Louisville Forum Still Stonewalling On Adding Trans Panelist

So yes Louisville Forum, it it time to allow transpeople to plead their own cause.  Without a trans person on that panel, your impartiality and credibility as a non partisan public issues group will be called into question when it comes to this debate on trans issues.
-TransGriot. June 23, 2014, 'Louisville Forum, 'Why Are You Hosting A Trans Issues Forum With No Trans People On The Panel?'

With the scheduled Louisville Forum 'Growing Up Transgender' panel set to take place next Tuesday, the questions that Jaison and I asked began to be echoed around the Louisville metro area in local media outlets as Dale Josey and the Louisville Forum unconvincingly insisted that the exclusion of a transperson from the July 9 panel was not intentional.

But their stonewalling in terms of not immediately correcting their mistake gives people in Louisville and across the country the impression that's exactly what is happening in Da Ville.

Louisville Human Relations Commissioner Dawn Wilson echoed the thoughts of many people, myself included.  While we commend the Forum for taking on this trans-themed topic, it's problematic there is no representation on this panel from the Louisville trans community, as she noted in the WFPL-FM story about the controversy written by Laura Ellis.

"“It’s a very good start. But we really do need somebody who has the experiences of school, growing up transgender, growing up as a person who is questioning gender, that perspective needs to be there," Wilson said.

Wilson, who is black, likened the panel to a discussion on African-American issues by a panel of white experts.

“It doesn’t really make much sense, because they’re never had that experience. They’ve never been through those trials and tribulations," she said

The comments of Dale Josey have also been disquieting for the Louisville trans community and our allies. Josey is co-chair for the programs and issues committee for the Forum, made some problematic conflations of sexual orientation and gender identity in Ellis' article, and it emphatically points out why a transperson is needed on this upcoming panel in light of the fact an opponent is already on it.  

Because the Louisville Forum is usually being done in a room full of predominately white male business leaders, politicians, and other influencers, and it's being videotaped, I cannot underscore how vitally important it is to have the perspectives of an actual trans person in that discussion.

So do the right thing Louisville Forum and add the trans panelist.  It will not only balance the panel, it will improve the quality of the discussion.

And since you are discussing our trans lives, it needs to happen. 


TransGriot Update:  Looks like a change has been made to the July 9 panel.   Trans teen Henry Brousseau has been added to the panel.

50th Anniversary Of The Civil Rights Act of 1964 Signing

I was a mere toddler when this event happened, but it was a critical one in determining the type of America I got to grow up in as an African-American child.

On this date in 1964, with the Rev. Dr Martin Luther King, Jr as one of the witnesses, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the landmark Civil Rights Act into law.

It was the signature legislation of the Civil Rights Movement.  The law barred segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. 

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 It fundamentally changed our country for the better with its passage and when the voting rights, fair housing, and other civil rights legislation was passed in its trailblazing wake followed by court cases that further validated, clarified and built upon that landmark legislation. . 

Here's what President Johnson had to say about the Civil Rights Act at the time when he signed it.  

Arrest Made In Brittany Kidd-Stergis Murder Case

While the month of June was a deadly one for trans women of color in the States, we did have some progress made toward justice being served for one of our fallen sisters.

22 year old Brittany Nicole Kidd-Stergis was found shot to death in her car in Cleveland on December 6 a day after 52 year old girl like us Betty Janet Skinner was found murdered in her apartment in an assisted living complex.

On June 5 Cleveland police announced the arrest and the filing of aggravated murder charges against 19 year old Delshawn D. Carroll.   Carroll was already in the Cuyahoga County jail on drug trafficking charges stemming from an April 21 arrest.

There unfortunately hasn't been an arrest made in the Skinner case, but you know I'll be tracking that case and the Kidd-Stergis one until justice has been served.   

It's NCAA Conference Moving Day!

July 1 is the day in NCAA collegiate athletics that schools get to move to their new conferences for the 2014-15 academic year.

One of the schools moving to a new conference today is the University of Louisville, who leaves the American for the upper crust digs of the Atlantic Coast Conference. 

The ACC welcomes the Cards into their conference ranks as their 15th member with a ceremony at Fourth Street Live! in downtown Louisville starting at 5 PM EDT.

While I'm going to miss seeing them in the American, can't be too mad at U of L   I've had a ringside seat during my time in the city to see how the school and AD Tom Jurich has worked to be in the position to make their program an attractive one and build the facilities.   The payoff of that investment was the Cards being asked to join a better and more nationally ranked power conference like the ACC.

When I was a Coog, we were a nationally ranked kicking butt member of the dearly departed Southwest Conference.  We went to three consecutive Final Fours and a Cotton Bowl, and I'd love to see them playing at that Top 25 level again in all sports.  Maybe with that burnt orange wearing UH hater Deloss Dodds gone into retirement, the new football stadium opening next month, and the upcoming renovation at Hofheinz Pavilion, we'll eventually get that Big XII invite that has been denied us. 

The University of Houston deserves that sitting in the largest city in Texas, and I hope UH is paying attention to how Louisville made it happen for themselves since they were in similar dissed circumstances back in the day.

Speaking of conference moves, the Big Ten welcomes former ACC charter member Maryland and the AAC's Rutgers into their ranks.  

On top of that with the entry of these two schools this fall, the Big Ten scrapped the Leaders and Legends Divisions and went to the more logical geographic divisional setup. 

Should be interesting to see what these two schools bring to the Big Ten table besides the Washington DC and New York-northern New Jersey TV markets, especially when basketball season kicks off. 

As for the American (AKA the old Big East) which is the Coogs current conference home, we get reunited with some old C-USA foes in East Carolina, Tulane and Tulsa this fall with Navy joining in 2015.  

Our crosstown rivals Rice in C-USA will also get some new conference members in Old Dominion, which is moving up from the FCS level and Western Kentucky, with Charlotte scheduled to join C-USA after an FCS transition in 2015.

This is the 2014 edition of NCAA conference moving day.   We'll see how well it plays out for all the schools involved this fall.    It also brings up the question, will there be another round of conference shuffling soon?   
   

Happy 147th Birthday Canada!

Happy Canada Day to all my readers above the 49th parallel.    You are one year closer to your 150th birthday in 2017 and hopefully you'll have a new prime minister by that time too if the October 2015 federal elections go the right way.

One of the things I was not happy about was the Senate not only stalling progress on C-279, but bouncing out of Ottawa for their summer break once again before doing the correct human rights thing and passing the Trans Rights Law.

And sadly, with a federal election on the horizon, I fear more of the same stonewalling as well.  

However, there is some positive movement for trans issues in Canada.   Trans folks in Saskatchewan and making moves to push their province toward joining Ontario, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and the Northwest Territories in adding sexual orientation and gender identity to their provincial non-discrimination laws.   The Vancouver School Board just passed a trans inclusive policy.

Moving on to other subject, glad that on this Canada Day my Timmy's IceCapp drinking homegirl has recovered from the health challenge she was battling last year .  I'm waiting for her to unleash her usual pro Canada Day post.

And no Renee, even with you having a milestone birthday coming up in a few days, there will be no territorial swaps accepted for Alberta unless y'all take Justin Bieber and Ted Cruz back as a negotiation starting point.

I have enough off the chains conservafools on my side of the border to deal with


I also want to take this time to thank you north of the border readers for your love, support and suggested Canadian themed topics.  The all-Canadian Shut Up Fool is a great idea and I will look at doing it for Labour Day and Canadian Thanksgiving in October.   Will just need y'all to nnominate the deserving maple leaf flag waving fools for it

Happy Canada Day!   As Canadian TransGriot readers take the time to celebrate it, have fun and be safe. 

2014 WH LGBT Pride Reception Today

I know two people who will be in the room when this happens at 4:30 PM EDT, and will probably find out in a few hours who the other peeps were who were in attendance.

The White House LGBT Pride reception happens today, and as soon as the video of President Obama's remarks is up, I'll embed it in this post. 

One of the people I know who will be there and repping my community well is Dr. Kortney Ryan Ziegler.    One of my fellow Texans will be in the room as well.

Congratulations to those of you who were invited to attend.  Y'all have fun while you are in DC.    

Questions For Rev. Max Miller

In this battle to pass and now keep the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO) on the books, the interesting permutation for me was this attempt by the far-right wing Houston Area Pastor Council run by the odious hate monger Dave Welch to execute the NOM crafted strategy of driving a wedge between the African-American and TBLG community.

They propped up non-white useful fool Black, Latino and Asian ministers to do the optical dirty work for them of attacking a HERO ordinance that would benefit their communities while the conservative people stayed on the down low.and tried to work behind the scenes in conjunction with the Harris County Republican party to kill it. 

In addition to the now disgraced Rev. Kendall Baker,  one of the other prominent kneegrow front men during the HERO fight was Rev. Max Miller, the pastor of Mt. Hebron Baptist Church in southeast Houston and head of the Baptist Ministers Association of Houston And Vicinity.    

Miller is the nephew of JJ Roberson, the legendary founding pastor of the church who passed away in 2012 at the age of 94.   His uncle also headed the minister's organization he now chairs.

But Miller and the Baptist Ministers Association of Houston And Vicinity. were on the wrong side of this as Councilmember C.O Bradford correctly called it, an international human rights fight.  My inquiring TransGriot mind along with other human rights minded African-American Houstonians and our allies want to know why. 

I damned sure want to know why as part of the group of people you and your right wing friends demonized in the Houston transgender community (and sadly continue to do so). 

I and my fellow trans Houstonians saw this as a life and death issue, and we fought like hell to debunk the lies and ensure the HERO passed.

I'm also part of the community who has the moral high ground in this HERO human rights struggle, not you.


You lending your name Rev. Miler and the Baptist Ministers Association to the HERO.opponents was disappointing and problematic.    I ask why were you part of an unholy bargain with conservative white evangelical fundamentalists and gay baiters like Dave Welch and Dave Wilson?  

Surely you can't be that obtuse to not be aware of the fact Welch, Wilson and the Pastors Council are part of a Republican Party apparatus and conservative movement that seeks to roll back all the civil rights progress your uncle fought to help achieve in Houston and Texas?


Why has your group, that you are the head of, spent money on Majic 102 commercials that violate Exodus 20:16, and more importantly, if you aren't spending your own money for those anti-HERO commercials, who is providing you with the money to do so?

I'll definitely be coming up with more questions as my inquiring mind ponders them, but the main one I'd like an answer to is this one:

Why are you Rev Miller selling out our Houston African-American community by actively working to oppose a human rights ordinance that protects 15 categories of Houstonians and visitors to our city?

Tracie Jada O'Brien Honored By California LGBT Legislative Caucus

The California Legislative Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Caucus recently held a ceremony in the Capitol building honoring the state's LGBT Leaders.

One of the people proudly repping the 'T' during that June 23 ceremony in Sacramento was San Diego's Tracie Jada O'Brien, a longtime trans and HIV/AIDS activist and one of our distinguished trans elders.  

She was part of the group of 2014 LGBT Pride Month honorees that included actor, writer and civil rights activist George Takei, Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, president and COO of the Golden State Warriors Rick Wells, and Executive Director of the National Center For Lesbian Rights Kate Kendell.

Congratulations Tracie!  Well deserved honor for you.

45 Years Later...

June 28, 1969 was the hot, sultry New York night 45 years ago when during another one of those harassing police raids on the Stonewall Inn, our folks had reached a 'We've had enough of this crap' moment.

Instead of submitting quietly to another police raid, the Stonewall Inn patrons that night, the transpeeps, butch lesbians and other peeps of color unwanted in the more upscale New York City gay oriented spots, followed Sylvia Rivera's lead after she threw the first bottle (and some peeps claim a shoe) at the NYPD po-po's and jumped off the Stonewall Rebellion. 

45 years later it's transpeople of color taking their rightful place once again in leading this movement after being dumped out of it in the early 70's.   Isn't it an interesting coincidence that as we stepped up to lead and became more visible, forward progress on trans issues followed? 

Frankly, I don't think it's a coincidence at all, but a much needed development in our ongoing and evolving international trans human rights struggle.   We need to be reminding people that you can't spell Stonewall without the 'T' even though at times the GL community tried to pinkwash us out of the collective memory of an event and strongarm us out of a movement we jumped off. 

45 years later, while Sylvia if she were still here would be pleased at some aspects of our progress, she'd be upset about others. She'd be pleased to see that some of the leaders of the trans moment are Latin@ and how non-white transpeople are unapologetically owning our power.   She'd be pissed off that New York State still does not have a human rights law that covers transpeople (GENDA) and how that happened.

Sylvia would also be pleased to see us taking the next steps like running for public office. building economic power in our communities and talking the lead role in telling our stories and defining ourselves to the media .

As a vehement opponent of the Vietnam War  (and I argued with her about this and LBJ's legacy) she would have a problem with trans people openly serving in the military, but if I got her to to grudgingly see the problem in her viewpoint that LBJ wasn't 100% evil, I think she'd be able to see the wisdom of allowing transpeople so inclined to do so the opportunity to serve their country.    

But one point I'd believe she'd definitely echo is that 45 years later, our work to see trans human rights coverage ensconced in our nation and around the world isn't done. 
 

2014 Williams Watch-Out Of The Wimbledon Ladies Singles

It's the third round of Wimbledon, and up until this point my tennis playing sibling were looking good headed into this weekend's play at the All England club.  

Serena had destroyed Chanelle Scheepers in an astounding 49 minutes (that's not a typo)in the second round  and the number one seed was highly favored to move into the fourth round against 25th seeded Alize Cornet of France.

But after taking only 29 minutes to win the first set 6-1, a rain delay on Court No 1 ensued.   When play resumed, the Serena that has been destroying people inexplicably disappeared and shockingly lost the next two sets to Cornet 3-6, 4-6 to find herself on the Wimbledon sidelines for the second year in a row. 

And yeah, as you probably guessed, out comes the predictable Internet peanut gallery racist and transmisogynistic commentary after Serena lost.

Big Sis had a tougher third round match with former Wimbledon champ and sixth seeded Petra Kvitova. 

Venus had been playing well, but exited the singles tournament with a three set 7-5, 6-7 (2-7), 5-7 third round loss.  But she made Kvitova work to eliminate her.  

The Williams sisters are still not done in the Wimbledon doubles tournament.   The eighth seeded siblings have a second round doubles match coming against Kristina Barrois and Stefanie Voegele

HERO Is One Month Old Today!

How apropos it is for us in Houston that we are having our Pride Parade on the one month anniversary of the 11-6 passage and signage into law by Mayor Annise Parker of our Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO) .

In addition to prohibiting discrimination in our sprawling world class metropolis against residents and visitors to our city in 15 different categories, it provides a local governmental solution in case people's rights are violated.

And as of yet Steve and Becky Riggle, no baker has been forced to make a swastika cake.

Neither has Houston endured all the other parade of horribles the faith-based haters claimed would befall our beloved city if we passed the HERO including fire and brimstone raining from the sky. 

But what we do have is a citywide ordinance to protect the human rights of all who live here.

Is The Media Disrespect Of Deceased African-American Trans Women Ever Going To End?

We have lost four transwomen of color this month to anti-trans violence in 40 year old Kandy Hall, 28 year old Zoraida Reyes, 31 year old Yaz'min Shancez and now as of Thursday 28 year old Tiffany Edwards.  

One has been buried in Ms Reyes, with the funeral arrangements pending on the others.  

And sadly, Ms Reyes is the only one of the four who has had respectful media coverage of her life and death.

When it comes to reporting about murdered African-American trans women, it seems as though the operative pattern of media outlets is to dehumanize, disrespect and follow the How Not To Respectfully Cover Black Transwomen playbook to the letter.    

*Misgender them at every opportunity?                         Check.
*Use their old male name in the story?                           Check.
*Use a mugshot if discovered?                                      Check. 
*Add criminal record to the story?                                Check.
*Salaciously suggest she was engaged in prostitution?    Check.

I have repeatedly seen this racist pattern when it comes to fallen African-American trans women and I'm tired of it.  I'm beyond sick and tired of media outlets across the country disrespecting African-American trans women in death by not only misgendering them, but if they happen to discover a criminal record, injecting that into the story and publishing a mugshot if available.

It's even more infuriating when an influential gay paper like the Washington Blade does so as in Michael K Lavers' June 8 article about our fallen Baltimore sister Kandy Hall.

Guess I should be thankful for the small favor of them not publicizing a mugshot in the article.

But if we can't get gay media outlets like the Washington Blade to respect our trans lives, what chance are we African-American trans people going to have to get television stations, magazines, and newspapers to do so? 


Publishing a person's criminal history is not germane to the fact that a transwoman was murdered and is problematic.  We transwomen of color already have enough racist stereotypes to overcome while inhabiting Black female bodies like the 'unwoman' meme in addition to the other transphobic baggage we have to deal with.

The last thing we need is media outlets unnecessarily injecting a criminal record into a news story about the untimely demise of an African-American trans woman, much less posting a mugshot pic of her when it is not germane to the narrative and unnecessary to do. 

Once again media professionals, we don't want to be fighting with you about this.  All we are asking is that you simply do your jobs and respectfully tell our stories, even in death. A murder has been committed in which this person tragically lost their life.  Focus on that, not demonizing and postmortem disrespect of the trans murder victim.  .

Kylar's 'DC Breakdown' Interview

About time some of our trailblazing Black trans men get their moment in the media spotlight..   

Kylar Broadus, one of my fave transmen, attorney, NBJC board member and a longtime advocate for our community, got a chance to do this interview with host Angela Rae on DC Breakdown to discuss the National Black Justice Coalition,  TBLG workplace discrimination, and his personal story. 

Please check it out  by clicking this link.   

'Family After All' Play Debuts Next Saturday

If you're looking for something to do next Saturday, you may wish to check out the debut of the play 'Family After All' at the Midtown Arts Center in H-town that features my sis Dee Dee Watters.

'Family After All' is written by T.V. Edwards and focuses on trans couple Tristan and Tracy Richmond, who are having a family celebration to celebrate their ten year anniversary as a couple. 

While prepping for their anniversary, issues crop up centered on their children Hillary, Max and 16 year old Ambrosia as  Tracy tries to keep her sanity intact as she plans the anniversary event.  

Play author T.V Edwards is a student at the Art Institute of Houston and a producer at Houston Media Source.    The play has a multicultural cast and promises to be one according to the site that will make you laugh and cry while addressing some interesting social issues.

If this seems like something you wish to check out, the Midtown Arts Center is located at 3414 LaBranch St at Holman in the shadows of the Houston Community College Central campus.  

It will start at 8 PM on July 5.  Tickets are $30 and available at eventbrite.com
   
 

RIP Tiffany Edwards

It is my sad duty to inform you about the senseless killing of another one of our transsisters

The body of 28 year old Tiffany Edwards was found shout to death in the middle of Tuxedo Place street by a sanitation worker in the Walnut Hills neighborhood of Cincinnati, OH at 8 AM EDT Thursday morning.

Tiffany is the unfortunately the fourth transwoman of color killed this month alone and the fourth in Ohio in the last 18 months 

In a conversation with emerging Ohio based trans leader Cherno Biko about our fallen sister, she said, "I want to express my condolences to Tiffany's family and all who loved her." 
Biko in that conversation with me expressed concerns about the anti-trans violence aimed at trans women of color in the Buckeye State by adding. "Genocidal violence against Trans folks of color is spreading like a virus in Ohio and needs to end." 

TransOhio also expressed their concernes about this recent murder in their state.
“The brutality and violence we see being committed against trans communities of color is real. It’s happening in our own cities, in our own state. This violence needs to end. Trans lives matter,” said Shane Morgan, founder and chair of TransOhio..


The Cincinnati Police are still looking for information in this case, are asking people to call Crimestoppers at 513-352-3040

And yeah, as you probably guessed, the local Cincinnati media not only misgendered her, but used a police mugshot in the initial coverage and added her police record, which wasn't germane to this story..   

So if those of you who know Tiffany have some photos of her that aren't a fracking mugshot, please send them to me as soon as possible so I can replace it with a more respectful picture.  

Rest in power and peace Tiffany.  We will not rest until the waste or wastes of DNA who committed this heinous crime have been brought to justice.

TransGriot Update:  Cincinnati Police are looking for Quamar Edwards in connection with the murder of Tiffany. 

Quamar Edwards is 5'10" inches and weighs 250 pounds. Edwards was last known to live in the 1000 Block of Winfield Ave Cincinnati, Ohio 45205 in West Price Hill.

Edwards should be considered Armed and Dangerous........Help Police get Edwards off the Street!

If you have information that will assist in bringing him to justice please call 513-352-3040.

USA 2014 World Cup Watch-Escaping The 'Group Of Death'

The USA went into their final Group G match with FIFA number 2 ranked Germany in pretty good shape despite the disappointing draw with Portugal.   

A win would put them atop the group, and a draw would allow them to advance.as well.  There was also conspiracy theory chatter before the game that speculated because a draw would suit both nations purposes and with all the interlocking connections both sides had, both teams would park the bus and play keep away for 90 minutes and a 0-0 draw.  

Even if they lost to the Germans, as long as Portugal beat Ghana in Brasilia and didn't score more than 5 goals the USA would advance to the knockout round that way. 

But on a soggy pitch in Recife in which torrential rain rain fell in the city and during much of the match Die Mannschaft blew that speculation out of the window.   They came out of the gate relentlessly attacking the USA who had one less day rest than they did.   Thanks to Tim Howard making some outstanding saves and Omar Gonzales doing yeoman's work to clear the crosses peppering the USA box the game went into the half drawn at 0-0.

The other thing making American fans less nervous about the game was hearing that Portugal was up 1-0 in their match with Ghana thanks to a John Boye own goal

Things changed after halftime with the insertion of Miroslav Klose into the game for Germany.   In the 55th minute Howard punched out an initial Per Mertesacker's header that unfortunately went right to Thomas Muller.

Muller blasted it past a diving Howard into the right corner for his fourth goal of the tournament.

To make things worse two minutes later word came from Brasilia that Ghana's Asamoah Gyan scored an equalizing goal to level that match at 1-1.   But Cristiano Ronaldo saved the day once again for his nation by burying a horrendous clearance in the 80th minute for what turned out to be the winning goal for Portugal and the one that sent the USA through to the knockout round. 

Meanwhile in stoppage time the USA was fighting to get on the board and had its two best scoring chances of the match.  A counter attack in which Alejandro Bedoya unleashed a laser toward the German goal but Phillipp Lahm's sliding challenge blocked it.   Then the ensuing cross fell to Dempsey at point blank range, but his header went agonizing over the crossbar to end with the Germans on top 1-0. 

Germany takes Group G as expected, but the USA for the second straight World Cup advances out of the group stage as the surprising to the soccer pundits Group G runners-up .   

They get to rest after a brutal travel schedule and prep for a short 420 mile trip for them to their knockout round date Tuesday July 1 in Salvador against Group H winner Belgium. 
 

Shut Up Fool Awards-Houston Pride Weekend Edition

In Houston and many areas around the country it's Pride Weekend.   We're celebrating the June 27, 1969 weekend that Sylvia Rivera, Miss Major and other POC folks jumped off the Stonewall Rebellion

We also have something else to celebrate in the May 28 passage of the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance.

Pride Houston has over 300,000 people attend it each year, making it the second largest parade in Houston and the largest Pride Parade or LGBT gathering in the Southwestern United States. The festival and parade are part of a week-long celebration.    It also boasts the only nighttime pride parade in the nation.   

The festival in the heart of Montrose is open from 1-7 PM and the parade begins at 8:15 PM traveling through Montrose along Westheimer Blvd.    Congrats also to female parade Grand Marshal Christina Gorczynski and male parade Grand Marshal JD Doyle.

It's Friday, and that means it's time for my usual TransGriot business of finding out what fool, fools or group of fools deserve to get called out 

Honorable mention number one is Chris Brown, who turned down a plea deal in a Washington DC assault case, which foced a trial that if it goes sideways, will send him to jail.

Honorable mention number two is North Carolina state Rep Paul Stam (R-Wake) who parted his lips to say during a legislative debate tried to equate homosexuality to pedophilia.

Honorable mention number three is a joint group award to the Tea Klux Klan, the conservative media and losing Mississippi US senate candidate Chris McDaniel for the collective freakout they have engaged in for complaining about embattled Sen Thad Cochran's (R-MS) successful strategy of reaching out to African-American voters and getting them to cross over to vote in the GOP runoff that he won by 6,300 votes.   Hey, y'all can #bemad and #staymad about African-American voters doing unto you what you fools have done unto us for decades in terms of cossing over into our primaries to cause mischief  

Mississippi's Black voters just wasn't having McDaniel's racist azz become a US senator, and good for them exercising their voting power strategically on behalf of our political interests.  . 

Honorable mention number four is the Louisville Forum for planning a July 9 event discussing trans issues with ZERO trans people on the panel.   Seriously? 

Honorable mention number five is David Spondike, a Akron, OH teacher who was fired for posting racist comments on his Facebook account.     That's a problem, dude when you work at a school that is predominate comprised of POC students.   And if you have to preface your defense with 'I'm not racist', then that's a major alert that you probably are and don't need to be teaching kids. 

This week's Shut Up Fool winner is a joint award for John Baylo and his station manager Chris Lemke.
The 35 year old host of a 'Christian' radio show at anti-Gay private college Cornerstone University was busted on child molestation charges.  



And who did his manager blame for his DJ's fall from grace that the deserves a special place in Hell for? 
Give you one guess who he blamed it on after urging WCSG listeners to pray for him,.his family, co-workers and alleged victims

“We pray for John. We pray for his bride and new stepson,” he said. “Most importantly, please pray for the victims of the allegations.” Then he blamed Satan for Baylo’s criminal acts, “We can’t make sense of this. … Did you ever have any doubt Satan was loose?”

Naw but hyporisy defintely was, since Cornerstone University requires students to sign a “Lifestyle Statement” that forbids “every form of immorality, including immoral sexual behavior, homosexuality, lying, stealing and cheating.”

John Baylo and Chris Lemke, shut up fools  

'Nikki's American Dream' Premieres Tomorrow On YouTube

I've known Nikki was working on this reality show project for at least a year and had completed 9 episodes of it, but it's finally ready and debuting on YouTube tomorrow.

Nikki's American Dream is focused on the life of Nikki Araguz Loyd,as she lives, loves, runs a business  raises a family and fights for her own and the Texas trans community's marriage rights.

The brainchild behind Nikki's American Dream is Lightning Strikes Entertainment, a content creation and branded entertainment company. 

"From the first moment I saw Nikki, I knew she was something special and a force to be reckoned with. She is a symbol of the kind of groundbreaking content Lightning Strikes Entertainment creates," says creative director Federico Traeger.

Here's a sneak peek trailer of it    




Nikki's American Dream premieres tomorrow at 11 AM EDT/10 AM CDT. and you can subscribe to see it at this link.  .   

Canadian Senate STILL Stonewalling Trans Rights Bill

Today according to the posted calendar on their  website was supposed to be last scheduled legislative sitting day for the Canadian Senate before they bounced for their summer break.

But according to the journal for the Canadian Senate, their last legislative activity day was back on June 19, and the Senate adjourned until September 16, 2014 at 2 PM EDT..

So that means that once again, justice and basic human rights for our Canadian trans cousins have been delayed, denied and put on hold by the unelected and Conservative dominated Senate.

Even Stevie Wonder can see what's going on here.   The Canadian Senate is STILL stalling the passage of C-279, the Trans Rights Bill that was passed in the House of Commons back in March 2013 and they think nobody's paying attention. 

Au contraire.   I damned sure am along with trans people in Canada and around the world, especially after the reprehensible committee stunt that was pulled June 10 on C-13. 

We're waiting on the Canadian government to show the same commitment to human rights for their domestic trans population as they have traditionally done for global human rights issues. 

But is seems to me, our Canadian trans cousins and other fair minded people in Canada and around the globe that Tories for whatever reason, don't want their trans and gender variant population to have the same human rights coverage they already enjoy.

The Conservative Party needs to be called out for being the shady human rights oppressors they are, and if that doesn't get the Canadian Senate they control to do the right thing on C-279, time to retaliate on their House of Commons colleagues.   

Brava, Tona!

History was made last night as Tona Brown stepped on the Weill Recital Hall stage at New York's Carnegie Hall for her show entitled 'From Stonewall to Carnegie Hall'

The show featured the works of African-American composers and in addition to our mezzo soprano violin playing sister, featured Tammy Peay, Nathan James, and Charlie Gilmer.

While I was bummed I couldn't be there, I am hearing through my sources that my Black trans family was in the house, showed up and showed out to support our trailblazing sister.

Speaking of support, the Gofundme campaign is still in effect to help Tona with expenses incurred in putting on this event. Performing at Carnegie Hall isn't cheap, and she did so without corporate financing or support.

Brava, Tona!    Congratulations on making your lifelong dream of performing at Carnegie Hall a phenomenal success.