November 22, 1963

Today is the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas. 

Unlike my parents and others old enough to remember exactly where they were and what happened on that day, I was just a mere 18 months old. 

Whatever knowledge I have of what happened on that day comes from not only talking to family peeps and relatives old enough to live through that day, but watching newsreels, video, documentaries and reading the history books about the Kennedy presidency. 

Since I have relatives in Dallas and we frequently did vacation trips up I-45, I have actually seen Dealey Plaza, the Texas School Book Depository, the Grassy Knoll and the Kennedy memorial there.




That moment altered the American history timeline.   We know President Kennedy was in Dallas as part of a political tour to shore up Texas in advance of his presidential reelection bid in 1964.  

There's also been endless speculation about what a Kennedy second term might have looked like had the fateful decision to remove the bubble top on the presidential limo not been made.
 
One thing we can probably conclude would be correct is that the Civil Right Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 probably wouldn't have happened as quickly.

But then again, we'll never know, just like 50 years later we still don't have definitive answers on exactly what happened on this date to one beloved president and a Democratic party hero.

Shut Up Fool Awards-It's TDOR 2013 Edition

It's TDOR Week, and in the runup to the 15th Anniversary memorial events on November 20, I was honored to have had the opportunity to take part in two on opposite ends of I-10 in Houston and San Antonio exactly 24 hours apart.

While we took the time to mourn the 238 people we lost this tear to anti-trans violence, we also used this week to educate, build community, thank our allies, supportive family and friends and resolve to own our power and do what it takes to ensure we see some kind of reduction in that level of anti-trans violence sooner rather than later.|

It also meant a busy week for me with a radio interview, participation in two TDOR events 24 hours apart in Houston and San Antonio, and seeing two posts I wrote for this day go viral.

And that you for attending, participating in and or supporting the TDOR events near you.

And now, let's segue from remembering our people who died to remembering the people who did whatever it took to get our attention for this week's TransGriot Shut Up Fool Awards.  

I get to shine a bright spotlight every Friday on the fool fool or goup of foold that display mind numbing stupidity, over the top hubris, and jaw dropping hypocrisy.

And let's get busy determining this week's winner that I pondered on the clouding wet and cold bus ride home.

Honorable Mention number one goes to cisfeminine WMMA fighter Ashlee Evans-Smith and sore winner who handed Fallon Fox her first loss in the octagon and still threw transphobic shade afterward. 

Honorable Mention number two goes to Greg Abbott, the GOP bote suppressing, tort reform for 'errbody except me' AG who tried to paint Sen Wendy Davis as "Satan".  

Keep flapping your gums and running that Clayton Williams GOP gubernatorial campaign playbook.  Cecile Richards can tell you how well that worked.     
 
Honorable Mention number three is Uncle Ruckus Jesse Lee Peterson.   That Oreo cookie chomping conservaknee-grow channelled his inner Stepin Fetchit and thanked white people for slavery.  

Where's the D.R.O.P Squad when you need them?     

Honorable Mention number four is Lorenzo Garcia, the president of the UT Young Conservafools.   He's proof positive that sellouts aren't just an African-American problem.  Garcia also has connections with the Abbott campaign and on the heel of the 'Affirmative Action Bake Sale, his racist organization were sponsoring a 'Catch an illegal Immigrant' game on the UT campus in order to 'foster discussion on the immigration issue.   He fostered a discussion alright, just not the one he expected.   He is now whining because the UT administration and the Latin@ community is righteously blasting his azz about it.

Honorable Mention number five is Hawaii State Rep. Tom Brower, whose solution to homelessness is to use a sledgehammer on the belongings of the homeless people on Honolulu's streets. 

Guess which party he belongs to?   If you said Republicans, psyche.   He's a DINO.

Somebody in the Hawaiian Democratic Party please primary challenge this fool.

The envelope please.   Thank you Mr. T.: 

This week's winner is freshman Rep. Trey Radel, (R-FL).  He voted to drug test all food stamp recipients in the GOP Farm Bill that died in the Senate, but got busted during a DC police sting for buying cocaine in DuPont Park   Never mind the Florida program this money wasting conservaidea is based on in his home state has been an utter failure there and everywhere else it's been tried.    

He claimed he was a Hip Hop Conservative (whatever the hell that is) and in his 2012 campaign ads claimed that he’d bring American values to Washington, “Values that come with integrity, especially when we talk about cuts.”  

Yeah dude,  seems like the only cuts you have been making is lines in a pile of cocaine.

Rep. Trey Radel, shut up fool!

See Ya, San Antonio

This was a quick in and out trip to the Alamo City for their TDOR, and I do thank them and my gracious host Lauryn Farris for the invite to participate in it and their brand of Texas hospitality.  

It was also a blast getting to see my Dallas area homegirl Carmarion Anderson and meet and see all the wonderful people in the San Antonio trans community.  

Promise y'all it won't take me 32 years to come back to San Antonio for another visit. 

Now it's time for me to get back on the Megabus and figure out what fool, fool or fools deserve to win this week's edition of the Shut Up Fool Awards

If it left on schedule, I should be headed eastbound on I-10 and back to my semi-boring Houston life about noon.

Presentation On Trans Latina Immigrants Today

For you folks on the Left Coast looking for Trans Awareness Week stuff to attend or get your learn on about our community, there will be a presentation at the UCLA Downtown Labor Center lead sponsored by the TransLatin@ Coalition entitled TransVisible: Transgender Latina Immigrants In US Society'.

Everyone's transition is different, and transitions and how they happen are also affected and experienced differently when race and class enter the mix. 

This Transgender Latina immigrants event will be presented by Karla Padron and it will start at 2:00 PM Pacific time. 2.5 CEU's will also be available for this event if you register in advance. 

The UCLA Downtown Labor Center is located at 675 S. Park View Street in Los Angeles, CA 90057.  I hope people will consider attending what should be an interesting discussion about the issues our trans Latina immigrant sisters face.    

Diamond Stylz's TDOR 2013 Message

My Houston homegirl Diamond Stylz is my counterpart in the video blogging world, and peeps need to recognize that she's all that and five bags of mesquite barbecue chips if they haven't already.

Here's Diamond's commentary concerning the 2013 edition of the Transgender Day of Remembrance that needs to be seen

2013 TransGriot NFL Predictions Week 12

Well, I ended my two game losing streak, but the Texans streak has now reached eight games and tensions are high in their locker room as witnessed by Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson jawing at each out after that fourth down red zone play to win the game failed  

Gary Kubiak returned from his mini stroke to coach the Raiders game from the press box under doctor's orders and like us, some of the things that happened in this surreal loss made us wonder if Kubiak would have another stoke watching them make stupid mistakes that cost them another game.   

That coaches chair is also getting warm under Gary Kubiak's behind, too.

Even though I'm in San Antonio right now to speak at their TDOR event tonight , the NFL prognostication contest between me, Eli and Mike continues as we all endure this unpredictable rollercoaster called the 2013 NFL season.

Mike and I both rebounded from lousy Week 10 results to have a better Week 11 and Eli kept pace as we all ended up with 9-6 records

So let's get to Week 12.  Four teams on their bye week, so only fourteen games  to select.  My picks are in underlined bold print     Mike's and Eli's are here.


Week 11 Results
TransGriot      9-6
Eli Blake        9-6
Mike Watts    9-6

2013 Season Record
TransGriot      90-72
Eli                  104-58
Mike              100-62 

NFL Week 12
Bye Teams: Buffalo, Cincinnati, Philadelphia,  Seattle 

Thursday Night Game
New Orleans at Atlanta

Sunday Noon Games
Tampa Bay at Detroit
Minnesota at Green Bay
Jacksonville at Houston
San Diego at Kansas City
Carolina at Miami
Pittsburgh at Cleveland
Chicago at St. Louis
NY Jets at Baltimore

Sunday Afternoon Games
Tennessee at Oakland
Indianapolis at Arizona
Dallas at NY Giants

Sunday Night Game
Denver at New England

Monday Night Game
San Francisco at Washington

Moni's Getting On The Bus-To San Antonio

Moni's doing another road trip, and this time I'm hitting I-10 west for the first time in a long time to San Antonio. 

This will be the first time I've spent time inside Bexar County and the San Antonio city limits since 1981

However, I did drive through the Alamo City on my way to and from California in 1988 and 1992

The reason I'm on the Megabus this time is I'm headed to San Antonio to speak at their Transgender Day of Remembrance event that's taking place at MCC San Antonio. 

MCC San Antonio is located at 611 E. Myrtle St and the event will start at 7 PM 

Like the Dallas bus trip a few months ago, looking forward to seeing how much the scenery's changed since I last made that journey between Houston and San Antonio and it's safe to say a lot since I was last there.

Besides the Alamodome and the AT&T Center, another thing that will be different from the last time I was in San Antonio in April 1981 is that instead of losing to the NBA Finals bound 40-42 Rockets in seven games (and me and my collegiate friends were loudly cheering that development in our hotel room), the Spurs have morphed into a perennial championship caliber squad with 4 NBA championship trophies of their own and should have had a fifth.   They are favorites to get to the NBA Finals again, but we'll see how that plays out over the 2013-14 NBA season.    

San Antonio is also the second largest city in Texas with over 1.3 million people population wise and a recently passed non-discrimination ordinance that covers gender identity and sexual orientation on the books.

But one of the things that hasn't changed is that San Antonio has a vibrant trans community with a proud history of activism, achievement, beloved icons and up and coming activists.  One of those icons I knew personally in former TATS president Michelle C. Myers, died this year on June 17 and part of their ceremony will take time to remember her. 

I also used to talk to on a regular basis Christie Lee Littleton before I moved to Da Ville and eventually lost contact with her.  Hope she's coming to the memorial tonight so I can give her a big hug and catch up on what's new in her life. 

I'm also looking forward to meeting many of the members of the San Antonio trans community and their allies while I'm in the Alamo City and hope to see you at the TDOR memorial tonight  

If the bus leaves on schedule, see y'all in a few hours, San Antonio.
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Choose Life, Not Suicide!

Iris Sahhara Henson is my across The Pond African Diaspora trans sister from Nigeria who left her homeland to move to London and live her life.  But she had a few challenges getting to that point of being comfortable in her skin and being the remarkable woman she is now. 

She has an important message to share with our young trans persons (and trans persons of any age) to choose life and not suicide. 

Happy Birthday Arianna!

When I went to New York for the GLAAD POC Media Institute training last year, little did I realize I was going to depart from it not only better equipped to do media appearances on behalf of our community, but I left it with a few new friends and allies.  

One of the people I met during that training was a lovely Latina from Florida via Peru named Arianna Inurritegui Lint. 

Arianna is VP of the TransLatin@ Coalition and pops up regularly on Spanish language media to talk about trans issues from a Latina perspective.  This accomplished lady was also one of the five trans people named to the inaugural Honor 41 list that spotlights the contributions of TBLG Latin@ people.  

And today is her birthday.  

Happy birthday sis, and may you celebrate many more of them!.   

Equality House Gets A Makeover For TDOR

The Equality House is a home across the street from the Westboro Baptist Hate Church in Topeka, KS that was purchased by and is run by the organization Planting Peace.   

It's a 501c3 organization that challenges the hateful rhetoric of the Phelps Phamily and is usually painted in the colors of the rainbow flag.   Equality House has in the past sponsored events such as a gay wedding, a drag show and hosted a child's lemonade stand for peace in shouting distance of Phelps and his church hate clan.

On Tuesday, in honor of today's Transgender day of Remembrance, the Rainbow House got a makeover and was painted in the colors of the trans pride flag..  

“The reason we’re painting the house is to send a positive message” of acceptance and equality, said Davis Hammet, director of operations for Planting Peace.

To mark TDOR, at 6:30 PM CST Equality House along with the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Topeka, the Kansas Statewide Transgender Education Project, or K-STEP, and Equality Kansas will hold a candlelight vigil tonight. 

Stephanie Mott, executive director of K-STEP, said in a Topeka Capital-Journal report that Kansas needs more awareness of transgender issues, and people should take the time to get to know each other rather than making judgments based on gender identity.

“What I want people to understand is, who I am is in here,” she said, gesturing to her heart. “My body is what carries me around.”

And the Equality House looks good in its fresh for TDOR paint job.

No Justice For Islan, For Now

To remind everyone that sometimes we don't get justice when our haters kill us (which fuels the anti-trans violence because the perps believe they can get away with it)) we had the concrete example of the Islan Nettles case. 

20 year old Paris Wilson, who was arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault in the savage fatal beating of 21 year old Nettles in Harlem that put her in a coma for several days before she died, walked out of Manhattan Criminal Court yesterday a free man for now.  The Manhattan DA's were forced to drop the charges because the case was older than 90 days and the speedy trial clock had run out

According to a report in the New York Daily News,  Assistant District Attorney Nicholas Viorst said "we would concede that speedy trial time has run with regard to the misdemeanor with which the defendant is charged and therefore the case must be dismissed," but said the probe into Nettles' tragic death remains active.

While the New York trans community and Islan's mother Delores Nettles are obviously disappointed and upset about what transpired in the courtroom yesterday, they remain resolute and hopeful that justice will be served in this case. 

And you know I'll be keep an eye on it along with the New York trans community. 

Thinking About The Girls Like Us Who Didn't Get A TDOR Memorial

I had a nice conversation with Gwendolyn Smith yesterday evening (yes, THE Gwen Smith who conceived the TDOR memorial ceremonies and the Remembering Our Dead List).

We talked about a few issues including what it is like being the iconic legendary leaders instead of the wide eyed neophytes we once were back in the 90's.


For a moment our conversation turned to the state of the Transgender Day of Remembrance memorial 15 years later.   After we had that conversation about how we're still doing these events a decade and a half later and marveled at the progress of our human rights movement, she complimented me on the 238 Names post.  

After thanking her, I made the comment about how I wish I'd mentioned something in that post about the trans women who died pre-TDOR.

So I'm going to do that right now. And yeah, there's some trigger warning worthy stuff in this post.

I'm going to talk about a few trans women who were killed and didn't get their names read at a TDOR memorial.  In some cases their murders were just as graphic, just as filled with mind-numbing rage, over the top violence and transphobic hatred.   They were also murders in which the victims left behind people who loved them unconditionally and cared about them. 

There was the 1980 murder of Georgette Hart.   She was born in Charlestown, and was called 'the most beautiful drag queen in Boston'.

After leaving a bar in the Charlestown area, she was found dead with her throat slashed. But the waste (or wastes) of DNA didn't stop there.  The perpetrator also found the time to mutilate her by cutting off her penis and stuffing it in her mouth before running over her with a car.

There's Terri Williams Moore, who was shot in the head and back by her husband Richard in Lynnville, Iowa on the way back from their honeymoon in May 1976.  She revealed during their honeymoon she'd had SRS and was trans.

I've talked on the blog about Chanelle Pickett's murder 18 years ago today on November 20,1995 in which her killer, William Palmer basically got a slap on the wrist for it.   Her twin sister Gabrielle, who she appeared with on Jenny Jones to discuss being a trans twin, was herself murdered in March 2003.

Speaking of trans twin sisters, Cynthia and Felicia Coffman of Nashville, TN. were both shot to death on July 24, 1977 by Dan Edward Jones.

Leslie Rejeanne, the south side Chicago girl and co-host of the female illusionist shows at The Baton who was one of the first African-American transpeople I saw publicly talk on television about transgender issues.  She appeared on Donahue, Oprah and countless other talk shows during the late 80's-early 90's and  was killed by a hit and run driver.


Debra Forte, the aunt of Ethan St Pierre, who for several years helped maintain the Remembering Our Dead List stats and the list. 

Debra was stabbed by Michael Thompson multiple times with six inch deep wounds in her chest along with being beaten around the head and shoulders on May 15, 1995.   How Ethan did that for all those years I still commend him for considering the circumstances.


Dianne Aubert, who was stabbed 121 times in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada on February 16, 1982.

Crystal Sanchez-Reyes, who died on Christmas Day 1987 because the man who shot her six times at point blank range, Daniel Montenegro Delgado, was upset she was dancing with his brother. 

There was an unnamed transwoman bludgeoned to death in San Antonio in 1991 who body was found partially burned.

Those of you who have seen Paris Is Burning know about the death of Venus Xtravaganza Pellagatti, who was found strangled and stuffed under the bed of a New York City hotel room on December 21, 1988 before the filming of the documentary was completed.     

It's just a small sample of long list of names of people who paid the ultimate price for simply wanting to be their true selves.

And on this day when we will be reading the names and memorializing the people who died due to anti-trans violence in 2013,  I also wanted us to take a moment to think about and never forget the back in the day  girls like us who were killed and didn't get the benefit of a TDOR memorial service.

Sage Smith Still Missing A Year Later

Today marks a year since Dashad Sage Smith was last seen alive in Charlottesville, VA.  

The last person the then 19 year old teen talked to on her cell phone was Erik Tyquan McFadden on the November 20 day Sage went missing. 

McFadden admitted to the Charlottesville police that he not only talked to Smith on the phone, but had set up a meeting at the local Amtrak station with the missing teen. 

After having that chat with the police, McFadden subsequently left the area.  They are still not only looking for Smith, but McFadden as well as he has been named as a person of interest in this case..  

In the meantime the Smith family and all who loved Sage are hoping and praying their missing loved one is found soon. 

If you have any information on the whereabouts of Sage or McFadden, call the Charlottesville Police Department at 434-977-9041 or Crimestoppers at 434-977-4000.

La Feria ISD Trans Student Will Have Pic In Yearbook

"But based on what happened in 2013 and previous school years over the life of this blog, I'm betting I'll be writing a few posts during the 2013-14 school year chronicling your attempts to fight the power, express your trans selves and live your lives."
  
--TransGriot  Trans Class of 2014, Start Planning Now To Beat Your Trans Oppressors  June 8, 2013

It's not even Thanksgiving Day yet and I've already been busy writing up on this blog drama already happening across the country with trans students fighting against their trans oppressors to be themselves as they navigate this school year. 

And you can bet that prom season and graduation days will bring even more resistance, transphobic ignorance and anti-trans bigotry from school administrators. 

Have been keeping my eye on along with other trans Texans the unnecessary drama going on in the Rio Grande Valley with La Feria High School trans teen Jeydon Loredo.

The La Feria High senior received some transphobic resistance from newly installed La Feria ISD superintendent Rey Villarreal concerning his picture that is slated to appear in the school yearbook.  

Villarreal has only been in the LFISD supenintendent's chair for four months andl stated that due to nebulous 'community standards'  Jeydon's yearbook picture of him in a tuxedo would not be allowed to be placed in the yearbook unless he wore traditional feminine attire.





That got the Southern Poverty Law Center involved.   They threatened to file a federal lawsuit on Jeydon's behalf if the anti-trans bigotry didn't cease and desist.  It set the stage for a November 11 LaFeria ISD board meeting in which Jeydon addressed the board along with his SPLC attorney Alesdair Ittelson.

“As school board members, you don’t get to decide whether transgender students receive the same rights as students who are not transgender, ” Ittelson told the LFISD board. “You must treat Jeydon equally and with the respect he deserves. The fact is, you must allow the tuxedo photo in the yearbook in order to remain in compliance with the law.” 

“Please allow my community to remember me, and to remember me the way I truly am, in the clothes that reflect me: Jeydon Loredo,” he asked the board.

The La Feria ISD school board subsequently went into closed session but made no decision on the photo.  They also closed ranks, refusing to comment on the issue or make a final decision probably in a vain attempt to stonewall and hope the story and the negative attention it was focusing on the town and school district near the Mexican border would fade away.

The SPLC wasn't amused.  They threatened to file the promised legal action if the LFISD didn't make a decision in Jeydon's case by November 21.  After a November 15 meeting between the interested parties, the La Feria ISD reversed itself. 

Jeydon's photo will now be included in the yearbook (as it should have been in the first place).  The La Feria ISD agreed to follow its own policies for cases of gender discrimination and provide training for the persons involved.

They also agreed to do a comprehensive education program for the La Feria school community in addition to adding gender identity and expression language in its district anti-discrimination policies.  

“We are very pleased that the school district has recognized Jeydon for who he is and will allow his photo in the yearbook along with all his classmates,” said Ittelson.

"This is a signal to other school districts that transgender students should be recognized as important members of their communities rather than ostracized and subjected to discrimination. We applaud Jeydon’s courage in standing up for his rights.” he continued.

And Jeydon's Lone Star State trans brothers and trans sisters second that sentiment.  

2009 Miss Tiffany Winner Detransitions To Become A Monk

Back in May 2009 I wrote about Sorawee 'Jazz' Nattee becoming the latest person to wear the Miss Tiffany's crown and become Thailand's representative in the upcoming Miss International Queen Pageant that November.   

Nattee ended up not placing in that Miss International Queen competition won by Ai Haruna of Japan but did finish third in the pre-pageant competition.    

The interesting news that came out of the Land of Smiles ironically right about the time the Miss Tiffany pageant is held in Thailand is that the now 24 year old Nattee traded her crown for the orange robes of Buddhist monkhood.

Since only males can become Buddhist monks, that meant Nattee had to detransition to do so. 

The international trans community has been hearing about disturbing cases in Thailand in which families who are majorly resistant to their trans children transitioning to live as women or their gay ones being forced to become monks.

According to Nattee, this isn't what's happening in his situation.  ‘It’s not that I’ve become a monk to run away from problems, but I’ve studied dhamma for two years and now know what it truly is.’’ 

Nattee also said in the Bangkok Post article he was doing so to repay his parents.

Genital surgery is optional for a contestant in the Miss Tiffany's and Miss International Queen competitions, and according to Nattee's family the only surgery Jazz had at the time of competition were breast implants..

Nattee removed the implants and took the ordination name of Phra Maha Viriyo Bhikku as he entered a monastery in his home southern Songkla province. He didn't hide the fact that four years ago he was wearing the Miss Tiffany's pageant crown.

"I want to be a monk for the rest of my life and I’m ready to leave my worldly possessions behind,’’ Jazz said after becoming a monk at Wat Liab

I and everyone else in trans world hope that Nattee freely made this decision and wasn't pushed into it by his parents or other outside influences.   If it's what Jazz truly desires and made the conscious decision to do so, then best of luck in his life and spiritual journey.

But if he didn't, I definitely along with people in Thailand won't be surprised to see the return of Jazz

First Ever Houston Black Trans Organized TDOR Event Tomorrow

Dee Dee Watters noticed what other people (myself included) in the community had in terms of many of the fallen trans people being memorialized at TDOR events being Black and Latina and the TDOR memorial services not doing a good enough job reflecting the diversity of the community.

She believed it was past time for the Houston African-American trans community to hold a Transgender Day of Remembrance memorial event of its own to honor our fallen sisters and got busy making it happen.

Dee Dee's efforts to make that event become a reality received a major boost when the radically inclusive Progressive Open Door Christian Center, which ministers to a predominately African-American TBLG congregation agreed and offered their church sanctuary for the TDOR event Watters was organizing.  .

The result is tomorrow night at 7 PM CST a little Texas trans history being made inside Loop 610 as the first ever African-American trans organized TDOR event in Houston kicks off near the Texas Southern University campus .

Progressive Open Door Christian Center holds its services in the St Luke The Evangelist Episcopal Church just east of the TSU campus at 3530 Wheeler Avenue and Sampson Streets.

After the conclusion of the TDOR memorial service at 9 PM, there will be a panel discussion with trans community members discussing their lives, their struggles and answering questions about the 'T' end of' the TBLG community.

All are welcomed to attend this first ever event, and the TransGriot will be in the house for this TDOR memorial.  Hope to see you there.

238 Names

Once again trans* people all over the world and our allies are gathering at Transgender Day of Remembrance memorial events to solemnly remember the people we lost to anti- trans violence since we last tearfully gathered to do so. 

In addition to this being the 15th anniversary of the Transgender Day of Remembrance memorials that were conceptualized by Gwendolyn Smith in the wake of Rita Hester’s murder, we will be marking on November 20 it being one year since trans teen Sage Smith disappeared after departing her home to meet someone at the Charlottesville, VA Amtrak station. 

This year we’ll be reading 238 predominately Black and Latina names as we gather in our TDOR venues, light candles, say our prayers, give our speeches, and decompress from grieving about the people we’ve lost after these worldwide15th anniversary Transgender Day of Remembrance memorials conclude. 

And we’re fed up with doing so.

We’re fed up with reading the names of so many young trans* women and sadly a few trans* men this year who will never get to experience another birthday.   Far too many of them who were killed this year were under the age of 35.

We’re fed up with contemplating the disturbing fact some of the names we’ll be reading during these TDOR memorials hadn’t even made it to age 21 yet.

We’re fed up in the African-American and Latin@ trans* communities of far too many of our people dying and our politicians, clergy and media pundits being cricket chirping silent about it.

We’re fed up with legislative inaction on the human rights laws it’s painfully obvious trans* people need at the local, state and federal levels as a wide range of people from trans exclusionary radical feminists to right-wing politicians gleefully spread disinformation and lies to roll back or retard our progress.

We’re fed up with our people dying and our people choosing suicide over life because you transphobic cisgender haters have made it so hostile and uncomfortable for them to live.

But sadly we’ll probably be gathering next November 20 at locations around the globe to read another 200 plus names of people killed because of anti-transgender violence.

And we’ll gather because for the sake of the people who died trying to living their lives as their authentic selves, we must.   

As one of the lines in the 1955 South African Freedom Charter states, ‘Our struggle is also a struggle of memory against forgetting.”

We cannot allow ourselves as a community to forget how and why these 238 people and the ones who have preceded them over the last fifteen years of organized TDOR memorials died. 

We cannot allow ourselves to forget that trans* rights are a human rights issue not just in this nation but around the world.  We must do whatever it takes to ensure that trans* people here and around the world can live their lives free of fear and wrap themselves in the security blanket of freedom and justice. 

We also cannot forget the price that was paid in the blood of our fallen trans* sisters and trans* brothers.  Their lives mattered then, their lives mattered to the people who loved them unconditionally and their lives matter to us who mourn their passing.

We as their trans* brothers and sisters and our allies also cannot forget that it is up to us to ensure that the 238 trans” people who died this year and memorialize on this day did not do so in vain. 

Yes, the moral arc of the universe is bending toward justice for trans* people but the people who died will sadly not experience the unbridled joy of that inevitable day. 

TDOR exists to remind us that it’s time for us to remember our dead, pull together as a community and comfort each other.  It is a memorial day, and if you think it’s ‘too somber’, too bad.  There are 364 other days on the calendar for you to do your partying and November 20 or the TDOR will never be an appropriate time for you to do so.  

As we work to eradicate anti-trans violence causing these senseless murders and waste of human life and potential, we remember our dead, wipe away our tears, and dry our weeping eyes.  We replace sadness and grief with a steely resolve to work for that sunny day of freedom and justice for all trans* people and make the TDOR’s obsolete.

And we want to make that day happen as expeditiously as possible

Carter Brown Challenges Black Leaders To Stand Up For Trans Community

The TDOR Unite! online ceremony was last night, and one of the videos that stood out for me was Black Transmen founder/CEO Carter Brown challenging the Black community leadership to speak out and stand up for the Black trans community.

Moni's Busy TDOR 2013 Week

The 15th annual observance of the Transgender Day of Remembrance officially happens on November 20, but the trend over the last few years has been to build informational programs around the observance of the day especially if that date doesn't fall on a weekend. 

With the official TDOR date falling on Wednesday this year, that has been the case with many locales having events starting last week and continuing through this Sunday.

Because of my status in Trans World, I do get the honor and privilege of being invited from time to time to take part in a wide variety of TDOR events including keynote speeches.  

The arrival of TDOR 2013 means as usual I'm going to be a little busy during this runup to November 20.  

I have a TDOR themed article I'm writing that's due Tuesday.  I woke up this morning to do a radio interview on Canadian radio station CHRW 94.9 FM that I'll post to the blog when it's available.  There's a local TDOR event in Houston I'm participating in near the TSU campus that starts at 7 PM on Wednesday, then I  get up early to travel to San Antonio for a TDOR event in San Antonio I'm speaking at Thursday evening . 

So if I'm going to see The Best Man Holiday this week, better be an early morning matinee.

'Race-Themed' Movie My Azz, USA Today

I was not surprised when I heard that The Best Man Holiday was kicking butt and taking names at the multiplexes during its opening weekend.  

I said this when I wrote about it in my SUF post on Friday.

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.

Thor made a last minute run to beat The Best Man Holiday in this weekend's money race by earning $38 million to BHM's $31 million, but even Miss Cleo and her defunct Psychic Hotline could have predicted a sequel to a beloved classic African-American movie with the same star studded cast that we've been waiting 14 years to see again would clock serious dollars. 

It actually made more money Friday night ($10.7 million) than Thor did ($10.4 million) before the screen advantage kicked in.   The Best Man Holiday was on far less screens (2024) than Thor's 3841, cost only $17 million to make, didn't have the same advertising budget as that (ho hum) comic book movie but still made big bucks.. 

So why was USA Today hatin' on the Best Man Holiday by calling it a race-themed movie? 

Yeah, you knew Black Twitter would put its collective foot in USA Today's and writer Scott Bowles' azz for that full of fail original headline and article as the race-themed Black blogosphere came for them in rapid succession. 

Birth of A Nation is a race-themed movie, Scott Bowles.  The Best Man Holiday isn't.  .

While the movie had a predominately African-American cast, the movie themes covered universal issues of friendship, love, family and loss just to name a few and will easily top the $34 million the original movie made back in 1999.

If Hollywood would make more movies in which I can see myself reflected on the silver screen in everyday situations as The Best Man Holiday does, I'd be more inclined to spend money at the multiplex.  I'd be even more inclined to do so if that particular African-American film is written and directed by someone besides Tyler Perry. 

And surprise surprise, even non-white folks would come to see them if you spent as much advertising dollars promoting them as you do on movies like Thor.
I'd also make some calls to the agents of Nia Long and Larenz Tate and work on getting that sequel to Love Jones made or call a few Black novelists and enter into discussions with them to turn their novels into movies.   


But if you're insistent on doing another comic book movie, I have two words for you if you want to make money:  Black Panther. 

Would love to see who would play him or what Wakanda looks like on the silver screen.