Cemia Dove Acoff Case Update

The last news I had in the Cemia Dove Acoff case was that her alleged killer Andrey Bridges had been arrested on May 6 and charged with her murder on May 10. 

Unfortunately the stenographers at the Cleveland Plain Dealer are still thumbing their noses at the local trans community and still disrespecting Cemia by not only using old name in the story but that old mugshot and unflattering pics every chance they get.

And naw, I wasn't the only person who thought the jacked up Plain Dealer coverage of Cemia was problematic.

My fear is that the Cleveland Plain Dealer's ongoing journalistic hate crime and disrespectful coverage is poisoning any potential jury pool for the Bridges trial and will make it harder for Cemia and her family and friends to get justice in this case. 

But back to the update. 

Bridges was charged with aggravated murder, murder, kidnapping, felonious assault, tampering with evidence and crime against a human corpse in the death of Cemia Dove Acoff. 

Many Cleveland area advocates and Cleveland City Council member Jim Cimperman believe there should have been a hate crime charge added to the indictment and I concur with that assessment.   

Judge Hollie L. Gallagher was assigned to the case and Bridges' bond was set at $5 million and there was a scheduled May 21 pretrial hearing that as of yet I haven't found any additional information on..

I will be keeping an eye on this case until justice is served in it.

Still Aiming Higher

'As we own our power, that positive attitude and desire to aim higher as African descended transwomen is taking hold in our ranks.  It demands that we not only represent ourselves to the best of our abilities, but step up to the challenge of being compliments to Black womanhood and not considered detriments to it.'   TransGriot 'Aiming Higher'  October 19, 2011.

Those sentiments I expressed in that October 2011 post are still getting rousing AMENs from many of my Black trans sisters who read those words and have thanked me for writing them.   You have brought it to my attention that I'm not alone in wanting a transition path for girls like us that taps into Black womanhood at its finest and encourages us to be the best women we can be and how we achieve it. 

Our cis sisters want that for us as well as we conceive in our collective minds what that transition path looks like when it's applied to our own lives.   We also have to consider how that fits in with the new  Black trans paradigm  that's developing in this decade.  

There are hard, solid thinking and ongoing conversations going on in our ranks concerning the subject of Black trans womanhood and where we fit in the overall scheme of things.   While some of us get this point, some of our trans sisters have been slow to realize this and it needs to be stressed in Black trans world. 

One of the things we must burn into our brains before we swallow those first estrogen pills or take our first shots is that Black womanhood comes with a legacy of struggle, history and pride we must do our utmost to live up to.  

It's not about a silicone enhanced body, being estrogen based lifeforms, over the top hypersexualized people, legendary ballroom divas, elegant pageant queens or getting SRS, it's living our lives and interacting with the world as African-American women standing tall and having pride in that legacy. 

I want our cis African-American sisters to know that as proud New Black Transwomen, we have our own ongoing history of struggle and a renewed interest in discovering, telling and sharing our own sense of who we are.  We recognize that legacy of struggle that cis Black women have endured and are working hard to be worthy of Black womanhood.

And as a Black trans community leader, I'm doing my part to role model what I'm preaching for mine and the next generation of trans women.

Each girl like us, just like her cis counterparts, has the option of choosing what type of woman she wishes to project to the world.   The problem is that many of us have only been exposed to the hypersexualized girls like us and not ones who have chosen a different path of projecting Black trans womanhood to the world. 

We Black girls like us as we attempt to project the type of woman we wish to be to the world have to grapple with and conquer shame, guilt and fear issues.   We have to overcome a predominately negative media image, a lack of visible positive Black trans roles models and four centuries of negativity aimed at cis African descended women that affects how our femininity is judged.

We also have to be cognizant of the fact Black girls like us have our choices in terms of the type of woman we wish to project to the world and they will get harshly scrutinized and judged by the worst that we produce, not the best among us.   

That choice of the type of women we project to the world comes with the pressure of knowing it can possibly can affect for good or ill whether our marginalized trans community gets human rights coverage. It's why I stress and repeatedly say like a mantra that Black trans women need to be compliments to Black womanhood and not considered detriments to it.

Some of the reservations of cis Black women concerning trans women aren't predominately faith based or harboring on jealousy, but hinge on in their minds their fear we transwomen aren't taking Black womanhood seriously enough.  I submit that the faster we African descended girls like us slay those concerns and we are considered compliments to Black womanhood, the sooner that the cis Black feminine community will embrace their trans sisters. 

Then again there will be always be a cadre of cis Black women that no matter what we do or become those finer specimens of womanhood that Sharon Davis asked us to become back in the late 80's, they're still gonna hate for whatever reason, so bump them.  

We Black girls like us need to aim higher not only for ourselves, but for the cis women who are and do consider us their sisters, friends and allies.

And by doing so, it will result in us being better Black women of trans experience better able to navigate all the communities we intersect and interact with.

Possible Trans Woman Killed In My Houston Backyard

The latest possible anti-trans violence case may be in my H-town backyard.

Sunday morning according to a Houston Chronicle story a call was received by HPD homicide detectives at 8:45 AM about a body in Brickhouse Gully, near the 4100 block of Antoine just east of the Northwest Freeway, underneath a bridge.

The deceased person was found wearing what appears to be a black dress and panty hose in shallow water appearing to be about 3 inches deep.

But since the media did their usual job of muddying the waters (pun not intended) by claiming the body was a 'man dressed in women's clothes', won't know for certain for a few days if the deceased is actually a trans woman or not.

Two juveniles who found the body told someone else, who called the police.  An autopsy has been scheduled, and the case is still under investigation. 

According to a KHOU-TV story the person appears to have been assaulted either Saturday night or Sunday morning.

Anyone with information on the person's identity or what happened is urged to call HPD Homicide at 713-308-3600.

Transition Is An Ongoing Journey

There is a mistaken belief in the trans community that transition is a finite journey with a fixed beginning, middle and endpoint.  

Some people think it begins when you swallow your first estrogen tablets or take your first testosterone shot and ends when you have some kind of surgical intervention or the morphing into the body that matches your brain gender map is complete. 

But I submit that's not the case.  Transition may start when you take that first estrogen or testosterone shot, but the endpoint is when they close the coffin lid on you.

The middle between those two points is the life you live and how you define it.

Like life itself, transition is a constantly evolving series of events that are part of the totality of your life until it's done.  It is a just battle for the self determination of your own identity to paraphrase what my little sis Jordana has eloquently said about it.  It is a long journey of self discovery that at times can be a pain in the ass.   There are periods of introspection and analysis you'll have to go through in terms of whether you're living up to the goals you set for yourself when you began your transition.   Sometime you do that hard solid thinking that comes with that honest assessment of where you are in terms of your transition goals on your own, sometimes it's a group exercise in concert with others. 

My personal guiding transition principle and has been since 1994 was wanting to be a compliment to Black womanhood, not a detriment to it.  

When I sit down and do hard solid thinking on where I am in terms of reaching this goal, it is with this guiding principle in mind among many others. 

But as you're on this journey, you want to strive to live a quality life an which you are happy in your own skin.  How you define that happiness and what a quality life means is up to you.

Run Jenifer Run!

Mel Wymore isn't the only trans person running for a city council seat on a large American metropolis in this 2013 election cycle. 

Jenifer Rene Pool is making her second attempt at winning a Houston City Council seat this fall by running for the City Council Position 3 At Large seat. 

Translation: She's running citywide

On Thursday Jenifer's making her official campaign kickoff announcement in front of the building where the Houston trans community hopes she'll be heading to for the next two years starting on January 1, Houston City Hall.  

Friends! Please join us this Thursday, July 11th at 3:00 PM in front of City Hall as Jenifer Rene Pool announces her campaign for Houston City Council At Large Position 3. Come out and support Jenifer and our community all while taking part in a truly historic moment in our City's history.

You can help us spread the word by "liking" and "sharing" this photo. Also, in case you have not already done so, please take a second to endorse Jenifer by clicking here -->http://goo.gl/12oHw.

If  Jenifer wins she not only would become the first open trans person elected to political office in the state of Texas and the city of Houston, she would also become the first transperson elected to a city council in a municipality with a population larger than 250,000 people.

So Jenifer's not only trying to win this race, she would get to make a little history in the process, too. 

Best of luck Jenifer and hope this run for office ends with a more successful conclusion for you.

It's Pam's Milestone Birthday Today!

Pam Spaulding that is!

Today is a milestone birthday for her, and it's kind of a bittersweet one for fans of Pam's House Blend.

After nine years of writing, she compiled her last post on it July 1.  While we miss her daily commentary on the issues of the day and understand the reason why she shut down the Blend, her voice and insightful commentary on many issues is still missed in the Blogosphere.

She still pops up from time to time on social media and I couldn't let today pass without wishing my blogging idol and shero a very happy birthday.

Happy birthday Pam!  May it be full of blessings and you continue to have more of them. 

Dallas Observer LBGT Movers And Shakers List Has No Trans, Bi Or Lesbian People On It

Received a link from one of my DFW area TransGriot readers to an interesting Dallas Observer article by Alicia Auping that discusses seven LGBT movers and shakers in the Dallas area.

When you peruse the list of seven people named, can you guess what the common thread is?

Yep, the people featured in it were all white gay males.  

The list the Observer put together is not only devoid of ethnic diversity, it is also devoid of people from the trans, bi and lesbian community of Dallas as well.  

Just on the trans end of it you have inaugural Trans 100 honoree and Black Transmen Incorporated (BTMI) founder Carter Brown living in the Dallas city limits.  So does Dr. Oliver Blumer, the board Chair of the Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT) and Rev. Carmarion Anderson, the South regional minister for the national group TransSaints of The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries.

Brown, Dr. Blumer and Rev. Anderson are three highly respected Dallas area trans residents making a difference not only locally but in the Lone Star State and on the national level.  

There's Judge Tonya Parker, the first elected openly gay judge in Dallas County and the first openly gay African-American elected official in the state of Texas that you could have included on this list but didn't. 

There's Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez who was just featured in an HBO documentary.   Dallas based GetEqual activist CD Kirven.  Lambda Legal community educator Omar Narvaez.  Resource Center Dallas CEO Cece Cox.  Patti Fink, the president of the Dallas Gay and Lesbian Alliance, and current co-host of the longest-running LGBT-exclusive radio program in America and Lividia Violette, who is a national board member of Bi Net.  

They are just some of the Dallas area BTL people who are movers and shakers too and should have garnered recognition for their efforts to make Dallas, Texas and the nation a better place.  

But instead, what the Observer did in this article is fall into that troubling pattern of ignoring or erasing the accomplishments of people in the TBLG community who are not white gay males.

If you claim that the LGBT community is a diverse one, it's vitally important that you showcase that diversity especially since not all the members of the rainbow community are white gay males. 

That visibility is also vitally important in a red state like Texas.  When GLBT people of color come out who are trailblazing leaders in the community, that needs to be highlighted.  

It's also important to consider when you put together these LGBT lists that you have not only ethnic diversity, but also representation from the bi, trans and lesbian part of the community in addition to the gay male one.

Casa Ruby Gets Donation From Cis Women Of Color Bike Group

TransGriot Note: More good news out of Washington D.C. courtesy of Ruby Corado.   I'll let her tell you readers the story in her own words.

***

My total gratitude to the D' RAILERS for the $650.00 donation to Casa Ruby.
One week ago, I attended a community rally to denounce hate crimes against LGB people, mostly Trans Women Of Color.
The same weekend a group of Women of color gets unified in solidarity and embrace their Trans sisters by doing a bike ride where a trans woman leads the ride with them and they hold a fundraiser for Casa Ruby.

If this is not the most clear statement of women speaking against violence for all women, I don't know what it is.

Thank you to all the women who worked hard to make this happen and to all the women and men who supported this noble cause.

This is how you combat and speak loudly against transphobia and hate against Trans women.

Love,
Ruby Corado

***

Thanks Ruby for sending me the photos and including me in the list of people you shared that story with.  It's nice to know that we aren't facing this anti-trans violence wave in the District alone and that some of our cis sisters allies have our backs.

Brazil's Transwomen Are Catching Hell

Because of models Roberta Close, Felipa Torres, Lea T. and Carol Marra, actress Maria Clara Spinelli, Carnival and a healthcare system that provides trans medical treatment including free SRS operations, Brazil has the international reputation of being a trans friendly place.

But Brazil is also a Roman Catholic nation, and it appears the anti-trans hate speech and preaching from the Vatican and evangelicals has filtered down to the flock and fueled anti-trans prejudice that has deadly consequences for the Brazilian trans community.  

Those of us in the trans community who attend TDOR ceremonies have painfully noted the spike in gruesome anti-trans murders happening in Brazil over the last few years. 

When we start gathering around the world for the 2013 edition of our TDOR memorial ceremonies in November, many of the names we will be reading and lighting candles for will once again predominately be those of our Brazilian trans sisters.

Portuguese based blogger Eduarda Santos of Transfofa em Blog has been keeping track of the sickening carnage happening to our sisters in Brazil and the rest of the world.

The graphic photos in the Brazilian media that accompany many of these murders of our trans sisters are mind boggling in terms of the level of viciousness that is visited upon our sisters unfortunate enough to be targeted in an anti-trans hate murder.   

But it was one I saw on her Facebook page yesterday afternoon that made me cry and triggered this post.   It's past time that the international trans community and we transpeople who are children of the African Diaspora raise our voices in collective outrage at the murderous carnage being aimed at our trans sisters in that nation.

The photo that made me cry (TRIGGER WARNING) was one of a 13 year old trans kid who was murdered by hanging last month.  

Thirteen.  It's ridiculous.  This trans feminine child hadn't even begun to live her life before it was cruelly snuffed out by someone who thought they had the right to end it because they didn't like the fact they were trans. 

Here's hoping the waste (or wastes) of DNA who did it are brought to justice either by the Brazilian legal system or the karmic wheel, whichever comes first. 

As to what we can do to help stem the bloody tide of these anti-trans murders in Brazil, we'll have to talk to our trans brothers and sisters and their allies doing the work in that nation and respectfully ask them what they want and need their trans cousins around the world to do. 

But it's crystal clear doing nothing is not one of those options because our Brazilian trans sisters are catching hell, and it needs to stop.

TransGriot Note: last photo is of Cecilia Marahouse, who was fatally shot multiple times in Fortaleza, Brazil on January 11.
   

I Repeat: White People Doing Blackface Drag Is Not Acceptable, Period!

And for once, it isn't the odious Chuck Knipp and his Shirley Q. Liquor 'act' I'm slamming for trying to do it. 

This latest episode of white person who didn't get the memo that white people doing blackface drag is never appropriate is Toronto drag queen Daytona Bitch.

He has his draws in a knot because he was fired from a gig during the recent Toronto Pride for performing in blackface.

He was allegedly imitating Miss Cleo from the Psychic Hotline commercials of the late 90's-early 2K's at the Crews & Tango  nightclub in Toronto.

The June 24 performance generated a lot of angrily contentious discussion on Twitter with the clueless Daytona Bitch trying to defend along with his fans the jacked up performance. 

"I asked a couple people if it was offensive because it’s not blackface in my eyes,” Daytona Bitch says. “I went to theater school. I know what blackface is. It was not a minstrel show. I was doing a character.

Whitesplaining segment over, time for Moni to school your azz right now on the subject.

Sure it's not offensive or blackface in your eyes because you're wallowing in vanillacentric privilege.  And if you claim to know what blackface is, why did you go ahead with that performance anyway?

Obviously none of those people you asked in that club were Black Canadians, because they would have told your vanillacentric privileged behind what I'm about to say in this post right now.

Blackface has been used to denigrate, demean and dehumanize Black people across the African Diaspora for over 180 years.  It's why African descended people in North America have highly negative views toward it that haven't and won't change even in the second decade of the 21st century.   

It's also why North American Black people have a zero tolerance policy toward any manifestation of white people in blackface, whether it is maliciously racist or not. 

We don't care if you are a drag performer, a model doing a high fashion photo shoot, somebody doing so as a badly thought out Halloween costume or drunken white college kids perpetuating negative stereotypes of African descended people in the name of fun and frivolity.   You need to get it through your vanillacentric privileged minds blackface is offensive to African descended people and there is no justification in our chococentic minds for doing so. 

And you knew it too, which is why you and your fans are trying to whitesplain this away. BTW Daytona, since you got paid for that performace, it does qualify as blackface since you made money off the dehumanization of my people.  

You don't get to tell my POC community as a member of the ethnic group that exercises power in this society (deleteriously at times to my community) what is or isn't offensive.  We have repeatedly told you Blackface is one of those things that IS offensive to us on both sides of the 49th parallel, so hear us loud and clear when we say that. 

And don't even try to bring up the Wayans Brothers White Chicks movie, Tyler Perry as Madea, Martin Lawrence as 'Big Momma', Eddie Murphy in Norbit, Whoopi Goldberg, or RuPaul's sellout azz into this conversation in order to defend blackface.

Don't bother parting your lips to say that tired, 'we need to lighten up about it' line or try to claim 'it's a costume' either. 

My people and my culture are not costumes you put on for your or your people's entertainment.

I repeat, white people doing blackface, whether it is malicious or not is NEVER acceptable so don't do it unless you like being called out about it.

Class dismissed.

Trans Women Must Love And Respect Ourselves

I had an interesting conversation with a trans attracted man yesterday afternoon that inspired me to think about and write this post. 

We were discussing some of the issues that put trans women in the position of being their own worst enemy when it comes to getting into and sustaining healthy romantic relationships, and I started talking about the shame and guilt issues we battle that continue to plague us at times.

I also talked about the fact that far too many of us are chasing pseudo cis privilege and trying to be what we aren't going to ever be, cis women. 

We weren't born with cis women's bodies, didn't grow up immersed in femininity from birth and will never know what it's like to menstruate or give birth to a child.  However, just because we don't have those physiological feminine body experiences doesn't mean we can't evolve to becoming and being the best women we can be.  

As Simone de Beauvoir said, women are made, not born.  We need to stop chasing pseudo cis privilege and focus on loving ourselves as trans feminine women.  When we being to have pride in being trans women, we will begin to take the first critical steps in loving and respect ourselves. 

In order for us to be receptive and open to loving someone else, we much first practice self love and being proud of who we are as trans women is an important component of that.

If you're constantly focused on trying to be a ciswoman when you aren't and chasing that pseudo cis privilege, there's little to zero room in your life to developing your own womanhood and focusing your precious time on being the best person you can be.

And yes ladies, the fellas notice when you lack confidence in yourself.  It's a turnoff to them.

The cis man I was in a conversation with is so secure in his masculinity he not only doesn't care what the genitalia configuration is between her legs, he is secure enough to take the trans women he dates to meet his mother.

He cosigned it when I commented nobody is going to have any clue what the genitalia configuration is between your legs when you're out and about on the street, how much you paid to have SRS or what SRS surgeon did it.  

So stop tripping about it.   The only time that is going to become an issues is when you are going to get intimate with that person, and that should be discussed up front when you meet said person what genitalia configuration they like or don't like.  If he's not down with trans women, move on until you find someone who is.  

He also pointed out to me he doesn't date a trans woman unless she is secure enough and loves herself enough to be able to love others.

You have to develop the self confidence and self love to know that you are not only the finest thing walking on Planet Earth, that no sane person would turn down a chance to spend quality time with you.

And no, it's not easy to do that.  Even I struggle with that at times.  But it's something I must do and constantly work on regularly in order to be the best Moni I can be.  I have to be able to look in the mirror and love Moni before I can reasonably expect someone to love me back.   
Speaking of loving others, we need to also consider expanding our dating horizons to include trans men in the equation.  There are some trans brothers out there that make me stop, turn my head and say DAMN! when they walk into a room. 

Trans men need to be a serious option in our dating mix and you never know, that trans man could be the soul mate you're looking for.   

We are part of the diverse mosaic of human life because God created transpeople, too. We exist. We need to love ourselves and each other. And somewhere out there is a soul mate that will love us for who we are and won't care what the configuration of the genitalia between our legs is.

But only if we open our minds and our hearts to loving and respecting ourselves first so that we are capable of opening our hearts to others. 

SEPTA Transit Passes No Longer Have Gender Stickers

On July 1 there were a few changes that went into effect for the riders of SEPTA, the Southeast Pennsylvania Transit Authority. 

The base fares on SEPTA went up from $2 to $2.25 for the first time in 12 years.  The Regional Rail zones were consolidated in preparation for the implementation of the New Payment Technology overhaul.  But the most important of the changes to the region's trans and gender variant SEPTA riders is that the 'M' and 'F' gender stickers are no longer on the weekly or monthly SEPTA transit passes.

"As part of the effort to simplify fares and introduce an 'open' fare payment and collection system under the New Payment Technology (NPT) program, extra-fare zone charges will be eliminated on dozens of transit routes, and there will be some consolidation of zones on Regional Rail," SEPTA said in a statement released Thursday. "In addition, gender stickers will be eliminated on all passes for transit and Regional Rail."

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/SEPTA_passes_no_longer_come_with_M_and_F_gender_stickers.html#53pBxAo1XjsDsbQK.99

"As part of the effort to simplify fares and introduce an 'open' fare payment and collection system under the New Payment Technology (NPT) program, extra-fare zone charges will be eliminated on dozens of transit routes, and there will be some consolidation of zones on Regional Rail," SEPTA said in a statement released Thursday. "In addition, gender stickers will be eliminated on all passes for transit and Regional Rail."
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/SEPTA_passes_no_longer_come_with_M_and_F_gender_stickers.html#53pBxAo1XjsDsbQK.99

It was a multi year battle to have the SEPTA gender stickers removed that started in 2007 when local activist Charlene Arcila was told she couldn't use her transpass because of a gender sticker that didn't match her presentation.

Arcila filed a successful complaint with the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations that led to several years of activism coordinated by a group called Riders Against Gender Exclusion (RAGE) around this gender sticker issue that sought to have SEPTA dump the gender stickers.

SEPTA stonewalled on the issue claiming they were in place since the 70's to prevent opposite gender spouses from using the same pass, but all those stickers were doing was setting the stage for the harassment of trans and gender variant SEPTA passengers.

The pressure kept building as the RAGE protests combined with support and resolutions calling on SEPTA to dump the stickers from several Philadelphia city council members led to an April 2012 SEPTA policy decision to eliminate the gender stickers in the second half of 2013. 

"We thank SEPTA for doing the right thing," RAGE co-founder Max Ray said in April last year. "New fare system delays may be unavoidable, but SEPTA realized that human rights can’t wait. I’m proud of the tremendous amount of work that the transgender community has put into this project and all we’ve accomplished during this campaign."
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/SEPTA_passes_no_longer_come_with_M_and_F_gender_stickers.html#xSAtdy2j68zm3FfP.99

So as of July 1 SEPTA's trans and gender variant riders no longer have to worry about the drama that used to get triggered when they boarded a bus or train with a trans pass that has a mismatched gender sticker because the gender marker stickers are gone from them.

And that's a good thing for the human rights of trans and gender variant people in the Philadelphia metro area and SEPTA transit zone who depend on the agency to take them where they need to go in the area. 

Thinking About Ali

Ran across an interesting video about a transteen named Ali, who graduated from Stuttgart High School in Arkansas last year and is college bound with dreams of becoming a psychologist so she can give back and help other people in the trans community.

“I don’t understand why they feel the need to make someone’s life a living hell just when they don’t like it, why they feel the need to get involved in everyone’s business when it doesn’t pertain to them. I’m just another person in school,” said Ali in the video



She credits Ellen Degeneres as a role model helping her to become the strong woman and girl like us she is.

I hope she's doing well in college and is making that dream of becoming a psychologist and helping the trans community come true.  We can always use more people who intimately know our issues in the medical and clinical psychology ranks.  

Best of luck Ali.

Sheena Monnin Still Owes The Donald And Miss Universe $5 Million

Remember Sheena Monnin, the transphobic 2012 Miss Pennsylvania pageant queen who threw shade at Jenna Talackova and made the sour grapes tinged accusation the Miss USA pageant was rigged? 

The Donald as the co-owner of the Miss Universe pageant system sued, alleging that Monnin's accusation cost them a $5 million fee from a potential 2013 pageant sponsor and she lost a December arbitration hearing.

She also inserted herself in the at the time news surrounding Jenna Talackova competing for the 2012 Miss Canada Universe crown by shadily using her as a excuse to resign the Miss Pennsylvania Universe 2012 crown June 4 after she failed to make the Top 15 in the 2012 Miss USA pageant won by eventual Miss Universe Olivia Culpo.

“I refuse to be part of a pageant system that has so far and so completely removed itself from its foundational principles as to allow and support natural born males to compete in it,” Monnin's resignation email said. “This goes against ever moral fiber of my being.”

Well, she's in the news again because she tried to get the adverse arbitrator decision against her overturned and failed. 

U.S. District Court Judge J. Paul Oetken upheld the arbitrator’s decision that Monnin sought to have overturned on the grounds that the arbitrator overstepped his authority, his decision disregarded law, and she didn’t know the arbitration hearing was taking place.

Judge Oetken, who was appointed by President Obama to the federal bench in July 2011 said otherwise.  Judge Oetken BTW is the first openly gay man appointed to the federal bench, so I found it it deliciously ironic he received this case.

And yeah, karma is a rhymes with itch.    Miss Moral Fiber 2012 still owes The Donald and the Miss Universe pageant system $5 million.

What, Fox Noise hasn't called you for a fembot commentating gig yet?  Gee, I wonder why? 

DC Council Unanimously Passes Jones Birth Certificate Bill

Finally, some good news out of Washington DC for a change.  

As the recent birth certificate travails of a Georgia cis woman proved, it's a pain in the behind for trans women to change their documentation to match the person they are now.   The Washington DC Council just made that a little easier for trans and intersex residents of The District.

The DC Council unanimously passed on June 26 the JaParker Deoni Jones Birth Certificate Equality Amendment Act of 2013 that seeks to modernize DC's laws and makes it easier for the trans and intersex residents of the District to request birth certificates that reflect their current personal information.

The bill was named in honor of Deoni Jones, the 22 year old girl like us who was killed at NE DC bus stop last year and whose killer still hasn't been tried yet.

The bill requires those seeking to obtain a new DC birth certificate to submit a written and signed request from the person in question and a signed statement from a licensed health care professional attesting that the applicant has received treatment appropriate for a gender transition. The bill also eliminates a requirement that individuals publish their names and gender change in a general publication newspaper for three consecutive weeks.

It also allows people born outside the District of Columbia wanting to amend their name or gender to obtain a court order asking the original jurisdiction to issue a new birth certificate with the corrected information.

This June 26 vote sets up the bill to for final DC Council approval sometime in early July before the summer recess.  Mayor Vincent Gray (D) is expected to sign it into law and once the mandatory 30 day congressional review occurs, will take effect sometime in the fall of 2013.

Shut Up Fool Awards-Post July 4th Edition

The parades are over, the fireworks displays are done and cleanup crews are busy dealing with the mounds of trash left behind from the people watching all those events and celebrating the birthday of the USA.

It's the 237th anniversary of our Declaration of Independence from Great Britain, but I wasn't in much of a celebratory mood this year after that jacked up VRA SCOTUS ruling and watching all the GOP oppression breaking out.     

And yep, it's Friday.  Time for the latest edition of the TransGriot Shut Up Fool Awards in which every week since January 2009 I shine a bright spotlight on the fool, fools or group of fools engaging in mindbending stupidity, over the top hypocrisy and willful ignorance.

As Mr. T says, fools are everywhere, and the bumper crop of them I have every week proves he was dead on target with that statement. 

So let's get busy determining who gets this week's SUF award.

Honorable mention number one goes to the GOP controlled North Carolina legislature for tacking a draconian abortion restriction law similar to the one that got filibustered here in Texas to a bill banning Sharia law despite the governor's objection to it.

I'd need a separate post to properly eviscerate them on this one. 

Honorable mention number two goes to BET for the awards show drama they instigated with B.Scott.   They hired the androgynous multimedia maven B. Scott to be the host of the pre-awards red carpet show in which he was to do fashion commentary and approved his outfits that he wanted to wear. 

After one interview the day of the event producers physically yanked him off the stage, told him to tone down his feminine presentation, wanted to replace him with actress Adrienne Bailon, and when the predictable outrage ensued after Scott dished about what happened, issued a half azzed apology for it which Scott justifiably isn't accepting.

Honorable mention number three stays in Texas and goes to Lt. Governor David Dewhurst (R) who threatened to jail reporters and silence the opposition to the GOP dictatorship.  The Deputy Tex Fuhrer, er Lt Governor reminded an interviewer on Sunday that there are already Texas laws to silence opposition; especially journalists. “We have a provision in our rules that if people do not deport themselves with decorum (read silence), I’m going to take action against them and imprison them up to 48 hours.”

Sieg heil, y'all.
 
This week's Shut Up Fool Award winner goes to Gov. Rick Perry (Teabagger-TX). 

Gee where do I start with Governor Goodhair?  There was the disgusting personal attack Our Tex Fuhrer launched at State Senator Wendy Davis (D-Ft Worth) in front of a pro-birth group meeting in Dallas.   There was also him calling the dissenting opinions of Texans in the Senate gallery disgusted as they watched the GOP majority violate Senate rules in trying to stop Davis' marathon filibuster of their unjust bill and illegally muscle through the draconian abortion ban after midnight in the last special session 'anarchists' and  'mob rule'.

And yeah, Tex Fuhrer will let us know Monday whether he plans on running for another term a governor in 2014.  There's no limit in the Texas Constitution as to the number of terms a governor can run for but you can bet if Ann Richards or any other Texas Democrat had been in the governor's mansion for over a deade the screaming would be loud and long in the Texas Teapublican and conservamedia ranks for a constitutional amendment to limit governors to two four year terms.     

Tex Fuhrer Governor Rick Perry, shut the HELL up fool!


TransGriot Note: That is not a Photoshopped picture of Tex Fuhrer.  He actually did that stiff armed wave at a public event.  His handlers haven't told him yet that it bears an eerie resemblance to the early 20th century leader of a European dictatorship.

ENDA Set For July 10 Senate Committee Vote

The long delayed Employment and Non Discrimination Act (ENDA) will finally get a Senate committee vote.

The bill if passed would prevent discrimination by civilian non religious employers of 15 or more people on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in hiring and employment.

I'd personally like to see religious employers added to this bill as well because as far as I'm concerned, you don't have a special right to discriminate. 

It was reintroduced by a bipartisan group of lawmakers back in April and has been scheduled for a July 10 vote before the Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee.

President Obama supports ENDA, wants to sign it and is urging action on the bill as a coalition of legislators and LG groups press him to sign an executive order that won't have the coverage that passed Congressional legislation will.   An executive order is also vulnerable to being overturned which is why the POTUS wants to go the legislative route.   
 

Arrest Made In Racially Charged Denardo Pizzeria Attack Case

On June 23 there was a 3:15 AM EDT incident in a Washington DC pizzeria in the 1800 block of 14th St. NW that went viral due to it being filmed and posted on three websites and briefly on YouTube.

It started when 28 year old Raymone Harding and 22 year old Rachel Manna Sahle of Gaithersburg, MD started making fun of drag queen Miles Denardo's makeup as he entered the Manny & Olga's location to pick up food after performing at the Black Cat nightclub in the same block under his Heidi Glum performance name.

It escalated into a heated argument in which epithets were exchanged, one of the women is alleged to have slapped Denardo, Denardo is alleged to have spit in the face of one of the women and egged on by an unidentified patron, resulted in a fight in which Denardo was punched by Harding and Sahle while being dragged across the floor of the take out pizzeria by his hair as bystanders laughed and cheered.   

Elements of the Washington DC and national LGBT community decried the attack in which the 'faggot' and 'tranny' slurs were deployed by the women against Denardo.  The African American end of the trans and SGL community were not too happy (myself included) about Denardo tweeting the n-word in the aftermath of it and the LGBT social media bigot eruptions that ensued aiming racial animus at Harding and Sahle.

There's also the problematic point of the HIV positive Denardo admitting to spitting in the face of one of the women and claiming they now had HIV.

If a person is HIV positive and deliberately spits in the direction of another person or bites them, in some states that is considered assault with a deadly weapon.  

On Tuesday police arrested Harding and charged her with misdemeanor simple assault in the ugly incident which is still under investigation by DC Metro Police. 

The misdemeanor simple assault charge carries a maximum six month jail sentence and/or a $1000 fine.

Sahle filed a police report the night of the June 23 incident accusing Denardo of biting her on the thigh and telling her 'now you have AIDS'.  

Denardo is claiming self defense for the felony aggravated assault charge that carries a maximum 10 year jail sentence,

He asserts in a Washington Blade interview that he had no choice but to bite her in order to get her to release the grip she had on his hair.   He also denies saying that she now has AIDS when the tape of the incident does capture him saying precisely that.

There's enough wrong to go around on both sides.  And as the conventional wisdom goes when you have two conflicting sides of a story, the truth is somewhere in the middle.  

It will be up to federal prosecutors in the District to sort out where the facts are and who is telling the truth in this convoluted and racially charged case.   


TransGriot Update: Rachel Manna Sahle was also arrested. charged with misdemeanor simple assault and released along with Harding after both women plead not guilty in DC Superior Court.
Both are scheduled for misdemeanor initial status hearings on September 5, ordered to take drug tests and stay away from Denardo.  

One Of The Killers Of Evon Young Convicted

Billy Griffin's trial may have ended in a hung jury on June 17, but that wasn't the case for Ashanti Mcalister

The 18 year old Mcalister was one of the five men arrested and charged with the brutal murder of 22 year old transmasculine rapper Evon Young who went missing on New Year's Day.

Mcalister's trial started June 24 and he was found guilty of first degree intentional homicide on June 27.

With the conviction, Mcalister is facing a maximum life in prison sentence for the murder of Evon Young with the sentencing soon to come.  37 year old Ron Allen's trial in this case is now set to start on October 7.

23 year old Devin Seaberry plead guilty to a lesser charge of second degree reckless homicide on July 2 in return for their testimony against Griffin, Mcalister and Allen.   Seaberry will be sentenced on October 17.

Victor Stewart also plead guilty June 5 to second degree reckless homicide in exchange for his testimony against the other three defendants and will be sentenced on July 23.     

After having his first one declared a mistrial Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Jeffrey A. Wagner, Billy Griffin is facing a new trial that is scheduled to start September 16.

So if you're keeping score at home on how justice is being served in this Young case here's how its broken down so far.

Two defendants (Stewart and Seaberry) have plead guilty to second degree reckless homicide and have yet to be sentenced.  Mcallister has been convicted of first degree intentional homicide and yet to be sentenced.  Ron Allen is still awaiting trial for first degree intentional homicide, and Billy Griffin was tried, a mistrial was declared and he will have to face the judicial music again.

I will be keeping track of this Evon Young case until all the defendant have been sentenced to do the time for this heinous crime.  

Suspect In Vivian Diego Beating Case Pleads Not Guilty

21 year old Nicol Shakhnazaryan, one of the alleged perps arrested June 20 in the vicious beating of Vivian Diego has plead not guilty to charges of battery with serious bodily injury and assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury in the May 31 attack.

Shakhnazaryan's attorney is incredibly claiming self defense for his client.  He asserts that Diego was the aggressor that night and attacked his client and his friends.

Yeah, right. That surveillance videotape says otherwise.  But if that tactic of convincing a jury that the videotape is lying worked to get off LA cops shown beating the crap out of Rodney King with their batons back in 1992, I can see why you'd try to run that same legal defense playbook with a white defendant from the San Fernando Valley and a Los Angeles trans Latina victim.in court especially since the Gwen Araujo Justice For Victims Act bans the use of the trans panic defense in California..

Shakhnazaryan faces eight years in jail if he is convicted and is due back in court July 16 to get his preliminary hearing date. 

The other people involved in the beating of Diego have yet to be arrested and a $25,000 reward is still being offered in the case for any information that leads to their arrest. Anyone with information about the attackers should email hollywoodcrimetips@gmail.com or call LAPD detectives at (213) 972-2967.