Newfoundland And Labrador Adding Gender Identity To Provincial Human Rights Act

Thanks to two years of lobbying by trans advocates in Newfoundland and Labrador and NDP MHA Gerry Rogers, Minister of Justice Darin King announced on November 7 that he would be introducing an amendment to the 2010 Human Rights Act during this House of Assembly session that would add gender identity and expression to the prohibited grounds of discrimination in the province.  

“Discrimination in any form is wrong. This amendment is important to enhancing public education and dialogue around issues of the Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, Transgendered and Queer community in the province. Creating a climate of understanding and mutual respect is important to this government and we must all strive to ensure that each person, regardless of their gender identity or gender expression, feels a part of their community.”
- The Honorable Darin King, Minister of Justice

While the government's position was that discrimination against trans people in Newfoundland and Labrador because of gender identity or gender expression was covered under sex in the Human Rights Act, the community and MHA Rogers insisted otherwise. 

MHA Rogers has been personally lobbying the Department of Justice along with trans community members to point out the language was needed, and she is happy that it's finally being done. 

“This is a real victory for advocates of trans rights, “said Rogers. “I’m so happy that all the hard work is paying off and that trans people will now be protected by our Human Rights Act.” - See more at: http://www.nlndpcaucus.ca/nr110713GIRights#sthash.jGhdwD3P.dpuf

is a real victory for advocates of trans rights, “said Rogers. “I’m so happy that all the hard work is paying off and that trans people will now be protected by our Human Rights Act.” - See more at: http://www.nlndpcaucus.ca/nr110713GIRights#sthash.jGhdwD3P.dpuf

"This is a real victory for advocates of trans rights," said MHA Rogers. "I'm so happy that all the hard work is paying off and that trans people will be protected by our Human Rights Act." 

The amendment adding the gender identity and expression language to the Act will not only clarify and strengthen it, but make Newfoundland and Labrador the fifth Canadian jurisdiction to do so after the Northwest Territories, Ontario, Manitoba and Nova Scotia. 

Now if the Canadian Senate would get busy doing the right thing and pass C-279 the federal Trans Rights Bill. 

You're A Superhero

"Because having the power to love yourself and others enough to fight for better in a world that fears and hates you, is nothing short of a superheroic feat in and of itself."-- Denny Upkins
 
I have some pretty smart people I hang around with don't I?

Denny's comment has some serious truth to it as well.  As a marginalized person we deal with on an almost daily basis microaggressive and macroaggressive discrimination aimed at us and the challenge of living in a world that is mostly hostile to us.

But yet many of us get out of bed every morning, look in the mirror, smile at it, and get ready to face the self-esteem challenging day ahead of us.

Some of us have developed over time and through facing many trials and obstacles in our lives such an unshakeable self love for ourselves that it does enable us to confidently go about our daily lives and defeat whatever challenges come our way. 

Yes, we have superheroes walking amongst us.  They have superstrengthened character.  They have the vision to imagine a better world.  They have the endurance to run the race and fight the battles that will change society for the better.  They whip out the utility belt of justice to combat injustice and unjust laws.   They break out the Lasso of Truth when necessary to stamp out lies and disinformation spread about our trans lives.  They have the steely determination to win when others in their community express fading hope that it will ever happen for girls and guys like us.

Those superheroes have decided they want a better world for the people who come behind them, and are willing to rise up and do what it takes to make that world a reality.   Sometimes those people may fail in that lofty task  Sometimes they show signs they are oh so human in terms of being frustrated with the pace of change or rocked by events beyond their control. 

But they continue to fight for themselves and the community they love until they win. 

But superhero status isn't just reserved for the people who stand up and fight for truth, justice and human rights for all.  You are a superhero for just getting up every day to live your authentic lives against the odds.  For telling the world this is who I am and I will have the last word on who the person is that I project to the world.  

And we have our superhero sidekicks and allies who aid us in our mission of being the best people we can be and fighting for a decent, just and humane world. 

Yes, you're a superhero.  And don't ever let anyone tell you you're not or allow someone to make you feel like you are less than human.. 
 

Another Reason Why Non Discrimination Laws To Protect Trans People MUST Have Public Accomodations Language In Them

Those of you who have read this blog know that I will go straight the hell off if I hear any hint of a suggestion that in order to pass a non-discrimination law that protects trans people, we trans folks must drop public accommodations language from them.  

Bull feces.  You gay and lesbian peeps didn't drop public accommodations language from the local and state non-discrimination laws that cover sexual orientation only, so not no, but hell no will I even entertain that thought or publicly support a trans rights bill with no public accommodations language.   

If you want to know why I'm so militant about that point, ask the folks in Massachusetts who are honest enough to do so about the problems they are having adding that missing public accommodations language into their no prize winning public accommodations language free trans rights law elements of their community  trumpeted as a win back in 2011.

Hate to say I told you so, but ....

The reason why public accommodations language is a must for any trans human rights law and I'm so insistent upon it was demonstrated once again in this videotape of a November 8 incident outside an ATL Latino bar.

Alissah Brooks was denied entrance because of her trans status, and the manager ignorantly asserting that since it was a private club they had the right to do so. 

FYI, the City of Atlanta's non-discrimination ordinance passed in 2000 and updated by a unanimous vote back in July covers trans people.  But you'll find that out soon enough Don Pollo when y'all either get hauled into municipal court or in front of the Atlanta Human Rights Commission.

In the meantime, this video is evidence why public accommodations language is necessary in non-discrimination laws with this disturbing video taken by Alissah Brooks of Don Pollo personnel engaging in anti-trans discrimination.

Miss Universe 2013 Lets Her Transphobic Slip Show

It didn't take long for the newly crowned Miss Universe 2013 pageant queen to let her mouth get her embroiled in a little controversy.

Gabriela Isler revealed during a HuffPost Live interview that she believed transwomen shouldn't be allowed to compete in the Miss Universe pageant but should compete in their own pageants.

"They should have their own pageant, I think, and maybe they can realize in this pageant, Miss Universe, or the other pageants [were] made for women," she said. "They are... they have the opportunity, but I think that they have to compete with the same... the same team. Right?"

Ah, the old separate but unequal solution rears its head again.  It's also not surprising that as the former Miss Venezuela she comes from one of the few Miss Universe national pageant systems that still bars transwomen from competing. 

And Gabriela, in case you weren't aware of it, and obviously you aren't, trans women have had since the 80's pageants we can compete in.  The Miss International Queen one has been happening for nearly a decade along with national ones like Miss Amazing Philippine Beauties, Miss Tiffany Universe in Thailand and the recently started Miss T Brazil.

But those trans women specific pageants pale in comparison to the international prestige and prize money available to a pageant winner in the Miss Universe or Miss World pageant systems.

Her fellow trans Venezuelans who competed in Miss International Queen 2013, Chanel and Nohemi Montilla will probably cosign that last paragraph. 

And before you throw that surgery shade at trans women, some of you so-called 'natural born women' have had snip and tuck work done to enhance your chances of walking away with a pageant crown on more than a few occasions.  I also know trans women who have the Coke bottle curves not because of the surgeon's knife or pumping but simply because HRT was very good to them. 

And we know next to Brazil, Venezuela is the plastic surgery capital of the South American continent.

I guess The Donald didn't make Gabriela aware of the fact than in the wake of the Jenna Talackova situation in which she had to prep a lawsuit to be able to compete in last year's Miss Canada Universe pageant, as of January 1 the Miss Universe system that she now is the reigning queen of allows post operative trans women to compete. 

Olivia Culpo, the previous Miss Universe who you succeeded had the opposite opinion. 

As for transfeminine contestants during this 2013 Miss Universe pageant cycle, unfortunately made it through their national pageants to make the Miss Universe stage in Moscow this year.  Kylan Wentzel, the only trans woman the international trans community is aware of who attempted to do so didn't win Miss California, and even if she had, she would have had to win Miss USA to get there.  

There were rumors in other nations such as the Philippines that Miriam Jimenez was contemplating entering their national pageant but as the entry deadlines approached it didn't happen.

Does the fact that Talackova finished in the Top 12 of Canada's national pageant last year and was one of four women who won Miss Congeniality 'scurr' y'all in Pageant World that one day you will lose a pageant crown to a trans woman?

That day is coming as little trans girls mature into trans teens who will someday hit that 18-27 age range that makes them eligible to compete for and one day hopefully win Miss Universe.

And that day is coming sooner than you think.  

Does Homophobia Go With That Hate?

The latest in my ongoing series of song rewrites was motivated by the recent instances in Kansas and New Jersey of alleged 'christians' stiffing their wait staff out of their tips because of their bigoted perceptions they were gay. 

So y'all know the drill, break out the iPods and sing along to Moni's remixed lyrics

Does Homophobia Go With That Hate?
Sung to the tune of 'Do Fries Go With That Shake' by George Clinton.

Oh oh
Oh ohh
Oww oww

Oh, I see the damndest things
Working in the restaurant game
On duty, my feet are tired and ache
Then a big party comes my way
I had a big tip coming today
Instead all I received was hate.
Making my blood boil again

(chorus)
Does homophobia go with that hate?
Does homophobia go with that hate?
Does homophobia go with that hate?
Does homophobia go with that hate?

They said my gayness they could see
And that means there's no tip for me
A Christian?
That's a big fat lie
All that means is I got stiffed
Less cash for me at the end of my shift
Don't even try it

Does homophobia go with that hate?  (does homophobia go with that hate? X4)
Does homophobia go with that hate?
Does homophobia go with that hate?
Does homophobia go with that hate?

You know homophobia isn't marvelous (x2)

I'm working hard
Don't need this shyt
Judgmental christophobes  
Make me sick
So don't try it
Ooohh, this homophobic bigotry isn't sweet
Its got me and my peeps ready to riot

Ohh, Does homophobia go with that hate?  Does homophobia go with that hate? X4)
Does homophobia go with that hate?
Does homophobia go with that hate?
Does homophobia go with that hate?

Oh oh, oh oh

With LGBT peeps you got beef
So don't blame it on Christian beliefs
You need to stop telling that big lie

Does homophobia go with that hate?
Does homophobia go with that hate?
(fade to end)

TDOR Unite! Online TDOR Ceremony Tomorrow

The official Transgender Day Of Remembrance observance happens on Wednesday, but tomorrow starting at at 9 PM Eastern / 8 PM Central / 7 PM Mountain / 6 PM Pacific time (US) the first annual online Transgender Day of Remembrance memorial service will take place.

The theme this year is Our Lives Are Valuable and the goals of this service are to remember the lives we lost to anti-trans violence this past year, comfort and support each other and affirm that our lives as trans human beings are valuable.

The event was created by the TDOR Unite! coalition and hosted by the Church of the Larger Fellowship, a Unitarian Universalist congregation without walls, in partnership with Standing on the Side of Love.

The groundbreaking livestreaming event will also be available to those of you who have mobile devices as well.  www.livestream.com/questformeaning

Mobile devices link:
www.livestream.com/questformeaning2

The Opening Invocation for the online TDOR event will be by Lynn Young with reflections offered by Ignacio Rivera, Carter Brown, Pauline Park, and Bamby Salcedo

The Artistic Expressions during this first annual event will be provided by KOKUMO, Tona Brown, Arjuna Greist, Christian Axavier Lovehall, Cherno Biko, Monica Stevens Yorkman, and others.

So mark your calendars and check out this first annual online event tomorrow in your time zone.
  

My Trans Images In Entertainment Expanded Commentary

Because of the global reach of my blog and I'm not 'scurred' to give my thoughts about many issues inside and outside of the trans community, I get my share of opportunities to comment on the issues of the day.  

Sometimes they even end up in print in places other than this blog.

Recently GLAAD and The Wrap asked me and 10 other personalities in the community that included Kye Allums, Isis King, Jamie Clayton, and Mia Ryan from Houston Beauty to comment on Trans Images in Entertainment. 

My comments for the article:

1. What transgender story or character has been particularly meaningful or impactful to you?

"The best trans characters so far have been Edie Stokes in a 1977 episode of  The Jeffersons and the Alexis Meade character on Ugly Betty."

2. What is a common stereotype or cliché in stories about transgender people that you never want to see again?

"Trans media representation has been a mixed bag. We still have media outlets that refuse to follow GLAAD and AP Stylebook standards. What I would like to see are trans actors and actresses actually playing trans people, trans writers writing those roles and stories."

***
Since I was limited in the amount of words I could say in this commentary, I wasn't able to expound on them as I would have liked or can do on these electronic pages. 

So let me get started with that process right now.

As for Question 1, as someone who was wrestling with gender identity issues at the time and wondering where the trans people were who looked like me, the Edith Stokes character was a revelation at the time.  I would see after that episode two years later the first of the JET stories about transpeople who shared my ethnic heritage.

The Alexis Meade character played by Rebecca Romijn, although it was in a dramedy, actually was groundbreaking in showing a glamorous trans woman in a professional work atmosphere and in a position of power and influence.  It also realistically at times touched upon the very real issues of discrimination, differing immediate family reactions to the transition and Alexis adjusting to life in her gender role.

To expand upon my answer in Question 2, one of the things that has bothered me when I ponder the issue of fictional trans media images, is that the Edith Stokes character has been one of the few African-American trans fictional characters that hasn't fit into a stereotype.

Ever since then it has been the loud drag queen, the street hooker, the escort or the over the top personality for comic relief especially when it involves a trans character of color.  Some don't even get to survive longer than the opening five to ten minutes in the program because they are a victim of a crime.  

Other times we don't get a trans woman to play a trans woman.  It's either a male actor in drag or a cis woman playing a trans woman.  Sometimes they even do so with the cis woman's voice electronically lowered as Pam Grier's was in the 1996 movie Escape From LA when she played the transfeminine character Hershe Las Palmas.

When we finally did get a trans woman to play a trans character on the ABC show Dirty Sexy Money, Carmelita Rainer, the trans girlfriend of Sen. Patrick Darling IV played by Candis Cayne was killed during the second season.  

When Kerry Washington played a trans woman in the 2009 movie Life Is Hot In Cracktown, she revealed during an interview that she almost didn't get the role of Marybeth because she was considered by the director 'too beautiful' to play a transwoman.

Excuse me?  And that's before we even start talking about trans men.  Fictional characters to represent them are pretty much non-existent for trans men of color. 

While that's starting to change a bit, we still have a long way to go in terms of getting some balance for the fictional media images of transpeople and especially non-white trans people

Bella Maddo was a film that featured an all-trans cast.  Jamie Clayton played trans woman Kyla for several episodes during the third season of the HBO show Hung and Laverne Cox currently has a groundbreaking role as Sophia Burset on the Netflix show Orange Is The New Black.

But one thing I would love to see is a fictional trans woman, and especially a transwoman of color play a professional character who happens to be a trans woman more often.  I'd like to see more trans men pop up in fiction  We do exist in the real world Hollywood, so get busy creating them. 

Or if you're too busy for the job, you hand me the cash and I'll be happy to come up with the script for one. 

We can only hope that happens sooner rather than later.     

Shut Up Fool Awards-'The Best Man Holiday' Release Edition

In addition to today being another anniversary of my sister Latoya's 21st birthday (Happy birthday sis!), the long awaited and anticipated release of the sequel to the 1999 Best Man movie hits the multiplexes today.

Don' care what the reviews have to say about The Best Man Holiday, been waiting almost 15 years to see Lance, Mia, Harper, Jordan, Quentin, Julian, Candy, Robyn and Shelby hit the screen and what their lives are like after the original movie ended.

Already checked and many of the theaters I like to hit are pretty much sold out, so don't be surprised on Monday if you hear that it was the number one movie this weekend.

And Hollywood, if you want to make money I suggest you get busy greenlighting more of these films and even catching up with Black novelists and turning some of their books into screenplays.  You can only do so many movies based on comic book characters.  

Now if you make the Black Panther one I might retract that last statement.  But I know y'all don't want to greenlight a movie with the technologically advanced fictional African nation of Wakanda and its kick ass ruler, so I'll have to aim lower. 

So when can I see the sequel to Love Jones at my neighborhood multiplex?

Now that I've finished jibber-jabbering about Hollywood and its lack of soul in its movies, let's segue from talking about movies to talking about what fool, fools or group of fools will walk away with this week's Shut Up Fool Award.   I had a lot of fools to sort through as usual this week and needed extra time to do so. 

Honorable Mention number one we went north of the border for in Toronto's crackhead mayor Rob Ford.  Just a matter of time before they remove him from office. 

Honorable Mention number two goes across the Pond to merry old England and Andrea Minichiello Williams, the head of Christian Concern, the christobigot org there.  

She made the mind numbing statement that Stonewall should be helping them put anti-gay advertisements on London's city buses.   Yeah, really.  Stonewall should be an willing agent in their own oppression.

Let's head back to our shores for Honorable Mention number three in Sandy Rios.   She parted her lips to claim that the gay waiter in Overland Park, KS who received a hate message instead of a tip was 'a ruse to help ENDA pass'.   

Guess those ten GOP senate votes were a ruse along with another couple in New Jersey that showed their 'christian' love by dispensing christohate instead of a tip on a $93.55 meal.

Honorable mention number four goes to Bradlee Dean, this wannabee Limbaugh clone who said, 'Liberals belong in prison because that's where they want to go.'

Naw where I want to go is the Texas Legislature or Congress so I can repeal all of your BS conservalegislation and pass common sense laws that help everyone.

Honorable mention number five is Sarah Palin.  I had to pull Palin out of SUF retirement and call her ass out for some jaw droppingly ignorant statements comparing the national debt to slavery.  Then Caribou Barbie doubled down on her racist ignorance by stating we African-Americans misinterpreted her comments.

This week's Shut Up Fool goes to Rafael Cruz, daddy of the dishonorable junior senator from Canada,.who parted his lips to say that Black and Latinos were 'uninformed' and 'deceived' and should be voting for Republicans back at a conservafool conference in February, then topped it off by stating that President Obama should be deported to Cuba, and claimed that atheism and secular humanism cause sexual abuse .  


Naw Rafael, the only persons who are uninformed and deceived are  you and your jive turkey azz son. 

Rafael Cruz, shut Up Fool!

Another Day, Another Trans Student Attacked In California

More evidence that so called blue states can have their nekulturny transphobes in their midst causing drama as well. 

As we wait to see if the haters gathered enough signatures to force a referendum on AB 1266, now comes news video of an incident at a Contra Costa, CA high school that shows why the law is needed and why it needs to win in November 2014.

A transfeminine student tired of being bullied by her tormentors confronted them, and that confrontation degenerated into a fight in which the trans student was attacked by three cis girls.

 

November Trans* Formations: Activists & Allies & Community Making Series

You know it has to be important for me to miss Scandal (that's what DVR is for anyway), but tonight along with Cristan Williams and Katy Stewart I'll be discussing Trans History in a conversation facilitated by Lou Weaver at Resurrection Metropolitan Community Church.  

It starts at 7 PM CST and Resurrection MCC is located at 2025 West 11th Street in Houston.

It is part of a series of Thursday night discussions organized and facilitated by Lou as part of Trans* Awareness and Ally Month and the upcoming Transgender Day of Remembrance.

Thursday, November 7
Gender Talk 101: Our Stories
Thursday, November 14
A Short History of the Alphabet: Our Diversity Journey
Thursday, November 21
The A-List: Ally-Advocate-Activist Training
Thursday, December 5
Community-Making for All: Moving Forward

The trans movement and transpeople didn't just materialize in the late 20th-early 21st century.  We have a proud history that I and my fellow panelists will be discussing and hope you can join us.

If you can't make it tonight, hope you can make the ret of the scheduled topics and discussions in this series.

2013 TransGriot NFL Predictions Week 11

Another week has passed, my Texans still haven't won a game since September and had another ugly prognostication week in the worst season ever for me doing this.  

First time I've ever had back to back sub .500 weeks but Mr. Watts also joined me in sub .500 territory as Mr. Blake rebounded from his less than stellar Week 10 to go 9-5.

Serves him right for that crack about me being just ahead of the Washington Generals last week   May I remind you who won the 2012 NFL prognostication battle last year 

Since Veterans Day falls during this month, November has been the NFL's 'Salute To Service' month that honors veterans and active duty military personnel.

For every point scored during the NFL's 32 designated 'Salute to Service' games, the NFL donates $100 to each of its three military non-profit partners, the Pat Tillman Foundation, the USO and the Wounded Warrior Project.   They are also selling NFL camouflage merchandise on their website 

Now let's segue to this week's prognostication business since last week sucked  and I need to put it behind me. Teams I'm picking to win in underlined bold print.   Mike and Eli's picks are here.

Week 10 Results
TransGriot      6-8
Eli Blake        9-5
Mike Watts    6-8

2013 Season Record
TransGriot      81-66
Eli                  95-52
Mike              91-56 

NFL Week 11
Bye Week Dallas, St. Louis.



Thursday Night Game
Indianapolis at Tennessee

Sunday Noon Games
NY Jets at Buffalo
Atlanta at Tampa Bay
Detroit at Pittsburgh
Washington at Philadelphia
Arizona at Jacksonville
Oakland at Houston
Baltimore at Chicago
Cleveland at Cincinnati

Sunday Afternoon Games
San Diego at Miami
Green Bay at NY Giants
Minnesota at Seattle
San Francisco at New Orleans

Sunday Night Game
Kansas City at Denver

Monday Night Game
New England at Carolina

Meet Girl LIke Us Model Ines Rau!

Trans feminine models have been strutting catwalks, rocking magazine covers and gracing print ads since Great Britain's April Ashley did so in the early 1960s. 

Now thanks to a steamy NSFW photo shoot with Tyson Beckford another name has been added to that distinguished list of trans models in 24 year old Paris born and New York based model Ines-Loan  Rau. 

The 5' 10 beauty is of North African-Latin descent, transitioned at age 16 and was discovered by French modeling scouts.  

According to a Models.com interview, she was inspired to come out as trans after reading Caroline Tula' Cossey's book I Am Woman twice.

After reading her book [I Am Woman] at least two times I realized how important it is to assume who you are with no fears. I am twenty-four years old and have done the change very young, at 16. Until now I wasn’t really out about it. I just woke up one day realizing that it’s enough, I need to embrace who I am and be loved for what I am and what I have been through- without the fear of being rejected.

And we're glad you did, Ines.  Looking forward to meeting you someday. 

We Trans Peeps Make The Call Concerning Who We Are, Not You Cisgender Haters

This is just one of those days I was in a combative mood.  I got a message from one of my FB friends in Bermuda earlier today concerning a commentary from a cis woman purporting to be a professional counselor on the island that threw some ignorant transphobic shade at self proclaimed 'Hip Hop Transsexual' Sidney Starr.

The price you pay for being attracted to fakeness! And women..born females.. empty their bank accounts, starve themselves, inject themselves, etc to be able to look like this... smh.. all because our men have been conditioned to want what is not real.. to want what is not traditionally them. This is NOT our women.. this is our women.. oh and I guess now our men too... trying to look like hybrids. Trying to attain a false sense of ideal beauty. It is a REAL BIG problem when a race of men change themselves to look like what another race calls the ideal beauty... what MAN changes himself to be the vision of another race's WOman? Seriously????? This is getting out of hand! This was brought to my attention.. "Hip Hop Transexual" known as Sidney Star.. Nowadays you must really inspect the women that you're with, and also ask to see young child hood photos just to be on the safe side.... or better yet get real and be attracted to natural beauty which you will only find in real women. But first I guess you would have to actually love yourself and the physical features of your own race. siiigh smh

Shaking my head at the ignorance that was contained in that comment and the subsequent Facebook thread attached to Sidney's photo .

There was one fool who suggested the Buju Banton method for dealing with the issue.of what to do after discovering your date is trans as the Not So Good alleged Doctor wrote another comment that was the tired and wrong chromosomes meme that XX= female and XY= male.

Y'all knew I had to put that ignorance on blast.    

In your zeal to demonize Sidney Starr, guess you forgot about the women on this planet who are born with Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome and have XY chromosomes but feminine bodies.

And what about women who can't conceive or give birth to children or are born without a uterus? Does that make them 'men' in your opinion?

There are men and women who have XXY or XXXY or other combinations of chromosomes that you cant determine just by looking at them

And FYI, would love for you to put your money where your mouth is and take a chromosome test so we can know what your chromosomes turn out to be.

And wouldn't it be the height of irony if your test revealed them to be something other than XX?

I wasn't done yet.   I also tackled the deception meme that was also floating around unchecked in that transphobic thread.

The 'deception' meme is also problematic in this thread. It drives much of the anti-trans violence around the world that results in the untimely deaths of trans women and especially transwomen of color. How is a trans person being 'deceptive' by simply living their life?

The genitalia between a trans woman or a trans man's legs is nobody's business except the person they are potentially dating. It you don't like the fact that a trans woman you are attracted to for her FEMININITY possesses a penis in her panties and you aren't down with that, then simply step away.

You are not and never will be justified in hitting or killing a transwoman because you have a problem with the fact you were attracted to her.

And cis women, nether are you justified in telling a trans woman's business and setting her up for a potential hate crime because you're jealous that said transwoman is performing femininity BETTER than you are or getting more masculine romantic attention.

Trans women don't deserve beatdowns or death because of the internalized transphobia of cis people.

The TransGriot's work stamping out transphobia is never done.  That type of ignorance is dangerous, especially to a child or person who has gender issues they are trying to sort out and they go to this person as an alleged professional counselor who is supposed to help them.

It also didn't help that this comment thread popped up mere days after Bermuda's governor made the Throne Speech to open parliament and discussed in vague terms during the speech their National Gender Policy. 

But time to move this away from Bermuda's sunny shores and close this post.

This issue of transphobia in the African Diaspora isn't just a Bermuda problem.  It's one we have here in North America, Brazil, the Caribbean and continental Africa, too.  And as I've stated before, I didn't stop being Black when I transitioned, nor does being trans negate my being proud of my African heritage..      

We trans people not only get to make the final call on being the men and women we are, we demand acceptance for being the evolving persons we are now, not when we came out of the womb decades ago.      

The last thing we need is drama from cisgender people who have issues with their own bodies and being comfortable in their own skin.  If you arrogantly think you have the right to oppress or kill us for choosing to do what was necessary to make our bodies match our brains so we can navigate society more comfortably, you thought wrong.    
 
It is we trans people who are the final arbiters of who we are and what type of person we present to the world, not you cisgender haters.

And every time you forget that point, one of us will be around to remind you.
  

Are Virgina's Transpeople About To Be Thrown Under The Civil Rights Bus?

While I'm happy that the next governor of the commonwealth of Virginia will be a Democrat, what I'm not happy about is that Governor-elect Terry McAuliffe is possibly about to throw the Virginia transpeople who helped get him elected under the human rights bus.

McAuliffe announced that one of his first acts as governor once he is inaugurated in January would be banning  discrimination in state workplaces based on sexual orientation.  

It's the same executive order that former Virginia governor Tim Kaine signed in 2006 that was rescinded four lears later when Republican Bob McDonnell succeeded him.

That's a problem because sexual orientation language alone will not cover trans people.  Gender identity or expression language needs to be added to that executive order to cover the trans community  

And for those of you in GL World who will throw the 'you transpeople are covered under Title VII and we're not' point to justify this, bigots aren't paying attention to Title VII, Glenn v Brumby or the EEOC Macy v Holder case until after they discriminate against trans people and get whacked by it.

What they do pay attention to is laws and the media telling them laws have been passed that make it illegal to discriminate against protected classes of people.

Bottom line is that favorable court and EEOC rulings and precedents aren't enough .  We need anti-trans discrimination laws on the books in our cities, counties, states and our nation that explicitly state anti-trans discrimination is unacceptable.  

If you GL people in Virginia and elsewhere don't think that it's important to have those laws on the books or transpeople pointing out the missing gender identity and expression language is 'attacking your allies', then let's see how secure you would feel your human rights are if all the anti-discrimination laws in this country that have sexual orientation only language in them to prohibit discrimination against you were suddenly no longer available and you had to depend on the court system or EEOC administrative rulings to enforce them. 

Bet you'd see it differently wouldn't you? 

So to ensure the executive order covers all LGBT Virginians in state employment, gender identity and expression language needs to be expeditiously added to that executive order. 

We'll see if it happens. 

Andrey Bridges Sentenced In Cemia Dove Acoff Murder

Last week Andrey Bridges was convicted by a Cuyahoga County jury after a ten day trial of killing 20 year old Cemia Dove Acoff.   Today he was back in Judge Hollie L Gallagher's court at 11 AM EST to find out what his sentence would be.

The 36 year old Bridges was sentenced to life imprisonment for his convictions on murder, felonious assault, tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse and will be eligible for parole in 2034.

While Bridges will be going back into the Ohio penal system again for an extended stay this time, it still doesn't bring back Cemia for all who loved her

“She was a ray of sunshine. She was really, really sweet; very, very positive; very pretty,” said Tracy Jones, CEO of the AIDS Task Force of Greater Cleveland in a FOX 8 report.

And local Cleveland activists are making sure that their paper of record, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, never leads the charge to grossly disrespect another trans person in the area like they massively did in Cemia's case.

Justice was served in this case, but I would be willing to bet that everyone who loved Cemia would rather see her smiling face interacting in their lives and an immediate end to our young trans women being murdered

Black, Trans and Beautiful

My Black trans family members are not only beautiful, but intelligent and talented people coming up with creative ways to advance our trans human rights struggle forward while living their lives authentically.

So since I haven't done one of these photo essay posts in a while, thought it was past time for that to happen on the blog again. 



The three Ks (Kylar, Kye and Kortney) at BTMI 2013 in Dallas, TX





Tona Brown playing piano



Musician Koko Jones




Cheryl Courtney-Evans outside the iconic Stonewall Inn

Ask A Trans Attracted Man 8-Tyson And Ines Photos

Last week the Net blew up talking about the steamy nude photos that supermodel Tyson Beckford took with rising fashion model Ines Rau.

The Paris born beauty recently revealed she was trans in a Models.com interview.

Of course the nekulturny cesspool of Black gossip blogs that traffic in transphobia for hits (and they know who they are 'Sandra' Rose and Bossip) had their usual transphobic crap to say in reaction to it

As part of my efforts to support the brothers who love trans women, I have been posting Troy's series of videos at TransGriot discussing the issues trans attracted men deal with because I believe as he does the stigma surrounding trans attracted men needs to die quick, fast and expeditiously.

I'll save my thoughts about that issue for a future post, but now, here's Troy



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