Shut Up Fool Awards - Gwen Araujo Murder 14th Anniversary Edition

October 4 was another sad anniversary in our community.   It was on October 4, 2002 that trans teen Gwen Araujo was murdered at a party she attended in Newark, CA by four men, Jason Cazares, Michael Magidson,  Jose Merel and Jaron Nabors after they discovered she was trans feminine.

After killing Araujo at the party and the party attendees not reporting the crime, the four perpetrators of Gwen's murder drove four hours to a spot where her body was wrapped in a blanket and buried in the Sierra Nevada mountains.

The burial site was eventually discovered after Nabors, as part of a voluntary manslaughter plea deal and an 11 year jail sentence, took Alameda County investigators to that site and a promise to testify against the other perpetrators of the murder.

The trans panic defense was deployed in the September 2004 trial by the defense attorney in the case and the prosecuting attorney unleashed a transphobic comment that negatively affected the trial.

Magidson and Merel were convicted and sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for second degree murder.  Cazares, after two juries deadlocked on his fate, pleaded no contest to manslaughter in a plea deal that sentenced him to six years in jail.

The Araujo case did result in 2006 legislation restricting the use of the trans panic defense in California.    Gwen's name was posthumously legally changed at the request of her mother Sylvia Guerrero.   The case also inspired the June 2006  Lifetime Movie A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story.

So after dropping that history, let's move on to our usual Friday business of calling out fools.

Honorable mention number one is everyone in the media and pundit class who claimed Mike Pence won the Vice Presidential debate Tuesday on 'style points'.

Give me a frakking break.  Lying 70 times and refusing to answer questions is a winning stylistic debate strategy?

Honorable mention number two is everyone in the conservative movement who claims that Hurricane Matthew is 'God's punishment for America supporting LGBTQ rights'   If that's the case, why is Matthew headed toward Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. and previously smacked Jamaica and the Bahamas?

Honorable mention number three is to FOX Noise's Jesse Watters for his racistly offensive segment that FOX Noise promoted as 'humorous'.  The tone deaf segment introduced by Bill O'Reilly (no surprise there either) has been called out by everyone from the Asian American Journalists Association to Asian politicians and pundits.

And you conservafools wonder why Asian Americans are overwhelmingly voting Democratic these days.

Honorable mention number four is Republican VP nominee Mike Pence, for just pick any of the 70 loud and wrong lies he told during Tuesday's debate.

Honorable mention number five is Rudy Giuliani for a double dip of idiocy.  First for saying on ABC This Week that a woman shouldn't be president, then denying he said it, and then claiming along with Christ Christie that Trump was a 'genius' for being a taker and not paying his taxes..

Honorable mention number six is The Weather Channel's Jen Delgado, who while reporting on Hurricane Matthew striking Haiti claimed that the deforestation in that country was caused by hungry children eating the trees 

FYI Jen, the Haitian deforestation is driven by wood being used as an energy source, not people dining on trees.

Girl bye, and have several sections of seats in Stade Sylvio Cator in Port -au-Prince and shut up with that facts free idiocy.

Honorable mention number seven is a group award for One Million Haters Moms, the faux faith based conservafool group made up of just a few thousand men.  They called for another boycott targeting retailer H&M for having a trans woman in their latest ad campaign.   They mistook Muay Thai boxing champion Fatima Pinto as trans while Hari Nef, the actual trans woman in the ad, floated right under their transmisogynist radar.

Yo conservafools, this is what a trans feminine model looks like.    

Honorable mention number eight is for Colorado Republican US Senate candidate Darryl Glenn. Video recently surfaced of this conservakneegrow saying at a 2015 event that 'pregnancy from rape is a gift from God'

What is it with these Republican men and these idiotic rape comments?  And as you probably guessed, the Glenn campaign is cricket chirping silent about it.

Well, we know who Colorado women will be voting for when voting starts in the Centennial State, and it won't be for him.


This week's Shut Up Fool winner is Pope Francis.  

Don't know why some of you in LGBT World think this man is liberal progressive when all he has done since replacing Papa Nazi is continued his predecessor's and the Roman Catholic Church's war on trans people.

This week Pope Francis added to a long list of ridiculous anti-trans rhetoric he's uttered since becoming pontiff by accusing Western countries that tolerate trans people of  'ideological colonization', then doubled down on it.

Really Pope Frank?   Me and the trans community didn't ask for yours or the Roman Catholic Church's loud and wrong opinion on trans gender people with is based on anti-trans lies Paul McHugh told y'all in 2003.

I don't want tolerance anyway.  I want like every other trans person on this planet unconditional acceptance of the reality and my human rights protected by the laws of our various nations we live in.

My humanity and the humanity of my trans siblings is not up for the discussion or theological debate at the Vatican or anywhere else on this planet.

Pope Francis, shut up fool!

Laverne Cox Starring In The Rocky Horror Picture Show' On FOX October 20

I've attended a few showings of the cult film classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show, including a memorable Halloween one not long after I moved to Louisville in September 2001.

Usually when I hear about people talking about remaking classic films, I'm of dual minds about it leaning more toward the 'leave it alone' camp.   I have seen remakes in which they have done a great job in remixing the original story like the Samuel L Jackson Shaft, and  sometimes they do a /WTF were you thinking?' job and completely screw up a classic.

So while I'm waiting for Laverne Cox to show up on my TV screen in the CBS legal drama Doubt, just in time for Halloween I and America will get the chance to see Laverne in the role of Dr Frank-n-Furter in the Rocky Horror remake being broadcast on FOX October 20.



In addition to Laverne, Tim Curry will also be in this Kenny Ortega production as the narrator.  This Rocky Horror remake also stars Victoria Justice, Ryan McCartan, Adam Lambert, Christina Milian, and Ben Vereen.

The reviews of the trailer so far have been good, and I'm looking forward to checking it out, since I'm not only supporting my homegirl, I'll definitely need something to watch on TV besides the Trump-Pence ticket lying all the way to Election Day.

 The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Lets Do The Time Warp Again will be broadcast on FOX .

India's Now Reporting The News In The UK

Some interesting news (pun intended) coming from across The Pond about a British TV news reporter for ITV who has transitioned at age 51 and by doing so, has according to a report in The Mirror become the first out trans television reporter in the UK.

India Willoughby was a longtime reporter familiar to millions of viewers on the ITV Borders regional news program.

But as many trans people are all too familiar with, she was unhappy not living as her true self, and in 2010 started taking the evolutionary steps in becoming the person she is now.

She changed her name and quit her dream high profile television presenter job at ITV to transition. She spent the next five years working in Newcastle for a public relations firm.  After her GRS last year, she decided she wanted to get back into television news, and was hired by ITV Tyne Tees.

She has no plans to go back on air, but she's happy with the person she sees in the mirror now and wouldn't be opposed to one day be reading the news on air again as India.

And hope that happens for you sooner rather than later.
 

Happy Sweet 16th Birthday Jazz!

Today is the Sweet 16th birthday of one of our amazing trans teen advocates in Jazz Jennings!

What can you say about someone who has been an eloquent voice and human rights warrior for our community since the ripe old age of six, has authored two books, and has a hit reality TV show that we're hoping gets renewed for its third season?

And I'm glad to have had the pleasure of meeting this amazing young woman.

Yep, our baby has been growing up in front of ours, Jeanette's and the world's eyes and still isn't done yet, and it seems like just yesterday we were being introduced to her by Barbara Walters on 20/20..

Happy Sweet 16th Birthday Jazz!   Can't wait to see what the next chapter in your young life brings .

TransGriot 2016 NFL Picks-Week 5

We're now past the first quarter of the 2016 NFL season and my fave NFL ballers are not only sitting atop the AFC South Division with a two game lead, I increased my lead at the one quarter of the season mark over Mike to four games.thanks to a 9-6 Week 4 as Mr. Watts had a sub-500 week.

There are only three unbeaten NFL teams left.  The defending champion Denver Broncos ar 4-0 at this point and a surprise to be here at this point.   In the NFC the two unbeaten teams are also surprises in the 3-0 Philadelphia Eagles and the 4-0 Minnesota Vikings.

And in the NFL news of the week that the entire New England region cares about, Tom Brady is coming back at quarterback for the Patriots after his four game suspension.

And I feel sorry for the 0-4 Browns who look like at this point in the season they are cruising to another number one draft pick.

Let me get to this week's NFL picks   Four teams on on their bye week in the Jaguars, Chiefs, Saints and Seahawks so we get to pick only 14 games this week.

The Jaguars and Colts played last week in London, but the Colts elected to take their bye week in Week 10 and not this week.  We'll see if that decision kicks them in the behind as a result.

For those of you who love this weekly feature, y'all know the drill.  Teams I'm picking to win are in BOLD print, home team in CAPS.  Mike's Week 5 picks will be available to view via this link to his blog.

So let's get ready to rumblllllle, er prognosticate.

2016 NFL Week 4 Results                                   2016 NFL Season Record

TransGriot  9-6                                                      TransGriot    40-23
Mike           7-8                                                      Mike             36-27
Eli                ---                                                      Eli                  ---

Thursday Night Game
Cardinals over 49ERS

Sunday Early Games
Texans over VIKINGS
Patriots over BROWNS
Eagles over LIONS
COLTS over Bears
DOLPHINS over Titans
RAVENS over Washington
STEELERS over Jets

Sunday Afternoon Games
Falcons over BRONCOS
COWBOYS over Bengals
RAMS over Bills
RAIDERS over Chargers

Sunday Night Game
PACKERS over Giants

Monday Night Game
PANTHERS over Buccaneers

Service For Cheryl Courtney-Evans October 12

The life and legacy of our pioneering trans sister Cheryl C. Courtney-Evans will be celebrated on Wednesday, October 12 at the Vision Church of Atlanta starting at 12 PM EDT.

The Vision Church of Atlanta is located at 704 Ormewood Ave SE. in Atlanta, GA

Following the service, the repast will take place at the Phillip Rush Center Annex, located at 1553 DeKalb Ave NE, also in the ATL.

The repast will be a potluck, and the request is being made for people who plan to attend to bring a dish to share with other.  

A request is also being made for people to bring their favorite photos of Cheryl to contribute to a photo memory wall that will be set up at the repast.

If there's any additional information, I'll pass it along to you as I receive it..

Selena MAC Collection Is A Hit!

If you don't think the Latinx community still doesn't have mad love for all things Selena, here's more evidence they do.

Was checking out a picture from my homegirl Chelsea Noriega posted on her Facebook page of the line in a Boston store where she and countless other people are waiting to purchase items from the MAC Selena Collection which went on sale in the stores that sell MAC Cosmetics stores today

The MAC Selena Collection lunched September 30 in Selena's hometown of Corpus Christi, TX, and went on sale online the next day.   I'm not surprised about hearing it sold out online in its first day of availability.

The MAC Selena collection was a collaborative effort of MAC and Selena's sister Suzette Quintanilla, who wanted the collection to reflect the bold makeup choices her sister made and effortlessly pulled off.

The three lipsticks in the collection are named after Selena songs.  The dark red one is Dreaming Of You, the light red is Como La Flor, and the dark brown is Amor Prohibido  

 It includes two eyeshadows, a purple one named Selena. and a pink one called Fotos Y Recuerdos, and the Techno Cumbio.blush duo that's part of the collection comes in Ven Conmingo and Blunt

"I wanted the colors to be about her personality, what she wore on and off stage," said Suzette Quintanilla about the collection.

MAC is working now to restock to satisfy the customers disappointed that they couldn't get the collection when they attempted to purchase it online.

And judging by the line from the location where Chelsea took the picture, MAC will probably have to do some major restocking of stores across the country over the next few days as well..

H/T Chelsea Noriega for the photo.  And yes, Chelsea got her Selena MAC collection items 

Will We See Any Trans Homecoming Queens and Kings This School Year?

Since it's now October, it's about that time that high schools across the country in this 2016-17 school year have their homecoming games. The highlight of that week and at that halftime game is the announcement of the persons selected by a student body vote as homecoming queen or king .  .

Was happy to see the historic win last school year of Landon Patterson in Missouri as her school's and the state of Missouri's first ever trans feminine homecoming queen.

Hope Landon is thriving in her post high school life, and if you don't think that her winning homecoming queen was a BFD, keep reading.



It was obviously a BFD enough for the reprehensible Phelps Phamily to show up and picket at Landon's school   

I'm thinking about it in the context of the post DOE/DOJ Dear Colleague letter that states that discrimination against trans students is prohibited under Title IX and eleven Republican controlled states immediately suing to keep having the ability to do precisely that.

While we in Trans World keep getting legal wins that are emphatically stating that discrimination against trans students violates Title IX, we're still going to have some transphobic bigots and fools that will try it.

That's why it will be even more important to see a trans masculine and trans feminine student walking away with their schools homecoming king or queen crown this year and I'm wondering where will this particular trans history will be made next?

It's not only a milestone for that particular student that gets selected by their classmates for that honor, it also signals trans human rights progress to the wider world.

It also signals to the transgender student that their fellow students recognize and respect them for who they are.

Yo One Million Moms, This Is What A Trans Feminine Fashion Model Looks Like

Was chuckling to myself when I saw the story in the UK based Pink News about the right wing hate group One Million Moms (actually 3500 men)  who are trying to start another failed boycott against a retailer they accuse of being too trans friendly.



H&M has a new 'She's a Lady' ad campaign featuring several diverse women of all ages and body types modeling different styles of clothing.

One of the women involved in this campaign is female Muay Thai boxing champion Fatima Pinto, who One Million Haters transphobically misgendered and attacked.

But while I'm chuckling about the loud and wrong One Million Haters reactions, this is in reality a serious issue that I, other trans people and our allies have been talking about for some time in terms of trans misogyny not just affecting trans women.

The One Milling Haters peeps were so busy focusing their faux faith based transphobic ire on Ms. Pinto that they completely missed model Hari Nef, who was also featured in the ad.

Far too often the unwoman meme is not only aimed at transgender women, bit it is aimed at cisgender women, and especially cisgender women of color like First Lady Michelle Obama, Serena Williams to demonize any woman who doesn't fit the stereotypical feminine societal mold

This also points to something else I've talked about on this blog and elsewhere in terms of not only the beauty of non-white women being demonized. it also plays into for trans women the far too often a stereotypical and media perpetuated 'that's a man' assumption of what a trans woman is or isn't supposed to look like.

Let's start with the Trans 101 basic tenet that trans women are women.  Once we start taking estrogen, doesn't take us long to look the part.  Some of us when we start hormone replacement therapy also got the genetic luck of the draw and morphed into very attractive and beautiful women.

That reality makes some of us who did get the genetic luck of the draw and are model height to get the call from the fashion world to strut the fashion runways of New York, London, Paris  Milan and Tokyo.

And FYI One Million Haters and everyone who shares their less than enlightened views about girls like us, trans women walking runways, gracing the covers of magazines or participating in multimillion dollar ad campaigns is not a new phenomenon.  

We've been doing so since the 1960's, and the long stylish line of trans models has continued into the 21st century.

FYI since y'all are woefully ignorant about the topic, here are just a few glamorous examples of what trans feminine models actually look like.

Meet the lovely and fabulous Geena Rocero.  And yes as someone who has met her, she's even more beautiful in real life.

And this is another trans model in Carmen Carrera

Another longtime trans model in Isis King

And just to rub it in some more, still another trans model in Andreja Pejic.

Noticing a pattern here?   Trans women's body types and shapes are as varied as our cis feminine counterparts, and all are beautiful in their own way.

That's why the long stylish line of trans models has been in existence since the 1960's, and will continue no matter how much unhinged ranting One Million Haters does.

'Stacey's Not A Girl' Indiegogo Campaign Has Four Days Left

I've talked about the book Stacey's Not A Girl and the Indiegogo campaign to raise $9,000 to get the book published.

Thanks to all of you who shared my post, the link to Colt's site, the link to the book's Facebook page , who preordered it, or just for supporting this effort to bring this book to life, I'm happy to report that with four days left the Indiegogo campaign has hit and exceeded its target.

Thanks to all of you who contributed toward making that happen, and if you still wish to chip in something toward the publishing costs or order the book, please do so.    

Two Federal Courts Rule Trans Students Are Protected Under Title IX

While we Texans await the results of an appeal to a case being heard by Reed O'Connor, a GW Bush appointed transphobic judge, the human rights of trans students got a major boost with two recent federal court victories in Ohio and Wisconsin.

It's also another clear example of pointing out who you elect as president matters because the POTUS selects the people who sit on the federal bench.

Increasing numbers of victorious court cases have found that transgender students are protected from discrimination under Title IX, including being forced into separate bathrooms.

Both cases involve trans students and bathroom access and these students trying for years to get the school districts to do the right human rights thing before turning to the court system. .

In Ohio, US District Judge Algenon L. Marbley (Clinton appointee) ordered that the Highland Local School District allow an 11 year old transfeminine student known as Jane Doe to use the girls restroom just like any other girls at her elementary school.

Judge Marbley found in a 45 page opinion that denying Jane Doe use of the restroom consistent with her gender identity violates Title IX.

The school district, which covers parts of Delaware, Knox and Monroe counties,filed the suit in June opposition to the DOE/GOJ Dear Colleague letter and lost.  The attorney for the district have of course, appealed the ruling.to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

The Sixth Circuit is considered the most conservative leaning in the country, and this ruling holding up in it would be huge.

In the other trans friendly court ruling in Wisconsin, US District Court Judge Pamela Pepper (Obama appointee)declined to dismiss the federal discrimination lawsuit filed by Ash Whitaker and ordered the Kenosha Unified School District to immediately allow 17 year old student Ash Whitaker to be allowed to use the bathroom just like any other boys in his school.

Pepper found that KUSD had violated Title IX denying Ash the ability to use facilities consistent with his gender identity would cause him irreparable harm.  She recognized the emotional, physical and emotional harm that the  discriminatory KUSD policy had inflicted on him.

It was wonderful news to hear about these trans court victories in Ohio and Wisconsin.  These cases are giving us hope in Texas that the courts in the Fifth Circuit will eventually wake up and recognize that trans rights are human rights, and that it's not okay to discriminate against trans students. ,

Daliah Husu Tells Her Story In Her Book 'I Am Woman'

Over the years I've read and have a few autobiographical books by trans people sitting on my bookshelf telling their stories like Caroline Cossey's My Story, Christine Jorgensen's autobiography, and Janet Mock's Redefining Realness.  I'm looking forward to reading Being Jazz and getting it autographed by her the next time I see her and reading Willy Wilkinson's book Born on the Edge Of Race and Gender. 

Telling our stories in print and book form is also an important way to not only combat the right wing demonization of our trans lives, but point out we are part of the diverse mosaic of human life.

One of the people I've been getting to know is author Daliah Husu.   She was born in the Dominican Republic, moved here to the US at age 8, and in her memoir  I Am Woman, Surviving The Past, The Present & The Future she recounts her bumpy journey to womanhood and coming out still standing.

She's now happily married to her hubby Ruben (happy first anniversary!), and is one of our up and coming advocates.  I'm looking forward to finally meeting her soon.



Her book is available for purchase on Amazon.com or at her daliahhusu.com website, and looking forward to reading it.

She Sure Is Prepared To Be POTUS

No matter how much some people irrationally hate on her, let's be real about this salient point concerning Sec. Hillary Clinton.

She is the most qualified candidate we have had in my lifetime to become president of the United States.   She has been the First Lady, a twice elected US Senator for New York, and the former Secretary of State under President Obama

She is light years more qualified to be the POTUS on January 20, 2017 than that bigoted, sexist failed businessman with orange hair.   She's also light years far more qualified to be president than the so called alternatives like Gary Johnson and Jill Stein.

The major reason people (and it's predominately conservative leaning white males) hate her is because she's a woman.  And for those of you on the conservative side who will claim what I just wrote is not true, no boo boo kitties, it is.

The Green Tea Parties on the left who snipe at her have been predominately repeating right wing talking points to do so, and manu of them doing the hatin' from the left are third party advocates.

Y'all can hate on Sec. Clinton all you want, the reality is she is the only person standing between Donald Trump and the White House.  I'll be proud to vote for her on October 24 (the first day of early voting in Texas) and call her Madame President

She's Your Sister, Not Your Competition

I was watching the interview on Sunday that Cheryl Courtney Evans gave with Raquel Willis in January.   During the third part of it she talked about an aspect of Black Transfeminine World that has bothered me and a few other woke trans women for a while in terms of the reluctance of elements of our transfeminine community to collectively work together in order to advance rights for all of us.

Cheryl's thoughts on it, and I agree with her, is that the problem stems in the different paths we used to evolve to be the people we are.  

While some of us had the gender epiphany and transitioned while out and about in the world at different times like I did, some of us came from the drag and pageantry world, some came from the ballroom community, and some of us came from the escort world.

I'm aware of those other paths that people took to become the people they are today and I ain't mad at them for doing what they felt they had to do at that moment to become the people they are today, but those paths have caused problems in our efforts to build sisterhood in our ranks.

The reason why I'm saying the drag, pageant, ballroom and escort worlds have caused a problem with building sisterhood is because the common thread in all of those worlds is competiton.

In the escort world you are trying to compete with other girls to make your money to keep a roof over your head and food in your belly.  In the drag world you're competing against other girls trying to make those tips to help pay your bills. In the pageant world you are competing to try to win that title and the cash prize that comes with it.

And in the ballroom community you are competing against each other to win categories for cash prizes and trophies.  The other common thread in all those competition scenarios is that every year, as girls transition at earlier ages, they are indistinguishable from cis females, which ratchets up the 'It's all about me' mindset another level as younger girls enter those worlds.

I'm not saying that sisterhood and friendships aren't formed in these worlds.  They are.  What I'm focused on, and I'm repeating this so there is no misunderstanding about where I'm going with this, is that the competition mindset elements of us have marinated in in those worlds has pitted us against each other far too often.  It can and has reared its ugly head at times to the point where outside observers of our Black transfeminine ranks have this impression that Black trans women can't work together.

That competition mindset we marinate in doesn't lend itself to a situation like building community and fighting for your human rights, in which cooperation is the name of the game and not competition.   It's something that we need to be conscious of and work diligently at to build trust among the various groups

And we need to do it quickly.  This community is in an situation in which we are taking on a coalition of transphobic haters comprised of the Republican Party, white fundamentalists, sellout kneegrow pastors, conservative media pundits, the TERFs, elements of the Roman Catholic Church and the Southern Baptists.

Their mission is to eviscerate trans people from public life and must be resisted with every fiber of our beings and collective power we can muster.

So I and other woke trans women need to know that when we take these fools on, you're not looking side eyed at us out of jealousy or whatever issue you have with us and petulantly sitting out this round because you have an issue with a certain person.  We need you at that moment to have your sisters backs, not be stabbing us in the back.

We have bigger enemies to our existence in transphobic legislators, lying conservative pundits, faux faith based preachers or the kneegrow sellouts trying to throw us under the bus for their own selfish gain.   So you can hate on me and the woke trans women doing the human rights work all you want.

But when we are in Defcon 1 Fight The Power mode, we need 100% effort from you and your head in the game to defeat the existential threat to all of us.  When the crisis is passed, then you can go back to throwing shade if you wish.

As Janet Mock has said, there is room for all of us to shine.  There's also plenty of work that needs to be done across the country in different activism lanes for the collective advancement of our Black trans feminine community.   Your time will come to be in the spotlight, and when it does, I and your sisters will be cheering for you from the sidelines.  I will also be the first one to hug you and sing your praises in this blog when the time comes for you to get that deserved recognition.

It's past time we transitioned from a Darwinian survival mindset and into the cooperative sisterhood building mindset that we will need in order to successfully do our part in this trans human rights fight.

We are Black trans women.   When we put out minds to it and handle our business, we can accomplish anything we desire.  It's just we are more powerful when we do so together in a coordinated fashion.

Remember, she's your sister, not your competition.

2016 Vice Presidential Debate Tonight

It was clear to myself and other observers when it was over that Sec. Hillary Clinton spanked Donald Trump's incoherent behind in the first presidential debate.

So as we move toward the one and only debate between vice presidential candidates Sen. Tim Kaine (D) and Indiana Governor Mike Pence (R), the stakes are high for both sides.

This is also another historic debate moment in that we will have the first ever Asian-American journalist as a moderator for a national presidential or vice presidential debate in Elaine Quijano of CBS.

She's also at age 42, the youngest to do so since Judy Woodruff was tapped at age 41 to moderate a 1988 debate, and the first from a digital media outlet

And yeah Debate Commission, I repeat, your selection of debate moderators needs to be more diverse.

As they step onto the debate stage at Longwood University in Farmville, VA  Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine will have the job of keeping the momentum going that Clinton seized with her debate performance in front of 84 million viewers.   Republican vice presidential nominee Pence will have the job of trying to calm the nerves of distressed Trump supporters and stop the political bleeding unleashed by his out of control running mate.

Both Kaine and Pence in addition to introducing themselves on a national stage, will also have to demonstrate they will be capable of running this nation should the president become unable to perform their elected duties.

That's a concern for some voters because the presidential candidates at the top of the ticket if elected will be the oldest (Trump at 70), and second oldest (Clinton at 69) when they are inaugurated on January 20, and both vice presidential candidates are in their 50's

The viewing record for a vice presidential debate, just in case you're wondering about it, is 70 million viewers, which was set during the 2008 debate between Sarah Palin and Joe Biden, which may not be in any danger, but you never know.

Vice presidential debates over the last few presidential election cycles from 1976-2008 according to Gallup don't affect the overall race much,   The average they affect the polls have been about one point.

Bu the possibility of a memorable moment can happen as the 1988 vice presidential debate demonstrated. When Sen. Dan Quayle tried to compare himself in that debate to President John F. Kennedy, Sen. Lloyd Bentsen responded, "Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy, I knew Jack Kennedy, Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine.  You are no Jack Kennedy."



There was also this moment in the 2012 vice presidential debate in which Vice president Joe Biden as part of his demolition of Rep. Paul Ryan unleashed the "Oh, now you're Jack Kennedy" line at his challenger.



Will there moments like that in this 2016 vice presidential debate?   You'll have to tune in to find out.  
The fun begins at 8 PM CDT

Love Your Black Trans KIds

One of the things that I have been angry about in my Black community is the disturbing pattern of a cadre of Black parents when their child reveals to them they are trans, negatively react by throwing them out of their homes.

It is a problem so pervasive that 13% of homeless transgender kids in the US are African-American, and that needs to stop.  I was cognizant of in it the late 70's when I was a teen debating whether to tell my own parents about my desire to transition.

It's a pattern I prayerfully hope is finally changing thanks to Black parents of trans kids who believe the best way to deal with a transgender child is envelop them in love and raise them, not kick them out on the street.

Research shows that trans kids having supportive parents can have a profound positive effect on trans kids,and it stands to reason that if they are happier in childhood, they will grow up to become happier well adjusted adults.  

I have been pleased to see in the last few years more Black trans parents at events and conventions in which parents of trans kids gather.

I have much love and respect for DeShanna Neal, who is raising an amazing trans feminine teen daughter in Trinity, who is telling her story in this ESSENCE article.   I was also pleased to see J.R. Ford, one of the trans dads who is speaking out about raising a trans child in this video.

I was thrilled to discover during the recent Gender Infinity Conference I attended that more Black parents are supporting their trans kids and not throwing them on the streets and starting to step up to leadership roles.

I was introduced during Gender Infinity to Gail Levein Barnett, who sits on the Houston PFLAG board and has a trans daughter.

I also met during the conference Jodie Patterson, who is raising her trans son Penel and talked about it during her keynote speech.

I also met other Black parents of trans kids at Gender Infinity and others during this year who have told me they not only love and support them, it's past time for the transphobic ignorance aimed at them and trans people of all ages in our Black community to immediately end.

I agree with them on that point.  Black America, it's past time for you to stop listening to anti-trans talking points that came from white fundamentalists, being regurgitated by your ministers cooning it up for conservacash and conservative media attention and other ignorant know-nothings.

And yes, in a world in which right wing politicians are ramping up anti-trans hatred for their own political gain, it's even more imperative that we see more Black parents of trans kids and their allies on the front lines defending our trans youth from legislative and rhetorical attack.

It is past time for Black America to unconditionally love their trans children, not revile them.  It's also imperative that we Black trans adults shower our trans kids with love and support our Mama and Papa Bears raising those kids.   As the possibility models for those trans kids, if we don't love and support our trans kids or the parents raising those trans children, who will? 

I am willing to help my people accomplish that mission by working with the parents of trans kids to point out they exist, do what I can to support them, and relentlessly point out the humanity of our trans children is not up for debate or discussion.

If you believe that the children are our future, as the classic lyrics of the song 'The Greatest Love Of All' states, and claim you love our children, then by extension, Black trans kids are included.

The Battle For LGBTQ Non Discrimination Policy Panel Tomorrow

I always love it when I get a chance to come back to my alma mater for panel discussions, and tomorrow I'll on the UH campus taking part in one sponsored by the University of Houston College of Social Work, Texas Rising UH/ Texas Freedom Network and the UH LGBTQ Resource Center.

It's the middle portion of a series of events focusing on LGBTQ issues and intersectionality, with a screening of the documentary The New Black closing it out on October 11.

It opened with a September 27 event discussing 'Gender Identity and Social Justice' that featured Dr Colt Keo-Meier and Becca Keo-Meier.

The panel discussion I'll be a part of is entitled 'The Battle For LGBTQ Non Discrimination Policy', and includes Houston GLBT Caucus President Fran Watson, Brad Pritchett of the ACLU of Texas, and Caucus vice president and advocate Michael Webb .

We'll be talking about the fight for LGBTQ inclusive policies, the pushback against them, and what we can expect when the 85th Texas Legislative session starts in Austin in January.

It will be in Room 110J the UH College of Social Work building next door to Agnes Arnold Hall, and I'm looking forward to seeing as many people as possible there for this discussion.