Lorena Escalera Plus Two

Today marks the second anniversary of the death of 25 year old New York girl like us Lorena Escalera.

The model and member of the House of Xtravaganza was found dead in her Brooklyn apartment after a suspicious fire.  It was discovered during the subsequent investigation Escalera died by strangulation and suffocation suffered BEFORE the fire started at approximately 4 AM EDT on May 12, 2012.

It also didn't help that in the wake of this murder Lorena was subjected to sensationalized media disrespect by the New York Times and other Big Apple news outlets that Laverne Cox, Janet Mock and other New York City based activists vehemently criticized at the time.

“As my city's and our nation's paper of record, I would expect the New York Times to treat any subject, regardless of their path in life, with dignity.”

"In Lorena Escalera's life she was so much more than the demeaning, sexist portrait they painted of girls like us. It goes beyond a ‘choice of words.’ According to the Times' limiting, harmful portrait of Lorena, she was nothing more than a ‘curvaceous’ bombshell for men to gawk at. That is not the ‘personal’ story of any woman, and until we treat trans women like human beings - in life and death - with dignity, families and struggles, our society will never see us beyond pariahs in our communities."
-Janet Mock

As of this date Lorena's killer has yet to be brought to justice, and the House of Xtravaganza, Lorena's friends and family and all who loved her are still hoping that justice will eventually be served in this murder

I will be checking with New York trans activists and other interested parties in this case to see what is transpiring in the NYPD investigation concerning Lorena's murder, and as you can expect, if there is any news that comes to light regarding this case, I will definitely pass it on to you.

If there is a memorial service or vigil planned, I'll also pass that information to you as quickly as I receive notification of it.

Lorena, we won't rest until the person or persons who took your life are rotting in a jail cell. 

Nor will we ever forget you.  Rest in power sis.

Denny's New Book 'West Of Sunset'

You know I've had the pleasure of having novelist Denny Upkins as a guest poster here at TransGriot from time to time.

But Denny's also a talented author in addition to being a fierce human rights warrior, and since I believe in supporting the people who support my community, definitely wanted to talk about Mr. Upkins new book that dropped April 30 entitled West of Sunset

West of Sunset is Mr. Upkins' second novel and follows the release of his debut novel Hollowstone, also available through Parker Publishing.. 

West of Sunset tells the story of Brecken Everett, for whom life never contains dull moments. 

When he’s not dealing with a demanding course load and honing his magic as top student at Lightmage University, he’s working as a private investigator and using his skills to protect the innocent from the darkest forces. In two action-packed adventures, Breck demonstrates that outnumbered and outgunned is when he’s at his best:

(Part One): Brecken is enlisted to aid Jacob and Joshua Phoenix; twins who are the last Pyrians, an ancient race of beings who mysteriously vanished from Earth eons prior. Along with their friends Elroy and the seraph Nemesis, the Brothers Phoenix have been on a quest to uncover clues to their past. The biggest clue to date leads them to Scotland where they recover and research a lost relic. After obtaining their prize, it appears as though Brecken, the twins and the others are in for a fun-filled vacation until they receive a visit from a pair of demons with designs on the relic. With Brecken’s aid, the twins are determined to stop the imminent threat, but are also determined to have some fun in the process.

West of Sunset will be available in both print and digital format and TransGriot will be one of the blogs that proudly hosts a guest post from him on his virtual book tour once it commences.

Looking forward to that when it happens, and much success Denny with this new novel.

Naw Mark, Shame On Your Clueless Racism Denying Azz

I wasn't even back in Harris County 24 hours from my empowering BTAC 2014 convention birthday weekend excursion to Dallas last week when I was alerted to an attack piece that 'I'm white not Latino' transman Mark Angelo Cummings aimed at me along with a bigoted tweet from Kelli Busey on my birthday of all days.

I've already put Kelli on blast on my FB page for her jacked up shyt.   It's Mark's turn to feel the wrath of Moni now that I've had a few days to marinate on his loud and wrong as usual bigoted screed.

There's the bell.   School is now in session.  

Naw Mark, shame on your clueless azz for trying to step to me when I was on the eve of testifying on behalf of the entire Houston community again advocating for passage of the HERO. 

Too bad you dismissed Kat Blacque instead of listening to her when she was trying to educate your ignorant behind on the fact that race matters, even in the trans community. 

As a matter of fact I find you borderline delusional for trying to claim that racism doesn't exist.  I'm also laughing my butt off at you for even trying to utter the BS 'reverse racism' conservacrap.  Dude, have several sections of seats in Marlins Park and a nice tall glass of shut the hell up with your Cuban sandwich on that one. 

Since you missed it and seem to be confused about what racism really entails, let Moni try to 'ejumacate' you once again on the topic even though I'm tired of having this discussion of these simple to grasp concepts with you and your dwindling cadre of like minded acolytes that even the GEICO cavemen understand.

Ahem, pay very very close attention:  Racism = prejudice and bigotry + systemic power.  
 
Racism is the systematic discrimination, denial of rights and benefits by whites against non-whites in all areas of human activity.  (economics, education, labor, law, politics, religion, sex and war).

Since non-whites (at least until 2040) are not the majority population in the United States, it is impossible for us to be racist.  We can be bigoted and prejudiced, but we do not have the collective societal power to turn our bigotry and prejudices into societal policy detrimental to the lives of white people.  .  


Once again I ask the question I haven't got an answer to from Mark and his like minded side yet.

What is it about Black trans people owning our power and simply doing the same thing that white trans people have done for decades in terms of building community amongst themselves and determining our own political destiny, that terrifies you so much?

As I've said since 1998 and will not back down one millimeter from nor apologize for, race matters in the trans community. 

The fact that you posted such a racist response to my initial February post critiquing your clueless behind on seeing the Black Trans Renaissance as a 'threat' or 'dangerous to the trans rights movement'  is prima facie evidence why I see myself as Black first, trans second.

It's also why I advocate for transpeople of color to have our own blogs, advocacy groups and supportive community infrastructure because we can never be certain of when  vanillacentric privileged white trans peeps like you will throw us under the bus to get your lost levels of white privilege back.

And yes, there is ample precedent of the white trans community doing precisely that.  Riki Wilchins sold out the community and backlobbied her own GenderPac Lobby days in 1998-1999 to curry favor with an HRC then hostile to trans human rights issues.  She then took GenderPac out of the trans rights lobbying fight at the federal level to embark a a failed 'gender rights' approach that led to the 1999 formation of the multicultural NTAC to fill the unexpected trans advocacy void.   

Because NTAC was led by nonwhite executive directors who weren't drinking the 'HRC is our Friends' blue Kool-Aid and had no problem calling out the Equal Sign Org on their transphobic BS, it was savagely attacked by white trans people claiming NTAC 'didn't represent them' to the point they formed NCTE in 2003.

That sorry history is one of the reasons why we are closing ranks and building community in African-American trans spaces now because we are tired of being ignored, dismissed and treated like an emasculated junior partner in mixed trans company. 

We are unapologetically Black trans grown folks determining our political destiny, building community and making informed decisions about who we will and will not ally ourselves with. Can you hear us now?

So yes, white trans people's past penchant for throwing transpeople of color under the bus, ignoring our issues and concerns, and failing to include us in the senior leadership ranks is why I and other trans African-Americans are in the 2K10's executing a multipronged advocacy strategy whether you like it or not.  
And yeah, our people have been doing this for over two centuries, so this is nothing new or shocking to African descended trans people.  

And as long as TransGriot exists, I'm going to articulate those concerns of African descended transpeople here in the United States and across the African Diaspora.    

Mark, since you and your like minded friends have not given us a reason to confidently feel you have our backs or our best interests in mind in national trans advocacy since the late 90's, we're going to be unapologetically pro-Black, seek out allies of all ethnic backgrounds, and build up our community while simultaneously advocating for trans rights for ourselves and the human rights of all.

As the HERO battle is making clear to us in Houston, we have trans issues education to do with our own people, and we African-American trans people are the folks best positioned to do that as we take leading roles in helping push its passage.

I and other African-American trans people are puzzled to hear that our long overdue communal need to close ranks, build unity and pride in being Black trans people in conjunction with our Black trans masculine brothers, build community so that we can be a stronger partner to the entire TBLG community and all the ones we interact with is considered 'a threat' or 'dangerous' to white trans people.

Seriously?   We in Black Trans World are only replicating what the white trans community has done since the late 80's.  Why is it 'a problem' or 'a threat' now?    

I am an unapologetic Black trans community leader, and Black leadership has different parameters from garden variety white trans leadership.  

Because you white trans peeps are already well represented at those leadership tables, and far too many times I may be the only trans POC sitting there, you damned skippy I'm going to make sure the needs of POC transpeople are in the conversation.  I'm also going to be determined in making you aware how we POC's view any proposed trans human rights legislation or how any policy initiative being discussed impacts us.     

The racism and bigot eruptions in the trans community along with the racist misogyny aimed at trans women of color have also fueled this push for us to own our power just like our parents, grandparents and great grandparents have had to do once upon a time.   


As some of you have made crystal clear with your hate pieces and bigoted tweets aimed in mine and the direction of other trans leaders of color, it is impossible for us to exist in Trans World separated from our race and ethnic background.

Neither do I nor any transperson of color wish to operate in any space that demands we separate ourselves from our Blackness just to be a part of a collective group or because us being our  unapologetically Black selves makes you white trans peeps uncomfortable.

We Black trans people can't be 'just trans' because of the deep seated hatred for blackness and Black people that also infects Trans World and you are exhibiting unmistakable signs of.  We are deeply aware of the fact we trans people of color are judged by our skin color first before we can even begin to tackle the trans issues that impact us.

If you don't like the fact I'm unapologetically Black, and I will not allow you or ANY fauxgressive and bigoted trans person or 'ally' to deter me from calling out the bigotry and racism that exists in trans world while seeking to expeditiously root it out of our ranks, then you (and errbody else) that shares your delusional opinion that racism doesn't exist or 'I'm angry' for daring to talk about it can kiss my 'angry' Black trans ass.

By the way Marky Mark.   You and your white trans friends boringly repetitive attempts to tear me down not only reveal your own racist ignorance, but validate what I've been saying and writing about for the last decade and a half concerning your sector of the trans community.  

With every bigoted keystroke you aim at me, you make yourself more irrelevant.  When they see these unwarranted and vicious attacks leveled at me, it also pisses off people in the trans communities of color and our allies who have mad love and respect for me and what I do human rights wise inside and outside the trans community.

And FYI, for every attack you level at me, to quote Maya Angelou, and still I rise.  

So no Mark, shame on you for being bigoted and foolish enough to continue to repeatedly do something so monumentally stupid, and being arrogant enough to think you can get away with doing so without me calling your azz out on it. 

We Have A Date For Tona's Carnegie Hall Concert

June 25, 2014.

That is the day that Tona Brown makes history when she plays Carnegie Hall.   If you're in the New York area, I hope you have circled that date on your calendars and are planning to be there for this historic moment for all transkind and support her.

If you can't, then chip a little something, ($1,$5, $10, $20...) into the campaign to help Tona pay for it.  

Since several LGBT organizations and corporate sponsors that promised to help have mysteriously reneged on their promises or have been mute when she has tried to call them back and reconfirm their promised commitments to her, she has now had to start this crowdfunding campaign to help defray the $25,000 cost for this historic concert.

So drop something on it to help Tona get closer to her fiscal goal and set up one amazing night to showcase her talent on behalf of our entire community 

And would I love to be in Carnegie Hall on that date writing about what transpired on that magical and historic evening.  

ConGRADulations To My H-town Grads

The University of Houston, University of Houston Downtown, and Texas Southern University all held their commencement ceremonies this weekend on their various campuses.

Since I've come back home I have gotten to interact with in various human rights and other projects and events members of the Class of 2014 at these schools. 

I've had the pleasure of speaking on their campuses (still waiting for the invites from TSU and PV).   It has been a joy watching LaKeia, Yesenia, James, and Atlantis grow as leaders and quality people on and off their various campuses.

I've gotten to meet others like Guillermo in conjunction with the battle to pass the Tittsworth Act at UH, and will be rooting for him and everyone else in the Class of 2014 as they take their first steps into that different off campus world.

These younglings will definitely be alright. 

Congratulations to all my H-town Cougar, Gator and Tiger collegiate grads.  Know that I have much love for all of you. Megaprops to every one of you for accomplishing a major life goal, and hope this is just the first of many outstanding achievements in your lives. 

Happy Mother's Day 2014

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms, grandmoms, great-grandmoms and mother figures who read TransGriot

Hope you are being spoiled rotten and are having a wonderful day.

As Robin Bonner pointed out in one of the Facebook groups I'm on, a mother is more than a vagina and eggs. A real mom is a teacher, an advisor, a confidant, mentor, a listener and a doer, she is the person your children want to emulate. She is a woman of character, grace and love.

Yes she is, and then some.

If you are fortunate enough to have your mother around, give her a call and wish her a Happy Mother's Day!   If because of your trans status you don't or yours has rejected you, then call the person who acts as a mother figure in your life and give that person some love on this day. 

Happy Mother's Day people!

You're STILL On The Wrong Side Of History, Houston Haters

Well, well, well.   The opponents of the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance are getting desperate.  

Saturday afternoon they unleashed their robocalls in the 'hood voiced by one of the sellout ministers in which even yours truly and my mom received.  Later that night they rolled out their message from Mike Huckabee

Then I wake up this morning to an anti-HERO ad being broadcast on Majic 102 in heavy rotation, and I smiled.

The haters are getting desperate.  Not only is time not on their side, neither are the polling numbers.   People support the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance.   Despite the robocalls and the radio ads on Black radio station 85% of my community supports the HERO despite the Pastor's Council cynically sticking Black pastors out there as their surrogates to unleash the anti-trans hate as Dave Welch and Dave Wilson smile from the background. 

Let's be real here, the people they have been attacking for the last two weeks are the Houston trans community.  They have no legitimate argument they can deploy to oppose the HERO, and all they have at this point is 'fear and smear'

In fact, your unbridled hate and lies are our best arguments for why the HERO needs to pass. 

Their last minute attacks, their Tuesday rally at City Hall won't change the fact that LULAC, the NAACP, the Urban League, the Greater Houston partnership and business community, Harris County's elected officials such as Sheriff Adrian Garcia, state Reps Garnet Coleman, Jessica Farrar,  state Senators Rodney Ellis and John Whitmire, progressive pastors,  and fair minded Houstonians are on our side.

In the words of Nelson Mandela, 'any man or institution that tries to rob me of my dignity will lose.'

The haters are well on their way to doing precisely that, and I hope to see something positively historic happen for my hometown on Wednesday with passage of the HERO.

TransGriot Nuke A Troll 34-Phi Nuka Trolla

After a long period in dry dock, it's time to turn the USS Monica loose on the trolls sailing the cyberseas.

Time to drop 50 megatons of knowledge on these poor deluded fools who step to her thinking they are all that and end up glowing in the dark as a result.

Todays fool du jour is IHSV 1269 who left this gem on the post I wrote entitled UH Tittsworth Act Opponents Still Bitter They Lost

Your obsession with Greek life is entertaining. It's apparent that you're not as comfortable in your own skin as you claim to be otherwise someone your age wouldn't be writing a blog ripping into a 20 year old who has taken time to get involved in his Student Government. Your inferiority complex is so evident that I'm almost in disbelief you followed up insulting Garza by referencing a 2008 Houston Chronicle article about events that occurred 45 years ago in an attempt to justify your own prejudices. The only "narrow minded ignorance" on display is coming from yourself. Take the time to look up the racial makeup of UH's Greek life before assuming it is predominantly white -- which appears to be your go-to insult for some reason.

5...4...3...2...1  launch.

Obviously you're not comfortable in your skin, your opinion or with your transphobia since you used a pseudonym to shield your identity from your comments.

If you haven't perused the other over 7600 posts on this blog, I absolutely LOVE Black trans me, and it's a failure of your reading comprehension skills to grasp that point.  Besides, I AM superior to you because unlike you, I sign my name to whatever I write.  I also stand by every syllable of what I wrote in that post you had a problem with.   

Waah, cry me a river about your whining about me ripping into Alan Garza for his transphobia.  I could really care two fraks about what you have to say about it.   The one and only thing I give young Mr. Garza credit for is that he at least had the cojones to unlike you, openly attach his name to and claim his loud and wrong position. 

But word to the wise that will serve you well in your future life.  If you don't want to be called a bigot or an oppressor by the marginalized group you are making life harder for in your vanillacentric privilege actions, then stop acting like a bigot or an oppressor.

I'm also quite aware Oh Ignorant One, that the UH Greek system has historic African-American fraternities and sororities as part of the system.  They were part of that system when I was walking the UH campus in the early 80's.  Lynn Eusan was a charter member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc's Epsilon Lambda chapter, the same chapter my cousins both pledged three decades later when they attended UH.   

But the only visible on campus Greek opposition to the Tittsworth Act came from survey says, WHITE UH frats and sororities.  That's stating a fact,  but if you choose to call that an insult, oh well. 

I found the UH historical parallel between the Eusan story and the SGA fight to pass the Tittsworth Act compelling and highly apropos.  It  was the same exact dynamic that Lynn Eusan faced 45 years ago in her run to become UH homecoming queen.   Her main, most vocal, and racist I might add opposition to wear the UH homecoming crown came from UH's white Greeks.   The UH transgender community's major opposition to passage of the Tittsworth Act also came from UH white Greeks.  

So hmm, appears to Cougar paw waving me you UH white Greeks haven't learned anything 45 years later, but you excel in majoring in oppression. 

You don't like me stating the inconvenient for you fact that UH white Greeks were oppressors then and now in 2014 in both these on campus human rights situations, too damned bad.  

Bottom line is that UH's white Greeks were wrong then and with the passage of time look even more foolish concerning their racist opposition of Lynn Eusan ascendance to become UH's first Black homecoming queen 45 years ago. 

All you white UH Greeks, Ashley Davis Nelson, and Alan Garza, who opposed the passage of the Tittsworth Act will look just as foolish to the UH Cougar Class of 2059.

Eat 'em up, er duck and cover fool, and don't look at the flash when the troll nuke explodes..

Michael Sam Drafted By St Louis Rams!

It took three days and over 248 picks, but Michael Sam finally made sports and NFL history. 

The St Louis Rams on the 249th pick in the seventh round of the draft selected the SEC Defensive Player of the Year to hearty cheers in Radio City Music Hall.  

My fellow Texan has become the first openly gay football player drafted by a professional football team.

Sam was in San Diego at the home of his agent when the pick was announced by  NFL vice president of game operations Mike Kensil and an emotional Sam tweeted this moments after he was picked::

Thank you to the St. Louis Rams and the whole city of St. Louis. I'm using every once of this to achieve greatness!!"

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stated in an April 2013 document: “The NFL has a long history of valuing diversity and inclusion. Discrimination and harassment based on sexual orientation is not consistent with our values and is unacceptable in the National Football League."

The NFL added sexual orientation to its list of protected classes in September 2011.

Being drafted was the not so easy part of this BFD GLBT sports moment.   Now comes the hard work of trying to make the St. Louis Rams opening day roster not far from where he played his collegiate ball at the University of Missouri.

He will have three of his Mizzou teammates with him in Rams camp trying to do the same thing.

Congratulations Mike!    May you make the Rams opening day roster and have much success, except when you're playing against my Houston Texans.
 

Why I Love Dolly Parton

Contrary to the prevailing perception in the trans feminine community we have a lot of cis feminine haters, and the predominately white TERF's do their best to reinforce that, we do have many cis feminine allies. 

One of them is iconic country singer Dolly Parton.   The 68 year old Parton not only talks the talk about LGBT acceptance and inclusion, she walks the walk.   I've heard anecdotal evidence that some of the people employed at her Dollywood amusement park in her hometown on Pigeon Forge, TN are trans fam.

While being interviewed by Joy Behar for CNN in 2009, Parton had this to say about why she’s so accepting of her huge LGBT fan base: “We’re not supposed to try to change people. We should allow people to be who they are and love them for who they are.”

Pressed by Behar as to what her thoughts were on the marriage equality issue, Parton replied, “I always say, ‘Sure, why can’t they get married? They should suffer like the rest of us do.’”

Parton wrote the theme song 'Travelin' Thru' for the 2005 movie Transamerica that received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song.  It resulted in her receiving death threats from some nekulturny idiots pissed off about its blend of Jesus' story and uncompromising acceptance of trans people..    

Dolly is the godmother of Miley Cyrus and like Oprah, has also faced rumors she was a lesbian despite being married for 48 years to her husband Carl Dean.   She has a longtime deep friendship with a female friend that dates back to third grade that the rumor mongers point to as their 'evidence' she's part of the LGBT family. 

"Like Gayle [King], her friend, Judy, my friend...they just think that you just can't be that close to somebody," Parton said in an interview. "Judy and I have been best friends since we were like in the third and fourth grade. We still just have a great friendship and relationship and I love her as much as I love anybody in the whole world, but we're not romantically involved."

Parton also talks about the time she entered and lost a drag queen celebrity lookalike competition. "They had a bunch of Chers and Dollys that year, so I just over-exaggerated -- made my beauty mark bigger, the eyes bigger, the hair bigger, everything," she said, laughing. "So I just got in the line and I just walked across, and they just thought I was some little short gay guy...and I got the least applause!"

So yep, I have much love for Dolly Rebecca Parton, just as she has much love for girls like us.

Can We Do More For Houston Splash Than Just Party?

Houston Splash is our longtime official Black Pride event on the schedule of US national and international pride events sanctioned by the Center For Black Equity that run from April to November.

It draws many people in the Houston area, the surrounding region, and even from across the country because of the early May date that Houston Splash happens. 

It usually falls during the first weekend in May unless the huge Offshore Technology Conference chooses that date, and then it gets pushed back to the following weekend because OTC gets first dibs on 75% of the available H-town hotel rooms.

This year's 19th anniversary edition of Houston Splash got whacked by OTC this year.  It started May 7 and is running through May 11 at venues all over the Houston metro area.

But one of the things that has bothered me when I compare my local Black Pride event to others around the country is the glaring lack of programming or events that aren't revolving around a party or drag show.

It's one of the major reasons I don't attend many of the Houston Splash events because you can only do so many parties or drag shows, and there's more to Black SGL life than that.  It's also so heavily SGLcentric I feel along with many local trans people left out of many of the events.

I'm one of the people in H-town that feels there needs to be less party in Houston Splash and more purpose in this event.    

While I applaud the Houston Splash organizers for trying to address the issues I'm talking about in this post with the Wednesday Mental Health Forum and Thursday's sparsely attended transgender town hall, it pales in comparison to Black Prides in other locales that have in some cases vibrant daylong programming blocks that allow us to have substantive discussions about the issues affecting our Black Trans, bi and SGL community and draw people like me who like to have a purpose with their partying.

Other Black Pride cities have multiple town halls, poetry slams and keynote speakers as part of their Black pride weekends.  Atlanta has an annual State of Black Gay America Summit with keynote speakers and national LGBT leaders as part of their Black Pride programming.

If they can do it, why can't Houston, with the dynamic trans, bi, SGL leaders we have residing in the fourth largest and one of the most diverse cities in the country?

Maybe we can do as part of future Houston Splash programming an annual summit discussing the state of Black LGBT Texas or Black TBLG Houston, and use it as an opportunity to connect with straight African-American community leaders and organizations like the NAACP and the Houston Area Urban League     

I don't want the Black Pride event that represents my hometown to be about nothing except nonstop partying.  I believe it can and must do better.  With Houston Splash's 20th anniversary coming up next year, I hope the organizers of Houston Splash feel the same way as well. 
 

Shut Up Fool Awards-Jadeveon's A Texan Edition

The 2014 NFL Draft started last night and will run through Saturday.  Thanks to their disastrous 2-14 season the Texans had the first overall pick, and they wisely used it to select DE Jadeveon Clowney of South Carolina 

Can't wait to see him and JJ Watt terrorizing quarterbacks this season

Speaking of terror, it's time for us to segue to our normal Friday 'bidness' of finding out which fool, fools or group of fools exhibited mind numbing ignorance, over the top hypocrisy and head scratching stupidity.

Yep, it's time for this week's Shut Up Fool Awards.

Honorable mention number one is Mark Angelo Cummings, the Florida based trans fool who needs to have several sections of seats in Marlins Park, have a sweet tea flavored glass of STFU along with a Cuban sandwich.   Marky Mark decided to try to step to me again and made himself look clueless in the process when he tried to claim that racism doesn't exist unless it's against white people   

Seriously?    Mark, as I and other people have patiently tried to explain to your willfully ignorant and clueless ass (and predictably in his vanillacentric privileged arrogance labeled us 'angry' for doing so), Racism = bigotry /prejudice + systemic power.   POC's do not  (at least until 2040) have the collective power to oppress whites the way that has been and continues to be done to non-white people by the white majority for centuries. 

It is yours and other white transpeople's clueless dismissal of the point that race and class matter in Trans World, affect a gender transition, bring issues unique to trans communities of color that lead trans POC's to tell you white trans peeps to kiss our azz, form our own orgs and do our own advocacy independent of you.

So I ask the question you continue to fail to answer:  Why y'all so scurred of Black transpeople owing their power?


Honorable mention number two is Uniguest, the Nashville, TN based company that provides Net Nanny software programs for hotel business centers that can't tell the difference between a trans porn site and a GLAAD Award nominated African-American trans blog or a social organization in BTMI/BTWI that focuses on uplifting trans people.  

Yeah, can you tell I'm still pissed about not being able to access my blog in the Doubletree's business center during BTAC?

Honorable Mention number three is North Carolina Pink Republican Steve Wile, who has been campaigning on an anti-gay and anti-same sex marriage platform and got busted for being a drag queen.

Well, well.   Another example of a hypocritical anti-gay Republican

Honorable Mention number four goes to all of Satan's Helpers, Houston Division who continue to oppose the HERO on specious religious grounds.

Honorable Mention number five goes to Jim Coughlan, the Republican (surprise, surprise) controller of Dutchess County, NY who is running for a NY state senate seat.   He got busted for aiming a racist Tweet at MSNBC commentator Melissa Harris-Perry, and then when he got called on it, put out a statement claiming he hadn't seen Harris-Perry's work, didn't know she was African-American and claimed it was just a line from the Planet of the Apes movie and wasn't directed at her.

Yeah right.   Jim, hope you are aware that apes also look like you, too.

New York peeps, make sure this fool doesn't get a seat in your state senate.

This week's Shut Up Fool is Texas state Senator Dan Patrick, who is running for the GOP nomination for Texas Lt Governor.

Patrick opened his mouth during a debate with current Lt Governor David Dewhurst to claim it was a myth that Planned Parenthood had anything to do with Texas women's heath.

Note to Dan:  Google is your friend.   The facts are:

*Planned Parenthood health centers focus on prevention: 71 percent of our clients receive services to prevent unintended pregnancy.

*Planned Parenthood services help prevent more than 486,000 unintended pregnancies each year.

*Planned Parenthood provides 585,000 Pap tests and nearly 640,000 breast exams each year, critical services in detecting cancer.

*Planned Parenthood provides nearly 4.5 million tests and treatments for sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.

*Three percent of all Planned Parenthood health services are abortion services.

*Planned Parenthood affiliates provide educational programs to more than one million young people and adults each year.

I'm not even going to rehash all of the other ignorant and bigoted stuff he's said while campaigning for the GOP Lt. Governor's nomination.  It's at myth that the Republican Party cares about anyone that isn't a conservative white male.

Dan Patrick, shut up fool!
 

OutSmart Article Names 20 LGBT People of Color You Should Know.

Something else for my haters to chew on is this recent OutSmart magazine article by Yvonne Marquez that names 20 LGBT people you should know nationally, in Texas and in Houston. 

Yep, one of the people mentioned is a certain unapologetically Black trans blogger that likes to tell it like it T-I-S is about many subjects on TransGriot's electronic pages and elsewhere where she writes.

The Marquez article highlights Kim Katrin Milan and Bamby Salcedo on the national end of it, Texans Carter Brown, state Rep. Mary Gonzalez, Omar Narvaez,  Judge Tonya Parker,  and Priscilla Hale.

I'm listed in the Houston peeps with Yesenia Chavez, City Councilmember Robert Gallegos, Melanie Pang, Tye West, Becca Keo-Meier and Andrea Washington.

So y'all keep on hatin' while I do the work for this community and keep getting recognized for it. 

What's The T In LGBT? Event Tonight

For those of you in H-town looking for something to do that isn't Houston Splash party related, you may wish to head over to the Montrose Center tonight for the 'What's The 'T' In LGBT? event being hosted by Dee Dee Watters.

It will be an opportunity for those wishing to get more perspective and knowledge about the 'T' end of the TBLG community to do so at this event. 

The panelists for 'What's The 'T' In LGBT?' will be Roxanne Collins, Dylan Wilde Forbis, Makai Bowie, and the hostess Dee Dee Watters.   It will be an opportunity to ask questions and get them answered from parents, children, friends and family of trans people in our area, gain knowledge and have a great time interacting with us.

The topics slated to be discussed in this forum will be Gender Inclusion, Gender Identity, Sexual Preference and will be opened up to the audience for the question and answer period. 

The forum will be held from 7-9 PM CDT in Room 112 on the second floor of the building.at the Montrose Center, which is located at 401 Branard St.   All are welcomed and encouraged to attend and we definitely won't mind if you bring a friend with you to this community building event.

Hope to see you tonight.

The First Steps To Trans Liberation Are...

Self Love and Pride.

As Mary McLeod Bethune once wrote in the Journal of Negro History in January 1938, "If our people are to fight their way out of bondage, we must arm them with the sword and the shield and the buckler of pride--belief in themselves and their possibilities based upon a sure knowledge of the past.   That knowledge and pride we must give them--if it breaks every back in the kingdom.

The enemy of self love is one of the banes of a transperson's existence in the unholy trinity of shame, guilt and fear.  For us to love ourselves, we must vanquish that three headed monster.

Shame, guilt and fear work in tandem to paralyze us into inaction.   The unholy trio makes us afraid to acknowledge who we are as transgender human beings.   It causes us to want to retreat into another closet and not be open about who we are.   It causes us to question our trans lives, fear moving around in society, and acquiesce to disrespect and discrimination aimed at us.

It's hard to develop that self love and pride when we are hated by society for simply daring to openly live our lives to the best of our ability.    But develop it we must in order to become the tough minded individuals and people we will need to be to break free of the shame, guilt and fear in order to fight for our trans liberation. 

Handling My HERO Business Again

Once again I made the trek to 901 Bagby Street and our art deco designed City Hall to speak at and attend another meeting concerning the HERO in front of the full council. 

I was expecting it to be as contentious as the Quality of Life Committee hearing last week,  but those expectations died because many of the misguided African-American pastors who loudly expressed their opposition to it along with some of their not so righteous flock at that hearing were MIA yesterday. 

It's probably because they realize that the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance has momentum, it's the right and morally correct thing to do, and they might be coming to the realization they were played for suckers by the Pastor's Council.

In addition to myself, 77 other multiethnic speakers from our TBLG community and our allies took to the podium in front of our city council members to declare they were in favor of HERO passage   19 were against it including the usual haters like Dave 'Temporary Black Man For Electoral Purposes' Wilson and perennial council gadfly President Joseph Charles.

The local chapters of the NAACP and the Urban League also announced their support at this council hearing for the HERO. 84% of the Houston African-American community supports it.   State legislators like Sen. Rodney Ellis, Rep Garnet Coleman support it.   And in my capacity as the head of the Houston chapter of Black Transwomen, Inc., my org supports passage of the HERO

So those ministers who unleashed their faith based bigotry last Wednesday look even more foolish as this effort to pass the HERO moves forward and they realize they are on the wrong side of history. 

One of the other interesting and tear jerking moments of the HERO council hearing yesterday is that a Latino and African-American man both came out during their testimony.

The trans community was also there.   In addition to myself testifying in front of city council,  Nikki Araguz Loyd , Dr Colt Keo-Meier and Amelia Miller also did their part  to ensure the 'T' was represented. 

Another council meeting is happening today, in which we expect it will be tabled until next week.   Amendments are being offered, including to the problematic Section 17 51 (b) I expressed my concerns about in my testimony. 

We are one step closer to adding Houston to the long list of cities that protect its citizens from discrimination, and I couldn't be happier as a native Houstonian for that. 

White House Correspondents Dinner 2014

I was having so much fun with my Black Trans fam during my long birthday weekend and distracted wondering about what was transpiring at the GLAAD Media Awards that I forgot the White House Correspondents Dinner was also taking place on that event filled Saturday night.

So for those of you who missed it like I did, here's the POTUS.

City Council HERO Hearing Today

After dealing with the hate preachers last Wednesday, the HERO now goes before the full Houston City Council and another public comment meeting.that promises to be just as contentious as the April 30 committee meeting was.

Round Two of the battle to pass the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance kicks off at 1:30 PM CDT today and it promises to be just as contentious and ugly as it was last week during the Quality of Life committee hearing.

It's clear the strategy of the Pastor's Council haters is to let the Black ministers and other sellout people of color do their dirty work, and we need Houston SGL, trans and bi people of color to stand up and speak out against this cynical racist play.


You know I'm already in council chambers to watch the fun and do battle with the faith based haters, and will talk about it later.

And if you want to watch the proceedings, Moni's going to make it easy for you to do and just click on this link.

I Find That HERO Bathroom Language Disturbing

We have had 15 drafts, a standing room only contentious Quality of Life committee hearing which was several hours of attacks on the trans community and an upcoming session before the full city council tomorrow.  

But they still haven't fixed in the HERO that problematic bathroom language in Article IV, Section 17-51 

Sec. 17-51. Prohibition against discrimination in public accommodations.

(a) It shall be unlawful for any place of public accommodation or any employee or agent thereof to discriminate against any person on the basis of any protected characteristic, except as required by federal or state law or court order.

(b) It shall be unlawful for any place of public accommodation or any employee or agent thereof to deny any person entry to any restroom, shower room, or similar facility if that facility is consistent with and appropriate to that person’s expression of gender identity. It shall be a defense to prosecution for discrimination on the basis of gender identity under this article, however, if the defendant had a good faith belief that the gender or gender identity of the person discriminated against was not consistent with the gender designation of the facility. For purposes of this section, a defendant has a good faith belief if the manner in which the person represented or expressed gender to others (e.g. behavior, clothing, hairstyles, activities, voice or mannerisms) is not consistent with the gender designation of the facility the person attempted to access. Nothing in this section shall require construction of a new bathroom, shower room, or similar facility.

(c) It shall be a defense to prosecution for discrimination on the basis of disability under this article that the alleged discrimination resulted from a condition or structural feature for which a variance had been received. It shall also be a defense to prosecution for discrimination on the basis of accessibility that the place of public accommodation is in compliance with applicable state or federal law relating to accessibility.

Translation, if this is allowed to stand, it would allow gender policing to happen and the trans community in Tyjanae Moore type situations would have no recourse or way to punish people for harassing us.

Not no but HELL NO on this. That language in Section 17-51 (b) needs to go. 

The Dallas ordinance passed in 2002 doesn't have any bathroom language and as of this writing 12 years later hasn't had any increase in bathroom predators dressed in drag.    
 
Once again I have to call out the fact to Mayor Parker and Councilmember Ellen Cohen that the bathroom language in this HERO sucks and they need to forcefully tell the Pastor's Council where to go with their bathroom predator lies.

Just a gentle reminder to Mayor Parker that members of the Houston trans community were the foot soldiers and worker bees for many of your citywide campaigns for council, controller and mayor. We honored you with an Apogee Award at the 1998 Houston TG Unity Banquet for your leadership as a city council member on the 1998 non-discrimination ordinance.

We had your back when you needed us.  Now that we trans Houstonians need you to lead again on our issues since we don't have one of our own trans people on council yet, you want someone else on council to offer an amendment? 

Mayor Parker, we trans Houstonians need you and Councilmember Cohen to be the drum majorettes for justice we thought we elected to those positions.   Lead from the front and kill the HERO Section 17-51 (b) bathroom language.

It says above the doors to the entrance to council chambers 'The People Are The City'.  Transgender Houstonians are part of the 2.2 million people who live here and make up our sprawling southeast Texas metropolis.   It's way past time the ordinances in the city we love protected us from anti-trans discrimination.  We're tired of being demonized and humiliated for using the bathroom and there is no justification for it.

I and my fellow trans Houstonians want the same first class human rights you demand for yourselves with no excuses, no obfuscations and no delays.  We've waited long enough for the HERO to pass.

But before it possibly does, that odious bathroom language in Section 17-51 (b) must go.

Congrats Tiq and Kim!

Had to give a TransGriot shoutout to my brother Tiq Milan and his lady Kim Katrin Crosby who are getting married today in New York.

At least it'll be easy for me to remember their May 5 wedding day.

I had the pleasure of meeting Kim during my just completed BTAC weekend in Dallas, and I wish the happy couple a long, happy and healthy marriage.

Also looking forward to the next time I see you two as husband and wife.