Evon Young Trial Defendant Billy Griffin In Deliberations

Billy Griffin, one of the people accused of killing Milwaukee transmasculine rapper Evon 'Yung LT' Young took the stand in his own defense during his trial late Wednesday and early Thursday. 

He described the New Year's Day murder of his former roommate and music collaboration partner was an indirect payback for him leaving a violent gang run by his cousin Victor Stewart.

Griffin tearfully testified that his days of feigned ignorance during the search for Young and initial lies to police when they began to suspect a homicide, were driven by fear of reprisals from his cousin and Stewart's gang.

Prosecutor Grant Huebner argued that because Griffin's performance was so convincing over the two weeks leading up to his January 15 arrest, his story and display of emotion on the witness stand might also be only an act.

After Griffin wrapped up his testimony, the jurors began deliberating his fate after lunch on June 13 and are still deliberating as of this writing.

Griffin is facing a maximum life in prison sentence if he is convicted of first degree intentional homicide as the family and friends of Young and the trans community await the jury's eventual verdict.

TransGriot Update: After several days of the jury failing to reach a unanimous verdict in the case of Billy Griffin, the accused murderer of Evon Young, a mistrial was just declared this morning by Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Jeffrey A. Wagner.   Wagner scheduled a new trial for September 16.

TPOCC And NCTE Join Forces To Lobby For ENDA And Immigration Reform

With a trans inclusive Employment and Non Discrimination Act (ENDA) once again being introduced in the 113th Congress in both houses on April 25 and The Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act  currently being debated that will affect our community, the time has come for trans* people across the United States to let our voices be heard and for us to be seen exercising our constitutional rights to talk to our legislators about this important legislation.  

That's why the Trans People of Color Coalition and the National Center for Transgender Equality will team up today to ensure the voices of trans people across the country are represented and the diversity of our community is visible in the fight for justice.

"Immigration reform is equally important in addressing the concerns of transgender and gender non-conforming people. Many immigrants have lived here their whole life or were born here, we need to include the needs and voices of these people into this legislation," said Bamby Salcedo, the president of the Trans Latin@ Coalition.

“Both ENDA and comprehensive immigration reform allow us the opportunity to sustain ourselves and our communities. The experiences of Trans* and gender non-conforming communities of color highlight the reality that  these are not two separate issues. When we Lobby on Monday we will be working to secure legal protections for trans*, gender non-conforming, and immigrant individuals who are already working in our schools and our businesses. We are already here doing the work and deserve to be free from violence and discrimination while we help build this country,” stated Parker T. Hurley, deputy director of TPOCC.

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) would prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and/or gender identity.   ENDA (H.R. 1755/ S. 815) would create explicit protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people similar to those available under existing federal anti-discrimination laws for other protected classes of workers.

“America prospers when all are given basic protections for economic and job security - and ENDA is a critical piece of legislation to help ensure job security for millions of people and families in the United States, particularly transgender people and people of color that suffer from pervasive discrimination due to societal misunderstandings and stigma. It’s important that the playing field be level for all.” said Kylar W. Broadus, executive director TPOCC. 

The Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act (S. 744) is a bipartisan immigration reform bill with several components, including: (a) creating pathways to citizenship for undocumented youth and adults; (b) preserving family unity by clearing out green card backlogs; (c) expanding protections for asylum seekers and refugees; and (d) reforming immigration detention.

TPOCC and NCTE will gather in Washington D.C. at 8:30 AM EDT at the American Federation of Teachers - AFL-CIO headquarters building at 555 New Jersey Ave NW, 4th Floor, for a rally and briefing before heading to Capitol Hill to tell our stories to House and Senate legislators that will be voting on immigration reform and this much needed trans* human rights legislation.

“We hope this will be one of the most diverse lobby days for transgender Americans on Capitol Hill," added Broadus. "While we realize everyone cannot come to Washington D.C. it is important for us to be here. We will do follow up with those not able to make it here to ensure their voices are heard.”

We hope that you will join TPOCC today in lobbying for the passage of ENDA and immigration reform that takes into account the needs of trans" immigrants.  If you can't join us on Capitol Hill please call your congressional representatives offices and ask they do so.


TPOCC is an organization to inspire and nurture collaboration among communities of color dedicated to anti-racism, fighting transphobia and the empowerment of transgender persons of color. We work to strengthen and mobilize individuals, families, and communities by changing laws, educating the public, and building social and economic strength among all persons of color.

Transmale and Transfemale Relationships

Interesting topic from the BTMI YouTube channel.   In this video Christian Lovehall discusses relationships between transmasculine and transfeminine people.

TransGriot Ten Questions Interview -Sabrina Samone

Haven't done a TransGriot Ten Questions interview so far this year and it's past time I started doing them again.  

This one features the new girl on the trans blogging block in South Carolina's Sabrina Samone, the creative force behind TransMusePlanet. 

Her blog is fast becoming another place to go for insightful commentary on a wide variety of issues inside and outside the trans community

So it's not only time for you to get to know Sabrina, but have her answer the TransGriot's Ten Questions

1-You're originally from New Orleans.  What's it like growing up trans in a city that has a gender bending undercurrent to it?

SS-Yes, I was in born in New Orleans, but left at such a young age, at five, so I doubt it affected me environmentally but it was obviously in the water, right? LOL. My father’s family can trace their roots there to before the Louisiana Purchase, so that African/Creole blood still runs deep. Whenever I get the chance to go back, it’s the only place that ever truly feels like home to me and it does have an infectious LGBT vibe and you can’t help but be affected by it though. Sadly, like here in Charleston, outside of the area that liberal attitude totally disappears.


2- Did you have any trans role models growing up and if you did, who were they?

SS-Not in the beginning no, I grew up in Hartsville, SC, a small town an hour southeast of Charlotte, NC and I didn’t even know there was a term, Trans, until around until my late teens when I heard of Dana International, before that it was just RuPaul, who was beautiful but I only saw him as a man dressing for entertainment purpose only and really couldn’t relate to that. The movie The Crying Game came to my town and that was an eye opener, then I moved to Atlanta and met an older Trans-woman who became like a mentor to me and kept me out of the trouble that so many young Trans-women of color were finding themselves in. I wasn’t an easy nut to crack either, so she was a saint for sticking by me, LOL.

3- In terms of your own transition, is there any part of aspect of it that with hindsight you wish you could change?

SS-Physically I’m very glad I didn’t follow the crowd and go for the quick, cheap and easy silicone route. No disrespect to anyone who has, but it was very important to me to be as natural as possible and that meant being patient and let the hormones do their job, along with a strict diet of mainly vegetables, fruit and fish, for me.

My greatest disappointment was that I did follow the crowd at the time in where looking “fabulous” or doing the next gender illusion show was the only issue. A better education was never as important, so now I find myself in my thirties playing catch up. Luckily I did have two years of college before transition, so that feeling of finishing has always loomed over my head.

4- You presently live in South Carolina.   What's your assessment of where the local trans population is in terms of building a cohesive community?

SS-For years her in SC, a Trans-girl of color’s options had been limited to being a show girl, sex worker or at best a hairdresser, if you wasn’t planning or could live stealth. As long as those you worked with didn’t know, you were ok pretty much in any profession, especially here in Charleston, which has a large “ex-Yankee” population. It’s a lot easier here than anywhere else in the state and I’ve lived all over it, which is probably why you have a better organization of Trans advocates and supporters here.

The C.A.T.S (Charleston Area Transgender Support), has made great strides here in reaching out to all within in the Trans community, that exclusion of “certain types of trans people”, is really not accepted here and that’s what I appreciate the most about it. Outside of Charleston you can still meet people in SC, who has never even heard the word Transgender and if you mention TS for short, they will assume you’re talking about a tropical storm. Ideal for living stealth, but can be very lonely.

Thankfully things are improving dramatically, there is a growing network of Trans groups throughout the state within the past ten years and a few at the helm of the LGBT state organizations are doing great work lobbying for the Transgender Community and bridging that gap that’s been a part of LGBT culture for too long, so there’s a lot of positive hope for the next generation.


5- Do you think that transpeople who live in blue states far too often have knee-jerk reactions to transpeople who live in red states?
SS-I think so.  There are pockets in every region that have their more conservative and liberal sections. Even states like New York and California have areas that are as against LGBT people as much as some parts of SC and TX. Just like New Orleans seems to be separated from the rest of Louisiana, Charleston is to South Carolina. It really depends in a red state what part you’re in, just as it does in a blue state. Syracuse, NY is not as liberal as NYC either.


6- You are Queen of the Universe with unlimited power to permanently fix whatever ails humanity.  What would be your first act in exercising your newfound powers and why?

SS-Well actually I would pass on that amount of power and let fate work out humanities problems. I think one of the greatest gifts God has given us is the power of free will. If I could just wave a magic wand and make the world join hands and sing together as one, it would be only temporary because I think the nature of man is to seek out his own free will and things may go to being worse than before, but I’d wish for more hope and togetherness for all in mankind, with hope and faith all is possible.


7- What are some of the projects you're currently working on?
SS-Currently I’m waiting to get in the nursing program for my RN after finishing my prerequisites, that’s number one priority and hoping I start in January 2014. There is such a list to get in, if not I may be looking at nursing programs in other areas, so that’s a big question mark these days.

Before the end of this year I hope to have my first novel, “The Premiere” on e-book. A local producer friend and I are still working on scheduling, to start work on a documentary. Unfortunately this summer my mother is going through two knee replacement surgeries, one down and one to go at this point and she is currently in rehab. Most of my summer will be spent between here in Charleston and back at her home in Hartsville to check on her.

8-  What motivated you to start your blog and what are your likes and dislikes about it?

SS-I simply started TMP as a place to practice on improving my writing skills. I had been a fan of your blog and a couple of other trans-women, just to keep up with what was going on in our community. When I decided to do a blog, my first instinct was to show my fictional side, but I was so influenced by what others like Cheryl Courtney-Evans, Janet Mock and you had to say about what was going and on the divide in the community I decided to do the same.

The other trans blogs to me only seemed to focus on “their day to day hormone regime” and “look at my transition progress pictures.” Everywhere I looked it seemed a vast majority of the blogs were only discussing taking a pill and its effects and I was baffled to why they’re not discussing what life is like being Transgender, how we’re treated in society, why is there even a divide within the community. To me, these issues were so obvious and only you and few others were even touching on the subject.

I know those type of blogs about hormones have an important informational role to play, but once one starts HRT there’s a whole life adjustment that’s going to happen ready or not.  I felt there’s too few blogs preparing the vast majority of the younger Transgender Community members for that. and so I decided to be a part of the discussion that questions our community.

If I can sum up what I feel Transmuseplanet is about; is me asking not only myself, but all my fellow Trans sisters and brothers to question things within our community, question the lack of unity, togetherness and understanding. I don’t have to tell anyone life can be difficult as a transgender person, but I will question why any other transperson or LGB person would make life even more difficult for a fellow transperson.

Regardless of race, religion, social economical status, nationality or religion, yes all Trans people differ, but the one thing we have in common is being Transgender. Unity is the only way to earn respect and equality, not only in this country but the world. It troubles me that someone with a masters degree, a home and a nice 401k, that decided to start transition at 30+, after they’ve accomplished all this, disrespects or degrades a young trans-woman of color (or otherwise), that was kicked out of her home at 17, had to drop out of high school to save her life and found herself on Eros.com or in porn, be ostracized from taking part in a community that needs all the numbers it can get to fight for equality.

We don’t have the luxury of the Women’s Liberation movement that condemns such women.  We simply don’t have the numbers to be feminists with our noses stuck in the air. I say on TMP and believe in the unity and duality of being Trans.


9-Let's flip the question script for a moment.   What's the one question you'd like to ask the TransGriot you're dying to get an answer to?

SS-Probably my biggest question to you is; how do you do it, LMAO?   I notice you tackle the very negative issues at the heart of our community and often go head to head with those like the radfem hate group and others with such negative and damaging comments that if only if they took to the time to realize, undermines all of us.

If you’re white and Trans and can’t have support for black Trans people, how the heck do they think mainstream cis-gender society is going to take any of us seriously?  The same goes for Trans-men who can’t do away with any misogynistic attitudes against Trans-women.

I think you handle those issues well and any pointers would help LOL.


10-Where do you see the Black trans community in the next ten years?
 
SS-Well, thankfully with all what is going on with young transgender kids, I’d like to see and hope that young Trans kids can be accepted and supported by the black family. Transition much sooner in life; go to college and instead of living a life as a trans woman to just be a woman. That’s what I hope, but until then we as trans people of color have to put the pressure on our families, and the African-American community to understand and be more accepting of their transgender children, sister, brother, cousin, aunt, uncle, niece and nephew.

I’d also like to see our young Trans black women take better care of their health, protect themselves from HIV and to respect themselves more. It’s not always what you do, but how you do it. There’s a lot that rush to get illegal silicone injections and are consumed with beauty.  I’d also hope we move beyond looks and judging each other on merits of beauty alone, but strive to be more than a pretty face.

 

Diamond Stylz-Love Is A Monster

The latest video from my homegirl Diamond Stylz

Clock's Ticking On GENDA

While there is good trans rights news about Delaware passing SB 97 out of committee and being solidly on the road to becoming the 17th state to pass trans human rights coverage and internationally out of Canada, that's sadly not the case in New York.

The GOP controlled Senate there is stalling GENDA's passage and trying to run out the clock to ensure they reach the June 20 summer adjournment date without bringing it to the Senate floor for a vote.

GENDA has passed the New York State assembly six consecutive times only to be stalled by the GOP controlled senate.

Albany County just made the New York Senate look even more like the trans oppressors they seem hell bent on being by unanimously passing Local Law D, which bans discrimination based on gender identity and expression.

So keep up the pressure on the Senate, New York trans community and keep channeling your inner Sylvia Rivera.  The bill has the support of your fellow New Yorkers.  You have the moral high ground and the stats and the testimony to prove this bill is needed.   The New York Times just posted a June 12 editorial calling for the passage of GENDA

But where is Gov. Andrew Cuomo who was so vocal on marriage equality?  Why so cricket chirping silent on this human rights issue? .Start calling out Gov. Cuomo on his hypocritical silence on GENDA and point out trans people do vote in presidential primaries especially since he's  rumored to be thinking about running for POTUS..          

Second Annual Nike LGBT Sports Summit Happening This Weekend

The first half of 2013 has seen some interesting and dramatic events happening in the world of sports from a TBLG perspective with the coming outs of NBA baller Jason Collins, WNBA rookie ball player Brittney Griner, women's MMA fighter Fallon Fox and soccer player Robbie Rogers.

Rogers later became the first openly gay player to join an MLS team when he signed with the LA Galaxy. 

It has seen NFL players Chris Kluwe and Brendon Ayanbadejo boldly speak up as allies for the TBLG community on marriage equality and other issues of importance to the community.

It has also seen in the first half of this year some positive and especially in Fallon Fox's case viciously negative commentary and epic ignorance spew forth from people inside and outside the sports world in reaction to those events.

This weekend in Portland, OR the second annual Nike LGBT Sports Summit commenced on June 12 and ends today with the lofty goal of eliminating anti-trans and anti-gay bias in sports by 2016.

The summit is sponsored by Nike and organized by Outsports blog founder Cyd Zeigler, the National Center for Lesbian Rights Sports Project Director Helen Carroll and LGBT sports pioneer Pat Griffin. 

One of the people who is on the scene this weekend from our community is Kye Allums.

Also attending the LGBT Sports Summit are college and professional athletes, coaches, athletic administrators, political figures, LGBT advocates, journalists and allies along with representatives from GLAAD, the United States Olympic Committee, GLSEN, the NCAA, Athlete Ally, USA Wrestling, You Can Play; Campus Pride; StandUp Foundation; Equality Coaching Alliance, the Federation of Gay Games and ESPN.

The attendees are there to form the LGBT Sports Coalition, an umbrella org that will have as its mission formulating the strategies necessary to achieve the goal of eliminating anti-trans and antigay bias in sport by 2016. 

While there has been some amazing progress in letting our people play sports over the last few years, it's clear we have a long way to go to bust stereotypes and eliminate bigotry in the collegiate, professional and international sporting ranks.

The Nike Sports Summit is a step forward toward accomplishing that Herculean task.

More TransGriot Ten Questions Interview Links

I have an upcoming TransGriot Ten Questions interview on the blog for the first time in nearly a year.  That's too long an interval between Ten Question interview posts since my last one with Tracie Jada O'Brien.

In my defense, me keeping an eye on the 2012 presidential campaign and election cycle and last year's busy travel and speaking schedule was a major factor in producing that interview drought.

Still, that's too long an interval between interviews and I want them to happen more frequently.   Many of you readers noticed and have been asking me when I was going to start doing the TransGriot Ten Questions interviews again since it is a feature of this blog you tell me that you enjoy.   

Well, never let it be said I don't give my TransGriot readers what they want.  The next one goes up at 12 midnight CDT on the 17th.   You'll have to surf back to the blog to find out who is the subject of it.

As to why I started the TransGriot Ten Questions interviews in the first place, it was a way to continue fulfilling my blog's mission of compiling and documenting Black trans history and talk to (and talk up) our community's up and coming leaders, opinion shapers, artists, thinkers, historical icons and interesting personalities who are molding and shaping not only our chocolate trans world but the trans community at large.   

I ask them ten questions they can answer as short or as long as they wish on various subjects of interest to our trans community.  I'm also striving to have a mix of African descended trans people from across the Diaspora, of all ages as well and in different sectors of our community including the pageant and ballroom communities.

So yeah people, I'm thinking globally and locally with this feature.  

For those of you I've asked to be the next TransGriot Ten Questions subjects, once I coordinate our schedules to do so, I compile your questions and send them to your e-mail inbox, please get them back to me as expeditiously as possible so I can post them for my readers.  

Here's the link to a 2011 compilation post making it easier for you (and me) to find the initial group of interviews and the ones I've done in the wake of that October 3, 2011 compilation post.   

TransGriot Ten Questions Interview-Isis King

TransGriot Ten Question Interview- Tracie Jada O'Brien

TransGriot Ten Questions Interview- Cheryl Courtney-Evans

TransGriot Ten Questions Interview-Diamond Stylz

Darn, Still No South American Trans National Legislators Yet

While South American nations have made outstanding progress on trans issues over the last few years and leaders are emerging like Venezuela's Tamara Adrian who are garnering international recognition, looks like the international trans community will have to wait a little longer before we see a trans legislator elected on the South American continent.

Colombia's Shelcy Sanchez attempted to make that giant electoral leap for transkind back in 2010 when she became the first open transperson on the South American continent and first in her nation to run for a seat in their national legislature but was unsuccessful in her Colombian House of Representatives race. 


Back in February 30 year old Diane Rodriguez became the first out transperson in Ecuador to run for a seat in her nation's national legislature.  

The election was held on February 17 and unfortunately the psychology student came up short in her history making run as a member of the leftist Ruptura 25 party for a seat in Ecuador's National Assembly.

The eyes of the international trans community turned to Chile's Valentina Verbal as she picked up the baton in the attempt to make international trans history as the South American continent's first trans national legislator 

Verbal was also making history as the first open trans candidate in Chile.  She was running for the seat in Chile's national legislature representing northern Santiago’s Recoleta-Independencia district as a member of a center-right political party with a campaign message focused on achieving equality rather than her district’s specific needs.

Chile's parliamentary election isn't until November, but unfortunately Verbal announced she is dropping out as a candidate for a reason that is painfully familiar to trans people world wide:  documentation issues. 

Verbal ran for office having applied for a legal name change that isn't official yet.   She is a well known activist in the country and active in her party but was told by Chilean election officials she either had to run for her seat with her old male name on the ballot or pull out of the race.  


“I thought, perhaps naively, that given the vacuum of electoral laws, and filling in that space with the anti-discrimination law, there wouldn’t be trouble getting what I asked,” Verbal said.

The reason Verbal pulled out is she felt that having been in Chilean politics for  several years and risen to prominence as Valentina Verbal, voters wouldn’t recognize her old male birth name on the ballot and connect it with the person she is now and the campaign would be a wash.

While she may have been sidelined for this election cycle by the name change issue, Verbal said, "I’m sure of one thing: I will continue in politics.”

Verbal also said something that I and a lot of folks have made the case for here in the States and on this blog in terms of having more trans people get involved in electoral politics and running for office at all governmental levels. 

“In order to get strong social changes, it’s necessary to make them from a position of power, in particular from Parliament. Because Chile is a very legalistic country, it’s important to have laws to provoke these changes.”

While the first South American, first in the Western Hemisphere and fourth trans person worldwide elected to their national legislature won't happen in this election cycle unless there's somebody running I'm not aware of yet,  it's only a matter of time before it does.   

Truth.Be.Told. Take Two IndieGoGo Campaign In Homestretch

Learned recently about an IndieGoGo campaign which is focused on funding a pilot for a documentary TV series called Truth. Be.Told. that focuses on Black :GBTQIA-SGL-TS visionaries to tell their stories.

Over 50 people have committed to tell their stories in Seasons 1 and 2 including Staceyann Chin (Jamaican-born, Tony Award-winning playwright); Emil Wilbekin (Editor at Large for Essence magazine), Patrik-Ian Polk (Creator of Logo TV's "Noah's Arc" series); Mia McKenzie (Creator of the Black Girl Dangerous blog) Linda Villarosa (a former Editor for the New York Times); Dr. Alexis Pauline Gumbs (Co-Creator of the Mobile Homecoming Project); Dr. Kortney Ryan Ziegler (Filmmaker/Transgender Rights Activist); and Justin Robinson (Grammy Award-winning musician, formerly of the Carolina Chocolate Drops).

The Truth. Be.Told. Executive Producers are Carol Ann Shine (who produced Noah's Arc for Logo TV, plus all of Patrik-Ian Polk's films), and Jennifer MacArthur,  Public Media Engagement Consultant for Independent Television Service (ITVS) and former Director of Television + Digital Media Engagement at the National Center for Media Engagement. Katina Parker is the Creator/Director for Truth. Be. Told.

From the IndieGoGo page, here's the explanation of the basic premise of the proposed documentary series.

The basic premise of Truth. Be. Told.: is in order to become all of whom we were sent to be, as Queer Black people, we have been pushed to question everything about our multiple layers of identity - race, gender, sexuality, class, vocation - and then reconcile who we know ourselves to be with the identities our families and society-at-large have constructed for us. Some of us face rejection from our parents, children, spouses, and other family; some of us experience job loss, religious persecution, personal attacks and violence; some of us are more afraid of who we might become than our loved ones who have been waiting for us to speak our own truth. By virtue of being Queer, we do this work in spite of the risks, in order to live more fully.

Truth. Be. Told. is a success that we build together. If you fund it, I will make it. And what I make will do us proud. Together, we will create the most comprehensive exploration of Queer Black identity, to date.  

To make that season happen, they are trying to raise $4000 to produce a pilot episode for Truth. Be. Told  to augment the $4000 already raised from their first campaign.  The deadline for this campaign is June 17 at 11:59 PM PDT

So if you can, consider dropping $5, $10 or if you're feeling generous more to help reach this fundraising goal and bring this much needed documentary series to life. 

Video-Dear Trans Attracted Men: Stop Caring What Society Thinks

In this video that deserves to be signal boosted, Katherine talks about trans attracted men and relationships in general.

Anniversary Of The 1959 Bermuda Theatre Boycott

One of the consistent themes for those of us of African descent living in our various parts of the Diaspora is having to deal with anti-Black bigotry, racism and racial segregation.

We have the common thread in various nations across the African Diaspora having a person or persons who either by circumstances or through group coordinated action participated in events that served as tipping point moments for oppressed African descended people in their nation to rally around and eventually achieve or start down the path of getting racial justice.  

In Canada that person was Viola Desmond.   In the United States it was Rosa Parks December 1, 1955 arrest that triggered the 381 day Montgomery Bus Boycott, gave national prominence to an eloquent young minister and gave birth to the African-American civil rights movement.  In South Africa that person was Nelson Mandela.  

In Bermuda the seminal event that ended segregation there was the June 1959 Theatre Boycott that put the British colony on track to beginning the process of creating a better, more racially harmonious society.   

In 1959 Bermuda was approaching the 350th anniversary of its founding as a British colony and was a thriving travel and tourist destination for wealthy Americans, people that lived on the US east coast and other international travelers wishing to escape their cold climates.  

And for many of those upscale American tourists Bermuda reminded them of all the Jim Crow comforts back home. 

But the 28,000 Black Bermudians living there at the time chafed at the Jim Crow like segregation they were subjected to in its hotels, restaurants, schools, theaters, hospitals and other aspects of Bermudian life.

Borrowing from the example of the African-American civil rights movement now playing out before the world's press, they decided it was past time to end that discriminatory paradigm. 

Since the entire island attended the six white-owned segregated Bermuda General Theatres, a group of Bermudians desiring a better government, universal suffrage and an end to segregation held a series of meetings to coordinate a boycott of those segregated theaters timed to start on June 15. 

The Progressive Group as they called themselves was comprised of Vera and Rudolph ­Commissiong, Izola and Gerald Harvey, William Francis, Florenz and Clifford Maxwell, Stanley Ratteray, Marva Phillips, Esme and Lancelot Swan, Erskine Simmons, ­Clifford Wade, Eduord and Rosalind Williams, Coolridge Williams, Eugene Woods and William Walwyn.

The Progressive Group was also an airtight secret one that would remarkably maintain that secrecy until they revealed their identities 40 years later.  They feared not only retribution from the ruling white oligarchy on the island, they were worried about retaliation against their parents and their future employment prospects in Bermuda.  There was also the concern that since some of the group members were young people, they wouldn't be taken seriously by their elders. 

In addition to the other concerns, secrecy and surprise were key elements in getting this protest started and having the desired effect.  The members of the Progressive Group were rigorously vetted before being allowed to join.  In order to maintain the strict operational security they were barred from revealing even to their spouses what they discussed at the meetings held at Rosalind Williams' home.

Canadian visitors Anna Wheal and Ruth Cordy, who were staying with the Harvey's while visiting their college classmate Betty Kawaley, bought the printing press the Progressive Group used to create the flyers that later blanketed the island.  They also kept their roles in the boycott secret until 2009.   

At 10:30 PM on June 11 the members of  the Progressive Group began the first nerve wracking phase of the protest.  They synchronized their watches, scattered to different locations on the island and without being detected executed a coordinated drop of the flyers and posters across various locations around Bermuda announcing the boycott and its start date. 

Richard Lynch and Kingsley Tweed didn't have those secrecy reservations.  Once the boycott started on June 15, they appeared at the rallies organized to exhort Black Bermudians to support it and energized the crowds with their fiery street corner speeches.   .

After the posters and flyers appeared, the boycott began slowly and was arrogantly dismissed as a 'storm in a teacup' by the white ruling class.   But they were premature in their smug assessment of the situation. 

Over the next eight days the Theatre Boycott gathered steam thanks to Lynch and Tweed's rally oratory and the determination of Black Bermudians.  The boycott crippled the movie theaters to the point they had to shut down on June 23.  The rattled theater owners and white establishment demanded that the Progressive Group come out of hiding to negotiate with them but they refused as Black Bermudians continued in solidarity to adhere to the boycott. .  


The theater owners capitulated on July 2 and desegregated the theaters.  The hotels, shops, banks and other public establishments in Bermuda soon followed in rapid succession.

The Theatre Boycott succeeded beyond the wildest hopes of the organizers.  It ended segregation in Bermuda's public places in a matter of days.  A year later the Committee for Universal Adult Suffrage was formed with the twin goals of extending the right to vote for people ages 21 and older and eliminating the property requirement and implemented in 1961. 

It also jump started a long debate on the future social direction of Bermuda and despite some bumps along the way toward achieving it, helped Bermuda evolve toward a society that was was cognizant of the hopes , dreams and expectations of the majority of Bermudians.

The Theatre Boycott also emphatically demonstrated the value of nonviolent protest as the primary means to accomplish that systemic change. 

TransGriot Note: The photo is of four members of the Progressive Group that organized the Theatre Boycott.

Renee's In The Hospital

Got the news from the unhubby that my Canadian homegirl is in the hospital.

Renee's condition is improving since Monday.   She's armed with her tablet and her determination to get better.  With continued progress from the initial health setback she may be home sometime next week.

Until then please say a few words of prayer for her and her family for the next few days so that she can get well, back home to her family and all of us who love her as expeditiously as possible.   .

TransGriot Note: Since this is her 'Get Well Soon' post, I know one of the things she likes is Coach purses.  So I thought I'd put this Coach cake purse photo up to make her day.

Shut Up Fool Awards-Transwomen Rocking The House Edition

The White House that is!

The 2013 LGBT White House reception was held yesterday and it turned out I had more than a few peeps I knew in the room for that event that kicked off at 5 PM EDT.

In addition to Toni D'orsay, in the house representing the community were Janet Mock, Ayana Christian, Allyson Robinson, Denise Brogan-Kator, and Dr. Lynn Conway.

Those were just some of the tranpeeps y'all know and love that were in that nice house at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. 

President Obama did address the huddled masses for a few moments and while he didn't say the words most of the folks wanted the hear (ENDA executive order), he did urge Congress to pass the ENDA bill.  

He also stuck around to shake some hands before departing  and the crowd started taking photos of each other that will be showing up on their various Facebook pages, Twitter feeds and Instagram accounts over the next few days.

Here's the POTUS making his remarks at the LGBT reception. 




Oh yeah, since it's Friday, it's time to segue into what I do on this day every week.  Do my due diligence in terms of letting you TransGriot readers know what people are gleefully representing the plethora of fools amongst our species.

As Mr T says, "Fools are everywhere." 
   .
So let's get busy figuring out who won this week's Shut Up Fool Award.

Honorable mention number one is Virginia GOP lieutenant governor candidate and cookie chomping sellout EW Jackson.   He's been hanging around the Tea Klux Klan a little too much because their demonstrated ability to correctly spell words in English is rubbing off on him.    He's also attempting to tapdance away from some of his extreme statements that yoga leads to Satanism and that birth defects are caused by the parents sins.  

Once a Teahadist, always a teahadist.  Don't be fooled Virgina by his attempt to move from  the batturd wing to simply being an extremist.  

Honorable mention number two I'm going north of the border for.   It's Diane Watts of REAL Women of Canada.   As the only witness testifying against C-279 in that June 10 Senate hearing she channeled her inner Bug and regurgitated the same loud and wrong testimony she used last November to attempt to kill C-279 in the House of Commons.  

Just like last November, she failed.  C-279 passed out of the Senate committee whose eyes glazed over as they heard Watts' BS, and is now headed to the Senate floor for Third Reading.

Honorable mention number three goes to Governor Rick Perry (R-TX).    The GOP controlled legislature passed the Merry Christmas Bill  (I kid you not) that Governor Goodhair signed that states you have the right to say religious greetings like 'Merry Christmas' and display various religious symbols on school grounds.

"I'm proud we are standing up for religious freedom in our state.  Freedom of religion doesn't mean freedom from religion." said Perry. 

Wrong, dude. That bill is unconstitutional, and once again you're going to put Atty Gen. Greg Abbott (R) in the position of wasting our tax dollars to defend that jacked up bill and lose in court    You cannot spend public money to promote any religion and news flash, not everybody in the Lone Star State is a Christian.

This week's winners and prime examples of vanillacentric privilege and ignorance combining are Joey Heck and Tanner Flake.   Heck and Flake let loose racist, sexist, anti-Semitic and homophobic tweets that their Congressional Republican fathers, Rep Joe Heck (R-NV) and Sen Jeff Flake (R-AZ) had to apologize for. 

Like fathers, like sons.

Joey Heck and Tanner Flake, shut up fools! 

“I’m proud we are standing up for religious freedom in our state,” Perry said. “Freedom of religion doesn’t mean freedom from religion.” - See more at: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/06/13/texas-gov-rick-perry-americans-have-no-right-to-freedom-from-religion/#sthash.aQjX2Aqk.dpuf

 

2013 Philadelphia Trans Health Conference

The 12th annual Philadelphia Trans Health Conference kicked off yesterday and runs through Saturday, June 15.

It is the largest trans themed conference in the United States (yep it's bigger than Southern Comfort in the ATL) with up to 2,500 attendees, and I'd hoped to finally get this off my conference bucket list this year.   I was scheduled to take part in a panel discussion, but once again my buzzard's luck with this conference continues. 

Unfortunately I'm not going to be at the Pennsylvania Convention Center to meet and greet you peeps or on that 5:40 PM Saturday panel I was scheduled for due to circumstances beyond my control. 

Yeah, I'm disappointed I'm not there.   But as much as I'd like to be at every major conference this community holds, sometimes the stars don't align for you to be able to attend it.

I can tell you one conference I will be there in full effect for in 2014, and it happens from January 29-February 2 in Houston at the Hilton Americas hotel.   

I'm really bummed about missing this edition of the PTHC because not only were Audrey Mbugua, Liesl Theron and Victor Mukasa scheduled to be there, so was Jazz and a long list of other people in the community I've been wanting to meet.   There were also a lot of my friends in the community I wanted to see who were attending the PTHC as well.  

I was also looking forward to destroying a few cheesesteaks and Slurpees while I was there.

But for those of you who are in Philly for this event, I hope you're having a wonderful time, you're getting your learn on with all the wonderful seminars and panel discussions that are part of this event, and you'll get the opportunity to check out the meet and greet event happening later tonight at the William Way Community Center at 1315 Spruce Street from 8-10 PM EDT sponsored by the Task Force, TPOCC, NBJC, NCLR  and The Transgender Law Center.  

Oh well, here's hoping I can make the 2014 PTHC. 

C-279 Passes Favorably Out Of Committee

The trans rights news is also wonderful coming out of the Great White North as C-279 passed another critical step in becoming Canadian federal law.

After hearings on June 3 and June 10, it passed favorably out of the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights.

It moves back to the Canadian Senate floor for another two hours of debate and a final Third Reading vote that its Senate sponsor, Sen. Grant Mitchell is hopeful the bill will pass.. 

If it passes Third Reading,C-279 goes to the Governor General for Royal Assent and becomes Canadian law. 

I am in admiration of you trans folks who live in Canada.   You are living in a nation that is about to pass a law that codifies your human rights as a trans person. That IS something for Canada to be proud of and it's something I wish my nation would replicate on our side of the border

I will keep hoping and praying that C-279 becomes a reality and you have something to really celebrate when Canada Day happens July 1..

Delaware Trans Rights Bill Out Of House Committee

More good news out of Delaware as the First State shows New York how it should be done when it comes to passing a trans rights bill. 

Senate Bill 97 has bipartisan support and passed in the Delaware Senate June 6 on an 11-7 vote. 

It passed out of the House Administration Committee with a favorable bipartisan 4-1 vote Tuesday as the two Republicans on the committee went in opposite trans human rights directions.

The usual 'bathroom bill' spin meistering from Nicole Theis and her haters from the Delaware Family Policy Transphobic Hate Council ain't working because the bill has support from Gov. Jack Markell (D), Atty General Beau Biden (D), and several people testifying favorably for its passage. 

One of those people is Delaware native Sarah McBride who is lobbying with Equality Delaware along with her parents.  Sarah was the trans White House intern I met during OUT on the Hill last year and now she's handling her trans human rights business.   

The bill now goes to the full Delaware House for a vote on June 17 that will be watched by all of us in Trans America.  If it passes on Tuesday the bill heads to Gov. Markell for his signature. .

GetEqual Activists Arrested Protesting John Boehner's Office

Hmm.   Seems like GetEqual heard the comments coming from moi and other Black LGBT peeps who correctly noted their far too frequent penchant for protest actions aimed at the POTUS and FLOTUS. 

They pale in comparison to any similar ones aimed at their ongoing and unrepentant oppressors in the Republican Party. 

Right on cue after taking a major negative publicity hit for another protest gone bad, we have eight GetEqual activists show up in House Speaker John Boehner's (R-OH) office demanding a vote on ENDA and getting busted for it.

See this broken clock moment for yourselves.






Still doesn't erase the negative optics of what Ellen Sturtz did, but it's a start. 

EW Jackson Misspells Title Of His Book On The Cover

The Tea Klux Klan and their knee-grow auxiliaries just keep making it too easy for me to mock and ridicule them.   We're going to do this in Final Jeopardy format (snicker, snicker)  

E.W Jackson, the cookie chomping sellout running for lieutenant governor of Virginia has a misspelled word on the front cover of his waste of trees book.  What is it?

And remember, your answer must be in the form of a question 

Cue Final Jeopardy think music

Times up, TransGriot readers.   What was your answer?

If you said, What is 'Commandments'? you are correct, TransGriot reader. 

Hey 'Bishop' Jackson, if  you can't spell, we damned sure don't need you making law.   Besides, your ideas and political stances are too batturd off the chain for you to even become the lieutenant governor of Virginia, much less be allowed to cast the tiebreaking votes in a deadlocked Virginia senate.  

And you know this fool just earned another Shut Up Fool Award nomination for this one..

A Modest AP Stylebook Proposal

For those of you who have taken the time to peruse the over 6500 posts here, you'll notice that many of the posts I have written over the last seven years have chronicled the many journalistic fails in terms of following the AP Stylebook guidelines for reporting on transgender people.

To remind people, here's what they say in terms of writing about trans people:

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 individuals live publicly.

Translation: transgender woman=use female pronouns in story. Transgender male=use male pronouns in story.  

GLAAD has a media guide you can peruse in addition to the NLGJA. 

Since there seems to be confusion, a lack of reading comprehension, or outright blatant ignoring or disrespect of the trans person's humanity a la the Cleveland Plain Dealer's recent journalistic hate crime in these stories, I propose adding this line to the current AP Stylebook guideline in covering transgender stories.

When in doubt, use the name germane to the acquired characteristics or the way the persons live publicly and do not use a name inconsistent with those characteristics.

What that will do is make the stories about trans people more consistent, respectful and less confusing to readers, the trans community and our allies.  It is not necessary for a reader to know in a human interest story for example that Karen's name used to be Kendall or because Karen has yet to get her identity documents changed to seize on and add to the story 'her legal name is Kendall'.

You have already let your readers know that Karen is a transwoman by stating that fact in the headline or opening paragraph of the story.   Throwing the old name in the story is disrespectful, unnecessary (and in some cases triggering) to the transperson in question. 

The bottom line is trans people aren't going back into the closet or going away.  We are spread out all over the country and will eventually make news good, neutral or bad that you'll be in a position in your various locales to report on.

We in the trans community would prefer that those media interactions be positive ones and not adversarial.