Fallon Fox Going For The CFA Featherweight Title October 12

We now know the date that Fallon Fox will be back in MMA action and taking on Ashlee Evans-Smith for the Championship Fighting Alliance featherweight tournament title.

That championship bout for our fave MMA girl like us is scheduled to take place October 12 in Coral Gables, FL.  It'll be the first bout for the 3-0 Queen of Swords since she beat Allanah Jones by submission in a semifinal match back in May. 

The winner of this October 12 bout not only gets the title, but the $20,000 grand prize that comes with it. Of course you know who I'm rooting for to win that fight. 

Go Queen of Swords!

And yeah, I expect the transphobic haters to make their appearance as the fight date with the 1-0 Evans-Smith gets closer. 

Hopefully for Fallon's sake there won't be as much drama and distractions in WMMA World and elsewhere surrounding this fight as there were in the runup to the last one.  I know she's in the gym working hard, focusing on her training and trying to get as close to being razor sharp as possible for this CFA featherweight championship bout.

Best of luck, Fallon and hope you walk out of the ring a champion and with a nice check in hand!

Hey Media Peeps, Trans People Wish To Work With You, Not Fight You

After another media mess up over pronouns that in far too many cases happens with non-white trans people, it's time we trans folks make this point crystal clear to the media 

Trans people wish to work with you to accurately get our stories out there, not fight with you.

As someone whose late father was in the media for over three decades, I witnessed firsthand the power of the media and its ability to shape the perceptions of a marginalized group fighting for visibility, acceptance and understanding. 

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was also cognizant of the media's power to mold and shape opinion and galvanize people to action for a human rights struggle.  He said so in an August 1967 speech to the National Association of Radio and Television Announcers.(NATRA).   

I would prefer to have that media power on our side working with the trans community to expand knowledge of it.

But when misgendering, blatant salacious reporting and indifferent to hostile attitudes from media people occur when we trans people point out the instances of problematic reporting and they continue despite having guidelines in the AP Stylebook and other places such as GLAAD, the National Association of LGBT Journalists (NGLJA) easily accessible on the Web that explain how to respectfully report on trans people, we have the right to be highly pissed about it. 

Speaking of the AP Stylebook, what does it say concerning the respectful reporting about transgender 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.  If the transperson in question has acquired the outward physical appearance of a female regardless of the genitalia configuration between their legs, that person is a transgender female and needs to be referred to with feminine pronouns and a feminine name.   If the transperson in question has acquired the outward physical characteristics of a male regardless of the genitalia configuration between their legs, that person is a transgender male and needs to be referred to with masculine pronouns and a masculine name.

Their old birth names that do not fit the person they are now aren't germane in many cases to the story and our 'real name' is what a transperson tells you it is.  Neither is it any business what the genitalia configuration of a transperson is.  You've already done so by mentioning the person is trans given the reader a clue that their genitalia may not match their physical gender presentation. 

Badly written or salacious stories also add to the climate of intolerance and fear that facilitates anti-trans violence and can lead to court cases in which justice is denied to the families of trans murder victims.

We realize that you have a tough job under deadline pressure to get a story out fast, first and accurately.   But the accuracy part is what we are focused on.   Not only is it important for you to tell our stories in the first place, it's vitally important they be told accurately so that we can get justice for our fallen transpeople and start the process of organizing vigils. 

When you misgender transpeople in stories, peddle the 'deception' meme or use old names we don't recognize, that delays the process.  

And yes, we'd like media coverage to happen for the trans community when we have positive things to report in our community and not just during TDOR or when someone gets murdered. 

There are trans people that have fascinating and universal stories to tell, events we organize and conduct that will drive home the point we are engaged members of our various communities. 


Those guidelines aren't that hard to follow.   Following them will get you and your news organization much love and respect in the trans community when doing so.

Philly Diamond Williams Vigil Remarks-Gloria Casarez

TransGriot Note: I had the sincere pleasure of meeting Gloria Casarez during the LGBT Media Convening in Philadelphia back in February.  We had a nice conversation about more than a few issues, including the Nizah Morris case.   Gloria is the director for the Office of LGBT Affairs for the City of Philadelphia, and she was at LOVE Park last night to give her remarks at the vigil for Diamond Williams.

DIAMOND VIGIL / RALLY REMARKS– JULY 23, 2013

I don’t want to be here today.

Less than a year ago at our LGBT community center, we gathered for Kyra Kruz – who was murdered.
Her murderer is still out there.

Two years before Kyra, we gathered right here at Love Park for Stacey Blahnik – who was murdered.
Her murderer is still out there.

And, almost 11 years ago, we gathered for Nizah Morris – who was murdered.
Her murderer is still out there.

Today, we’ve gathered for Diamond – who was brutally murdered over the weekend. The only consolation in Diamond’s death is that HER murderer has been captured. Her murder will see justice and I pledge that we will keep attention on Diamond’s brutal murder. We’ll keep attention on this case – for Diamond, Kyra, Stacey, Nizah, and all of us who have experienced violence because of who we are.

We will fight so that the coward who killed her pays for his crime. We will fight so that her killer can’t use “she tricked me” as a defense. We will fight, because Diamond, Kyra, Stacey, and Nizah can’t fight.
But, as we fight, there are witnesses who said nothing. Be mindful of this as much as you are mindful of your own safety. And in every one of these cases I believe there are witnesses who have said nothing. I don’t want to be here – for another murder.

Another act of violence. Another loss. Another death misreported by the press. Another “man in women’s clothing” piece from our local media. To anyone covering these stories, we can’t train you. You’re a journalist and we expect you to get the story right. The National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Association and GLAAD have style guides for media that offer instruction on how to refer to LGBT people in reporting. USE it! If the police give you inaccurate or confusing information about a person, ASK clarifying questions! That’s what journalists are supposed to do and that’s what we need you to do.

When people are misidentified in the press, its hurtful. Hurtful to the people who knew and loved them and it dishonors their life. It also hinders investigations at the earliest point and contributes to these cases being unsolved. When initial news reports describe a victim as “a man in women’s clothing” to describe a transgender woman, it impacts witness reports. When Kyra was described in such a way it was stunning. Anyone who knew Kyra would describe her as a woman and any witness who may have seen her the night she was murdered, wouldn’t have “read” her as a “man in women’s clothing.”

We need to respect people in life and especially in death and that very much extends to a person’s gender identity and expression.

We’ve done a lot of work here in Philadelphia on LGBT issues and I’m proud to be a part of these positive changes in law, policy, and protections – but – we still have work to do. And by WE, I mean all of us.

No number of laws, policies and protections are going to keep you safe in a dangerous situation. We can’t be lulled in to a false sense of security. Especially when we’re in the Gayborhood, its easier for some of us to be “US”, but its important to note that none of these crimes took place in the gayborhood – these crimes took place in north Philly, northeast, southwest, and Center City.

Today, we gather for Diamond and we know that her murderer will see justice. All of us will see to that. And, we’ll follow this case on through to the end. For Diamond. For Kyra. For Stacey. For Nizah. For you and for me – we will not rest. JUSTICE FOR DIAMOND

Not Feeling The Sochi Olympic Boycott Proposal

In the wake of the draconian anti-LGBT laws that Russia has implemented resulting in persecution for our TBLG cousins living there, their allies and are now being extended to visitors to the country, loud calls have started to emerge for a boycott of the approaching 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi this February.

I have mixed emotions about the idea, but if you pin me down and ask me to make a definitive stance on it, I'd have to say nyet to it. 

While I'm appalled and pissed off about the anti-TBLG crap going on in Russia, I also have the advantage, unlike some of the younglings calling for an Olympic boycott now of seeing what happened the last time somebody suggested we stay home for political or human rights reasons and the effectiveness of it.

In December 1979 the then Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, and as one of the responses to the invasion besides a grain embargo, President Carter proposed a boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympic Games scheduled to take place in Moscow that summer from July 19-August 3 if the Soviets didn't withdraw their troops from the country by February 20. 

They didn't and the Carter Administration began the diplomatic work of making the Olympic boycott a reality. 

Eventually 60 nations joined that boycott, some reluctantly.  While it resulted in the smallest Olympics in the last several decades with only 80 nations participating in the Moscow Games, it triggered a retaliatory Soviet bloc boycott of the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. 

The Soviet Union also didn't remove their combat units from Afghanistan for another nine years.

The only people the Moscow Olympic boycott hurt were the athletes who spent years training for it and never got another opportunity to compete in an Olympic cycle. 

Those who were younger like 1984 swimming triple gold medalist Tracy Caulkins got their shot in a subsequent Olympiad at the Olympic glory that eluded them in 1980.    But that wasn't the case for many of the folks who were at their competitive peak in 1980 and were knocked off the 1984 team by younger competitors or the 1980 Moscow Games were their last Olympiad after having competed in 1972 or 1976.  They were left with nagging 'what-if' scenarios that have dogged them for much of their lives.

The 1980 Moscow Olympics went on as scheduled without them and the boycott did not remove one Soviet combat unit from Afghan soil.

So with the Winter Olympics coming to Sochi, why repeat the mistake?  It's interesting to note that these boycotts are always proposed by people who have never spent one day in their lives training to be the person standing at the top step of an Olympic platform, getting the gold medal and hearing their national anthem played as they watch their flag rise. 

They propose them because it's not their lifelong dream that's being dashed.

The proposed Sochi Olympic boycott is not going to get Russian President Vladimir Putin or their legislature to repeal the anti-LGBT law.   But you can continue to point out for the world to see what the Russian government is doing to their own people.
 
You can call for people to not attend the Sochi Games, not watch it on television, buy Sochi Olympic themed merchandise and give the athletes the choice of deciding whether or not they will compete there instead of having the decision forced upon them by their governments. 

Olympic boycotts simply do not work as political tools, only hurt the athletes and historically haven't  accomplished the political policy goal they are trying to achieve.
.

Jamaican Teen In Femme Attire Killed By Mob

Infuriatingly sad story coming out of Jamaica

Dwayne Jones, a 17 year old Jamaican teen was at a street party on July 22 in the Irwin community near Montego Bay wearing femme attire at the time and dancing with a cis male. 

Unfortunately sometime around 4:00 AM local time Jones was outed by a cis woman, held by another cis male party attendee, searched by another cis male and when it was discovered the genitalia didn't match the femme clothing Jones was wearing the teen was set upon by a mob.

The teen was chopped, stabbed and shot to death.  The body was dumped in bushes along the side of the Orange main road where it was subsequently discovered at 5:00 AM local time.

Jamaican police are stating that patrols will be increased in the area, but that doesn't help Jones, the teen who is dead now because of the rampant homophobic and transphobic ignorance of the denizens of Irwin. 

And speaking of rampant transphobic ignorance, it's starting to run wild in the comment threads and there needs to be people pushing back in them.

Jamaica Forum of Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays (J-FLAG) said they have documented nine cases of TBLG people killed in Jamaica this year and have reported a 400% rise in homophobic attacks since 2009.

Jamaican churches have also gleefully increased their anti-gay rhetoric and fiercely lobbied against an effort by Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller last year to repeal the odious British colonial era buggery law fueling much of the anti-LGBT animus in the island nation.

A looming conscience vote in the wake of a review of the buggery law is also drawing the ire of fundies.

We can't overlook the role of American based fundie conservative Christian groups injecting their vile poisonous doctrine into this volatile mix of injustice.  In the Montego Bay area, an anti-gay rally was held in St. James on June 23 by Montego Bay Pastor Glendon Powell, who shills for a US based fundie conservafool church in Des Moines, IA

And Maurice Tomlinson of J-FLAG told it like it T-I-S is.  “Despite this ongoing slaughter of innocents, many Jamaicans, including attorney-at-law and senior member of the opposition political party, Ernest Smith, categorically deny that gay Jamaicans are under attack,” Tomlinson said in an LGBTQ Nation interview.

To the Jamaican flag waving transphobic haters I say this:. 

Buy a vowel and get a clue that sexual orientation and gender identity are not the same.

Neither do you have the right to kill someone because you DON'T like their outward gender presentation not matching with the genitalia between their legs.

I thought Jamaica was an independent nation. Amazing the haters are still quoting a jacked up British colonial era law with no basis in science or reality and hiding behind the Bible as their justifications for their anti-gay and anti-trans hatred with tragically violent outcomes to our trans and SGL peeps on the island who happen to be facing the brunt of it.

The Jamaican national motto is "Out of Many, One People".  The Jamaican national motto also applies to them as well. Too bad you haters have continued to shown no inclination to respect the human rights of or acknowledge that some of the people who are proud to be Jamaicans also happen to be part of the TBLG community.

Thanks Nefertiti!

Now this is what we're looking for when we see a media news report about a trans person, especially in the wake of their deaths.

Remember this one I wrote yesterday expressing my concerns about the weekend broadcast about Diamond's death?    Well, after people in the trans community reached out to NBC10 and Nefertiti, this is her report concerning the vigil.

 

The Infighting Stops Today

TransGriot Note: The thinking that went into my post about trans community dissension was jumpstarted by this Facebook one composed by Cecilia Chung.   She's one of our trailblazing and highly respected trans community leaders based in the San Francisco area.

She's one of the people I'm not only looking forward to meeting one day, she's one I have major love and respect for. 
  
This commentary needed to be signal boosted. Here's Cecilia!

Something I need to get off my chest.

Silence = Death
Trans Silence = Death

It is a universal truth.

‪#‎GirlsLikeUs‬: If you know someone who is ‪#‎trans‬ and ‪#‎HIV‬+, ‪#‎HepB‬/C+, ‪#‎Unemployed‬, recently ‪#‎incarcerated‬, struggling with ‪#‎addiction‬, ‪#‎homeless‬, struggling with mental illness, been ‪#‎abused‬ ‪#‎sexually‬/‪#‎emotionally‬/ ‪#‎physically‬ by a stranger/ a family member/ a partner, help them find their own voice. Be their support until they find the strength to fight. We need to organize now more than ever. And the infighting stop today, because we still have sisters and brothers dying and there is too much work to do.

No one will hear us until all our stories are told by us. Transgender, transsexual, trans* or trans? These labels don't dictate our lives so stop letting them drown out our message of freedom, equality, justice and human rights.

Stop making our own sisters and brothers the enemies. The real enemies are stigma, misguided religion, intolerance and ignorance, which are the ingredients of hate and discrimination.

TransGriot Diamond Williams Philly Vigil Statement

The Speakout and Vigil in Philadelphia's LOVE Park for Diamond Williams is happening as I post this, and I was asked by Sade Ali last night to compose a statement she would read for me at this event. 

***

To the family of Diamond Williams, the Philadelphia trans community, our allies, friends and supporters.

I wish I could be there with you tonight instead of in Houston to give you comforting hugs, dry your tear-soaked eyes, and stand with you in your hour of great sorrow.

But what I can do is offer my words and hope they are adequate for the herculean task.

As a representative of the national trans community, I offer my deep condolences to the Williams family and the community for the loss of their loved one.

The trans community in the United States and internationally shares your loss, grieves with you at this difficult time and hopes that justice will be done at the appointed time.

As the national and international trans community offers its prayers for your loss, we also pray for the expeditious end of anti-trans violence aimed at us here in Philadelphia, the United States and the rest of the world.

We also pray that one day, trans people in Philadelphia and around the world will be able to do what was written 237 years ago in the Declaration of Independence in terms of us being able to pursue life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

We also pray for the day that the human rights and humanity of transpeople in Philadelphia and around the world are not disposable items subject to debate by a tyranny of the majority, but an established fact.

God bless you all,
Your sister in the trans human rights struggle,
Monica Roberts

The TransGriot

Dwight DeLee Conviction Overturned In Green Trans Hate Murder

Dwight DeLee, who was found guilty of a hate crime in the November 14, 2008 killing of Syracuse, NY trans woman Lateisha Green and sentenced to 25 years in prison, had his conviction set aside by the 4th Appellate Division of New York's Supreme Court based in Rochester.

The court ruled the conviction on Manslaughter in the First Degree as a hate crime should not stand because the jury found Dwight DeLee not guilty of Manslaughter in the First Degree without the added element of a hate crime.


The issue was raised by DeLee's defense counsel after the jury returned the July 2009 guilty verdict, but the lower court judge dismissed the jury instead of returning them to the jury room to resolve the discrepancy.

The appellate court did allow a weapons conviction to stand which means DeLee will remain in prison while the issues surrounding the manslaughter charge are resolved.

Onondaga County DA Bill Fitzpatrick indicated in a prepared statement they would appeal the ruling in the New York State Court Of Appeals.

"We are obviously extremely disappointed in the Fourth Department's decision and we plan to seek permission to appeal as soon as possible. There was nothing in the proof at trial, nor the conduct of the police or attorneys that was at issue. The Appellate Division ruled that, unfortunately, the problem in this case was a judicial error involving the trial judge's instructions to the jury and the jury's verdict based upon those instructions. We intend to ask the Court of Appeals to review this case and follow the well-written and well-reasoned dissent of Justice Erin M. Peradotto."

So stay tuned, will be keeping you TransGriot readers updated as to the latest happenings in the Green case that we thought was handled four years ago. 

And it's also a major reason why GENDA needs to be passed as soon as possible so that trans people are covered under New York hate crimes statutes on gender identity grounds.     

Speak Out and Vigil For Diamond Williams In Philly Tonight

Don't forget Philadelphia metro area trans peeps, there will be a Speak Out and Vigil for Diamond Williams at LOVE Park starting at 5:30 PM EDT.

Speaking tonight at this vigil are: Aamina Morrison– TIP Co-Director
Samantha Jo Dato – Trans* Wellness Project
Christian Axavier Lovehall – Philly Trans* March
Sade Ali –Philadelphia Deputy Commissioner Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Services, Morris Home Founder
Gloria Casarez - Director of LGBT Affairs, Mayor's Office

LOVE Park is located at 1599 John F. Kennedy Blvd in Philadelphia, PA. and it will take place from 5:30-6:30 PM EDT. 

Hope you can attend it and pay your respects to the name and memory of Diamond Williams.

Guess The Outcome Of This Stand Your Ground Trial

We don't have to, we already know what the result would be.   And that's assuming the Black person holding the gun isn't shot dead by the po-po's rushing into this picture. 

'Stand Your Ground' wasn't designed by ALEC for Black people with guns who feel threatened, only white ones.
     

Don Lemon Schools A Conservafool On His Vanillacentric Privilege

I've been hard on Don Lemon for his trans fails, but have to give him his props for schooling conservafool Ben Ferguson on his privilege and his knee jerk reaction to President Obama's remarks last Friday on the Zimmerman verdict.

Speak Out and Vigil For Diamond Williams In Philly Tomorrow

For my trans family in Philadelphia and our allies, been advised by Nika Jewell, one of my Philly area TransGriot readers there will be a Speak Out and Vigil for Diamond Williams, the girl like us who was horribly murdered in the Strawberry Mansion section of the city by Charles Sargent.

There will be representatives from GALAEI’s TIP (Trans-health Information Program) and Mazzoni Center’s Trans* Wellness Project at this speak out and vigil designed to honor the name and life of our trans sister who was lost to violence, and issue a call for justice and respect.

Violence against trans women is unfortunately a harsh reality in the city of Brotherly Love as evidenced by the murders of Stacey Blahnik Lee and Kyra Cordova.

This speak out and vigil event is an opportunity for Philadelphia community members to gather, speak and organize against the violence that continues to claim and threaten the lives of transgender women in Philadelphia.

People who will be speaking at this vigil are:
Aamina Morrison– TIP Co-Director
Samantha Jo Dato – Trans* Wellness Project
Christian Axavier Lovehall – Philly Trans* March
Sade Ali –Philadelphia Deputy Commissioner Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Services, Morris Home Founder
Gloria Casarez - Director of LGBT Affairs, Mayor's Office

The event will take place at LOVE Park, 1599 John F. Kennedy Blvd in Philadelphia, PA from 5:30-6:30 PM EDT.  Hope you can attend it and pay your respects to the name and memory of Diamond Williams.

Dissension In The Trans Community Is Healthy, Even When It Gets Loud

From time to time I hear concerns from various leaders in the trans community about the sometimes very loud way we can and do disagree with each other when it comes to talking about issues in this community. 

There are white transpeople in this community for example, who bristle, curse and get their backs up when they hear my name and frankly I don't care what they think because I'm focused on the big trans picture.  I'm out and proud about being a Black trans woman, unapologetic about calling out the TS separatists for their loud and wrong bull feces, and have no problem calling out our trans oppressors inside and outside the community.

I also have no qualms about repeatedly calling out the racism in our trans and SGL ranks or tellin' it like it T-I-S is about issues like stealth and how they negatively affect us.

But back to the post.   My thoughts about this topic are more in line with a Jennifer Lawson comment that I've paraphrased for the purpose of this post.  We've had the same discussion in the African-American ranks about the contentious at times sniping we do at each other and her comment on it is,'Dissension is healthy, even if it gets loud.'

My TransGriot take on that comment is "Dissension in the trans community is healthy, even if it gets loud."

I look at dissension as passionate and reasoned argument about the issues of the day and a debate between reasonable, intelligent people into what is the best way to move forward to permanently solve the problem being discussed.

Note I said reasonable, intelligent people.  

I see contentious, passionate debate as meaning we're not apathetic about the problems that ail us in the trans community and we wish to do whatever it takes to solve them. As long as we recognize that and swiftly close trans ranks to work on the big picture things that we have in common I'll take occasional sniping and dissension on low level insignificant stuff.

What are those big picture items?   ENDA passage, recognizing our trans human rights and our humanity, insisting on positive and diverse media portrayals, calling out anti-trans bigots and oppressors with a loud unified voice, getting respectful medical coverage, and eliminating anti-trans violence here and around the world.  

There's more, but that's just the short list of some of the things we're fighting to achieve. Others will have more to add or want to take some off that list.  And note I said that is a short list.   It's not a comprehensive one of everything that negatively affects trans people.   That list can also vary based on race and class.  

But the point I'm making is that we need to be in constant discussions about what ails our community, what we need to do to permanently eradicate the problem, and keep tabs on the progress we make in solving those problems.  

What's more important than giving each other the evil eye after a passionate argument is having the ability to swiftly close ranks when we're being attacked by oppressors outside our community. and keeping our eye on the prize of trans human rights coverage here and elsewhere around the globe.

Nefertiti, Read Your AP Stylebook

Nefertiti Jaquez until January 2013 used to be an award winning reporter and part time anchor working for KPRC-TV, our local NBC affiliate here in H-town.

She now works for the NBC affiliate in Philadelphia, and it's why I'm majorly disappointed to hear that in this unfolding case in which Charles Sargent has been arrested for killing and dismembering a girl like us, the story about it misgendered the victim, the 'male prostitute' angle was highlighted, an old arrest record and mugshot was plastered all over it without any attempt at balance in terms of finding anyone in the trans community who knew the victim.

View more videos at: http://nbcphiladelphia.com.

The How Not To Report On Black Transpeople playbook was followed once again to perfection..

But then again Nefertiti, if you'd taken the time to call the William Way Center to balance this story out or use the femme name once you discovered the person was trans, maybe you would have quickly found someone who knows Ms. Williams by her femme name. 

The reason you're getting pushback from trans community people all over the country and GLAAD is that we have this crap happen far too often.  It happens far too frequently with trans victims of color and were beyond sick and tired of being sick and tired of it..

BTW, here's what the AP Stylebook says about reporting on transgender 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.  If the transperson in question has acquired the outward physical appearance of a female regardless of the genitalia configuration between their legs, they are a transgender female and need to be referred to with feminine pronouns and a feminine name.   If the transperson in question has acquired the outward characteristic of a male regardless of the genitalia configuration between their legs, then that person is a transgender male and need to be referred to with masculine pronouns and a masculine name.

One of the reasons we're getting more combative about insisting on respectful media coverage for transpeople is because potential jurors that watch these misgendering and sensationalized reports are being poisoned with this slanted anti-trans coverage that could result in the murder victim at trial not getting justice and the alleged killer going free.

Granted we realize you were possibly on a deadline to get it out, or you possibly received incorrect gender info from the PPD about Ms. Williams, but whoever is doing the fact checking or research needs to be aware of that and ask that question, especially when the killer says he committed the deed because he discovered he 'slept with a man'.

That's a hint and a half that you're dealing with a trans woman, and questions you need to ask to get a story respectful to the victim need to change to fit this situation. 

TransGriot Update:  Been advised by several Philly activists Ms. Williams femme name is Diamond.  As soon as I get or can find femme pictures of her, I'll post them on subsequent posts about this case instead of that jacked up mugshot.

 

Dallas Observer Amends Problematic LGBT Movers And Shakers List

The Dallas Observer as you probably read here published a problematic Dallas LGBT movers and shakers list of seven people earlier this month that had no ethnic diversity or people on it from the trans, bi or lesbian wing of the community. 

After the TransGriot and a few other people inside and outside the DFW metro area pointed out the original list was melanin and estrogen free in addition to omitting people from the trans, bi and lesbian ends of the  community, three days ago the article was amended

There was this comment from author Alicia Auping in the opening paragraph about it.

Update, July 18: After this post went up a couple weeks back, several people pointed that it was a little -- OK, a lot -- one-dimensional, omitting various demographics of Dallas' vast LGBT rainbow of a community.

So we've added to it. Not every mover or shaker or mover-shaker is included, and you're welcome to suggest the names of people who move and who shake in the comments. But we think it's a better reflection of the community's diversity, which should have been present the first time around.

Indeed.  The persons added from the trans end were Dr. Oliver Blumer and Rev. Carmarion Anderson.  BTMI/BTWI's Carter Brown should have been in this article, too.   On the L end of it Joretta Marshall, Feleshia Porter and Cece Cox were added.  

Still could stand to improve on the ethnic diversity of this rainbow community list, but at least you were listening. Dallas Observer and Ms. Auping.

5th Annual Texas Transgender Non Discrimination Summit Recap

The Texas Transgender Nondiscrimination Summit is a local activism event I always look forward to and haven't missed since I returned home. 

This year's edition of it took place on the University of Houston campus for the third time (2009, 2011 and 2013) in its five year history.  But this time instead of the Roy Cullen Building where it was held the previous two times we were on the UH campus, it was in the brand new Classroom and Business Building.

My alma mater has been on a building spree the last few years in addition to having one of the new METRORail lines under construction pass by the southern and western edges of the UH campus.

This 2013 edition of the TTNS was going to be different because in addition to my usual reporter role, I was teaching a TTNS seminar for the first time.  It was a fact that caused the TransGriot to not have a comfortable night of sleep before I arrived on campus.

I was not only nervously excited about doing that on the campus of my alma mater, I recognized the significance of it as a trans person of color doing so.  I had been up until 2 AM doing last minute research to make certain my presentation was on point which also didn't help in addition to me still being pissed off about the Zimmerman verdict.

Day 1 dawned sunny and I arrived for registration in the CBB lobby after having to detour around the UC because it was under reconstruction after getting off my METRO stop on the Calhoun side of campus.  

On the 18th was the second annual Transgender Health Summit sponsored by Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT) that since I was still honing my presentation I decided not to attend.  Turned out I missed Carter Brown who had Megabussed it down I-45 to attend, Tye West and Dee Dee Waters who did show up for it..

After handling my registration business with Dr. Maria Gonzalez and Kim Herhold and greeting them with hugs, I started the meet and greet portion of my day and saw Katy Stewart and Lauryn Farris, who had made the drive down I-10 east from San Antonio.   Got to see local folks like Daniel Williams, Kristopher Sharp and Nikki Vogel who was volunteering at TTNS this year.  We also had a Latina PFLAG member from Brownsville, TX who was there along with a nice mix of cis and trans folks, gay, lesbian, bi and straight allies, activists, social workers and collegiate admins as we availed ourselves of the breakfast, juices and coffee in the lobby.  

I also got a hug from Antonio an HCC-Southeast student I met during an event I done there. 

At 9 AM we were beckoned by Josephine Tittsworth to Room 124 at 9 AM for the welcome to campus by Dr. Gonzalez, our introduction from Josephine to open this edition of the TTNS and our Mistress of Ceremonies Jenifer Rene Pool taking the podium.

We also had a cameraman from Channel 39's NewsFix filming during the first half of the day before departing back to their southwest side studios.

After our first break we returned at 10 AM to hear the introduction for our first keynote speaker, Dr. Kristen Benson of North Dakota State University.   Dr Benson's research focuses on gender identity and family/ partner relationships, is a frequent author and presenter on gender identity inclusion and transgender affirmative practices. 

It was entitled Earning an A in Transgender Inclusion: Higher Ed's Role as Advocate, Academic and Ally and my former Louisville roommate Dawn Wilson would have loved this keynote because it was themed as 'Defying Gravity' and featured the song from the musical Wicked of the same name as an intro.

Dr. Benson in her keynote proceeded to highlight how universities can earn those A's by advocating, focusing on the academic aspects of trans issues and being standup allies for trans students so they can excel in the academic environment before we broke for lunch at 11:15 AM.

After lunch came the start of the first round of concurrent session starting at 1215 PM.  The three sessions you could choose from were Transgender Legal Issues, taught by Angela Oaks and Tracie Jackson in Room 110, Transgender 101: A Safe Space For Dialogue by Lou Weaver and Becca Keo in Room 104 and the one I did attend Engaging the Conservative Movement In Meaningful Dialogue by Christopher Busby in Room 124 where I'd been teaching my seminar in the next round..  

Christopher is a Log Cabin Republican who along with Jenifer did the heavy lifting in getting the HISD school board with three conservative leaning members to in 2011 unanimously add gender identity and sexual orientation to their employment policies, non-discrimination statements, and anti-bullying policies before I returned home in May 2010 from Da Ville to add the element of being a trans HISD alum.

The seminar helped us understand the conservative mindset and us liberal progressives learn the counterintuitive for us ways of talking to a conservative when we must to advance our human rights agenda and what conservabuzzwords to use when doing so.

After our 1:45-2:00 PM chocolate break, which I missed because I was getting ready for my seminar came the second round of concurrent sessions starting at 2:05 PM.

In addition to the one I was teaching in Room 124 on Contemporary Texas Trans History, Robin Mack and Jay Mays were in Room 104 teaching 'the Gender book Presents: How to Change The World In 3 Easy Steps and Judge Phyllis Frye was teaching another one on Transgender Legal Issues in Room 110 with one of her law firms new associates.

I pointed out that trans history has a Texas twang and focused on trans history in Texas from the mid 70's to the current day, covered many of the players, heroes and sheroes and events that shaped not only the Houston and Texas trans communities, but also had an impact on the national and in some cases international trans community. 

As far as how well it was received, I'll find out when I get the evaluation scores later.   But I did have a few of the attendees tell me how much they appreciated learning what I had talked about and I'm thinking about submitting this seminar either for the upcoming Creating Change event in Houston or as part of the programming of our POC hospitality suite.

After the closing remarks from Jenifer starting at 3:35 PM to conclude Day 1, we headed over to the TG Center for the traditional BBQ Dinner and social event they hold starting at 6 PM.  Spent another several hours in conversation with the TTNS and other people there on discuss the first day and other subjects of interest before I headed home and crawled into bed at 1 AM Saturday morning to end a day that started for me at 6 AM.

I started this cloudy Day 2 behind.  I set the alarm for 7 AM but made the fatal rollover and didn't wake up again until 7:45 AM.  Missed my first bus and the next one wasn't coming since it was on a Saturday schedule until 8:48 AM   Still got to UH and walked into the CBB right at 9 AM because this time I cut through the Melcher Building across from the CBB.

A few moments later we were assembled in Room 124 to hear Jenifer's opening remarks, announcement of a change to the schedule and started the day viewing the NewsFix report on TTNS Day 1.     



After watching it, we moved into the first Concurrent sessions of Day 2.   Our choices for the 9:20-11:15 AM hour were in Room 124 Helping Transgender Students Thrive On College Campuses: A Comprehensive Approach by Dr. Colt Meier and Utilizing HRC's Municipal Equality Index To Advocate For Transgender Legal Protections In Texas Municipalities by Michael Porcello.

Guess what room I ended up in?   Yeah, my dislike of HRC is still strong.  Besides, Colt is one of our local trans kids we've been investing in since 2003, and it was wonderful seeing one of our trans younglings grow up.  He just received his doctorate in May and is back home after his Texas Tech stint to start on his medical school work.

Dr. Meier laid out during his presentation a comprehensive model honed on one of the more conservative Lone Star collegiate campuses in Texas Tech University in Lubbock.   The model identified what departments to target, the people and decision makers to sway and what needed to be done in order to make college campuses more accessible and comfortable for transpeople, employees and faculty.

The 11:15 break hit way too soon, and at 11:30 it was time for Jennifer to introduce our keynote speaker for this day in Dr. Heather Kanenberg who had a Houston connection.   She'd taught at UH-Clear Lake for several years during the time that Josephine and Dr. Arch Erich were getting UH-CL to enact their trans inclusive policies.  She's been out of the state in Pennsylvania but is headed back to teach at UH-CL this fall.

Dr Kaneneberg's keynote was entitled Policy Change in Higher Education and in her speech she hit upon these major points that needed to be successfully accomplished in order to accomplish that policy change you seek.

1. Delineate The Policy
In other words you must know what you wish to change in order to accomplish that task.

2-Get The Facts
Make sure you do you homework because the opposition damned sure will and won't hesitate to pounce upon any errors, mistakes or lack of knowledge in order to deny grating the change you seek.

3-Who Holds The Power?
Who are the decision makers who wield the power to make your policy change a reality?  What is the chain of command?  Any rivalries or personality conflicts between the power players that could affect your proposed policy change adoption?    Knowing who the power players are and cultivating relationships with them in order to get your policy change approved.

4-Building a Coalition of Allies
Allies are vital in getting your policy change adopted nd showing you have broad based support.

5-Taking Thoughtful and Measured Action
Coming up with a strategy and game plan in order to get your policy change passed and having alternative routes to get to you end goal in case Plan A doesn't work.

6-Attend to Politics 
College campuses can be more politcal than Washington, your state capitol, your county commission or your city council.  Never forget that politics is part of the process and do your homework about the political dimension of this task.

Dr. Kanenberg closed it with two Dr. King quotes.   'True peace is not the absence of tension: It is the presence of justice" and "We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice."

After some questions and comments we moved to lunch at 12:30 PM.   It was at that point the skies opened up and we got one of those summer monsoon like rains we tend to get in H-town during this time of year that continued for about 45 minutes.

Our final concurrent sessions for the 2013 edition of the TTNS to choose from were Tips for Teaching Transgender to Health Professionals on College Campuses by Dr. Colt Meier and Lou Weaver in Room 104 and Katy Stewart of TENT's Trans Health Data From The National Transgender Discrimination Survey (NTDS).   It was an interactive one in which were given aspects of the NTDS and asked to present those stats and how they related to the higher education sphere.

The one I ended up in Katy's seminar with was the Family Life stats, in which I pointed out during my presentation that lack of stability in family life affects your K-12 educational performance, can prevent you from even having the ability to attend college, or if you happened to be in college, lack of stability in home life or worrying about it because of fear of what disclosure of your trans status will do to that home life can affect and be a major distraction your collegiate educational performance.  The last one was an issue I was intimately familiar with.

3:00 PM came far too soon, but that meant we were about to hear from our final keynote speaker of the 2013 TTNS in Judge Phyllis R. Frye.

She talked about The History of the LGBT Movement At Texas A&M University, which is a very colorful one.  She gave trans shero and pioneer Sarah DePalma a shoutout, talked about the hell Sarah went through at A&M during the time she was there fighting anti-LGBT discrimination. and mentioned what Lowell Kane was subjected to as he built the GLBT center on the A&M campus I had the pleasure of visiting during my presentation up in Aggieland. 

The Closing Plenary, like the ones for Dr. Benson on Friday and Dr. Kanenberg's were videotaped and when it concluded a little after 4::00 PM, Jenifer returned to the podium to make her What Is Next? remarks.

Jenifer pointed out that much of what she learned at the 2009 TTNS she used to successfully lobby HISD and Rafael McDonnell did the same after attending a TTNS, taught a seminar in 2011 and returned to the Dallas area to get trans inclusive policies passed for DCCCD and the DISD.  

We finally got to the bittersweet point of a TTNS where Josephine made her closing remarks.  She made her call for hosts of the 2014 summit at the end of those remarks and when she finished speaking, just like that, the 2013 edition of the Texas Transgender Nondiscrimination Summit was over.

Where will the 6th annual edition of the TTNS be in 2014?   That's a question that will be answered in November.  The TTNS board's goal has always been to have this event rotate to different parts of Texas to make it accessible to everyone across our bigger than France state.  They don't want it to be just a Houston party but that's how it has evolved so far. 

So far it's been just UH (2009, 2011, 2013) Rice (2010) and UH-Clear Lake (2012) hosting the Texas Transgender Nondiscrimination Summit with HCC and UH-Downtown also waiting in the wings if no one else in the rest of the state is willing to step up to be the eager hosts of the 2014 TTNS. 

To be honest, I'd like to take a road trip to San Antonio, Dallas, Ft. Worth, Austin or even better one of our Texas HBCU campuses in Texas Southern University or Prairie View A&M to attend or teach a seminar at a TTNS one day.   The cluster of San Antonio folks who were there in attendance had a quick preliminary discussion not long after the TTNS ended in order to discuss that possibilty of organizing and hosting it on one of the college campuses in their area and I hope they are serious about making that happen. 

But wherever it goes, you TransGriot readers will find out when I get the word.

Rest In Peace, Michelle C. Myers

Was saddened to learn yesterday of the passing in her sleep of another one of our trailblazing leaders on June 17 in Michelle Claire Myers.   She was president of TATS for several years in the late 90's when she lived here in Houston and I was on the board of the organization, and I had much love and respect for this kind woman who was missed in H-town when she moved to San Antonio.

She was a retired chemical engineer who spoke three languages, knew several computer languages and served on the boards of several organizations in San Antonio.   She had some health challenges recently prior to her death.

Her memorial service was held June 22 and I wish I'd known about it so I could have paid my respects to her well lived life and posted about Ms. Myers at that time. 

Better late than never.   

Michelle was a beloved figure in San Antonio and also on our end of I-10 who mentored, guided and advised many people who were embarking on this gender journey with wise counsel that she role modeled every day.

She will be missed by all who knew and loved her.  Rest in power and peace, Michelle.  

POTUS Remarks On Trayvon Martin Case

President Obama after a few days of noticeable silence emerged Friday to speak about the Trayvon Martin and the unjust Zimmerman verdict.

 

Houston Possible Trans Murder Case Update

I posted about the discovery of a body wearing a black dress and hose in a NW Houston gully back in early July and the possibility the victim was trans.

As of today we still don't have clear and concise enough information about the deceased that I and other people are confident enough to report at this time.

We also haven't been getting enough information from the Houston Police Department to clear up in our minds whether the person found was actually a member of our trans community.

I'll continue to work my sources to ferret that information out and once i have it, you'll see it posted here.

In the meantime, for those of you in the Houston area who have information on this ongoing case, please call HPD Homicide at 713-308-3600.