Brazilian Senator Calling For TBLG Discrimination Bill Vote

As anyone who has attended TDOR's or been paying attention over the last few years can tell you, violence against transwomen in Brazil has alarmingly spiked in the last few years.   In just this year alone there were 292 Brazilians lost to anti-TBLG violence with the vast majority of them being trans women.  

A bill has been proposed in Brazil, PLC 122 to ban discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.  It would also criminalize incitement of violence against TBLG Brazilians and punish violations of those offenses with up to three years in prison. 

However, the evangelical lobby in the country is throwing a nasty cup in the legislative Kool-Aid.   As they do everywhere else around the world when they don't get their way, they are having a hissy fit.   They are threatening to punish legislators who vote YES for passage of PLC 122 and President Dilma Rousseff who is up for re-election for a second term in the Brazilian national elections slated to happen on October 5, 2014.  

According to reports published in LGBTQ Nation, nervous legislators were preparing to cave to the evangelical phobes and shelve the bill until after those elections to appease them.

Never mind the fact that according to Grupo Gay de Bahia, 44% of the worlds' LGBT murders occur in Brazil, and one is committed against a Brazilian BTLG person every 21 hours.   The 292 murders this year were an unacceptable increase over the number committed in 2012, and the 2012 BTLG murder numbers were a 21% increase over the number of anti-TBLG murders that occurred in 2011.  

Senator Ana Rita of the ruling Labor Party plans to defy the government and call the vote for Wednesday despite instructions from President Rousseff and Brazilian Minister of Institutional Relations Ideli Salvatti to delay the vote on the sorely needed anti-TBLG discrimination measure until after the October elections.

Brazilian TBLG people are pushing back against the evangelical wing pressure by organizing a protest in Sao Paulo later today and planning to be in Brasilia for the PLC 122 vote on Wednesday.   

Human rights organizations are also making their voices heard and calling for it to happen, stating that the Brazilian TBLG community has waited a dozen years for their government to be drum majors for justice.

They also pointed out Brazil will be hosting the World Cup this summer and the Summer Olympics in Rio in 2016, and need to do so not only for its LGBT citizens, but visitors coming here to attend those two major international sporting events. 

“The anti-discrimination law will send a powerful message that gays, lesbians, bisexual and trans people in Brazil are fully protected by Brazilian law,” said Andre Banks, Executive Director of All Out to LGBTQ Nation.

It'll not only send that message should PLC 122 pass to TBLG people inside the fifth largest nation on the planet, but around the world as well.

And that law needs to happen.

MHP Discusses Structual Racism In The Classroom

There was a recent MHP Show about discussing structural racism in the classroom with Professor Shannon Gibney. 

Sage Smith Case- 21 And Still Missing

D. Sage Smith turned 21 on December 13.   But there was no party, no gathering of family and friends around a birthday cake with 21 candles on it to celebrate this milestone occasion because Sage is still missing. 

And so is the person of interest in this case who probably holds the key to finding Sage in Erik McFadden  

A vigil for Smith was held on November 20 at Lee Park to mark the one year anniversary of Sage's disappearance, but you can bet the one thing the family and friends most want for Christmas is Sage's return to their lives. 

Charlottesville Police are still searching for both persons, and especially Erik McFadden.   There is a $10,000 reward for information leading to a conclusion in the case. Anyone with information on Smith or McFadden should contact Detective Ronald Stayments at (434) 970-3280 or Crimestoppers at (434) 977-4000.

What I'd Like To Give The Black Trans Community For Christmas 2013

We are less than nine days away from Christmas Day 2013.  The Christmas music with soul is playing on our favorite radio stations, our favorite Christmas specials are on TV, and we got an early Christmas gift with The Best Man Holiday hitting the multiplexes this year. 

We have Megyn Kelly trying to drop a lump of coal in our Christmas stockings by doing her vanillacentric privileged FOX Noise televised hatin' on Black Santa.

Remember why it's Christmas, people.

But I wanted to make sure that my Black trans brothers and sisters weren't forgotten during this holiday season, especially since we've already lost one sister to anti-trans violence in Cleveland.

I'm also worried because of the Christmas holiday season's relentless joy-joy friends and family togetherness message, it can be a depressing time for those of us estranged from our families due to our gender issues. 

I've been there, as this short story post will tell you.

I wrote one of these posts back in 2010 along with a letter to Santa Claus , and one for my Black trans brothers and sisters across the African Diaspora in 2011.  The reason I probably didn't write that post last year was because I was distracted by all the so called end of the world chatter, missing Virginia trans teen Sage Smith, and exhaling after the POTUS won his second term in an electoral landslide by spanking Mittbot 2012.

With 2013 being a rough year for our chocolate trans community in terms of us losing 12 people during this last TDOR cycle, and us getting off to a less than wonderful start for the 2013-2014 TDOR cycle, I saw the need to revisit the topic.

So if I were given the power to magically grant all these Christmas wishes for the benefit of my Black trans* brothers and sisters here and across the Diaspora, what would I wish for?

Hmm..Let me start with missing trans teen Sage Smith being returned home.  

Unshakeable pride in being trans men and women, a history we can point to, and strong role models to emulate.

Laverne Cox's acting career to continue to blow up in the wake of her breakout role in Orange Is the New Black.   Janet Mock's book Redefining Realness hitting the New York Times Best Seller List    

Carter Brown and the brothers of Black Transmen, Incorporated continue to see steady growth and establish more chapters of the organization across the country, the BTWI sister org start to see the same, and the Black Trans Advocacy Conference April 29-May 4 in Dallas be even more off the chains successful than BTAC 2013 was.  

That Kylar Broadus be joined in his Capitol Hill trans policy and lobbying efforts by an LGBT or Black civil rights organization FINALLY hiring and keeping on the payroll for longer than six months a Black trans woman.

Tona Brown have a breakout moment of her own in 2014 similar to Laverne's along with every other trans musician in the community.

KOKUMO have an even bigger crowd for TGIF 2014.

Dr. Kortney R. Ziegler's efforts to refine and expand Trans*H4CK are megasuccessful in 2014

A Black transperson running for and winning public office in the 2014 election cycle for the first time since Althea Garrison did so in Massachusetts in 1992.

Black parents on this side of the 49th parallel loving and supporting their trans children like Tracey is being supported in Canada by hers. 

No more transphobic hatred being peddled by the Black gossip blogosphere aimed at Black trans people.

Black transpeople in North America continuing to reach out to our trans brothers and sisters internationally across the African Diaspora
 
Trans human rights laws that include airtight public accommodations language and the ability to inexpensively change your documentation without requiring expensive surgical intervention. 

Universal single payer heath care that covers trans medical issues. 

Our historic civil rights organizations, churches, and political leaders finally realizing that Black trans lives matter and stepping up to the plate to include us at the policy making table. 

School districts that have anti-bullying policies that have gender identity and expression language in them so our trans kids can graduate from high school and head to college.

Transkids being able to go to school without drama or being bullied by grown azz haters or their peers..

Fallon Fox to win a few WMMA bouts and do so without  people hatin' on her.

HBCU's adding gender identity language to their non-discrimination policies and non-discrimination statements and opening LGBT centers on their campuses.

A job at good wages for every trans person that wants one.

A Black trans community with infrastructure, fully funded service agencies that last longer than the founder's lifetimes.


Respect and love for our elders and each other.

An end to my transsisters dying here and across the Diaspora.


I think that's a nice start.   Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays Y'all!

C-279 Second Session Update- At Senate Second Reading

You peeps on both sides of the 49th Parallel, AKA the Canada-US border are wondering what the blazes is happening with C-279, the federal trans human rights bill that passed the Canadian House of Commons back on March 13 with a 149-137 vote. 

It has been in the Canadian Senate ever since, and if C-279 passes, it would amend the Canadian Criminal Code to add gender identity to the list of grounds protected from discrimination under the Canadian Human Rights Act and under the hate propaganda section of the Criminal Code.  

Translation:  It would protect trans people from discrimination at the federal level.


Because Conservative PM Stephen Harper asked for and got Parliament prorogued, it basically reset the entire legislative process.  C-279 at the time it was prorogued was at the stage where it only needed to undergo its last two hours of debate and pass its third vote before moving to the Royal Assent state to become Canadian law.  To sponsor Sen. Grant Mitchell's (Liberal-Alberta) unhappiness, the Conservatives in the Senate stalled it before they went on their summer recess on June 30.

NDP MP Randall Garrison, the sponsor of the private member's bill is still optimistic that it will pass even though Sen. Mobina Jaffer (Liberal-BC), whose Human Rights committee C-279 passed through in June on its way to Third Reading, expressed some pessimism in a July Straight.com article that it would pass after the successful last minute Conservative stalling tactics.  .

She is a supporter of the legislation along with Sen. Mitchell, who is the Senate sponsor shepherding its passage through the Red Chamber. 

So here's what has happened since the Canadian Senate returned to handle the nation's legislative business during this second parliamentary session on October 16.


Parliament was prorogued until after Canadian Thanksgiving on October 14.   When the senators returned to work on October 16, the good news was they reinstated C-279.   The bad news is that it had to start the entire legislative process in the Senate all over again. 

C-279 received its First Reading the next day (October 17), but didn't receive Second Reading until November 26.  Starting today this week is the last of five fixed sitting days for the Canadian Senate in 2013 before they go on their holiday break December 20.

The Senate will not return from that break until January 28, so any further action on C-279 is probably going to be delayed until after New Year's Day to give the haters like REAL Women of Canada (think the Maple Leaf division of the TERF's), their right wingers and Conservative senators in opposition to it a chance to throw more 'bathroom bill' (arrgh) shade at it again in an attempt to kill it. 

Okay, Canadian TransGriot readers, that's you cue to become agents of your own trans liberation and get busy calling, writing or e-mailing your senators to urge passage of C-279.

It's vitally important if your senator is a Conservative.  They need to hear from you and know they have trans constituents. 

All we can do on our side of the 49th Parallel is watch the bill's progress, wait unless y'all tell us otherwise, and cheer for its passage when it finally happens. 
.   

Love The Body You're In

How many times have all of us (myself included) over the years said either one or many of the comments echoed in this graphic?   For those of us on the transfeminine end of the spectrum, we have said all of the above and we can add a few more not included in this graphic when our trans going gets rough.   

I wish I'd been born a cis woman. 
I am too tall. 
I hate my double digit shoe size.  
I'm not feminine enough.
I hate being trans*
(Insert other trans themed comment here)

The point I'm making is that we trans women have body image issues just like our cis feminine counterparts.   Some of those body issues are far too common ones expressed by all women cis and trans, while others are exclusively our particular transfeminne cross to bear. 

But the cure for those body image issues is pretty much the same.  It's getting comfortable in your own skin, understanding that gender identity is between your ears, and confidently projecting and expressing to the world acceptance of your gender identity.

It goes a long way toward helping one love the body they are in.  The point also needs to be repeatedly driven home until it becomes a mantra that women come in all shapes, sizes and genitalia configurations.

You are perfectly imperfect, so get busy loving the body you're in.  

MediaTakeOut Unleashes Transphobic Slurs At Mia Ryan

Why am I not surprised to hear about transphobic crap coming not only from Black gossip blogs, but the Black gay people who run them?

They flap their lips to say 'they're not transphobic' while gleefully trafficking in the transphobia running rampant on their sites.

Thanks to The G-List Society, was made aware of the transphobia outbreak that happened recently on MediaTakeOut aimed at Mia Ryan.

For those of you who watched the OWN reality series Houston Beauty, Mia was one of the breakout stars of the show.  Her storyline in which she was trying to complete her beauty school education at Houston's iconic Franklin Beauty School while trying to leave the escorting world and conquer her personal demons was at times fascinating and painful to watch.

MediaTakeOut claims in an April 15, 2013 commentary it has the 'utmost respect for all people regardless of sexuality'.  

But that respect sure doesn't extend to transpeople.

For starters, you transphobic idiots, if you're going to insult us with the t-word that we've more than made clear across Trans World and beyond is a slur, learn how to spell it properly. 

Frankly, I'm more than sick and tired of the repeated pattern of transphobic hate being spread by Black gossip blogs like yours, Bossip, Sandra Rose and The Skorpion Show .  I'm fed up with the rampant transphobia that runs like sewage in your comment threads.  

I'm also sick and tired of being sick and tired of the fact that you Black SGL peeps, who should know better and be intimately aware of how hurtful that crap is, would stoop to that level in the first place.  

We get enough transphobic microaggressive and macroaggressive bull feces aimed at us as Black trans women from society, the media, our families, white trans exclusionary radical feminists (TERF's), the Religious Right, the Republican Party and Fox Noise.. 

We don't need you transphobic idiots at MediaTakeOut gleefully pouring gasoline on the flame of anti-trans hatred in the Black community that results in us getting burned with it, and leads to far too many Black trans women getting murdered.  

Joanne Cassar Honored In Malta

I've documented in these electronic pages the seven year long battle of girl like us Joanne Cassar to have her right to marry recognized by a Maltese government that fought her every step of the way. 

It was a fight that eventually ended up in the European Court of Human Rights, became an election issue in the March  2013 Maltese national elections and with the change of government ended in her favor.

The new Labour government as part of the ECHR case settlement with Cassar introduced legislative changes in Maltese law that recognizes the full human rights of a trans person in the gender they transition to, including the right to marry. 

December 13 was Republic Day in Malta, the day in 1974 that substantial constitutional changes occurred that transformed the former British colony to an independent nation.   On that day Maltese citizens are given Republic Day Honours for their contributions to Maltese society, and this year's group of Gieh ir Repubblika recipients includes Joanne Cassar.

Joanne Cassar was honored for her perseverance since 2006 in this marriage fight, which resulted in not only a personal victory for her, but in the process made Malta a fairer society.

Congratulations Joanne on this well deserved honor and your battle that not only was a victory for you and other Maltese trans people, but will possibly have an impact on the rest of the world when it comes to trans marriage rights cases

My Remarks To The Cleveland TBLG Community Rally

There is a vigil and community meeting taking place in Cleveland as I post this and I was asked to submit some remarks to be read at it.

Here they are.

***  

To my Cleveland trans family, allies, family and friends of our fallen transsisters, and our supporters.

I wish I could be there at this moment to give you a comforting hug, help dry your tears, and stand in solidarity with you.  But my words will have to be an inadequate substitute for my physical presence at this time.

On behalf of myself, the trans community of Texas, the national and international trans community, we wish to express our deepest condolences for the loss of two of our Cleveland sisters. We offer our prayers and express our hopes that the perpetrators of these foul deeds will be caught and justice in these cases will be swift, fair and expeditiously served.

Once again as you gather in Cleveland to mourn the senseless loss of two of our trans sisters, you do so in the wake of media misgendering and disrespect robbing one of them of the dignity and the personhood they fought so hard to establish in their lives.

The deceased deserved better. So do the transpeople who are in the area struggling to live their day to day lives. And once again one of our two departed sisters lives was snuffed out before she had a chance to fully live it.

When will this carnage stop? How many more trans lives have to be lost to anti-trans violence before the Cleveland community says enough and shows through deeds and words that the lives of ALL its citizens are valued?

If there is anything that needs to happen in the wake of these senseless deaths, it is that the time has come to embrace the Cleveland trans community and ensure they become loved and valued members of the community, not shunned and disrespected afterthoughts.

May the upcoming New Year see this happen for my transfamily in Cleveland and beyond its city limits.

Sincerely,
Your sister in the struggle
Monica Roberts
The TransGriot

MHP's Letter To Santa

Megyn Kelly stepped in it with her vanillacentric privileged commentary over Aisha Harris' Slate article about Santa and her overly defensive assertion that 'it was an undeniable fact that Santa was white.'  

"I mean, Jesus was a white man too. He was a historical figure, that's a verifiable fact. As is Santa—I just want the kids watching to know that." — Megyn Kelly

Well, you knew Melissa Harris-Perry was going to have to drop a commentary about that, and here it is for your viewing pleasure.

Hers is much more diplomatic than mine was going to be.   

Happy Birthday Dr. KRZ!

I couldn't let today pass without giving a TransGriot shoutout to one of my fave transmen. 

I  had the please of spending some quality time with back in September during the inaugural and wildly successful Trans*H4CK that he is busy working to replicate in other parts of the country.

And yeah I enjoyed meeting his significant other, too.

For those of you who know Kortney, I don't have to elaborate on just how awesome he is, and I'm proud to have him around as one of the peeps in my life.

Happy birthday Dr. Z!   May this one be full of love. smiles and abundant blessings and you have many more of them. 

And looking forward to being in your presence the next time our paths cross.

Bathroom Trans Hate

Decided to write a new poem for the SpeakOUT Poetry Slam that's happening at the Clayton Library at 5300 Caroline St from now until 5 PM.    For those of y'all in the Houston area y'all do have time to get over to this event if you want to check it out and FYI  the Clayton Library is on the METRORail Red Line near the Museum District station.  

The poems performed by Koomah, Tye and Scott will have TBLG themes.  I decided to write this one last night slamming the bathroom meme and the use of it by right-wing haters, Christofascists and TERF's to oppose needed trans human rights laws.

So for all the hatin' you do, this poem's for you.

Bathroom Trans Hate
An MKR Poem.

One thing I am tired of seeing
When it's time to legislate
Is certain cisgender peeps tripping
When trans human rights it's time to contemplate

It's hell out here for transpeople
That subject is not up for debate
Anti-trans violence and 26% unemployment
For non-discrimination laws we can't wait

Conservafools don't want that to happen
They'll do anything to obfuscate
So what do they do to stop it?
They deploy the bathroom trans hate

Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminists
Cry the same white women's tears
I'm sick and tired of their transphobia
And disco era sneers

Have to deal to with christofascists
Letting their trans hatred flow
But God made transpeople, too
Because the Bible I read tells me so

They'll say we'll sexually assault you
Molest your kids in the stalls as they cry
But I'm here to tell you cis people
That's a baldfaced transphobic lie.

For six decades none of that's happened
From sea to shining sea
The only things transpeeps do in the bathroom
Is poop, piss and wash our hands after we pee

So let me say this succinctly
Here is my bathroom plan
I'm handling my bodily functions
And getting out as fast as I can

Yeah, I'll check myself out in the mirror
To see if I'm still looking fly
Once I've finished my beauty business
Hasta la vista, see you later, buh-bye

GOP politicians have no logical reason
To oppose trans human rights in our state
So the only tool they have to oppose it
Is to 'scurr' you with bathroom trans hate

So don't be fooled, tricked or bamboozled
All us transpeeps sure will appreciate
That you peeps do whatever you can possibly do
To flush all of the bathroom trans hate

2013 UH Cougar Watch-Going Bowling

So I hope UH got the sloppy play out of their system because they better be ready to play against the Knights. This upcoming game and the one next week at Louisville will probably determine whether the Cougars stay on track for that BCS bowl berth and the inaugural AAC title. 
--TransGriot November 1, 2013

Damn, did I call it or not UH Cougar fans?  

My fave college football team was riding high at one point of this 2013 NCAA college football season   The freshman and sophomore dominated Cougar squad was 7-1, unbeaten in AAC conference play at 4-0 and hitting the most critical two weeks of their season with road games against UCF and Louisville.

If they win them both, they would be in the driver's seat for the inaugural AAC title and have the inside track for UH's first ever BCS bowl game.  

We're going bowling, but it won't be a BCS one.

In their November 9 nationally televised AAC showdown with Number 21 ranked UCF, UH came 30 seconds, two dropped end zone passes and seven agonizing yards short of walking out of Orlando with a win after coming back from a 19-7 deficit with 4:04 left in the game.

But the 19-14 defeat gave them their second loss of the season, their first in AAC play and dropped them into a second place tie with Louisville.

The Cougars took their 7-2 (4-1 AAC) record on November 16 to 'The Pizzeria' for their first trip to Louisville since 2003 and both were members of C-USA.   Sadly once again 13th ranked Louisville is bouncing for another conference (the ACC this time) just as we join them in the Conference Formerly Known As The Big East.

With a BCS bid still in reach for either team if they won, this first UH-Louisville tilt since 2004 was a far more competitive game than the one I had to hear about for several weeks as a Texan in Exile up there after they lost big in 2003 and 2004.  

But I did talk much trash after the 2002 upset win over the Cards in Houston.

At halftime it was looking good for my UH boys.  Despite losing all world wideout Deontay Greenberry to a head injury in the first quarter, the Cougars were up 13-10 at halftime and had Teddy Bridgewater under control.   The Cards made their halftime adjustments and shifted to a runcentric attack behind junior Dominique Brown.  He rushed for a career high 137 yards on 27 carries as the Cards ate up 12:24 of the third quarter, got the go ahead TD and added a John Wallace field goal late in the third quarter to eventually send the Cougars to another frustrating 20-13 loss in the last game we'll play against the Cards until 2015.  

With the Cougars at 7-3 for the season (4-2 in AAC play) and their slim hopes for a BCS bowl gone, they focused their attention on trying to end their losing skid against Cincinnati on November 23 in a soggy and cold BBVA Compass Stadium.

The temp was 40 degrees at kickoff with intermittent rain and the UH offense was as sloppy as the playing surface. 

The offense once again sputtered, scoring only one touchdown and O'Korn coughing the ball up deep in Bearcat territory on UH's opening drive.  The Cougars fell behind 24-7 before starting their second half comeback.  It was jumpstarted by safety Trevon Stewart's 15 yard fumble recovery for a touchdown to narrow the UH deficit to 21-14.

The Bearcats also gave John O'Korn and the Cougars one last chance to snatch victory from the jaws of  defeat after they missed a short field goal with 1:24 left and no timeouts. But the Coogs ran out of time at the Cincinnati 32 yard line to lose 24-17 and drop their third straight game in AAC play by a TD or less and go 7-4 (4-3 AAC) on the season.

On November 29, the day after Thanksgiving the Cougars and the 'Third Ward D' feasted on our AAC instate rivals SMU and rolled them 34-0 at Reliant Stadium. 

While the offense was breaking out of its malaise with a 67 yard bomb to Daniel Spencer from O'Korn on the opening play of the game, the defense was making life miserable for SMU redshirt freshman QB Neal Burcham. 

They sacked Burcham five times, forced four turnovers and allowed only one Mustang trip inside the 20 yard line to post the first UH shutout since they were members of the SWC.

On December 2, 1989 the Cougars beat Rice 64-0 in their last game of the season to cap a 9-2 SWC campaign in which they finished second in the league, were ranked #14 during a probation marred season and saw Andre Ware run-and-shoot his way to the Heisman Trophy.   

Speaking of quarterbacks, John O'Korn did finish the regular season setting a UH freshman QB record with 26 touchdowns

The Cougars finished their first season in the AAC with an 8-4 record and 5-3 in conference play to finish fourth.  Not bad considering they were picked to finish sixth and did this with a freshman and sophomore dominated line up. 

While it's not the BCS bowl they had designs on when they started the year, on January 4 the Coogs will travel to Birmingham, AL to play in the BBVA Compass Bowl against their SEC opponent, the 8-4 Vanderbilt Commodores at Legion Field in what should be a fun game. 
   
While this inaugural AAC season turned out to be much better for the Coogs and their fans than we anticipated, the future looks so bright for the UH Cougars they need shades. 

In addition to those freshman and sophomores getting valuable playing time in their maiden AAC campaign, they will be playing in the new on campus football stadium scheduled to open on August 30, 2014.

And hopfully you'll be able to ride the METRORail Purple line to the stadium when the new Cougar football home opens with a game against the UTSA Roadrunners.  

Now all we need is a few four and five star recruits to sign and come play in it.