Good Luck Fallon!

Fallon Fox puts her undefeated 2-0 record on the line when she steps into the Octagon later tonight for a nationally televised bout from Miami with 2-1 Allanna Jones on AXS-TV.

To her and Jones, it's just another ordinary bout in the 145 pound category.  The winner will advance to the final of the Championship Fighting Alliance 11 tournament and have a shot at earning a $20,000 grand prize.  But to the trans community, it's our first opportunity to support a girl like us in MMA world since she came out in March and by default became an ambassador for trans athletes.

So nope, it's not just an ordinary bout no matter how much both competitors wish to downplay it.   People are taking sides and have been ever since she came out.   There are folks in the trans community who want the Queen of Swords to win just as badly as the transphobic haters are rooting for Jones to do the same.

Personally, I have a major problem with the transphobic ignorance and vitriolic hatred that has been aimed at her.  But none of us are going to be in the cage slugging it out later tonight.  Fox and Jones are. 

Good luck tonight, Fallon!
  

TransGriot Nuke A Troll 32-Defending Damian

After spending a busy period on the cyberseas nuking trolls, had to give the hardworking crew of the USS Monica a long liberty call. 

But since ignorance in my comment sections never sleeps, finally had to send them out on a another cybercriuse to drop another 50 megatons of knowledge on the latest ignorant fool that let their mouth overload their behinds on my blog..  

Today's fool whose ignorance got caught in my spam filter is someone who calls himself Dirty D, who had something transphobic to say about the initial post I wrote concerning the Damian Garcia situation

If this freak does not like the rules, he/she IT can go to a freakshow tranny school somewhere else. I am so sick of all you LGBT trying to change the rules with every organization to match your own sick ways. Go start your own schools and welcome all the freaks you want instead of trying to change regular society schools

5....4...3...2...1....launch

And I'm fed up with transphobic bigots like you contaminating our society with your sick ignorance and hatred. 

Damian for starters had been attending St Pius X HS for four years and transitioned at the end of his freshman year.   He was supported by his family, teachers, his Class of 2013 classmates and faculty.

All he asked for was to be able to graduate wearing a black robe just like the other male students were wearing at his school.  Idiots like you and Archbishop Michael Sheehan got all huffy about it.     

We are part of the diverse mosaic of human life in this country and around the world and we aren't going anywhere.  If you don't like the fact we're standing up for our human rights against the oppression and discrimination aimed at us by people like you, too damned bad.   You can go move to a country more in line with your transphobic attitudes.

And conservafool, since when is being treated with dignity and respect 'changing society?'. You need to seriously turn off the FOX Noise before you lose what little brain cells you have left, if you had any at all.

Your cisprivilege filled conservarant is a perfect example of why the Student Non Discrimination Act needs to pass and there needs to be NO exemptions for private or parochial schools in this legislation since the Roman Catholic Church and other private schools are hell bent on discrimination against TBLG students.

As long as transpeople's tax money or tuition checks pay for the upkeep on those public and private schools they are OUR schools, too.   And since our tax and tuition dollars pay for those schools to function, they don't get the 'special right' to discriminate against transpeople.

Duck and cover fool, and don't look at the flash when the troll nuke goes off.  

WTF Advocate?

I shouldn't be surprised after 15 years in the TBLG community to see the Advocate failing when it comes to talking about trans issues.

But this disastrous May 22 op-ed from cisgender woman Suzan Revah swimming in vanillacentric privilege and appropriation was an eye-rolling experience that I fortunately read on an empty stomach. 

It was also highly insulting to read that jacked up op-ed when three girls like us who share my ethnic background were killed last month and we are two weeks from the first of the five accused killers of Evon Young being tried in Milwaukee.

When the backlash swiftly came from trans folks calling out the BS in the comment threads, the White Women's Tears came out from Revah and the 'poor defenseless white woman' had people (predominately gay men in that Advocate comment thread) rushing to defend her.  

And naw Suzan, trans people correctly pointing out where you massively failed in this piece.doesn't make us 'haters', and it's mighty white of you to part your lips to say so. 

To borrow a snippet of Gemma Seymour-Amper's comment that encapsulates much of what trans peeps who responded to the jacked up post had to say: 

FYI, the entire trans community stopped reading when you called yourself a "normal Real Girl", because when that's the mindset you hold, everything you say about trans issues after revealing that fact is immediately and automatically invalidated by your immediate dismissal of the authenticity of trans women as women, and as female, for those who think that making that distinction is going to save them from the inevitable march of public opinion.

We only get that far, because I've chosen not, at this particular moment, to point out the absolute overweening arrogance of The Advocate (once again) in choosing a white, cis, and from what I can tell from this pathetic and demeaning article probably heterosexual, person to speak for the trans community, as if we are incapable of speaking for ourselves. Kyriarchy, much? Oh, well...I guess I *did* just point it out, didn't I?

Note to the LG community, let me make this point crystal clear on behalf of my trans brothers and sisters. 

You do not EVER get to determine for me and my transpeeps what is and isn't offensive to the trans community.  We do.   We are also the final authorities as to what is and isn't trans because they are issues that we are intimately familiar with and have major impacts on our lives.   We don't like our existence trivialized, and those of us in the non-white trans community have a major problem with it especially since it's our trans women who are taking the brunt of the anti-trans discrimination and dying for it.

If you claim to be an ally, there are times when you need to be in sit down and shut up mode, respectfully ask us what help we need and when we tell you, then you make it happen.

Advocate, did it ever occur to you or the editors that let this full of fail piece fly that the best way to discuss trans issues on your site is to (gasp) have real live trans people write the fracking op-ed's?

The Trans 100 List is a nice place to start if you are clueless in finding transpeople that can expertly discuss the issues that affect our community.

You may wish to consider that point the next time you feel the need to do an op-ed piece on trans issues that doesn't piss us off in the process.
 

Damian Skips His HS Graduation

In case you're wondering how the situation with Albuquerque transteen Damian Garcia played out, when the ceremony kicked off at 10 AM MDT yesterday the Class of 2013 of St Pius X HS was one member short.  

While his classmates left a seat open for him in protest,  Damian decided to skip his graduation after the archdiocese of Santa Fe and the school refused to budge on letting him wear a black gown to the ceremony.

“I’m fully respecting this and myself by not walking and/or attending the ceremony at all,” he said on his Facebook page.

Meanwhile at the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, NM where the ceremony was held, Michael J. Sheehan, the archbishop of Santa Fe, tried to make it sound like he was being persecuted as the Roman Catholic Church tends to do when they get caught in their public displays of transphobia. 

In his address to the nearly 200 graduates Sheehan talked about discrimination and standing up for what’s right, warning students that sometimes in life they will be persecuted for standing up for their Christian values.

Archbishop Sheehan, discrimination against and persecuting trans people is not a Christian value.  You know you were wrong on the issue, especially when you wouldn't show your cowardly face to the local media to defend your bigotry.   

Damian probably won't be the last trans student to go through St Pius X High, so you may as well get ready to have this conversation again.

Damian has been accepted to the University of New Mexico, and they along with the University of New Mexico's LGBT Resource Center will welcome their newest Lobo to the fold by holding a graduation ceremony for him on May 30 from 5 to 7 PM MDT  in a courtyard next to Scholes Hall on their main campus.

President Obama's Morehouse Commencement Speech

There are some peeps in the African-American community and on Black Twitter who have voiced concerns about his commencement speech, but it doesn't take away from the history that was made Sunday afternoon. 

President Obama is the first sitting US president to do a commencement speech at Morehouse College and was given an honorary degree from the school. 

WTF, HuffPo Gay Voices?

The HuffPo Gay Voices page posted a May 16 article about the upcoming TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly, a groundbreaking interdisciplinary academic journal which will debut in 2014.

It will be co-authored by Dr. Susan Stryker (University of Arizona) and Dr. Paisley Currah (CUNY-Brooklyn) and will be published through a collaboration with Duke University Press.

The article briefly touched on the Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the TSQ project which is more than halfway to achieving its fundraising goal.of $20,000 by June 13.

But all that positive news in the article was ruined by the bathroom sign picture that was used to illustrate it.

Seriously?   All the directions that you could have gone to illustrate this post up to and including adding photos of Dr Stryker and Dr. Currah or the Transgender Studies Quarterly logo as I have done here, and you inject the bathroom meme?   We're working hard in the trans community to permanently destroy the bathroom meme, not perpetuate it.

We expect and get this kind of shady crap from misguided people in the mainstream media, but as fellow travelers in the TBLG rights movement and the rainbow community media you should know better.

Granted, this may have been an oversight in terms of you not realizing the unintended message you sent by using that picture with this article, but this is still unacceptable. 

What next HuffPo Gay Voices?  Are you going to use a picture of a plate of fried chicken to illustrate a story about a Black transperson?  

Fallon's Historic Friday MMA Fight

Fallon Fox will return to mixed martial arts action on Friday and make a little MMA history in the process when she does so. 

When the undefeated (2-0) Fox steps into the Octagon at the BankUnited Center on the University of Miami campus against Allana Jones she will be participating in the first nationally televised bout (AXS-TV) of the Championship Fighting Alliance Series.

It's the first bout she's participated in since the revelation in March the undefeated Fox is a girl like us and the transphobically ignorant reactions to the news it triggered in MMA world that included UFC women's champ Ronda Rousey.

CFA president Jorge de la Noval featured the 37 year old Fox on a card in March before finding out she was trans when he got a call from the commission.  He stands by his decision to feature her on Friday night’s card and supports her 100 percent.

“I’ve been discriminated many times because I’m Hispanic,” de la Noval said to the Miami Herald. “People have been discriminated through the years because of color, sexual preference, and that’s something I’m completely against. As long as she’s got her license, and doctors approved her to fight as a female, I was fine with it. I’ve gotten a lot of calls, mostly negative, but I stick with my decision no matter what the outcome is.

I’m just glad she’s fighting for the CFA this Friday.”

So are we in the trans community, Jorge.

Best of luck Fallon on Friday night.  Your best revenge for all the drama you've been through since March is to just keep winning.   You have an ever growing legion of fans inside and outside the trans community that wish you nothing but success.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/21/3409426/transgender-mma-fighter-fallon.html#storylink=cpy

Happy Birthday Harvey Milk!

“It takes no compromise to give people their rights...it takes no money to respect the individual. It takes no political deal to give people freedom. It takes no survey to remove repression.”

― Harvey Milk

Today would have been the 83rd birthday of Harvey Milk, the iconic civil rights leader who became the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in California when he ran for and won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977.

His June 24, 1977  'You've Got To Have Hope' speech that announced his run for supervisor is still as timely, eloquent and relevant today as it was when he first delivered it.

He was only in office for eleven months until his and Mayor George Moscone's assassinations by former supervisor Dan White on November 27, 1978  but was responsible for passing a stringent gay rights ordinance in the city.

His May 22 birthday is now celebrated in the state of California as an unofficial holiday and Harvey Milk Day events have begun to spring up in various cities around the country to celebrate the life of this iconic leader.






Happy birthday Harvey!    We could use a lot more visionary people like you in the 21st century LGBT community.

Preach, Rev. Tweed!

This is a message faith based homophobes and transphobes here in the USA, Bermuda and the rest of the world definitely need to hear. 

Bermuda has recently tabled an amendment to its 1981 Human Rights Act that would add sexual orientation (but not gender identity) as a protected class against discrimination on the island. 

Predictably Bermuda's faith based haters let fly on Friday with a statement that is purported to express the position of the AME church about the pending legislation, but upon further review it was determined that the statement was unauthorized and does not represent their official position on the 2013 Human Rights Amendment.

“The AME Church opposes legislation that threatens the traditional family structure and erodes Bermuda society as a whole. This amendment does both.

“Since the Bible is clear that a relationship involving sexual intimacy is to be between a man and a woman within the bounds of marriage, legislation that endorses homosexuality violates God’s Word and gives up a Christian’s conscientious obligation to obey it.

“The AME Church believes that all people are made in God’s image, including those affected by same sex attraction. The Church will defend human dignity because of the Church’s commitment to godly principles. However, the AME Church unapologetically resists this amendment and appeals to those of like-mind to do the same.”

On Sunday Rev. Nicholas Tweed, the pastor of St. Paul AME Church in Hamilton blasted that statement from his pulpit and told his congregation in his sermon that it is unchristian to deny people their rights as human beings..

“The last time I checked, I don’t recall Jesus saying that some sin is better or more acceptable than other sin,” said Rev. Tweed. “I don’t recall Jesus saying it’s okay to lie but for heaven’s sake, don’t be lesbian.

“I don’t recall a text saying it’s okay to drink and be a whoremonger, just don’t be gay.”

The AME church also has a long history of social justice activism, and Rev. Tweed's father, the Rev. Dr. Kingsley Tweed was one of the leaders of a 1959 movie theater boycott that ended formal segregation in Bermuda 

According to the Bermuda Royal Gazette, Rev Tweed's sermon also contained some pointed criticisms of the May 16 national gathering for prayer.comments of Bishop Lloyd Duncan of the New Testament Church of God,   Duncan implored the Government “to exercise biblical caution, and spiritual restraint,” referring to its intention to prohibit sexual orientation discrimination as saying it would be a “lethal mistake.”

Rev. Tweed said: “We can see the irony of our discomfort. For example this past week, we saw celebrated a great gathering which declared to Bermuda that we were united in prayer. But the irony is that everybody wasn’t invited. I didn’t see no Muslims there, I didn’t see any Buddhists there or folks that may practice other religions that have an equal place in the social fabric of Bermuda

“In other words, it was a loose conglomerate of folk that at least in theory share the same point of view. And then the same folk that gathered together to declare the sins of their fragmentation and disunity were the same folk that used the opportunity designed to bring us together, to drive the nails and wedges of deeper fractures in our community by sending a message to say that we don’t believe that everybody ought to be included or protected by the Human Rights bill.

“The criteria for being protected is not really whether you are black, white, gay, straight, transgender, crossdresser; the criteria is if you are human, you ought to be protected and as folks that have been the victims of over 300 years of discrimination, it's a strange irony that we cannot get together even with the folks that was discriminating against us and talk about who shouldn’t be in.”

Preach Rev. Tweed, preach!

27,072 People (And Counting) Say Let Damian Walk In Black Robes

The pressure is mounting on Archbishop Michael Sheehan and Superintendent Murphy in this now viral story of Albuquerque, NM St. Pius High School senior Damian Garcia's simple request to walk in his graduation in a black cap and gown being denied. 

Received an e-mail from Torrey Moorman who spearheaded the MoveOn.org petition on Damian's behalf that has now garnered as of the moment I'm compiling this post 27,072 signatures toward their new goal of 30,000 signatures. 

Monica;

We have called Superintendent Murphy's phone and said: "We want you to know that we hold you and the entire Archdiocese in the Light. We are fully aware of how difficult this must be for Archbishop Sheehan who grew up being taught if you have a penis you are a boy, and if you have a vagina you are a girl."

"Unfortunately, just as the human genome project has proven unequivocally that there is no genetic variation between the races, science is proving gender and sexuality are not so simply defined. We fully appreciate that growth is uncomfortable and extremely difficult."

"William posted a photo stating: If you want to change, you have to be willing to be uncomfortable. All growth is uncomfortable, whether it is the growing pains of bones growing faster than muscle, or the pain of accepting a new definition of human sexuality. We respect your difficulties and hold you in love and Light as you go through this difficult time. We have faith that Archbishop Sheehan will make the right decision in Christ's love: To allow Damian to walk with his graduating class in black robes."

We encourage everyone to give Archbishop Sheehan and Superintendent Murphy this message. The message that decisions made out of love, instead of fear, pave the way to a loving and peaceful planet.

Sincerely,
The Moorman family, Cat Provost, and the Garcia family

All the school and the Archdiocese of Santa Fe had to do was simply let Damian walk.  To prevent such drama in the future they need to consider the possibility of having every future graduate of St. Pius High wear the same color cap and gowns.

But nope, since the Roman Catholic Church has been conducting a decade long holy war aimed at trans people and the transphobia injected into the Vatican by Paul McHugh has now filtered down the chain of command from Rome, they now have a PR mess on their hands. 

It also makes them look like bigoted and petty faith based trans oppressors to Albuquerque and the rest of the world and reinforces the disturbing decade long pattern of the Roman Catholic Church being hostile to trans people.

As I said in the comment I posted when I signed the petition: 

This is a no brainer situation.   Damian identifies as a male, has been presenting as one for over a year, and his classmates, faculty and family recognize him as one.

You only graduate from high school once, so why not let Damian walk in the black male gown?

You still have time to change that negative perception by letting Damian walk in a black cap and gown.

But the clock's ticking..

What Would Spelman College Do In This Trans Feminine Student Situation?

“Schools should be focused on building our next generation of leaders, not discriminating against them." Calliope Wong

I had an interesting conversation with Samantha Master the other day about getting HBCU's to recognize that Black TBLG students exist.   HBCU law schools are ahead of the game when it comes to having non discrimination policies that included gender identity and expression but the HBCU main campuses that host these law schools surprisingly don't. 

We discussed how it would be in their best short and long term interests to ensure their campuses were open, inclusive and affirming places for TBLG students and they needed to get busy enacting policies and procedures to make that happen.   And yes, as a group they also needed to improve on the sorry situation of having only one of the 105 HBCU's (Bowie State University) having a dedicated LGBT center on campus.

Our conversation turned to transteen Calliope Wong and her recently being turned down twice by Smith College for enrollment while hypocritically allowing transmen to matriculate on campus if they transition after they have been admitted.  Smith College according to Dean of Admissions Debra Shaver and HuffPo Gay Voices has put together a committee to look at the issues that affect trans applicants. 

The Smith committee will begin its work at the start of the 2013-14 academic year in September and includes students.   The students involved on this committee have indicated that Smith would stop using the gender marker on FAFSA applications when evaluating trans students for admission.

While I hope the situation at Smith is substantive change and has a positive resolution for future trans applicants to the college, mine and Samantha's HBCU centric discussion put me in 'What if?' hard solid thinking mode. 

What would happen if you flipped the racial script and instead of Calliope Wong, had a bright African-American trans feminine student named Kendra Nicole Williams in this mix?  

Kendra wants to attend the elite African-American women's HBCU Spelman College because it's her dream school and applies.  She transitioned at age 14 and has a supportive family who helped her live her trans teen feminine life.   Kendra excelled academically in her high school and has begun the process of changing her identity documents. 

But because her family doesn't have a spare $20K in the bank genital surgery is out of the question right now because they see it as a bigger priority to use whatever extra money they have to help Kendra get the quality college education she needs.   


How would Spelman handle that situation I just outlined?  Would Kendra be accepted into the Spelman Class of 2017 with open arms or would they fumble the ball just as badly as Smith did?  

Atlanta based Spelman, which was founded in 1881, is one of the oldest historically Black women's colleges in the nation. I chose Spelman for this thought exercise because it is analogous in its elite status to Smith. in addition to it being among the nation's top ten best women's colleges as ranked by Forbes magazine, it has prestigious notable alumni and faculty.

For the sake of this exercise in hard solid thinking, let's assume Spelman fumbled the ball and refused to admit Kendra for the same reason Smith did.  It denied admission to Kendra based on a mismatched FAFSA gender code.   How much media negativity do you think Spelman would get right now because of that decision? 

I submit it would be ten times worse than what Smith got.   

In those media stories roasting Spelman over the coals you would see the ''Blacks are more homophobic' meme repeatedly come up in whatever stores they chose to write about it in addition to pointing out they are across the street from all-male Morehouse College and talking about its homophobic fails over the years.  

The mainstream media seems to take perverse pleasure in flipping the journalistic middle finger at POC trans women, and you can bet their penchant for doing so would come into play here.

Don't even get me started about the Black gossip blogosphere and the transphobic ignorance they gleefully display on a regular basis.  You can count on a few hip hop formatted radio station morning shows jumping into this transphobic media mix and yours truly having to spend a few weeks putting some outlets on blast for the negative and sensationalistic reporting that some newspapers of record would aim at Kendra just for grins in addition to asking Spelman what's up with not admitting Kendra?

And to tweak the hard solid thinking on trans issues still further, what if the Kendra student in my earlier example was a cis female who enrolls and a year later transitions to male?   I have heard of this situation occurring at Smith and other Seven Sisters institutions but haven't heard if it has occurred at Spelman yet.

What would Spelman do when (not if) that happens?  Do they have non-discrimination policies and support structures in place to make it a welcoming environment for that now transmasculine student?

So let's end the 'What If' exercise for now and move on to the known quantities about Spelman.  Beverly Daniel Tatum, the current Spelman president has a well earned reputation of being a supportive ally on the SGL issues.  Spelman has been ahead of the curve in terms of being a role model for HBCU's that embrace tackling LGBT issues.   

In addition to Spelman having AFREKETE, the highly regarded LGBT and ally organization on its campus, it was the host campus for the groundbreaking Audre Lorde Historically Black College and University Summit on April 29, 2011.   The one day summit was spearheaded by Dr. Beverly Guy-Sheftall, the founding director of the Women’s Research and Resource Center, attended by representatives of nine HBCU campuses from across the nation and was enthusiastically supported by President Tatum.

It focused on LGBT issues within African-American and HBCU communities and included a session on LGBT organizing paneled by the Human Rights Campaign's Deputy Director for Diversity Donna Payne and National Black Justice Coalition CEO Sharon J. Lettman-Hicks.  

But I don't know as of yet what President Tatum's stances are concerning trans issues and I would love to have that conversation with her.  Spelman despite being the undisputed leader on LGBT issues in HBCU collegiate world still as of this writing doesn't have a dedicated LGBT resource center on its campus like Bowie State does..   

I believe that in my earlier example, based on the groundbreaking work that Spelman is already doing that my fictional trans student Kendra would be admitted.   She might have a few issues she'd have to deal with like what would happen if she wanted to pledge one of the Divine Nine sororities on campus or the possibility of somebody transphobically tripping in the dorms because of her pre-operative status, but in terms of getting a quality education in an HBCU setting as a trans student, she'd probably be in the best place for it on paper.

Trans students will bring some issues to the table that may seems daunting to a women's college but are manageable with thoughtful preparation, clear enforced policies and procedures, and established support systems.  Most importantly, they have administrations that make it crystal clear discrimination aimed at trans and SGL students will not be tolerated.     


What I said to close out my 'HBCU's Better Recognize Black TBLG Students Exist' post still applies a year later. 

HBCU's need to send the unmistakable message to their faculty, current and future students, alumni, and the communities they serve that discrimination against LGBT students on HBCU campuses will not be tolerated.   HBCU's need to show they have inclusive and welcoming campuses, and they are willing to include LGBT students in their ongoing missions to uplift the race through educational achievement.

I believe that Spelman and the other Black HBCU women's colleges such as Bennett are taking what happened recently at Smith as a cautionary tale.  I hope they are engaging in hard solid thinking to avoid the public relations nightmare Smith fell into because of the lack of admissions procedures and policies in place for trans feminine students.  

Based on the work they've already done, I'm confident Spelman will be prepared for the inevitable day when a Black trans woman comes application in hand to fulfill her dream of getting an education on their distinguished HBCU campus and become one of the exceptional Black women Spelman College has produced for over a century.  

Kim Coco Iwamoto Being Honored As A Harvey Milk Champion Of Change

The White House will honor ten TBLG officials on Harvey Milk Day and one of them will be a girl like us.

Kim Coco Iwamoto, who is serving her first term on the state of Hawaii's Civil Rights Commission and previously served the state as an elected member of the Hawaii State Board of Education, is one of the people being honored on Wednesday, Harvey Milk's birthday as a Harvey Milk Champion of Change

The White House Champions of Change program was established in 2011 to spotlight ordinary citizens who are doing extraordinary things for to their community, their country, and their fellow citizens.  In that tradition, the Harvey Milk Champions of Change highlights a small group of TBLG state and local elected and appointed officials who have demonstrated a strong commitment to both equality and public service.

In addition to Kim Coco Iwamoto, the other Harvey Milk Champions of Change for 2013 are:

• Simone Bell – Georgia State Representative, Atlanta, GA
• Angie Buhl O’Donnell – South Dakota State Senator, Sioux Falls, SD
• Karen Clark – Minnesota State Representative, South Minneapolis, MN
• Michael A. Gin – Mayor of Redondo Beach, Redondo Beach, CA
• John Laird – California Secretary of Natural Resources, Santa Cruz, CA
• Ricardo Lara – California State Senator, Long Beach, CA
• Kim Painter – Johnson Country Recorder, Iowa City, IA
• Chris Seelbach – Cincinnati City Council Member, Cincinnati, OH
• Pat Steadman – Colorado State Senator, Denver,

Congratulations to Kim Coco and the other 2013 Harvey Milk Champions of Change for receiving this high honor. 

Anti-Trans SB 1218 Is DEAD!

We TBLG Texans just keep finding ways to kill these anti-trans and anti-LGB bills in the Lone Star State despite the best efforts of our conservafools and Teapublican legislative members to pass them.  

I received the good news about SB 1218 being on life support on Saturday morning, but just to be sure I wanted to wait until the midnight deadline passed until I started doing the happy dance about its demise.  

Last year it was SB 723, and this year it was SB 1218.   While I was concerned after hearing this unjust bill passed out of the Texas Senate, I knew one thing in the Texas trans community's favor was this bill may not have enough time to go through the legislative process in the Texas House.

I was also hoping that the great karma we've lately had concerning international trans marriage wins in Malta and Hong Kong would rub off on us here, too

The unjust bill had to get passed out the House Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence Committee on which we had several powerful allies.   It's a nine member committee, so they need six members to constitute a quorum to conduct official business.  SB1218 also had the hurdle of if it had passed out of committee it had to do so yesterday and be placed on the House calendar by midnight May 21 or it died for the session.

So ding dong, that anti-trans bill is dead.  We get to exhale, celebrate for a minute, and then prepare for the Teahadists to come after trans Texans ability to marry again in the 2015 session unless they lose control of one or both chambers in the 2014 election cycle, the governor's chair or all of the above.

I suggest y'all get busy registering people to vote in the 2014 election cycle now so we can take the Texas legislature back and pass some progressive legislation in the 84th Texas legislature when it's gaveled into session in January 2015. 

The 41 List Of TBLGQ Latino/a People Has Girls Like Us On It!

In 1901 a clandestine Mexico City party was raided and 41 people were arrested.   Half of those 41 people were dressed as women (and some of those 20 or 21 people were probably girls like us)   They were publically paraded by the police and sent off to slave labor camps simply for being gay, trans and bisexual.   Those that survived the ordeal had their names put on a list that condemned them and their families to a lifetime of ridicule and shame.

The arrest also unfortunately occurred at a time in Mexico when curiosity about sexuality was rising and set in motion a chain of events that combined with the negative media coverage led to a movement that led to the birth of the concept of homosexuality in Mexico.   It also led to the number 41 gaining a negative connotation in Mexican culture  

Honor 41.org  in conjunction with MALDEF, the nation’s leading Latino legal civil rights organization created a list to recognize outstanding TBLGQ Latino/a leaders.   The 41 List celebrates the Latina/o TBLGQ community and demonstrates how far the community has come in the over 100 years since that despicable incident.  

Those featured on The 41 List represent a diversity of professional backgrounds, age groups, genders, geographic regions, and Latino backgrounds that make up our community. They are all role models for our community and for future Latina/o LGBTQ generations. 

I'm happy to note that on the 2013 list girls like us Bamby Salcedo, Arianna Inurritegui Lint and Maria Roman are on it.  When I find the full list of names I'll post it to TransGriot. . 

While I'm happy three of my trans Latina sisters (and two I personally know) were honored on this list, I was disappointed that some of my trans Latino brothers like Mark Angelo Cummings and Yosenio Lewis just to name two are missing.  

Nominations will be taken in the fall for the 2014 edition of the 41 List.  I hope that when I compile my 2014 post about this list, it not only has Latino transmasculine representation, but more Latina trans women on a list to honor and spotlight outstanding TBGLQ Latina/o people.   

Clock Ticking Toward Major 2013 Texas Lege Deadline

The 83rd session of the Texas legislature ends on May 27 and we are rapidly approaching a major legislative deadline at midnight.   All bills that passed the House or Senate and made it to the opposite chamber committees must be voted out of them and be placed on the House or Senate legislative calendars before midnight or they die for this session. 

So yep, the clock is ticking on the unjust SB 1218 bill.    It's still stuck in the House Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence Committee and showing In Committee status.  

As a reminder of why I'm calling it an unjust bill, it attempts to strip trans people of their ability to marry by prohibiting anyone from obtaining a marriage license with a document that lacks a photo.  One of the approved documents we can use to get a marriage license in Texas is an affidavit of sex change.

It must be voted out today and placed on the House calendar or else it dies for this session.

Tick, tick, tick, tick.   

Die, SB 1218 Die!

Let My People Pee In Scotland

Here we go again with cis people tripping about a trans woman peeing in the ladies room.  The latest report of this BS comes from Scotland.

Hannah Leith has been transitioning full time for less than a year and after doing some window shopping around noon local time handled her business in the ladies room at the Paisley Centre.

She has done this countless times since starting her transition, but on this occasion  Leith was stopped by an overzealous security guard who obviously isn't aware of the 2010 Equality Act.  She was advised by the guard someone filed a complaint about her using the bathroom and told she was only to use the men's or disabled toilets.  

When she pointed out the Equality Act says otherwise, the guard responded with if she attempted to use the female bathrooms she would be banned from the center.

Leith went on to say to PinkNews.com.uk:“It was not made clear whether a staff member or a member of the public had made this complaint… I have lived full-time as a woman since last August and this disgusts me.”

FYI, the 2010 Equality Act (as the radfems are painfully finding out) bars discrimination based on gender reassignment, sex and sexual orientation. 

Leith went to a nearby library and printed out the pertinent sections of the Equality Act in an attempt to civilly discuss the matter with mall management but no one was available.   She was stopped by a different Paisley Centre security guard when she attempted to use the bathroom again.

UK Stonewall and the Scottish Transgender Alliance were appalled by the news and pointed out in the Pink News article that “refusal to allow use of sanitary facilities appropriate to the gender in which the person is living”, is in breach of the Equality Act.

It's also a breach of common sense, decency and humanity.   Let my people pee, Scotland!.

Rev Sally McClain Retires

Those of you who have been long time readers of TransGriot know that the blog not only started in Louisville, but through May 2010 chronicled some of my Bluegrass State life as a Texan in exile.

One of the people that I talked about in various blog posts who was a big part of my Louisville life and  my evolving faith journey was my pastor at Edenside Christian Church, the Rev. Sally McClain.  

I first met her approximately 48 hours after arriving in Louisville in late September 2001.  I was still reeling emotionally and depressed about my move from Houston, the series of seismic level events in my life starting that February which precipitated my relocation.  I was also spending a lot of my time in my new locale pondering my future and my 40th birthday that was a mere 8 months away.  

Dawn had me hop in her car and took me to meet the pastor of her church and at the time I didn't know anybody yet in Da Ville besides the Fairness peeps, my housemates, and my new next door neighbors.

When I walked into Sally's office, it did wonders for my mood that day.   You gotta love a pastor that has a stuffed Cartman doll on her bookshelf and who Dawn nicknamed 'Mustang Sally' because at the time she took over the leadership of Edenside she was driving a Ford Mustang.  

A few days later after visiting her Edenside office the Louisville AIDS Walk happened, and I joined the Edenside crew as we walked from the Belvedere starting point in downtown Louisville across the Clark Bridge to Indiana and back.  

I had so much fun that day with the folks there I started attending Sunday services at Edenside since the Highlands neighborhood in Da Ville that surrounded the church reminded me a lot of Montrose.

Edenside eventually grew on me until I joined the church a few months later in 2002.  You have to love a church like Edenside that in addition to being actively involved in the Highlands neighborhood and the Louisville community, hosted art shows in its building, hosted a concert by one of our members who was a jazz vocalist, had an HIV/AIDS memorial service and has the Louisville Scottish Association Bagpipe band pop in from time to time.

And oh yeah, did I forget to mention a certain DJ spinning Christmas tunes with soul as part of our church's contribution to the Bardstown Road Aglow event the first Saturday in December that kicks off the holiday season in the Highlands? 

She also led by example.  She's on the advisory board for the WHAS-TV Crusade For Children, one of the major charity fundraising events in the area.  Before I left for Texas she'd become a regular panelist on WHAS-TV's The Moral Side Of The News. 

As the Cartman doll on her bottom bookshelf demonstrated, Rev. Sally also has a wicked sense of humor she''d unleash at times. As a proud UK alum during basketball season no Louisville and Indiana fan in our congregation was safe whenever they lost their annual games to the Cats.

I loved the fact she could say in a 20-30 minute sermon what it would take most Black minsters 45 minutes to an hour to dramatically pontificate on.  I also loved the fact my Louisville church later officially became an open and affirming one.

I also loved the fact Edenside services started at 10:40 AM, included weekly communion and we were done by 11:45 AM.  Most times I was back home by noon unless we were having a post service church dinner or event.  

Yesterday the retirement service was held for Rev. Sally at Edenside.  We tried to arrange it so I could come to Louisville and 'sliiiiide into Edenside' for this event as a surprise for her but it didn't work out. 

Then again, the news of me being back in Jefferson County wouldn't have stayed a surprise long either.

With all the stuff I been juggling lately I didn't think about simply writing a statement about what my time at Edenside meant to me that pretty much coincided with Sally's tenure at the church for Dawn to read until it was way too late to do so.. 

She not only helped me start to get over being depressed about being there but helped me get acclimated to life in Kentuckiana as a member of Edenside.   I got the chance to find my speaking voice again as a worship leader and meet some new people who became my friends during the what turned out to be eight years I lived there.  Her sermons got me thinking about a lot of social justice issues that fueled my activism while I was there and sometimes fueled my social justice during my Texan in exile days.

And it was a two way street.  I was the DJ for her son Derek's wedding.  I also gave her the advice after she asked my opinion about her first Moral Side of The News telecast to be fearless in making her points.  As the only female panelist on the show at the time, the boys ganged up on her during her first appearance.    

Just as things changed and time moved on after I left Houston, the same is true for my 105 year old church.   Some of the members I met when I arrived in 2001 and later joined the church have either moved on, moved out of state like I did or are not in this plane of existence.  Edenside's building is unfortunately for sale as well and Sally is retiring.

But the 1000 miles between me and Edenside didn't keep her from checking on me from time to time or sending me her and the Edenside family's condolences when my father was gravely ill last March and eventually passed away.

Congratulations on your retirement, you've earned it.  While I'm sure the Edenside church family will miss you doing those weekly thought provoking sermons, spending quality time with the grandkids and getting to travel for stuff other than church related events will be a bonus.
 
And I'll not only stay in touch, but give you at least 48 hours warning the next time I'm headed to the Louisville area.

This Week In The 2013 Texas Lege-Week Ending May 17

The 2013 Texas Legislative session is rapidly drawing to a close. But until the session ends on May 27 and the legislators are all headed back home, as the passage of SB 1218 in the Texas Senate demonstrates, we marginalized people can't relax with this Teapublican majority in control and having a governor willing to sign whatever they pass.

We must continue to have an eye turned toward Austin, and here's Equality Texas Legislative Specialist and Field Organizer Daniel Williams to break it down for you what happened during this ugly legislative week for TBLG Texans. 

Let Damian Walk In Male Cap And Gown MoveOn.org Petition

A MoveOn.org petition has been created by Torrey Moorman in support of Albuquerque, NM transteen Damian Garcia.

The petition was created with the goal of getting St Pius High School to allow Damian to walk in his rapidly approaching May 22 graduation in the  black cap and gown for male students.

Here's what I posted when I signed the petition, which has over 20,000 signatures at the time I compiled this post
: 
This is a no brainer situation.   Damian identifies as a male, has been presenting as one for over a year,and his classmates, faculty and family recognize him as one.

You only graduate from high school once, so why not let Damian walk in the black male gown?

Why not indeed, St Pius High School?  Your transphobic resistance to doing the decent and right thing and trying to hide behind the policy excuse only makes you look more bigoted to the rest of the world and reinforces the disturbing decade long pattern of the Roman Catholic Church being hostile to trans people.

TransGriot Update: The petition reached its goal of 25,000 signatures and is now shooting for 30,000.

Reconciling Ministries ChurchQuake Scholarships For LGBTQ Kids Of Color

One of the wonderful people I got to meet during last year's GLAAD National POC Media training event last summer was Dr. Pamela Lightsey.

She is one impressive woman on many levels.  She is the Associate Dean of Community Life and Lifelong Learning and Clinical Assistant Professor of Contextual Theology & Practice at Boston University.  In addition, she is an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church and is the Co-Chair of the American Academy of Religion's Womanist Approaches to Religion & Society Group. 

The UMC's Reconciling Ministries seeks to 'mobilize United Methodists of all sexual orientations and gender identities to transform the Church and the world into the full expression of Christ's inclusive love'. 

I'm definitely down with that program as a 'Big C' Christian, and Pamela sent me this information about their upcoming 'ChurchQuake' national convocation taking place the weekend of August 30-September 2 in Chevy Chase, MD.    

Reconciling Ministries is offering 4 full scholarships for "ChurchQuake" to LGBTQ young adults who identify as persons of color and wish to participate in this event.  United Methodist affiliation is not a prerequisite though UMC members will be given primary consideration for the four available scholarships .

If you wish further information about the Church Quake scholarship opportunity, you can phone Dr Lightsey at 617-353-3051 or fax her at 617-353-3061.