Parents Of Texas Trans Kids Speak

I have a major problem with bullies of children since I had to deal with them myself.  I also have a major problem with bullies that wield legislative power like my Republican Governor, Lt. Governor, and indicted attorney general who are attacking Texas transgender kids for their own political gain.

Greg Abbott, Dan Patrick, and Ken Paxton claim their are speaking for Texas parents, but one group of parents whose voices are being ignored in their one sided discussion are the voices of the parents of Texas trans kids.

Yesterday, there was a press conference outside of our state capitol in which several parents joined with Equality Texas in order to talk about why these GOP led attacks on the humanity of Texas trans kids is wrong.

Here's the press conference video.

The Pride Flag Flies On Parliament Hill

To underscore the sea change that has happened in Canada since the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Liberal Party have taken control from the Conservatives, yesterday for the first time in Canadian history, in honor of LGBT Pride Month,  the rainbow pride flag was raised on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

Trudeau will also become the first sitting Canadian prime minister to march in Toronto's gay pride parade later this month.

The flag will fly on a temporary pole set up on Centre Block, and many members of the Liberal Party caucus were in attendance at the event, including several openly gay MP's.

"This is a great day for Canada and it's part of a long series of milestones this country has hit over the years," said PM Trudeau.  "It hasn't been easy, it hasn't been automatic, a lot of people fought for a long time for this day to happen.."

"Canada is united in it's defense of rights and it's standing up for LGBTQ rights," said Trudeau as he noted the attendance of all the parliamentary parties at the ceremony..  "And quite frankly, we still have more work to do," he added as he talked about C-16, the trans rights bill his government just tabled several weeks ago.. .

We'll see how C-16 progresses, but for my Canadian LGBT cousins, this is a wonderful and historic time to be in their nation.

Massachusetts House Overwhelmingly Passes Trans Public Accommodations Bill

A month after the Democratically controlled Massachusetts Senate passed the trans public accommodations bill,  the Massachusetts House passed the measure on a 116-36 vote.

It passed the Massachusetts Senate on a 33-4 vote   While the Massachusetts House also has a Democratic supermajority like the senate does, the Republican  minority fought the Trans Rights Bill tooth and nail for over seven hours before its final passage.. The GOP opposition proposed 36 anti- LGBT or poison pill amendments to kill the legislation, which all failed.  .

The House bill bans discrimination aimed at trans people in area of public accommodations including restaurants, sports arenas, stores, hotels, schools and sports arena

Before it gets sent to Gov. Charlie Baker's (R) desk for his signature, the bill will have to be reconciled because the house version is different from the Senate passed bill.   Massachusetts senate leaders have indicated that they are ready to speedily accomplish that task, and Gov. Baker has indicated that he will sign it once they do.

And I Gov. baker keeps his word to do so, the Massachusetts trans rights bill passed in 2011 will finally have the public accommodations language it should have contained five years ago.

Deric Muhammad, #WeExist

One of the things I get pissed off about in my Black community is activists, ignorant people and ministers spouting facts free anti-trans and anti-SGL rhetoric in our ranks that is a carbon copy of crap that white fundamentalists have been sputtering for decades from their megachurch pulpits and talk radio shows.

I was sent a link to a homophobic op ed authored by local activist Deric Muhammad published in the Houston Forward Times that attacks teen lesbians.

It's not only a slap in the face of the Houston Black LGBT community, this op-ed also has the problematic timing of being published as a Forward Times featured editorial on the first day of LGBT Pride Month..

Since Mr. Muhammad wrote in his article he wished to get a community conversation going, be careful what you wish for.

Ashton Woods has already written his response to Muhammad's homophobic Forward Times scribblings, now it's my turn.  .

I've met Deric Muhammad at various Houston community events in the last two years, and one of the vibes I picked up from him when I heard him speak at city hall or during various community events is that he may have a problem with his Houston LGBT siblings.   I had to call him out during a meeting held at KCOH a little over a year ago about some problematic comments that erased the Houston LGBT community during a community conversation about police brutality and the Jordan Baker case..

It's reprehensible that you have written an article that attacks lesbian teens and blames them for the problems of the Black community.  Sadly, it is confirming what I suspected when I first encountered you at the Harris County Courthouse.   I'll also point out that same gender loving attractions are not a 'choice'.. If you really believe that bull feces, then tell me the exact date that you chose to be a heterosexual Black male and chose to live a heterosexual lifestyle?

I'd also like to point out to you that one of the iconic leaders in our Black H-town community was a lesbian named Barbara Jordan.   Our lesbian sisters have not only historically been on the front lines in helping uplift our community and fighting for our civil rights, they are continuing to provide innovative and principled leadership for our community as well.

Teen lesbianism isn't the cause of what ails the Black community as a whole.  It's anti-Black policies pursued by politicians and a conservative movement that hates our people.

Our LGBT kids are already under attack from predominately white Religious Right and Republican politicians.  The last people that need to be attacking them are people in our Black community.

This divisive BS of attacking kids in the name of 'starting a community conversation'  is the last thing we need right now, and as a unapologetically proud Black trans Houstonian, it pisses me the hell off every time some person that shares my ethnic heritage decides to try to live up to the 'Black people are more homophobic' meme I have to constantly argue against in mixed human rights company.

#WeExist, Deric.   If you claim you love all Black people in H-town, then by default that includes my unapologetic Black trans behind and your Black trans, bi and SGL siblings.

2016 Williams Watch- One Sister Still In The French Open, One Sister Is Out

It has been a rainy few days in Paris during this 2016 edition of the French Open that has not only seen rain delays that have wiped out whole days of play, but many of the seeded players falling on the women's side.

That pattern continued in the fourth round after two days of rain delayed play once again in which number two seed Agnieszka Radwanska, number 4 seed Garbine Muguruza, number 6 seed Simona Halep and number 12 seed Carla Suarez-Navarro all fell.

So did number 9 seeded Venus Williams in straight sets to number 8 seeded Timea Bacsinzsky 2-6, 4-6 to end her time at Roland Garros.

But 'Williams'-don will be cranking up on June 27-July 12 on the other side of the Channel.  See you then Big Sis.

Meanwhile, number one seeded Serena cruised to the quarterfinals after blitzing Elina Svitolina in straight sets 6-1, 6-1 to set up her quarterfinal match with Yulia Putintseva, who upset Carla Suarez-Navarro in a hard fought 7-5, 7-5 straight set match.

Should Little Sis prevail against Putintseva, she would take on the winner of the Timea Bacsinzsky-Kiki Bertens match.   Bertens is on a roll, and now that she has qualified for the Dutch Olympic tennis squad in Rio by getting past the third round in a emotional 6-2,3-6,10-8 three set win over Daria Kasatkina, the pressure on her entering the tournament has been lifted.   She could be a dangerous opponent for the eighth seeded Bacsinzsky.  

But once again, you have to play the matches.

2016 LGBT Pride Month Presidential Proclamation

This is the last LGBT Pride Month presidential proclamation (sniff sniff) that President Obama will issue during his term that ends on January 20.

he is the best president ever on trans issues, and I hope his successor, whoever SHE is exceeds his record on trans issues.

Here's the proclamation.

***

LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER PRIDE MONTH, 2016

- - - - - - -

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

Since our founding, America has advanced on an unending path toward becoming a more perfect Union.  This journey, led by forward-thinking individuals who have set their sights on reaching for a brighter tomorrow, has never been easy or smooth.  The fight for dignity and equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people is reflected in the tireless dedication of advocates and allies who strive to forge a more inclusive society.  They have spurred sweeping progress by changing hearts and minds and by demanding equal treatment -- under our laws, from our courts, and in our politics.  This month, we recognize all they have done to bring us to this point, and we recommit to bending the arc of our Nation toward justice.

Last year's landmark Supreme Court decision guaranteeing marriage equality in all 50 States was a historic victory for LGBT Americans, ensuring dignity for same-sex couples and greater equality across State lines.  For every partnership that was not previously recognized under the law and for every American who was denied their basic civil rights, this monumental ruling instilled newfound hope, affirming the belief that we are all more free when we are treated as equals.

LGBT individuals deserve to know their country stands beside them.  That is why my Administration is striving to better understand the needs of LGBT adults and to provide affordable, welcoming, and supportive housing to aging LGBT Americans.  It is also why we oppose subjecting minors to the harmful practice of conversion therapy, and why we are continuing to promote equality and foster safe and supportive learning environments for all students.  We remain committed to addressing health disparities in the LGBT community -- gay and bisexual men and transgender women of color are at a particularly high risk for HIV, and we have worked to strengthen our National HIV/AIDS Strategy to reduce new infections, increase access to care, and improve health outcomes for people living with HIV.

Despite the extraordinary progress of the past few years, LGBT Americans still face discrimination simply for being who they are.  I signed an Executive Order in 2014 that prohibits discrimination against Federal employees and contractors on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.  I urge the Congress to enact legislation that builds upon the progress we have made, because no one should live in fear of losing their job simply because of who they are or who they love.  And our commitment to combatting discrimination against the LGBT community does not stop at our borders:  Advancing the fair treatment of all people has long been a cornerstone of American diplomacy, and we have made defending and promoting the human rights of LGBT individuals a priority in our engagement across the globe.  In line with America's commitment to the notion that all people should be treated fairly and with respect, champions of this cause at home and abroad are upholding the simple truth that LGBT rights are human rights.

There remains much work to do to extend the promise of our country to every American, but because of the acts of courage of the millions who came out and spoke out to demand justice and of those who quietly toiled and pushed for progress, our Nation has made great strides in recognizing what these brave individuals long knew to be true in their hearts -- that love is love and that no person should be judged by anything but the content of their character.  During Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month, as Americans wave their flags of pride high and march boldly forward in parades and demonstrations, let us celebrate how far we have come and reaffirm our steadfast belief in the equal dignity of all Americans.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2016 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month.  I call upon the people of the United States to eliminate prejudice everywhere it exists, and to celebrate the great diversity of the American people.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fortieth.

BARACK OBAMA

. 

4th Circuit Denies En Banc Review In Gavin Grimm Case!

Good news for transkind from Richmond, VA.   Several hours ago the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals denied the Gloucester County Schools request to hold an en banc hearing in the Grimm vs Gloucester School Board case.   In an en banc review, all the active judges in the 4th Circuit court review the case, and there are currently 15 active judges in the 4th Circuit..

That means the favorable April ruling in the Grimm case stands, and the school board's only option is to take it to the US Supreme Court   The dissent in this ruling came from not surprisingly, Judge Paul Niemeyer (GHW Bush appointee) , who was on the dissenting end of the three judge panel that heard the Grimm case in April .

Of course, Grimm was ecstatic about yesterday's ruling from the 4th Circuit.

“Now that the Fourth Circuit’s decision is final, I hope my school board will finally do the right thing and let me go back to using the boys’ restroom again,” said Gavin Grimm, the high school junior who is the plaintiff in the case. “Transgender kids should not have to sue their own school boards just for the ability to use the same restrooms as everyone else.”

Also happy about the ruling are the folks fighting Hate Bill 2 in North Carolina, since it is under the 4th Circuit's jurisdiction.  .Three cases to strike down HB2 are pending in federal court in addition to the lawsuit the Department of Justice filed against the state several weeks ago.    

We need to stay tuned to see what happens next in this case and if the Gloucester School Board wants to continue being on the wrong side of history and pushing this all the way to the Supreme Court.

Shoutout To Our 2016 Trans Wedding Couples

June is traditionally considered the month for weddings, and for people who make their money in photography, wedding planning, making wedding dresses and DJing, this is the beginning of the time that they make their money.

Trans folks get married, too.  Unfortunately over the last few decades we have had to fight tooth and nail in courts in Texas and around the world just to have the right to say 'I do' as witnessed in cases like Delgado v. Araguz, Ms. W in Hong Kong, and Joanne Cassar's in Malta.

One of the other things that I have been so happy to see besides the landmark marriage case wins is continuing to see trans folks hooking up with each other in long term relationships that end up with them saying 'I do' in front of their families and friends.

While we in Trans World are aware the anticipated wedding of the Trans Obamas, AKA Precious Davis and Myles Brady is going to happen soon, just last month we had another out trans couple get married in Logan and Laila Ireland.

Logan and Laila got married in Hawaii on May 17, and I couldn't be happier for both of them.  Still looking forward to the day i meet both of them.

As for Myles and Precious, we've already seen her make a little trans history of her own on Say Yes To The Dress as we and the rest of America got to watch her pick between several gowns.

As for which one she finally did choose, we and Myles won't know until their wedding day..

But I also want to take this TransGriot shoutout post time to salute not only our trans couples, but our couples in which a trans person is marrying or have been happily married for years to a cisgender person.  

But no matter what type of couple is walking down the aisle, I wish you well.   I envy you  because you have found your soulmates.  I'm exceedingly happy for you, and hope and pray those relationships stand the test of time as long, healthy and happy ones..

Trans Kids Go To Austin With Equality Texas To Fight GOP Transphobia

Texas trans kids and their parents head to our state capitol in Austin to put a face on the kids our Republican leaders want to demonize and discriminate against for their own political gain.

Gov. Greg Abbott, L. Governor Dan Patrick and our indicted Attorney General Ken Paxton are pushing another doomed to failure lawsuit against the federal government in response to the Obama Administration issuing guidelines on May 13 that the human rights of all trans students be respected.

Equality Texas today went to our state capitol with parents of trans children to talk about their lives and urge our GOP controlled government to cease and desist from the discriminatory anti-trans course they seem hellbent on engaging in when the legislature kicks off its 85th session in January.

“It is the responsibility of all of us to educate ourselves so these false attacks can be exposed for what they are, a solution where there is no problem in order to perpetuate discrimination against LGBT Texans,” said Chuck Smith, CEO of Equality Texas.  “Lt Governor Patrick appeals to the worst chapters of our history, in which discrimination runs rampant and understanding and compassion are absent.  Transgender students, like transgender adults, don’t want to cause any problems.  They simply want to use the bathroom when the need arises.  The lt. governor’s proposal would cause Texas to put billions of dollars of federal school funding at risk and threaten the Texas economy.”

It's past time to also acknowledge this is not just about bathrooms, this is a human rights fight. This about the Texas Republican Party wanting to whip up hatred of transgender Texans to keep their political based riled up and voting for them.

This is also all about the Texas Republican Party despicably wanting to distract the media and their voters from examining the piss poor job of governance they have done while in control of the governor's mansion and the state legislature.

'Assigned Male' - A Trans Themed Comic Of Our Own

You TransGriot readers are aware of how much i love comics, and while surfing the Net one afternoon I stumbled across he delightful webcomic entitled Assigned Male, created by French-Canadian comic artist Sophie Labelle.

Assigned Male follows the adventures of Stephanie, a young 11 year trans girl who is making her way through early transition, school and her interesting life that includes cis and trans friends, activism, and her amazing parents.

Assigned Male is quickly becoming a favorite for kids who are in early transition and even trans adults like myself who identify with many of the situations that Steph deals with such as anti-trans bullying, insensitive comments, invalidation of who she is as a trans girl, and balancing activism with having as normal a life for a kid as she can.

And as you probably guessed, transphobic haters are coming for this comic as it gets increasing well deserved attention and popularity..

Assigned Male creator Labelle has made it clear that this comic is a transcentric FUBU production, but if cis people get joy out of it and learn something about what our trans community and trans kids deal with, that's cool, too.  .

The online Hateraid that our trans sibling Labelle is getting in some quarters of the Net for her trans positive comic that has now reached 220 issues and counting  is why I'm writing this post about Assigned Male.

It not only deserves to be celebrated in our community, we also need to recognize how important it is for trans kids to see themselves and their lives reflected in popular culture in a world that tries on an almost daily basis to viciously erase their existence.
.
Assigned Male updates every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and you can find it at www.assignedmale.com or on Facebook to check out the latest issue of it..

TransMilitary Project Documentary Kickstarter Campaign

As many of you TransGriot readers are aware of, I am a big supporter of open trans military service for many reasons.   It not only needs to happen for the over 15,000 trans people already serving in the US armed forces, but it honors those trans vets who have served our country.   It also will allow our trans kids growing up who wish to do so an option to serve as themselves.

The TransMilitary Project is a documentary film directed by Gabe Silverman and produced by Fiona Dawson  and Jamie Coughlin that seeks to tell the stories of the courageous trans folks in the US Armed Forces that have risked their military careers to push for open trans military service.

They are seeking to raise $89,500 to produce this documentary in this Kickstarter campaign that has 24 days to go.

The documentary will highlight what it means to be trans in our military and illuminate the discrimination they face in their military and civilian lives.

While the ban on transgender military service was supposed to end this month, it is getting transphobic resistance inside the military despite the fact that 18 nations and many of our NATO allies allow their transgender citizens to serve in their military.

So if you can contribute to making this documentary happen, please do.

Absolut Vodka #AbsolutNights 'Darla' Trans Themed Commercial

As our visibility and acceptance increases, popular culture and media will positively reflect that.paradigm shift.  And it stands to reason that advertisers will take notice of that pro-trans cultural shift.

Trans people in advertising around the world isn't a new phenomenon, but it has been all over the map.  Some attempts at trans themed advertising have been positive, while others have been massive fails that I've had to call out more than a few times on these electronic pages.

One of the latest attempts by advertisers and companies to go with a trans themed ad is Absolut Vodka, which has always had a pro-LGBT reputation.  With the increase in trans acceptance in various parts of the world and trans rights being increasingly recognized as a human rights issue, has now created an ad featuring a trans storyline.

Here's their 'Darla' #ABSOLUTNIGHTS ad, presented to you TransGriot readers without editorial comment.



 

Memorial Day 2016

Memorial Day is the day we take time to remember the people who lost their lives either on battlefields around the world or after succumbing to wounds received on those battlefields while serving in our nation's armed forces.

The presidential proclamation has already been released for this year's Memorial Day observances, and the annual ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier will take place at Arlington National Cemetery in a few hours.

It's interesting to note as we go into Memorial Day 2016 the increasing calls for open trans military service. We have a long proud history of trans people who have stepped up to serve our country, and I don't doubt that we had some gender variant peeps who joined our military service to quote unquote 'make men and women out of them' many have possibly perished before they had a chance to be their true selves.

I'll take another day to argue the merits of trans military service later.  

Today we'll spend it remembering all our people who served in our military and paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

2016 Williams Watch-Rolling To The Fourth Round

My fave tennis playing sisters are having a marvelous business trip to Paris so far as we cruise into the second week of the French Open.

Serena is chasing history and another French Open title as usual, while Venus is striving to get back to the elite level of tennis she was playing before she was diagnosed with the autoimmune ailment that has sidetracked her for several years.

This 2016 French Open women's tournament has already witnessed nine seeded players fall in the first round, two in the second and another nine in the third round.   But two of the ten seeded players still left in this 2016 edition of the French Open women's tourney have the last name Williams, and eight of them are bumping heads in the fourth round.

Serena, the tournament's number one and still world number one ranked player is handling her French Open business, and so far hasn't dropped a set on the way to the fourth round and hopefully her fourth French Open title.

She took out Slovakia's Magdalena Rybarikova in straight sets 6-2, 6-0 in her opening round match,  Brazil's Teliana Pereira 6-2, 6-1, and 26th seeded French homegirl Kristina Mladenovic 6-4, 7-6 (12-10). She will face 18th seeded Elina Svitolina of Ukraine in her fourth round match.  .

Should she get past Svitolina, she would face in the quarters the winner of the match between 12th seeded Carla Suarez-Navarro of Spain and Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva.

Ninth seeded Venus is trying to win her first ever French Open title in her illustrious career.  But her road to that first title and the fourth round has been tougher.  Big Sis has had to play several tiebreakers on the way to her fourth round match with number eight seeded Swiss miss Timea Bacsinszky.

She played a tough opening round match with Estonia's Anett Kontaveit, prevailing in straight sets 7-6 (7-5),7-6 (7-4).   Big Sis then sent fellow American qualifier Louisa Chirico to the sidelines by beating her in straight sets 6-2 , 6-1.

In the third round, like Little Sis, she faced a French homegirl in Alize Cornet.   But unlike Serena, it took her three sets to win this match.

Venus captured the first set 7-6 (7-5), dropped the second set 1-6, and blitzed Cornet in the third set 6-0 to punch her ticket to the fourth round match with Bacsinszky.

Should Venus survive this match, she would take on in the quarters the winner of the match between the Netherlands Kiki Bertens and 15th seeded Madison (I'm not Black) Keys

Should my fave tennis playing sibling survive their quarterfinal matches, they would play each other in the semifinals..

The Williams sisters were also entered in the French Open doubles this year, but were knocked out in the third round of the doubles tournament by Kiki Bertens and Johanna Larsson in straight sets 3-6, 3-6.

Oh well, there's always the 'Williams'-don doubles in a few weeks. .

We'll see how this second week of their Paris business trip plays out and if one of them is holding the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen on Saturday.

President Obama's Hiroshima Speech

On May 27 President Obama made more history in an already historic presidency.   He because the first sitting US president to travel to Hiroshima, where the first atomic bomb was droppedon August 6, 1945.

Ten other US presidents had declined to do so, but President Obama didn't.

While the right wingers here in the US have predictably gone off the deep end about it, the rest of the world and reality based America have praised him doing so and the speech he gave in front of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial marking the Ground Zero spot above where the bomb exploded..

Here's the video of that historic speech

HERO Passage 2nd Anniversary

It may have been one small step in the human rights evolution for many cis and straight Houstonians, but for those of us in LGBT Houston, it was a giant leap in our human rights 30 years in the making.
-TransGriot, May 28, 2014 'Houston, We Have HERO Passage'

Today is going to be a bittersweet day for me and everyone in Houston who busted our behinds, sat through three contentious marathon city council meetings and a contentious committee hearing to pass the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance.(HERO)

On that May 28 evening, I was so proud of my hometown and being part of the team that had helped passed this human rights law that covered 15 categories for our community.  That night I'd also accomplished a longtime personal activism dream of ensuring that we not only passed HERO, but it was trans inclusive.   .

At the time we passed it on that 11-6 council vote, I and everyone who fought tooth and nail for HERO's passage knew that night was the easy part.   Keeping it would be our task from that moment on.

But I and my fellow Houstonians who helped passed this much needed ordinance were bursting at the seams proud to have sent the message to the city, Texas, the nation and the world that discrimination's time in Houston had expired.

But as we celebrated the hard fought win, the Axis of Intolerance, led by the Harris County and Texas Republicans Party, longtime gaybaiters Steven Hotze, Dave Wilson and Dave Welch, and a cadre of sellout Houston ministers led by Rev. Max Miller were plotting to kill HERO..

They tied up its implementation in court as they collected petition signatures for a recall vote.  The rife with fraud petitions were found not valid in August 2014, and that set up another lawsuit that the HERO haters lost in January 2015 that led to it immediately being implemented..

HERO was still in effect at the time we celebrated its first birthday, but the haters had appealed to the all-Republican Texas Supreme Court, who unjustly forced it onto the ballot in an August 2015 ruling and set up the now infamous repeal campaign in which the HERO haters successfully deployed the anti-trans bathroom meme to kill it in November 2015.

We have a new mayor in Sylvester Turner and several new council members sitting around 'The Horseshoe' in those nice leather chairs.

Even more crucial to our efforts to pass a new H-town human rights ordinance, we still maintain a liberal-progressive majority on council.  

But with Mayor Turner early in his first term, not likely he'll be pushing to spend his hard won political capital on passing HERO 2.0 right now even though it is needed and necessary.  Mayor Turner is going to focus on getting his agenda he ran on passed, and can't blame him for that.  He got his first budget passed (which did on a unanimous 17-0 vote), he's dealing with infrastructure issues, and working on solving the city retirement pension funding crisis..

That meas that we are unfortunately we are back to where we started human rights wise in my hometown as this second anniversary of HERO's passage is upon us.  The positive PR we gained from passing HERO took a hit as we frustratingly watched the Republican Party and conservative anti-human rights activists replicate the tactics they used to kill HERO to either kill attempts to pass trans inclusive rights laws in other cities or enact unjust statewide laws like North Carolina's HB2 as Jared Woodfill and his merry band of GOP haters mugged for the cameras and bragged about doing so..

Are we upset about that in Houston?  Yeah, we are upset not only about losing a crucial human rights battle, but how it happened, and no one is taking that loss harder than me and my Houston trans siblings. 

We aren't giving up on the fight to ensure that the human rights of all Houstonians are respected and protected.  It's just unfortunately delayed for now as we absorb the lessons on what went wrong, what we did right and come up with strategies to ensure our success when we finally attempt to push for HERO 2.0 or whatever the new ordinance will be called. 

But we will do our utmost to win the fight to get an inclusive human rights law with public accommodations protections passed in my hometown. And you can be damned sure I'm going to be doing my part to ensure it not only passes, but watching to ensure that trans Houstonians aren't cut out of it.

But here's hoping that within the next few years, we will have another trans inclusive human rights law added to the Houston Code of Ordinances and that we finally get to proudly send the message once again that discrimination's time in Houston has expired. .

Shut Up Fool Awards- Memorial Day Weekend 2016 Edition

Memorial Day is Monday, and it is the day that we remember the people who lost their lives while serving in our country's armed forces.  In addition, it has increasingly been considered the unofficial start of the summer season here in the States, even though many of us who don't reject science know that summer doesn't start until June 21

It's also one of the busier travel weekends in the States outside of the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday periods.

Well, it's Friday, so it's time to see what fool, fools or group of fools made the cut for this week's Shut Up Fool Awards

Honorable mention number one is a group award for all 11 states that followed Texas in joining a lawsuit to continue discrimination against trans students.

Honorable mention number two is Waukesha County, Wisconsin clerk Kathleen Novack (R), who testified in federal court in support of the voter suppression restrictions enacted between 2011-2015 hat early voting on weekends needs to end because 'urban areas have too much access to voting'

The GOP isn't even trying to hide heir bigotry any more.  

Honorable mention number three Is all the North Carolina kneegrow (they don't deserve to be called Black) pastors who channeled their inner Uncle Ruckuses and held a rally in support of HB2 probably at the behest of their GOP paymasters.

They recited the same tired line that LGBT rights aren't civil rights.  Naw fools, they are.  And what's even more problematic is you sellouts haven't sopped to consider that HB2 wipes out ALL human rights law in North Carolina, not just 'the gays and t******s"'
.
Honorable mention number four is Rep Louie Gohmert (R-TX)  who continues to ensure not only that he is the undisputed champion of GOP idiots, he never fails to miss an opportunity to embarrass Texas on the national stage.   Here's his latest unhinged rant that states his opposition to homosexuality because gay astronauts can't reproduce in space.

Hey, I'm just reporting it...




Honorable mention number five is Gail Heriot, the member of the US Commission on Civil Rights who got called out for her transphobia by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA).

It's sad that this transphobe is sitting on the US Commission on Civil Rights in the first place.


This week's fool is indicted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), for not only filing the unjust lawsuit that he doesn't have standing to file BTW, but doubling down on the Texas GOP peddling of transphobia by refusing to answer the question if trans children exist.

Really?   I guess Jazz Jennings and all the trans kids in Texas and around the country are just figments of a liberal-progressive's imagination?

You and the Texas Republican party are why our proud state can't even go a day without some idiot from your party embarrassing us simply by opening your mouths every time a camera is rolling.

And BTW AG Paxton, shut up fool! .

Rep. Lofgren Calls Out A Transphobe

For us to eventually win World War T, we will need to have the help of allies who abhor oppression as much as those of us who are experiencing it firsthand.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren, who sits on the House Judiciary Committee. called out a transphobic witness during the committee meeting.  That transphobe, Gail Heriot, unfortunately sits on the US Commission of Civil Rights and Rep. Lofgren took exception to her problematic testimony   .

This was the section of Ms. Heriot's testimony that Rep. Lofgren objected to and read aloud during the Judiciary Committee meeting.

"If I believe that I am a Russian princess, that doesn’t make me a Russian princess, even if my friends and acquaintances are willing to indulge my fantasy. Nor am I a Great Horned Owl just because — as I have been told — I happen to share some personality traits with those feathered creatures"
-Gail Heriot

Rep. Lofgren made it clear that she couldn't let that comment be entered into the record without being challenged and told committee chair Rep. Steve King (R-IA) that very point.

"I’ve got to say, I found this rather offensive," Lofgren announced after reading Heriot's transphobic statement. "It says to me that the witness really doesn’t know anything and probably has never met a transgender child who is going through, in almost every case, a very difficult experience finding themselves."

And here's the video of that exchange. with Heriot and Rep. King..

.

Jessica Shuts Down A Transphobic Bigot

This happened on a March episode of CNN's  Dr Drew, but take notes peeps.   This is how you blow up and shut down transphobic bigotry.  None of that 'acknowledge the fear' bullshyt we tried and failed to defend HERO with, it's time to gut punch these fake faith based idiots and make them engage in sputtering defenses of their transphobia.

The best way to shut them down is to interrupt their ability to spout their well rehearsed talking points.  Gotta throw them out of their comfort zone, and having to try to spin anti-trans lies in front of a person your unjust policy negatively affects and is calling you and your org out about it is nerve wracking for them.  

Jessica Taylor does a fantastic job of it here.  I' m looking forward to the day when I get and other non white trans people get our opportunity to do so because it's just a matter of time before I right wing enemies deploy the kneegrow sellout pastors and we are the best equipped people to take them on.

But enjoy Jessica taking on the FRC's Peter Sprigg.

 

Historical Trans Firsts Are Important To Note For Our Community

Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history."--Dr. Carter G. Woodson


I was in a Facebook discussion talking about the historic Philippine election win of Geraldine Roman to the Philippine Congress when someone went on a rant about not caring about what she called 'fake firsts'.

This white trans person then continued to say it was a waste of time to talk about who was the first trans person to do X thing, and you know I had to call that crap out quickly.

Knowing your history is never a 'waste of time' as this person put it.  It is a vital component of not only building community, but building pride in being a trans person and tracking the progress of our movement in changing the culture..

Knowing who was the first documented trans person to be elected to a state legislature (Althea Garrison, 1992), or the first out trans person to have a New York Times best selling memoir (Janet Mock) is important not only for trans elders to know, but to inspire our trans kids.

When you have elements of society trying to erase your very humanity, eviscerate your civil rights and violently erase your existence, you much do everything to build self esteem and pride in your trans youth so they don't lose hope and start feeling that their only way our is to commit suicide

Knowing that we have trans people who have and are making history, are making positive contributions to society and are doing so today  is critical.in building the self esteem and pride that not only builds community, it is a factor in helping reduce suicide rates.

So yes, historical trans firsts are important and necessary to track and remember not only here in the US, but around the world.
.