So How Did You Spend Your Friday?

My Friday turned out to be a busy one.  

Dee Dee and I joined a group of our fellow Houstonians at 2 PM CST who protested Lt. Governor Dan Patrick when he was invited by Houston Crime Stoppers to their dedication and ribbon cutting for their new headquarters building named for longtime Houston TV news anchor Dave Ward.

While we were respectful to other speakers including Dave Ward, who all of us grew up watching and is a beloved media icon here, we had no such love for our oppressive lieutenant governor, and we let him have it when he stepped to the mic.

He was visibly disturbed when we booed him and yelled 'Flush SB6' and 'No hate in the Lone Star State" among the other slogans we yelled at him while he was at the podium.

We obviously got on the nerves of someone besides Dan Patrick,   A white male attendee walked over to our protest group standing on the sidewalk off the property to complain we were 'ruining the occasion'.   I said in response "The time is always right to talk about human rights" while others in our group pointed out before HPD pulled him way from us that if Crime Stoppers wanted a drama free ribbon cutting, they shouldn't have invited the polarizing lieutenant governor of this state to speak.

Once that event was over, I went a few blocks north up San Jacinto Street downtown to the Harris County civil courts building on Caroline Street to watch the investiture ceremony in the packed ceremonial courtroom on the 17th floor of my good friend Ursula Hall, who is now judge of the 165th Civil Court.

She was elected in the wave of Democratic judges we swept into power when we flipped Harris County blue on November 8.   Many of those newly elected judges were in attendance at her investiture ceremony that started at 4 PM.

The Hall family in Houston is well respected in Black Houston.   Her father Anthony Hall, Jr, was a Houston city councilmember who ran and narrowly lost a 1978 US Congressional race to succeed Barbara Jordan to Mickey Leland.  

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis were just two of the local political luminaries who spoke at her investiture ceremony.

The ceremony had me in tears at one point, and Judge Halls' speech had a line in it that I have been pondering ever since I left it and returned home.:  '

"To whom much is given, much is required."

It was a joy to watch someone I have known for years and has served as a Houston municipal judge finally get elected to a state bench and I was happy to be there to witness it.

That's how i spent my Friday.   What did you do on yours?

Why Texas' SB 6 Is An Unjust Law

You have probably heard a lot about SB 6, the so called Women's Privacy and Business Protection Act sponsored by Sen Lois Kolkhorst at the behest of Lt Governor Dan Transphobe Patrick that I call the Texas Transgender Oppression Act.

The reprehensible clone of North Carolina's HB 2 was recently introduced by Kolkhorst and Patrick to oppress Texas trans people and use them as a vehicle to strip the ability of Texas cities to write human rights laws that protect their citizens.  

I have called SB 6 an unjust law, and here ate the reasons why I am adamant about that and will continue to do so until it is dead.

We have as of this time and in this 85th Texas legislative session no out trans people who are elected representatives in the Texas House or the Texas Senate where this bill is originating  

SB 6 was specifically compiled to dehumanize, denigrate and oppress a group of Texans in transgender people that the Republicans have committed to in their party platform to oppress.

SB 6 was compiled with no input from the Texas transgender community, and they have ignored our pleas for them not to do so.

SB 6 because it punitively attacks a minority group, is a law that degrades the personalities of Texas transgender people and does not uplift their humanity, and that makes it in Kingian terms, unjust.

SB 6, by forcing trans people to use locker rooms and bathrooms that don't match their gender presentation as a way to dehumanize them and subject them to further societal abuse and possible anti-trans violence, is also unjust because it takes away an individual's or a group's freedom, causes real harm to transgender Texans and causes chaos instead of harmony 

SB 6 is unjust because frankly, would Sen Kolkhorst obey her law and go to the men's room when she presents and lives in society as a female?   If you Senator, are not willing to do what you are attempting to compel Texas transgender women to do, then your proposed law is unjust

SB 6 is an unjust law that would, as already has been proven in North Carolina, cause economic harm, negative tension, damage its tourism industry, and dehumanize transgender people

SB 6 by multiple measures is not only an unjust law, but it must die in this session and never again be brought up for consideration.

Been Nominated For 2017 Houston Pride Parade Grand Marshal!

During the unveiling event for this year's Houston Pride logo and the theme for this year's parade,they also announced the names of the people who are the finalists for the Male,, Female and Ally parade Grand Marshals.

Being named as a Grand Marshal of the Houston LGBT Pride Celebration is among one of the highest honors bestowed by the Houston’s LGBT community. Individuals and organizations nominated for Grand Marshal have made significant achievements for LGBT rights and have made considerable contributions to the LGBT community at large.

They also once they are officially voted in, get to ride in the nice cars at the start of the parade and wave to the crowds along the now downtown parade route.  Our parade is also a nighttime parade because it happens in late June and it can be rather warm here at that time of year..

Last year I marched in the Houston Pride Parade for the first time ever with the OLTT trans Latinas, and this year, I was nominated as a Female Grand Marshal finalist. for the first time.  Lou Weaver has been nominated for the second time for Male Grand Marshal finalist with the voting to start in two weeks .

Both of us have a shot at making some Houston TBLGQ community history.    If Lou wins he would become the first ever trans masculine Houston Pride Parade Grand Marshal  

In my case, if elected, I'd become the first ever Black trans feminine Grand Marshal, the third trans feminine one after Phyllis Frye (2006) and Jenifer Rene Pool, (2012) and the third Black female one after Carolyn Mobley (1993) and Fran Watson (2016)

Congrats to everyone who was nominated for Houston Pride Grand Marshal this year.   Will keep you TransGriot readers updated on whether or not I make that history and when the voting starts for it.                      

2017 Williams Watch -It's A Williams Sisters Aussie Open Final!

The 2017 Australian Open is the first Grand Slam tournament of the tennis season, and for the first time since 2003 ,the Williams sisters will be facing off against each other for the title.

We Black folks in the States think this is a BFD, but if you ever wondered how this news is playing out across the rest of th African Diaspora, check out what a Nigerian based TV station is saying about the looting championship match starting at the 1:13 mark.

Venus had the tougher match to get to final, facing giant killer Coco Vandeweghe, who took out defending champ Angelique Kerber

She hadn't dropped a set enroute to this semifinal match with Vandeweghe, but after the first set got away from her in the tiebreaker , she rebounded to break Vandeweghe and cruise  to a 6-2 win to even the match, and then uncorked several aces enroute to taking the third set and the match.



Venus wins it 6-7 (3-7), 6-2, 6-3 to punch her ticket to the final and shots at her first Australian Open title and eight Grand Slam title overall

Meanwhile Serena was facing off against surprise semifinalist Mirjana Lucic-Baroni of Croatia, and she took only 50 minutes to cruise to a 6-2, 6-1 straight set victory and set up she and Big Sis first clash in a Grand Slam final since the 2009 Wimbledon.

She hasn't dropped a set in this tournament, and  Little Sis will not only be playing for her seventh Australian Open title and her 23rd career Grand Slam title win  but if she wins will reclaim the world number one ranking.because of Kerber's early exit from this tournament.

Going to be fun to watch this one at Rod Laver Arena on Saturday.

'Trans Scripts, Part 1 The Women' Now Playing Until February 5

While I was at Creating Change, the opening performance of the Paul Lucas written play Trans Scripts, Part 1:  The Women debuted on January 19.

It is an original play crafted by Lucas and directed by Jo Bonney from interviews conducted with 75 diverse people from six continents around the world who identify as trans.   Those 75 trans people varied in age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, educational level  and age at transition and sheds light on our stories.

It's also wonderful to note that the American Repertory Theater is producing it.

The play also features several trans actors playing these roles that includes Eden Lane, Bianca Leigh, MJ Rodriguez, and Marlo Bernier just to name a few of the people in it.
For people who have seen the play at the Loeb Theater Center on the Harvard University Campus, , here are their reactions to it.



For of you in the Boston metro area, you still have time to see Trans Scripts and check it out before February 5

2017 Williams Watch -On To The Aussie Open Semifinals!

My fave tennis playing siblings are just one match away from meeting each other in the Australian Open Finals for the first time since 2003.  They are also the only seeded players left standing in the women's singles bracket as we reach the Australian Open women's Final Four.

The other thing we can pop our collars about as American tennis fans is that we are guaranteed of at least having one American woman in the final, since three of the four player remaining are Americans.

Two of the three Americans left are the Williams Sisters who for once are on opposite sides of the bracket.

13th seeded Venus has rolled through her side of the bracket without dropping a set, and it didn't hurt that some major seeds that were in that half of the bracket fell, including tournament number one seed and world number one (temporarily) Angelique Kerber.

Big Sis in her quarterfinal match beat Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in straight sets 6-4 7-6 (7-3) to punch her ticket to the semifinals against fellow American Coco Vandeweghe, who took out another seeded player by beating 7th seeded Garbine Muguruza of Spain  in straight sets 6-4, 6-0.

Meanwhile on the other side of the bracket number 2 seeded Serena handled her tennis business against number 9 seed Johanna Konta of Great Britain, who until she faced Little Sis was on an impressive Australian Open run of her own.

Konta not only hadn't dropped a set enroute to this clash with Serena, but had sent to the Aussie Open sidelines number 17 seed Caroline Wozniacki and 30th seeded Ekaterina Makarova to get to face Serena for the first time ever.

Serena dispatched her in straight sets 6-2, 6-3 despite having a subpar for her service game while breaking Konta four times at critical points in the match.

And who will Serena play next?   It will be Croatia's Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, who upset 5th seeded Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to make her first Grand Slam semifinal since Wimbledon 1998.  

Serena is playing not only to win her 23rd Grand Slam title and her seventh Australian Open, but with a win in this tournament, she would regain the world number one ranking.   Venus would be should she knock off Vandeweghe, playing for her first Australian Open title.

Well, y'all know who I want to win on Thursday.   Let's hope we get to see it happen and we get treated to another Williams Sisters Grand Slam final.

Lois, Stop Lying About Your Transphobic Bill

In the latest version of #AlternativeFacts Texas Style , Sen. Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham) tried to tell the lie that SB 6, or as I call it The Texas Transgender Oppression Act  is 'not about the transgender ' or aimed at us.

Bull feces.   The Texas Republican Party has made hating transgender people part of their 2016 party platform, so yeah, it IS about us.

Oh, you didn't hear about that?   Lois just to refresh your memory since you, Dan Patrick, Ken Paxton and your party are busy up in Austin wasting our tax dollars and legislative time in this session oppressing trans people.

Ahem, from the 2016 Texas Republican Party Platform:

Gender Identity — We urge the enactment of legislation addressing individuals’ use of bathrooms, showers and locker rooms that correspond with their biologically determined sex. 

This anti-trans plank was in the section of the Republican Party platform entitled Educating Our Children:

Facility Utilization-We support public school facilities such as restrooms, locker rooms and showers being reserved for the use of students based on biological birth gender. 

So yes, Lois, you and your party are pushing anti-trans oppression, and you need to stop lying about it.  Transphobic discrimination is not a Texas value, and is such a bad look for you.

It may also result in loss of your Senate seat.  Ask Debbie Riddle and Gilbert Pena how well attempting to oppress Texas trans people worked for them in their respective 2016 House reelection bids.

'This Is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous' Movie Trailer

One of the things we are going to need now more than ever during this Trump regime is trans people telling their stories in the media.

Gigi Gorgeous and I crossed paths when I was in San Francisco to accept the award I received at the GLAAD Gala last September.  While she was slaying the red carpet, I was quietly observing everything that was going on with a wine glass in my hand and Angelica Ross at my side for that moment knowing that my moment to shine was coming later.

Our opportunity to meet each other didn't happen because after my GLAAD Gala speech, it was my turn to have folks surrounding me to chat, congratulate me for the award and getting my thoughts about the looming election. so unfortunately an opportunity for me to meet, talk and get to know her was lost.

If it's meant to happen, we will cross paths again.

Frankly I didn't know much about the 24 year old Canadian YouTube star and model until that evening.  Once I returned home to Texas I hit Google and started doing the research about her and her transfeminine journey.   It was fascinating watching some of her videos and learning that she had a following of over 1 million subscribers on YouTube since she started her channel in 2008.

 

Now YouTube Red is about to release a documentary on her entitled This Is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous that tells the story of Giselle Lazzarato's trans journey, and here's the extended trailer for it.



In the movie she talks about how YouTube became her therapist and journal where she posted her thoughts, and also discussed her thoughts about being denied entry into Dubai last summer because of her trans status.

The documentary debuts in select theaters on February 3 and on YouTube Red February 8

So Bernie, Stein and Johnson Voters, Enjoying The Presidency You Enabled?

So Bernie, Stein and Johnson voters, after four days of this disastrous presidency that is worse than I even foresaw, I have one question for you.

Do you still delusionally think that Hillary Clinton is 'worse than Trump'?

Hey, Clinton, her supporters  President Obama and yours truly tried to warn y'all before November 8, but y'all were all into your foaming at the mouth Hillary hate and your fee fees.  Well, your irrational hatred of her and third party votes are going to cost us all the progressive progress we've made

You had the right to vote third party and cast your votes however you wished to do so.   But 2016 was not the year for a protest vote or trying to dismiss what Hillary, President Obama and others were saying on the campaign as 'scare tactics'.

And if you're upset because I'm once again pointing out y'all are responsible, and especially if you lived in a swing state for enabling this disgusting presidency, too damn bad.

Well, after four days of this Trump misadministration, are you scared for this country now?.

Melania Doesn't Get Any Love From Me Either

I'm starting to see people in liberal progressive world wanting to give Melania a pass for being married to and repeatedly dissed by Twitler.

But just like her reprehensible hubby, Melania's not getting any love from me, especially after TransGriot reader Vanity Wilde pointed me to this April 20, 2011 interview on the Joy Behar Show in which Melania went all in like her hubby on the birther attacks on President Obama starting about the 1:52 mark of this interview..



Kinda ironic that the same POTUS she attacked back in 2011 was the one classily rescuing her from that real time embarrassing situation broadcast around the country and the world when her deplorable hubby dissed her on Inauguration Day.

So naw Melania, you're NOT my FLOTUS either  You gets no love from moe or my people for attacking the legitimacy of the twice duly elected President Obama.

You wish you could be a FLOTUS who could walk in Michelle's double Ivy League degreed pumps.

So for the next four years, you don't get any love from me either.

My #CC17 Post Convention Thoughts

I'm now back in the Houston area after spending a few days at this year's edition of the Task Force's Creating Change Conference in Philadelphia.  It was a 29th annual Creating Change that up until about two weeks before it happened, I was seriously thinking about after attending the last three consecutive Creating Change events in Houston, Denver and Chicago and being part of the Host Committee for #CC14 not coming to Philadelphia for #CC17.

Philadelphia also happens to be a city that is near and dear to my heart, because I received my 2006 IFGE Trinity Award  here and I've been since 2013 in the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection for two LGBTMedia events (2013,2015) and two Philly Trans Health Conferences in 2012 and 2016.

The drama filled experience in Chicago along with the jacked up protest of the NBJC Black Institute I called out later (and I'm still pissed about) was part of the reason I was reluctant to come this year.

Because of the Trans United Fund event, the TUF leadership meeting scheduled during #CC17 and being asked by NBJC's Isaiah Wilson to participate in this year's The Black Institute, that finally pushed me into the 'I'm attending it 'ranks along with TUF Board Chair Hayden Mora telling me my voice, thoughts and attendance were needed and necessary.

And I'm glad I did.  I also got to destroy a few Slurpees in the process since there was a 7 Eleven right across the street from the convention hotel.

On my ATL-PHL flight I ran into Dee Dee Chamblee, who was seated ten rows from me.  I stepped off the Delta plane after our 5:35 PM arrival but lost track of her.  After collecting my checked bag I ran into a group of students from Portland who were eagerly here for CC17 at the Terminal D SEPTA train platform.

After getting off the train, I immediately headed to the hotel room that Angelica Ross and my Houston homegirl Nikki Loyd were sharing to drop off my bags before heading to the TUF meeting we were having at the host hotel to finalize some last minute planning or the fundraising event at Philadelphia City Hall.

When I walked into that Marriott Downtown meeting room with Angelica and Nikki and saw my trans siblings from around the country and as I found out the world in Mat and Tiana from Zimbabwe, it was a reminder why I come to conferences and events:. I go to see old friends like Danielle King and meet new ones like Daye Pope.

With me now going into my 19th year of award winning advocacy for trans people in addition to being the founding editor of a now 11 year old award winning blog, the days of me walking around any convention space for longer than ten minutes incognito are long gone.

I ran into Sunnivie Brydum and a friend of hers moments after taking that post meeting photo with the TUF peeps, and while trying to get to the DoubleTree to get my bags so I could go check into the Hilton Gardens where I was staying, immediately ran into Cecilia Chung.

After running into her, tried to tip past the bar area where folks were congregated and ran into many friends there like my fellow Texans Omar Narvaez, Ashton Woods and the lovely Geneva Musgrave, and ran into Isaiah at the exit door.  I also ran into several students who recognized me from different speeches or who were fans of TransGriot that night and over the next several days.  

While I was waiting to sort out a problem with my Hilton Gardens reservation, Louis Mitchell spotted me while walking past the hotel from a late night food run and kept me company until it was resolved.

The love I got enveloped in while walking the CC17 host hotel over those next several days didn't hurt either, especially in light of the fact that we were literally in the last two days of the Obama presidency and about to see the dawning of a Trump presidency hostile to us.

The Thursday Trans United Fund event at the Philadelphia City Hall on Thursday evening was chock full of symbolism.

I thought about the fact that we were owning our political power as trans people in the city in which the Declaration of Independence was crafted and signed at Independence Hall several blocks away from where our event was taking place with a trans pride flag on the flagpole outside the building.

We were comprised of amazing trailblazing leaders in their own rights like Melissa Sklarz, Sharron Cooks, Danni Askini, Andrea Jenkins, Bamby Salcedo, and Mama Bear DeShanna Neal with her lovely trans feminine daughter Trinity. Some of the brothers were also there in support like Sean Coleman and Rev. Yunus Coldman

It was also great seeing Philadelphia's LGBT Liaison Nellie Fitzpatrick, Cathy Renna and getting to have all those conversations with the attendees during that fundraising event.   It was also wonderful to finally meet and get to talk to Danni Askini in the flesh after years of doing so on FB.

TUF was also holding this event on the last night of the Obama Administration, who will go down in American and TBLGQ history as the best president ever on trans issues.

Since my job during CC14 in Houston was to be co chair of the committee helping put together the People of Color Hospitality suit, I'm always interested in seeing how other Creating Change host cities accomplished the task of setting up their hospitality suites in preparation for the next time Houston gets to host Creating Change.

Once I was done with my portion of the NBJC Black Institute morning programming, I headed to the POC, Bi-Panfluid, Transgender and Elder suites that were located on the sixth floor of the hotel.  

In the Bi suite I ran into Stacey Langley, new Bi-Net president Lynette McFadzen (who I met and roomed with during CC15), and other amazing folks in those Thursday and Friday excursions up to the suites.  

We aren't always talking politics in those hospitality suites.  The conversations can also be about pop culture discussions to blood family acceptance or lack thereof.   Some CC17 attendees are playing cards or board games as they wait for breakfast, lunch or dinner to be delivered to the suites.  

And yes, for you CC vets, they are still vegan.

Speaking of dishes, nice segue into moi dishing out in the Transgender Hospitality Suite a trash talking filled dominoes butt kicking to a New Jersey based activist who has promised me he'll be ready for me when #CC18 roll around.

Good luck with that Kwame.   Love ya and enjoyed our conversation, but Mama Moni still has dominoes skills that will be sharpened over the next 11 months.

You've been warned BTAC and every other conference I get to attend in 2017.  Be afraid.

The Elders suite had a TBLGQ Philadelphia history display set up.  I ran into during my visit to check it out Barbara, one of the trans elders I met during my LGBTMedia13 visit to Philly at the John C Anderson LGBT apartment building for low income LGBT seniors.

Barbara was one of the local volunteers staffing it, and it was wonderful reconnecting with her again..

But the best part of any Creating Change event is being able to not only talk to the elders that preceded me in paving the way for my generation of TBLGQ activists, but the young people for who this is their first Creating Change, who see you as their elder, and get the intergenerational conversations going that we need to have happen.

I had an interesting discussion on Friday with one CC17 attendee who let me know she'd been reading TransGriot since she was 12 years old.   I had more than a few people stop me in the halls during my time there who recognized me either from the blog, previous events, conferences or panels and tell me how much they loved TransGriot, dropping some knowledge in a panel, or appreciated me doing the necessary work to advance our shared human rights struggle.
 

Friday morning Rebecca Kling, Brynn Tannehill and I  talked to two of Bear Bergman's students about the trans rights movement and our parts in it.  Bear later sent me a message about how excited they were to meet us and went on about it for hours.

I was supposed to leave Saturday, but the fog at PHL airport that hugs the Delaware River killed that and forced me to stay an extra day at Creating Change, something I wasn't disappointed about.  But because of my travel back and forth from the host hotel to the airport, I missed the local Women's March that some of the CC17 attendees participated in and Sharron spoke at.

I also got to spend some more quality time with my Birmingham based sister Daroneshia Duncan, who graciously let me crash in her hotel room since I'd checked out of mine at the Hilton Gardens earlier that day..

After dinner at Chili's, swinging by the Boomers Dance with Daroneshia and sitting in the bar area chatting with various people until nearly 2 AM, I reluctantly left the Marriott Downtown host hotel for the last time to get a little sleep for my rebooked 7:35 AM departure back to Houston via the ATL

That meant no Sunday closing plenary or brunch for me this time.

Thanks Philadephia Host Committee for putting together a wonderful event.   I'm glad I came.  Coming to #CC17 helped me realize once again all the positive reasons why I have loved this conference ever since my first one in Oakland back in 1999.

I'm eagerly anticipating being at the 2018 edition of it in Washington DC. Hopefully by that time CC18 happens I'll be able to go to the African American History Museum in addition to seeing all of you peeps there again at our TBLGQ family reunion
.

2017 Williams Watch- Rolling To The Quarterfinals

I was a little busy handling some movement business over the last few days in Philly, so I haven't had the chance to sit down and watch much of the Australian Open's first week

The seeds are falling, including the world number one ranked and number one seed Angelique Kerber, who was beaten by Coco Vandeweghe in straight sets.

But I am happy to hear that my fave tennis playing siblings are still kicking butt and taking names on their Melbourne business trip.

When I last checked in number 13 seeded Venus and number 2 seeded Serena had just advanced to Australian Open second round singles matches against Stefanie Vogele and Lucie Safarova, and were waiting to play their first Aussie Open doubles match versus Timea Babos and Anastasia Pavlyuchenko    They withdrew from the doubles to focus on the singles tournament which so far looks like it was a wise decision.

Big Sis sent Vogele packing in straight sets 6-3, 6-2  to set up her third round match versus China's Duan Yingying.   That was also another straight set 6-1, 6-0 victory to propel her into the fourth round against German qualifier Mona Barthel, who knocked off Rio Olympic singles champion and 29th seeded Monica Puig.  

Venus prevailed 6-3, 7-5  to punch her ticket to the quarterfinals against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova  for a spot in the semis against the Muguruza-Vandeweghe winner

Little Sis was also holding it down on her side of the Australian Open bracket.   After sending Safarova to the sidelines with a straight set 6-3, 6-4  victory, she beat fellow American Nicole Gibbs 6-1, 6-3 to advance to a fourth round match against 16th seed Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic.

Serena dispatched Strycova 7-5, 6-4 after a tough match to set up her quarterfinal match with Great Britain's Johanna Konta.

If the Williams Sisters win their next two matches, they will face each other in the Australian Open finals for the first time since 2003.  Serena also has an opportunity because of the Kerber loss to regain the world number one ranking if she wins the tournament.

Oh yeah, it would also be her 23rd Grand Slam singles title and seventh Australian Open after losing to Kerber last year.

And who won that 2003 Australian Open finals clash?   Serena did 7-6 (7-4), 3-6, 6-4 over her big sister.   That was also the only time Venus has reached the Australian Open final.

They still have some work to do Down Under to make that all Williams final happen.    

Janet Mock's DC Women's March Speech

Our approach to freedom need not be identical but it must be intersectional and inclusive
-Janet Mack, January 21, 2017

While I wasn't there at the DC Women's March and was 139 miles up I-95 away from it in Philadelphia, we did have some trans participation there at it.  

I know Nikki Araguz Loyd attended it along with 500,000 other peeps, and the reports are still coming in from people there and around the country in Trans World who were in attendance or participating in their local events.

Here;s the video and the text of Janet's speech.

So we are here. We are here not merely to gather but to move, right? And our movements, our movements require us to do more than just show up and say the right words. It requires us to break out of our comfort zones and be confrontational. It requires us to defend one another when it is difficult and dangerous. It requires us to truly see ourselves and one another.

 I stand here today as the daughter of a native Hawaiian woman and a black veteran from Texas. I stand here as the first person in my family to go to college. I stand here as someone who has written herself onto this stage to unapologetically proclaim that I am a trans woman-writer-activist-revolutionary of color. And I stand here today because of the work of my forebears, from Sojourner to Sylvia, from Ella to Audre, from Harriet to Marsha.

I stand here today most of all because I am my sister’s keeper. My sisters and siblings are being beaten and brutalized, neglected and invisibilizied, extinguished and exiled. My sisters and siblings have been pushed out of hostel homes and intolerant schools. My sisters and siblings have been forced into detention facilities and prisons and deeper into poverty. And I hold these harsh truths close. They enrage me and fuel me. But I cannot survive on righteous anger alone. Today, by being here, it is my commitment to getting us free that keeps me marching.

Our approach to freedom need not be identical but it must be intersectional and inclusive. It must extend beyond ourselves. I know with surpassing certainty that my liberation is directly linked to the liberation of the undocumented trans Latina yearning for refuge. The disabled student seeking unequivocal access. The sex worker fighting to make her living safely.

Collective liberation and solidarity is difficult work, it is work that will find us struggling together and struggling with one another. Just because we are oppressed does not mean that we do not ourselves fall victim to enacting the same unconscious policing, shaming, and erasing. We must return to one another with greater accountability and commitment to the work today.

By being here you are making a commitment to this work. Together we are creating a resounding statement, a statement that stakes a claim on our lives and our loves, our bodies and our babies, our identities and our ideals. But a movement – a movement is so much more than a march. A movement is that difficult space between our reality and our vision. Our liberation depends on all of us, all of us returning to our homes and using this experience and all the experiences that have shaped us to act, to organize, to resist. Thank you.

***

Thank you Janet for the speech and repping us well (as usual) from the speaker's podium of this historic event.

2016-17 NFL Playoffs -Championship Sunday

We've now reached Championship Sunday, and the last four teams standing with a chance to get to Houston to play in Super Bowl LI at NRG Stadium will be colliding.

I've gone 7-1 in these playoffs picking games with my only wrong one being the Pittsburgh-Kansas City one that was decided by a holding call and failed two point conversion.

Two teams will move on to play for the Vince Lombardi Trophy while the other two will see their season come to a bitter end,

So let's get to it.

NFC Championship

#4 Green Bay Packers (11-7)  vs  #2 Atlanta Falcons  (12-5)  at 2:05 PM CST on FOX

This is a rematch of a Week 8 October 30 class at the Georgia Dome in which the Falcons scored late  on a Matt Ryan to Mohammed Sanu TD pass to edge the Packers 33-32.

The Falcons are coming off their 36-20 playoff demolition of the Seattle Seahawks in which their number one ranked offense shredded the vaunted ;Legion of Boom; while the Packers after building an 18 point lead, needed a clutch throw from Aaron Rodgers and a 51 yard Mason Crosby field goal with 3 seconds left in the game to escape with a 34-31 win over the Cowboys.

The Falcons defense has stepped it up another level, while the Green Bay defense has lost some key players to injury.. This is the last NFL game in the Georgia Dome, and it should be a fun one to watch with two of the best quarterbacks in the conference in Rodgers and Ryan slinging balls all over the field.

But as the saying goes, it's defense that wins championships, and Atlanta's is slightly better than the Packers right now.  Been a wonderful ride for the Pack, but the Falcons are going to close out the Georgia Dome in style.

Falcons to win the George Halas Trophy when this game concludes.  

AFC Championship 

#3 Pittsburgh Steelers (13-5) vs  #1 New England Patriots (15-2) at 5:40 PM CST on CBS

The Steelers didn't score an offense touchdown in their playoff game against the Chiefs, but still won 18-16 thanks to an NFL playoff record six field goals by Chris Boswell.  The Steelers became the first NFL team since the 2006 Super Bowl XLI champion Indianapolis Colts to win a playoff game without scoring a touchdown.

The Patriots got an unexpected challenge from the Houston Texans, whose number one ranked defense hit Brady early and often and only trailed by 8 points going into the fourth quarter until Brock Osweiler became Bad Brock and started throwing interceptions to the Patriots and threw away their chance at a huge upset as the Patriots rolled to a 34-16 Divisional Round victory. .

This AFC Championship game at Gillette Stadium is also a rematch of a Week 7 game in which the Patriots marched into Heinz Field and marched out with a 27-16 win.

The Steelers committed ten penalties in that October 23 game, and one of them wiped out a second quarter TD pass from Landry Jones to Darius Heyward-Bey .They were also missing Ben Roethlisberger in that one to a knee injury as well

He's back for this one , but it probably won't make a difference, especially if the Steeler offense doesn't find the end zone early and often this week.  

Patriots to win this game and the Lamar Hunt Trophy.