Does My Black Trans Life Matter, Pageant and Ballroom Community?

TransGriot Note: The deaths of five Black trans women during the month of February and three during the weekend without  much outcry or chatter from many of the organizations that we intersect and interact with has many of us in Black Trans World doing some hard solid thinking about our place in Black TBLGQ World.

This is a guest commentary from Erica Christian articulating her thoughts about the silence of the pageant and ballroom community about the sisters we've lost and how it's making her feel as a trans woman who has been in and repeatedly shown up for that community

It was originally on her Facebook page, but needed to be signal boosted as a example of the across the board sentiment in Black Trans Feminine World that no one gives a rat's anus about us being slaughtered.

And now,  here's our guest commentator Erica Christian
***

I have decided to be silent and see exactly what my so called LGBTQ national pageantry systems, and ball systems community are going to decide to do about our trans women of color being killed in numbers within a matter of days.

I guess we are nothing to you but a show queen for entertaining you.  An extra letter in the community acronym.  A soft skinned, natural, unclockable piece of fishy/cunty/pussy/woman

What was l thinking?   I'm so f***ing stupid for thinking my life matters in this LGB Community.
At this point, at this very moment, l'm mad as hell and l can't stop crying.  I get up every morning and report to work, advocating, outreaching, connecting, supporting and giving everything of myself to take care of and make a difference in my community that's stricken with poverty, homelessness, HIV/STD infections, without any biases or regret because l love you, and it will always be my purpose in my lifetime.

Yet still l don't matter, nor do the rest of my beautiful transgender sisters of color matter..

How am l supposed to feel? .We are being slaughtered and this is okay for you?

I guess l will continue to do what l have had to do for the past 50 years  Survive the best way possible and continue to live with no expectations, no disappointments.

If you are offended by my statements, please unfriend me.  Oh wait, like it even matters that I'm still alive for now.   Does my Black trans life even matter to you, pageant and ballroom community?
I wonder, would it matter if l was killed or slaughtered because l am a trans woman of color?

God, l ask for guidance on dealing with this pain and sadness.

***

Yes Erica, it does matter.   Your life matters to me, your trans siblings, and all who love you.  But I am interested in hearing and seeing the answer to the question you posed.  

I Repeat. NAACP, Where You At?

Their new ad slogan is 'The NAACP Is Today', but I don't see you addressing the very real issues that transgender people of African descent face today here in the States. If the NAACP is claiming to represent African-Americans, then I respectfully submit that it includes me as a transgender African-American as well. -TransGriot,  June 21, 2008

I wrote these words in 2008, and sadly, I'm still having to ask the same damned question nine years and dozens more deaths of Black trans women later

Yo NAACP, where you at?

We have had seven trans women killed in the opening two months of 2017, with six of them being African American.  The silence coming from the NAACP is not only deafening, but increasingly irritating to the Black trans community.

But if it had been cis Black men being killed at this rate by the po-po's, y'all would be making a beeline for the National Press Club, various media outlets, having town halls across the country to generate nonstop conversation about it, and standing arm in arm with Congressional Black Caucus legislators demanding that Congress act to stem the tide of the violence.

Instead, what we have here when it comes to Black trans women being murdered is cricket chirping silence from the oldest civil rights organization in our community, and that needs to stop.

Where are you NAACP when Black transpeople need you in this time of challenge and controversy to stand up for us?   Are we not Black enough for y'all?  Do our Black trans lives that are being savagely taken matter to you?   Does the fact that many of these trans women being killed are under age 40 even move you to act on our behalf?

So what's up NAACP?  Inquiring minds wanna know, especially in Black Trans World.

Black trans people are Black people.  We are also the Black men and Black women we say we are.  In many cases we fight for our very existence in the same neighborhoods cis Black people live in and we grew up as part of.  We Black trans people are also there when it comes to fighting for the causes that are important to the Black community as a whole,

Now it's past time, NAACP for you to stand with us.

We Black trans folks not only want the NAACP to talk about it, but consistently be about standing up for the humanity and human rights of Black trans folks.  We need y'all as the oldest civil rights organization repping our people being a committed partner at the table doing so like white orgs are starting to do and the National Black Justice Coalition and Transgender Law Center have been.

And if you need info, how about chatting with Black Transwomen, Inc or the Trans Persons of Color Coalition to help start your Black Trans 101 'ejumacation' to craft that message, or even better, hire some Black trans folks to handle that job?

With a hostile administration now assuming power in Washington DC and GOP controlled state legislatures aiming anti-trans legislation at us that will disproportionately harm Black trans folks, the time is now NAACP for you to step up your leadership game on behalf of Black trans people.

So I will ask again the question that many of us in Black Trans World are anxiously awaiting the answer to

When will we see the NAACP step up to the plate and call out the scourge of anti-trans violence aimed at Black trans women in the same way that we see you fearlessly speak truth to power on other issues of importance to the Black community?   .

Do Our Black Trans Lives Matter?

In the wake of the senseless murders of our trans sisters Chyna Gibson, Ciara McElveen and Jaquarrius Holland, Diamond, Dee Dee and I put on our hats as Black Transwomen, Inc board members and got together on Monday night to record a video of us discussing the question do our Black trans lives matter?  .

Yes, they most certainly do,.  Our #BlackTransLivesMatter, and here's what we all had to say about it .

 

'Star' Renewed For A Second Season

While I was more than a little shocked and pissed off to hear that Doubt has been canceled by CBS after only two episodes, I was happy to hear that the other primetime TV drama series with a major trans character in FOX's Star has been renewed for a second season.

While the show is a spinoff of Empire and focuses on an Atlanta based girl group trying to make it in the music business along with all the drama that comes with it in their personal lives, the storyline I have been focused on is the one involving Amiyah Scott's character Cotton and her mother Carlotta, played by Queen Latifah

They have a rocky relationship because of her transition and mom's reluctance to accept that her only child has become her daughter, and each week more of the backstory of both characters is revealed.

There aren't many episodes left in this initial 13 episode run, but looking forward to not only seeing how this first season ends, but picking up on all the storylines in Season 2

BTWI Statement Concerning The Murder Of Jaquarrius Holland

TransGriot Note:  BTWI statement concerning the death of Jaquarrius Holland

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 1, 2017
Contact: Monica Roberts BTWI Media Chair
Carmarion Anderson  BTWI Founding President
855-255-8636  Ext 11
media@blacktranswomen.org

***
We at Black Transwomen, Inc are once again tasked with the sad duty of announcing that we have lost another Black trans woman to anti-trans violence.  The reason we are only discovering that we lost Jaquarrius Holland now is because of media misgendering of her..

BTWI would like to express our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Jaquarrius Holland, and may she rest in power and peace.

Local television stations KARD-TV and KTVE-TV are guilty of an ongoing problem in trans murder cases in media misgendering of trans women.   It results in not only the delayed recognition and response in the trans community of us honoring our lost trans sisters, it is disrespectful to their memory and can delay justice in these cases.

The 18 year old Holland was living in Monroe, LA, and shot to death in the 3900 block of Grammont Street back on February 19 after an altercation around 10:00 PM CST..   Holland was taken to St Francis Medical Center where she was pronounced dead.

Holland is now the seventh reported homicide of a trans person in the US in 2017, the fifth in the month of February, and the sixth African American trans person

There is a suspect in this case, and a warrant for second degree murder has been issued for the arrest of Malcolm Derricktavious Harvey.   Harvey fled the scene after the February 19 shooting and the Monroe Police Department is still searching for him.

If you have an information that will lead to the arrest, conviction and incarceration of Malcolm Harvey, please call the Monroe Police Department at 318-329-2600,

***
Black Transwomen,  Inc  is a national not for profit organization based in Dallas TX  that is part of the Black Trans Advocacy Coalition,  a social justice alliance of the Black Transmen Inc, Black Transwomen Inc & Black Trans International Pageantry System organizations. BTA is committed to the advancement of black and trans people and the liberation of all disenfranchised people by working collaboratively to help end race and gender inequalities  

Rain Valdez Cast In The TV Land 'Lopez' Show

After the weekend we've had, we needed some good news this week in terms of another trans actress has landed a role in a TV series. .

Rain Valdez has been cast for a recurring role in Season Two of the TV Land Series Lopez, that will start airing on the network March 29.

She will play Coco, a pretty and enigmatic actress contracted to a network whose executives don't know how to cast her or even talk to her.   George basically talks to her like any other actress, and eventually offers her a role in his series.

Congrats Rain!   Hope this recurring role turns into something more substantial for you !

Dale Hansen Unplugged- Mack Beggs

Whenever I'm in the Dallas-Ft Worth area and have time to watch the local news there, I tune into WFAA-TV 8 so I can watch Dale Hansen's sports reports and his 'Hansen Unplugged' commentary.  

Yesterday he commented on Euless Trinity trans wrestler Mack Beggs' Texas Class 6A girls wrestling state championship in his weight class and the stuck on stupid UIL trans athletic policy that led to it.

Beggs because of the lack of UIL vision and their transphobia, was forced to despite being on testosterone for his transition and he and his family asking he allowed to wrestle against boys, forced by UIL bureaucrats to wrestle against girls.

That lack of UIL vision led to Beggs undefeated 56-0 championship season that shined a glaring spotlight on how unfair the UIL policy was to all concerned.   It will hopefully lead the UIL idiots in Austin to change it to mirror the more progressive NCAA standards.  

Here's Dale Hansen's commentary on Mack Beggs..

 

Own Your Power - Get Out Of The House

We've lost three trans women in the span of a week and five this month and I can understand why people would feel anxious, scared and reluctant to be out in public. But what can you do short term to push back against the anti-trans violence being aimed at us?

Be visible.

Step outside your homes.  Be visible.  Even if you are just stepping outside for 30 minutes to go to a local store or the mall, taking a short walk in your neighborhood, hanging out with your home girls at some restaurant or coffee shop and go back home after you do so.

Being visible in this case is a trans revolutionary act.   Our opponents and haters want us to be scared to go out and be in public spaces that we have a constitutional and human right to be in.

Don't give in to that fear.  Defy it.

Coming up with the long range strategies, tactics and policies that we'll need to implement to reduce anti-trans violence will be something that we can't do overnight, and falls in the category of a long term project.

We must be cognizant of the reality as trans women that walking around in a female body on Planet Earth will always have issues attached to it and adjust accordingly.  We also have to deal with the reality that because of systemic anti-Blackness, Black womanhood has always been demonized and under attack.

Those are issues that we'll have to work on along with our cis Black feminine counterparts and our allies.  But we can do something right now to take back our power to deal with the anxiety that we feel in the wake of these latest trans murders and it's deceptively simple.

Be out and visible   Be your unapologetically trans self in public, and bump the haters.
 .
This is the best way in the short term you can honor the people we've lost to anti-trans violence.  

BTWI Statement Concerning The Murder of Ciara McElveen

TransGriot Note: The Black Transwomen, Inc Statement concerning the death of Ciara McElveen

***

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 27, 2017
Contact: Monica Roberts BTWI Media Chair
Carmarion Anderson  BTWI Founding President
855-255-8636  Ext 11
media@blacktranswomen.org

Black Transwomen, Inc like the community, is just becoming aware of the tragic death of our fallen sister Chyna Gibson, and we awoke on Monday morning like members of our community to hear the unbelievable news that another trans women was killed in New Orleans' 7th Ward.

Ciara McElveen was stabbed seven times in the 1700 block of Columbus Street and left for dead when the NOPD found her after responding to a call at 9 AM CST.   She was taken to a nearby hospital where she died from her wounds.

BTWI would like to express our deepest sympathy to her family and all who loved Ciara for her loss. We hope and pray that the person responsible for her murder is caught, prosecuted and is convicted of this heinous crime.  If you have information that will lead to that happening, please call Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111 or 1-877-903-STOP (7867).  

This makes her the second trans woman killed in New Orleans in the span of 48 hours, the third this week, the fourth in the month of February and the sixth nationally in 2017.

And the infuriating point to us at Black Transwomen Inc is that all four of the trans women killed in the month of February are African-American transpeople.

We at BTWI are just as fed up with this pattern of anti-trans violence aimed at our sisters as those of you who care about our Black trans feminine community.

Our motto at BTWI is Every Voice Matters.   When a trans person's voice is stilled, we are going to ensure that their voice and the voices of all Black trans women are heard in this and other cases when it comes to our lost sisters until justice is served.  

Rest in power and peace, Ciara

***

Black Transwomen,  Inc  is a national not for profit organization based in Dallas TX  that is part of the Black Trans Advocacy Coalition,  a social justice alliance of the Black Transmen Inc, Black Transwomen Inc & Black Trans International Pageantry System organizations. BTA is committed to the advancement of black and trans people and the liberation of all disenfranchised people by working collaboratively to help end race and gender inequalities   

Introducing Black T Magazine!

TransGriot Note:  I have a column in this ground breaking publication.   This is my first article for it.
When I started TransGriot with a midnight EST post on New Year's Day 2006, it was the first online publication that focused on the issues of Black trans people.

Eleven years later I'm pleased and proud to have been asked to participate in my small way in the launch of another online publication geared toward our community in Black T Magazine.  I have been asked by founding editor Dezjorn Ray Gauthier to write a monthly column for this online magazine.

One of the things I have lamented is that we haven't had an outlet that talks about trans masculine stories from a Black trans masculine perspective.   While my trans brothers know they are always welcome to submit guest posts at my blog, it's not the same as having one that is a FUBU production and designed with you in mind.

Dezjorn saw the same media coverage void for trans men of color I did and decided to fill it by   founding Black T Magazine.   And what better time to start it than during Black History Month?

Said Sabrina Samone about the founding of Black T Magazine:

Our warriors of African, Latin, and Asian descent, are far too often placed on the back burner of visibility, even in our own community. It is due to this struggle that he has recently responded to the call of Trans masculine men of color around the world, in creating 'Black T Magazine'. A magazine that is sure to greatly further the much needed representation of black Trans men. 

Black trans men are an undeniable intertwined part of our Black community and have played major roles in building our trans community.   Pioneers like Wilmer Broadnax and Jim McHarris who unapologetically lived their lives. Early trailblazing trans masculine leaders like Alexander John Goodrum, Marcelle Cook-Daniels and Kylar Broadus who helped pass laws and shape activism in our community  You;re tech entrepreneurs like Dr Kortney Ziegler,  Attorneys like Holiday Simmons.  Models like Laith Ashley

The brothers of Black Transmen, Inc and their founder Carter Brown who are role modeling the change they wish to see in this world    Faith leaders like Rev. Lawrence T. Richardson and Louis Mitchell    Your African Diaspora brothers like Victor Mukasa who battled the Ugandan government to be himself .

Even your trans masculine brothers who are happily married and raising kids are doing your part to show the world that being out, Black, trans masculine and proud is a radical act , we have a right to exist and live our lives just like everyone else on this space rock.

You continue to show each other and the world that you are not stereotypical images of Black manhood but strive to be better for yourselves and our community as a whole.  

And I as your trans sister love you for being those sterling examples of Black masculinity.

While I'm honored to have a column here, I'm not forgetting the fact this is your magazine to tell your stories.  The world needs to hear them, and you need to support Black T magazine so it can accomplish its mission of talking about trans masculinity from your perspective.

 

Rest In Power and Peace, Ciara McElveen

At this point I'm pissed off.

I just went to a memorial service yesterday here in Houston for Chyna Gibson, and I woke up this morning to news of another NOLA trans woman being murdered.

Our fallen sister's name who was fatally stabbed there mere hours after Chyna Gibson was shot and killed Saturday in New Orleans East is Ciara McElveen.

She was found in New Orleans' 7th Ward after New Orleans police responded to a call at 9 AM CST at North Claiborne Ave and Columbus Streets.

NOPD arrived in the 1700 block of Columbus Street and discovered McElveen suffering from multiple stab wounds   She was taken to a local hospital where she succumbed to her injuries.

According to a witness, McElveen was arguing with the driver of the vehicle being sought in this killing.  The driver got out of the car after reaching across to the driver's side, opened the door, pulled McElveen out by her head, slammed her face into the ground and then drove off.

She is the second trans woman in New Orleans to be killed in the last 48 hours, the fourth this month, the third nationally in the span of a week and the 6th overall in 2017.

And as you probably guessed, the initial reporting misgendered her.

McElveen had no family members in the NOLA area, and according to NOPD spokeswoman Dawne Massey, NOPD is still conducting interview with witnesses and friends of hers,

NOPD is looking for a car, possibly a black Camaro in connection with this murder . If you have further information on this case that will lead to the arrest and convictions of the people who did this, please call call Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111 or 1-877-903-STOP (7867).

I will be keeping you updated about the details concerning this latest murder until an arrest, prosecution and conviction happens for the person who took Ciara's life..

Rest in power and peace, Ciara,   Your community will not rest until justice is served in this case.

We Black Trans Women Stand Up For Everyone - When Will People Stand Up For Us?

One of the things that was said during the emotional memorial service we held in Houston for Chyna Gibson Sunday was a comment that had some profound truth backing it.

Diamond Stylz in her comment to the assembled Montrose Center crowd was this: "We Black trans women are there for everyone's movements.  We're there for gay people.  We're there for the women's march.   We're there for Black Lives Matter.   When will people be there for us?"

Indeed, that is the question for these Trumpian times.  We Black trans women stand up for everyone and their human rights.  When will you begin to consistently stand up for ours?  When will people consistently be there for us?

We Black trans women are walking examples of intersectionality. We are an undeniable part of the Black community.  We are part of the TBLGQ one. We are part of the Black SGL community We are trailblazing women doing our part to uplift all the communities we intersect and interact with.

If there is a human rights cause or struggle out there, you can count on Black trans women to practice what we preach about intersectionality and be on the front lines with you.

Whether it's at Ferguson, MO and elsewhere with Black Lives Matter, speaking from the women's march stages in DC and elsewhere. march for a woman's right to choose, at a anti-police violence rally, speaking at a memorial service, or any cause that requires us to be there in solidarity with our people, we're there to not only lend our voices to it, but in some case we will step up to lead or organize it.

But when we Black trans women need you to stand with us on issues important to our community, far too often many of you are MIA.

Black trans women are catching hell from multiple angles.  We have people hating on us because we are transgender . We have people hating on us for having the audacity to exist.  We have people hating on us because we are unapologetically Black.  We have people hating on us because of our #BlackTGirlMagic.  We have people hating on us because we are walking this planet in feminine bodies.

But despite that, we rise, survive and thrive as proud Black trans women.   But we're not superhuman. We're facing near genocidal levels of anti-trans violence aimed at us, and it is going to take a village to help us stem the tide and stop it.   Four of the five trans women killed due to anti-trans hate violence in 2017 have been African American, and three of the four murdered this year have been under age 40.

That's unacceptable to us.  It should be just as important to the cis Black community and all the communities we intersect and interact with that Black trans women get to live long, healthy and productive lives as it is a Prime Directive imperative for us.

So where y'all at Black community?  When will elements of you peeps in the faith community stop cooning it up with right wing politicians and white fundamentalist Christians gleefully using the Bible to attack our humanity?

When will you, NAACP, Urban League, and other traditional Black civil rights orgs step up and loudly and consistently call out the injustice aimed at Black trans women?

When will you cis Black trans attracted men get over your shame and guilt issues, stand up, and boldly proclaim to the world you love and stand with trans women?  

Cis Black women, when will you call out the unacceptable level of violence aimed at us and help us do the ongoing work of building sisterhood in our ranks that will be required to stem the tide of it?

Black politicians at all levels of government, when will you step up to the plate to use your political influence and bully pulpits as President Obama and former Attorney General Loretta Lynch did while in office to call out unjust legislation aimed at us and author just legislation and policies that will help us?

Black SGL community, when will you call out your fellow peeps in LGBTQ World and let them know that shadily attacking trans people is unacceptable, and diligently work to eradicate transphobia in our community ranks?

When will you Black community, make it clear that demonization of Black trans people will not be tolerated inside or outside our community?

We're anxiously awaiting in Black trans feminine world your answer to all those questions.

My Sisters, I Want You To Grow Old

It's a subject I've talked about twice in the over 10K posts on the blog, and the deaths of two thirtysomething Black trans women just days apart from each other has me thinking about it again.

Growing old and celebrating birthdays  beyond your 35th one as a Black trans feminine person..

We've heard that statistic about the average age of a Black trans person being age 35, and much of it has to do with the unacceptable levels of anti-trans violence aimed at us.

While there are some things that we can do on our end to help ensure we reach advanced birthdays, much of the heavy lifting in this case is going to have to be done by our society.

It is past time for people to stop attacking the humanity and existence of trans people.   We're not going anywhere, so y'all need to get over it.   Our trans lives are not subject to political or theological debate.

We exist.  Deal with it.  We are part of the diverse mosaic of human life.

That means that it's not acceptable behavior for you as a cis male to hurt maim or kill us if you happen to find out that the attractive woman that you got a hard on for in the club or as she was minding her own damned business and going about her day is transgender.   .

It also means cis women, that it is not acceptable behavior,just because you are jealous of that trans woman who is getting more male attention than you, to set her up for a hate crime by shadily whispering 'that's a man' in some brother's ear.

My sisters, I want you to know what it's like to be my age, Tracie Jada O'Brien's, Justina Williams', Gloria Allen's or Miss Major's age.   I would love to see some of y'all with gray hair. or how fab you will look when you hit 35, 40 or 50.   I want to see how your fab trans lives evolve,   I can't be a mentor to you if I don't have you around to pass down your history and some of my life experiences to.as was done for me by my trans elders

I want my Black trans sisters to be able to age gracefully, have and experience the amazing lives I know they are capable of having.

I want to see you grow old.   Is that too much to ask for, society?    

The 2017 Shut Up Fool Lifetime Achievement Award Winners Are..

It's that time again TransGriot readers!

The weekly TransGriot Shut Up Fool Awards are one of the more popular features on my now 11 year old blog, and since 2010, I have been on Oscar Night handing out an SUF Lifetime Achievement award to the person, persons or group of people who have just made it their mission in life to show the world just how stupid, clueless and arrogantly ignorant they are.

In 2011, I expanded it to five people every year.  Last year, in honor of TransGriot's tenth anniversary, I named ten honorees, and due to the explosion of fools, it'll be at ten honorees for the foreseeable future.

Enough jibber jabber, let's get to the business of adding another group of fools for their lifetime achievements in coonery, buffoonery and WTF level hypocrisy. .

And the members of the Shut Up Fool Lifetime Achievement Awards Class of 2017 are...

The envelope please..

The SUF Class of  2017 is

Donald Trump
Jeffrey Lord
Carl Paladino
a group award for the Bernie or Busters
Milo Yiannopoulos

Texas Lt Governor Dan Patrick
Sen Ted Cruz (R-TX)
Pat McCrory  
Jill Stein
Richard Spencer 

All Trans MSNBC Panel Discusses Trans Rights Under Trump

Here's something interesting that occurred during Saturday's edition of AM Joy that was guest hosted by Jonathan Capehart  An all trans panel discussing trans issues

For those of you who missed it,  here's Chase Strangio, Mara Keisling and J Mase III discussing trans rights in the Trump era

BTWI Statement Concerning The Gibson Murder

TransGriot Note:  The Black Transwomen, Inc statement concerning the murder of Chyna Gibson

***

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 26, 2017
Contact: Monica Roberts BTWI Media Chair
Carmarion Anderson  BTWI Founding President
855-255-8636  Ext 11
media@blacktranswomen.org

BTWI is horrified to learn that mere days after we have communicated our dismay, shock and anger over the killing of Keke Collier. that we must now discuss the murder of another trans woman

Chyna Gibson had gone home to New Orleans to like thousands of other people, celebrate Mardi Gras and be with her family during that festive time.  

Instead, she was brutally murdered.  Shot ten times and left to die in the parking lot of a New Orleans strip mall.

BTWI would like to express our condolences to Chyna's family, friends and all who loved her.  She was well known in the pageant and ballroom community as Chyna Doll Dupree, and she will be missed.

Rest in power and peace, Chyna

We are also asking that if you have information that will expeditiously solve this murder and lead to the arrest, conviction and incarceration of the person who committed this heinous crime, to please call NOPD Homicide Detective Robert Barrere at 504-658-1111.  You can also call Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111 or 1-877-903-STOP (7867)

Chyna's trans life that was tragically cut short matters, as did the lives of Keke Collier, Jo Jo Striker, Mesha Caldwell and Jamie Lee Wounded Arrow.   We at BTWI 'are tired of the anti-trans violence and hatred aimed at us and now at our trans kids by the Trump Administration.

We exist.  Our trans lives matter to ourselves and all who love us. BTWI will do our part to fight for the humanity and human rights of Black trans women and our Black trans kids to ensure they live quality lives.

***

Black Transwomen,  Inc  is a national not for profit organization based in Dallas TX  that is part of the Black Trans Advocacy Coalition,  a social justice alliance of the Black Transmen Inc, Black Transwomen Inc & Black Trans International Pageantry System organizations. BTA is committed to the advancement of black and trans people and the liberation of all disenfranchised people by working collaboratively to help end race and gender inequalities  

Rest In Power and Peace, Chyna Gibson

I just wrote a post about trans woman Keke Collier being killed in Chicago earlier this week, and now I'm having to announce that we have lost another trans sister in Chyna Gibson

New Orleans Police responded to a call Saturday night around 8:26 PM CST in the 4300 block of Downman Road and found the body of the 31 year old Gibson lying in the parking lot of the Bella Plaza shopping center in New Orleans East between two vehicles in front of a clothing store.

And as usual, at least one NOLA news station, WWL-TV misgendered her.

She had been shot multiple times and was pronounced dead on the scene.  Gibson is now the fifth US trans woman murdered in 2017, all women of color.

She was well known in the ballroom community as Chyna Doll Dupree, and the New Orleans native had gone home from California to celebrate Mardi Gras.

NOPD Homicide Detective Robert Barrere is in charge of the investigation, and can be reached at 504- 658-1111 if you have any information concerning this murder.

The Orleans Parish coroner will be releasing further details about this case.

What also has me upset about hearing about this latest murder just down I-10 east is that last month a YouTube video surfaced of two cisgender males harassing and hunting trans women in the New Orleans area.

You can also call Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111 or 1-877-903-STOP  if you have information that will lead to the apprehension of the person or persons who committed this crime.

Rest in power and peace, Chyna.    We will not rest until the person who did this is brought to justice and rotting in a jail cell.

Mack Beggs Is The Texas Class 6A State Wrestling Champ!

Good luck Mack!.  Hope you leave the area with a historic state title win, and next year the UIL comes to its senses and allows you to wrestle against boys as you wish to do.
-TransGriot

And the first part of that statement is exactly what happened.

Mack Beggs is the 2017 Texas Class 6A state wresting champion in his 110 pound weight class after winning his girls championship match 12-1 against Chelsea Sanchez of Katy Morton Ranch HS to cap off an undefeated season.

That's not a typo.   The Texas Class 6A Girls state wrestling champion in his 110 pound weight class.

The 'Mack Attack' would have rather done so in the 6A boys division and been on the Trinity HS boys team.   UIL policy forces Texas trans athletes to compete based on the birth certificate gender marker and not their gender presentation.  

They denied the Trinity HS junior his request to compete in the boys division, and the result is the lousy no-win optics for him, his fellow competitors, and the UIL as he rolled through an undefeated 56-0 season to a state title.

Mack is also on testosterone as part of his gender transition, and that was also permissible because Mack was taking it for medical reasons, and his testosterone was below the allowed limit.

The UIL is still trying to defend the indefensible transphobic rules they put in place, and claim there's 'no interest' in changing the rules that allowed this messed up situation to happen in the first place.

But the UIL needs to join us in the 21st century and base high school athletic competition for Texas trans kids on gender presentation and not their birth certificate.

It's either the UIL come to that realization on their own or have the change forced upon them by legal action.

Hey Media, We Trans Folks Have A Flag - Use It!

Now that we trans peeps are back in the news again because of the reprehensible actions of the Trump misadministration, one of the things I'm seeing that is starting to annoy me is the media use of the rainbow flag chyron in stories that are specifically about transgender issues.

FYI News Media, even though we will sometimes use the overall LGBTQ community rainbow flag at times, we do have a trans specific flag created by a trans person.  .

That trans pride flag was created by Monica Helms in August 1999, first flown at a Phoenix, AZ  pride parade in 2000, and the original trans pride flag is now in the Smithsonian.  

It would be nice if you would use that trans pride flag in stories that are predominately about us like the Trump revocation of the Obama Dear Colleague letters .

If you have any questions about what it looks like, here it is.

Mack Beggs' 6A Wrestling Championship Run Highlights UIL's Flawed Trans Athlete Policy

Mack Beggs is a trans masculine wrestler at Euless Trinity High School in the Dallas-Ft Worth area who is a few matches away from capturing the Texas 6A wrestling title in his 110 pound weight class.

The Texas 6A girls wrestling title.

Is it fair to the cis girls he is competing against in his weight class?  Nope not to them or Beggs, who would rather be competing against the cis boys.  The University Interscholastic League (UIL) the governing body for Texas high school sports and academic competitions, turned down a request made by Beggs and his family for the Trinity HS junior to be allowed to compete against boys.

The UIL is still defensive when you point out what's happening.  They say it was an open process that reflected the consensus of thought at the time, even as Texas trans people and others were warning the UIL the jacked up rules they were passing were problematic.

Last year the UIL's school superintendents and athletic directors voted to require that Texas transgender students compete based on the gender on their birth certificate instead of gender presentation,

He's in the Houston 'burbs competing in the 6A wrestling state championship meet being held at the Berry Center in Cypress this weekend.  He has successfully gotten through the first day of the 6A wrestling championship with his two opening round wins to go 54-0 on the season

But it's no thanks to the UIL that this awkward situation is taking place at all and Beggs is the favorite to be holding the Class 6A title in his weight class when the tournament ends on Saturday.

Beggs won the Region II 6A title in Allen last week after his opponent Madeline Rocha of Coppell HS forfeited the match.  Rocha still advanced to this weekend's championship matches as the regional runner up.

Nancy Beggs, Mack's grandmother and guardian said to the Dallas Morning News, "Today was not about their students winning.  Today was about bias, hatred and ignorance."

"Mack is challenging what people thought was a good policy," said Chris Mosier, founder of TransAthlete.com. "This very well may spark change from people just by seeing how the policy was not well thought out and this is the outcome of following the rules exactly as they are."
Texas is one of seven regressive states that requires trans people to compete in high school athletic competition based on the gender marker on your birth certificate instead of the more enlightened NCAA and IOC gender presentation standards.

Lou Weaver, who is the Transgender Programs Coordinator for Equality Texas and was in attendance at today's historic championship  match, points out in a Reuters story that Beggs is in compliance with current UIL rules that need to be changed, "so guys like Mack can wrestle with their peers, which would be on the boys team."

Sure hope so because that's what we trans Texans want to be able to do.  We wish to compete in whatever sport we choose as ourselves, with our peers and without unnecessary drama.

Good luck Mack!.  Hope you leave the area with a historic state title win, and next year the UIL comes to its senses and allows you to wrestle against boys as you wish to do.