'You're A Racist"- Um, No I'm Not

I laugh my azz off when people, especially on the conservafool side of the political spectrum fling the facts free charge at me that 'I'm a racist' or I'm 'playing the race card' for calling out on a regular basis the racism that permeates American society.   

Um,.no.  And saying that BS to me clearly exposes you as either completely and utterly ignorant about these issues because you watch too much Fox Noise or you're wallowing in some serious vanillacentric privilege.

For those of you who didn't go to college or were asleep in Sociology 101 when this discussion was going on, Racism = prejudice infused with political, economic, judicial, police, military and social power in which a dominant racial group uses those levers of societal power to retard, impede or roll back the societal progress of a minority group.  

It is not what butthurt white conservafools who fit that Sociology 101 definition of Racism (and gleefully practice it) spit back at people who call them on their crap.

And butthurt white peeps, if you don't want to be called a racist, then stop acting in the racist ways or flapping your gums in ways that leave no doubt in the minds of non-white people and our allies that you most certainly are.
The reality in American society is the only people in it who have that kind of power to be racist are white people.  You are the majority population (at least until 2040) in all but five states and you have gleefully in many cases let you prejudices run rampant to fit the Sociology 101 racism description.

There is no such thing as 'reverse racism' because non-white people don't have that kind of power.   For non-white people tho be racist it would require American society to be an equal and level playing field, and we ain't even close to wielding that kind of power yet.

Non white people can be bigoted and prejudiced.  But we don't exist with the kind of power to make white lives a living hell as has been done unto us for the last four centuries in North America and elsewhere in the world.

Another Early 90's Springer Show On Trans Issues

While looking for some interesting video, ran across another early 90's Jerry Springer show that surprise surprise, respectfully talks about trans issues.

While this is only a less than eight minute snippet of it, it still is an interesting enough discussion to post on the blog.

Konyale Madden, RIP

One of the things that unfortunately happened while Computer Prime was in the shop and I didn't get to report on when it happened was the murder of another African-American trans woman in the month of August

And this one happened in my home state.  

I heard about Domonique Newburn and Islan Nettles, now it's past time for me to catch up with the third African-American transwoman under age 35 who was murdered that month in A Konyale Madden.   

34 year old Konyale Madden was found punched in the face and shot to death in her Denton County home in Savannah Estates just east of Denton, TX by friends on Sunday, September 1.

She texted another family member she was going out on a date and that was the last communication anyone had with her.  Denton County Sheriff's Sgt. Larry Kish speculates Madden was killed either that Friday or Saturday.   Some of her belongings were missing but there were no signs of forced entry in her home.

And as you probably guessed, Madden was misgendered in the initial news reporting on the story in the Denton paper. 

Madden was born in Longviev, TX and transitioned in high school.  She graduated from UT-Arlington in 2002, worked in Plano at the JC Penney corporate office until being laid off and attended services at TD Jakes' Potter's House church in Dallas.

Her funeral was held in Longview on September 7.

If you have any information on the case, contact Denton County Sheriff’s Office investigator Donn Britt at 940-349-1667.

Rest in peace Konyale, you'll be missed by all who loved you. 

Why Trans Education Efforts Are Vitally Important

It's been 60 years since Christine Jorgensen stepped off that SAS flight from Denmark and into the view of the unblinking eye of the world's media. 

This year has been a particularly historic one in terms of coverage we have received with the launch of the inaugural Trans 100 List by Antonia D'orsay and Jen Richards I was proud to be named to.  There was the inclusion of five Latin@ trans people on the inaugural Honor 41 List that spotlights the achievements of TBLG Latin@ people created by Alberto Mendoza.

We have also had the benefit of Janet Mock and Laverne Cox beautifully gracing the nation's televisions screens and drop knowledge on programs from the Melissa Harris Perry Show to Huff Po Live and beyond.  

Laverne has also made news as a girl like us playing a trans character on the breakout hit drama series Orange Is The New Black.


We even had trans people make lists that aren't specifically geared to our community like Dr Kortney Ryan Ziegler being named to The Root 100 list of Top Black Influencers and Laverne win the Out 100 People's Choice Award by a comfortable margin. 


Internationally my transsisters Audrey Mbugua, Naomi Fontanos and Wendy Iriepa have made appearances on the television screens of the world and in their respective homelands.   They intelligently discuss our issues in multiple venues and fight for human rights and justice.

But to borrow the eloquent words of my friend Denny Upkins, sometimes it seems as though the trans community is ice skating uphill when we attempt to smash those anti-trans stereotypes that are used by the Forces of Intolerance to oppose and continue oppressing us. 

In some cases it's the media we have to battle in terms of the people responsible for pushing those unflattering memes that result in on the Internet search engines of the world trans masculine people being erased from the conversation about trans issues and transfeminine people being disrespectfully being conflated with or called men. .

Toni said tin her blog post concerning those unflattering Internet memes:

This is why the work of improving the image, recognizing the greatness and the amazing power that we have, and why we must continue to push forward and make sure that trans women are not the only ones seen, the only ones spoken about — even as we change the way they are seen, and the way they are spoken about.

Sadly, many of those people who need that Trans 101 'ejumacation' besides the media peeps are in our own LGB ranks. And frankly, we need those education efforts in our own pink and blue flag waving trans ranks, too.  We need to be teaching our history to our newly out trans folks.  We need to give them the baseline knowledge, tools and vocabulary to tell their stories and talk about their lives.

As frustrated as we are at times in our trans ranks about the Trans 101 and 102 level of conversation in Cis World about our issues, until we get a solid majority of people acclimated to those Trans 101 and 102 discussions and blow up the obfuscations and falsehoods about us, it makes it more difficult for those who are not in Trans World to understand Trans 201, 202, 301 and 302 conversation levels. 

The trans education work must continue because of not only our four decade old TERF enemies hatin' to the disco beat, we now have the undivided attention of the Religious Reich. 

Defeating the patented Fox Noise fear and smear conservatactics and faith-based anti-trans hate already being deployed against us is going to be an all hands on deck project   We must give social justice minded people who see trans rights as human rights the base level of knowledge about our trans lives in order for them to be the fierce advocates and allies we need them to be. 

And yes trans peeps, sadly that trans education project will be an ongoing one. African descended cis people have been on North American soil for four centuries and we're STILL debunking in the second decade of the 21st century the negative myths that were propagated about us.  

So yes, we need to be tough minded enough to make it happen.   We also need to be cognizant of the fact these trans education efforts are long haul ones vitally important to our lofty goal of acquiring and expanding trans human rights for all of us.  

Judge Posner, Too Bad You Didn't Recognize Voter ID=Voter Suppression In 2007

“Let’s not beat around the bush: The Indiana voter photo ID law is a not-too-thinly-veiled attempt to discourage election-day turnout by certain folks believed to skew Democratic.”
--Judge Terence T. Evans,  Dissenting opinion, Crawford v. Marion County Election Board case

The landmark Crawford v. Marion County Election Board case in 2007 that was subsequently upheld a year later by the SCOTUS unleashed a new way for the GOP to engage in their Southern Strategy tactics of suppressing the voting rights of non-white Americans.

As we in Texas started the first election cycle in which that Spawn of Conservasatan Voter Suppression law is impacting us no thanks to the SCOTUS frakking with Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act, we have the bitter irony of the US Seventh Circuit court judge who wrote the opinion in favor of it, Judge Richard A Posner, now saying he was wrong in that case. 

Posner was appointed to the Seventh District Court of Appeals in 1981 by President Reagan and is a senior lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School.  In his 40th book, “Reflections on Judging,” Judge Posner said, “I plead guilty to having written the majority opinion” in the case. He noted that the Indiana law in the Crawford case is “a type of law now widely regarded as a means of voter suppression rather than of fraud prevention.” .

Gee, any person of color who is or isn't an attorney could have told you that. Judge Evans tried to tell you that in 2007.



Thanks Judge Posner for admitting you were wrong in that case, but it's too little and way too damned late.

Judge Evans (who passed away in 2011) isn't around to hear you say it, and your 'you were wrong' admission on video and in print is of little comfort to those of us living in GOP controlled areas of the country who have to deal with the repercussions of these Voter ID laws you and Judge Sykes' opinion in Crawford v. Marion County Election Board helped unleash on the rest of the nation.

        

I Repeat, You Can't Declare War On Love

"You can't declare war on love." --Number Six, Battlestar Galactica 'The Plan'

Three years ago I wrote a Battlestar Galatica  themed post in which I compared the marriage equality fight to my fave sci-fi show. 

I noted in that post that the Religious Right can't deal with people of the same gender or trans people falling in love and getting married and for specious political and religious reasons they want to prevent that by any means necessary.

They basically declared war on love.   And they are now three years after I wrote the post are conceding they are losing the 'War on Love' they started. 

More Americans support same gender marriage now than when I wrote that post in August 2010.  President Obama on May 9, 2012 became the first sitting president to publicly support legalizing same-sex marriage. Maine, Maryland and Minnesota legalized it through a popular vote in November 2012.  The New Mexico Supreme Court will have a hearing on the issue Wednesday, and Hawaii's Governor Neil Abercrombie (D) has called a special session that starts October 28 in which they will attempt to pass a marriage equality bill.  

To add an exclamation point on the positive momentum for marriage equality, New Jersey on Monday became the 14th state in addition to the District of Columbia to allow same gender people to marry.

And in the wake of the SCOTUS rulings overturning DOMA and Prop 8  there are suits being filed in deep red GOP controlled states to overturn their anti-same sex marriage amendments.



On the trans marriage front two of our three signature international marriage cases have gone our way with Joanne Cassar in Malta and Ms W in Hong Kong emerging victorious after a few setbacks, and us Texas transpeeps awaiting the result of Nikki Araguz Loyd's recent appeal in Corpus Christi.

The conservafools still haven't come to grips with the reality of 'you can't declare war on love', are clueless to the fact they on the wrong side of history and still keep fighting the 'War on Love' they will ultimately lose. 

I can say that with confidence because the moral arc of the universe is bending toward justice for the SGL, trans and bi community on this issue.  We're also just as resolute to keep fighting them on this human rights issue until we can't or until victory is assured.

Thanks Y'all For Helping MAJOR! Win Again

MAJOR! was up for IndieWire's Project Of The Week which was being voted on until the poll closed at 11 AM EDT yesterday. 

I wrote a post asking you loyal TransGriot readers to support it and help Annalise and StormMiguel win this IndieWire vote for Team Trans, and in case you were wondering what the results were for this vote, I'm about to tell you.

Out of the 608 votes cast in the poll, MAJOR! won the Project of the Week with 294 votes or 48.36% of the total!  Next closest project came in with 175 votes  (29% of the total)

So with this latest win Annalise and StormMiguel are not only in the running for IndieWire's Project of the Month, they will receive a digital distribution consultation from SnagFilms.  

Annalise and StormMiguel asked me to thank you peeps who voted for MAJOR! on their behalf.  They will let me know what happens and how the Project of the Month winner will be determined.  If they win Project of the Month, they will be awarded with a creative consultation from the peeps at the Tribeca Film Institute!  

Congrats again for another win Annalise and StormMiguel!
 

Damn, Y'all Starting The 'War On The Girl Scouts' Again?

The conservative movement 'War On Women' for the last few years has also included because of their progressive outlook, attacking the Girl Scouts.

The fundies have foaming at the mouth hatred for Girl Scouts of the USA because it not only didn't get taken over by the wingers like they did the Boy Scouts, GSUSA has stated on its website the organization “does not have a relationship or partnership with Planned Parenthood,” and that it will remain a “secular organization” that will not take a position on human sexuality, birth control, abortion.

The faith-based haters not only have stopped organizing and supporting Girl Scout troops, in some cases they are denying them meeting spaces.  They have even gone as far as organizing their own conservative alternative organization called the AmeriKKKan American Heritage Girls.

They have also over the last few years attacked the Girl Scout cookie drives which are one of the funding streams for the organization. 

Thanks to longtime reader Jazmine for bringing to my attention another 'War On The Girl Scouts' attack to shine a bright spotlight on. 

This latest violation of the Ten Commandments comes from right wing pastor Kevin Swanson.   He urged his Generations Radio show listeners not to buy Girl Scout cookies because 'the organization promotes lesbianism' 

“I’d say you ought to say no to the Girl Scout cookies,” Swanson told listeners. “I don’t want to support lesbianism, I don’t want to support Planned Parenthood and I don’t want to support abortion, and if that be the case I’m not buying Girl Scout cookies.”

And if that fear and smear line wasn't enough to stir up the sheeple, Swanson called the Girl Scouts of the USA  ”a wicked organization,” that doesn’t promote “godly womanhood.”

He also attacked my mayor and threw the c-word in there:  Communist. 

And oh yeah, the commandment Pharisee Swanson violated was 'thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.'

Yeah, it's time to rebuke this fool in the name of Jesus by tripling your orders of Girl Scout cookies when the GSUSA cookie drives start in your area.

And yeah, he's earned a Shut Up Fool award nomination for this one.

Early Voting Starts For 2013 H-Town City Elections

At 8 AM CDT the polls open for the start of the early voting period for our city elections.  

If you've already made up your mind which candidates you're voting for and not seeing a bunch of TV ads or hearing radio spots isn't going to change it, you can get your vote on from now until November 1 at these various locations around the city and county. 

But if you feel like waiting until November 5 to do so because you need more time to become a better informed voter about the candidates, issues and ballot propositions, then that's all good as well.

Just make sure you cast your ballot before November 5.. 

Because the SCOTUS frakked with Section 4 of the VRA and AG Greg Abbott (R) couldn't wait to do so, the Texas GOP Voter Suppression Act is in place and you will need Photo ID to do so instead of just your yellow voter registration card.

And yeah Greg Abbott, I'm going to take out my pissivity over that GOP voter suppression bull feces out on you next year should you get out of the Teapublican Party primary.   I damned sure don't want your behind sitting in the governor's chair because it's clear you don't care about non-white citizens of Texas or their human rights.

But I have 13 months to riff on him.  Time to get back to focusing on the city elections and the early voting period starting in just a few hours.  

I'm hoping that Mayor Parker gets her third and final term at City Hall and that Jenifer Rene Pool makes history as well in her At Large Position 3 city council race. 

There is a twelve person field jockeying to see who will replace the term limited Wanda Adams (who is running for a seat on the HISD school board) and represent me and the residents of District D on City Council.  I've had conversations with two of the twelve in Assata Richards and Larry McKinzie.   But that decision is going to be a difficult one.

I had a nice chat with Carolyn Evans-Shabazz who is running for an At Large Position 5 city council seat during a recent forum that helped clarify where some of the candidates stood on the issues I felt were important to me and my community.   

But in any case, if you can do so, vote.   I definitely plan to do so, especially since I have an early voting location mere blocks from the house and I've always loved the convenience of voting on my schedule.  


We'll find out November 5 when the ballots are counted who won their seats outright or who will be headed to runoff elections that will take place in December.

2013 Texans Watch-Close But Another Loss

I along with many ride or die Texans fans are not happy about the four game losing streak that our NFL ballers entered Kansas City with that has the potential to ruin what was supposed to be a Super Bowl season for us.  

Instead the Texans are staring at the possibility of missing the playoffs and Gary Kubiak's coaching chair is getting a little warmer.   

With Matt Schaub definitely out for this game Kubiak finally did what much of the fanbase wanted him to do and start Case Keenum at quarterback. 

And Case delivered.   He not only showed his ability to extend plays and scramble out of trouble to get yards as he did during his NCAA record breaking UH career, he kept this game competitive to the point they had a chance to win it.   Even better, Case was 15 for 25 for 271 yards and a TD in his first NFL start and had ZERO interceptions.

There was a little more fight in the Texans after that pathetic performance against the Rams last week and they were down 14-10 at halftime.   But a tough game got even tougher as Arian Foster was forced to leave the game with a first quarter hamstring injury and Ben Tate joined him on the sidelines later.  LB Brian Cushing was lost with a torn LCL and broken leg in the third quarter.

Despite the injuries and no running attack the Bulls on Parade did their job and kept the Texans in the game.  When they forced Kansas City to punt with 1:46 left in the game the Texans had the ball deep in their territory and the table was set for the storybook comeback to end the game.

But KC linebacker Tamba Hall stripped Keenum from behind on the Texans 2 yard line and Derrick Johnson recovered the fumble to seal the narrow 17-16 Kansas City win and leave them the NFL's lone unbeaten team at 7-0

With their fifth straight loss the Texans limped into their bye week at 2-5 and are assured to go 0 for October.  They return to action at Reliant Stadium November 3 in a nationally televised Sunday Night clash with our division rivals the Indianapolis Colts.        

Here's hoping Keenum is the starter in that game, too.

TDOR 2013-Initial List Of TDOR Events Is Up

There was concern in Trans World when our go to website for Transgender Day of Remembrance information at the beginning of October hadn't been updated.  It was even more of a concern considering this is the 15th anniversary of TDOR memorials being conducted around the world. 

With a month to go until the Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20, the dates and locations for the various TDOR events around the world are starting to be posted in this one centralized location so people can make the necessary plans to attend them or organize one if they don't see their town, nation or locale on the list. 

If you have organized a 2013 TDOR memorial service, please pass that informtion along to Marti Abernathey ASAP so she can post it to this growing TDOR memorial event list and folks who wish to attend them can know the dates and locations for these services. 

And speaking of these TDOR events and services, once again I would like to remind those of you tasked with or who volunteered to plan these memorial services to do whatever it takes to ensure they are as diverse as the people who have died that we are memorializing this year.

One of the complaints I hear far too often is that the TDOR events are strikingly monoracial, and diversity needs to be a focus item for TDOR 2013.    

Marti's email is Transgenderdor@gmail.com  You can also follow Twitter updates at http://twitter.com/Transgenderdor

November 20 will be here before we know it, so lets do everything possible to get the word out about TDOR 2013 events and properly remember the people we've lost this year. 

Janette Tovar Murder Anniversary Update

On October 16 we passed the one year anniversary of the death of 43 year old Janette Tovar of Dallas, who died of blunt force trauma to the head after she was assaulted by her then 26 year old partner Jonathan Scott Kenney.

Kenney was arrested and charged for the murder of Tovar, but I haven't as of this writing found any evidence of a trial date being set for Kenney in this case or if he has been convicted of it.

I'll have to talk to my sources in the Dallas area to find out what's going on in the Tovar case since it's been a year and I'd like to know myself what's going on.  

The Facebook page set up in her memory by her niece Layla was updated on what would have been Janette's birthday on August 31 and has a recent post dated September 15.

It points out what I've stated before.  Trans murders have impacts far beyond just the individual whose life was taken.  It has ripple effects in the lives of countless other people who knew and loved the person as well. 

RIP Janette, and may you expeditiosly receive justice. 

2013 UH Cougar Watch-Tough Loss To Those Utah Based Cougars

The collegiate football pundits had my fave undefeated collegiate football team penciled in as a ten point underdog at Reliant Stadium to that other Cougar team from Utah.

The UH Cougars didn't pay attention to the oddsmakers and got into an entertaining four hour marathon offensive shootout with BYU.

The UH Cougars scored on big plays like a 95 yard kickoff return, their first safety since 1992, a pick six interception return and touchdown receptions of 41 and 69 yards as both Cougar teams combined for 1,164 yards of total offense and BYU tied an FBS record by running 115 plays in the game. 

But it was the plays that UH didn't make like the two missed Richie Leone field goals from 40 and 45 yards, the missed extra point, the failed two point conversion, the three O'Korn interceptions and 10 penalties that kept critical drives alive for BYU and led to a narrow 47-46 loss.

Instead of the expected punishing BYU ground attack they expected going into the game BYU quarterback Taysom Hill flipped the football script and came out throwing the ball for a career high 417 yards and four TD's with three interceptions.  UH quarterback John O'Korn nearly matched him with 363 yards passing and three touchdowns in a first half that was a track meet in which the longest drive for either team was three minutes. 

The 38-34 halftime score favoring UH gave way to a third quarter defensive battle in which linebacker Derrick Matthews, who had three sacks along with the 29 yard pick six recorded the only point with that safety.

But it was Hill's 11 yard pass to Skyler Ridley with 1:08 remaining followed by O'Korn's killer third INT of the game by BYU's Alani Fua with 1:05 left that sealed the win for the now 5-2 Utah based Cougars and sent the UH Cougars to a frustrating first loss of the season.  

The Cougars don't have time to dwell on the loss because from now on their remaining scheduled games are all AAC conference games.    Next up for my freshman and sophomore dominated squad is a Saturday trip to Piscataway, NJ to play Rutgers before they join the Big Ten next season. 

Saturday Sellout-Erik Rush

Been a while since I've done one of the Saturday Sellout posts in which I shine a bright spotlight on all the Oreo cooking chomping sellouts and conservafools you need to be aware exist

The latest one that has gotten my attention is Erik Rush. 

Born in New York City on January 1, 1961, he is the author of the waste of trees called Negrophilia, a  columnist for WorldNetDaily WingNutDaily and a regular contributor to Fox Noise and Canada Free Press.

Rush has penned such lovely sentiments as the 2005 howler that anyone who denies there is a 'War on Christmas' is "just like a Holocaust denier"., tweeted in the aftermath of the Boston marathon bombing "that all Muslims should be killed" and doubled down on the Islamophobia by stating that Islam is "wholly incompatible with Western society."

He then had the nerve to get huffy about the problematic Tweet  when people called his azz out for his inflammatory 'kill all Muslims' comments and claim in true conservafool fashion it was 'satire'. 

As for his Negro Iz U Sirius?!!!  award winning bordering on insane statements, the cookie chomping knee-grow stated in an April Fools Day 2010 WND column that Democrats were racist, and 'plying' Black leaders with a seat at he table while they keep Blacks stretched over a barrel with their cheeks spread. 

He also delusionally said on Fox Noise in the wake of the unjust SCOTUS ruling eviscerating Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act that it was more important to keep dead people from voting than worry about the suppression of minority voters



He also has ongoing hate for President Obama, blamed liberals for Trayvon Martin's murder and also wrote that the African continent and India were ripe for colonization because the peoples in those areas 'were one step out of the trees'.

And you wanna know why we reality based Black folks hate conservatism?  It's because of  off the charts house knee-grow conservafools like this who are spouting the same racist and offensive shyt that white conservafools say consistently to our community, but think we aren't paying attention when that same message comes out of a negroid* mouth. 

Erik Rush is definitely worthy of this Saturday Sellout spotlight post and one to watch for future Shut Up Fool award worthy commentary.  

Luv Ya Bum! 1929-2013

Another one of our iconic personalities in H-town passed away yesterday at age 90 in the person of beloved iconic Houston Oilers football coach O.A. 'Bum' Phillips  

The father of  Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips took over a downtrodden Houston Oilers squad in 1975 and led them to two consecutive AFC championship game appearances against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1978-79.  

Phillips loved the Oilers and once said of that NFL franchise up I-45, "They may be 'America's Team,' but we're Texas' team."   I will gleefully add the Oilers during his 55-35 tenure (4-3 in the playoffs) for six years to beat the hated Dallas Cowchips 30-24 during his tenure on Thanksgiving Day 1979 on a day in which Earl Campbell ran around, over and through the Cowboys defense for 199 yards.

He was born in Orange, TX and after a stint as a Marine during World War II and graduating from Stephen F. Austin in 1949, Phillips spent two decades coaching at the Texas high school level and as an assistant coach for Bear Bryant at Texas A&M, Bill Yeoman at the University of Houston, and Hayden Fry at SMU before making the jump to the professional ranks in 1967 as an assistant under Sid Gillman with the AFL's San Diego Chargers. Phillips came to the Oilers in 1974 as Gillman's defensive coordinator and became the coach and general manager of the team when Gillman resigned after that season.

Phillips was also one of the coaches credited with introducing the 3-4 defense to the NFL professional ranks that Wade coaches to this day.

His folksy ways, wit and coaching wardrobe of cowboy boots and cowboy hat while patrolling the NFL sidelines (except he didn't wear the hat inside domed stadiums) as the Oilers coach and engineering the trade with Tampa Bay to get Earl Campbell in a Columbia blue uniform made him a beloved figure inside Loop 610 during the Luv Ya Blue years.  

He also has another connection with the Texans in head coach Gary Kubiak being a ballboy for the Oilers.



Bud Adams firing him during the New Year's Eve Massacre in 1980 after a 27-7 wild card round playoff loss to the Raiders was a large part of the reason besides moving the team to Nashville in 1997 for the intense dislike H-town has for 'Bottom Line Bud'.

Phillips spent a few years down I-10 east coaching the New Orleans Saints from 1981-1985 before he quit.to do a little radio and television broadcast commentary before retiring to his ranch in Goliad, TX where he passed away. 

The legendary coach will be missed here, but for those back in the day Oiler fans like myself who got to meet him and also see him patrolling the Astrodome sidelines during the Love Ya Blue days, we'll never forget him. 

Luv ya always Bum and thanks for everything you did to make being an Oiler fan during  your Luv Ya Blue tenure something to be proud of and not to be embarrassed about.   

I also don't think Bum will have to beat on or kick down the Pearly Gates to get in

Help MAJOR! Win Again

Thanks to those of you who helped MAJOR! in its Kickstarter campaign raise over $27,000 to get the movie funded.   Now Annalise and StormMiguel are asking for your help once again, and this time it won't require any cash to do so.   

MAJOR! is in the running on Indiewire for the Project Of the Week which is determined by votes.  The winning filmmaker when the voting concludes at 11 AM EDT on October 21 will receive a digital distribution consultation from SnagFilms and will become a candidate for Project of the Month.

If MAJOR! becomes the candidate for Proect of the Month and is the winner, Annalise and StormMiguel will be awarded with a creative consultation from the peeps at the Tribeca Film Institute!

As of this writing MAJOR! has 140 votes and is in the lead, but could use some help to get it over the finish line because the next closest film project has 77 votes.   

So people, let's handle our business.  Please take a moment to vote for it, pass on and share the link to the contest in you social media circles and help get Miss Major's story on the silver screen so it gets the attention it deserves.  

Still Miss Y'all, Louisville!

Ever since I accompanied by Polar back in May 2010 drove the moving van onto that I-65 south entrance ramp to eventually end up 1000 miles later back here in Houston to close that chapter of my life, I have yet to return to the Louisville metro area.   Had a few nibbles of interest in the area concerning some speaking engagements in the area or attempts to bring me back for visits that fizzed out,but for the most part it's been close but no quality time in Louisville.

If or when it does happen, I know I'm going to be busy just squeezing in visits with all the people who want to see me when I do return

But every now and then thoughts, events, Facebook photos, UK or U of L games or comments form people in the area trigger memories of the overall pleasant nearly nine years I was a resident of the state. 

I was watching the Louisville-UCF game and thinking about the numerous times I was on the U of L  campus to participate in various events.  I think about those lobby events in Louisville and Frankfort I got to participate in and some of the funny and not so funny moments that happened during those times.

I ponder the many runs up and down I-64 to Lexington and back or up and down I-65 to Indianapolis and Nashville.  I think about the long list of people I met there who became and I still call my friends along with my chosen family that still lives inside I-265.

And this picture Dawn sent me jogged even more memories and this post as we get closer to Halloween   

Grinstead Ave where I used to live is just a few short blocks away from Hillcrest Ave.  Every Halloween for over 20 years the homeowners on that street between Frankfort Avenue and Brownsboro Rd in the Crescent Hill neighborhood would decorate their houses for the occasion.   Some of the decorations were political, others fit the Halloween theme and it drew people from all over the Louisville area to come see them..

One of my favorite houses on that stretch was Dante's Disco Inferno, in which the homeowner installs a working lighted disco dance floor, has mirrored disco balls in the trees and played 70's disco music with tombstones and half buried records surrounding it as people dance to their favorite disco tunes.

That picture rekindled some fond memories of walking up and down the street with all the costumed kids happily in search of candy or happy they get to be their fave character for the night.

There were others on the Trans National Holiday also dressing up for the night, but that's another story.  

Yeah Louisville, just in case you're wondering, I still miss y'all too.   

Countdown To BTAC 2014 Has Begun!

It's official people, the countdown to the BTAC 2014 event April 29-May 4 in Dallas has officially begun.

It's going to be bigger, badder and better than last year, and I;m not saying that because me and Kylar Broadus were the keynote speakers for it and  got awards named for us along with Minister Louis Mitchell and Dr Kortney Ryan Ziegler.

BTAC 2014 is quickly becoming a must attend event in our community, and with the hotel reservations now opening up the block of rooms reserved for it will quickly sell out so get busy reserving them now at the Double Tree Campbell Center

BTAC will help facilitate Room Share again this year and as I've already mentioned in a previous post about it, the last day of it is my birthday.  .

Stay tuned for more details about BTAC 2014 as I receive them and hope to see you in Dallas this spring..  

Shut Up Fool Awards-The Government Shut Down Is Over Edition

After three weeks, the conservafools realized that the POTUS wasn't playing when he said he wasn't going to negotiate with them and finally capitulated in this ill-advised political stunt egged on by the Tea Klux Klan that is probably going to cost them seats in the 2014 midterm elections.

The Koch Brother whispering in their ear how much money it was going to cost them and their 1% patrons if they did that also probably played a huge role in the GOP coming to their senses. But we still had 19 GOP senators (and both Cornyn and Cruz) were in the NO column, and 144 House Republicans (and all the Texas Republicans doing so) voting to default.  Not to mention the $24 billion dollars and the international black eye we received reputation wise because of the Tea Klux Klan's foaming at the mouth racist hatred of President Obama.

It's Friday, and it's time to segue into our usual 'bidness' of selecting this week's fool fool or group of fools for our TransGriot Shut Up Fool Awards.   

We had plenty to choose from this week, so lets get right to it. 

This week's runaway winners are the House and Senate Republicans, especially the 19 senators and 144 reps who voted to keep the government shut down and default on our fiscal obligations.

These Tea Klux Klan idiots not on exhibit some jaw dropping ignorance for how the financial system works, they were willing to ruin our nation's AAA credit rating, keep 800,000 people out of work and crash the world economy all because of their foaming at the mouth racist hatred of President Obama.

Somehow, saying "Shut up, fools!" isn't enough for this massive display of ignorance for people that need  to be charged with sedition under the Smith Act and all impeached, but I'll let our mascot handle that.

The best revenge is to circle November 4, 2014 on you calendars in blue Sharpie pen ink and vote their asses out.

And now, a word from Mr T about this situation.


 

Federal Reserve Bank Of Dallas Refuses To Add Trans Protections

Over the last several years we have had governmental entities and colleges and universities all over the Dallas-Fort Worth area add sexual orientation and gender identity language to their non discrimination statements or employment policies.

The Federal Reserve Bank in Dallas, which has branches in San Antonio, Houston and El Paso, has employment protections for sexual orientation in its non discrimination policy but is refusing to add gender identity language to it.

What's up with that FRB of Dallas?

Rafael O'Donnell, the Communications and Advocacy Manager of Resource Center Dallas sent a letter in June requesting a meeting with FRB Dallas representatives to discuss adding gender identity and expression protections, to which he received an email declining a meeting. After an email response that went unanswered, McDonnell sent a second letter in August, but received no response. He then sent a follow-up email in September. that has gone unanswered.

Tyrone Gholson, the senior Vice President of FRB Dallas not only has not responded to McDonnell's request for a meeting, he has also not answered the Dallas Voice's request for comments concerning this issue. 

“It’s baffling,” McDonnell said in a Dallas Voice interview about the process. “Other branches of the Federal Reserve Bank offer fully inclusive employment protections. Many of the nation’s largest commercial banks offer full LGBT employment protections. To be dismissed in an email, without responding to other attempts to contact, makes me wonder how truly committed FRB Dallas is to inclusively.”

Same here, especially when other governmental entities in the Dallas-Fort Worth area do so. 

So you know what that means TransGriot readers.  Time to be agents of our own liberation once again.

Respectfully call Mr. Gholson at 214-922-6000 or hit up his email address  tyrone.gholson@dal.frb.org and encourage him and FRB of Dallas CEO Richard Fisher to add trans employment protections to their policies as expeditiously as possible.