It's Officially Wendy vs Greg

The Texas primary elections were held yesterday and it's now official.   Wendy Davis is the Democratic Party nominee for governor.  

She cruised to victory over Ray Madrigal of Corpus Christi to become the first Democratic female gubernatorial nominee since Ann Richards did so in 1990 and 1994.

Meanwhile, as expected, Greg Abbott did the same on the Teapublican side.

So now the hard part begins of getting her elected.  Now that the Repugs have stopped slinging mud at each other, they are going to turn up the GOP Noise Machine to full blast and break out the lies in their attempt to hold onto the governor's mansion.

We have eight months to go.  

Why I STILL Have A Problem With 'Dallas Buyers Club'

I was not happy about Jared Leto's Golden Globe win for playing Rayon in the Dallas Buyers Club and the tone deaf acceptance speech.while accepting his award.  

Now that he's won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for it, I'm STILL not happy, and the comments by Jean-Marc Vallée the director of Dallas Buyer Club only added to my simmering pissivity about it.

Vallée made these comments when interviewed by the CBC's Jian Ghomeshi, who asked whether he ever considered casting a transgender actor.

"Never. [Are] there any transgender actors?" he said. "I'm not aiming for the real thing. I'm aiming for an experienced actor who wants to portray the thing."

Yeah, you ignorant transphobic fool, there are transgender actors.  And pro tip: Transpeople are not a 'thing'.  We are living, breathing human beings.       

Much of the problem I have with Jared Leto is not only his transphobic director, it's also the fact that trans people like Candis Cayne, Alexandra Billings, Aleshia Brevard, Calpernia Addams, Jamie Clayton, Harmony Santana, Jazzmun, Laverne Cox and the cast of Bella Maddo have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt we can play trans and cis people on the small and silver screens, and yet these trans roles when Hollywood bothers to create them STILL go to cis men and cis women.

I have a problem with some white peeps inside and outside the TBLG community reflexively rushing to Leto's defense because we trans peeps are calling out the problematic elements of his performance.  I also have a problem with them saying how great his portrayal was and dismissing our concerns about it as usual.

And yeah, I'm in agreement with my trans brother Kortney Ziegler when he takes to task elements of the white trans community who tried to compare the Rayon role to blackface.   Not no, but oh hell no on that. 

Dear everyone who is comparing Jared Leto's performance of a trans woman to blackface, here is a tip: nothing is like blackface but blackface. And likening the drag performance of a white cis man to the humiliation of ALL black people is lazy, racist, oh, and erases black transgender people. We exist.

Amen, Kortney.   So word to the wise, cease and desist with that.  Back to riffing on Rayon   I'm not the only transwoman who has a problem with that portrayal of what even Leto himself admits is a fictional character.   And don't even go there with the line, "But Calpernia Addams was his acting coach."    It was and still is a problematic, stereotype filled performance. 

So if the character in Dallas Buyers Club is fictional, why not give a transfeminine actor who knows intimately what it is like to be a trans woman a shot at it? 

I'm also tired of hearing the BS excuse that 'Leto was a known, proven actor and the transwomen weren't."  Once upon a time Laurence Fishburne, Forest Whitaker, Denzel Washington, Whoopi Goldberg, Kerry Washington, Angela Bassett, Nia Long, et al were also 'no-name', unproven actors until they were given the role that showcased their talent.
We also have to have trans script writers behind the scenes writing the roles, too. Would Kerry Washington's Olivia Pope character on Scandal be the same without Shonda Rhimes writing and producing it?  We transpeople have the talent to rock any role. All we trans peeps need is the opportunity and for casting people and directors to free their minds so it can happen


Because you didn't do that, that's why it's getting panned by much of the trans community.

Miss Kentucky 2010 Comes Out

Back in 2010 Djuan Trent became the second African American woman after Lyda Lewis in 1973 to be crowned as Miss Kentucky.   She went on to place in the Top 15 during the 2011 Miss America pageant. |

Having lived in Louisville when that marriage ban stain on the Kentucky Constitution was enacted and approved by a misguided majority of voters in 2004, I was happy when federal Judge John G. Heyburn dropped the legal hammer February 12 and ordered the Bluegrass State to recognize legal out of state same gender marriages.

With the haters homophobic rhetoric running hot and heavy, Ms.Trent came out in a February 20 post at her 'Life in 27' blog.   She noted in that post:

Ideally, I would love to one day live in a society where coming out is no longer necessary because we don't make assumptions about one another's sexuality and homophobia is laid to rest. For now, that is more of an ideal than it is a reality. But if you want see that ideal become a reality and you have the courage to change history...if you want to earn some gold stars, then yes, come on out and make your presence known. People can't know that their best friend, brother, sister, co-worker, neighbor, news anchor, favorite singer, or local coffee shop barista is being oppressed and denied the rights in which their heterosexual counterparts are so happily welcomed partake, unless you open your mouth and say it.

Or the former Miss Kentucky 2010 titleholder

I wrote this comment on her coming out post 

Thank you, Djuan!

As one of your trans sisters who once lived in Kentucky (Louisville) from 2001-2010, I definitely applaud you for taking this one small step for you, but a giant leap for the Kentucky LGBT community.

You help emphatically drive home the point that LGBT people are just living their lives, following their dreams and wanting to do so without interference. 

As you pointed out, the more people we have coming out, speaking their truth and living their lives, the better. 

Since this post is about Ms Trent coming out, her words need to be the ones closing it out.  But I echo what my SGL sistah said.

I applaud those who take that step in speaking up and speaking out, because in your doing so, you create a sense of awareness amongst your friends, family, and peers, letting them know that this hits a lot closer to home than they may have realized.  You create a sense of community, letting others know that they are not alone, and giving them the courage to also speak up and speak out.

 

Go The F#&K And Vote!

It's primary election day in the Lone Star State and I'm channeling Samuel L. Jackson this morning to urge you to get your behinds up in a few hours and go vote.

"But it's a primary election." I hear you saying.  Yes, it is.  But it's important because it determines the candidates who you will be voting for on November 4. 

And one I damned sure don't want to see on my ballot in November is that LaRouchite President Obama hatin' electoral troll Kesha Rogers. 

If you're tired of GOP bull feces and want to fire everything with an (R) behind their names, the first steps to doing that is ensuring there are qualified candidates on the ballot to replace the Teapublicans with. 

The first steps to a Blue Texas and ending the unjust Texas GOP dictatorship start today, so get up, go the f#&K and vote.  Handle your electoral business before 7 PM.   For those of you who took advantage of early voting, I thank you for doing so. 

For those of you who waited until today for whatever reason, make sure you do so.  The TransGriot, the community, the state, and the nation thank you for caring enough about your community, your county and our great state of Texas and its future to do your civic duty. 

2014 LGBT Media Journalists Convening-Moni's Busy DC Weekend

Another year, another trip to Hobby Airport to board a jet plane for the 2014 edition of the LGBT Media Journalists Convening.  

Once again I was pleased to receive an invitation to participate, represent my community and hang out with many of my fellow journalists and bloggers from around the country.

As the days rapidly ticked off the calendar toward my February 28 departure I found myself getting excited because this year's convening was in Washington DC.

But what I wasn't excited about was that I was leaving the 70 degree (21 C) warmth of H-town to head to a nation's capital still in the grip of winter weather and which on the day of my arrival would have a high temp of 25 degrees (-4 C)

But as usual, it wouldn't be a Moni trip without some drama in the mix.

Decided to take the bus to Hobby, and planned to leave myself time to get to the airport, check my bag and play with my new Asus laptop (thanks Samantha Master) at my gate after clearing TSA security. 

But as my bus left the UH campus and approached Spur 5 from UH University Drive, to my horror I saw standing between me and my connecting 88 Hobby Airport bus due at the Eastwood Transit Center  a trail ride plodding its way up the feeder.   

I'd forgotten that Friday was Go Texan Day, the date that all of us Houston denizens are encouraged to wear Western style clothing for the day.  It was also the date the various trail rides taking part in Saturday's parade to kick off Rodeo Houston would hit town and converge at Memorial.Park for their big campout before the last ride up Memorial Drive to downtown for the rodeo parade on Saturday.  

That little factoid was now impacting my trip out of town for the convening.  As we excruciatingly plodded along on my METRO bus headed north toward the Elgin-Lockwood intersection behind the horses, wagons and the HPD car guarding their rear, I with increasing stress looking at my watch hands tick inexorably closer to that 10:07 arrival time of the 88 Hobby bus into the transit center knowing that if I missed it, next one was not scheduled until 10:52 AM.  

That means instead of getting to Hobby at 10:30 AM and having time to check my bag and clear TSA security, I wouldn't be getting there until 11:17 AM, a few minutes after boarding started for my 11:45 AM nonstop on Southwest to DCA.  

I got to the Eastwood Transit Center at 10:06 AM and did my FloJo impression to the 88 Hobby southbound bus bay on the opposite side of where I got off of my initial bus as the 88 Hobby entered the transit center exactly 60 seconds later. 

Good thing I did make it because as it turned out my Southwest flight left early and arrived at the gate in DC at 3:15 PM EST.

I arrive at Washington National's (I refuse to call it Reagan National) Terminal A and after scooping up
my checked bag, called Ruby Corado to let her know I'd arrived.   She sent her executive assistant Caprice Williams to get me and take me to Casa Ruby after detouring by the Capital Hilton to allow me to check in, dump my bags in my room and head over there.

When I arrived at the Capital Hilton which is on 16th and K Streets two blocks from the White House, I noted as we pulled into the driveway police officers positioned on the roofs of adjacent buildings.  When I got out with my bags I noted a larger than normal doorman presence, multiple police cars parked on both sides of 16th Street, K-9 and other units in the lobby.  Didn't know until later that the DNC Winter Meeting was also being held at that location.



After depositing my bags in my 7th floor room, spending an enjoyable two hours with Ruby catching up with her life post Creating Change 14, getting a tour of the facility, hanging out with many of the people there, and saying hello to my Latina trans sisters who were arriving for a Friday support meeting, 6:30 PM comes way too soon and it's time for Caprice to take me back to the Capital Hilton.    

The game plan before I arrived in DC was for me spend some time at Casa Ruby, then head back to the hotel and change from my travel clothes into something nicer so I could attend the opening event of the Convening, the reception at the AFL-CIO building two blocks up the street. 

The reception would give us a chance to connect with and catch up with each other before the keynote speech by MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell and we dove into the full day of seminars Saturday.
  
However, while I was at the Georgia Avenue location of Casa Ruby, the security plan for President Obama's speech to the assembled DNC Winter Meeting masses was being executed.   Two blocks from the hotel we ran into it and Caprice had to drop me off.

I also found out the next day Caprice just three hours after she dropped me off would be involved in another ugly incident of Washington Metro Po-po's fracking with non-white transpeople that I'll discuss in a separate post.   

While I was gone the POTUS arrived at our hotel to speak at the DNC meeting and it was on lockdown.  I ended up across the street from the Capital Hilton  at 16th and L St but wasn't allowed to cross the street at that point by the officer stationed there.   The peeps inside weren't being allowed to leave either.  

After twenty chilly minutes in that corner I finally got the idea along with a Hilton hotel employee standing there with me trying to get to work to just simply walk in the opposite direction to 17th Street, go to K St, and them come back up to the hotel that way where the police officer was letting people through a security checkpoint set up there.     

So as I executed my Plan B to get to my room while making a new friend, we arrive at the hotel doors just as they release it from lockdown and I end up running into Will Kohl, Viktor Kerney and several other people in the #LGBTMedia14 crew trying to get down the street to the AFL-CIO building for the reception..

So I get to the building moments later and start running into all the peeps I know like Bi Net USA's president Faith Cheltenham, Dr. Kortney Ziegler, Kimberley McLeod of Elixher, TLC's Masen Davis, Daniel Villarreal, Rebecca Juro, media trainer extraordinaire Joel Silberman, Reina Gossett, Mike Rogers and Autumn Sandeen.  I also begin to get introduced to others who were there for the first time like Ebone Bell, Dyana Bagby of the GA Voice, Brynn Tannehill, Trish Bendix of AfterEllen and Dana Rudolph of Mombian.

After some animated conversation in the lobby with various people including my Lone Star homegirl Cristan Williams and some tasty finger food, it was time to head into the room to start the portion of the evening's events that would lead up to Andrea Mitchell's keynote.

After several speeches, the reading of a proclamation from Washington Mayor Vincent Gray, and opening remarks from Sarah Blazucki, Matt Foreman and Bil Browning, with Bil telling his humorous story about how he met Andrea, he yielded the podium to our keynote speaker for the evening.

Michell discussed several topics during her speech such as international issues, her journalism journey, and a shoutout to her MSNBC colleague Rachel Maddow.

But the major theme was human rights progress, the progress of the LGBT movement and our roles in making that happen.

When her speech concluded, she opened the floor to questions before yielding the podium back to Bil who made a few announcements concerning the White House tour that would happen tomorrow and what we could not bring with us before concluding the reception. 

Saturday dawned sunny and cold as a group of us bounced from the hotel at 7 AM to make the two block walk over to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and take part in the tour that was set up for us. 

Let's just say I will never complain about the TSA security at the nation's airports ever again after undergoing the gauntlet you have to go through just to get into the White House for the tour.

But it was fascinating to see the White House and all those rooms that I have up to this point only seen in photos or on television. 
  
After the conclusion of the White House tour, we headed back to the Capital Hilton to begin the long day of #LGBTMedia14 seminars which ironically were across the hall from the DNC Winter Meeting.

After the announcements from Bil and Matt Berger about the media trainings and the scenario that they were setting up for it, the rest of us not signed up for one introduce ourselves to the rest of the room and were challenged by Bil to come up with not more than three words to describe ourselves.  

Mine: Texas Trans* Troublemaker

The first seminar that kicked off at 9:20 AM was Mythbusters: Understanding and Deconstructing The Lies of the Anti-LGBT Industry with Nathaniel Frank, Joel Silberman and Masen Davis as panelists and moderated by Matt Foreman 

Loved Masen Davis pointing out the lack of Rachel Maddow show coverage of trans issues by stating. "Rachel Maddow, it's time to say the words 'transgender'."  He also pointed out that only 11 percent of Americans know or are friends with a trans person, and that gives anti-trans messages more power.   Joel Silberman also made the point that responses to opposition should be according to our message, not their framing of the issue.

That discussion ran until our 11:00 AM break, and 20 minutes later we dove into the second seminar of the day moderated by Erin Rook entitled What We Don't Talk About: Radical Methods For Greater Diversity In Queer Journalism with panelists Reina Gossett, Robyn Ochs and Paul Kawata.

There was an interesting discussion dominated by HIV issues and bisexual erasure issues hat ran right up to lunch time. I asked Reina the question of if the LGBT media was doing a better job of covering trans issues and also reminded the people in the room that "'POC LGBT people do not have the luxury of separating our ethnicity from our LGBT status."

That took us to our lunch break at 12:50 PM, and while I was out fixing my plate ran into Earl Fowlkes, who I met during CC14 and was here for the DNC meeting.  He told me that he'd just left the DNC LGBT caucus one and everyone was in high spirits and enthused about the upcoming 2014 midterms.   We also got visited by Dana Beyer and DNC member Babs Casbar Siperstein

We came out of the lunch break with Rebecca Juro introducing our next speaker, DREAMer Lorella Praeli, who talked about immigration reform for a few moments before heading into our 2:10 PM Trish Bendix moderated panel entitled Geek Tech: The Future Of LGBT Media with Tyler Chance and Kortney Ziegler.  

Kortney got to talk about Trans* H4CK for a few moments before launching into along with Tyler developments in tech world that affect bloggers and the LGBT community.

After our snack break at 3:40 PM, we headed into the final panel discussion moderated by Sarah Blazucki entitled: Airing Our Dirty Laundry: Best Practices in Airing Touchy Subjects with panelists Mara Keisling, Darlene Nipper and Steven Thrasher.

And yeah, we did touch on race in that discussion, in which I made the point that the LGBT community does have a race problem that we need to solve.  I reiterated the point I made earlier that  POC LGBT people don't have the luxury as our white counterparts do of separating their race from the rainbow community status and don't want to.  Because of the LGBT Two Americas and white privilege, there are times non-white LGBT people are going to see things differently like the Piers Morgan interviews with Janet Mock
 
That brought us to the wrap up and feedback portion of #LGBTMedia14 that Daniel Villarreal moderated in which we threw out suggessions for topics to cover at the next convening.     

One I would like to see is a TBLG sports one which I believe is sorely needed as more trans and SGL athletes come out like Fallon Fox, Michael Sam, Brittney Griner and others.  In addition to trans, bi and SGL athletes we also have trans and SGL sportswriters like Christina Kahrl and LZ Granderson who would be perfect panelists for it 

We in the BTLG media ranks need to be able to bust the myths and lies of the haters and also explain to the community that our LGBT athletes are trailblazing heroes and sheroes, too.

That wrapped up at 6:00 PM and I dashed up to the room to get ready as I would get not one but two visitors wanting to hang out with me in Tona Brown and Candace Montague. 

Candace I met briefly during OUT On the Hill 2012, but we were finally going to get to spend some quality time together.   She'd already gotten a commitment from me to go to dinner with her, which was the reason I didn't go to the meetup at the Green Lantern.  

I know a lot of peeps in DC who the nanosecond I mentioned I was coming inside I-495 were blowing up my Facebook page and phone wanting to know when, what day and time. Some I couldn't catch up with like Imam Daayiee Abdullah and Kristopher Sharp.

And pro tip: In Ruby's case, she made sure she got her quality time in by grabbing me at the airport.   

Speaking of the airport, I started hearing rumblings about flights being canceled because of the approaching winter storm Titan, and called Southwest reservations to make sure my flight was still alive for Sunday.  If it hadn't been, I was looking at the prospect of spending an extra day or two in a snowed in Washington D.C.

I got checked in for my return non-stop to Houston (hallelujah) and got back to the business of prepping for my dinner outing with Candace and Tona.

In Tona's case I've known and talked to her for almost ten years, but we'd never officially met until that night.  Candace was coming to get me at the hotel at 7 PM and Tona rolled up from northern Virginia at 6:50 PM just as I made it downstairs to the lobby.

Tona has an amazing announcement to make about an upcoming event she's planning that I'm sworn to secrecy on, but as soon as the details are finalized I will announce to you what our classically trained history making mezzo soprano vocalist is up to.    

Candace arrives and we head over to Georgia Brown's for a wonderful dinner and even better conversation as I got my crabcake grub on.

When I come to DC, next to Five Guys, destroying somebody's crab cakes in the area is a must.   And yeah I do need to knock off my DC Bucket List a trip to Ben's Chili Bowl.

Just as quickly as it started, the LGBTMedia14 weekend drew to a close with the monument bus tour in which I and the other peeps on the bus with moi passed by the Newseum (another place I want to go) and the future site on the National Mall of the under construction National Museum of African American History and Culture slated to open in 2015. 

We also passed by the Canadian Embassy which wasn't hard to miss with all the Canadian flags on it.  I'm shocked they didn't put monster sized posters of the men's and women's Olympic hockey teams on the Pennsylvania Avenue side, too.

We returned back to the hotel after stopping at the Jefferson and MLK memorials and passing the Lincoln, World War II, Korean and Vietnam Veterans memorials and rolling by the White House, the US Capitol building, the OAS headquarters, and other major federal agency buildings.   .

My busy weekend in DC came to a close with me catching up with Ruby again, having lunch with her at a local pupuseria and finding out what the hell happened Friday night before she took me to DCA.

After hearing her side of it and from Caprice, I pointed out that the po-po's probably (racistly) assumed that the BMW Z3 SUV owned by Casa Ruby and full of trans folks minding their own damned business was stolen, and that a couple of magnetic Casa Ruby logo signs would end that BS. 

I also found out the interesting point that Metro PD Chief Cathy Lanier talks a good game about eradicating transphobia in her MPD force, but Friday's incident, the Kenneth Furr and Patti Shaw cases and a recently released report compiled by  the  Anti-Defamation League says otherwise.

As I chatted with Ruby, I noted the skies above DC becoming increasingly cloudy and the temp starting to drop, which let me know the cold front was starting to arrive in the area.

Well another busy LGBT Media Journalists Convening has come to a close, and as of today we don't know where it's going to be held in 2015.   But wherever that place is, sure hope one of the peeps getting an invite.for it is me. 

Back In H-town From #LGBTMedia14

After another exciting weekend and destroying some Pappas barbecue to celebrate my safe airborne arrival at Hobby, I'm back from my trip inside the beltway for the 2014 edition of the LGBT Media Journalists Convening.

So what were my takeaways from this trip?

*That elements of the community have a serious beef with GLAAD on multiple layers
*We DEFINITELY need to have deep, ongoing discussions concerning race and class issues in the TBLG community, and non-white LGBT people need to be leading it.
*There needs to be more discussion about bi issues
*Trans issues are at critical mass, but we also need to have those discussions about various issues in the SGL community. 
*The discussions around HIV need to happen again.
*We need to have the discussion about why senior leadership in GLBT non-profit complex leadership organizations look like the GOP ranks, and come up with a plan to fix it.
*I have a lot of people in LGBT Media World reading TransGriot (and I thank you for that).
*The #LGBTMedia14 hashtag must have been trending because out came the trolls, including the 2014 SUF Lifetime Achievement Award winner the Bug.
*I get as much love in Black SGL, bi and trans circles as I give to them.
*I'm getting increasing love from 'errbody' else because I fight for everybody's human rights.
*A TBLG sports conversation needs to happen.
*A BTLG religion panel needs to happen
*Dan Savage is still reviled by the other letters of the community. 

I arrived back home exhausted, but energized and excited to see how this year in LGBT media develops.   I know I'll have an important role to play in shaping how that happens. 

Now I need some sleep.
       

The 2014 Shut Up Fool Lifetime Achievement Award Winners Are...

It's that time again, TransGriot readers!  

Welcome to the 2014 edition of the TransGriot Shut Up Fool Lifetime Achievement Awards

Since 2010, during Oscars Weekend I add another five people to the list of folks who just take it to the next level on SUF recognition.

These fools among us repeatedly exhibit their world class levels of stupidity, ignorance and rank hypocrisy so often that a Shut Up Fool Weekly Award or a Shut Up Fool of the Year just doesn't do them justice

By winning this award, they get retired from regular weekly SUF consideration, but if they say something off the charts stupid, they will be called out.

Thanks to those of you who sent in nominees for this year's award.

The envelope please.   Oooh..this is so exciting.   

The members of the Shut Up Fool Lifetime Achievement Award Class of 2014 are:

Cathy Brennan
Group award for the TERF's
Bryan Fischer
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)
Ted Nugent

The LGBT Media Journalists Convening-The Big Day

I'm in the Capital Hilton house for the big (and long day) ahead of me for this 2014 edition of the LGBT Media Journalists Convening.  

Last night we had the reception in which MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell was our keynote speaker.

And while you're reading this, I should be getting my beauty sleep  

I'll be up early so I can bounce from the hotel at 7 AM ET to do the White House tour, then head back here to start the first of several sessions of this business trip.

You can keep up with our impressions concerning what's happening by checking our Facebook page for the convening or checking #LGBTMedia14 on Twitter.

Besides the White House tour, we have media training covering topics such as countering the lies of our anti-LGBT opponents, technology, immigration reform, diversity in TBLG media, and best practices for writing about touchy subjects.

Told y'all this was a business trip.

100 LGBTQ Black Women You Should Know

Thanks to Autostraddle for this post of 100 LGBTQ Black Women You Should Know just in time for the last day of Black History Month and segues nicely into the start of Women's History Month in March.

Check it out and get your learn on.    There are some trans women included in this post as well.

Shut Up Fool Awards-2014 LGBT Media Convening Edition

As you TransGriot fans are reading this I'm winging my way to Washington National Airport (I refuse to call it Reagan National) and the East Coast to participate in the 2014 edition of the LGBT Media Journalists Convening.

It's my second one, and I'm pleased and honored to be heading inside I-495 to represent myself and my community at this fifth annual event.  

If you wish you keep up with moi and what happening, you can check out the media convening's Facebook page or our Tweets at the hashtag #LGBTMedia14.

I'm excited to be catching up with all my journalistic and blogging colleagues and as many of my friends in the Washington DC area I can possibly squeeze quality time in with.

Since this is Friday, I know y'all didn't surf over here at this 12 noon CST time to hear me jibber-jabber about the convening.   Y'all came here to find out who gets smacked with this week's Shut Up Fool Award.  

And remember, at 7 PM Sunday night I reveal who the five new fools are in the 2K14 who received TransGriot SUF Lifetime Achievement Awards.

So let's get to it..

Honorable Mention number one is a group award to the Arizona Legislature's GOP majority who tried to pass a Religious Right To Discriminate bill.   When the righteous condemnation came down upon their heads, three members who voted for it claimed they made a mistake and then urged Gov. Jan Brewer to veto it, which she did mainly because it would have cost Arizona millions plus the Super Bowl had she done so. 

Honorable Mention number two is Paula Deen, who put her Southern fried foot in her mouth once again and stated that her attempt come back from all her self inflicted drama was 'just like that black football player coming out.'

Umm Paula, flag on the play.   First up hon, if you're going to compare your situation to someone else, learn their name.   Second is Michael Sam being gay and trying to make the NFL is in no way analogous to your  n-word uttering Confederate flag waving drama that destroyed your media empire and resulted in BlackTwitter calling your azz out.   

Michael Sam inspires people.  You inspired revulsion and derision. 

That's a nice segue into Honorable Mention number three, who is Washington DC lobbyist Jack Burkman, who tried to pimp a bill that would ban gay players from the NFL.  

”We are losing our decency as a nation,” Burkman said in a statement. "Imagine your son being forced to shower with a gay man. That’s a horrifying prospect for every mom in the country. What in the world has this nation come to?”

NFL players who rob, shoot, kill, drive drunk and sexually assault people are okay, but an openly gay one in the locker room isn't? 

You're right.  What is this nation coming to?    

Honorable Mention number four is one I have to go to the Lone Star State for in Tom DeLay.   He parted his lips on national television to say that 'God created this nation, wrote the constitution and it is based on Biblical principles. 

Tom, guess you been sniffing those pest control fumes again.   It was the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia that wrote the Constitution that created this nation that was is, hopefully if we fight to keep it that way, a secular government that as Article 11 of the 1797 Treaty of Tripoli states and was unanimously ratified by Congress:


“the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion…”

The Treaty of Tripoli, 1797 – Signed Unanimously by Congress

   
Honorable Mention number five is a group award for Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, Ugandan MP David Bahati and hate minister Scott Lively.    Museveni signed the Anti-Homosexuality Bill crafted by Lively and introduced in the Ugandan Parliament by Bahati that is a huge setback for Ugandan democracy, and is sadly going to result in LGBT people or people falsely accused of being LGBT being killed, injured or jailed. 

And it's even more reprehensible that Museveni and Bahati claim that Uganda is a Christian nation while trying to justify this law that will unleash untold terror on their fellow citizens as Scott Lively cackles and dreams of the day they can do the same thing on US shores.   .  .  

May y'all rot in hell for the unjust law that you are unleashing on Uganda.
 
This week's Shut up fool winner is Rep Louie Gohmert (Teabagger-TX)..  I guess since Texas Independence Day is coming up March 2, he had to unleash his Lone Star conservaignorance upon the world since he has competition with the junior senator from Alberta.     . 

This week Gohmert Pyle unleashed the howler during a Wednesday radio interview that "African-Americans had fought in the Civil Rights Movement for the right to support an Arizona bill (SB 1062) that would protect businesses which discriminate against LGBT people on the basis of “religious freedom.”

He also endorsed SB 1062 BTW for challenging the 'Religion of Secularism'

But back to slamming Louie for his radio interview. 

WTF?   Naw Louie, we went through the Civil Rights movement to throw off the yoke of oppression aimed at us by people who looked like you.  Many of those East Texas oppressors are your constituents who are still mad that they can't do what they used to do to 'nigras' back in the day and get away with it. 

So after going throw 246 years of chattel slavery hell, and another 100 years of oppressive Jim Crow segregation, there is no way in hell those of us who remember that history would willing sign up to oppress someone else. 

But I guess that's in the GOP nature. 

Louie Gohmert, shut up fool!

Enroute To DC Again

Moni's once again enroute to DC via a jet plane from Houston.   Seems like that's been a recurring theme in my life over the last 20 years.   

But this time it's for my second trip to participate in the LGBT Media Journalists Convening and in addition to hanging out with my fellow bloggers and journalists, I'll be armed with my Christmas present from my homegirl Samantha Master, my new laptop.

I'm still a novice in the world of laptop computing and far more skilled with a desktop than a laptop.  If I can figure out how to get my new laptop online, I'll be tweeting and discussing the happenings as they occur. 

If I can't, I'll do what I usually do.  Take notes and post the stories in a diary I'll put up on the blog later. 

If my flight leaves on time at 11:45 AM, I'll be arriving at DCA at 3:35 PM ET, then will head off to my NW DC hotel.  

In addition to a welcoming reception later tonight that starts at 7 PM which will have MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell doing a keynote speech at it, we'll have a packed Saturday of events and seminars that starts with breakfast and a White House tour.

We'll also be living up to this year’s #LGBTMedia14 theme of ‘Honing Our Game’, because this year's event will be focused on journalistic skill building.

For those of you wishing to keep up with what we're up during the LGBT Media Journalists Convening, you can check out our Facebook page for the event, and follow people tweeting at #LGBTMedia14.  

There will also be a fan meetup event tomorrow at the Green Lantern (1335 Green Court NW in Thomas Circle) that starts at 9:30 PM and is open to all our fans and readers to attend.    We hope you take advantage of the opportunity to meet many of your favorite TBLG bloggers and reporters in one spot.

And yeah, it goes without saying I'm looking forward to hanging out with my blogging and journalistic colleagues again. 
     

Open Letter To The UHD Black Student Alliance

As you TransGriot reader are aware of, I was part of a wonderful panel discussion yesterday with Augie Augustine, Dee Dee Watters and Ashton Woods entitled African American Perspective Within The LGBTQ Community.

It was a no holds barred discussion in which we touched on a lot of issues inside and outside the bi, SGL  and trans communities and was enjoyed by the people in attendance.   I thank LaTrina Carter and Safe Zone once again for the opportunity to be a part of it.

One group that was supposed to be a part of it was the UHD Black Student Alliance.  They had agreed to co-host the event with Safe Zone, but I discovered when I arrived on campus that they pulled out with as of this writing no explanation.     .  

That didn't sit well with me, and I decided to write this open letter to express why they should have followed through with their agreed commitment, especially in this case.

***

Dear UHD Black Student Alliance,

As one of the participants in yesterday's panel discussion that you were supposed to co-host with Safe Zone, it bothered me to hear when I arrived on campus that you pulled out of the event at the last moment.

And the salient question I have for you at this moment which compels me to write this open letter is why did y'all pull out of the event with Safe Zone today?

Was it fear of the unknown? You didn't want to be associated with 'those people'? Not willing to step out of your comfort zone and learn something about a group of fellow African-Americans that love being Black as much as you do and also happen to be LGBT? You don't want to walk the walk when it comes to unity in our community?

Or was it a case of unresolved phobias, hate and bias toward the SGL, trans and bi community?

You missed out on an opportunity to not only get your learn on about the Houston Black LGBT community, you also missed an opportunity to ask us questions, learn about how we navigate our lives, and also about the issues we deal with as we interact with the various communities we intersect with as African-American LGBT people. 

But the thing I'm most saddened and concerned about for my Safe Zone fam was that it was a lost opportunity to do some chocolate community building  and jump start an on campus dialogue between that is sorely needed.  

As the passage last week and subsequent veto of SB 1062 in Arizona emphatically proves, all oppressions are linked.   That bill aimed at the GLBT community would have also had deleterious discriminatory impact on you cis Black straight peeps as well.   

You would have also discovered had you shown up in Room N420 today that Black trans issues are Black community issues.   If the NAACP and other legacy organizations in our community understand that, why can't you?  

The voter suppression laws that the state of Texas passed knocked me out of the 2013 election cycle, but because you no-showed, you didn't get to hear me talk about that.  

You would have also been surprised to discover that I and my fellow panelists are just as concerned about other issues that impact the Black community besides TBLG ones.  

You also missed hearing about the other interesting aspects of my life and the lives of Augie, Ashton, Dee Dee, LaTrina and some of the people in the audience who spoke today.

You would  have also discovered that I'm unapologetically Black and a member of the BTLG community like 'errbody' else on that panel and our moderator was yesterday.  We also aware of what we need to do individually and collectively to uplift our people and also own our power in the LGBT community we are an important part of.


That's what you missed by not showing up, and it's your loss.  But you do owe your fellow Gator LaTrina Carter, who worked hard to put the panel together, an honest explanation along with the members of Safe Zone as to why you did so.

The bottom line is that not I nor anyone else on that panel forfeited our Black Cards when we acknowledged we're also members of the trans, bi and SGL communities. 

We were all looking forward to having that dialogue and building that sorely needed community on the UHD campus and within the 600 plus square miles of Texas soil that we call Houston.  We have more that unites us than divides us, including a shared community history and African ancestry and batturd delusional conservafool politicians that have a foaming at the mouth hatred of Blackness.

In closing, I'd like to say this.  If you claim to love Black people, then you must love ALL Black people, including trans, SGL and bi ones, without exception.


Respectfully yours,
Monica Roberts
The TransGriot

Final Day To Early Vote In 2014 Texas Primary Elections

The first steps toward turning Texas blue start in the primary elections. 

Now that I finally have the Texas ID issues sorted out, I've made up for being suppressed out of the mayoral elections by handling my primary electoral business on Tuesday and have November 4 circled on my calendar in blue Sharpie pen ink.  ..

Today is the last day you can early vote in the party primary elections.   It's a long ballot, but not a lot of contested races on the Democratic side.

But one of those contested races is the US Senate Democratic one that has Lyndon LaRouche troll Kesha Rogers in it.  Please do your part to make sure she doesn't get int the runoff or heaven forbid, win.   We need a real Democrat facing off against John Cornyn.

If you don't do it today, you'll have to wait until March 4 to handle your electoral business, and you will have to go to your regular polling location to do so. 

And if you want to make sure we don't have anti-human rights legislation coming out of the Lege next January, or we have judges who will fairly rule on our cases, this is where it starts.

All elections matter.   

Bottom line is that you need to handle your electoral business Texas, and then prepare to do so again this November 4.

Janet On Colbert Report

I usually don't watch the Colbert Report, but I had a reason to do so last night because Janet Mock
was on.

Here's the video from the show.

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Video Archive

White Suburban Houstonians-If You Want Rail...

Tell your GOP legislators representing you to stop messing with METRO's ability to get federal dollars so we can build it faster.

As y'all know I am an enthusiastic proponent of public transit, especially when it comes to adding rail to the mix. 

One of the reasons our local transit agency METRO was founded in 1978 was to take over the HouTran bus system which was plagued with frequent service problems and an elderly bus fleet ina rapidly growing city.   Part of the sizzle that sold the initial creation of METRO and the 1 cent tax many of us in the area pay to fund it was the promise of a heavy rail subway system that was supposed to have become operational in the 1990's.  

But fighting the creation of that METRO rail component has been a staple of local conservafool politics since the 1980's.   A coalition comprised of the Harris County Republican Party, right wing Houston Republican councilmembers like Rob Todd in concert with Rep Tom DeLay and Rep. John Culberson along with the useful fools with NIMBY syndrome have fought every METRO plan to that sough to add a rail component to our large bus oriented system citing cots or other specious reasons as our city continued to grow along with the traffic problems on our expansive freeway system. 

DeLay as part of those efforts to block rail got $65 million in federal funding stripped from the project.  But other leaders and visionaries who had Houston's long term future in mind also noted that a city as expansive as ours could no longer have a transit system exclusively reliant on buses, needed a rail component and fought just as fiercely to make it happen.  
They got around the federal funding roadblock that DeLay placed in its way by coming up with a locally funded plan to build a 7.5 mile long light rail line from Reliant Stadium to downtown Houston terminating at UH Downtown.

That plan was fought in the courts with rail proponents prevailing, and on March 13, 2001 ground was broken on the METRORail Red Line that opened to service January 1, 2004. 

A subsequent narrowly approved 2003 referendum authorized the expansion of METRORail with non-white communities providing the critical votes to get that victory.  Construction subsequently started on the North Line (Red Line extension), East End (Green) and Southeast (Purple) lines while planning on the University (Blue) and Uptown (Gold) continues.

While the sorely needed east-west oriented Blue Line has gotten the final FTA approval it needs before construction can begin, it's the lack of federal money that's the problem. 

The start of construction on the Blue and Gold Lines has been on hold pending additional federal funding, but a BRT (bus rapid transit) proposal to get the Gold Line through the Galleria corridor started has been gaining ground.  One of the appealing parts of the plan is that it could be completed as early as 2017 with the ability to convert it to light rail later if needed.

Where the grousing has been coming from is the outside I-610 Loopers whining about the fact the initial rail lines have not only been built inside the Loop, but have been extended to predominately Black and Latino neighborhoods.

Well, let's be real about that.  Black and Latino voters were the major reasons the 2003 rail expansion referendum passed, and it's logical and only fair that the first expanded lines went to serve those neighborhoods who actually use public transportation.

Since the goal is to eventually connect the light rail system to Hobby and Intercontinental airports via the Red and Purple lines, the ideal routes to get there pass through those same predominately Black and Latino neighborhoods chock full of people who have no qualms taking public transpeople and who will use the light-rail system once it is built because it's faster than taking the bus.

The Purple Line passes by the University of Houston on its way to its current southern terminus at the Palm Center Transit Center which is 5.5 miles from Hobby. (and a few tantalizing blocks from where I currently live)   The Green Line on its 3.3. mile journey passes BBVA Compass Stadium.  Once the lines merge at the stadium they share track together into downtown past the George R. Brown Convention Center, Discovery Green, Minute Maid Park and terminate just past the Wortham and Hobby Centers.

The Outside the Loopers not only want light rail routes to their areas, but also want commuter rail.  I agree with them. 

I'd like that too as an Inside the Looper   I'd love to have another way to get to Galveston besides driving down I-45 south or a Greyhound bus ride.  A commuter rail route would be just the ticket to do so, especially if it made a stop in the Clear Lake area so you could access NASA, Space Center Houston and the Kemah Boardwalk.  Since Galveston now has cruise ships departing from it, would be nice to have a way to get down there for those cruises and leave your car parked in your driveway   

Frankly we could also use commuter rail from Katy eastbound to connect with the future Gold Line and in that 290 Cypress-Jersey Village corridor to that point as well.   A commuter rail line would also be helpful coming from the Woodlands and Kingwood south, from Baytown going west and the Pearland-Manvel area going north.   There is a commuter rail line being discussed and studied that would run from Missouri City-Sugar Land to connect with the METRORail Red Line Fannin South terminus. 

But here the rub to making that all happen.  Money is the first issue.  The other is many of those areas I mentioned are represented by Republicans, a party that as I have noted is anti-public transportation, anti-progress and anti-rail.   
        
The bottom line is that we cannot keep building freeways in the Houston metro area forever. We are now working on a third freeway loop around the city of Houston primarily connecting the exurbs called the Grand Parkway, and building freeways is more expense than the initial costs for installing a rail system the anti-rail folks like to harp on..

White suburban Houstonians, the onus is on you if you want much needed rail in your Outside the Loop and exurban locales.  You have to help us Inside the Loopers fight for it, too. You need to tell your GOP legislators to back up off of METRO and let the federal money flow toward building an extensive rail network across this area.   And if they aren't willing to do that, then you replace them with legislators who will fight for rail in this area as part of a smart and comprehensive transit plan for our Houston metro area..      

UHD Safe Zone Panel Today

Before I jet off to our nation's capital tomorrow for the upcoming 2014 edition of the LGBT Media Journalists Convening, will be hanging out with the UHD Gators this afternoon. to participate in a panel discussion.

It's jointly sponsored by Safe Zone, the UHD LGBT on campus organization and the UHD Black Student Alliance.

The panel is entitled African American Perspective Within The LGBTQ Community.

We want to bond the gap between the movement of racial justice and LGBTQ Equality. We are also trying to take action to eradicate both homophobia and racism in our own community. We are looking for ways to deal with disparities in the African American community concerning social issues (religion, culture, family and occupational issues in the LGBTQ community.

BUT HOW?
With YOUR help!

The panel is running from 2-4 PM CST in Room N420 on the UH-Downtown .campus main building at 1 Main Street.   The UHD campus is easily accessible via the METRORail Red Line if you don't feel like dealing with fighting downtown traffic and trying to find a parking place for your vehicle.

Thanks once again to LaTrina Carter and the gang at Safe Zone for the invitation to participate in this panel and blessing me with the opportunity to be on your campus again.  

All are welcomed to attend, and hope I'll see as many of you as possible in N420 for what I'm sure will be an interesting discussion..   

TransGriot Update: After I arrived on the UHD campus, discovered that the BSA suddenly pulled out of co-sponsorship of the panel with no warning and no explanation.   Their loss.
   

Honing My Game At The 2014 LGBT Media Journalists Convening

I'm leaving the 70 degree warmth of H-town on Friday to head to a much colder Washington DC and hone my game this weekend at the fifth annual LGBT Media Journalists Convening.

It's my second consecutive time attending this invitation only event which was previously held in New York, San Francisco, Houston and Philadelphia.   

And yeah, still mildly pissed off about missing the one that took place in my Houston backyard.

The theme for the 2014 edition of the LGBT Media Journalists Convening is 'Honing Our Game', so yes, this a basically a business trip for me. 

I will get to have some fun, reunite with my fellow TBLG journalists and bloggers from around the nation and meet others who are here for the first time or couldn't make it last year.  And if I'm lucky, may actually get a chance to spend some quality time with some of my friends who live in DC.   

At the last two Convenings in Houston and Philadelphia we've had the honor and pleasure of having Mayor Annise Parker and Mayor Michael Nutter come and speak to us for a few moments.  Wonder if the trend will continue and we'll see Washington DC Mayor Vincent Gray?  

The Convening is sponsored by the National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Association (NGLJA) and the Haas, Jr Fund.   Many of us will be tweeting what's going on this weekend via the #LGBTMedia14 hashtag and have already started the Twitter party in advance of the weekend.  


There is also an LGBT Media14 Facebook page that you can peruse to that will have event news post from many of the journalists and bloggers in attendance.   And just like in Phlly, there will be trans masculine and transfeminine representation in the #LGBTMedia14 house.     

The whirlwind weekend starts off with a Friday reception in which MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell is slated to be our keynote speaker.   Then after a Saturday morning tour of the White House, we dive into our all day seminars and training sessions.

There's also a meet up event scheduled at the Green Lantern on Saturday night March 1 starting at 9:30 PM in which the public and our fans and supporters are encouraged to hang out with us . The Green Lantern is located at 1335 Green Court NW, Washington, D.C. 20005. 
 
The event concludes with a Sunday morning bus tour of Washington DC's monuments.  I've been to DC a few times on other trips and have seen some of those monuments including the MLK Jr one, but I'm looking forward to that tour as well before heading back home to Houston.

I'm making sure I'm getting my beauty sleep, because I have a feeling I won't be doing much of that this weekend except on the plane rides up and back.  

Trans* H4CK Las Vegas TV News Interview

Kortney is taking Trans* H4CK on the road this year, and has the frequent flier miles to prove it. 

The Las Vegas edition was held last weekend and get ready Chicago, it's coming your way next month, March 28-30 at Dev Bootcamp.

So if you wish to take part in it, now is the time to sign up.

But while Dr KRZ was in Las Vegas, he got the opportunity to talk about Trans* H4CK, its goals, and the mission of using technology to solve real world trans social justice problems and create economic empowerment for the trans community at the same time

Here's the interview Kortney did with the local media covering Trans*H4CK. 

 

Today Is The Anniversary Of Trayvon Martin's Murder

And I didn't want this particular anniversary to get buried under today's avalanche of breaking good news. 

While we have every right to be happy about the news that Texas' unjust same sex marriage ban was struck down by federal Judge Orlando Garcia and Gov. Jan Brewer doing the right thing and vetoing the unjust  SB 1062, I still have spent most of the day saddened by pondering that today is the infamous day one year ago that Trayvon Martin was murdered by George Zimmerman and the ALEC sponsored Stand Your Ground Law and a Florida jury llet his racist azz walk.

Justice still has not been served in that case, and we won't rest until it happens.   We also can't rest until those odious Kill a Black Person With Impunity Stand Your Ground  laws that give white people a license to shoot and kill non-white folks and not go to jail for it die. 

And if you think I'm being harsh or over the top about that previous statement, the mounting evidence is that the Stand Your Ground doesn't work for people of color.    Marissa Alexander was aggressively prosecuted by Angela Corey and sentenced to 25 years just for firing a warning shot into the ceiling of her home to warn an abusive ex-husband to back the hell up away from her and her kids.  

Michael Giles is two years into a 25 year sentence he received for Standing His Ground that like Alexander's is also being appealed..  

In the year since Trayvon was murdered, three other unarmed young African-Americans, Jordan Davis, Renisha McBride, and Jonathan Ferrell have died at the hands of white people holding guns.

Ferrell's killer was wearing a Charlotte police uniform.

So my joy over the two other breaking major news stories of today is tempered  by the sadness I feel when I i think about Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin mourning the loss of their child, and being joined in that sorrow by the parents of Jordan Davis and Jonathan Ferrell.

The struggle continues.
.