Carter Brown On Can We Talk 4 Real Tonight

The Black Trans Advocacy Conference April 25-May 1 dates are approaching fast, and the Can We Talk 4 Real podcast will be hosting Black Transmen, Inc Executive Director/CEO  Carter Brown to talk about it later tonight with Michelle and Terri Boi.  

Black Transment, Inc has become the Change They Wish To See In The World because Brown actively leads a host of over 40 board, staff and volunteer members of the organization, and continues to multiply the presence of the organization with over nine BTMI state chapters throughout the U.S.

His work, along with Black Transmen, Inc. and its subsidiaries, is based in peace building, community education, public policy initiatives, empowerment programs and direct services. Black Trans Advocacy works with communities in the U.S. and across the globe to foster diversity, inclusion and equality for all people. 

The show will start at 8:00 PM EST/ 7:30 PM CST. and you can call 347-215-8985 and press 1 to become part of tonight's conversation.

Maya Young Makes Three Trans Murders In 2016

Sad to report that another US trans woman has been murdered this year.

25 year old Maya Taylor was found stabbed multiple times in the neck and chest in the 4800 block of Penn Street at 11:50 PM EST Saturday in the Frankford section of Philadelphia.

She was taken by police to Aria Health-Frankford, less than two blocks away from where she was found. where she was pronounced dead at 12:21 AM EST on Sunday.

"The community is heartbroken once again with the senseless slaying of another transgender woman of color," wrote Naiymah Sanchez, a coordinator with the Philadelphia based TransHealth Information project on her Facebook page.  


The Philadelphia Police Department is looking for information in this case, and if you have it, you can call the PPD Police Homicide Unit at 215-686-3344 or 911.

A $20,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in this case.

As I get more details about this case I will post them

Rest in power and peace, Maya.  Not happy about your life violently ending before you even got a chance to spread your wings and fly.

Charlotte Passes Ordinance Banning TBLG Discrimination

Some good news out of Charlotte tonight as their City Council passed on a 7-4 vote an ordinance banning LGBT discrimination in the Queen City in front of an overflow crowd.

Of course, the Forces of Intolerance beat the bathroom predator meme into hamburger and Gov Pat McCrory (R), the former Charlotte mayor, tried to browbeat the Charlotte City Council into not taking the issue up by issuing threats to overturn it at the state level.

The new Charlotte ordinance takes effect in April and bans discrimination based on gender identity and expression and sexual orientation in housing and public accommodations.

You may recall that an attempt to pass the same ordinance last year was defeated, and in the wake of that loss, the two Democratic councilmembers that opposed it were ousted and replaced with democrats who supported the ordinance.

Elections matter.

But this was the easy part.   As we can tell you in Houston, keeping progressive legislation you pass in a red state is much harder.

But congrats Charlotte for doing so!    

USA The 2016 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Tournament Champs

The USA and Canada are headed to Rio in August as the CONCACAF reps in the 12 team field for the women's Olympic soccer tournament that starts August 3.

But there was one more piece of business left to figure out at BBVA Compass Stadium on Sunday in terms of who would get that nice trophy and the first place medals as the CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

As usual in these border war soccer matches between the USA and Canada, it was a hard fought affair that went to halftime tied because referee Quetzalli Alvarado (from Mexico BTW) missed Carli Lloyd being dragged down in the penalty area by Melissa Tancredi.

But as they say, if the ref doesn't call it, it ain't a penalty.  

The USA finally got on the board in the 53rd minute after Becky Sauerbrunn chipped a ball deep into the penalty box that Lindsey Horan beat her defender and Canadian goalkeeper Stephanie Labbe to the ball and headed it into the open net for a 1-0 lead.

Eight miners later after a weaving dribble from Mallory Pugh down the sideline, she laid off a pass across the penalty area to Tobin Heath that she buried in the right hand side of the net past Labbe for what turned out to be the final goal of the match.




The 2-0 final held up as Hope Solo recorded her 95th shutout and 144th win, both USA records.


In addition to stretching their record in CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying to 18-0-1 (the tie came against Canada) , Team USA swept the tournament individual awards.  Hope Solo won Best Goalkeeper.  Crystal Dunn won the Golden Boot as the tournament's top scorer with six goals, and the Houston Dash's Morgan Brian won the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player.

Team USA also won the Fair Play Award, and had eight players named to the tournament's Best XI squad.

Well, now that the USA has handled their main business of qualifying for the Olympics, now it's time for the Red White and Blue (we gotta get a cooler nickname for our men's and women's squads) to prepare for the upcoming Olympic tournament and shoot for the Golden fivepeat.

Trans Woman Found Dead In San Antonio Motel

Courtesy of OutInSA is the sad news that a trans woman was found dead in a South San Antonio hotel on February 19.   Don't know for certain in this developing story if foul play was involved and have my trans fam in San Antonio trying to get more details.

According to a KABB-TV report, the mid-30's Veronica Banks Cano was found by police in the El Mio Motel in the 3500 block of Roosevelt Avenue around 9:00 AM fully clothed in a bathtub with some water in it.   The body had no obvious signs of trauma, and some individuals that were in the hotel room have been questioned.

She was from Pleasanton, TX and according to Joe Mendez, a friend of hers interviewed for the OutinSA story, was pursuing a career in nursing.  

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help with the burial expenses.  Her rosary service will be held on Tuesday, February 23 at 7 PM at Palm Heights Mortuary, located at 3711 S. Zarzamora with burial set for Wednesday.

Rest in power and peace Veronica.

Vittoria Schisano Gets A Playboy Cover

There have been three trans women who have done photographic spreads for Playboy magazine in Brazil's Roberta Close, Caroline Cossey and Ines Rau.

This month actress Vittoria Schisano joins that list with her appearance in the February issue of Italian Playboy.   She may also be the first out trans woman to appear on the cover of Playboy.

You may recall that Vittoria announced at a 2011 press conference that she was transitioning, and ever since then the folks in Italy have gotten to watch her evolution into her true and beautiful self.

Another day, another interesting groundbreaking moment for trans women.

Hillary Wins In Nevada!

Today's Nevada Democratic Caucus had much riding on them for both sides in this 2016 Democratic presidential nomination race.  While Sen. Bernie Sanders was coming off a huge double digit win in New Hampshire and had some momentum going in, he still hadn't proved yet that he can get non-white Democrats to #FeelTheBern.

Nevada would offer him and his supporters their first chance to prove that he could win in a state that wasn't overwhelmingly white.  Nevada has a 27% Latinx and 13% African-American population largely concentrated in Las Vegas and Reno.

Meanwhile Secretary Clinton was looking to rebound from the New Hampshire thumping.

After spending several months organizing in Nevada, she and her campaign team were cautiously optimistic they could pull out a much needed win in the Silver State.

But the Sanders campaign spent heavily to match her organization here and air commercials in local media.   They also trumpeted media polls they were running even with Clinton in the runup to today's caucus.

But when the dust settled, it was Clinton's support with non-white voters and her ground game that carried the day.  Clinton got 52.6% of the caucus attendees to say #ImWithHer with just 47.3% going to Sanders.   It was a critical win to calm the nerves of her supporters going into Saturday's South Carolina Democratic Primary and with Super Tuesday looming on March 1.





What is more ominous for Sanders supporters is that African-American voters, who only make up about 13% of the Nevada electorate are feeling Hillary.  They broke 76%-22% for Clinton and she rolled to wins in six of the state's majority Black precincts.  Nevada's Latinx voters also broke for Clinton.

And South Carolina comes up fast this Saturday along with the Super Tuesday primaries on March 1 in which many of the Southern states involved, including Texas which is in early voting now, have large percentages of non-white voters.

We will see what transpires in South Carolina, especially in light of the fact that more superdelegates and party leaders are declaring for Clinton including Rep. James Clyburn. (D-SC) and Clinton picked up more endorsements here in Texas, where 222 delegates are at stake.  

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Dave Wilson Up To His Political Dirty Tricks Again In TX 148 Race

Transphobic homohater Dave Wilson, fresh off a 2013 campaign in which he pulled a Rachael Dolezal and misrepresented himself as Black to narrowly get elected to a six year term on the Houston Community College board, is trying to lie his way into office again.

This time he's trying to move up the political food chain and get a state House seat, and the long time LGBT bigot is trying to run in the Democratic primary against longtime state Rep. Jessica Farrar in House District 148.

With early voting just starting for the March 1 primary and running until February 26, Wilson just unleashed a deceptive mailer in which he posted a picture of Farrar's home  and her car with the state official license plate affixed to it to claim that she doesn't live in her Houston district, but in Austin.

The reality is Farrar's home is in the middle of TX 148,

It's also laughable that Wilson would try to project his own situation on someone else because he was busted and sued for doing exactly what he is falsely accusing Rep. Farrar of.doing.

And he bragged about what he pulled off in the afterglow of his HCC race that he won by 26 votes.

Voters of HD 148, please don't fall for the okey doke.  make sure you rebuke this fool and send Rep Farrar to victory against this political charlatan..  

2016 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying- It's Canada And The USA To Rio!

The 2016 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament has been going on in Texas since February 10 to determine who gets the two Rio Olympic soccer tournament slots allotted to CONCACAF.

The scene has shifted to Houston for the knockout rounds of the tournament, with the semifinals being played last night at BBVA Compass Stadium.

Group B winner Canada faced off against Group A runner up Costa Rica for one of the two Olympic slots, and thanks to their captain Christine Sinclair's two goals in the 17th and 51st minutes punched their ticket to Rio with a 3-1 win.

Costa Rica's Raquel Rodriguez added one from the penalty spot to cut the Canadian lead down to 2-1 in the 71st minute, but Deanne Rose scored in the 86th minute to put Canada comfortably back in front by two goals and secure their spot in the tournament finals on Sunday.

Two hours later it was the USA facing off against the surprise runners up of Group B in the Women Soca Warriors of Trinidad and Tobago, who clinched their spot in the knockout round with a 5-1 win over Guyana on February 16.

But playing Guyana and the world champion USA squad are two different tasks, and 12 minutes into the match Tobin Heath scored to put the world champs up 1-0.   Alex Morgan score the first of her three goals in the 30th minute to put the USA up 2-0, and Carli Lloyd scored in the 43rd minute to send the USA to the locker room at BBVA Compass Stadium with a 3-0 halftime lead.

Morgan completed her 3rd international hat trick with goals in the 71st and 73rd minutes to send the USA to the finals of this qualifying tournament on Sunday against Canada with the second CONCACAF Olympic qualifying spot nailed down.

It is the sixth consecutive time that the USA women's team has qualified for the Olympics, and they will be seeking their fifth straight Olympic title when they do get to Rio.

On Sunday the USA an Canada clash for the CONCACAF Qualifying tournament title in a game in which nothing is on the line but pride and a trophy.

The real fight will be starting on August 3 when the women's Olympic soccer tournament kicks off.

 

TransGriot Perv Watch- Faith Based Freak

In our latest edition of the TransGriot Perv Watch, here's another incident that proves what the trans community is saying in terms of the peeps you have to watch out for aren't members of our community.

52 year old Mark Wayne Howington of Maumee, OH, the music director at Proclaim FM, a Christian radio station based in Holland, OH. decided to take the laying of hands on someone to another disturbing level at a Target store in the area.  

And he wasn't trans or in drag or trans when he did so.

58 year old Debra Piechowski was shopping at a Target with her niece looking for Valentine's and birthday gifts husband when she entered the women's restroom at 5:00 PM EST last Thursday afternoon.




Piechowski was violently pulled into the bathroom by Howington and slapped hard on the left butt cheek by him before he exited the bathroom without a word as she went to find the manager and store security.

The search for him was initially unsuccessful, but Piechowski spotted him in the parking lot attempting to pry open a car door, and she and officers chased and cornered him in another nearby store where he was apprehended.  He refused to give his name and when he was ordered to pull his hand out of hos pocket, revealed the sharp end of a screwdriver.

If he'd been non-white he'd be dead, but back to focusing on this perv watch story.

Howington was arrested and charged with simple assault, obstruction official business and carrying a concealed weapon.  He appeared in court Friday and was released from the Lucas County. OH jail on Saturday on $1000 bond.

Howington has resigned his position at the Dwelling Place church and is on leave from his WPOS-FM job.

Shut Up Fool Awards- It's Early Voting Time In Texas Edition

On Tuesday early voting commenced for the March 1 Texas Primary election.  Yep people, we are a Super Tuesday state, and our vote matters since 225 Democratic convention delegates are up for grabs.  The early voting period in Texas runs until February 26, and yes I've already handled my electoral business and voted in the primary and hope you will make your voice heard if not during the early voting period, on March 1.

It's also Friday, and that means it's time to call out the fool, fools or groups of fools that have exhibited WTF levels of idiocy and unleashed a string of stupid comments out of their mouths.

So let's get busy calling out this week's Shut Up Fool.

Honorable mention number one is Phyllis Schafly, for flapping her gums and stating all of President Obama's judicial nominees need to be stalled and funding stripped from the federal courts.

Damn, is she still wasting O2 on this planet?

Honorable mention number two is the Log Cabin Republicans, who keep showing the world they have an incurable case of Stockholm Syndrome by agreeing to be a sponsor of CPAC.   Yep, they agreed to pay for admission into an event where many of the speakers will be dissing them from the stage.

Honorable mention number three is Caitlyn Jenner, for parting her lips and saying she gets more flack for being a Republican than being trans.

Are you really that isolated and clueless? Maybe in Caitlyn World that's true, but the rest of us not living on a Malibu hilltop estate catch hell for being trans.   Bye, Caitlyn!

Honorable mention number four is Killer Mike for unleashing his problematic commentt at an ATL Sanders rally that he later apologized for that a uterus doesn't qualify you to be POTUS.  

Neither does a penis, homes.

Honorable mention number five is every conservafool who believes the conservalie that President Obama killed Scalia.   Naw fools, natural causes did that.

Honorable mentions number six is Ted Cruz.   After bashing President Obama for his decision to skip the funeral of Antonin Scalia, his azz isn't going to show up.

How do you say hypocrite in Spanish?

This week's Shut Up Fool winner is The South Dakota Republican controlled legislature for passing the unjust  HB 1008 and now sending through another odious anti-trans bill in HB 1029.

As I keep pointing out, the most dangerous transphobic bigots are the ones with the power to pass legislation.

SD legislators like Reps. Jim Stalzer (R), Mark Willadsen (R) Steven Haugaard (R) Arch Beal (R) and Sen David Omdahl (R) are living examples of what I'm talking about.  

If you voted for them or are silent about what is happening in the Mount Rushmore State,  you are also complicit in the enabling of  oppression aimed at your transgender neighbors


South Dakota GOP,  shut up transphobic fools

Can Y'all Use This Photo Of Moi?

While I deeply appreciate being being honored lately on some compiled online leadership lists, one thing that is really beginning to annoy me is the consistent use of a less than flattering photograph that I absolutely hate.

he photo I hate popped up again in the latest list on Austostraddle I was named to, and while I saw attractive photos for the other honorees, what made y'all choose the one you used?

Now, this is the one that's on my Facebook page, and I would deeply appreciate it if y'all start using it.

Congrats HPD Chief Montalvo!

Some H-town history was made today when Martha Montalvo was named bu Mayor Sylvester Turner as the interim HPD chief in the wake of the sudden retirement that takes effect February 26 of former HPD chief Charles McClellan.

She was born in Ecuador, immigrated her with her family in the 60's, and grew up in Houston's predominately Latinx East End.   After earning a bachelors of science from UHD and a masters from Sam Houston State, she started as a HPD beat cop in May 1980 and rose through the ranks as a sergeant, lieutenant, captain, and assistant chief of police in her now 35 year career.

She was serving on former Chief McClellan's command staff, supervising five departments, 60 civilians and 128 officers before her elevation to interim chief.  

Chief Montalvo becomes the first Latina to be named to the top job in the Houston Police Department and the second female (first was Elizabeth Watson 1990-1992) to hold the position.

'I'm very invested in ensuring that as long as I'm interim, that we continue to ensure that the officers continue their exemplary professionalism, and that we continue to be transparent and accountable to the community we serve," said Chief Montalvo.

She will serve as the interim chief until a permanent one is found to fill the job.  Hey, why not her?

We'll see how that plays out.   Congratulations Chief Montalvo on making Houston and HPD history.  

The SD War On Trans People Continues With HB 1209

If you thought the just passed HB 1008 which is now awaiting Gov. Daugaard's signature was the only bill that my South Dakota trans cousins had to worry about, here comes another unjust bill which is a frontal assault on our humanity

HB 1209, which rolls back and prevents us from getting our birth certificates changed to reflect who we are now. just passed a SD House committee on a 4-2 party line vote.

Well, South Dakota trans community, let us know what your trans cousins around the country can do to help you beat back this latest assault on your humanity.

Countdown To The 2016 LGBT Media Journalists Conveming

One month from now, I'll be up in Baltimore attending the 7th annual LGBT Media Journalists Convening with many of the top LGBT journalists in the country.

It's sponsored by the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr Fund and the NLGJA, and the purpose of it is to build and diversify LGBT media capacity, help us get better versed in writing and talking about the issues germane to our LGBT community and foster improved working relationships between those of us involved in LGBT media.

This will be my fourth one. The first LGBT media event for me was the 2013 Philadelphia one after inexplicably missing the one that was in my Houston backyard in 2012.  I was in the house for the Washington DC edition in 2014 and last year's return to Philly.

This 2016 edition of the convening will take place March 18-20.  Once again I'll be in the house hanging out with my fellow journalists, getting my learn on during our all day panel sessions on Saturday, and enjoying the opening reception with our yet to be revealed #LGBTMedia16 keynote speaker.

Last year we had the honor of hearing and I had the honor of getting reacquainted with the Rev Dr. William Barber.  I'd met him in Louisville at our Unity Dinner back in 2005, which he remembered when I got to chat with him after his speech was concluded.

I also got to ask him a question during the post keynote Q&A about where the national NAACP stands when it comes to standing up for the human rights of trans people.

It's one in the wake of the unjust anti-trans legislation being passed in South Dakota that cries out to be asked again.

I also enjoyed that moment in which the trans feminine contingent of the LGBT Journalists Convening took that group photo in front of what was once known as Dewey's Lunch Counter a few weeks before the 50th anniversary of the April-May 1965 trans human rights sit in and protest that took place there. .

I also enjoyed the first ever LGBT women's journalists meeting we had Saturday night coordinated by Trish Bendix and cutting up with birthday girl Faith Cheltenham, Berlin Sylvestre in the hotel lobby after I'd polished off a cheesesteak that wasn't from Pat's or Geno's.

Hope we have another one of those LGBT Women's Journalist meetings planned for the Baltimore event because I learned so much in that multi-generational conversation last year.

Looking forward to seeing who our keynote will be for this year's event, who is coming for this year's edition of the LGBT Media Journalists Convening, and tearing into some crab cakes..

And hopefully we'll have some nice weather for it as well.

Honored To Be Named A Transformative Leader By Planned Parenthood

While I don't do what I do human rights wise to get awards, it sure is nice when that hard work fighting for people's human rights gets recognized.

Sometimes I'm shocked at times at where the recognition is coming from.

Was surprised and pleased to note this Black History Month post on Planned Parenthood's website that highlighted leaders transforming our community.

Amongst the names of people I have long admired like Rep. Maxine Waters,  Rep. John Lewis, Kimberle Crenshaw, Danielle Moodie-Mills, Faye Wattleton and Sharon Lettman-Hicks, was mine.

Thank you Planned Parenthood for that honor, and hope I'm blessed to continue to grow and evolve as that transformative community leader you see me as.

Diamond Stylz Talks About BTAC 2016

Diamond talks about BTAC 2016 happening from April 25-May 1, and looking forward to seeing her and my trans brothers and trans sisters.

And congrats on eight years of YouTube video excellence!

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Bans Open Carry For 2016 Event

Still chuckling because the backlash continues against HB 901, the open carry law the GOP controlled Texas Lege passed that took effect January 1.   A long list of venues in Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio have banned open carry in their establishments, and earlier today the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo joined that long list of events in doing so.

"The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, in an effort to provide a safe environment and promote a family friendly atmosphere at the city's iconic entertainment event, will prohibit concealed and open carry by private citizens at the 2016 show," the organization said in a press release.

"It's our goal to promote a family friendly atmosphere," said Joel Cowley, president and CEO of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo."We don't think the private carry of handguns is conducive to that."

Even though RodeoHouston is held on Harris County property in the NRG Stadium/Astrodome complex, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo retains exclusive use and control rights of the complex for the duration of the rodeo that will kick off March 1 and run through March 20.

Hmm, may have to check our the rodeo for the first time since i moved back home, now that I know drunken fools walking around the complex won't be armed.

South Dakota Fighting Unjust Anti-Trans Bill

While Washington state and Virginia trans peeps have been able to fight off attempts to pass unjust anti-trans bills in their respective states, unfortunately the unjust HB 1008 has kept chugging through the legislative process pushed by Republicans eager to oppress, bully and demonize trans people.

But as Kara Thrace, one of my fave characters in Battlestar Galactica once said, "We do what we always do.  Fight 'em until we can't."

That's the attitude trans South Dakotans and their allies are adopting to push back against this unjust  transphobic bill as it passed the GOP controlled South Dakota House 58-10 and is winding its way through the GOP controlled South Dakota Senate toward a vote on the Senate floor after clearing the Senate education Committee on a 4-2 party line vote.

The unjust HB 1008 would demonize transgender South Dakota students and violate Title IX in doing so.   It would also put federal funding for South Dakota schools at risk just so some Republican legislative bigots can get their jollies on.

When Gov Dennis Daugaard (R) said in a press conference that he'd never met a transgender person he was aware of, activist Kendra Heathscott wrote an open letter reminding him he had.

South Dakota native and attorney Case Strangio has also penned an open letter imploring his home state to not pass anti-trans hate legislation.

Here's hoping that the governor will veto the unjust HB 1008 bill when it gets to his desk.   In the meantime what you can do for our trans brothers and sisters in South Dakota is call his office and urge him to do just that.

TransGriot Update.  The unjust HB 1008 was passed by the South Dakota Senate on a 20-15 vote.   it now goes to Gov. Daugaard for his signature.