BTAC Needs Support, Too

We are rapidly closing on the April 29-May 4 dates for the third annual Black Trans Advocacy Conference in Dallas, and I'm looking forward to seeing my trans peeps and our allies there at the Doubletree Campbell Center.    But I was bothered by this e-mail that was shared on the BTAC page.

Email response to invitation to BTA Awards.
_______________________
"I don't know why I am receiving these e-mails. I am a transwoman, but I am white. I am sure that I wouldn't be welcome at you Gala in May." ________________________

You Are Sure of it?????My friends, racism exist. We are here to help end it! We get so much of this but on this one, we are sharing it so that we can grow from it together.

It is not racist to affirm black and trans identity. IT IS racist if you don't support it and exclude yourself from programming based on the affirmation of race. Please know that Affirming Black and Trans Identity, Black Trans Community Organizing, Black Trans Advocacy is a GREAT thing and takes us all to support for full equality to exist. Our goal is to obtain full equality and to become instruments of social change. If you support equality, make it a priority to get involved. It is counterproductive of our cause if you exclude yourself from our programming. All are invited, welcomed, needed and loved. One Earth. One People. One Love. #btac2014  

The point I'm going to make in this post is that the Black Trans Advocacy Conference needs support, too.  

Just as you would like for me and the rest of the non-white trans community to support events like Southern Comfort, First Event, and countless other regional conferences and panel discussions that you organize that don't reflect our culture or at times the issues of importance in our communities, we expect reciprocal treatment when we organize or host events such as BTAC that may not reflect yours. 

If we don't see your face in the Doubletree Campbell Center place because you incorrectly assumed as a white trans person you're not wanted at BTAC,  how else are you going to learn about the issues that affect my community, meet some of the people who are working to tackle and solve those problems, and have substantive conversations with the people who are our Black trans leaders? 

You're going to miss this year's keynote speeches from Dr. Kortney Ryan Ziegler and Cheryl Courtney Evans.  You'll miss the Black Diamond Ball in which awards to our community's heroes and sheroes will be handed out.  You'll miss the tell it like it T-I-S is commentary in our town halls and panel discussions.

And you'll miss a golden opportunity to network with not only people in our community, but our allies who do show up to support the BTAC and help us get our learn on.  

And you'll miss your chance to settle what is sure to be one of the big BTAC conference debates.  Which burger is better, In-N-Out or Whataburger? 

FYI, there's an In-N-Out burger location just up the North Central Expressway feeder from the hotel.    

I said in this post and will repeat and remix this salient point for your reading pleasure:  Having strong, confident, politically aware and vibrant Black, Latin@, Asian-Pacific trans communities telling our stories strengthens the entire pink, white and blue flag waving trans community as a whole.  It also strengthens our various non-white cis and SGL communities and any other one we choose to ally with. 

We trans people of color would rather work together to build community with our white trans brothers and sisters and our cis, bi  and SGL allies to advance our common goal of human rights for all.  But we are no longer doing so as disrespected, enfeebled junior partners   

It has become necessary for us in the second decade of the 21st century to have conferences like BTAC in order to discuss the issues that ail our community, learn, network, reconnect with each other, come up with solutions, and own our power so that we can permanently solve those problems.   

We're just doing the same thing the white trans community has done since the late 80's-early 90's.   The Black trans community didn't say you COULDN'T come, and neither did the BTAC organizers.   We want as many peeps at BTAC as possible because we are exceedingly proud of this now three year old conference, want it to grow and want to show it off to the world. 

The fact it's in a blue oasis in my red soon to be purple home state with a rich trans history makes it even more important it survive and thrive . So assuming you wouldn't be welcome at BTAC is not only asinine, but problematic.       

The bottom line is that stronger non-white trans communities benefit the ENTIRE pink, white and blue flag waving trans community.   The sooner you get that point, the sooner we can move trans human rights forward in our nation and around the world  

See you at the Doubletree Campbell Center next month.  

Drag Culture Is A Major Reason We Even HAVE A Trans Community

As I awakened from my slumber this morning I checked my Facebook page to see that I'd been tagged with a Bilerico Project article penned by Brynn Tannehill (who I have mad love and respect for)  asserting that drag culture hurts the trans community. 

While there are times the drag community has pissed me off, and I have had no problem sounding off  about it, I have to throw the penalty flag on this Tannehill post and bring a little historical context into this discussion. 

I wrote in this February 2013 post the obvious point that drag does not equal trans womanhood.   I have called out the Black cis community along with our allies for giving far more respect to Tyler Perry dressed as Madea than the average trans woman walking Black America's streets.  

But as someone with a deep appreciation and love of history,  I also have to admit the following point as a long time trans activist.   Without the drag community and pissed off trans women together fighting the po-po's fracking with them at the 1959 Cooper's Donuts, Compton's Cafeteria (1966), and Stonewall Rebellions (1969), the gender variant kids at Dewey's Lunch Counter protesting their oppression in April-May 1965 with a combo sit-in and protest, I submit it would have taken us a lot longer getting this trans rights movement party started.

Far too many trans women during that time period were in stealth because of the HBIGDA/WPATH transition standards in place at the time or in denial of their transness when they when questioned about it. The only visible ones were the illusionists, the trans women bold enough to openly live their lives and not care what people thought like Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, Christine Jorgensen, and Coccinelle just to name a few or outed ones like April Ashley. 

Remember it was a Black female illusionist in Lady Java who struck the initial blows against the LAPD's odious Rule Number 9 that eventually caused the whole rotten thing to go away 

There have been more than a few times in their various locales female illusionists like Lady Java have been the ones who put their asses on the line and stepped forward to fight for the human rights laws that benefit our entire community.   While they were doing so, the stealth trans women who were hiding and refusing to participate in the trans community because 'they are women now', were grousing online in their not so quiet Internet chat rooms ranting about that 'drag queen' speaking in front of that governmental body their 'I'm a woman now' selves didn't have the guts to speak in front of. 

And let's not forget it's the drag community that peeps in the LGBT ranks call on when it's time to raise some money for whatever SGL community cause needs to be fundraised for.  


Yes, there are problematic peeps in the drag community, and many of them are the gay males who blanch at the thought of having a surgeon's scalpel do GRS on their Almighty Phallus or have internalized hatred of femininity (and trans women by extension) for whatever reason.  

And we are justified in calling their asses out.  

But I submit it's not the drag community that is harming the trans community by itself.  I've observed this anti-drag argument far too often in white trans community ranks over the last decade and a half I've been a national trans activist of color.   Brynn's post also has the problematic flavor of 'respectability politics' baked into it.

I've also had to call my white transsisters out for making the problematic conflation of drag = blackface.   No, it doesn't.      

It also ignores the fact it is cis societal hatred for trans people fueled by ignorance of the difference between sexual orientation and gender identity that causes the problems the trans community is forced to navigate.

The trans exterminationalist radical feminists (TERF's) as a group have done far more damage to the trans human rights cause over the last four decades with their disco era transphobic hate they attempt to layer with the thin veneer of academic credibility than any drag performer. 

Elements of the gay and lesbian community who repeatedly threw us under the legislative bus since the 1970's to selfishly pass human rights legislation for themselves or misgendered us in their print outlets have done far more damage to the trans community than any drag performer.  

Neither was it the drag community that coined the Religious Reich's favorite anti-trans human rights talking point in terms of the 'bathroom panic' meme.  It was openly gay former Rep. Barney Frank talking about 'penises in showers' in a US House committee meeting. 

One of the reasons I and other POC trans people have mixed emotions about the drag community is because we know firsthand that for us historically and as Drag Race contestant Monica Beverly Hillz emphatically demonstrated last year, it is one of our pathways to begin our transitions in communities that are far more socially conservative.   

I've seen more than a few examples of today's femme queen walking a ballroom floor, standing on a pageant stage or performing at a gay club's Talent Night emerging a few years later after having their gender epiphany and using that community to hone their feminine presentations to become a #girllikeus.  

As Chanel Winn-Decarlo pointed out in the Facebook comment that was shared with me: 

Drag is an artform and entertainment and actually something I enjoy.  I am often insulted and offended by drag queens but I don't want to blame the ignorance of people on entertainment
I think at this stage of the game even if you don't know it all, everyone, even a child can understand the difference between a transsexual (WOMAN) and a drag queen (ENTERTAINER)

And to piggyback on Chanel's point, right wing haters are gonna hate.   We know they are going to throw the 'bathroom bill' and 'drag queen' shade in their zeal to do their funders bidding and stop trans human rights advances.   They know they don't have any logic or reason based arguments to deny the implementation of much needed trans human rights laws, so 'fear and smear' is the only tactic they have left.  

We must be ready as trans advocates to debunk and utterly destroy those talking points until the conservafools are 'scurred' to open their mouths and say them for fear of being called out as the transphobic bigots they are. 

We trans folks can and should be able to accomplish that task without throwing the drag community under the bus, because without them being tired of the BS, we wouldn't HAVE a trans community.    


TransGriot Note:  Sahara Davenport is the lovely person in the color photo.

Vandalized UK National Trans Memorial Restored

We have some good news coming from across The Pond concerning the UK's National Transgender Memorial.    

Back during the UK's Sparkle Weekend last year, what is believed to be the world's first memorial built to commemorate the persons lost to anti-trans hate violence was dedicated in Manchester's Sackville Gardens.   But because some idiots didn't want the trans community to have nice things, the memorial was vandalized mere days after its dedication on or around August 6. 

Tony Cooper, Chair of The Friends of Sackville Gardens, said: “We worked closely with the Trans community to create a lasting memorial to those who have died because of prejudice and hate, and to then see that memorial vandalized within days was a true reflection of what many Trans people have to go through in daily life.

The vandals who desecrated the memorial haven't been brought to justice yet, but thanks to a police donation and SOCA funding secured by the City Centre Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT)., the damaged plaques were restored in advance of the 2014 edition of Sparkle Weekend, the national transgender celebration in the UK.  

The nearby Manchester College in addition to the Lesbian and Gay Foundation helped pay for lighting to illuminate the memorial and that section of the park to help reduce crime in the area. 

Glad to hear that the memorial has been restored and will be looking good when Sparkle Weekend happens.  Thanks to all the people who pulled together to make that a reality. 

Whose Beloved Community? Conference In ATL This Weekend

Those of you in the ATL will have the opportunity to attend this conference at Emory University  from March 27-29 entitled Whose Beloved Community? Black Civil and LGBT Rights..

It brings together TBLG and civil rights scholars activists and other community stakeholders as they spend what promises to be an interesting weekend advancing a more comprehensive and expansive view of justice.

The conference is sponsored by Emory University's  James Weldon Johnson Institute for the Study of Race and Difference, and the Emory Women's Center along with many other university divisions, and the Arcus and Ford Foundations.

Atlanta is the perfect venue for this conference because it is the historic cradle of the African-American civil rights movement combined with the fact that the ATL is considered the mecca of the Black SGL, trans and bi community.   More Black LGBT people live in the South than in any other region of the country, and Atlanta is the hub city for it.      

A keynote conversation to open the conference with longtime civil rights leader Julian Bond, African-American lesbian social-justice activist Mandy Carter, and activist Alexis Pauline Gumbs, co-founder of the Mobile Homecoming Project, will take place in Glenn Memorial Auditorium starting at 7:30 PM EDT on Thursday, March 27.   The location is 1660 N. Decatur Road and the keynote event is free and open to the public.

Conference sessions will be held at the Emory Conference Center beginning on Friday, March 28 at 9 AM and will feature panels on topics including religion, scholarship, LGBT and civil rights history, marriage equality, activism and literature. On Saturday, panel sessions begin at 8:30 AM and the conference will conclude with a closing reception from 4-7 PM.

The Kentucky Basketball Hatetrix Reloaded

When I lived in Kentucky from 2001-2010, one of the more entertaining events for me next to Derby Week was watching the annual December basketball hatefest between the Kentucky Wildcats and Louisville Cardinals.

From the time I moved there in September 2001 until I left in May 2010 to come back to Texas I had the rabid fanbases of Cats and Cards Nations trying to get me to publicly declare whether I was a UK or Louisville fan.

They wanted me to choose to take either the blue Wildcat pill or the red Cardinal pill, but I managed to stay neutral during that time.

To be honest, the wall to wall coverage of that annual rivalry game is one of the things about the state I miss.

When I was setting up my 2014 NCAA men's tourney brackets, I noted the way they were set up, if both teams won their opening round games it would lead to a potential Sweet 16 clash between the current (Louisville) and last (Kentucky) NCAA champions to be played in Indianapolis. 

After the Wildcats narrow 78-76 tournament win yesterday over previously unbeaten Wichita State and defending NCAA champ Louisville knocking St. Louis out of the tournament with their 66-51 win to advance, we can take the word 'potential' out of that last paragraph and deal with the reality that the Kentucky basketball hatetrix has been reloaded.

It's Battle of the Bluegrass, Part II at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.  This time they are playing for higher stakes than just bragging rights as they did December 28 at Rupp Arena.  The Cats fans are already reminding the Cards fans of the 73-66 result of that December game, while the Cards fans are firing back it's all about what happens this Friday.   

And what it's all about is a trip to the NCAA tournament Elite Eight at their bitter basketball rival's expense. 

The bitterly disappointed loser will have a hour and a half long lament filled drive down I-65 south from Indianapolis back to Kentucky while the winner stays in Circle City and plays for a possible trip to the Jerrydome and the Final Four.

The Kentucky Basketball Hatetrix will ensure this is not going to be a quiet week along I-64 or at any job locations, homes, sports bars or churches in Louisville, Lexington or anywhere else in Kentucky this week.  

Upcoming TLC Transgender Leadership Summit

Contrary to what that graphic says, unless a miracle happens, I will be in Harris County when this event kicks off.   But that doesn't stop me from making you Left Coasters aware of it.   

For you folks on the Left Coast, if the weekend of April 11-13 is open on your calendar, you may wish to head down to the CSU-Northridge campus for the Transgender Leadership Summit

It's sponsored by the Transgender Law Center and is a leadership conference designed to build the foundation for community members to take action for trans* equality and justice through informative workshops ranging in topics from legal, health care, organizational development and much more

And you get to meet some cool people doing the work at the same time.

This year there will be a first ever preconference institute for trans and gender non conforming people of color on Friday April 11 from 9 AM-4 PM PDT entitled Our Intersecting Identities and Building A Movement Of Justice.

The institute seeks to broaden and build awareness of the issues POC communities face and discuss strategies and solutions toward building a broader movement that centers those experiences. 

So if you're interested in attending, you can click on this link for further information or to register for #TLS14.

2014 Trans 100 List Revealed Next Weekend

This time next weekend from the Mayne Stage in Chicago we will find out who made the 2014 edition of the Trans 100.

This year's event will be hosted by transgender artist and advocate Angelica Ross.  Actress and advocate Laverne Cox and I Am Enough founder Kye Allums will be in the house at the March 30 live event as keynote speakers.   Dr. Kortney Ryan Ziegler will also be partnering with the Trans 100 peeps and bringing Trans* H4CK to Chicago in conjunction with the Trans 100 reveal weekend.

“Considering that Trans* H4CK focuses on creating technology for trans* people with the input of trans* people, it makes sense to partner with the Trans 100 in an effort to further highlight transgender activists that are changing the world for the better,” said Dr. Ziegler.

Trans*H4CK Chicago will take place March 28-30

The Trans 100 list intends to shift the coverage of trans issues by focusing on the positive work being accomplished, and providing visibility to those typically underrepresented. The inaugural Trans 100 list was released in 2013 and can be viewed at www.thetrans100.org.

“We’re particularly excited that this year’s list will be an entirely different group than 2013, our way of further showing just how much work is being done, and of growing the Trans 100 into a living resource, not only for trans people, but also organizations the general public looking to better understand our needs,” said Trans 100 Co-Director, Antonia D’orsay.

For those of you who are in the Chicago area, next weekend's Trans 100 Live event is already sold out, but you can watch the live stream of it here from  7:00-9:00 PM CDT. 

So looking forward to seeing the 2014 edition of the Trans 100.

Arkansas Transwoman Fired For Using Correct Bathroom

If you wonder why I go ballistic every time I hear people who don't share my ethnic background ignorantly stating public accommodations language is not important when it comes to protecting the human rights of trans people, I call bull feces on that.

If you're a non-white transperson, that public accommodations language is critical, especially since we seem to find ourselves in situations far more frequently in which discrimination is aimed at us based on our ethnicity and our trans status..  

Meet 21 year old Kaye Bowens, a girl like us living in Star City, Arkansas.   It is a town 75 miles SSE of Little Rock and Bowers until recently was an employee at a local McDonald's.   

Bowens made it clear when she was hired in December that she was trans and had begun her transition three years ago..  She used the bathroom appropriate to her outward gender presentation and had no trans status related job problems until two weeks ago.  

Obviously either a coworker or somebody in the area had a transphobic problem with her and complained.   Bowens found herself being confronted in the women's restroom by the store's shift manager who told her she should be using the men's room.    

The very next day she was called into the general manager's office and terminated.   When she threatened to file a lawsuit over the obvious gender discrimination,  she was offered her job back later that day provided she agreed to the dehumanizing demand of using the men's restroom. 

Bowens description of the events was corroborated by two fellow employees who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retribution. 

If I'm a good worker for you, what does it matter where I use the restroom?" said Bowens. 

Bowens has now filed an EEOC discrimination complaint against the Mickey D's in question to which Michael Retzer, the owner of the McDonald's franchise in Star City issued the following statement on Wednesday:

“We believe in the value of a diverse workforce, equal opportunity and a workplace free from all forms of unlawful discrimination and harassment.  As such, we continue to do our best to meet the needs of our employees and customers, and we are reviewing this situation carefully. It is important for us to share that the employee in question is a current employee and has not been terminated. We have asked the employee to discuss this issue with us, but we have not received a response.”

Yeah, right.  Now that your rumps are in the legal wringer, and you have made national and international news for your transphobic bigotry, now you wanna talk. 

Here's hoping the situation does end in a satisfactory conclusion for Ms. Bowens. 

This is also another concrete example of why the federal ENDA law needs to be passed ASAP and the gender identity language needs to stay in it.  

Shut Up Fool Awards-Playing NCAA Basketball Edition

March Madness is upon us, with the men's NCAA tournament kicking off with action Tuesday  and the women set to tip off their action tomorrow.  

And as per TransGriot tradition, I have my 2014 men's and women's NCAA tournament brackets up on the blog to see how accurate I was in picking the teams that will end up in Arlington and Nashville being crowned NCAA champions. 

Well, it's Friday, and you know what we do here on Fridays.   We get to find out who exhibited championship level hypocrisy, discover who made it to the Sweet Sixteen of stupidity, the Elite Eight of ignorance, and the Final Four of fools

And until the NCAA tournaments conclude, I'll do it in an NCAA tournament format 

Final Four Fool number one is a group award for all the Illinois GOP primary voters who made Suzanne Atanus their nominee to run against Democratic incumbent congresswoman Rep. Jan Schakowsky.  

In case you needed a reminder of how off the rails Atanus is: 

"I am a conservative Republican and I believe in God first," Atanus said. She said she believes God controls the weather and has put tornadoes and diseases such as autism and dementia on earth as punishment for gay rights and legalized abortions.

"God is angry. We are provoking him with abortions and same-sex marriage and civil unions," she said. "Same-sex activity is going to increase AIDS. If it's in our military it will weaken our military. We need to respect God."

The Stupid Party strikes again.   The Schakowsky campaign team has got to be doing the happy dance that Atanus is the GOP nominee. 

Final Four Fool Number two I have to come back to the home state for in Cari Christman. 

During a WFAA-TV interview the Greg Abbott ally and head of the newly formed Red State Women PAC did the obligatory slam of Democratic gubernatorial nominee Sen Wendy Davis in response to a question about the Lone Star equal pay legislation that Gov. Goodhair (Rick Perry) vetoed and the Texas GOP opposes. 

Then Christman put her pumps in her mouth and said with the cameras rolling that women were 'too busy' for equal pay legislation.

Keep running that Clayton Williams 2.0 campaign, Greg.   

Final Four Fool number three is RuPaul Andre Charles, who once again let his transphobia fly on RuPaul's Drag Race.  I've already vented about that one.

Final Four Fool number four is South Dakota state senator Phil Jensen.   Jensen let his bigotry fly and stated that businesses should be able to deny services to anyone they wish on the basis of their religious beliefs and introduced a bill that would have allowed you to do that.

There y'all go again wanting those 'special rights' for white male Christofascists. 

Senate Bill 128, which was characterized by South Dakota TBLG advocates and even some Republicans as “a mean, nasty, hateful, vindictive bill” fortunately died in committee  

And Phi, that magical 'free market will shut down bigoted store owners' argument that you and other conservaidiots keep using to push these bigot bills has already been proven false.  Do the words 'Jim Crow segregation' ring a bell?   


Our SUF winners this week we travel all the way to Israel for.  

To be precise we go to the Jerusalem suburb of Mevasseret Zion to give out a group Shut Up Fool award to the 17 Israeli students at Harel High School who thought it would be great fun on Purim to dress up as Klan terrorists complete with the robes and pointed hoods.  

But they didn't stop there.   Three of those students also were in blackface. 

What, the costume store was out of Nazi SS uniforms?    

Why am I not surprised?   Some of the stomach turning tactics the Israelis have used in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank against the Palestinians remind me at times of apartheid and Jim Crow segregation.

You need to expeditiously print the word DUNCE across those pointed hoods in English and Hebrew because if your parents, grandparents or relatives in the US haven't told you, the Klan, like the Nazis and the Aryan Nation,  hate you Jewish peeps too.   Two of the people memorialized at the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, AL are Jews Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner

Harel HS students, shut up fools 

Erika Harold Loses Illinois GOP Congressional Primary Bid

A few months ago I wrote about on these electronic pages former 2003 Miss America Erika Harold running for Congress in the Illinois Republican primary against current 13th District US Rep. Rodney Davis and getting racistly dissed for her trouble. 

In addition to that racist email from a GOP county chairman calling Harold “a streetwalker.” that led to his resignation, Harold according to Politico endured a bizarre snub at the Illinois state fair, flat out rejection when she asked the Illinois Republican Party to use GOP voter data and was denied, and constantly heard the frequent suggestion she would be better off running for some other office besides a Congressional seat.

You let bizarro world conservafools like Suzanne Atanus run for Congress, and she's your nominee against Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D).   So why do you Republicans have a problem with a 33 year old Illinois born mixed race former Miss America who spoke at your 2004 convention, at CPAC, got the endorsement of the Chicago Tribune and is a Harvard Law graduate? 

Oops, never mind.  I withdraw the question. 

She's an American citizen who can run for any office she wishes.  While I don't care for her conservative political stances, the only thing we see eye to eye on is that she's anti-death penalty.   But those conservative stances still didn't help her in this race. 

The Illinois primary election was held on Tuesday night and her challenge to Rep Rodney Davis fell short.   She did however serve notice that she has a bright political future in Illinois by garnering an impressive 41.2% of the votes (20,921)  in this primary to the incumbent Davis' 54.6% (27,773).

This race is a real world example of why Republicans don't have a snowball's chance in Hades of making themselves attractive to African-Americans. 

While I'm no fan of her politics because I'm aligned politically with 90% of the rest of the African-American community, I still didn't appreciate along with many left of center Black peeps seeing the sistah get dissed like she did in the GOP ranks.  

And if she's not "Republican enough' for you, who is?   You continue to reinforce what I have unflinchingly said about the GOP when I call it the political arm of white supremacy.  You have also reinforced by your treatment of her the well deserved reputation that you don't like women, and especially women of color.

She's also managed to do what all your cookie chomping kneegrow sellouts haven't been able to do in the history of the blog--get me to write a post about a Republican in which I'm not slamming them from the first syllable of it..   

This latest GOP rebranding effort will fail just like the previous ones when you continue to diss thoughtful people like Harold.  It's people like her you should be running to embrace and putting out there as your standard bearers, not batturd wing sellouts like Mia Love, Sen. Tim Scott and Allen West who have zero chance of getting our votes or our community's respect..   

But as a Democrat I thank you for continuing to be the stupid party. 

Anti-Trans Human Rights Conservalies Debunked

I've known for years the anti-trans human rights talking points of the conservafools and their TERF allies are a lie, but Media Matters has put them in this nice big easy to read graphic debunking the lies..

It'll be quite handy to show to my city councilmembers when we finally make the big push to get our non-discrimination ordinance in Houston. 

Fallon Fights On Friday!

Well peeps, our favorite WMMA warrior Fallon Fox steps into the cage tomorrow night March 21 in Chicago's UIC Pavilion to take on the unbeaten Heather Bassett

Still not too late for you to get your tickets Chicagoland area peeps and cheer the Queen of Swords on to victory.   The UIC Pavilion is located at 525 S. Racine Street and will be rocking starting at 5:00 PM  for this 50th Xtreme Fighting Organization (XFO)  MMA fight card 

Y'all know I have much love for Fallon and want to not only see our sis do well and win this one, but get paid while doing so. 

Handle your WMMA business Queen of Swords! 

TransGriot Update:  And the Queen of Swords did beat Heather Bassett.   She's now 4-1 while Bassett took her first loss.

Fred Is Dead

Yep, Our longtime TBLG community hater and founder of the Westboro Baptist Talabaptist Church Cult Fred Phelps passed away yesterday.   Phred is probably having a chat at this moment with, help me out Church Lady.

So to remember the man who caused so much pain, grief and anguish for people inside and outside the TBLG community and the families of our fallen veterans,  it's time for another of my song rewrites. 

So y'all know what to do.  Fire up your iPods, Spotify or your fave music program and sing along with Moni's remixed lyrics. 

Fred Is Dead
(sung to the tune of Freddie's Dead' by Curtis Mayfield)  

Hey, hey
Love, love
Yeah, yeah
Ah, ha
Fred Phelps is dead
That's what I said
Westboro Baptist Church
Was his heinous home
But gay hate was the fate
For what he became known

It's not hard to understand
There's no TBLG love for this man
I'm sure all would agree
That misery was WBC
Gaybaiting things
Now Freddie's dead
That's what I said

Hating soldiers amused him
Ripped up gays and abused them
Another WBC plan
Pushin' hate where he can
That's terrible, yo
But that's how it goes
When Fred was on your corner now
If you wanna be a hater, wow
Remember Fred is dead

We're all built up to progress
But Fred Phelps wanted to regress
Couldn't deal with human rights dreams
Fred was hateful and mean
Ain't nothing left said
'Cause Fred is dead
Hey, hey
Love, love
Hey, hey
Yeah, yeah
Ha, ha
Love, love
Yeah, yeah
Ha, ha
Yeah, yeah
Fred is dead

All want is peace of mind
With a little love I'm trying to find
This could be such a beautiful world
But hater like Fred make me hurl
Don't need to hear that bile
Don't wanna be like Freddie now
'Cause Fred is dead

Hey, hey
Yeah, yeah
If you don't try
You're gonna die
Why can't we brothers
Protect one another
No one's serious
And it makes me furious
Don't be misled
Just think of Fred
Hating soldiers amused him
Ripped up gays and abused them
Another WBC plan
Pushin' hate where he can
That's terrible, yo
But that's how it goes
When Fred was on your corner now

If you wanna be a hater, why?
Remember Fred is dead
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha
Fred is dead
Hey, hey
Ha, ha
Love, love
Ha, ha...

It Is Revolutionary To Be Trans

Laverne Cox was speaking tell it like it T-I-S is truth when she stated, "It is revolutionary for any trans person to choose to be seen and visible in a world that tells us we should not exist."


And the world tries to send us that message in multiple ways.   We have the cisgender know-nothings who in spite of overwhelming visual, historical, cultural and medical evidence continue to deny there's no such thing as trans people.  Christofascists who are now trying to retool and peddle their failed ex-gay conversion therapies in our direction.   Media people who try to have disrespectful, insulting genitalia centered conversations about who they think we are without having us at the table.  

And sadly, there are the wastes of DNA who use extreme violence to kill us as we navigate the world.

Yes, it is a monumental task to try to navigate being trans in a world that can be at times brutally hostile to us. 

But one of the things that will get us through it is overcoming the shame, guilt and fear that the hostile world and others try to saddle us with by turning it into self-esteem and self love.

It is a self esteem and self love built upon a rock solid foundation of pride in being a trans person, faith in yourself and whatever you call the Higher Power and knowledge of our proud history.

I love this quote by Dr. Louise Hart in which she says, "Self-esteem is as important to our well being as legs to a table.  It is essential for mental and physical health and happiness."

While it can seem like we trans people in the borrowed words of Denny Upkins are ice skating uphill in our ongoing attempts to build that healthy self esteem in the face of a world that consistently pushes the message we don't exist, it doesn't mean that it will never happen for us either.   You can and must as a trans human being as a necessary survival strategy develop healthy self-esteem in order to navigate a world hostile to us.

We unfortunately have to work a lot harder at not only achieving it, but maintaining it.   

But when you do achieve that goal, it makes it so much easier to be out, proud of who you are and the wonderful evolutionary human being who just happens to be visibly trans you are.

When you love yourself, consistently work on building your self-esteem and live your life to the best of your abilities,  you can then begin the revolutionary process of being seen, visible and living your trans flavored life. 

If cis people inside and outside the TBLG community don't like it, tough.  They can #bemad and #staymad about the fact you are a revolutionary, and it is revolutionary to be the wonderful person of trans experience you are.  
  

Happy Birthday Minister BobbieJean!

Today would have been the birthday of Minister Bobbie Jean Baker if she hadn't been taken away from us far too soon on New Year's Day. 

Yes Minister Bobbie Jean Baker is still missed by all the people who loved and came in contact with her.   Still hard to believe she's with the ancestors now and that memorial service for her happened.   It's taken me time to realize that I won't be getting those phone calls on a regular basis from her letting me know how she's doing and asking me if I'm all right.  

The world is a sadder place without you around to brighten mine and everybody else's day.  

Happy birthday Minister Bobbie Jean!   Continue to rest in power and peace until we meet again.   

Poetic Posts II

From time to time I flex my creative writing side and write short stories or poetry. 

Most of the time I usually write poems when I'm highly pissed off and motivated to write about an issue.  

As I told the DiverseWorks crowd befroe I started reading a few of them last night, there are times when you don't need a 500-800 word essay to let the world know you're pissed off about an issue. 

That poetry I write sometimes finds its way to TransGriot.   This is the initial compilation post for some of my earlier works, and I've written a few more of them since the Poetic Post compilation was added to the blog. 

Here's the link to my next round of recent poems including the one that's gaining legendary status here called 'That Cursed Pipe' that I wrote in less than 20 minutes and performed at a local poetry slam. 

Don't Hate

Bathroom Trans Hate

Shouldn't Need To Show ID To Pee

Koomah And Stephanie Saint Sanchez Present An Evening Of Queer Voices

Later tonight I'm headed to Diverse Works to take part in an event presented by Koomah and Stephanie Saint Sanchez entitled 'An Evening Of Queer Voices'.

It's free and running from 6-8 pm at Diverse Works, which is located in Midtown at 4102 Fannin St, Suite 200 close to the METRORail Red Line's Wheeler Station.

The entrance to Diverse Works is on Cleburne St between Fannin and Main Streets near Sears. 

I'll be part of the program to talk about my writing, blogging and read a couple of my poems.  I'm also looking forward to seeing Koomah and some of the other artists on the program do what they do.

So what's DiverseWorks?   It was founded by artists in 1982 and serves as a forum for issues and works that have no other public outlet in Houston, and plays a similar role nationally.

DiverseWorks provides first-time commissioning opportunities for emerging artists, continued support for innovative mid-career artists, and acts as a launching pad for young artists and arts organizations.

DiverseWorks supports artists and projects that inspire dialogue about contemporary culture among artists, audiences, and the greater community. DiverseWorks is a local and national source for high quality experiential and progressive works of art that compel viewers to broaden their perceptions of what art is and how art can be a critical tool for addressing social, cultural, and aesthetic concerns,

They moved to their current Midtown location in 2012, and while I've passed by it on more than a few occasions while riding up and down the Red Line, this is the first opportunity I'll have to actually see the space. 

It should be a fascinating evening that i'm looking forward to.  Hope to see some of you peeps in the community there.

RuPaul (As Usual) Gives Me Another Reason To Despise Him

I've written more than a few posts about my dislike of RuPaul Andre Charles bordering on contempt for his over a decade long transphobic BS and other assorted fails. .   

I've been in Boycott RuPaul's Drag Race mode since the show started, so I wasn't surprised when word of the latest RuPaul trans fail hit my inbox. 

For this call out of Mr. Charles I need to go into Maya Wilkes mode. 

FYI Advocate, the 'shemale' term dates back to 1973 and gained widespread exposure no thanks to transphobic TERF Janice Raymond in 1979.   It was subsequently appropriated by the porn industry.

But back to riffing on RuPaul.    Last night in a ripoff of the old Maury Povich "Man or Woman' trans shows they used to run during sweeps months, in last night's Drag Race episode they ran a mini-game competition similar to it entitled 'Female or Shemale'.

As reported by the Advocate, Drag Race competitors were shown a series of photos and asked to discern as RuPaul described it between a 'biological woman' or a 'psychological woman'.

Surprised the TERF's haven't made Ru an honorary member of their little klavern yet.

I'm beyond sick and tired of being sick and tired of the rampant transphobia and ignorance that oozes from RuPaul and his show including the regular usage of terms the trans community has repeatedly told the world and especially your clueless azz, are offensive to us.    

As usual, when you predictably frak up and the trans community calls your ass out on it, elements of the white gay male community come rushing to your defense. 

They either try to gaysplain how offended we in the trans community should be about this, try to justify his use of the words, start venting in the comment threads of gay themed blogs their own vanilla scented privileged transphobic commentary.or part their lips to utter the history deficient lie that trans people don't belong in 'their movement'.

And yeah, megatired of that, too.

Bottom line gay peeps, is that RuPaul has a long history of transphobia.   Just as you have told the universe that using the f-word that rhymes with maggot is a slur to your community and you rise up in unison to call people out who do, we trans folks have told y'all the terms that are offensive to our community.

We have every right to call out friend, foe and frenemy who offend us as Katie Couric, Piers Morgan, and Wendy Williams have found out over the last three months.   Right now, we have a serial transphobe in RuPaul that is justifiably getting a well deserved trans community cuss out over using a term we have repeatedly told him is offensive to our community. 


We don't want or need to hear right now ANY gaysplaining trying to justify those offensive terms usage in TBLG circles.  Neither are we in the mood right now to hear or read  comments coming from you hypocritically stating we should 'lighten up' about what RuPaul did when we have seen your community repeatedly tear people new anuses and demand their termination for saying the terms that offend you.  

We trans people determine what is and isn't offensive to our community.  You don't get to make that call.  All you get to do as our allies in this situation is respect what we trans peeps have to say about it, burn it into your brains and follow our lead.     

But once again, RuPaul (as usual) gives me and the trans community another reason to despise him.


H/T Advocate

Since When Did Transfeminine Athletes Have An Advantage Over Cisfeminine Ones?

'The Women’s Sports Foundation supports the right of all athletes, including transgender athletes, to participate in athletic competition that is fair, equitable and respectful to all--Women's Sports Foundation, 2011 'Participation of Transgender Athletes In Women's Sports '
I'm really getting beyond sick and tired of being sick and tired of hearing, along with with my transfeminine athletic sisters around the world this ignorant and repeated far too often bull feces by cis people that transfeminine athletes have an advantage over their cis feminine counterparts. 

Been hearing that tired argument since Renée Richards sued the USTA in 1977 for the right to play in the US Open.  

That argument defies logic and is an insult to the competitive abilities of cis feminine athletes to suggest that a trans feminine athlete would instantly dominate whatever cisfeminine sporting ranks they compete in. 

I played varsity tennis in high school and still play from time to time.  But there is no way in Hades I can beat a Serena Williams or any professional women's tennis player even on their worst day and I simultaneously crank my game up at that moment to an A++  level.  To suggest I can simply because I showed up on the planet in a masculine body half a century ago and just show up on the court to play them is delusional.   

And speaking of Renée Richards, know how many Grand Slam tournaments she during her pro career? Same as Anna Kournikova. ZERO  Renee Richards had more tennis success as a coach for Martina Navratilova

The 'transfeminine athletes have an advantage over cisfeminine competitors' meme is one that needs to die a swift and painful death.   It is used far too often to exclude trans women from competition and has its roots in the same racist rhetoric that was used to enable discriminating against African-American athletes and justify segregated sports in the Jim Crow era. 

Dr.Eric Vilain, director of the Center for Gender-based Biology, and chief of medical genetics in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California Los Angeles, has long ago debunked the idea that transgender women who have been on hormone replacement therapy for a significant amount of time retain some sort of advantage over their cisgender counterparts:

"Research suggests that androgen deprivation and cross-sex hormone treatment in male-to-female transsexuals reduces muscle mass; accordingly, one year of hormone therapy is an appropriate transitional time before a male-to-female student athlete competes on a women's team."

But yet the ignorance, as evidenced by the recent Wendy Williams show panel and CrossFit's transphobic response to Chloie Jonsson still persists.

This from the general counsel for CrossFit:

"Chloie was born genetically- as a matter of fact- with an X and a Y chromosome and all of the anatomy of a male of the human race... [A] male competitor who has a sex reassignment procedure still has a genetic makeup that confers a physical and physiological advantage over women. We owe it to the competition and the whole pool of female athletes to exclude Chloie from the participating in the female division."

How the hell do you know what Chloie Jonsson's chromosomal makeup is?   Unless you have some special mutant powers we aren't aware of, the only way you can tell someone chromosomal makeup is by genetic testing. 

Note to the transphobic and scientifically ignorant.   XX and XY aren't the only sex chromosomal combinations that humans have.  There's XXY,  XXX, XYY, XXXY, XO...

Because of that ignorance, the California based fitness trainer was denied the opportunity to compete in the International CrossFit Games, which seeks to find the fittest men and women on the planet.

Note it didn't say fittest cis men or cis women on the planet.

Jonsson is now suing CrossFit for $2.5 million for violating the state anti-discrimination law that covers trans people.  The case is scheduled to go to court in Santa Cruz, CA in July and it would be wise for CrossFit to settle because other major international sporting organizations, including the International Olympic Committee and the NCAA have clearly defined policies and guidelines concerning trans athletes. 

Bottom line is that trans athletes not only want to, but deserve the chance to compete in sports without drama just like anyone else on this planet.   Denying transpeople that opportunity because of your transphobic bigotry and prejudice is not only wrong, but in CrossFit's case may cost them a lot of cash. 

Let my trans people play.   Let my trans people compete.  Let my trans people participate in sports without drama.

Moni's 2014 NCAA Women's B-Ball Bracket

Since it's Women's History Month and I do have a lot of women's sports fans who peruse this blog, ever since 2008 I have been posting on TransGriot an NCAA Women's basketball tournament bracket in honor of it. 

And frankly, the other reason I do so is to show the women NCAA ballers some love, too.  

The road to Nashville begins for 64 teams this Saturday with the Final Four being played April 6-8.  I'm only 3-3 in picking the women's NCAA champs, and you can see my results for 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012.

But bear in mind TransGriot readers I have picked the women's Final Four teams correctly in 2008, 2009 and 2012.   

Prairie View A&M has to be wondering who they pissed off on the NCAA selection committee.  For the third consecutive year, winning the SWAC women's tournament championship gets them an opening round game against the number one overall seed.   In 2012 and 2013 they opened tournament play against Baylor and now they face an unbeaten UConn. In 2011 they opened tournament play against number one regional seeded Baylor. 

Last year I picked Baylor to repeat in what was Brittney Griner's senior season but Shoni Schimmel and Louisville had other ideas.

My fellow Taurus (we share the same May 4 birthday) her little sis Jude and her Cardinal teammates merrily bombed away from the three point line and fearlessly drove the lane with attitude against my imposing Houston homegirl Griner as the Cards shocked the basketball world and escaped with an 82-81 upset victory that trashed my bracket and ended Baylor's repeat bid. 

The Cardinals rode the wave of that ginormous Sweet 16 upset and the subsequent takedown of number 2 seeded Tennessee all the way to the NCAA title game that UConn won 93-60 to capture their 8th NCAA women's title.

Well, Shoni's back for her senior season along with her little sis and Da Ville.  The Cardinals are not only motivated by that title game thumping, but like the menz are pissed off about their seeding.  They are also playing to get to their home arena the KFC Yum Center.  

Defending champs UConn enter this tournament undefeated  (34-0) and the number one overall seed.  UConn is not only determined to repeat and win their 9th NCAA title, this Huskies team wants to join the others in UConn women's b-ball history as the fifth to do so with a zero in the loss column.  

Stanford has been an NCAA elite women's basketball powerhouse.  They have made it to eleven Final Fours, were runners up in 2008 and 2010 but unlike UConn and Tennessee only have titles won in 1990 and 1992 to show for it.   My Houston homegirl Chiney Ogwumike wants to change that in her senior season and win a title for the Cardinal in the 21st Century. 

The Cardinal also feel along with some women's basketball media pundits they deserved a number one seed in this tournament.

Notre Dame is minus the graduated Skylar Diggins but are still dangerous as their undefeated 32-0 record proved.  The Irish lady ballers romped through their inaugural season in the ACC and also enter this tournament as a number one seed. 

The Irish, like Louisville are trying to make it back to their home arena for the Elite Eight round   They not only want to make it to their third NCAA final in the last four years, but this time take the championship trophy home, especially if it's at UConn's expense.

The Irish have beaten UConn seven out of the last nine times they played them, but one of those two losses was to the Huskies in last year's national semifinal game. 

Dawn Staley has been quietly building South Carolina into a national power, and was rewarded with the regular season SEC women's title. They were upset in the SEC women's tournament but still earned a number one seed for their 27-4 season long body of work.   

Will UConn, the current queens of the NCAA women's hardwoods continue to reign and execute the repeat as an unbeaten squad?  Can the Irish make that trip down I-65 south to cap a perfect season by cutting down the nets in Music City?   Can Louisville also make that short trip down I-65, make it to the final again but this time send Shoni Schimmel out as an NCAA champion? 

Or will another women's team on the rise like South Carolina or on a roll like USC crash the Music City party?    

We'll see who will be cutting down the nets at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville April 8.

Lincoln Regional

1st Round
Connecticut, Georgia, NC State, Nebraska, Gonzaga, Texas A&M, De Paul, Duke

Sweet 16
Connecticut, Nebraska, Texas A&M, Duke

Elite 8
Connecticut, Texas A&M

Lincoln Regional Champion
Connecticut

Notre Dame Regional

1st round
Notre Dame, Arizona State, Oklahoma State, Purdue, Syracuse, Kentucky, California, Baylor

Sweet 16
Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Kentucky, Baylor

Elite 8
Notre Dame, Baylor

Notre Dame Regional Champion
Notre Dame

Louisville Regional

1st Round
Tennessee, USC, Texas, Maryland, Iowa, Louisville, LSU, West Virginia

Sweet 16
Tennessee, Maryland, Louisville, West Virginia

Elite 8
Tennessee, Louisville

Louisville Regional Champion
Tennessee

Stanford Regional

1st Round
South Carolina, Oregon State, Michigan State, Florida, Penn State, Florida State, Stanford

Sweet 16
South Carolina, North Carolina, Penn State, Stanford

Elite 8
South Carolina, Stanford

Stanford Regional Champion
South Carolina Final Four Teams
Connecticut, Tennessee, Notre Dame, South Carolina

Championship Game
Connecticut, Notre Dame

2014 NCAA Champ
Connecticut