'The New Black' Film Festival Tour

The New Black is a documentary film I was cognizant was in the process of being shot, and I'm happy to discover it has been completed and is about to hit the summer film festival circuit.

NBJC is traveling across the country to celebrate an authentic and illuminating depiction of the tension, triumphs and victories that take place at the intersection of religious beliefs and civil rights with the launch of The New Black

It is a provocative new documentary film that powerfully illustrates the story of how the African-American community is grappling with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in light of the marriage equality movement and the fight over civil rights.

It chronicles the recent marriage battle in Maryland and shows activists, families and clergy on both sides of last year's campaign to legalize gay marriage in the state.   It examines homophobia in the African-American community's institutional pillar ---The Black Church-- and reveals the Christian right wing's reprehensible strategy of exploiting this cultural phenomenon in order to pursue their anti-gay political agenda.  

There are some familiar faces in this film like NBJC Executive Director and CEO Sharon Lettman-Hicks and several NBJC emerging leaders such as Samantha Master and Karess Taylor-Hughes and I'm looking forward to seeing it.

The New Black is directed by internationally renowned documentary filmmaker Yoruba Richen, who teams with notable producers Yvonne Welbon, producer of Living with Pride: Ruth Ellis @ 100, and Emmy nominated Angela Tucker to bring us this story anchored at the intersection of Black American culture and the LGBT equality movement..

So for those of you residing in Los Angeles (June14-16) New York  (June 19-20), Washington D.C. (June 22-23) and San Francisco (June 29)  you'll get the opportunity to check out Tne New Black at your local film festivals this summer.

Unfortunately I'll have to wait until it hits an H-town multiplex near me.

Ackshun Jackson Disses Jordana On His YoYo DC Podcast

'No fight is more just than the battle for self determination of one's own identity.'Jordana LeSesne April 2013

Last night got an e-mail alerting me to a situation in which a podcast called 'YoYoDC' went into problematic territory on a May 28 show they were doing concerning a local pediatrician, Dr. Robert Dickey who was facing pedophilia charges.

Three quarters of the way into it Ackshun Jackson as he calls himself segues from that discussion to disrespectfully talking about Jordana LeSesne, the girl like us who is a pioneering DJ, music producer and current frontwoman for a metal band. 

He claims he's a huge fan of hers, but referred to her as 'it' during the show banter that ensued while the track she produced and he claimed was his favorite played in the background.     

And yo, shouldn't you as a fan know how to spell your idol's name?   I'm just sayin'.

It's already treading into questionable territory to bring up a transperson, much less have a discussion about one on a show in which you started it discussing a pedophile doctor.   BTW, 98% of the people who get busted for doing so are heterosexual white males

I DESPISE the 'politically correct' term far too many conservafools and people attempt to use as a shield to insulate themselves from the jacked up crap they say.   The Golden Rule exists for a reason and I love this Dion Beary quote about the politically correct term that one of my TransGriot longtime readers Lilith posted in the discussion thread that ensued on Jordana's page.

''Politically correct" is just a term assholes came up with so they can dismiss people who have the nerve to want to be respected. Demanding not to be stereotyped is not political correctness, it’s a human right, and you are not some hero for refusing to respect people’s right to be treated like humans.'
—Dion Beary

Back to our post.

I need to get into the other ways this podcast was problematic.   He used her old name which was not germane to the discussion since 99% of the music she produces is under Jordana.    References were made to chopping off dicks, 'different strokes' comments and other transphobic language thinly disguised in bad joke drag.

It's also problematic in terms of the show being based in Washington DC and these comments being juxtaposed against the long, ugly history of anti-trans violence and discrimination aimed at POC trans women in the District.    

When Ackshun Jackson was advised Jordana was not amused by his show, he surfed over to her Facebook page to chat with her and ask for an interview.   And yes, Jordana asked me to be part of that discussion. 

While he was contrite about insulting her, Ackshun Jackson still has a ways to go in terms of Trans 101 education.  While Jordana believes he wasn't trying to be malicious about it, clueless transphobic bigotry still hurts the same as the willful transphobic variety.

I dropped the link to the GLAAD Media Reference Guide trans section in our discussion along with dropping knowledge about the 1995 Tyra Hunter case, the 2002 Stephanie Thomas and Ukea Davis execution style murders, Kenneth Furr's August 2011 incident firing his service revolver at a car with  three transwomen and friends in it and getting probation and the Deoni Jones killing Gary Niles Montgomery will be going to trial for next month. 

To Ackshun Jackson and everyone one else out there, here's two basic facts about a trans person's identity that you need to commit to memory.   

You don't get to define our identity, we do.

And disrespecting that identity, whether it's done overtly or covertly still hurts. 
 

WTF Just Happened In Puerto Rico With SB 238?

Oops, guess I spoke too soon about SB 238 passing the Puerto Rican House and Senate .

Seems that while the news was being trumpeted around the world about the sweeping trans inclusive version that would have protected TBLG Puerto Ricans against discrimination in public accommodations, housing, governmental services and other private entities, the faith based haters were still actively working to strip those categories from it before it reached Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla's desk for his signature.

According to an AP report they succeeded.   On May 27 a modified version of the bill was passed by the Puerto Rican Senate that removed the clauses banning discrimination against TBLG Puerto Ricans in commercial transactions, property rentals, public accommodations, and other circumstances.

So now the question inquiring GLBT human rights minds like moi are asking is which version of the bill did Governor Garcia Padilla sign into law?   Is it the version of SB 238 that has those clauses or the May 27 one the faith based haters were pushing to strip them from the bill and keep their special right to discriminate alive?

Governor Alejandro García Padilla signed the legislation at his official residence in San Juan along with HB 488, which adds domestic violence law protections for gender identity, sexual orientation, and marital status. 

He issued a statement via Twitter: 'The dignity of being a human being is inviolable because we are all the same and we must be equal under the law.'

He added: 'Today is a great day for Puerto Rico. I feel that I have fulfilled my duty as a Christian to sign these laws.'

But my question is how great a day?  Which version of SB 238 did you sign Governor Garcia Padilla?  If you signed the original sweeping bill, it was a doubleplus good day for the Puerto Rican TBLG community. 

If it was the modified one that strips commercial transactions, property rentals, public accommodations, transportation and other circumstances from it, you signed a worthless, unjust Massachusetts style law and far from 'fulfilling your duty as a Christian' to treat everyone equally, you just failed in that task. 

How can you even part your lips to call it equal if you have a LGBT non discrimination law that keeps you as a rainbow Puerto Rican from being fired from your job, but the transphobic bus driver transporting you to that job can kick you off his bus?  

You can work for a restaurant, but the homophobic restaurant owner can kick you out of his establishment if you and your trans, gay and lesbian friends attempt to eat there.  If you're trying to rent an apartment or beachside cottage the phobic building owner can refuse to rent it to you without fear of being punished for it.. 

Who the hell LGBT activist wise was watching the Puerto Rican legislature and the governor's office to ensure the tougher bill was the one that received Governor Garcia Padilla's signature?   Instead of doing the civil rights job right the first time you'll now have to (like Massachusetts is painfully doing right now) go back to the Puerto Rican Legislature and refight the pitched battle you just fought to have those categories the Senate just stripped out added back into the law.  

A human rights law without public accommodations language in it is not only unjust, it's a worthless law.

And since 2014 is an election year, good luck making that happen and getting a governor who narrowly won his seat in the 2012 election cycle to sign it.

Still Miss You, Tracy

June 28 will mark the second anniversary since those of us who know Tracy Bumphus were stunned to hear the news about her untimely passing.

She's hanging out with the angels now, but that still doesn't keep those of us who knew and loved her from missing her and thinking about the ways she touched our lives be it in a small or quite significant way.

I not only stumbled across this guest post in my TransGriot archives that she'd written and I posted when the TS ubermenschen separatists were running wild back in 2010, had declared me as their number two enemy (a fact I'm still chuckling about to this day) and tred to drag her name into their mess. 

Another reason Tracy is on my mind besides the upcoming anniversary of her death is because I was sent a link to a HIV/AIDS testing video that she'd done in her capacity as a program assistant at the AIDS Project of East Bay

Even though it's two years old the message is still relevant and needs to be heard.  Even better, we get to see Tracy in action doing what she always did, educating people

And yeah, this is also a reminder for you TransGriot readers to take a moment to tell the people that you love and care about in your life how much you love and care about them.  Once you or they have left this plane of existence, it's too late to do so.

2013 Williams Watch-Next!

My fave tennis playing siblings are in Paris for the 2013 French Open, and world number one and tournament number one seed Serena Williams continues to handle her tennis business at Stade Roland Garros.

The latest person dispatched to the sidelines of this women's tournament by Serena was 19 year old French homegirl Caroline Garcia.   Andy Murray may think she's a future number one but she didn't show it against the current world number one player.

Little Sis took only 62 minutes to made quick 6-1, 6-2 work out of her and get ready for her third round match against Sorana Cirstea of Romania 

And yep, in the lower half of the women's bracket 17 seeded Sloane Stephens is making noise.
 
In the doubles competition they pulled out.  No explanation yet as to why but speculation is because Venus did report pain in her lower back after the three set first round loss to Urszula Radwanska.  They have won 13 Grand Slam doubles titles as a duo, so we'll see if they get together to defend their 'Williams-don' doubles title.

If Little Sis handles her business as expected against the 26th seeded Cirstea she'll face in the fourth round the winner of the Petra Cetkovska-Roberta Vinci match.  

Italian Cardinal Gives Communion To Trans Woman At Funeral-Wingers Trip

With Pope Francis running thangs in Vatican City, is the hate on transpeople doctrine injected into the Roman Catholic church by Paul McHugh during the tail end of Pope John Paul II reign finally at an end?

As evidenced by Damian Garcia having to skip his Albuquerque Catholic high school graduation because of his transphobic archbishop was witness to, the jury is still out on that.

But on the other side of the Pond there was an interesting development taking place at the funeral of TBLG rights advocate Fr. Andrea Gallo, who passed away on May 22 at age 84 in his hometown of Genoa.  

Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, the Archbishop of Genoa was seen giving Holy Communion during the televised ceremony to two transwomen.  One of the transwomen in question was none other than Vladi Luxuria, who has the distinction of being the first trans parlimentarian in Europe and the second on the planet after New Zealand's Georgina Beyer.   She held that seat until the Italian elections of April 2008. 




And to the Christo haters, your problem with Vladi getting communion is?

God made transpeople, too.  Y'all need to stop tripping.


Of course the right wing Christohaters went apoplectic about it, but for the rest of us trans peeps around the world who are more than a little sick of the hate on trans people doctrine that been coming out of their mouths, the Catholic Church since 2003 and has trickled down to the flock, it was an interesting breath of fresh air that bears watching.

METRORail North Line Test Train Run Begins

Getting another step closer to service starting on the METRORail Red Line North extension later this year.

Construction on this 5.3 mile extension to the existing Red Line line is ahead of schedule, more than 80% complete.and the stations are well underway despite the local congressional conservafools attempts to frack with its funding.  

Since the line isn't powered up yet, METRORail towed a test car at 3-5 mph along the track from the Northline Transit Center station to the UH Downtown one escorted by METRO police.  They were to test train clearance, making sure there are no bends or bumps on the tracks and if they ran into that situation, the train was stopped so the location of the problem could be recorded and photographed.

Crews were on board the train monitoring its progress to ensure the operational train functions (tracks, poles, underground and overhead wiring) are in order before electrical testing and operational train speed tests begin this summer.

If it passes all those tests, H-town will get an early Christmas present and see the North Line open for service in December.   Now if they could get cracking on the Southeast and East End lines and expeditiously finish those up, I'll be a happy transit camper.

Whatever Happened To 'The Dallas Principles'?

On May 15-17, 2009 a meeting was held at the DFW Airport Hyatt Regency hotel by 24 LGBT activists who were frustrated about the fulfillment pace of campaign promises made by the Obama Administration.

What came out of that meeting was a set of widely trumpeted guidelines to achieve LGBT equality that became known as 'The Dallas Principles'.

The authors of the Dallas Principles are Juan Ahonen-Jover, Ken Ahonen-Jover, John Bare, Jarrett Barrios, Dana Beyer, Jeffrey H. Campagna, Mandy Carter, Michael Coe, Jimmy Creech, Allison Duncan, Michael Guest, Joanne Herman, Donald Hitchcock, Lane Hudson, Charles Merrill, Dixon Osburn, Lisa Polyak, Barbra Casbar Siperstein, Pam Spaulding, Andy Szekeres, Lisa Turner, Jon Winkleman, and Paul Yandura.

***
PREAMBLE

President Obama and Congress pledged to lead America in a new direction that included civil rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans. We now sit at a great moment in our history that inspires the nation to return to its highest ideals and greatest promise. We face a historic opportunity to obtain our full civil rights; this is the moment for change. No delay. No excuses.

Nearly forty years ago, a diverse group of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people stood up to injustice at the Stonewall Inn in New York City. In doing so, they submitted themselves to bodily harm and criminal prosecution. Their demand was simple -- equal protection under the law.

Still today, full civil rights has eluded the same community that rioted forty years ago. Instead, untold sums of resources have been spent to divide our nation and turn our lives into a political football.
At several junctures in American history, the stars have aligned to deliver the promise of equal protection under the law to those previously denied. At this unique time in history, our nation must once again exercise the great tradition of making its people equal.

Justice has too long been delayed. A clear path toward full civil equality for the LGBT community is overdue and must come now.

Using fear and misunderstanding to justify discrimination is no longer acceptable in this nation. Those content with the way things are will be judged harshly by history. Those who do not actively advance these ideals or offer excuses will be judged just as harshly. Those who attempt to divide our community or to delay and deny action on civil equality, waiting for the right moment to arrive, will be held accountable.

We reject the idea that honoring the founding principles of our country is controversial. We believe in the inherent human dignity of all people. No longer will we submit our children, our family, our friends and ourselves as a political tool for any Party or ideology. A new day has arrived.


The following eight guiding principles underlie our call to action.  

In order to achieve full civil rights now, we avow

1.Full civil rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals must be enacted now.  Delay and excuses are no longer acceptable.

2.We will not leave any part of our community behind.

3.Separate is never equal.

4.Religious beliefs are not a basis upon which to affirm or deny civil rights.

5.The establishment and guardianship of full civil rights is a non-partisan issue.

6.Individual involvement and grassroots action are paramount to success and must be encouraged.

7.Success is measured by the civil rights we all achieve, not by words, access or money raised.

8.Those who seek our support are expected to commit to these principles.

CALL TO ACTION

1. We demand that government officials act now to achieve full civil rights without delay.
2. Our organizations and individuals need to develop a collaborative and revolutionary new organizing model that mobilizes millions of supporters through emerging web and phone technologies.
3. All LGBT individuals must accept personal responsibility to do everything within their power for equality and should get involved in the movement by volunteering, giving and being out.
4. We will hold elected officials and our organizations accountable for being transparent and achieving full civil rights by active participation when possible and active opposition when necessary.
5. Our allies need to be proactive in public support for full civil rights.
6. Every government measure that quantifies the US citizenry must permit LGBT individuals to self-identify and be counted in every way citizens are counted.
7. We demand that the media present LGBT lives in fair, accurate and objective ways that neither include nor give credence to unsubstantiated, discriminatory claims and opinions.

***

Ever since those lofty principles were espoused and trumpeted to the TBLG community back in 2009 across the Gayosphere, those of us in the trans community have openly wondered whatever happened to those Dallas Principles?  

While the Facebook page for them is still up, the host website they were initially published on is no longer up because it reportedly went out of business.

Granted, I know two of the authors of the Dallas Principles personally.  Three others I'm acquainted with online.  I presume the intent in that room was to help get conversations started on the rainbow community human rights agenda. get the federal legislative agenda moving and make sure President Obama didn't forget his promises made to a community that helped elect him and the Democratic House and Senate majority. 

But what bothered me at the time was the Dallas Principles were being pushed at a time when President Obama was barely three and a half months into his first term and trying to clean up the mess that got dropped in his presidential lap by the Bush misadministration. 

He had two wars, the fiscal crisis that was threatening to turn into a second Great Depression, and Massive Resistance 2.0 from Republicans hell bent on achieving their goal of making him a one term president.   In the context of this situation you had this group emerging from a Dallas hotel saying you haven't kept your promises to the gay community without giving him a reasonable time in his first term to do so like other interest groups were doing..

There was also the bad blood still percolating between white and Black TBLG peeps over the November 2008 Prop 8 loss in California and the internal anti-Black bigotry that erupted afterwards. 

The problem of the Dallas Principles as far much of the trans community is concerned has been in their implementation and execution. 

We've seen the Principles repeatedly violated when it comes to the gay and lesbian community getting what it legislatively wants in terms of marriage equality, an issue that predominately benefits them.   We've seen them once again revert to their historical tendency of being far too willing to throw the trans community under the civil rights bus to get the ability to marry at the expense of other GLBT rights issues. 

If there's legislation that is good for the community that will primarily benefit the trans community or it isn't marriage related, the GL folks will sit on their behinds, twiddle their thumbs and say, 'that's your issue'.


Think I'm being harsh with that assessment?   Let's see. 

There was the 2010 passage of the DADT repeal bill during the lame duck session of Congress that left transpeople behind and violated Dallas Principles 1, 2, 3 and 7

There was marriage equality being passed in New York in 2011, Maryland last year and Delaware in 2013  that also violated Principles 1, 2, 3 and 7 as the trans communities in those states were left behind again with no civil rights protection.

As I write this GENDA has been passed for six straight legislative session in the NY assembly but is running into its usual GOP-led resistance in the NY Senate. The trans communities in New York state, Maryland and Delaware are asking along with the rest of us in the country where's that all out push in support of the trans community basic human rights that will also expand rights for the GLB sectors of our community? 

DADT repeal still doesn't cover trans people, and all we hear in terms of ongoing efforts to rectify that situation is more khaki-flavored marriage stuff instead of getting transpeople the ability to serve their country, too.


Were the Dallas Principles a sincere attempt to change the way the BTLG rights movement goes about its business or did they evolve into public relations woof tickets aimed at dissenting TBLG peeps expressing increasing discontent about the 'all marriage all the time' direction of the LGBT rights movement?


Four years after their creation, it seems like sadly, the latter statement is true.
 

T-E-R-F's Hate

This latest song rewrite was one I had put on the back burner until it was kicked into creative overdrive with an assist by  ENDAblog 2.0's Katrina Rose.  

I was trying to figure out what disco-era song would be suitable for rewriting to slam the TERFs (trans exclusionary exterminationalist radical feminazis feminists).

When Kat suggested the Village People's 'Y.M.C.A.', I pulled up the YouTube video, listened to it, agreed she was right and got busy writing the remixed lyrics that you can pull out your iPods and sing along to as you're eviscerating (or laughing at) the TERF's online.

T-E-R-F"s Hate
(Sung to the tune of 'Y.M.C.A.' from the Village People)

Young trans, there's no need to feel down
I said young trans, because she's a transphobic clown
I said young trans, let me break it on down
There's no need to be unhappy

Young trans, TERF's hate on you we know
I said young trans to Gender Trender they go
There's hate speech there and I'm sure you will find
They have hated trans women for a long time 

It's girls like us T-E-R-F's hate
It's girls like us T-E-R-F's hate 
They hate everything cause their lives have no joy
Since the 70s they called us boys.

It's girls like us T-E-R-F's hate
It's girls like us T-E-R-F's hate
Yes they're psychotically mean
They have no sex appeal
Being female to us is real.

Young trans, are you listening to me
I said, young trans, be the best you can be
I said, young trans, you can make real your dreams,
But you've got to know this one thing.

No trans, the Bug's not by herself
I said, young trans, she and her TERF's need some help
They just go there, lying on us every day
I'm sure they'll get committed someday

It's girls like us T-E-R-F's hate
It's girls like us T-E-R-F's hate
They hate everything cause their lives have no joy
Since the 70's they called us boys.

It's girls like us T-E-R-F's hate
It's girls like us T-E-R-F's hate
Yes they're psychotically mean
They have no sex appeal
Being female to us is real.

Young trans, I was once in your shoes,
TERF's wrote hate speech that gave me the blues
I felt no one cared if transfolks were alive
I felt the whole world was so jive

That's when someone came up to me
And said God made your trans self beautifully 
Trans people are on this big planet to stay 
So be proud of yourself today
 
It's girls like us T-E-R-F's hate
It's girls like us T-E-R-F's hate 
They hate everything cause their lives have no joy.
Since the 70's they called us boys.

T-E-R-F's Hate
It's girls like us T-E-R-F's hate
Young trans, Young trans, there's no need to feel down
Young trans, Young trans, pick yourself off the ground

T-E-R-F's hate
You know T-E-R-F's hate
Young trans, Young trans, I was once in your shoes,
Young trans, Young trans, I now give TERF's the blues

T-E-R-F's hate
T-E-R-F's hate
(fade to end)

Brittney's Milestone WNBA Debut

In her WNBA debut game in the US Airways Center versus fellow rookie Elena Delle Donne and the Chicago Sky my Houston homegirl Brittney Griner did something that no other WNBA player in history has ever done. 

She dunked twice in a WNBA regular season game.  

 Lisa Leslie was the first to do so, Candace Parker the first to do it twice in her WNBA career, and there have been five players total prior to tonight to execute dunks in the WNBA's 16 seasons.

Brittney is the first to do it twice in a game.   The first one came with 7:52 left in the game and the second thunderous one came with 2:18 left in the game after she stole an errant pass and went to the rim two handed.




Despite the dunks and 17 points, 8 rebounds and four blocked shots in 27 minutes, the key stat for Griner was the third foul she picked up with 2:30 left in the first quarter.    It forced her to be a spectator for the rest of the first half as the Chicago Sky ran up a 24 point lead by halftime enroute to a 102-80 win.

Elena Delle Donne played a major role in building that big Sky halftime lead as the Mercury elected to guard her one on one.

The 6'5" Delle Donne, who routinely got triple teamed in college must have felt as though she received an early Christmas present and made the Mercury pay for their lack of basketball vision. 

Delle Donne ended her night with the sixth best debut by a WNBA rookie player with 22 points, eight rebounds, four blocked shots, was 2-2 from 3 point land and dished out two assists in a team-high 34 minutes.

But my Houston homegirl chalked this game up to being a learning experience and made a little WNBA history in the process despite the loss.

And yeah, the Team USA women are going to be fun to watch at the FIBA World Championships next year. 

Happy Memorial Day 2013

It's another edition of Memorial Day, which is considered the unofficial kickoff to the summer season in the States.  

But the reason Memorial Day officially exists is because it's the day we commemorate those persons who died while serving in the US Armed Forces.

While this Memorial Day dawns with the knowledge that next year our troops will be coming home from Afghanistan next year, in the interim they will still be fighting and unfortunately dying until then.  

While the major focus of this day is for the people who have paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving this country, we also take a moment to say thank you to the people who are in our Armed Forces or who have served.

And as TAVA and I will constantly remind you, some of the people who are and have served our country are transgender vets despite the fact that we still can't openly serve our country.  

Hopefully that will change soon.

The last Monday in May has arrived once again, and it's time for us to pause and take a moment to think about all the people who have served in the Armed Forces and given their lives while doing so on battlefields around the world in defense of this nation. 

2013 Williams Watch-Good News Bad News At Roland Garros

The 2013 edition of the French Open started yesterday in Paris and will run through June 9. 

Unlike that Grand Slam tournament on the other side of the English Channel that my fave tennis playing siblings have dominated to the point I call it 'Williams-don', Stade Roland Garros and its clay courts have been a frustrating career long house of horrors for the Williams Sisters.

They have won the French Open doubles title twice in 1999 and 2010, but the only time Big and Little Sis have made it to the French Open singles final was in 2002 when Serena beat Venus in straight sets 7-5, 6-3 for her only French Open singles title to date.

2002 is also the last time that either Williams sister has made it to the finals of the French open women's singles.  Venus has never won a French Open singles title and that streak will sadly continue. 

Stade Roland Garros is also the site of the only first round loss ever for Serena Williams in a Grand Slam tournament when she shockingly lost last year to 111th world ranked qualifier Virginie Razzano of France 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3. 

Number one world ranked and number one seeded Little Sis however sent a message to the 2013 French Open field that she's in it to win it this year by blitzing in 51 minutes her first round opponent Anna Tatishvili of Georgia, 6-0, 6-1.

She faces France's Caroline Garcia in the second round and if you think she isn't pissed about her first round loss here last year or what transpired in Australia back in January, y'all don't know Serena Jameka Williams very well do you?

Unfortunately as I mentioned earlier, Big Sis is done in this 2013 singles tournament.   Venus took 3 hours and 19 minutes to go down fighting to Urszula Radwanska, the baby sis of 4th seeded Agnieszka Radwanska.7-6 (7-5), 6-7 (4-7), 6-4.   Ironically, Agnieszka Radwanska eliminated her from last year's French Open singles tourney in the second round.

But her competitive stay in Paris isn't over because she and Little Sis are playing doubles at Roland Garros.  They are seeded 12th in this French Open doubles competition and are seeking their first doubles title since 2010.

They will start the quest for their third French Open doubles crown with their opening round match with the doubles duo of Alla Kudryavtseva of Russia and Anastasia Rodionova of Australia.  

Here's hoping that on June 9 I'm writing some good news about my fave tennis playing siblings taking home the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen and the Coupe Simone Mathieu. 

FYI in case you're wondering, those are the names of the championship trophies for the French Open women's singles and women's doubles tournaments.

Melissa Harris-Perry Eviscerates EW Jackson

Seems I wasn't the only African-American who was shining a spotlight on that cookie-chomping knee-grow  E.W. Jackson on Saturday

She tore him a new anus during her MHP show segment in which she penned a 'letter of advice' to the newly minted Virginia lieutenant governor candidate.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Can't wait to hear what Rev. Al has to say about him..

Cristan Williams Challenges TERF To Debate

When I used me debating The Bug as this year's TransGriot April Fool spoof post, I knew there was no way in Hades she'd agree to debate moi.

Neither did I want to be on the stage with somebody who I knew would blatantly lie on a debate platform more than Mitt Romney does. 

But in the off chance she accepted it, I would have been more than ready to handle my business.

But Cristan Williams isn't joking about wanting to debate a TERF (trans exterminationalist exclusionary radical feminist).   She has challenged to a debate GallusMag, the Borg Queen of Gender Trender, one of the major hate sites in the TERFosphere.

The trans community expects GallusMag to chicken out just like TS separatist Lisa McDonald did when she accepted Cristan's challenge to a debate and then weaseled out of it. 

Frankly, I'd demand as a condition of the debate she come out of hiding, but Cristan is conceding that in order to take away an excuse she'd use to decline it which I'm betting she does anyway..  

But if it does happen, it will be interesting to see what would happen when a TERF is forced to come up with verifiable examples to justify their jibber-jabber instead of strawman and red herring filled arguments that they pull out of their vanillacentric cis privileged behinds..

Indonesia's Trans Muslims

Here's a documentary focusing on our Indonesian trans sisters.   They have been catching hell there lately, and the anti-trans attitudes whipped up by fundie Muslims  even affected a 2010 international trans conference held there.   The anti-trans hatred is felt even more keenly by our Indonesian trans sisters who are Muslims who simply want to be themselves and practice their faith.

Openly MRKH Contestant In Miss USA 2013

We won't have a girl like us competing in the Miss USA 2013 pageant next month because Kylan Wenzel unfortunately didn't win the Miss California USA pageant.

I'll still have somebody else to root for besides the women of color and my Lone Star state representative when I watch the pageant on June 16 and see who  Miss USA 2012 Nana Meriwether crowns as her successor. 
.
My friends in the intersex community are excited to learn that Miss Michigan USA Jaclyn Shultz is one of the 51 women vying for the Miss USA crown.

Jaclyn has a condition that affects one in 4500 newborn girls called Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome.   MRKH affects the reproductive system and causes the vagina and uterus to be underdeveloped or absent    Women with MRKH syndrome have a female chromosome pattern (46,XX), functioning ovaries, conventionally developed external female external genitalia and breast and pubic hair development.

In Jaclyn's case, as she mentions in her Miss USA profile, "Jaclyn is the proud spokeswoman for A Beautiful You MRKH Foundation. Since she was born without a uterus, this non-profit is close to her heart."

She has been working to spread awareness about MRKH and provide support to girls and women across the globe who are diagnosed with it. 

As Claudia Actorino said in the opening sentence of her post about Jaclyn, 'intersex bodies are beautiful.'

I wish Jaclyn the best of luck in the upcoming Miss USA 2013 pageant and continued success in her ongoing mission of spreading awareness about MRKH.


H/T  Claudia Actorino- 
 

Dr Z's Hackathon For Trans Empowerment

Y'all know I have much love and respect for Dr. Kortney Ryan Ziegler and enjoyed the long chats I had with him during the 2013 BTMI conference in Dallas. 

Dr. Z's latest project is the first ever hackathon centered on uplifting the transgender community and we need your help and t-bills to ensure its success.   His May 1 blac(k)ademic essay  laid out the case why LGBT organizations need to embrace hackathons  

But here's Dr. Z to tell you what it's all about and the link to the GoFundMe page that is trying to raise $5,000 for this event.   I'm happy to put some of my own money to this cause and get it started.

WHY A HACKATHON CENTERED ON TRANSGENDER PEOPLE?

Research shows that transgender people are unemployed at 2x the national rate–4x for transgender people of color; have incomes of less than $10,000 a year; experience homelessness at 2x the rate of non-trans people; and suffer overwhelming discrimination when it comes to accessing adequate healthcare and legal services. This problem not only affects transgender adults but trans and gender nonconforming youth as well. A necessary step in addressing anti-transgender bias is to create technology that socially empowers transgender individuals. Imagine if there existed a mobile phone app that helps individuals find trans friendly doctors or an app that profiles safe space job opportunities for trans people across the country?

Trans*H4CK is a space in which to turn these possibilities into reality.

Over the course of 48-hours, developers, designers, activists, community members, youth and entrepreneurs invested in the betterment of the lives of trans and gender nonconforming people, will share ideas and create apps, websites and products that provide solutions in challenging anti-transgender discrimination.

Money raised will be used for space rental, travel sponsorships for out of town participants, payment for guest speakers and prizes.

Trans*H4CK is organized by Dr. Kortney Ryan Ziegler--an internationally recognized award-winning transgender advocate. More information on Dr. Ziegler can be found at: blackademic.com

 

Happy 25th Birthday CeCe McDonald!

Today is CeCe McDonald's birthday and I wanted to make certain this day didn't pass without the TransGriot acknowledging it.

I and the entire trans community wish you weren't unjustly stuck inside those Minnesota prison walls for basically standing your ground and defending yourself/   Our fondest wish for you as a community would be that you were out and about being able to do what any girl hitting 25 could do on her special day and celebrating it with friends and family.

But the bottom lines for today are that you're alive and you still have your life to look forward to going forward from today.   

Happy 25th birthday CeCe!   May you have many more birthdays to come.. 

 

So SPLC, When Are You Going To Declare The TERF's A Hate Group?

And how many more Black and Latina trans women have to die before you do so? 

How many more transpeople have to suffer from anti-trans discrimination before you step up to the plate and do what you should have done years ago?

How much more hate speech do they have to publish online at RadFem Hub and Gender Trender before you call them on it? 

You have four decades worth of evidence that point out the TERF's are a hate group. Even Stevie Wonder can see they are a hate group.  The trans community who is deleteriously affected by their rabid hate damned sure knows it.  So why haven't you as the FBI's go to watchdog group for keeping an eye on the extremist ones in this country not done your due diligence on trans exterminationalist exclusionary radical feminism?

Your continued inaction and silence on this issue only lends credence to the belief in Trans World that you have a TERF (or TERF's) embedded in your organization that is keeping such a declaration from happening or you simply don't care.

Which statement is true?   Inquiring trans minds and our allies wanna know.

Because SPLC, so far all we're getting from you right now on the subject is this.

And that's unacceptable.

This Week In The 2013 Texas Lege-Week Ending May 24

The Texas trans community got a major win when SB 1218 died in the House Judiciary and Civil jurisprudence Committee for this session.  But like the Terminator, the Teapublicans will continue on their mission to oppress people who don't look like them until they are knocked out of power.

The clock is rapidly ticking towards the end of the 83rd Texas legislative session and Equality Texas Field Organizer and Legislative Specialist Daniel Williams all session has been giving us the 411 on what transpired underneath the Pink Dome up in Austin.



In this update Daniel explains how the conference committee works and why that is important to TBLG Texans.