Upcoming February 25 Can We Talk For Real Podcast Appearance

With 2015 already shaping up to be a horrific year for anti-trans murders, I've been invited to appear on my first Can We Talk For Real podcast for this year.

I always look forward to talking to the CWT4R team, but during this February 25 show Ina, Michelle, Terri Boi and I will discuss what's happening, some possible reasons why the trans murders have spiked since June 2014 and some possible solutions to it..

You can call 347-215-8985 to take part in that discussion or listen to the show starting at 10:30 PM Eastern time, 9:30 PM Central time, 8:30 PM Mountain time and at 7:30 PM Pacific time.

Hope that many of you TransGriot readers will tune in for this conversation as well.

Another Week, Another Trans Homicide - RIP Kristina Gomez Reinwald

I've been aware of this since I was tipped Tuesday, but needed more confirmation before I was comfortable enough to write about it.

46  year old Kristina Gomez Reinwald, AKA Kristina Grant Infiniti was found on Sunday unresponsive at her home in the 2000 block of Southwest 58th Court.



The death was originally ruled by authorities as a suicide, and the unconfirmed report I'd received was that she was stabbed  The police according to a NBC6 report are now calling the case a homicide.  Kristina now unfortunately becomes the latest transwoman whose life was taken by a murderer who needs to be expeditiously brought to justice.  

Our South Florida trans family and allies peeps have put together a vigil that will start at 8 PM EST tomorrow at the Torch Of Friendship in downtown Miami.

If you have any information concerning this homicide or will bring the perpetrator to justice, please contact Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS

As I get more information about what happened to our sister, will keep you posted.

Racism Rears Its Pointed Hooded Head At TX HS Basketball Game

Some of us in the Lone Star State sarcastically refer to North Texas, because of its proximity to the madness in the Sooner State, as Baja Oklahoma.

Much of the state house and senate legislative representation in that part of the state is unfortunately Tea Klux Klan, and we all know how racist the Tea Party is.

It seems that the Tea Party racism pimped by FOX Noise, the Tea Party and right wing talk radio to their parents is filtering down to the younglings.

At a boys basketball game played on February 13 between Flower Mound HS and Plano East last Friday that went into triple overtime, some nekulturny Flower Mount HS knuckleheads held up 'White Power' signs that were spotted by the visiting Plano East players and their fans.

“I saw ... [the signs] during the game, and I just didn’t think anything of it until I heard ... [a] racial slur at the free throw line,” Plano East junior player Devin Gifford said in an interview. “I didn’t say anything; I just let students be students.”.  

Gifford posted the photo of the signs on Twitter with the caption, “This is ridiculous I thought we passed the racial stage of society.”

Sadly Kevin, we still haven't evolved to become the beloved community that the Rev.Dr. Martin Luther King Jr talked about.and we have a lot of work to do to get there.

While Flower Mound administrators quickly confiscated the offensive signs, they were still up long enough for them to be photographed, posted and subsequently commented about on social media.  

Flower Mound's head coach issued an emphatic condemnation of the incident via Twitter, and Lewisville ISD Interim Superintendent Kevin Rogers issued this written statement yesterday.

As Interim Superintendent of a very diverse school district and community, I have been involved with our internal investigation regarding the unfortunate occurrence at Friday night’s Flower Mound High School vs. Plano East varsity boys’ basketball game. I want to be clear that this type of incident – however it has been perceived – has not and will not be tolerated in LISD. We have always had high expectations for our more than 53,000 students and hold them to those standards both in and outside of the classroom.

As we stated yesterday, the investigation of this occurrence is still underway, and we fully intend to act on our findings. We regret that this unfortunate event has been elevated to this level on so many social media circles.

I am disheartened that the perceived actions of a few may reflect poorly on two great schools – Flower Mound and Plano East High Schools – school districts and communities. Ultimately, please know we have the highest respect for the students, staff and community of Plano East High School.

The game was a75-73 Flower Mound win, but nobody will remember that this triple overtime boys varsity basketball tilt was considered one of the best games of the 2014-15 Texas high school basketball season.  

This reprehensible incident has overshadowed the result of the game, and has once again in the wake of similar racist incidents at high school games in other parts of the country, shined a necessary spotlight on race and race relations in the US and the lack of societal progress in solving the problem.

Bi Community Not Shown Any Love In #ThisIsLuv Campaign

The #ThisIsLuv Campaign was organized by Wade Davis, Tiq Milan and Darnell Moore in conjunction with GLAAD, National Black Justice Coalition, Politini Media, Feministing.com, HRC Foundation (HRCF) and EBONY.com to highlight and affirm “LGBT love in Black communities”.

While that's an effort that is needed in our community, I was concerned that not only are the goals of this campaign not clearly defined beyond the nebulous 'highlight and affirm LGBT love in Black communities', I was bothered that BiNet USA was not included in the list of organizations taking part in this much needed educational and affirmation of love effort in our African descended community ranks.

And the Bi community is not feeling the love in the #ThisIsLuv campaign.   They are feeling dissed.

Just like the trans community, the 'B' in the LGBT community has been marginalized and ignored as well by the LG end, and the bi community ain't having it any more as this petition is evidence of along with a statement from non-monosexual leaders concerning the #ThisIsLuv campaign.

And yes, African-American bi community members exist.  I've been in contact and friends with many of them for years.

With Kate Brown in Oregon set to become the first out bisexual governor in the US today in the wake of the resignation of scandal ridden Governor John Kitzhaber (D), a bi congressmember in US Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ),  BiNet USA president Faith Cheltenham last year becoming the first out bi person to witness a White House bill signing, and a long list of current celebrities and historical figures who are part of it, the  'B' in LGBT is anything but invisible, especially in the African-American community.

Neither are the bi community's leaders like Faith Cheltenham.

Cheltenham didn't mince any words on her Facebook page about another sad case of  bi erasure.

"It's weird, it's like one good thing happens for bi visibility and the ENTIRE LGBT WORLD tries to stuff all the bisexuals in a closet. In a 24hr period I've witnessed a "blah" response on openly bisexual Kate Brown from LGBT Media elite, seen biphobia MISSPELLED by Black LGBT activists like Tiq Milan and Wade Davis, seen myself utilized to showcase diversity at a not so diverse conference, been told by a ‪#‎CSUN‬ researcher that pansexual is not a bisexual community label...and to top it all off? The ‪#‎ThisisLuv‬ press release bandied about "gay and transgender' like it didn't just kill half a dozen bi+ activists. GODDESS? I DON'T HAVE MUCH LEFT, I JUST DON'T. I'm agreeing with Dr. Heru Khuti, it's time to call it a ‪#‎Bisexual‬ ‪#‎StateofEmergency‬.

Screw the petitions, I say we start suing. It's fraud plain and simple to utilize bisexual stats and deny bisexuals service. It's deception to claim you're doing LGBT work when the B is always silent, forgotten and erased. And honestly, it's just plain cruel to follow up your slights with comments like "it's not like bisexual activists are on every corner". Honey, with higher poverty rates than our gay, lesbian and heterosexual peers we really ARE on a lot of corners. And I agree again with Dr. Herukhuti, it's a misstep to neglect to amplify BLACK TRANS WOMEN during this epidemic of violence against them. Just like its a misstep to erase bi folks from #ThisisLuv when family acceptance for bi youth is lower than their gay and lesbian peers experience.

I would hope that the #ThisIsLuv campaign organizers would expeditiously correct their error and immediately include African-descended bi community leaders.  As much as I like the idea and it's critically needed in the Black community, I can't support it if it continues to erase the bi community in words and deeds.

You can't legitimately claim that this is an LGBT community campaign when the 'B' was not only ignored, but wasn't sitting at the table to craft it.

HCC Southeast LGBT Of Color Panel

Had the pleasure of taking part in another panel on the HCC Southeast college campus yesterday in the Angela V. Morales Building that focused during this Black History Month on the issues of LGBT People of Color.

It was moderated by Professor Marjorie Brown, and in addition to some blogger y'all know and love, it included HCC Southeast students Vickie Kight and HCC Southeast student leader Robert Loreto. 

It was an interesting 90 minutes in which we discussed coming out as a person of color in our community and the impact on family, bullying, the racism in the LGBT community ranks, invisibility, the violence aimed at the trans community having an anti-Blackness and anti-woman animus as part of it, the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, and our lives.

It was also an interactive panel in questions and comments came from the audience as well.

As usual, it was another panel that  we could have had another hour to discuss the issues that impact LGBT communities of color and answer questions about, but  the end came far too quickly.  After some final thoughts from Professor Antrece Baggett, the program conclude.

Thanks to Professor Baggett and the HCC Southeast team for the invitation and another enjoyable foray onto their campus, and looking forward to the next time I can head their way for a visit.

5th Annual TransGriot Black Trans Trivia Quiz Coming Soon

Been a little quiet during this Black History Month with the history related posts because of all the breaking news and #CC15, but that's going to end soon when I unleash my latest edition of the Black Trans History quiz upon you.

Fear not, because it's an open internet test and I'll give you a couple of days before I post the answers to it. 

It's a mix of current events and Black trans historical figures and event questions, so don't trip.

And here's what you have to look forward to.   These are the questions I asked during the first, second,  third, and fourth annual editions of it.

It's time to get your Black Trans History learn on. so be looking out for the 5th Annual Black Trans History Quiz to pop up on these TransGriot electronic pages soon.

Headed To HCC Southeast Again!

Later this  morning I'll be on the HCC Southeast campus for another panel discussion.

Y'all know how much I enjoy bouncing to the colleges in this area  and beyond talking about trans issues, and this latest panel will happen at 11:15 AM.

The HCC Southeast campus is located at 6815 Rustic St just off I-45 near the Gulf Freeway and it will be in the Angela Morales Building's first floor lecture hall.

Looking forward to seeing the students, HCC Southeast faculty and whatever allies can attend the event and having a fun and informative discussion..

You Should Have Left Us Alone

TransGriot Note: A guest post from Rev. Yeshua Holiday.

It's February 16 and already seven, possibly eight 8 trans women have been murdered.  I know of numerous amounts of trans men that are assaulted and abused within relationships. I don't understand what the hell is wrong with people.

We are not here for your amusement or to be used as punching bags to take out the crap about your family and/or your life you haven't come to terms with. We are spiritual beings, just like you, having a human experience. We are here to finally live our lives as our true selves. We are not here to harm you, though it's getting to a point where we might have to. We aren't here to make you be in a relationship with us. We just want to be loved and yes sexed like everyone else (just being honest).

If you aren't interested then just say so, but don't get your rocks off and afterwards beat the crap out of or murder us because now you feel some sort of way about what you just did and you enjoyed it.

As for you assholes who murder us because the preacher in the pulpit basically told you to, let him/her do it since they have such a problem with us . Stop being their arms and legs, they aren't God. And trust me, God doesn't want you doing what those assholes are telling you. God wants us to accept and love one another. That is what we are here for.

I know my life is worth something because if it wasn't I wouldn't be here. The same goes for every other being that is born. When you decide to take another person's life you deciding that God was wrong in giving that person life and that is not your place.

Many of you committing these murders call yourselves Christians. I don't think any of you even understand what it really means to be who you say you are. If you did you would stop following these folks out here spreading hate, from inside what is suppose to be God's house.

Also, all you LGB folks that think marriage equality is more important than us being murdered or beat up in a daily, you can kiss my...

I'm probably rambling because I'm really upset right now.
.
What I know is, despite your attempts to scare us, slow us down or shut us down we are still here. We are going to be victorious because all you are really doing is pissing us off and that isn't good for you...TRUST!!!

We are coming to kick ass and we aren't taking numbers or hostages.  We are coming spiritually and we are coming radically. We will be the ones knocking on your door real soon.

Don't be sorry then because it's going to be too late.

Upcoming 2015 SUF Lifetime Achievement Awards- Who Will Win?

I've been doing the TransGriot Shut Up Fool weekly awards for now six years, and it is overwhelmingly the most popular feature on my now nine year old blog.

It became so popular that it spawned the Shut Up Fool of the Year Award that I give out every New Year's Eve.

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

So during Oscar Weekend 2010 I started giving out a SUF Lifetime Achievement Award, with Rush Limbaugh being honored with the first ever well deserved SUF Lifetime Achievement Award

One SUF Lifetime fool wasn't enough, so I expanded it to five honorees in 2011.  Here were the 2011 winners:


Sarah Palin
Glenn Beck
Bill O'Reilly
Ann Coulter
Michele Bachmann


In 2012 I gave out a group award for the first time, and these were the 2012 winners.   

A group award for the Gendertrender radfem trans hate blog
Michelle Malkin
Dan Savage
Michael Savage
Chuck Knipp (AKA Shirley Q Liquor)

The SUF Lifetime Achievement Award winners in 2013 were:

Mitt Romney
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)
Sen Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC)
Supreme Court (In)Justice Clarence Thomas


The SUF Lifetime Achievement Awards Class of 2014 includes:

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

So with the whitewashed Oscar ceremonies that I'm not watching happening this Sunday, it's time to add five more people to their ranks.

Who will win this Sunday?   Check this TransGriot channel to find out.

Happy President's Day 2015!

Happy President's Day!  

Today honors all presidents of the United States, and as I've done since President Obama took office, I've used the day to show some love to the best president ever when it comes to trans issues.

Been more than a little sick of the racist Massive Resistance 2.0 by the GOP and the off the charts disrespect that has been aimed at this POTUS and his entire family.

Once again haters, President Obama is in office and living at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue until January 2017.

I am loving the fact President Obama is still handling his business to make this country better despite the racist animus aimed at him by the GOP and their Teapublican sheeple.

And the fact he shares my ethic heritage makes me stand a little taller and prouder when I see him and the First Lady representing our nation on their trips abroad or looking fab at state dinners.

So keep on hatin' conservahaters.   I'm loving the fact the first African-American president is surviving and successfully thriving in office to the point you have to keep ramping up the delusional hatred of him on your propaganda networks./

I'm also happy that he is setting the historical table for future presidents not cut from the same white male mold.

Happy President's Day indeed.

RIP Bri Golec

Just when we get the news that Penny Proud is being buried in New Orleans, and the perps in the California trans murder cases of Michelle Payne and Taja DeJesus cases have been arrested or found dead, now comes word of another young Ohio trans woman who has been murdered.

The perpetrator who murdered 22 year old Bri Golec of Akron, OH is already in custody.

It is Bri's father, 52 year old Kevin Golec who stabbed his trans daughter to death after an argument on Friday night in the family's home.

Kevin Golec has been charged with murder and domestic violence and is being held in the Summit County Jail.

It is the old parental threat of 'I brought you into this world, and I can take you out' becoming all too horribly real and resulting in the death of another trans woman.

Bri Golec is the sixth this year and we're barely one and a half months into 2015. And as usual, the trans victim is being misgendered in the media.

The end result of this tragedy is we have another trans woman who won't live to see her 30th birthday. It's even sadder to observe that it was her own father who killed her.

And once again we have another trans woman whose potential contributions to our world and society will be lost to us, and is being buried on February 20 far too soon..

Rest in power, Bri

Updates In Two 2015 California Trans Murder Cases.

Have some updated information concerning the trans murder cases of Taja DeJesus and Michelle Yazmin Payne, who were murdered in northern and southern California within days of each other.
I'm happy to report there is good news in both of theses California cases in terms of bringing their killers to justice.

In the Michelle Payne case, 25 year Ezekiel Dear, who has been IDed as the boyfriend of Ms. Payne, turned himself into the LAPD 7th Division headquarters at 3:30 PM PST on February 1 accompanied by a pastor and confessed to killing her.

He was arraigned the next day at the Van Nuys courthouse on one felony count each of murder, with a knife-use allegation, and arson of an inhabited structure or property.

Will continue to keep you posted on this case.

Meanwhile, up I-5 in the Bay Area, the Taja DeJesus case has had a interesting twist.in the suspected perpetrator of the murder of our fallen sister being found dead himself.

49 year old James Hayes was found dead on February 2 hanging by the neck from a fence in the 4000 block of Third Street.  

The location was behind a warehouse a half mile from the crime scene where DeJesus was found stabbed to death, and Hayes was still wearing the clothing he wore when he allegedly stabbed Ms. DeJesus.

A die-in was held in front of San Francisco City Hall to protest the DeJesus killing and the murders of other trans women since June in California and elsewhere across the country.

After an operatic rendition of 'Amazing Grace' by Breanna Sinclaire, trans leaders in the San Francisco area called for an end to transphobia fueling these murders.

"We're still being murdered, harassed, and cast aside. We have to show that our lives matter," said Danielle Castro.

Yes they do, Danielle/   #TransLivesMatter.  #BlackTransLivesMatter   #LatinaTransLivesMatter  And let's hope that the people who have committed these heinous crimes aimed at us  are captured, tried and convicted for killing us.

TTNS Heads To The DFW Area!

The Texas Transgender Non Discrimination Summit is now seven years old, but until last year's event at Texas State in San Marcos, had never been held outside of the Houston area where it was born.

I'm happy to announce on these electronic pages that the TTNS board has selected the dates and the site for the 2015 edition of the event.

The dates ate July 31-August 1, and it will be held on the campus of the University of Texas at Dallas.

This is another history making edition of the Texas Transgender Nondiscrimination Summit, as it will be the first time the TTNS will be held in the DFW metro area and the second consecutive year it has ventured from its Houston area turf.

I'm really looking forward to another TTNS related road trip as this time those of us coming from Houston will be rolling up 1-45.   Hopefully I'll get to see many of my Dallas-Ft Worth area friends and North Texas and East Texas peeps who wish to attend this two day conference that seeks to look at strategic grass roots centered approaches to the issues of social justice and policy implementation as it pertains to the issues of gender identity and gender expression in higher education.

It is one of my favorite in-state activism events, and I haven't missed one since I returned home in 2010.  Since it focuses on opening doors for trans people in higher education, it is a cause and conference that has the enthusiastic TransGriot seal of approval and support.

And the cool part about it is that you''ll have academics, policy experts, students, activists and allies who want Texas public schools and higher education to be accessible to gender variant people in one spot for that fascinating TTNS weekend.
Since the start of the TTNS, the number of Texas school districts, colleges and universities with non discrimination statements and trans friendly policies on their campuses has exponentially increased across the Lone Star State thanks in large part to the strategies, tactics and information shared at previous TTNS events. 

So yes, I have much love for TTNS founder Josephine Tittsworth and the board, and the July 31-August 1 date is already blocked on my event calendar. 

Hope you will join me and other higher education minded Texans in attendance on the UT-Dallas campus for the seventh annual edition of the Texas Transgender Nondiscrimination Summit.

Black Media, I Expect Higher Standards From You When It Comes To Covering Black Trans People

When I traveled to Boston for last summer's National Association of Black Journalists conference (NABJ) to discuss with fellow panelists Kenyon Farrow, Kellee Terrell and moderator Tiq Milan how to cover Black trans folks, it was with the intent of not only fostering that discussion, but impressing upon the attendees of that panel how accurate reporting about Black trans people from our media peeps is critically important.

In the first two months of 2015, seems like some Black media peeps needed to have some seats in that panel discussion as well.

Been more than pissed off to see disrespectful reporting aimed at my transsisters who have tragically lost their lives.   I've been even more irritated to note that some of the culprits guilty of transphobic reporting and failing to read their AP Stylebooks have been African-American journalists.

I expect disrespectful reporting from non-Black cisgender journalists and media outlets.   But I have a severe problem with it when the disrespectful reporting happens on the Tom Joyner Morning Show, newspapers, my hometown television and radio stations and other Black controlled media outlets and blogs

I don't even waste my breath or bandwith calling out Bossip and Sandra Rose. They are unrepentant cesspools of media transphobia that couldn't spell journalistic integrity even with the help of spell check.  But I do have higher expectations and standards for Black journalists when it comes to respectfully reporting on Black trans people.  

And here is the money paragraph once again from the AP Stylebook that has been there since 2001.

transgender-Use the pronoun preferred by the individuals who have acquired the physical characteristics of the opposite sex or present themselves in a way that does not correspond with their sex at birth.

If that preference is not expressed, use the pronoun consistent with the individuals live publicly.

If you have questions, peruse those AP Stylebook pages.   There are also the styleguides from the NLGJA and GLAAD to help a journalistic brother or sister out and avoid the wrath of Moni, my chocolate transpeeps and our allies from coming down upon you for some fracked up reporting  that could have been easily avoided.

I'd like to also see as soon as possible an entry in the NABJ Styleguide about transgender people since it seems to have become necessary to request it expeditiously happen.

And yeah, here's the difference between a transgender man and a transgender woman since y'all media peeps have picked up that annoying conservatactic of conflating the two to be snarkily insulting.

A transgender man  (or trans man) is one who was born with female genitalia but has transitioned to and lives life as a male.  

A transgender woman (or trans woman) is one who was born with male genitalia, but has transitioned to and lives life as a female.

And one other thing Black media.  Focus on what's between our ears, not what genitalia may or may not be between our legs.

Also sick of the 'deception meme' being pushed in Black media stories about trans people.  We're living our authentic lives.   You need to deal with and approach us transpeeps as you would any other person you are writing or reporting on.

It's important because ignorance in African-American ranks about trans people is being pushed by sellout Black right wing pastors from their pulpits.

The bottom line Black media is that Black trans people are not only part of the diverse mosaic of human life, we have been and still are part of the kente cloth fabric of Black America.  We aren't going away, and as Laverne Cox, Janet Mock, Tona Brown, Tiq Milan and a host of Black transpeople prove on a regular basis, and still we rise.

We have abundant talents to contribute to our Black community.  Black journalists need to get with the program and take the lead in pointing out Black trans people are Black people and our issues are Black community issues.

Black journalists and bloggers also need to realize that coverage of trans people is not click bait for your blogs, a way for you to add salacious details to your radio broadcasts, newspaper or television stories, or 'scurr' or mislead people about the purpose of non-discrimination laws that cover you and whatever other category they happen to cover.

You also have a journalistic legacy to uphold of being fierce advocates for our community.  Black transpeople once again are part of your constituency.

It's also infuriating and mind blowing to contemplate that Black journalists in the pre-AP Stylebook days writing for JET,. EBONY, HUE and Sepia magazines did a better and more respectful job of writing about transpeople than their 21st century counterparts.

Unchecked anti-trans hate speech kills.   In the wake of the murders of  17 trans women since June with the vast majority of them being African-American trans feminine women under 40, it's past time for Black media and Black journalists to ponder if their media misgendering of African-American trans women is a contributing factor to the anti-trans hatred that leads to anti-trans violence and the far too frequent murders of Black trans women.

Have Much Love For My Trans Latina Sisters

One of the things I got to do during the just concluded 27th edition of Creating Change in Denver that I really didn't get a chance to do much of during #CC14 in Houston because of host committee duties was hanging out with my trans sisters at the convention hotel.

The cool part about this conference was not only getting to once again share the same space with the legendary Bamby Salcedo, Isa Noyola and my amazing sis Arianna Lint, but getting to meet other trans Latinas like Johanna Saavedra and Jennicet Gutierrez.  It was also nice getting to know fellow blogger Johanna Cifredo a little better after meeting her in Washington back in July at the Innovation Summit.

Diego and Yosenio, you know I have mad love for both of you handsome brothers, but this post is about the trans Latina sisters

And yes Ruby Corado-Walker, you were missed in Denver.   Somehow I know that the next time I go to DC, you will find a way to ensure that some portion of my trip inside I-495 is spent in your presence..   Alexis Martinez I'll get to see the next time I'm blessed to be in Chicago.

We owe much of our trans rights movement to a trans Latina by the name of Sylvia Rivera who jumped off the Stonewall Riots in 1969 and I had the pleasure of meeting in 2000.  She also fought tooth and nail to her deathbed to ensure we were heard and we had a seat at the table so our policy concerns could be dealt with.



Trans Latinas continue that proud trans movement leadership legacy thanks to the TransLatina Coalition ,the fearless leadership of the members of it ,and other trans Latinas toiling locally across the USA and the world

Ruby Corado-Walker in just three years has built Casa Ruby into the go to service organization in the Washington DC metro area.  Mariah Lopez, who was Sylvia's mentee and daughter, is increasingly stepping out to fight for trans issues in the New York area

While some of the trans issues that I and my trans Latina sisters face are different such as the immigration one, there are others we have in common.  

Trans Latinas and African-American trans women both suffer unacceptable levels of anti-trans hate and violence aimed at us, faith-based demonizing of our lives, unemployment number double the rate of Latin@ and African-American cis people, lack of representation in the community leadership ranks, silicone pumping, HIV/AIDS and lack of visibility in our respective cultures and the TBLGQ community..

While that last one is starting to change thanks to the Spanish language media efforts of Arianna Lint, my fellow alum of the 2012 GLAAD POC Media training and the Transvisible documentary featuring Bamby., we still have a long way to go in terms of the visibility of trans Latinas.

And the voices of trans Latinas need to be heard at the policy tables inside and outside our TBLGQ community and in their legacy orgs such as LULAC.

One of my missions in 2015 in addition to raising the voices of trans Latinas and be a better ally to them on the issues that matter to the trans Latina community, is also raising the voices of trans women of color period including my Asian-Pacific Islander and my Native American sisters.  

As for my trans Latina sisters, I would like to see better coordination and cooperation on the issues we share between the trans Latina community and other trans women of color.   I'm looking forward to meeting other trans Latinas like my San Antonio homegirl Nicole Ramos.   I'd love to someday meet chef Monica Barros-Greene and talk to her about her Dallas city council run back in 2005 among other subjects and Harmony Santana about her Gun Hill Road role.

I'm also looking forward to meeting and conversing with every trans Latina on my Facebook page about the trans issues of the day and other subjects.

And in my 713 backyard, I want to do a better job of connecting to and working with Houston trans Latinas on all of our issue concerns. .

I have much love for you, trans Latinas, and it only grows with time.  We also have the common goal of ensuring that trans people are treated with dignity and respect, and our human rights are also ensconced into our nation's laws.

Let's get busy doing the work in 2015 and beyond we are called and need to do, build sisterhood and make some lifelong friendships while doing so.

Diamond Stylz - You Want To Be Me

In Diamond's first video of the year, she breaks down the insult that some cis women hurl at trans women whenever we get into arguments with each other.

Happy Valentine's Day 2015!

Happy Valentine's Day to all you TransGriot readers who are booed up, in long term relationships, engaged or married.

On this day dedicated to love and all lovers, I was happy along with everyone else in Trans World to hear that our fave power couple in Myles Brady and Precious Davis have gotten engaged.

And I couldn't be happier for them.

Going to be fun to watch as they not only set their wedding date, but see them put together their wedding.

As for when that will happen for me?  Don't know.  It's one of the areas in my life that hasn't been as successful for me as I would like, and I haven't really focused on it.

If it's meant for me to be in a relationship, cool.  If it's not, I'll deal with it.  As I said in last year's VDay post,. as long as I have chocolate, Hershey's chocolate syrup and Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla ice cream, I'm good. 

Happy Valentine's Day y'all.

ELIXHER Post On Trans Women Of Color In Love

Valentine's Day is tomorrow, and I'll be scarfing up discounted candy all by myself when that day arrives.  

As I have joked in numerous VDay posts, I have been wandering the dating Sinai so long that the Israelites headed to the dating Promised Land passed me and shook their heads.

But I ain't mad at you peeps who have found significant others.  

And while I know and I'm aware of in my long interactions with the trans community of trans women being in long term relationships that also include marriage, I'm loving this ELIXHER post that focuses on ten trans women of color in love.

Some of the people featured in it are the recently engaged Janet Mock to her longtime beau Aaron Tredwell,  our fave recently engaged trans power couple in Precious Davis and Myles Brady, and our recently married couple Ruby Corado-Walker and David Walker.

But there are other couples featured in this article who tell their stories, and thanks to founding editor Kimberley McLeod for having the vision to write this piece and let them as a longtime trans ally to do so.

Shut Up Fool Awards-February 2015 Friday The 13th Edition

It's not just a Friday, it's Friday the 13th.   

It's a day made notable by superstition and the string of horror movies by the same name.

But Friday for you TransGriot readers also means that I get to do my usual business of chronicling the mind blowing stupidity that runs amok in our world.

And let's get to our latest spine chilling episode of the TransGriot Shut Up Fool Awards.

Honorable mention number one is a group award for the Dallas Police and Fire Pension Board for their cowardly punting instead of leading on the issue of providing benefits to same-gender loving couples.

Honorable mention number two is Montana state Rep David Moore (R-Missoula), who continued the GOP War On Women by filing a bill to outlaw any nipple exposure by men or women, along with any clothing that “gives the appearance or simulates” the buttocks, genitals, pelvic area, or female nipple.

So ladies, don't wear your yoga pants in Montana, you could be arrested and jailed for it.

Honorable mention number three is the now fired Sony exec Amy Pascal, for her problematic remarks about paying female Hollywood stars equally in this Tina Brown interview.

Honorable mention number four goes to Tennessee state legislator Jerry Sexton.  This teapublican wants to make the Bible the official state book.   Never mind the fact that the Tennessee constitution states "no preference shall ever be given, by law, to any religious establishment or mode of worship."

Honorable mention number five is Teapublican legislator Frank Artiles, who doubled down on pimping his unjust HB 583 that criminalizes transpeeps going to relive themselves in the restroom by ignorantly stating in a BuzzFeed interview that using the restroom is a choice for trans people.

Naw you vanillacentric privileged conservasshole, it's a biological necessity.

You can also start the process of being agents of your own liberation and letting my people pee by signing this Change.org petition protesting Artiles' dehumanizing and jacked up bill.

Honorable mention number six is SC senator Thomas Corbin (R), who referred to women while opposing a bill that makes it harder for people who commit domestic violence to acquire a handgun as 'lesser cuts of meat' along with other sexist remarks.

This waste of DNA is also a lesser cut of meat:  A male chauvinist pig

Honorable mention number seven is Supreme Court Justice Injustice Antonin Scalia, who whined about being seen as anti-gay.

Too late for that, dude.  You're not only seen as anti-gay, you're also by your SCOTUS rulings, spoken words and dissents and opinions also seen as anti-woman, anti-Latino, anti-Black.....

This week's Shut Up Fool winner is Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice  Injustice Roy Moore.  He's proudly letting his homobigot flag fly by initiating Massive Resistance 2.0 against a federal judge's ruling striking down the Alabama constitutional amendment banning SGL marriage.

In addition to ordering Massive Resistance 2.0 in defiance of the federal court ruling while citing that bogus 'states rights' bullshit they lost on the War To Perpetuate Slavery battlefields 150 years ago, he bristled at a comparison of him and another Alabama civil rights oppressor in George Wallace,and claimed he had many friends who are homosexual.

Oh really Roy?  They must be Log Cabin sellouts or GOProud.

Yes, you are just like George Wallace was in 1963, a human rights oppressor.   Deal with it   Something else that I have noted in my five decades on this space rock about haters and oppressors is that all of them claim to have friends in the marginalized group they gleefully oppress.

And oh yeah, Roy Moore, shut up fool!

FBI Director Comey's Speech On Race And The Po-Po's

FBI Director James Comey basically said the same thing Attorney General Eric Holder said a few years ago, but peeps are going to go gaga over this narrowly tailored speech on race and law enforcement because a white male said it.

Director Comey traveled to Georgetown University on February 12 and spoke to the assembled crowd about the need for law enforcement officers and the citizens they serve to discuss the historic and problematic disconnect between the police and communities of color.

Will be interesting to see the freak out the conservafools have about this speech.