2015 Williams Watch-On To The Semis

There was no rest for number one seeded Serena Williams as she took on 23rd seed Victoria Azarenka a day after an emotional fourth round match that sent Big Sis to the Wimbledon sidelines.

She was facing an opponent in Azarenka who while she has dominated her, isn't scared of playing with her either.

Azarenka got off to a great start, taking that first set 6-3. But if the Serena haters were starting to get giddy over the prospect of her getting bounced from Wimbledon, um no, not today.  

This part of the tournament is Serena Time, and she handled her tennis business, cranked out 17 aces and took the second set 6-2 to even the match.  She then kicked up her tennis game to another level to take the third set 6-3 and punch her ticket to the semifinals

With the 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 quarterfinal win Serena is now 17-3 lifetime vs Azarenka, and a perfect 10-0 in Grand Slam tournament matchups against Vika. It was also her 26th consecutive Grand Slam match win.  Her semifinal opponent on Thursday will be Maria Sharapova, who is 2-17 lifetime against her and whose last victory over Serena came over a decade ago in the 2004 Wimbledon final.

Should she handle her tennis business as expected on Thursday, she would face the winner of the Agnieszka Radwanska-Garbine Muguruza semifinal for the 'Williams'-don ladies singles title on Saturday.

She's just two matches away from winning her 21st Grand Slam title, sixth Wimbledon crown, her second 'Serena Slam', and being a US Open win away from completing a calendar year Grand Slam.

US Navy And Marines Adopt Trans Policy Changes

The trans community has a long and proud history of people who have answered the call in war and peacetime to serve in our country's military going back to Christine Jorgenson. 

Many of our past and present trans community leaders are also military veterans, and there are an estimated 15,000 trans people currently serving in the United States Armed Forces.

I've had the pleasure of meeting many of them serving across the various branches, but unlike our LGB brothers and sisters, the 2011 repeal of DADT didn't allow transpeople to openly serve, and left us vulnerable to being discharged if our trans status was discovered.

The momentum is rapidly growing for open military service for transgender people, especially in light of the recent AMA resolution stating 'there was no medically valid reason to exclude transgender individuals from service in the US military.' 

We have also begun to see more transpeople such as Army Sgt. Shane Ortega come out to openly fight the ban.

During the recent LGBT White House Pride Month Reception, transmasculine Air Force Senior Airman Logan Ireland was in attendance along with his transfeminine fiancee, Army Corporal Laila Villanueva as a guest of President Obama.

The Air Force and Army have recently adopted policy changes that make it harder to discharge transgender members of those two services, and now the Navy and Marines have followed suit and done the same thing.

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus signed a memorandum last Wednesday directed at the chief of naval operations and the commandant of the Marine Corps stating, "Effective immediately, separations initiated under the provisions of the reference for service members with a diagnosis or history of gender dysphoria, who identify themselves as transgender, or who have taken steps to externalize the condition, must be forwarded to the assistant secretary of the Navy (manpower and reserve affairs) for decision."

Of course, Sgt. Ortega said he was "elated" with hearing the news because it gives transgender troops worried about discharge "the opportunity to breathe."

The policy change for transgender troops "doesn't mean that equal opportunity protections, uniforms, medical care and other important issues" have been resolved, Sgt. Ortega said. "It simply means a step forward in the right direction toward ethical and moral human rights treatment for our service members."

And current trans members of the Navy and Marines along with our trans vets from those services would definitely agree with you.

We are getting closer to the day when trans people who wish to do so can openly serve our country, and that day looks like it will amazingly happen in our lifetimes.

'Game Face' Houston Debut Happening July 26

The 19th annual QFest LGBTQ film festival will take place in several venues around Houston from July 23-27.   One of those films being shown is the classic documentary Paris Is Burning.

But QFest will also have thanks to Out & Equal Houston the local debut of the documentary Game Face that features the coming out stories of my WMMA fighting homegirl Fallon Fox and Terrence Clemens, a young, ambitious and talented college basketball player in Oklahoma, who happens to be gay.


.
The Out & Equal sponsored screening of Game Face will occur at 14 Pews on July 26 starting at 3 PM CDT.   The doors at 14 Pews will open at 2:30 PM and after the film's conclusion there will be a mix and mingle event in the 14 Pews backyard. 

!4 Pews address is 800 Aurora St. in Houston. Free seating through Out & Equal Houston & QPass Holders is limited, so registration will close at 60 persons.  General admission for non-Out & Equal Houston or Q-Fest members is $10.

So hope y'all take advantage of the opportunity to see Game Face and the other exciting cinematic offering that QFest has on tap in it's 2015 edition..

We The People WH Trans Flag Colors For TDOR 2015 Petition

As we recently discovered when the wingers freaked out over the White House being lit in the rainbow flag colors on June 26 to celebrate the SCOTUS marriage equality ruling, the White House is lit up for special occasions. 

It is lit in pink for breast cancer awareness and the fountains are dyed green for St Patrick's Day.

A We The People petition has been created seeking to get the White House lit up in the pink, blue and white colors of the trans pride flag for the Transgender Day Of Remembrance on November 20.

***

We petition the Obama administration to:

Light the White House in the transgender pride flag colors on November 20th, the Transgender Day of Remembrance.

Annually the White House is lit up pink to support breast cancer awareness. The fountains have been dyed green for St. Patrick's Day. On Friday June 26th the White House was lit up in the LGBT Pride flag colors to celebrate the historic victory of national marriage rights for the community. Trans people were among the many who celebrated this reaction by the White House.

Trans people however still face many unique obstacles to participating fully in the American dream.

Since its inception in 1999, the Transgender Day of Remembrance has grown from a national to an international event.

Beyond a historic first, the powerful symbolism of having the White House lit in the colors of the Transgender Pride flag on that date would be a significant event.

Published Date: Jul 06, 2015

***

I like this idea, hence the signal boosting post for it. 

In order to get an official response from the White House concerning this petition, we need to gather 100,000 signatures before August 5, and yes the TransGriot has already signed it as the eleventh person to do so.

I'm asking you trans peeps and allies to sign it and share it with your influence network so we can exceed that 100K signature requirement before the deadline.  Here's the link to do so.
 

Let's do this and honor our fallen trans folks with something extra special during this year's TDOR commemorations by getting the Obama Administration to light up the White House in the trans flag colors.

'I Am Jazz' Starts July 15

I've had the pleasure of meeting Jazz, Jeanette, her grandparents and her big sis Ari last year at PTHC, and now the rest of America will on July 15.

TLC will launch the I Am Jazz reality TV show on that date ay 9 PM CDT, and while I'm not a huge fan of reality television, this is one show I'll definitely be tuning in to watch if I have cable installed by then

But for those of you who do, you may not want to miss this show about one of our amazing trans teen advocates and her wonderful family.

Here  are some of the promo videos to give you a taste of what's coming on July 15.

Back Up Off Jennicet, And Do Something About Trans ICE Detainees

I met Jennicet Gutierrez during the 2015 edition of Creating Change in Denver, and I enjoyed the time I spent getting to know her.

She is passionate about immigration issues as a undocumented trans Latina and other trans human rights issues.

A lot of people have been bumping their gums about Jennicet speaking truth to power during the recent LGBT reception on June 24 and interrupting President Obama's speech with a call to stop the jacked up incarceration of trans feminine detainees with the cis boys in ICE detention centers.

She was not only escorted out of the White House event, but hurtfully booed by other LGBT leaders as people opined, some in mind numbing ways, with their take on what happened.

Comparing her to Kanye West?  Seriously?   That's worthy of an SUF nomination.  But back to the post.

Here's what Jennicet had to say about it:

"[Obama] came out, started speaking and started to get into his speech on how wonderful everything is, and I couldn’t help but think about the conditions that my LGBTQ Latino/Latina, especially trans women of color, are facing in detention. So, to me, that was the moment I had to speak up. I had to raise awareness to the President and to everyone else watching that I’m not just going to celebrate, when my trans sisters are facing a lot of violence in the detention centers. [Trans women are facing] sexual and physical abuse, and I just had to send a message."

While I'm not happy about what happened since I believe along with a wide majority of African-Americans this POTUS has had far too much disrespectful crap aimed at him on a consistent basis, neither am I happy about the vitriol that has been aimed at Jennicet either.

Some of that vitriol has been borderline racist and transphobic in nature in some corners of the Internet, and it also in LGBT World has had the foul stench of respectability politics. 

As far as I'm concerned, Jennicet at that moment was channeling another trans Latina who in 1969 kicked off the very movement we celebrated at the White House during the last weekend of June in Sylvia Rivera.

As someone who met Sylvia in 2000. I can guarantee you that if she were still in this plane of existence, she would not only approve of what Jennicet did, but probably had she been in the East Room, joined her in speaking truth to power in calling on President Obama to halt what was happening to trans detainees and calling out you peeps who booed her.

For those of you who bask in the afterglow of respectability politics and a landmark Supreme Court case win, complete with access to those power circles, instead of whining about how 'it wasn't the right time or venue' to bring that issue up, how about you peeps using your influence to get something done about the inhumane treatment of trans feminine detainees when you can spare a moment from planning your weddings.



The safety of trans people in ICE detention may not be an issue of importance high enough on your priority list for the all marriage all the time peeps, but it has been important enough for people to get arrested protesting the horrid conditions in ICE detention for immigrant trans women.

And it was also important enough for Jennicet Gutierrez to interrupt President Obama's speech amongst her LGBT leadership peers and risk the consequences of that action.   

I also note for those of you trying to claim that Jennicet's action was ineffective, how do you explain the fact that 24 trans feminine women are being transferred soon to an ICE women's facility?

And it's interesting to note that  35 members of the House of Representatives recently sent a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson urging him to end the detention of LGBT undocumented immigrants. 

How do you explain the conversation that has been started about the conditions trans women face in those detention centers?   Not bad for a so called ineffective gesture.

So stop giving Jennicet hell, and start giving ICE hell until they stop housing trans feminine women with cisgender men in those detention facilities for starters.   Then we can move to the next step of ending incarceration and deportation of all LGBT people back to countries they fled to the United Stares from.

Because in many cases, the reason they are in the United States is because it wasn't safe for them to live their TBLG lives in their birth nations in the first place.

2015 Williams Watch-Only One Can Go To The Quarterfinals...

Because the geniuses at the All England Club had Serena and Venus on the same side of the draw, they met for the 26th time and the first time in six years at this Grand Slam event that has been their personal playground.

At 'Williams'-don, Serena and Venus have won a combined 10 singles titles (and counting), five doubles crowns. one mixed doubles title, and oh yeah, the 2012 London Olympic singles and doubles gold medals.

But this time they were playing for high stakes at Centre Court.  In addition to both seeking their sixth Wimbledon crowns and a spot in the quarterfinals, Serena was playing to keep her Serena Slam alive and her pursuit of a calendar year Grand Slam going as well. 

While Venus had a 6-3, 6-2 straight set victory over Aleksandra Krunic to get to this fourth round showdown with her number one seeded little sister, Serena had to battle all of the Centre Court crowd and Great Britain's Heather Wilson to get there.  It took three sets in which there were some testy moments, but she prevailed 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 to get to the match with Big Sis.

While Big Sis put up a fight, Little Sis is just too good and rolled to a 6-4, 6-3 straight set win.

But the fun is just getting started for Serena.   Waiting for her in the quarters is Victoria Azarenka, and should she get past her, a potential semifinal matchup with Maria Sharapova is on the horizon should she survive her quarterfinal match with American Coco Vandeweghe.

If she gets past them, she will have earned that spot in the final versus potential opponents from the  other side of the quarterfinal bracket like Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska or Madison Keys who square off in one quarterfinal match.   The survivor would get the Garbine Muguruza-Timea Bacsinszky winner.

We'll see if Little Sis can survive and advance to Saturday, and I'm rooting for her to do so.

2015 FIFA Women's World Cup Team USA Watch-Redemption!

After navigating and defeating a series of knockout round opponents that included FIFA number 10 ranked Colombia, China, and FIFA world number one ranked Germany in the semifinals,  Team USA not only reached the goal they set for themselves when this tournament started, they got the finals matchup they wanted in Vancouver with Japan.

And far from being the tight finals matchup that everyone expected, it turned into a surprising 5-2 rout as the USA scored four goals in a 16 minute onslaught that avenged the 2011 FIFA finals loss in Germany on penalty kicks to the Nadeshiko and sent them on cruise control to the FIFA women's world championship and first since 1999.

The Houston Dash's Carli Lloyd got things off to a fast and successful start when just 3 minutes into the match she scored the first of her three goals courtesy of a Megan Rapinoe corner kick to put Team USA up 1-0.

Two minutes later Lloyd was Janie on the spot as another corner kick from Lauren Holiday found its way through a maze of players to her foot and she tapped it in the net from short range for her second goal and fifth of the tournament which put the Red White and Blue up 2-0. 

Lauren Holiday would score in the 14th minute to put Team USA up 3-0, but the offensive fireworks in BC Place weren't done yet to the delight of the pro-American crowd. 

And if it wasn't enough for Carli Lloyd to score the two fastest goals in FIFA Women's World Cup finals history, she scored another one that will probably be talked about for decades that put the USA up 4-0

In what will rank up there as the goal of the tournament, in the 16th minute Lloyd capped off her finals hat trick by lobbing a ball from the midfield stripe 54 yards away from the Japanese goal that caught keeper Ayumi Kaihori way off her line.  Kaihori stumbled and fell on her back as she tried to get back in position to stop the ball that sailed past her desperately outstretched hands into the net.



Speaking of goalkeeping, Hope Solo was working on a record of her own.  When the match started she hadn't allowed a goal in 513 minutes, and for another 27 minutes Solo was handling her goalkeeping business until Yuki Ogimi fired a shot past her to cut the USA lead to 4-1.

She fell one agonizing minute short of breaking the Germans World Cup shutout streak record they set during their 2007 title run in which they didn't give up a single goal in the entire tournament.

In the second half Aya Miyama's free kick in the 52nd minute took a glancing blow off of Julie Johnston's head and unfortunately past Hope Solo for an own goal that cut the deficit to 4-2.

But just two minutes later Tobin Heath scored to push the lead back up to 5-2 to the delight of the 53,331 predominately American peeps in the stands as they began to party like it was 1999 and celebrate the Team USA women's third FIFA world championship and first in 16 years.

Hope Solo was deservedly awarded the Golden Glove Award as the best goalkeeper. and Carli Lloyd the Golden Ball as best player.   She just missed out on the Golden Boot because although she and Germany's Celia Sasic had six goals, Sasic scored her six with less playing time than Lloyd.

It was also a long awaited celebratory moment for Abby Wambach, Christie Rampone and Shannon Box, who have probably played in their final World Cups for the Red White and Blue (we have got to get a cooler nickname for our women and men's national teams) and probably won`t be on the Olympic squad in Rio as the seek their fourth straight gold medal.

But that's next year.  Congratulations to the now three time FIFA women's world champions.  Time to sew that third star on the US team jerseys.

And Carli, hope you have some more scoring magic left for the remainder of the Houston Dash season.

John Oliver's On Point Transgender Rights Commentary

If you don't have HBO or haven't seen it yet, John Oliver, the host of HBO's Last Week Tonight had a ten minute segment on his June 28th show in which he discussed the transgender community that has received rave reviews and kudos from peeps in Trans World.

This needs to be seen, and here's the YouTube video of it.

Laverne's Madame Tussaud's Wax Figure Revealed

While many of you were partying during Pride last weekend, a little history was taking place in San Francisco as Madame Tussaud's unveiled the wax likeness of her.

She is the first out transperson ever to be so honored, and Laverne was on hand for the June 26 ceremony.

“I hope that it gives people a sense of possibility. I think that it’s important that yes, I’m transgender, but I’m also a Black person in America. And I was raised African Methodist Episcopal,” Ms. Cox said in her speech. “So I’m standing here at the intersection of multiple identities, and so I hope that people will be inspired to believe that anything is possible.”

The wax figure will be part of the Madame Tussaud's San Francisco permanent collection, and was part of a special display for pride.

Madame Tussaud's San Francisco is located on Fisherman's Wharf, so check it out the next time you are visiting the city.

Girl Scouts Return Transphobe`s Donation, Get Paid

`If a girl is recognized by her family, school and community as a girl and lives culturally as a girl, Girl Scouts is an organization that can serve her in a setting that is both emotionally and physically safe.`
-Girl Scouts statement welcoming transgender girls

Over the last few years, the Girl Scouts of America have been standup allies for the trans community, and opened their doors so that trans girls can participate.

That support of trans feminine girls created a problem for the Western Washington Girl Scout council and its CEO Megan Ferland recently.

They received a $100K donation during their fundraising drive which was a quarter of their fundraising goal.  However, it came with a transphobic string attached.

In a letter she received five weeks later, the donor requested that none of the donated money be used to assist transgender girls, and if they couldn't guarantee that, the donor wanted their money returned.

Ferland knew because the parents chose to share that information, there are trans girls participating in some Western Washington area troops.  Even though that monetary gift would have allowed 200 fiscally challenged girls to attend summer camp, Ferland quickly returned the money and on June 29 launched a `Girl Scouts is #ForEVERYGirl  Indiegogo campaign with a YouTube video to accompany it in order to replace the funds they lost.

They recouped the money they lost in 24 hours and tripled it, raising $300K, and benefit all girls in the Western Washington area that will need some financial assistance in order to attend camp.

People also supported the campaign on social media, using the #ForEVERYGirl hashtag.

My congratulations to the Western Washington Girl Scouts, who demonstrated principled leadership,  returned a transphobic donation and were rewarded for it.

I sure would like to know who that transphobe is so they can receive the proper level of scorn they deserve..

But I;m definitely tripling my Girl Scout cookie order next year.

Shut Up Fool Awards-There Go The SCOTUS Judges Edition

It`s the USA`s birthday tomorrow, and some of us have much to celebrate in the wake of the SCOTUS delivering some groundbreaking decisions on marriage equality, preserving Obamacare and even spiking an unjust Texas law that would have forced all but five abortion clinics east of I-35 in the state to close.

However, just before the Supremes bounced from DC until the first Monday in October, they decided to take another affirmative action case from the same suburban Texas white female who was mad because she couldn`t get into UT with jacked up grades.

Can you say `entitled`girls and boys?   Thought you could.

Oyez, Oyez, Oyez!   Time to rule on that fool, fool or group of fools exhibiting Antomin Scalia levels of biogtry, Clarence Thomas levels of hypocrisy and sellout coonery, John Roberts (no relation) levels of cluelessness and Joseph Alito levels of arrogance.

It`s time for this week`s edition of the TransGriot Shut Up fool awards, SCOTUS style.

Our first honorable mention case is the entire conservafool movement vs marriage equality, and the court finds you went too far off the chain in over the top hyperbole, attempts to enact Massive Resistance 3.0 by refusing to issue marriage licenses across the country, and other acts of conservaignorance I`d need to write a full post to call out.

Honorable mention case number two is Donald Trump vs the Latino community, and this one despite an amicus brief from FOX Noise, the verdict is unanimous that Trump is a bigot.  Univision has pulled out of broacasting the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants he owns,  Mexico has pulled their delegate from the Miss Universe pageant, and NBC Universal has kicked him to the curb from The Apprentice in additon to the pendejo being excoriated by the Latino community and their allies.

Honorable mention case number three is the group one for all the KKKonfederate Flag defenders vs American history.    Another unamimous decision in favor of history and the facts that the Confederate flag represents white supremacy and gray clad group of racists who fought an armed rebellion against the US goverment to keep my people enslaved.  

The South not only started the War To Perpetuate Slavery they lost, the words of the CSA politicians of the day, Confederate VP Alexander Stephens 1861`Cornerstone Speech` and the causes of secession for several states made it quite clear why they did so.

Heritage not hate my azz.

Honorable mention case number four is Frankie Quijano and Houston Pride vs Reality.   In the wake of the historic ruling happening just 24 hours before the first ever downtown pride parade was a reason for optimism, but to claim that 750K people attended the parade and the festival was stretching the boundaris of credibility when the crowd estimates I`d heard was 450K.

Honorable mention case number fiveis Amber Roof vs Class.   She`s the sister of Charleston `terriss` Dylann Roof who was scheduled to get married on June 21 until her Confederate flag waving white supremacist brother walked into a church, killed 9 people and forced her to cancel the wedding.

She put together a self serving GoFundMe campaign to raise the money for her rescheduled wedding, which was canceled after widespread negative backlash `to start their new lives`.

Whiteness at its finest folks.   She`s more concerned about her life,  and her only concern about the nine lives her brother took or how it impacts their families is it ruined her wedding.

Have an arena full of seats, a bless her heart and a nice Southern sweet tea flavored blend of shut the hell up.

This week`s Supreme Fool is Rick Perry.   In addition to running for the GOP presidential nomination for a second time while under indictment, Perry made the mistake of thinking black people are as clueless as the GOP base when he opened his mouth to say that it is the Republican Party who is giing hope to my coomunity.

Snce when?   Yeah, your party is giving hope to Black Americans alright in the contex of we hope you GOP conservajerks lose next year`s election and some house and Senate seats to go with it.    We hope you stop demonizing us.   We hope you stop suppressing our right to vote.   We hope you stop coming up with new ways to insult a POTUS revered by us.

And what was the name of your family`s West Texas hunting lodge again?

Rick Perry, shut up fool!

2015 Williams Watch-On To The Third Round

My fave tennis playing sisters are still cruising toward a Wimbledon quarterfinal clash if the brackets hold up.

Okay, what genius at the All England Club set up the brackets so they were on the same side of the Wimbledon ladies singles draw anyway?

One of the other interesting pieces of Williams Sisters related news coming out of The Championships this week was the withdrawal of Venus and Serena from the doubles tournament so they could concentrate on playing singles.


In their second round matches, Serena got past Timea Babos of Hungary in straight sets 6-4, 6-1 to set up her third round clash with British homegirl Heather Watson.

Venus had to work a little harder, but she also prevailed in straight sets 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 in her match against Yulia Putintseva.    She gets the Czech Republic`s Aleksandra Krunic, fresh off of springing an upset on Sara Errani.

Can they survive their third round matches and treat the tennis world to a Little Sis-Big Sis fourth round matchup at Wimbledon and the first in six years?   We`ll see.

Don`t Spend Your T-Bills Where You Aren`t Respected

I`ve been busy the last few days moving to the new Casa De Monica, and just started catching up with all the trans news that I need to comment on.

One of those issues I felt the need to comment on is a trans dignity and respect.

I was perusing my Facebook feed and noted a comment from a well known activist who was recounting a transphobic experience she`d had at her local hairdresser.

She was getting her hair done when a conversation started in the shop about last week`s  SCOTUS marriage ruling.   She was stunned and pissed off to hear the beautician working on her hair express a negative reaction to it, and then take a potshot at guys and girls like us by adding that she couldn`t stand people who `changed their sex.`

Little did the transphobic hairdresser know that she was working on the tresses of one of those people she hated.

The person in question didn`t elaborate on how far along she was in the process of getting her hair done at the time the transphobic comment was uttered.   But having been in a similar situation back in the late 90s when I was getting my hair done and another beautician not working on my hair at the time made several derogatory comments about Black Americans (she was Nigerian), I ripped her a new anus.

So what is Moni`s moral in this story?   The bottom line is that if you are so inclined and the situation calls for it, we need to call out disrespectful commentary and negative treatment of trans people.   I understand it`s a judgment call as whether or not you feel safe to do so, but if you are in a reasonably safe space,  put them in check.

How you do it is your call.

Now why am I saying this?  Because the odds are that transphobes aren`t going to let their negative commentary loose unless they think they will have majority support in whatever venue this is happening in.  

If we let transphobic comments slide for whatever set of reasons, then it will happen again to someone else until the transphobe finally gets checked on their nekulturny behavior.

Maybe missing out on some service fees plus tips or getting checked by their supervisor after you have a chat with them will speed up that process

Neither should we trans peeps spend our precious T-bills with people or companies who don`t respect our humanity.  

Fallon`s Fighting In Denver Soon!

The last time I got a chance to talk about my fave women`s MMA fighter Fallon Fox  doing her regular job, she had just laid a microwaved 2 minute smackdown in the octagon against one of her loud and wrong transphobic critics Tamikka Brents to bump her record to an impressive 5-1.

Yeah, Brents found out after bumping her gums that Ms. Fox has serious MMA skills.

Fox is also featured in the documentary `Game Face` which will be appearing at a film festival near you soon.

There are also unconfired rumors that a UFC tilt between Fallon Fox and another loud and wrong transphobic critic in unbeaten (11-0) UFC champ Ronda Rousey may be brewing, but no confirmation yet on that from UFC boss Dana White, Rousey or Fox.

But before we get to that hoped for UFC bout, Fallon has work to do in Denver and is already in the gym working hard to get ready for it.

Fox will take on Randi Miller on August 14 in Prize Fighting Championship 10.   More details coming as I get them from the `Queen of Swords`

Hope you peeps and allies in the Denver area will come out and support our WMMA fighting sis because the transphobes are already starting to get cranked up on social media and definitely will be rooting for Miller.

We`ll see what transpires on August 14, but you know I`ll be hoping for another Fallon Fox WMMA win.

TransGriot Update:  And just as fast as I received the news about this fight came the next it had been cancelled.

2015 Williams Watch-On To Wimbledon`s Second Round

My fave tennis playing siblings got off to a great start on the opening day of `Williams`-don. 

Shouldn't be a surprise because the All England Club has been their personal playground throughout their careers, and yesterday was a welcome sign to those of us who love Venus and Serena Williams that their dominance at that hallowed tennis venue would continue.

Sixteenth seeded Venus got off to a wonderful start in this 2015 edition of Wimbledon with a 6-0, 6-0 straight set victory over fellow American Madison Brengle to punch her ticket to the second round.

World number one ranked and top seed Serena also won her opening match in straight sets over Russia`s Margarita Gasparayan 6-4, 6-1 to get her quest for her first Wimbledon title since 2012 off to a satisfying start.

If Serena continues through to claim the Venus Rosewater Dish, it would be her sixth 'Williams'-don crown, her third straight Grand Slam title this year and fourth consecutive one since winning the 2014 US Open.  It would also put her in position to win a calendar year Grand Slam.

But there`s still two weeks of tennis to play before we get to that point.

What Next For Our TBLG Rights Movement?

The parades are over and the street sweepers have done their work to clean up the trash after they ended.   Some of our BTLG peeps said prayers of thanksgiving during Sunday services in TBLG friendly churches while others woke up to hangovers after celebratory partying well into the night in the gayborhoods during a Pride Weekend that occured as a major policy objective was achieved.

Yes, life in America was forever impacted by the landmark SCOTUS ruling that established a fundamental right to marry and allowed many of my gay and lesbian friends in states like Texas hostile to same sex marriage to do so.  It also conferred after a 12 year battle recognition of the marriages of many others who got them in other locales, but the states they resided in refused to do so.

And yes, it reinstated the ability of my trans brothers and trans sisters to get married that we`d had ever since Christine Jorgensen stepped off the plane from Denmark and have them recognized across this nation.

While the landmark SCOTUS ruling is something to celebrate, it still doesnt benefit the vast majority of people who still have to deal with the reality that in 29 states they can be fired for being gay, and 32 states for being transgender.

And as I have said more than a few times, you need money to pay for the wedding license, the wedding chapel, the wedding dress, the wedding tux, the wedding planner, the wedding rings, the wedding reception, and life after the wedding.

So what should our major TBLG policy priority be after marriage?   Jobs, Jobs, Jobs!

A full court press now needs to happen to get ENDA passed nationally, and do a local civic and state by state push to enact ENDA-style laws in all 50 states.

Your bi and trans sisters and brothers need their human rights respected, protected amd codified into law.   Trans folks need ASAP the basic human rights protections you GL folks have enjoyed for decades and sometimes got by repeatedly throwing us unde the legislative bus as you did in Maryland, Massachusetts, New York and New Hampshire just to name a few egriegious examples of it

We want as trans men and women the ability to openly serve in our country`s armed forces.  We want the near genocidal slaughter of trans women of color to end along with the end of the problematic incarceration of undocumented trans feminine women in ICE detention centers with cisgender men.

And yes, we trans people, and especially trans people of color, want to be sitting at the power tables in LGBT orgs helping formulate policy.  We need trans elected officials on large city councils, state legislatures and eventually as US senators and congressmembers.

We need to have a human rights wave building that serves to rise all LGBT boats with it, not just the community have mores.   We need to have a movemen that is also invested in being a justice for all movement and not a just-us one.

We also need to be a stand up ally to other groups and movements that supported our causes in ou time of need and not ones that use as an excuse to opt out of them `this isn`t an LGBT issue`.

The right to healthcare is an LGBT issue.   Fighting for economic fairness is an LGBT issue.  The right to vote is an LGBT issue.  Climate change is an LGBT issue.  A woman`s right to choose is an LGBT issue.   Combating racism and sexism is an LGBT issue.

We LGBT peeps need to focus on being a shining example to the rest of straight cisgender America of how to build and sustain an intersectional anti-racist movement and community.

We need to lead and show the nation and the world how to eradicate anti-Blackness, sexism, transphobia, biphobia and racism from our ranks as our contribution to building the `beloved community` that the Rev. Dr Martin Luther King, Jr often talked about.

We also have to develop the ability to multitask.  While we focus on solidifying our gains at home, we must also be aware that US based wingers like Scott Lively are spreading their LGBT hate message overseas to where it is unfortunately finding receptive ears and causing problems for our GLBT brothers and sisters in those nations.

As you probably realized by now, it takes sustained effort to achieve policy goals. The hard part is to defend and keep them while under sustained attack by our prevaricating right wing oppressors.

This community is at a crossroads now.  It can either acknowledge that the human rights work in our BTLG ranks is not even close to being done and start working on the next phases of our movement, or it can repeat the mistakes made in Canada after they achieved marriage equality in 2003 and stopped working for policies and legislation that protected the LGBT have nots.

Which path will the American LGBT community take?   I hope it`s the former and not the latter one.

2015 Williams Watch- Welcome To 'Williams'-don

It's the start of the third Grand Slam of the 2015 tennis season in London, known to the world as The Championships, but what I call on these electronic pages 'Williams'-don.

It will run from today until July 12, and the start of it was delayed a week to give players time to adjust to grass from the clay surfaces of Roland Garros.

The All England Club has been such a personal playground for both Venus and Serena they have won a combined ten Ladies Singles titles, five Ladies doubles titles and the 2012 London Games singles and doubles gold medals on those hallowed grass surface courts that seem to be tailor made for their power tennis games.

But the last time world number one Serena took the Venus Rosewater Dish home was in 2012, and Venus' last win was in 2008.  

You can bet both sisters wish to change that dynamic.  Serena lost last year in a third round three set   upset loss to Aliza Cornet, and in 2013 lost a three set battle in the fourth round to runner up Sabine Lisicki.

Venus is hoping that she can get back to playing the consistent tennis she needs to play to make a deep run in a Grand final again.

We will find out as the Wimbledon fortnight progresses.

We Trans Peeps Are Just Like You Cis Peeps

Now that our right wing opponents have lost their war on marriage equality, I expect them to shift their time, effort and prodigious funding to attacking the transgender community`s humanity and human rights on a full time basis.

It is the historical nature of conservatism to always find an enemy to organize and rally their troops around to hate.

Once their enemy du jour they pick on grows strong enough to fight back and repeatedly win againsst them, they`ll move on like the bullies they are to pick on somebody else they perceive to be politically and numerically weaker than them to in their minds oppress.

But despite the upturned volume of the Right Wing Noise Machine and their increeasing efforts via FOX Noise and right wing hate radio to demonize trans people, what Americans and the world are beginning to understand is that we trans peeps are part of the diverse mosaic of human life just like cisgender people are.

The right wing will also find out as they engage with us and attempt to halt our human rights progress that we have allies, family and friends who will stand shoulder to shoulder with us to help us fight back against the oppression they wish to impose on us.

We trans people have the same characteristics and personality traits as many of you Homo Sapiens.   We come in all shapes, sizes and ethnic backgrounds.   We live on every inhabited continent on Planet Earth,   We are people who love and wish to be loved by others.  We are gay, bisexual, pansexual, straight and whatever other sexual orientation possible in our species.  

We are beautiful, intelligent, funny, thoughtful and multitalented.   We are writers, doctors, lawyers, athletes, models, teachers, politicians and parents raising kids.

We are proud of the communities and nations we inhabit, and we transpeeps want the best for our kids that we raise.   We want to live our lives to the best of our ability in careers that we love.   We want to be able to fully participate in the  political systems of our nations and create the laws that govern us.   We want to contribute our talents to bulding our societies.  We want to work, pay our fair share of taxes, join a union and get paid a fair wage while doing so.

We transpeople want to be able to worship a higher power in the manner we choose or not attend a church at all without being falsely labeled by demagoging religious leaders as `dangers to mankind`.

And speaking of bearing false witness against trans people, frankly we are tired of right wing adherents of all denominations pushing transphobia from the pulpit and it needs to stop.

We trans people want affordable trans culturally competent health care  that not only features medical practitioners that treat us with dignity and respect, but also realizes that sometimes we come to the doctor to be treated for other medical issues besides trans oriented ones.

And yes, just like in Cisworld, Trans World has people in it who are selfish jerks, mean azzholes , jealous, vindictive....well you get the drift.   Just as you don`t want us broad brush judging you for being transphobes based on the actions of a few nekulturny individuals, we demand the same level of respect from you.

Don`t start no drama with us, won`t be no drama in return.

The bottom line is that trans peeps are just like cis peeps in terms of just wanting to be the best people we can be while we are spending whatever time we have on this space rock.

And what we want in TransWorld is for you in Cis World to acknowledge our common humanity, accept our right to exist, respect our human rights across the globe, and be left alone by you folks who irrationally hate on us so we can get to the daily business of being the men and women of trans experience we are.

A View Of LGBT History

June 26, 2015 will be a day long remembered in history because three landmark gay rights SCOTUS cases were decided on this day.

The day for me started with your fave blogger in the company of Nikki Araguz Loyd and Will Loyd as we headed to the Midtown area law firm of Katine and Nechman for a SCOTUS watch party.

As we arrived, we noted the TV trucks and reporters lurking around the office also anticipating the ruling and waiting for the analysis of Mitchell Katine and John Nechman when it did drop.

We didn`t have to wait long for the ruling.  A little after 9 AM Houston time it started coming over the SCOTUS feed, and it took a few moments for us to realize that not only was this a 5-4 win in our community`s favor, it was also one in which nothing would be the same after it.  
Marriage equality had come to all 50 states, including Texas!

After the celebration and interviews, we decided to head over to the Harris County Courthouse to see if marriage licenses were being issued, since the Texas GOP was huffing and puffing about resisting it until the bitter end.

We arrived a little after noon at the courthouse, and there were already three couples in line to get marriage licenses, but who were being stalled by our Republican county clerk in Stan Stanart.    For the next several hours I watched the clerks being put in the uncomfortable position of denying applicants a marriage license for specious reasons as the news cameras recorded the moment.

Then after a legal world of hurt forced Stanart to stop his attempts to stall the inevitable and two press conferences , marriage licenses began to get issued at 3 PM CDT.

I also got to see the wedding I missed in 2013 between Nikki and Will after they received their marriage license.  I was also honored to see a friend and community ally in Daniel Williams marry his longtime partner Jason before bouncing from the courthouse with my friend Sahel Chen, who had joined me at the courthouse to watch the fun and pass out roses to the soon to be married couples, for a rally that started at 5 PM at Discovery Green.

That marriage rally was previously planned for today whether or not the ruling was released, and was attended by over 500 deliriously happy people, and featured speakers such as Mayor Annise Parker, LGBT politicians and community leaders, and other LGBT friendly legislators and allies.

That historic day ended for me around 9 PM, and it`s one I won`t soon forget.   Neither will the historians.