Unjust HB 1748 Bathroom Bill Filed In Texas

Figured it wouldn't take long before our right wing idiots decided to not be left out of the hate on transpeople party.

It's also another example of what I continue to say in terms of the most dangerous bigot is the one with the power to write legislation.

Teapublican Rep. Debbie Riddle has just filed HB 1748, an odious bill that if it becomes law,  would make it a class-A misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and a maximum $4,000 fine for transgender people to use "a locker room, shower facility, or toilet facility designated for use by persons of a gender that is not the same gender as the individual’s gender."

Damn Debbie, don't we have better things to spend our valuable Lone Start State legislative time on besides obsessing over what bathroom trans people use?

Really makes me wonder why you white conservatives continue to express this deep seated need to oppress people.

Riddle's HB 1748 would also make it a state jail felony punishable by up to two years in prison and a maximum $10,000 fine for a building manager to "repeatedly allow" a transgender person to use such a facility according to their gender identity.

What's even more interesting is how this scientifically illiterate bill defines gender:



Hey Debbie, would love to see you lead by example and volunteer to do a chromosome test.  I and every other Texas trans person would laugh our asses off if you came up anything but XX.

This caca is why my hatred of Republicans grows the older I get and with every legislative session they propose bills that repress everyone else except white conservative males. 

I also get pissed off when some liberal progressive person stupidly says in my presence that voting is a waste of time.   Sitting out elections is why this scientifically challenged person is in the Texas Legislature now.

Looks like a trip to Austin is coming soon.  And Texas transpeeps, time for us to saddle up and become agents of our own liberation and fight this crappy (pun intended) bill.

But it also evidence that the trans human rights movement is winning if the best that conservative opponents can do is go back to recycled for the new millennium Jim Crow tactics and attempt to criminalize the bathrooms once again.

UHD Challenging Intersections Panel Today

Another day, another panel discussion for me as I head this time to the University of Houston Downtown for one entitled 'Challenging Intersections: Exploring the Struggles and Triumphs of African-Americans in the LGBTQ Community(ies)'

The panel sponsored by Stand Out is another Black History Month event that will be a discussion about being Black and TBLGQ.

It will feature Fran Watson, Brandon Mack, Ashton Woods, and some blogger y'all may have heard of.

The panel will start at 3 PM and will be if you can attend it will be in room N420 on the UHD campus.

See y'all in a few hours Gators!

The 2015 SUF Lifetime Achievement Awards Winners Are:

The whitewashed Oscars ceremony gave me the opportunity to handle some more eagerly anticipated business by you loyal TransGriot readers

It's time to announce the five people or groups that will join the previous winners of the TransGriot Shut Up Fool Lifetime Achievement Awards.

I usually retire the winners of the SUF Lifetime Achievement Awards from future consideration for the weekly award, but some of the winners of it have continued to make asses of themselves to the point I have to call them out on it.

Okay, enough jibber-jabber, time to turn this over to our Shut Up Fool Awards mascot and reveal what fool, fools or group of fools become members of the Shut Up Fool Awards class of 2015.

The envelope please:

The 2015 Winners of the TransGriot Shut Up Fool of the Year Award are:

Dinesh D'Souza
Rudy Giuliani
Phyllis Schafly
Speaker John Boehner (R-OH)
Pastor James David Manning

Congratulations to all the losers winners.

And now,  a final word from our mascot.

Shut Up Fool Awards-Whitewashed Oscars Edition

This weekend the melanin free Oscars will take place on Sunday, and I won't be watching them.

Yep, still pissed that Selma didn't get more of the nominations it deserved and Ava Duvernay didn't get what would have been a historic  Best Director nod.

Instead I'll be revealing at 7:00 PM CST this year's 2015 class of Shut Up Fool Lifetime Achievement Awards winners.

So let's get busy calling out this week's cavalcade of fool, fools or group of fools.

Honorable mention number one is to the still unknown idiots who held up the WHITE POWER signs at the Flower Mound-Plano East HS basketball game.

You're going to make fine future Republicans.  Hopefully the LISD will find you and you'll be learning the lesson of taking personal responsibility for your reprehensible behavior.that has given your school a (pun intended) national black eye.

Honorable mention number two is Charles Barkley for cooning it up and saying a series of stupid stuff that will probably guarantee him an appearance at the 2016 Republican Convention next to Stacey Dash, and Dr Ben Carson. 

Honorable mention number three is Dinesh D'Souza for his racist attacks on President Obama.  You can take the conservafool convicted felon out of India, but.....

Honorable mention number four is a group one we go across The Pond for.   It's for all the nekulturny Chelsea soccer fans who while in Paris for a Euroleague match involving their beloved club thought they were back in England, reverted to their racist hooligan roots and refused to let Black Parisians on their own subway trains while proudly singing 'we're racist and that's the way we like it.'.


Unfortunately for them FIFA has a Say No To Racism campaign that is striving to eradicate it from the sport.   The cool thing is the Chelsea Football Club swiftly condemned their fans for their behavior, and will permanently ban those people deemed responsible with lifetime ticket sales bans.

Honorable mention number five is Pope Francis, who did his Pope Benedict impression and compared trans people to nuclear weapons mere weeks after inviting a trans man to the Pope Palace, for a private gathering

I'm really hating Paul McHugh for injecting trans hate at the Vatican level.

Honorable mention number six is Nevada state legislator Michelle Fiore (R)  who said while trying to rationalize her bill allowing guns on college campuses, "Hot little girls on campus need guns to prevent rape."

And this is what happens when you get GOP controlled legislatures.

Honorable mention number seven is Rudy '9-11'  Giuliani, who let loose with a series of racist comments aimed at President Obama, then when the backlash started to hit him tried to claim his comments weren't racist because ' Obama has a white mother.'

Seriously?   Rudy, sit your old drag queen ass down and have several sections of seats in Yankee Stadium for even parting your lips to say that weak azz BS.

Honorable mention number eight is FOX Noise commentator Erick Erickson, who combined Islamophobia and homophobia in one comment when he parted his lips to compare gay activists to ISIS

Honorable mention number nine goes to Kanye West for his problematic Power 105 interview that seems to condone pedophilia and slut shames his ex Amber Rose.

Dude, I be careful who I slut shame when your own wife rose to fame by releasing a sex tape with Brandy's little brother and was with multiple partner before you got to cop a feel on her fake cakes on a regular basis.

Honorable mention number ten is Pamela Gellar, who is pouring gasoline on the racist Islamophobic hate being stirred up in conservafool ranks in Texas by organizing a contest to draw the Prophet Muhammad.

I repeat, what is it about you white conservafools?  Do you have a deep seated need to racistly oppress people?


This week's Shut Up Fool is Roosh Vorek

This misogynist fool had the nerve to suggest on his website popular with the MRA (men's rights activist) crowd that the solution to the rape crisis was to 'decriminalize rape on private property.'

WTF?   Guess you want to ensure your only female companionship from now on will be with blowup dolls.

Roosh Vorek, shut the HELL up fool.

Debi Jackson Talks To GLAAD

Remember when Debi Jackson gave the moving speech about her trans child AJ and did some mythbusting along the way?

Well it's a year later, and she's now talking about acceptance and that journey she's been taken on with her trans feminine daughter with Claire Pires

Down Goes The Unjust SB 76 Anti-Trans Bill In Committee!

Received some wonderful and surprising news earlier today from my old Kentucky stomping grounds that had me happy dancing in my place after I heard it.

It's also a major reason why if you're able to do so, LGBT peeps need to be staying in red states to fight the hate and not running to some so-called coastal LGBT oasis that seems to have green human rights grass that at closer inspection is Astroturfed.

SB 76, the Bathroom Bounty Bill that Sen. CM Embry (R) filed at the behest of long time Kentucky homobigot Kent Ostrander of the Kentucky Family Foundation, died in spectacular bipartisan fashion in the GOP dominated Senate Education Committee.

If  Embry's unjust SB 76 had passed and been signed into law (doubtful with a Democratic House and Democratic governor), it would have mandated that Kentucky schools provide separate, private areas designated for use by students based on their genitalia where students could be in a "state of undress." The bill proposed allowing students to sue their school for up to $2,500 each time they saw a student who appeared to have a non-matching gender presentation in a facility "designated for use by the cisgender biological sex of the aggrieved student.”

Embry tried to make this unjust legislative pig more palatable before the hearing by offering an amendment to strip out the bounty language.   But the 'Bathroom Bounty Bill' as it was dubbed by opponents, was fought by the Fairness Campaign and other interested parties who braved the frigid below freezing temps to make the trek to Frankfort for the hearing that started at noon EST.

People testifying against the bill included Atherton HS principal Tom Aberli and trans teen Henry Brousseau .  He told the Huffington Post in an interview he was harassed in restrooms until he was allowed to use the men's room.  Once that happened, there have been no issues.

“A lot of folks think that having a separate and private restroom for trans kids is the way to go,” said Brousseau during his Senate committee testimony, “While that might work for some, when somebody tells us that we’re so different that the only way to accommodate us is to create a special restroom, the message is clear that we don’t belong. But the thing is, right now schools get to make their own decisions about what’s best to accommodate trans kids, and every school may decide differently. The problem with this bill is it would take away that right for schools to decide.”



Aberli said in his senate testimony that he and others at Atherton were forced to educate themselves about an issue they previously knew little about, and that the state should not take away their authority to do what they think is right.



“What I quickly found was that this is an issue of respecting people for who they are,” said Aberli. “I’m going to boil it down: This is a civil rights issue.”

The unjust bill died a painful death (at least in the opinion of the KY Family Foundation) in the Republican controlled committee, falling one vote short of being passed out of it. 

Six Republican members voted for it, while Sen Julie Raque Adams (R-Louisville) voted NO with the two African-American Democratic senators Neal and Thomas with no explanation for her vote.

Senator Johnny Ray Turner's (D-Prestonburg) decision to abstain left the unjust bill one vote short of passage to the full Republican controlled Kentucky Senate, where they have a 26-12 edge.

Bills need seven votes to be passed out of committee.

So proud of my former senator, Gerald Neal (D-Louisville), who voted against the bill, telling Brousseau: “Unfortunately, your situation is still subject to the fear, ignorance and loathing that results there from something that some individuals see as different from what they understand and what they embrace.”

That's our point, America.  We're tired of you haters trying to pick on trans people for right wing political game and to satisfy your oppression gene.  Let us trans people pee ,have human rights coverage and leave us the hell alone to live our lives..

And stop obsessing over what fracking bathroom we use when we need to handle a basic biological function.

Jazz Speaks At The Time To Thrive Conference

Y'all know how much I love the amazing Jazz Jennings, and when I finally met her and members of her family last summer during the Philly Trans Health Conference, I was more excited about it than she was.

She is not only one beautiful and amazing young woman, she has been an advocate for trans kids and our community since she was six years old.

So you'll always see Jazz videos here on TransGriot, and here she is speaking at the recent Time To Thrive conference.

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.