politics and put them on a par with the Klan.

His latest attempt to solidify his early lead for 2013 Shut Up Fool of the Year was this racist fact-free rant.


It was close, but this week's Shut Up Fool winner is rapper Lil Wayne.

This fool in his song 'Karate Chop' managed the jacked up double play of writing a misogynistic lyric that also disrespected the family of Emmett Till at the same time by saying he would beat up a woman’s private parts like Emmett Till.

Epic Records not only issued an apology to the Till family, but is pulling the song.   


But need to signal boost this post calling this deserving SDF winner out and the people who support him..  Y'all and Li Wayne need some immediate remedial Black history lessons so you can understand why people are calling your azz out about that double dip of disrespect.




Umm dude?  Did you not realize that Emmett Till was brutally beaten until his face was disfigured and killed in 1955 for whistling at a white woman? ..  

Lil Wayne, You not only get a Shut the HELL up Fool  for this one, you also need to be sentenced to spending some quality time with the D.R.O.P. Squad.  I'm breaking out the Negro Iz U Sirius?!!! badge for this one.

Callie Thorne's GLSEN PSA

I'm a big fan of the USA network show Necessary Roughness that follows the exploits of psychologist Dr Dani Santino.  She works with the fictional New York Hawks football team to help the players sort out their personal problems while trying to sort out the complications in her own post divorce life with teenage kids,

In a two part story arc season finale, one of the Hawks players will come out of the closet and we get to see that unfold and how it impacts the team, especially when the player coming out is the team's quarterback.

Callie Thorne, who plays Dr. Dani, taped this PSA for GLSEN that aired during the broadcast of the show.

Asteroid Passing Way Too Close To Earth Today

At 2:24 EST today an event will take place unprecedented in recorded human history.  

Asteroid 2012 DA 14 will uncomfortably zip by our planet and miss it by a mere 17,200 miles (27,700 km) above the eastern Indian Ocean near Sumatra..

That is way closer than our communications and weather satellites parked in geosynchronous orbits 22,000 miles above our planet.  

The asteroid is 45 meters across (150 feet) but if the calculations of astronomers are off and it struck it would be a real bad day for the peeps on that side of our planet.

Scientists calculate if 2012 DA 14 made impact it would have the explosive power of a few megatons of TNT and cause localized damage similar to the 1908 Tunguska Event.  

That was an airburst explosion which flattened about 750 square miles (1,200 square kilometers) of a thankfully remote Siberian forested region in what is now northern Russia.

NASA and other international space agencies are tracking the space rock in order to calculate its precise orbit and add it to the 9500 asteroids it is tracking with diameters of half a mile (one km).

And speaking of calculations, hope the astronomers were right .

TransGriot Update:  If you have a good pair of binoculars and live in Asia, Australia and eastern Europe, you'll be able to see 2012 DA 14.

You Say 'Elitist' Like It's A Bad Thing

I cringe when I hear the word 'elitism' being bandied about. It's been beaten to death in the white transgender community. I'm tired of seeing somebody branded as 'elitist' just because they busted their ass to go to school and get that paper. Should we be chomping Hater Tots and playa hatin' our transsistahs because they are college educated, have high self-esteem, are spiritually grounded, have a good job, wear fly clothes, own a house or have a nice car? Hell, naw.    TransGriot  'Transgender Talented Tenth'   July 29, 2007 

And almost six years after I wrote those words, I still feel the same way except I don't cringe when I hear the word 'elitist' anymore. I just roll my eyes at you and keep stepping..

I get tired of hearing it coming out of the mouths of conservafools and people upset because they think they should have the access level and credibility of Activist A that they are 'elitist'   

Activist A may have been fearlessly out and proud as trans when it wasn't cool to be out and proud, in the activist trenches busting their behinds for years on the community's behalf and now is just getting recognized for it.   Because you were either part of the nattering trans nabob crew 'scurred' to come out, or you're a newly transitioned person who isn't cognizant of what this person has done you wanna spit 'elitist' at them .

Well, stop hating them and start emulating them by rolling up your sleeves, working on becoming the best person you can be and proving yourself worthy of recognition by doing the trans community human rights work that needs to be done.

Granted, I understand where the concerns are coming from.  Many of you don't like the Gay, Inc.  organizations and think they can and should be doing better.   Many of you are disappointed or outright disgusted with their leaders and think grassroots activism and protests are the only way to go. 


But grassroots activism is only one of the tools in the civil rights toolbox.  Voting in every election is part of it.  Lobbying is part of it.  And yes, the large organizations have their role to play in advancing our human rights agenda because they fund the conferences, meetings and conclaves that help train the grassroots activists, facilitate needed conversations amongst like minded people and allies and amplify their voices for traditional media to hear.  

Yes, I'm concerned about having a diverse number of people and views represented when we formulate policy.  That bedrock principle of mine won't change.  Better policy comes out of a situation in which you have a wide variety of opinions expressed and listened to. 

But there are times in our human rights work we will be part of invitation-only closed door events and retreats that plan the next phase of our human rights strategy that are 'the revolution will not be televised' moments.  .If you perceive those as 'elitist', sorry you feel that way but it won't keep me from going..

Bottom line is I represent an African-American trans community that has had to fight, scrap, bitch, cajole, and sometimes bumrush its way over the last six decades into getting what little attention we do get.  The trans narrative in this movement at times seems more intent on erasing and freezing POC transpeople out of the leadership ranks moreso than welcoming them to the table and seeking out their input.

We deserve our place at the table to have our voices heard and our issues addressed.  When I'm tasked with that leadership mission, my major concern is that my community is represented at that event you have whatever problem with because I'm quite aware of the fact that at times, I might be the only African descended trans person in this room helping to shape opinion and policy..

And if that makes me an 'elitist' in your eyes, I welcome that title and pass the grey poupon.  . 

Valentine's Day 2013-Still Searching For That Love Connection

' It's a day for romance that for many of us won't result in someone leaving us heart shaped boxes of chocolate, presents, gifts of jewelry, stuffed animals, getting flowers delivered to our addresses, a sentimental call from a person we describe as our sweethearts or a marriage proposal from the person we love.'

TransGriot  'Love Can Be Hard For A Transwoman To Find ' 
February 14, 2012

366 days have passed (last year was a leap year) since I wrote that post and one of the things that was depressingly consistent in the run up to Valentine's Day 2013 is as I perused my FB messages from other #girlslikeus is the realization that many of us once again would not be in a coupled relationship before or after this day is over.

But hey, our cis sisters are having the same problems finding someone to spend their lives with, too.

For those of you blessed enough to have someone fawning all over you, congratulations... I ain't mad at you, especially on this day for the lovers on the calendar.

As for when it's going to happen for me?  Who knows?   .

Enjoy some of the other Valentine's Day themed posts I've previously written.

POTUS 2013 State Of The Union Speech

The first State of the Union speech for President Obama's second term.  Enjoy!




The SOTU Transcript.

More Black Trans History Links

It's almost halfway through Black History month 2013 an I realized I haven't done any Black trans history posts yet.

My bad, TransGriot readers.

Buried in the over 6400 posts I've written since January 1, 2006 are many that deal with Black trans history makers. 

In addition to the now three Black trans history quizzes,  I do have posts about various events personalities and compilation posts of the TransGriot Ten Questions Interviews I've done so far.

And yes, people.  I heard your voices speak in terms of you wanting more of those Ten Questions Interviews and will strive to do a better job of bringing those to you in 2013.


Black Trans History-Lucy Hicks Anderson

Black Trans History-Althea Garrison 

Black Trans History-Ajita Wilson

TransGriot Ten Questions Interview-Isis King

TransGriot Ten Questions Interview-Tracie Jada O'Brien

TransGriot Ten Questions Interview- Diamond Stylz

The Interesting Story of Gerald Trenton

The Story of Carlett Brown

Who Was The First African-American Transperson?

The Story of Georgia Black

Black Trans History-Jim McHarris

Jowelle De Souza-Trini Trans Pioneer

Diamond Stylz-Surrogacy

As I've pointed out in a few posts I do have trans women friends who are mothers raising children.  Some are their own biological ones they had before transition, while others are in marriages or relationships raising their spouse's or significant other's kids as their own. 

Been a while since I posted one of Diamond's video blogs, and this one deserves a little signal boosting because it talks about her desire to be a mother and raise kids.

And no sis.  I still haven't forgotten I owe you an interview. 

February 13, 1953

Today was the day 60 years ago that Christine Jorgenson stepped off a Scandinavian Airways flight from Copenhagen to Idlewild (now JFK) Airport in New York and into history as the first post World War II transperson. 

The news of her genital surgeries had already exploded into the international headlines in December 1952 It primed the pump for the media feeding frenzy that greeted the stylishly dressed 27 year old when she arrived on this side of The Pond.  


Some people argue that Christine Jorgensen's arrival in New York and her stylishly stepping off that SAS airplane are the opening moments of the sexual revolution in the United States.

What it did signify was that for transpeople, we now had a name for what was ailing us, a way to deal with it, and a person we could look up to as one of us who had successfully gone through the medical process.

So yes, we all walk in Christine Jorgensen's pumps. It was she who endured the stifling media scrutiny of being a transperson under the white hot glare of media publicity from the moment she stepped off the plane from Denmark on February 13, 1953 until she passed away in May 1989.

And because she did so, we exist today.   The ongoing education on trans issues began in the US at that moment and is still unfolding today. 

Take a moment today to say words of thanks for Christine Jorgensen.  Let's also strive in this 60th anniversary year of her arrival back on US soil to honor her memory by doing what we can to pave the way for the trans younglings who are depending on us, their trans elders, to make it easier for them to live their trans lives to their fullest potential.
 

Arrest In Hampton Murder Case

Needed to give your TransGriot readers an update in the Kendall Hampton case, the 26 year old transwoman who was shot and killed in the Cincinnati metro area suburb of Walnut Hills, OH last August. and subsequently misgendered and disrespected by the local media.

There is news on the justice front for Ms. Hampton.  19 year old Eugene Carlos Dukes was arrested in September and has been indicted on murder charges by a Hamilton County, Ohio Grand Jury.

As I get the details concerning trail dates, the status of the case and the eventual verdict I will pass them along to you

25th Anniversary of 'School Daze'

25 years ago on this date in 1988 Spike Lee's widely anticipated second feature movie release after his sleeper hit She's Gotta Have It hit the multiplexes.

It's one of my favorite movies, and School Daze starred a few people who have since gone on after filming this movie to be breakout movie and television stars such as Laurence Fishbourne, Giancarlo Esposito, Tisha Campbell-Martin, Jasmine Guy, Bill Nunn and Samuel L Jackson.

It featured a homecoming dance scene in which Phyllis Hyman sang, and a rousing halftime speech by the Mission College football coach played by Ossie Davis.

School Daze was set on a fictional HBCU college campus and tackled many of the issues of Black middle class life.   It took on colorism in our community.  It tackled hazing in the pledging process and the tensions on campus between Greek and non-Greek folks that in this movie exploded into an unscripted fight.in the step show scene.

The movie also explored the conflict between Black people getting their college educations and the townspeople who didn't have that opportunity for various reasons and are resentful of it.

That was illustrated in the scene with Fishbourne's and Jackson's characters outside the KFC.

It touched on the politics of hair between the folks who like to wear it natural vs. the peeps who perm and straighten it.  And yeah, had some interesting musical numbers in it for good measure.

Hard to believe that 25 years has blown by since it was first released.   Definitely going to have to pull out my School Daze DVD and watch it again.
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When Farrakhan And Christine Jorgensen's Paths Crossed

History and historical figures sometimes have those moments where they cross paths as they play their roles on the historical stage..   Sometimes it's because they actually meet, as Malcolm X and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr did in March 1964.   Other times those historical figures may never personally meet, but their paths cross because of other factors.

When Christine Jorgensen returned to the United States sixty years ago this month, she was a major news story and people were fascinated about her and the topic of transsexuality. 

A Bronx born and Boston raised classical violinist and calypso singer with Caribbean family roots by the name of Louis Wolcott was recording hit music under the moniker 'The Charmer' back in those days.   One of his records was so popular it was on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for five years.

'The Charmer' was still two years away from his 1955 conversion as a member of the Nation of Islam, becoming Louis Farrakhan and giving up his music career when he released this calypso record about Christine Jorgensen entitled 'Is She Is Or Is She Ain't'

It ain't exactly complementary of our pioneering American trans woman, but this is just an example of the 'Christine mania' that was going on at the time and some of the shots she took in order to pave the way for future generations of trans people.   

LA Area Transwomen Pissed About Transphobic LA Times Article

Just as New York area transwomen were extremely ticked off about the transphobic reporting of the New York that came to a head in the story that was done on Lorena Escalera, our West Coast sisters are highly pissed off about the transphobic reporting in the West Coast's paper of record that has now come to anger raising levels with Sam Quinones' recent LA Times article about Hollywood's sex workers that focused on the murdered Cassidy Vickers.

The Quinones article disrespectfully referred to Vickers and the other trans sex workers as “male hookers dressed as women” and “men with women's breasts and clothes”.

It repeatedly referred to Cassidy in violation of the AP Stylebook guidelines for reporting on trans people by her old name and male pronouns.  It also disrespected the murdered Cassidy by asserting she was 'a gay male who dresses for attention and money.'   And as you wise readers probably guessed,  the trans person in question that was disrespected in death by the article was survey says, African-American. 

Note to the Los Angeles Times and their writers, check the AP Stylebook if you have questions about how to write about a transperson.

transgender-Use the pronoun preferred by the individuals who have acquired the physical characteristics of the opposite sex or present themselves in a way that does not correspond with their sex at birth.   
If that preference is not expressed, use the pronoun consistent with the way the individuals live publicly. 

The pissivity of the West Coast girls like us over the article has triggered a petition drive that seeks to gather a modest 1000 signatures.  

In addition to the petition drive that seeks a retraction of the Quinones story, LA trans activists are also seeking a face to face meeting with LA Times officials to air grievances over past LA Times misgendering articles and ensure they don't ever see such a blatantly transphobic article written again. 

Hope GLAAD will also be there in support of the Los Angeles area trans community if and when they have this meeting. .

Trans Womanhood Does Not Equal Drag

TransGriot Note: My guest post that is up at the NBJC blog commenting on Monica Beverly Hillz's recent trans coming out announcement 

With Monica Beverly Hillz coming out as trans on RuPaul's Drag Race on February 4, it was seen as a good news, bad news moment by much of the trans community. 

While we celebrate our trans sister taking such a huge step in her life, the irony of the moment wasn't lost on many of us in the trans community.

She was coming out as trans on a show in which its creator has a contentious relationship with the trans community, and has repeatedly uttered problematic transphobic comments..

The trans community also has a love-hate relationship with the drag community as well for the rampant transphobia and misogny in elements of that world.

That's why many of us in the trans community (myself included) refuse to watch or support Drag Race. But  I also realize there are enough people who do regularly tune in to the show to where it has now survived on LOGO for five seasons.  

So taking it into account Drag Race has a large viewership who could use a little Trans 101 education,  it's time for the trans community and our allies to take this opportunity Monica's coming out presents us to put a major dent into the long held myth that drag queens and trans women are exactly the same and far too often conflate the two..

So lets start with the major difference between an trans woman and a drag queen. 

A trans woman is someone born in a masculine body at birth with a feminine gender identity and expression that lives full time in the feminine gender role.  They may seek gender realignment surgery, counseling, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and other medical procedures to facilitate the process.

That is light years difference from a drag artist who generally loves everything about being in the masculine gender role, blanches at the thought of genital realignment surgery and have no desire to present as female except on stage.  

There are and have long been trans women like Monica who perform in the drag world for various reasons.  Some do so because they simply enjoy the experience of being on stage and the confidence boost it provides.   Some do so because it's a job that helps them earn the money to pay for their hormones, other medical procedures to perfect their feminine presentation and eventually get to the point where they can have genital surgery. 


Trans women who are on that drag stage when the performance is over wipe the excess stage makeup off their faces, hang up the beaded gowns and gaudy costumes and head outside the club in their regular clothes and stripped down makeup to live their everyday feminine lives in a world that is indifferent and in many cases hostile to them.  And far too often some of that hostility directed at trans women comes from people in the same gender loving (SGL) and cis communities.  It also manifests itself in terms of discrimination and off the charts levels of violence and death aimed at us.

It has long been an irritant to African-American trans women that cis people will easily let the 'she' pronoun slide off their lips for a RuPaul, Madea or any assorted drag queen but can't bring themselves to do the same for a transwoman in their midst who is living her everyday life in the female gender role. 

Trans woman does not equal drag queen.  It's past time for people to get that fundamental point and give trans women the love, respect and codified human rights as members of the community they deserve.

Pope Benedict XVI Resigning

In a announcement that was a shock to the 1.2 billion people who are Roman Catholics around the world and will set off celebrations for those of us who aren't, Papa Nazi Pope Benedict XVI announced that he would resign the papacy on February 28.   He cited his advancing age (85) as a reason to become the first pontiff in 600 years to step down while in office.

Never been a fan of this pontiff because of his open hostility to trans people and the increasing Paul McHugh introduced trans hate injected into Catholic doctrine during his term that has filtered down to the rest of the cardinals and the flock.

That Vatican trans hate has led to a major spike in anti-trans bigotry and anti-trans violence in many predominately Roman Catholic nations in Latin America and eastern Europe .

So I will be deliriously happy along with many of us in the trans community and our LGB allies to see him go.

The question will become as we get closer to his February 28 resignation date is who takes his place as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church?

We'll also be asking ourselves in the international trans and SGL communities will the next pope be better or worse than the person who preceded him? .