The Fight To Keep HERO-September 12

As I keep relentlessly pointing out, the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance covers 15 categories, and is a local remedy for the discrimination that our opponents are trying to claim isn't happening..

The straight up lie our opposition continues to try to tell that it is an ordinance only for TBLG Houston is ludicrous. I've pointed out (and will continue to do so until November 3 and beyond) the mind-numbing idiocy of a loud and wrong small cadre of African-American Houstonians opposing the HERO when 54% of the HERO complaints received by the Houston Office of Inspector General between May 28, 2014-January 15, 2015 are race based discrimination, and another 17% are gender discrimination based on a debunked right wing lie..

That's two of the 15 HERO categories that once again, protect Houstonians from housing, public accommodations and employment discrimination based on  sex, race, age, color, gender, familial status, national origin, veterans status, genetic information, disability, gender identity, marital status, pregnancy, religion, and sexual orientation..

This commentary from Brandon Ball, Dan Scarbrough, and Ken Piggee speaks volumes about the discrimination going on in H-ton that needs to be addressed.

We can end this unjust discriminatory activity inside the Houston city limits and provide a local remedy for addressing it by ignoring the haters fear and smear tactics and voting YES on Proposition 1 to keep HERO on November 3.

And now, let me present Brandon Ball, Dan Scarbrough, and Ken Piggee, fellow Black Houstonians who were discriminated against last night when they attempted to enter a Midtown area bar.

***

My name is Brandon Ball. I am 32 years old. I am African American. Tonight I was with my friends Dan Scarbrough (42) and Ken Piggee (43). Both are also African American. We were in the Midtown area of Houston, TX tonight and tried to go into The Gaslamp. Both Dan and Ken had on blazers. I had on a button up and slacks. When we walked up the guy at the door told us $20 each (pictured below in the long sleeve shirt). We didn't want to pay that amount so we decided to go to the next bar down, The Dogwood, which was free.

After about 30 minutes we left The Dogwood and were walking back. As we passed The Gaslamp we noticed folks walking into The Gaslamp without having to pay. Those folks who didn't have to pay were white. I brought this to Dan's attention a few minutes later and he said we should go back and just watch from across the street to see if there was some "funny business" going on.

Ken, Dan, and I went back and watched from across the street as the guys who were working the front door of The Gaslamp (pictured) allowed white people to come in one after the other. Every black person who we watched try to go in was told there was a $20 cover or that their attire was not proper. One black guy was told that he could not get in because he had on Polo Boots.

I again tried to walk in and was told there was a $20 cover. This was right after I had just seen a group of white guys walk right in.

I finally went and spoke to the cop (also pictured) who was working the door (who is a minority himself) and asked him if he was aware and comfortable with how the door guys were conducting business. His reply was basically..."I just work and do my job and those guys over there do their job." I told him he was complicit but he blew me off.

I then took pictures of the two main guys at the front door (pictured below) and both of them began to ask if I had a problem. The one in the short sleeved shirt went as far to tell me that he hoped I didn't "run up on him in the streets because it would be a problem."

Why does this matter to me? Why is this important? If I have to answer that please just move along. This post is not meant for you. This event occurred in the late night of Sept. 11th. A day in which we as a country are supposed to come together. But events like this just tells us how far apart we are.

Please share this. Please pass along. Please read this and understand what type of establishment The Gaslamp is. If you were at The Gaslamp on this night and had a similar experience please comment and share.

Don't let actions such as this continue with no recourse. If you know the guys working the door let them see this. Please let them. Remember, this is 2015.

***

What was that horse feces strewn by our not so esteemed opposition violating the Ninth Commandment about the HERO being a 'gay rights bill'?   The HERO is a civil rights bill, and it needs to be part of our Houston Code of Ordinances.  You can ensure it stays there with a YES vote on Proposition 1.

 If HERO had been in effect instead of being fought by a cadre of loud and wrong right wing ministers and GOP activists, this incident probably wouldn't have happened..

If HERO had been in effect instead of messed with by SCOTX,, Mr. Ball, Mr. Scarbrough and Mr. Piggee would have had a local mechanism to go to the Houston Office of Inspector General to file and pursue a discrimination complaint against the Gaslight Bar for a HERO public accommodation violation

But no thanks to those clueless ministers, conservative activists and the all Republican Texas Supreme Court, hatin' on the HERO, our local human rights law is not in effect for now, and bars like the Gaslight will continue to discriminate against people until there is a cost they have to pay for doing so.

TransGriot Note:  Thanks to Brandon Ball, Don Scarbrough and Ken Piggee for allowing me to share their story. 

Trans Models, Have A Wonderful Fashion Week!

I've talked about it a few times, and one of the things we girls like us can be proud of is that we do have a long and stylish history of walking the fashion runways of the world.

Now we can add trailblazing leaders to that description for our trans feminine modeling sisters as well.

New York Fashion Week started Thursday and will run until September 17.  It's when the major international fashion houses show off their collections to buyers. the media and the general public, and the New York fashion week is considered one of the Big 4 Shows along with the ones in Paris, London and Milan.

That means there will be hundreds of models also in town working those shows, and some of them will be our trans sisters like Geena Rocero, Andreja Pejic, Arisce Wanzer, Lea T, Isis King, Carmen Carrera,.and Ines Rau just to name a few of them.

There may be a few trans models who hopefully get an opportunity to strut their stuff during a few shows and become household names during this week.

If you are walking the NYC catwalks during Fashion Week, just wanted to send some love your way.

Congrats ladies, and hope you have a wonderful and successful time walking the runways during this busy and amazing weeks in which fashion takes center stage in the Big Apple..



TransGriot Note: Photos are of Geena Rocero, Ines Rau and Isis King.

55th Anniversary of JFK's Church And State Speech

On September 12, 1960 during the heat of a close presidential race between himself and Vice President Richard Nixon, and because of concerns and skepticism that as a Roman Catholic, his religion would allow him to make important national decisions independently of the Vatican,  then Senator John F Kennedy delivered a speech to a skeptical Greater Houston Ministerial Association.

Here is the transcript an the video of that speech that was one of the events that helped him win the presidency by a razor thin margin over Nixon..

14th Anniversary of 9-11 Terror Attacks

Today is the 14th anniversary of the 2001 coordinated  terror attacks launched by 19 al-Qaeda operatives predominately from Saudi Arabia against the World Trade Center Towers in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington DC, and the crash of United Flight 93 that was destined for another target suspected to be the US Capitol building but crashed in southeastern Pennsylvania as the passengers on that airplane attempted to overpower the attackers.

3000 people were killed in the attackers including the al-Qaeda operatives.   I was awake on that fateful morning and saw the second plane hit the south tower on live TV along with their collapse nearly two hours later.

On that site in New York is not only a memorial to those attacks, but a new World Trade Center building that  rises 1776 feet about the city.

There were also ceremonies in New York an Washington DC marking the 14th anniversary of those attacks.




Remembering and honoring all the lives that were lost on that day and may they rest in power.

Shut Up Fool Awards-NFL Opening Weekend Edition

The 2015 NFL season kicked off last night with the defending champion (boo hiss) New England Patriots starting their title defense against the Pittsburgh Steelers.   The Steelers looked like they were about to get blown out early in this game, but hung in there to actually make it competitive.

But it was obvious they were missing the retired Troy Polamalu, and Brady torched their rookie filled secondary for 4 TD as they won 28-21.

As you know, I'm once again doing my NFL prognostication for this season with Mike and Eli, and we all got that game right.   The fun starts Sunday.

Speaking of fun, let's start calling out fools.  It's time for this week's edition of the TransGriot Shut Up Fool Awards..

Honorable mention number one we go north of the border for in Canadian comic Nicole Arbour, who ended up losing a movie gig after posting a now deleted fat shaming YouTube video

Honorable mention number two is Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) who parted his lips to make the absurd statement that Planned Parenthood can't be funded unless food stamps for children are cut.

And y'all wanna know why I despise the Republican Party and give you the side eye if you part your lips to stupidly say 'there's no difference between the two parties'.

Honorable mention number three is Sarah Palin for a double dip of idiocy.   First for opening her mouth and saying something that wasn't standard English at a GOP anti-Iran deal rally in Washington DC.

Then she went on FOX Noise and said that immigrants should learn how to 'speak American.'



Honorable mention number four is Linda Harvey, for calling on the faux christians to establish gay free sanctuary cities.     Yeah, that's going to run afoul of the 1968 Fair Housing Act

Have several seats, Linda and a nice tall glass of shut the hell up.

Honorable mention number five is Clatskanie, OR police chief Marvin Hoover, who had no problem letting his inner bigot out, then doubled down on the racism after he was called on it.

Honorable mention number six is immigration judge Lorraine Munoz, who let her transphobia run amok when trans people were brought before her court.

This week's Shut Up Fool loser winner is Mike Huckabee.  He's going to get multiple flags  off the chart ignorance.   In addition to trying to pump up Kim Davis as a hero for not doing her job,  he parted his lips to say that the 1857 Dred Scott SCOTUS decision is still the 'law of the land.'

Any middle school history student can tell you it isn't.  The 13th Amendment abolished slavery, and the 14th Amendment established birthright citizenship. Those two amendments were crafted to eviscerate the effects of that horrible case. and make the newly emancipated Black folks US citizens.

The fact this racist fool is trying to run for POTUS on the GOP side and doesn't know that is problematic on so many levels.

Mike Huckabee, shut up fool!

2015 Williams Watch-Four Sets To History!

The US Open women's semifinals that were supposed to be played yesterday got rained out, so they were rescheduled for today and will be set up as a single daytime session.

It will start at 10 AM CDT with the match between number two seeded Simona Halep of Romania and one of the two Italian women left in the draw in Flavia Pannetta.

They are playing for their first trip to the US Open final.

Immediately following that match will be the highly anticipated one between the tournament number one seed Serena Williams and Italy's Roberta Vinci.  As you TransGriot readers know, Little Sis is just four sets and two match wins away from completing the first calendar year Grand Slam since 1988 and capturing her 22nd career grand slam title.

Serena is 4-0 against Vinci, but as NFL analyst Herman Edwards has famously said, "That's why you play the games."  But you have to believe that based on her performance against Big Sis Wednesday night, if Serena is playing at her  A++ level, they may as well start engraving the trophy with her name on it now.

We'll see in a few hours how this shakes out.

The Fight To Keep HERO-September 11

Another question for you HERO haters.

You have been beating the bathroom issue into the ground because you refuse to have a rational discussion about the merits of the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance because you know you'll lose if that happens.

That's why we've had, helped by the collusion of lazy Houston media stenographers (they don't deserve to be called journalists) an overdose since last year of right wing fear and smear anti-HERO tactics centered on the potty.

So as tired as I and Houston Trans World is (and trans peeps around the country) of the debunked bathroom issue and you cis people's obsession over what genitalia is between our legs, I'm going to post on it for the last time in this run to the November 3 election.

I keep hearing this line being thrown out by the HERO haters about people needing to use the bathroom based on their genitalia.  But the reality these days is that genitalia does not equal to gender identity or outward gender presentation.

So here goes with my question: Do you HERO haters wish to require that people use the bathroom based on their genitalia?  

You may wish to think long and hard about this question before you answer it.

If your answer is yes, then you would be forcing trans masculine guys like Sgt. Shane Ortega to go to the bathroom with your wives, nieces and daughters.

So the next time you start insultingly calling trans women 'men,' because you willfully refuse to accept their lived experiences and their lives, better consider the fact that trans masculine people exist, and in your zeal to keep 'men out of the women's restrooms', you'll be karmically setting up the exact scenario you've been using to demonize trans feminine people with and scaremonger about in this HERO debate.

And we'll be laughing our azzes off about it.

Trans people have been using the restrooms that correspond to our gender presentation for five decades without incident.

So no, we are not going to meekly accept or be forced by the tyranny of the majority to potentially be placed in dangerous situations for us to use a restroom that doesn't correspond to our outward appearance based on a right wing lie.

We are tired of being dehumanized by people who have no clue about what we deal with, refuse to educate themselves about trans people, or sit in smug faux faith based judgment of our lives

Bottom line is we need to poop and pee just like everyone else on Planet Earth. . If you're looking to stop those predators you're so concerned about, start in your own homes, neighborhoods or churches

And besides, a law already exists to punish peeps who enter restrooms to commit crimes.  It's Section 28.20 in the Houston City Code of Ordinances and it's still very much in effect.  You commit a crime in a Houston bathroom, you're still going to jail and getting prosecuted for it.

Our HERO opponents have yet to (and will not be able to) produce any police report from now and over the last five decades that backs up the lie they have been gleefully spreading about trans people for the last year

We are the prey, not the predator. We have had 19 transwomen killed in 2015 because of anti-trans violence in the US this year.  Trans people face 26% unemployment.because of the anti-trans hatred stirred up by FOX Noise, sellout kneegrow ministers, conservative activists and the GOP.

If transpeople like Sgt Shane Ortega and the 15,000 others in our armed forces are good enough to fight and die in America's military, then we are good enough to have our human rights respected and protected.

We are tired of being harassed by non-trans people based on a debunked right wing spin line when we poop and pee.   We go to the bathroom for the same reasons you do, to handle a natural bodily function, and you need to Houston media stop lying about it.  .  

Trans people are part of the diverse mosaic of human life on Planet Earth, and we're tired of waiting on you cis peeps to recognize that.

That's why I and every reality based Houston area trans person who is registered to vote and our allies will be voting YES on Proposition 1 to keep the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance.

2015 TransGriot NFL Picks-Week 1

It's my favorite time of the year TransGriot sport fans, and the 2015 NFL season will be kicking off  with the first Thursday night game of the year in hours.

And my Texans open up their what we hope will be a playoff season on Sunday at NRG Stadium against the Kansas City Chiefs.

As usual, myself, Mike and Eli will be battling it out for regular season NFL prognostication glory.  Mike as defending champion is trying to do something that no one has done in the history of this TransGriot prognostication contest that started in 2011: repeat as champ

Week One is always a crapshoot.  With all the changes, vets moving to new teams via trades or free agency, season ending injuries, training camp injuries and rookies who made the final rosters, it's hard to predict until about the fourth week with certainty which NFL teams will be pretenders and which ones will be contenders.

As to which teams I'm predicting will be in the Super Bowl 50 in San Francisco, I like New England and Seattle.   Well see how accurate that prediction is in February.

Rules of the contest.  We're just picking the team we think will win, no spread.  Person with best record at end of regular season will be crowned champ.  Picks need to be up no later than 10 minutes before the kickoff of the week's scheduled Thursday game.

And yeah Mr. Watts, I want my NFL prognostication title back.   The road to 2015 glory starts today.

Final 2014 Standings
TransGriot     170-85-1
Eli                  162-93-1
*Mike            177-78-1

NFL Week One
Thursday Night 
Patriots over Steelers

Sunday Noon
Colts over Bills
Browns over Jets
Panthers over Jaguars
Packers over Bears
Texans over Chiefs
Dolphins over Washington
Seahawks over Rams

Sunday Afternoon
Saints over Cardinals
Chargers over Lions
Broncos over Ravens
Bengals over Raiders
Buccaneers over Titans

Sunday Night
Cowboys over Giants

Monday Night
Eagles over Falcons
49ers over Vikings

The Fight To Keep HERO-September 10

One day closer to November 3 and the 2015 Houston city and mayoral elections that will determine the fate of Proposition 1, AKA HERO

Mayoral candidate Ben Hall and his merry band of faux 'christian' HERO haters have ramped up their attacks on the ordinance, with Hall hosting an event at Northbrook MS in which he flat out lied about the ordinance and tried to claim the Fort Worth ordinance was better.   Yeah, figures he and his friends would like that one since it threw trans people under the civil rights bus there.  

The HERO haters have also been throwing out the talking point that the HERO is 'poorly written' and needs to be redone so that we can 'make it better.' That's bigot speak for 'we want to erase the Houston TBLG community out of it and protect our special right to discriminate'.


Funny, the Greater Houston Partnership likes it as is, can read it, and is urging a YES vote on Proposition 1.   The ordinance is also written so clearly that even a conservafool like Sarah Palin can understand it.

And what sayeth Moni to those kneegrows bearing false witness against the Houston trans community and colluding with white conservafool pastors to pimp anti-trans hate in the Houston Black community we reside in?

'Our fate as Black TBLGQ people in this country is inextricably tied to the rest of Black America, and Black folks wishing to divide the Black SGL and non-SGL communities would do well to remember that'--TransGriot March 25, 2015

Back to the HERO update.  

Transphobic ignorance has been raging unchecked in the Black community due to the HERO hatin' ministers colluding with White conservative pastors, fanning the hellfire flames of transphobic bigotry.

But we HERO supporters have been pushing back hard against the ignorance.  There was Cristan Williams masterfully pushing back against the debunked trans predator bathroom lie that has been nauseatingly repeated since 2014.

Fran Watson took on the HERO haters on Majic 102's Sunday Morning Live show. It is one of the most listened to FM stations in Black Houston, and so far it has been on the wrong side of this debate.  Didn't get any better yesterday when Majic 102 featured sexual harasser, hypocrite pastor and city council candidate Kendall Baker, who is running against Councilmember Richard Nguyen.

Kudos to Fran for going into the belly of the HERO hatin' beast yesterday when she went to Ben Hall owned KCOH-AM to confront Hall and the HERO ignorati.

Noel Freeman was recently on a KTRK-TV 13 public affairs program and demolished the bathroom predator lie.



Take notes people, this is what needs to be said about it for the rest of the HERO defense campaign and anywhere else in the country this issue comes up.

To give you an example of the bigoted ignorance we Houston Black TBLG people are encountering (and need IMMEDIATE help confronting Houston Unites), this is a snippet of an online conversation advocate Ashton Woods had with a faux faith based HERO hater (part of the anti-LGBT COGIC denomination) on a Facebook discussion thread I was also heavily active on yesterday.


I had fun dropping 20 megatons of HERO knowledge on willfully ignorant people in that thread as well..

And FYI, this is what trans people do in the bathroom.

Ashton also has an interesting post on his Strength In Numbers blog that documents who we're fighting against in this battle to keep HERO.

Ashton is also putting together a press conference that will take place at 5:30 PM CDT tomorrow (September 11) at Miller Outdoor Theater in Hermann Park.  It will give the Houston TBLG communities of color a chance to speak about why HERO is needed and necessary,

One of the other things I'm not liking in addition to the lack of trans, bi and SGL voices of color in this Houston Unites campaign defending the HERO is the silence of the local NAACP, the local Houston Urban League chapter, and the silence of far too many Black legislators at all levels of government in terms of confronting the ignorance around HERO.

Y'all need to speak up, be courageous drum majors and majorettes for justice and clearly outline where you stand on HERO before early voting starts next month.

If you support HERO, better name it and claim it.   That also goes for you peeps running for council as well.

Will pop the popcorn and see which Houston mayoral candidates during the mayoral debate tonight on ABC-13 and Univision stand up for HERO.

I already know the ones who hate it.

Tamara Adrian Running For Venezuelan National Assembly

While the first South American, first in the Western Hemisphere and fourth trans person worldwide elected to their national legislature won't happen in this election cycle unless there's somebody running I'm not aware of yet,  it's only a matter of time before it does.    
-TransGriot, June 15, 2013

I've documented the attempts in several South American nations of out trans women unsuccessfully trying to run for and win office in their national legislatures in Colombia, Chile and Ecuador.

Another trans woman is about to attempt to make that history in Venezuela.

Last month attorney and trans advocate Tamara Adrian made history when she registered as a opposition bloc Voluntad Popular candidate in the upcoming December 6 parliamentary election.   The opposition bloc is comprised of many of the most vocal critics of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and in addition to Adrian is putting up two gay candidates for election.

Adrian is the first out trans person in Venezuela to run for national office. Rummie Quintero, another Venezuelan trans advocate, was  trying to run as a ruling Socialist party candidate along with two gay ones, but didn't get selected to be a Patriotic Axis bloc candidate.

Unfortunately due to the ID issues that plague transpeople worldwide to various degrees, combined with a Venezuelan law that forbids people born in masculine bodies from legally becoming female or taking a female name, Adrian had to register for this election under her dead name. .

The Venezuelan Electoral; Council stated in June that 40% of the candidates running for national office in this election be female, and it's still unclear whether Adrian will be allowed to run as a woman despite having transitioned in 2002

She still is jumping into this race to advance TBLG rights in her nation.  She asserts that the predominately Roman Catholic Venezuela, along with fellow South American nations Guyana, Suriname, Peru and  Paraguay have done little to extend rights to their BTLG citizens.

"We're going to fight so that everyone gets respect," said Ms. Adrian, amid a tussle of candidates and cheering supporters at the gates of an elections authority office in Caracas

We'll find out on December 6 if Ms. Adrian makes history and becomes the first out trans person in the Western Hemisphere, first in Venezuela and fourth worldwide to hold a seat in her national legislature.

I know I'll be rooting for her to do just that.
,

Janet and Laverne Make The 2015 Root 100 List!

They both made the list last year, but it's a year later and the 2015 edition of  The Root 100 List has been released with Janet Mock and Laverne Cox's names on it.

The Root 100 List celebrates those peeps 25-45 who are forging a new direction in social justice, politics, entertainment, business the arts, science and sports.  While this list has many well known names on it, The Root 100 List also seeks to recognize people whose accomplishments have yet to be recognized on a national level.

Janet is at number 31 this year and Laverne occupies the number 43 spot,  but once again it is a huge accomplishment for Black girls like us to be acknowledged for their work to not only advocate for our human rights as trans people, but uplift the Black community at the same time.  
|
They are also concrete examples of what I'm talking about when I say in my posts imploring the Black cis community to stop hating on Black trans people that we too are part of the kente cloth fabric of Black America.

And when the nomination process for 2016 starts, I'd like to see some of our trans brothers in that 25-45 range get nominated and hopefully make the list along with other trans sisters in that 25-45 age group

That's next year's project trans fam, but until then, congratulations Janet and Laverne for making this years The Root 100 list.

WH Trans Petition Is Going To Fail

We are hours away from the September 10 deadline to gather 100,000 signatures for a petition calling for the federal government to formally investigate the cause of the violence leading to trans murders

And I'm sad to say it's not going to even get 10,000 signatures before midnight approaches.  As of this moment it is just over 6,000 signatures.

Thanks to those of you who did take the time to sign it over the last month.

Guess you've shown us in POC Trans World that the only trans lives that matter are white ones, and that's a problematic message that you've just sent to the trans communities of color.

Fayetteville, AR Passes Trans Inclusive Rights Law!

Good news coming out of Fayetteville, AR last night.

In the reverse of what happened last December no thanks to the Duggars, the citizens of that city passed Ordinance 5781!

“Today the people of Fayetteville voted for acceptance over fear and showed that cities can ensure religious freedom while protecting the rights of each and every citizen,"  the Northwest Arkansas Center for Equality said in a statement. "People from all walks of life chose to lead Fayetteville and Arkansas toward a more inclusive future. History will remember this as a proud moment when businesses, religious leaders and everyday citizens worked together to unite our community, grow our economy and finally move Fayetteville forward.

Wooo Pig Sooie!   According to the final but unofficial results from the Washington County Election Commission, the vote was  7,666 in favor,  6,860 against  with 29% of  the electorate voting in this special election.

And unlike last time, the Duggars noses weren't in Fayetteville human rights business since they have their own problems they have to deal with besides hating on trans people .

Hope we in Houston can report similar good news in November