Ryders Eyewear Transphobic Ad Fail

Well, here we go with another company who is getting the message the hard way that transphobia not only doesn't sell products, the trans community and our supportive allies are not putting up with dehumanizing disrespect from anyone.

The latest example of this is from Ryders Eyewear.   They are a Canadian company based in North Vancouver, BC that makes performance eyewear, sunglasses and goggles.

They rolled out this ad campaign that has raised the hackles of our Canadian trans cousins in which two people meet at a bar and each has a secret that the other doesn't know.   The man's secret is he owns an large amount of cats.   The woman's secret?   She is a 'man' with the tagline 'Imagine we could see everything so clearly.'

When the backlash started, Ryders first tried to defend the transphobic ad.   They posted this initial June 3 comment concerning the ad on their Facebook page.

****

We've received some backlash regarding our recent ad in Bicycling Magazine--some people have wrongly concluded that Ryders is attacking transgender people.

This ad is not, in any way, an attack on transgender people. It's simply showing two people who are attracted to one another, each with a secret that the other might want to know up front. The person on the left has a secret--he owns an abnormal quantity of cats. The person on the right has a secret--he is actually a man dressed as a woman. We were toying with some of the social constructs that have made gender roles appear as truths, in an attempt to bring some humour to the concept that seeing isn't always believing.

****
But as it became cleared the ad wasn't humorous, but hurtful to our Canadian trans cousins, the gravity of the situation began to sink in.   Ryders starting changing their transphobic tune on it and attempted to issue an initial apology that fell flat and poured even more gasoline on the simmering controversy.  .

This was the second attempt:

It's now been a full day since the first messages arrived in response to our ad in Bicycling and it's clear that we have offended lots of people. It doesn't matter what our intention was, the result was anything but humorous. This ad was clearly a failure.


We are sorry. We are sorry to those we have offended and we are sorry for spreading a hurtful message.


Thank you to everyone who messaged us. Without you we would have carried on with this advertisement, oblivious to the harm it was causing. We were ignorant and you have shown this to us.


We have pulled this ad from all of the publications in which it was to be printed in the coming weeks and months. Unfortunately, some have already been printed and distributed. Rest assured, this ad will never be distributed again.


We are also in the process of having it pulled from digital magazines and other web sites. For some sites, especially those of distributors outside of the US and Canada, this may take a few days before it's entirely cleaned up but it is our top priority to completely remove this image.

Again, we are very sorry. We've learned a lot from this.

****

Ryders, what you did was reinforce the dangerous for us 'deceptive transwoman' meme that not only dehumanizes us but fuels the anti trans violence directed at us as was demonstrated by the May 20 attack on two transwomen riding a MARTA train in Atlanta.   

Transphobia not only stinks, it is dehumanizing and leads to discrimination, violence and death for us in Canada and around the world .

Thanks for getting that message and pulling the ad.

70th Anniversary Of D-Day Invasion

June 6, 1944 was one of the pivotal moments not only of World War II but of world history.  

70 years ago on this date on the shores of Normandy, the fate of the world was in the balance as the D-Day invasion to liberate France and Europe from the clutches of Nazi occupation began.

The largest seaborne fleet ever assembled sailed from southern English ports laden with 156, 000 British, Canadian and American troops, tanks and other weapons to land at five code named beaches along 50 miles of heavily fortified French coastline. 

The 5000 ship amphibious invasion fleet was protected by a massive air umbrella of over 11,000 airplanes that flew ahead of the ships speeding south to not only drop paratroopers behind the invasion beaches but attack any German forces moving toward them by road, canal or rail.  

While the British and Canadian troops landing at Gold, Juno and Sword beaches and the Americans landing at Utah Beach encountered light resistance that morning, that wasn't the case at Omaha  Beach.   

Bad luck in terms of nothing going as planned for the American invaders and fierce German resistance at the water's edge caused over 2000 casualties and had General Omar Bradley briefly consider a withdrawal of troops from the tenuous beachhead. 

But the determined attackers pushed through, eventually made their way off Bloody Omaha and inland although not at the planned rate of advance.

It wasn't a good day for the German defenders either.   Their commander, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was in Germany celebrating his wife's June 6 birthday as his command staff was occupied at a military conference.   Indecision and confusion reigned from Berchtesgaden to the Normandy invasion front as the massive invasion caught them by surprise.  . Attempts to move German reinforcements to the area met savage air attacks by the Allied aircraft that ruled the skies. 
 

By the end of the day the Allies would be starting the liberation of France and Western Europe.  The five separate landing beaches would be linked into a single front containing a half million men by the end of the week being reinforced by thousands of tanks tasked for the breakout from the Normandy region in Operation Cobra.  Paris was liberated by August and nearly a year later, the European phase of the war ended as Germany surrendered. 

The stories of that day have been written in endless books, articles and told in documentaries and movies such as The Longest Day.    But without the ultimate sacrifices of these 9000 men that we remember 70 years later, the world might be a far different place.

Houston HERO Opponent Accused Of Sexual Harassment

“I say to you, what if I came into the bathroom while you were sitting on the toilet? Wouldn’t you feel uncomfortable?”
-Pastor Kendall Baker, in his anti-HERO public comments  

Yeah, your comment is cringe inducing now that we are aware the reason you lost your city job was because of a sexual harassment allegation, according to a News 92FM report from Adela Uchida

Kendall Baker, the pastor at StraightUp Ministries World Church, is also a member of the Houston Area Pastor's Council that has been fighting the HERO.

He has been one of the pastors featured along with the Rev. Max Miller used as the faces of the anti-HERO effort by Dave Welch and Dave Wilson.  They have used non-white ministers as their spokespeople in an attempt to present the veneer of a multicultural, broad based coalition, when the reality is the coalition is overwhelmingly dominated by the usual H-town white evangelical Christian conservative haters with ties to the Republican Party.  

Baker was the former manager of the City of Houston's 311 Services Division until his suspension and termination.  After a female employee filed a complaint on June 27, 2013, the Office of Inspector General found during the subsequent investigation that Baker solicited sexual acts, made crude remarks about female anatomy and hugged subordinate female employees. 

Baker was also alleged to have solicited donations for his church, which he denied according to the OIG report.

During the May 13 public comment session, there was a snippy exchange between Mayor Parker and Baker that was a things that make you go hmm moment, but we now realize is related to this situation.

In response to testimony questions about the OIG and their potential role in investigating HERO complaints, Baker said:  "The reason I know the OIG is overwhelmed is because I just ended a 28-year, 11-month career with the city and was wrongfully terminated and the OIG did not handle the case appropriately.”

Mayor Parker's response to Baker's comment was:  

“Absolutely, you are proof we do a good job in the OIG, sir.”

As of yet Baker hasn't responded to media requests for comments concerning the sexual harassment  allegations that led to his termination from his city job. 

But isn't that special (and not surprising) that one of Dave Welch's Pastor Council sheeple hypocritically lives in a glass house.  

Houston Style Magazine Issues A Retraction To Problematic HERO Post

I'd demand a retraction and apology, but I'd probably have better odds of seeing the Astros, Texans, Rockets, Dynamo and Dash all win championships in the same year than seeing you post an apology for this transbaiting piece.
--TransGriot,  June 4, 2014   Houston Style Magazine, Stop Pimping The HERO Bathroom Lie 

Well, well.  I guess people really are paying closer attention to TransGriot inside Loop 610 these days.  

I called out Houston Style magazine yesterday for a June 2 post on its Facebook page that not only transphobically perpetuated the lie that our faith-based opponents have been telling about the HERO, but triggered anti-gay and anti-trans hatred in the comment threads of that post.   

Today, a retraction was posted on the Facebook page concerning the post I blasted from Houston Style editor and publisher Francis Page, Jr. 

Houston Style Magazine

RETRACTION: Houston Style Magazine - Houston Equal Rights Ordinance
On Monday June 2nd, a member of our staff wrote a lengthy posting on the official Houston Style Magazine Facebook account, examining his opinion of the recently passed non-discrimination ordinance. The opinions expressed were only those of the author, and do not align with Houston Style Magazine, its editorial staff, of me, Francis Page Jr., Editor and Publisher or of the magazine.

We have always been full supporters of equality and tireless opponents of discrimination. Our publication's editorial line has consistently to support Mayor @AnniseParker in her quest to end discrimination in the City of Houston against all, be it those discriminated against based on sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, familial status, marital status, military status, religion, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity, or pregnancy. All Houstonians deserve better.

Sincerely Yours,
Francis Page, Jr. (@FPageJr)
Editor and Publisher
Houston Style Magazine | ‪#‎EqualRights‬ ‪#‎EqualRightsOrdinance‬ ‪#‎HoustonCityCouncil‬ ‪#‎CityOfHouston‬ ‪#‎AnniseParker‬ ‪#‎MayorAnniseParker‬ ‪#‎News‬ ‪#‎InstaNEWS‬ ‪#‎Houston‬ ‪#‎StyleMagazine‬ ‪#‎HoustonStyleMagazine‬ ‪#‎HoustonStyle‬ ‪#‎NEW‬ ‪#‎HSMNews‬ ‪#‎CNN‬ ‪#‎ABC‬ ‪#‎FOX‬ ‪#‎HOUNews‬ ‪#‎WorldNews‬ ‪#‎World‬ ‪#‎TeamStyleMag‬

Now Mr. Page, if you'd like a post or column from an actual H-town transfeminine person about what our lives in this city are really like, I'd be happy to discuss that with you.  . 

Faith Based Cognitive Dissonance

Ran into that all last month from the faith-based HERO haters at 901 Bagby Street   

But note to the Christians uber Alles crowd:  The HERO has been in effect a week.  Still no fire and brimstone raining down upon the city.  Still no bakers being forced to make swastika cakes or any of your other parade of horribles coming to pass.

And yes, discrimination's time has expired in H-town to the relief of everyone who has been victimized by it.
 

Today's The 25th Anniversary Of A Massacre..

The world will never forget.   

It's the 25th anniversary of the June 4, 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre in which it is estimated that up to 1000 people died after PLA troops and tanks were called in to brutally crush a five week old democracy demonstration by students in the square. 

Never forget that day.   Also never forget that freedom require eternal vigilance to maintain it from the external and internal enemies determined to crush it.

Houston Style Magazine, Stop Pimping The HERO Bathroom Lie

One of the things that has really pissed me and Team HERO off about this battle to pass the now week old Houston Equal Rights Ordinance is how the elements of the Houston media are still stuck on stupid in continuing to deploy the bathroom meme.

The latest demonstration of facts free Houston media stenography concerning the HERO comes from Houston Style magazine.   It's a local African-American oriented publication that's available on newsstands in predominately Black H-town neighborhoods.and has a Facebook presence.

I was angered along with Team HERO to see Houston Style post this grossly inaccurate June 2 commentary on the HERO on their Facebook page that made it all about the bathroom and once again poured gasoline on the lie injected into this HERO debate by the Daves and the Black auxiliary ministerial sellouts about the damned bathrooms.

The push to pass the HERO started because of the discrimination experienced by a straight Black woman who is a sitting judge (Alexandra Smoots Hogan) at a Washington Ave nightspot.  She discovered along with Councilmember Ellen Cohen there was no way to address that type of discrimination locally unless you filed a federal lawsuit.  . .



Houston Style, it is irresponsible stenography like this (it doesn't deserve to be called reporting) that leads to anti-trans hatred and attacks upon trans African-Americans.

Here's a crash course in Trans 101 that you sorely need.  You also need to remember that some of the trans people you are dissing have melanin in their skin and African heritage.

As one of those proud Black trans Houstonians who fought for passage of the HERO and is a leader in the African-American trans community locally and nationally, I'm beyond sick and tired of being sick and tired of the anti-trans hatred and ignorance being trafficked in our community and our media outlets.    

You should be ashamed of yourselves, Houston Style magazine for perpetuating the debunked transphobic lies of longtime gay baiters Dave Wilson and Dave Welch.   I'm sure the Daves, the Republican Party and their Baptist Ministers of Houston and Vicinity sellouts are pleased you continued the perpetration of disinformation about a long needed ordinance that protects the human rights of ALL Houstonians, not just those of us in the trans, SGL and Bi community.



I'd demand a retraction and apology, but I'd probably have better odds of seeing the Astros, Texans, Rockets, Dynamo and Dash all win championships in the same year than seeing you post an apology for this transbaiting piece. 

How about you do the Houston African-American community a huge favor by doing your jobs and actually printing the facts about the HERO instead of the 'fear and smear' talking points of the opposition?


TransGriot Update: A retraction was made for the problematic bathroom lie  comments I was lambasting in this post.

What's Up With Tona's Carnegie Hall Gofundme Campaign?

Tona Brown's upcoming historic Carnegie Hall concert in New York is one that promises to be one interesting and magical night three weeks from now at the Weill Recital Hall.

Because some promised corporate and organizational funding has yet to materialize and she couldn't waste any more time waiting for it to happen, 29 days ago Tona started a Gofundme crowdfunding campaign seeking to raise the additional $25,000 she would need to pay the balance of the money the Carnegie Hall folks requested and still put on a first class event.

I was stunned to see that as of this writing, she's only raised $325 dollars. 

This is outrageous to me when I see trans people with less melanin in their skin crowdfund that kind of cash for an SRS, top surgery or whatever other purpose no questions asked in less than a week, but you can't get off $5 or $10 dollars for a Black transwoman trying to have an event the entire trans community can be proud of. 

I'll bet if Tona's skin tone had less melanin in it she would have hit that fundraising target and then some a long ago and it would be all over the media about this 'groundbreaking concert for the transgender community'

So what's up people?  It's not like you don't know what Tona is raising the money for because she been upfront and transparent about that.  So that leads me to ask the things that make you go hmm questions such as are other factors at work here that are keeping her from hitting the targeted goal?   

Is Tona Brown's Carnegie Hall concert not worthy of supporting and hitting her fundraising goal?

Because that's what you're saying to me and the trans communities of color at large when she's had this campaign up for 29 days now for a positive event and it has only raised as of this writing $325 dollars.

We have got to do better than this.    And note to the orgs that promised her funding and support and left our trans sister hanging, follow through with your promised commitments

The show is entitled 'From Stonewall to Carnegie Hall' and will feature works of African-American composers.  It will also discuss the 1969 Stonewall Rebellion and the positive effects the transgender community have had on the TBLG human rights movement.

I not only want to see the Weill Recital Hall full on the June 25 night she does the 'From Stonewall To Carnegie Hall' concert, I want her to have the funds she needs to make sure it is a memorable night for all involved and cover any unforseen expenses.

So help her out with a donation and share this post to spread the word about this Gofundme campaign 

 

Director Thompson, How About A 'Transgender' Category For the 2020 Census?

US Census Bureau Director John H. Thompson wrote a blogpost yesterday announcing that a Local Census Office was opening in Washington  DC for a Local Census Test scheduled to take place on July 1.

It will be conduced in 200,000 homes in parts of Washington DC and Montgomery County, MD and is designed to research way to make the 2020 Census more cost effective, efficient and easier for people to respond to accomplish its goal off accurately counting the population of our country.

That announcement has also got me thinking once again about something that I have been pushing for to happen ever since I made my first trip to DC 16 years ago this month.   I have been asking for as part of the identity options available for checkoff on the US census forms to add a 'transgender' category to it. 

So what say you, Director Thompson?   Transpeople have been part of our country for over a century and it's past time we started counting them.  I've been saying 1-3% of the population is transgender based on the Lynn Conway prevalence of of transsexualism ratios she came up with, and it would be nice to have some hard Census data to back that up.    

We need to find out exactly how many transpeople reside in the borders of the United States and get US census data on our lives that can't be dismissed or ignored by our conservafool opponents.. 

Nations such as Nepal and India already do so.   It would be nice to walk into a city, state or federal legislative office when you're lobbying them for a human rights issue, and when they deploy the 'I have no trans constituents' lie, the rebuttal can be "The census says you have X amount of trans people in your district."

With the next US Census being six years from happening, it's time we as a community began pushing hard now for the ability of transpeople to be counted in 2020. 

Happy Second Anniversary Casa Ruby!

Y'all know I have much love for my DC hermana Ruby Corado, the founding executive director of the Casa Ruby LGBT Community Center in the District. 

Casa Ruby is celebrating its second anniversary later tonight with an awards reception, and I couldn't be happier for her and the bilingual organization and community center that serves 160 clients each week from its Georgia Avenue location with a variety of services.

During my last Washington DC visit I got to spend some quality time there hanging out for a few hours at their Friday group meeting
.  
“Our anniversary reception is a way to acknowledge and celebrate those individuals and organizations who have helped us service the neediest members of our community,” Corado said in a statement. “By working together, we can pull resources together and continue to provide essential services.”

The reception will take place at the PEPCO Edison Place Gallery at 702 8th St NW starting at 6:30 PM.  Six people and organizations with be awarded for their contributions or volunteer service on behalf of the local DC community.

Ted Eytan will receive the Massey Ally Award; Georgetown Law will be presented with the Community Justice Project Civic Leadership Award; Consuela Lopez and Kaprice Williams will be honored with the Distinguished Service Award; and Lakeisha Washington and Gessel Rodriguez will receive the Ruby Corado Perseverance Award.   

Hope it's a megasuccessful event.  May Casa Ruby continue to thrive and provide those much needed services to all who enter its doors.  

Black America, Stop Hatin' On Black Transwomen

I've been discussing this subject in various posts ever since TransGriot first started in 2006.  Sadly I'm still talking about it eight years later and in last month's column at Black Girl Dangerous.   

Once again, I'm compelled to discuss Black America's culpability in the anti-trans hatred aimed at Black transwomen.  

One of the things I and the Black trans feminine  community are sick of is the rampant ignorance and transphobia in elements of the African-American community.   Far too often the people who have been dissing, oppressing or killing us have been other African-Americans.    

The security guard that jumped off the disrespect of Andraya Williams on the Central Piedmont Community College campus in Charlotte back in March was survey says, an African American cis woman.   The 12 murders of African American transpeople (Evon Young was a trans man) that occurred in 2013 were all perpetrated on us by other African-Americans.  Much of the anti-trans hatred and violence Black trans women have to deal with as demonstrated in this recent case in the ATL comes from our own people.

And yeah, need to point out some of that anti-trans oppression has been coming from elements of the Black SGL community.   Y'all seriously need to chill out with that crap. 

Note to you chocolate faith-based trans haters:  Your religious beliefs do not justify willful faith-based hatred and ignorance of the reality that Black trans people exist and have for decades.  

Black cis women, a special message for you.  

If you're jealously mad because some random transwoman is performing femininity better than you are, pulling more 'menz' at the club or in the hood, I suggest you step up your own femme presentation game and stop shadily setting up the transwoman in question for harassment or anti-trans violence.  

We transwomen are simply trying to live our lives to the best of our ability.  We have to deal with the same challenges you do in navigating a planet hostile to Blackness in a Black feminine body.  We have an additional challenge of navigating society and this planet as trans women of African heritage.  

We don't want drama with you, cis Black women.  We want to live our lives united in sisterhood as the Black women we've always wanted and are proud to be.  Instead of succumbing to the people trying to drive wedges between us to make us adversarial opponents, we would rather be fighting the common systemic problems that ail all Black women. 

If you cis sisters take the time and make the effort to get to know us trans women, you'll discover you'll be rewarded with a solid friendship in the process.  You'll also discover some of the issues we deal with are remarkably similar.   We may not have been born with female bodies at birth like you were, but we did have our versions of girlhood and tried to become the Phenomenal Black Transwomen we are as fast as we could.

Whatever issues you cispeeps have going on in your life doesn't justify you taking them out on Black transwomen with your tongues, fists or weapons.  We in Chocolate Trans World have enough drama to deal with just for being our trans selves, plus the onerous application of racist oppression we all get. We don't need an additional helping of hostility, disrespect and dehumanization from the people we share bloodlines, African heritage and history with.    

Bottom line is we realize that many of you aren't cognizant of the fact you know a transperson or have one in your family.  But the odds are you have bumped into one of us somewhere during your daily routine.  You have pooped or pissed next to one of us in a public bathroom.  You have passed us at the mall makeup counter. You've checked us out in the club. You have walked past us as we are busy studying in the library for our midterms.

As for those of us who are publicly out, we range from models to New York Times bestselling authors, MMA fighters, a GLAAD media award nominated blogger, academics, and an actress on a historic cover of TIME magazine.     

At least 1-3% of the African-American population is transgender.  We've been part of this community for over a century and aren't going away any time soon.  Human rights for transpeople are also international human rights issues that benefit the ongoing human rights struggle of the African-American community we interact and intersect with. 

Neither are we transpeeps going back in the closet so you can avoid talking about us or our issues.   

And what are our issues?   In addition to the ones unique to our community, they are same ones the Black community deals with.   Crushing unemployment or underemployment.  Voter suppression.  Unacceptable levels of violence being aimed at us.  Stop and frisk police harassment.  Being targets for anti-female violence and sexual assault.  Body image issues.

Black trans issues are Black community issues.   It's past time Black politicians, our legacy organizations such as the NAACP, the Urban League and our clergy recognize that.   It's also past time for cis African-Americans to realize we trans peeps have much to contribute in order to make Black America, our country and the world better.  

We chocolate transpeeps realize that Trans 101 education needs to be done in our communities and at our HBCU's.  But that's not an excuse for you to not do any 'ejumacation' on your own.  There's this wonderful technological invention called Google  easily available on your computers that you can use to get better informed about our trans lives.
 
It's past time, Black America, that you started loving me and my transsisters instead of knee-jerk hating us.

Another Tuesday, Another HERO Fight

Today may be the first Tuesday in June, but what this day actually is turning out to be is the first battle of the fight to keep our just passed Houston Equal Rights Ordinance from being rolled back by the faith-based bigots.   

It's the first Tuesday City Council comment session since the ordinance passed and went into effect on May 28.

Many of us on Team HERO had planned to go to City Council, thank Mayor Parker and the 10 council members who voted in favor of expanding rights for all Houstonians. But it looks like our haters also targeted this June 3 council meeting to express their HERO hatred.   They were frustrated that Team HERO dominated the chambers and the speaker counts 447-98.  Pro-HERO ministers outnumbered the anti-HERO hater ministers by a 2-1 margin and most importantly, we dominated the media optics during the HERO passage fight.  

Note to the HERO haters.  The city is still standing.  The Houston skies did not see fire and brimstone descend upon it.  The mayor and the ten council members who voted for passage didn't turn into pillars of salt.   The sun has continued to rise in the east and set in the west.  No Houston baker has been forced to bake a swastika cake against their will   Transpeople are using the bathrooms according to their outward gender presentation without incident. 

None of your parade of horribles has happened short of y'all showing your nekulturny asses and issuing death threats to Mayor Parker. 

And you faith based bigots are STILL on the wrong side of history.  You lied, you lost 11-6 and you need to get over it.  Houston is a much better city because that ordinance is on the books.  Your reprehensible behavior is our best evidence why the HERO needed to pass..

Discrimination's time has expired in my hometown, and I'm going to fight with every fiber of my being alongside Team HERO to keep it that way.  

So once again, if you can show up and show out and join me, Amelia, Dee Dee and Team HERO in Houston City Council chambers, I ask that you get there no later than noon CDT for the public comment session that will start at 1:30 PM

Remember, decline to sign for the next 30 days ANY petition that is thrust upon you for your signature.   The anti-HERO peeps need to collect  25,000 signatures to force a referendum.   

And yes peeps, for those of you not inside Beltway 8 or who can't make it, you can watch the proceedings once again by clicking on this link.


TransGriot Update: Turn out the spike in speakers was over a proposed transportation ordinance debating eideshare companies Uber and Lyft's entry into the Houston market.  No haters at City Hall, but members were surprised that members of our community would come to thank them for passing an ordinance. 

 

Maryland Haters Fail In Trans Rights Law Repeal Effort

As I keep reminding folks here in the wake of the passage of our HERO, passing the human rights law is the easy part. 

Now we have to defend it.

The trans community in Maryland saw the fulfillment of a human rights dream of their own when Gov Martin O'Malley (D) signed the Fairness For All Marylanders Act into law on May 15. 

SB 212 passed by a lopsided 32-15 margin in the Maryland Senate and an 82-57 margin in the Maryland House back in March, and has the support of 71% of Marylanders.

But the predominately Republican opposition to the Fairness For All Marylanders Act predictably decided to attempt to get at the ballot box what it couldn't accomplish in the legislature. 

A hate coalition led by Maryland Del. Neil Parrott (R-Washington County) started an effort to collect the 55,737 signatures needed to force a repeal referendum vote on the midterm election ballot in November on the trans rights law.   The signatures needed to be collected by the initial May 31 deadline date to continue the process to June 30, but as of the initial deadline date the opponents had only collected 17,500 signatures.

Translation:  The GOP led repeal effort fails, and the law will take effect on October 1.   So Maryland trans community and our allies, you know who to punish at the polls on November 4. 

On that glorious October 1 date Maryland will become the 18th state plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico that bans discrimination against its trans citizens.

Good, because the expansion of human rights for a marginalized group is something that should never be subject to a majority vote.

Janet's Letter To Jane Doe

Still pissed off to hear through my contacts in Connecticut that 16 year old Latina trans teen Jane Doe is still unjustly locked up in an adult correctional facility.   

This is unacceptable, and a solution needs to be found NOW to end this unjust situation

On her blog Janet Mock has penned an open letter to Jane Doe that need to be read and signal boosted.
Here's a sample of it:

But my dearest Jane Doe this letter is about you, and as you sit in a lowly institution unsuited for a girl queen like you — all I want is highs for you.

In your letter, you said being brutally and wrongfully placed in that adult prison made you feel “thrown away.” You are not garbage. You cannot be discarded and disposed. You are life. Your existence gives me life. You are an unflickering fierce flame that reminds me every day that girls like you — the ones who have unjustly been forced to jump insurmountable hurdles — are the ones our leaders should be centering in our movements. You are worthy of all of our attention, care and resources.

You can read the entire letter by clicking this link

Finally Going To PTHC!

I was supposed to attend and take part in a panel discussion at the 2013 PTHC event.  Circumstances beyond my control kept it from happening and I was bitterly disappointed about that. 

But this is a new year and I can make this official announcement now the details have been finalized.  I'm jetting back up to Philly for the first time since my last trip up there for the 13th annual Philadelphia Trans Health Conference .

Moni will be in the PTHC house for the entire event when it starts June 12-14.  I'm excited because it is the largest trans themed conference in the United States and arguably the world with over 3000 attendees.  

Nope it won't be as a keynote speaker (this time).   The keynote speaker duties for the 2014 PTHC will be ably handled by Janet Mock on Thursday and Harper Jean Tobin on Friday.   If you have copies of Janet's New York Times bestselling book Redefining Realness, bring 'em so she can autograph them.   I'll just be looking for another hug from her.  

It's not on the schedule yet, but I'll be participating in a Trans Pioneers of Color panel at 4 PM EDT on Friday.   

So for the first time ever I'll be in the PTHC 2014 house in reporter and first timer attendee mode.  I'll be there not only for that panel, but roaming around the Pennsylvania Convention Center checking out other panels over those days that interest me.

I'll also chronicle what happens at PTHC 2014 for my TransGriot electronic pages.

There are a lot of people I'm so looking forward to seeing in the community again at PTHC 2014 and connecting with I'm up there.  Some of those peeps include many of my brothers in the BTMI-Philly chapter I didn't get to see at BTAC in Dallas.  I'm also looking forward to meeting people I've only connected with through Facebook or online, but have known for years like Koko Jones.  There are others I've admired for a long time but will be meeting for the first time like our activist trans teen Jazz.   

Yes, even award winning activist me has people that she admires, is inspired and motivated by and goes into fangirl mode when she's around them. 


I'm also pondering the irony that I finally get to go to this conference mere months after Jaci Adams' passing in February.  She was a longtime PTHC planning committee board member and will be missed by everyone whose lives she touched. 

To our trans younglings and others who happen to see legendary me wandering in the Pennsylvania Convention Center halls, don't be shy, just stop me and say hello.  Contrary to what my haters tell you, I don't bite and I accept hugs.  If I have time, I'll be more than willing to sit down, chat with you and take photos during my time at PTHC.

That's what these conferences are ultimately for.  We get the opportunity to meet and greet each other, network and build working relationships with each other.   It's also time to share experiences, tactics and life stories to lift up each other and advance the entire trans human rights movement.

And you can bet I'm looking forward to destroying some cheesesteaks, Tastykakes, water ice and Slurpees while I'm up there. 

For those of you who are going to PTHC 2014, see you in Philly.

Andraya Williams Update

'Appears as though the CPCC peeps seem to think that if they keep stonewalling instead of coming to grips with the fact they have seriously screwed up by disrespecting Andraya and resolving the matter, this will all go away.'
--TransGriot, April 7, 2014   'Tired of Black TBLG Women Getting Harassed For Going To The Bathroom.'

Since it's been a little quiet in Charlotte concerning this case, decided to check in with Andraya to see if she's received justice yet from Central Piedmont Community College for their transphobic sins or are they doing what I suspected was their game plan back in April. 

She confirmed to me they were still stonewalling the situation.  CPCC has not apologized, nor made changes to their nondiscrimination policies to make them more inclusive for trans and gender variant students either.. 

Okay, so that's the way they want to play this.    For starters, here's the petition calling for CPCC to do the right thing, apologize, and take the necessary step to respect trans and gender non conforming students on campus.  

They can do it the easy way or have the legal hammed dropped upon them

But will be keeping an eye on this situation in Charlotte.

SNaP Coalition Statement On ATL MARTA Trans Hate Attack

Solutions Not Punishment is a broad based coalition in the City of Atlanta with close to a hundred organizational and individual members.

The Coalition is anchored by the Racial Justice Action Center, La Gender and (Trans)forming and works to build the power of people targeted and profiled by the Atlanta Police Department – especially Trans* and gender non conforming people of color, current and former street level sex workers, and formerly incarcerated people.   SNaP Co works to transform the city into a vibrant, inclusive Atlanta that ensures the safety of, and holistically meets the needs of all the city’s stakeholders and residents.

They issued a statement concerning the recent arrests of Luther Thomas and Frederick Missick in the ugly May 20 MARTA anti-trans hate attacks on Janell Crosby and Tyra Woods.

Here's a taste of SNaP Coalition's statement: :

Trans people of color suffer as much harassment and abuse at the hands of the police and inside our jails as we do on the streets or on the train. It is too easy for the City of Atlanta and MARTA to say they have solved this issue by arresting and prosecuting the men who initiated this attack. But let’s be real - that actually will not make us safer. The City should model treating trans people with respect and dignity by first ending the abuse perpetrated by their own police department. The trans community needs jobs, housing, health care and to be treated with respect by the police department - the city can take leadership in these matters. - Solution NOT Punishment Coalition

The City of Atlanta should be deeply disturbed by the acts of harassment and violence endured by trans* women both at the hands of the Atlanta Police Department and by the general public on trains, buses, and on the streets. Our lives matter, trans* lives matter and we will no longer be silent or swept aside. Enough is Enough!
Solutions Not Punishment Coalition will be hosting a June 3 town call concerning his issue at the Phillip Rush Center,   It's scheduled to start at 5:30 PM EDT for those of you in the ATL area wishing to attend .

Click this link for the complete SNaP Co statement: http://bit.ly/SNaPCo2

I Repeat, If We Tell You It's A Slur Word, Don't Use It

'Let me drive this point home once again.  You don't get to make the call as to what words are or aren't offensive to my community.  WE make that call.  If you respect our community as you claim you do, then heed our repeated request to simply NOT use the offensive slur words.'  
--TransGriot   April 30, 2014  'If We Tell You It's A Slur Word, Don't Use It' The white gay males throwing temper tantrums like spoiled two years olds because a majority of the trans community has told them not to use the t-word, have deployed yet another useful trans fool in their losing effort to justify the use of two words we have told them and the world are offensive to our community.

And they need to give it up.   We already know that if this situation was reversed, you would go frothing at the mouth crazy if any trans person wrote posts trying to justify use of the f-word, or repeatedly tried to justify doing so by finding contrarian white gay males who validated the loud and wrong viewpoint.   Note to Justin Vivian Bond (not surprisingly white, like the other previously deployed useful fools like Our Lady J, Andrea James and Calpernia Addams) and all you other people sucking up to white gays trying to justify use of a slur word:.  If you're so 'worried about trans unity', stop sucking up to the cadre of white gay males and a cluelessly ignorant Black gay male who petulantly want to keep dehumanizing us by using terms a majority of us have said in a loud voice are hurtful slurs.

And let me repeat this one more time for the cognitively challenged:  A majority of the trans community has said the t-word and s-word are hurtful slurs.  If you respect our community, don't use them, period. 

Words matter. Hate thoughts are expressed in hate words and hate speech that turns into hate violence.

And guess what two words come out of our oppressors mouths before they put their hands on transwomen to violently beat or kill us?  What words come out of someone's mouth when they want to dehumanize transwomen or deny us employment?

When you try to justify use of those words, you are tacitly saying by doing so you don't care, and your privilege trumps our humanity.  If you're a transwoman who thinks the slur words usage is okay, you just gave permission for our oppressors to dehumanize you. 

This is bigger than the slur words. It's about the trans community owning its power, drawing a line in the sand and telling friend, foe, frenemy and the world what is and is NOT acceptable to us.  

If you allies truly respect the trans community, you would accept that reality and move on.   But there are elements of the white gay male community who wish to continue disrespecting and hating trans women to pump up their own self esteem and we ain't having that.   

No matter how many trans useful fools you egg on into embarrassing themselves and risking pariah status in our community by trying to buttress your hypocritical and losing position, bottom line is we're not budging one millimeter on the point the t-word is a slur and you need to stop using it.

You need to stop using it because our community respectfully asked you in the beginning not to do so. 

Now we're telling you.

Mia's Mad As Hell!

There are a lot of us extremely pissed off in Trans World about our sisters Janell Crosby and Tyra Woods being attacked by cismales on an Atlanta MARTA train and no one stepping up to help stop or defuse the situation.  

The fools in question have been arrested for it.  I and the trans community in the ATL and nationally are hopeful that justice will be served in this case.   We're hopeful the message will be sent as a result of this high profile case that putting your hands on a transwoman is unacceptable.

Y'all know I have mad love and respect for Mia Macy, who is a retired law enforcement officer.   She had plenty to say during her radio show about it, and if you click on this link you can hear her take on this developing situation in the ATL.

Perps Busted In ATL MARTA Trans Hate Attack

The two wastes of DNA who were caught on video attacking two African-American trans women on a MARTA train in Atlanta as people cheered and did nothing to halt it have been arrested.

34 year old Luther L. Thomas and 35 year old Frederick L. Missick have been arrested by MARTA police, charged with disorderly conduct (you're kidding, right?) and are chilling in the Fulton County Jail on $2,500 bonds apiece for attacking Janell Crosby and Tyra Woods.   

Both perps were Atlanta residents.  Thomas was arrested on Thursday while Missick was picked up by MARTA police yesterday.

The May 20 incident started when Crosby and Woods were walking to the Five Points MARTA station in downtown Atlanta to catch a southbound train to Oakland City Station.  They were confronted by a group of men, harassed, and had photos taken of them while enduring homophobic and transphobic slurs..   

Thomas and Missick persisted in continuing the abuse during the train ride as Crosby repeatedly told them to stop.   Thomas then physically attacked Crosby as Missick attacked Woods, who was trying to help her friend and stripped her of her clothing.

Thomas and Missick have also been suspended from riding MARTA.   

The ugly incident has incensed the ATL trans community and our local allies, and Mayor Kasim Reed through spokesperson Melissa Mullinax had this to say about it on Thursday.

"The mayor condemns hate crimes of any kind and is committed to the equal rights and equal treatment of Atlanta’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender residents, workers and visitors. The City’s non-discrimination laws were recently amended with the Mayor’s full support to include gender identity as a protected class," said Mullinax.

"The incident on the MARTA train is disturbing. We understand that MARTA is conducting a thorough investigation and we look forward to the authorities bringing those accountable to justice," she adds.

Two town halls are planned in the Atlanta area to discuss the incident.  One town hall is being facilitated by the group Solutions Not Punishment Coalition on June 3 at the Phillip Rush Center that will start at 5:30 PM EDT.   The second will be facilitated by Restoration Inclusive Ministries at its Decatur, GA church on June 4 and start at 7:30 PM

In the meantime, as justice is being sought in this case, Crosby decided to move back to New York as a result of this incident and Woods is staying with relatives in Cleveland, OH.

As to what outcome Crosby wants to see from this case, she replied, “I really want an apology from them and I really want the law put on them.”      

And your transsisters around the ATL, the nation and the world want the same just outcome.