Building Sustained Texas Black Trans Representation Is Needed and Necessary

In addition to some blogger y'all know making a little speech, engaging with our elected officials and their staffers under the Pink Dome yesterday, and talking to the various people in different organizations, one of the cool things about a lobby day is also having the opportunity to have those one on one conversations with attendees and the general public.

There are also those unexpected moments that happen that tug at your heart.

I have said and been cognizant of ever since I started taking these lobby day trips to Austin in 1999 that it wasn't about me, it was about the next generation of kids who were behind me and making it better for them.

It it happened that my work to pass laws and policies that expanded trans human rights benefitted me in the short term, that was all good as well

In this one snapshot taken in the rotunda of our Texas state capitol building, there are three generations of Black trans women here.  I made my first lobby day trip before all of them were born, but we're here together on this March 20, 2017 day repping our community.

Every time I look at that picture, it not only makes me cry happy tears, but also puts a smile on my face.   To them, I am a respected trans elder who not only is passing down their history to them, I'm also role modeling what it will be possibly like to be a fab Black trans women when they hit my age.

I get to see these amazing Black trans women in their teens, twenties and thirties, and it reminds me of why I have been fighting since 1998 for visible Black trans representation in our movement, in the media and other spaces.

Because it matters.

It matters to Texas Black trans kids like Zuri and their parents.  It matters to Mia and Jessica to see their fourth generation Texas trans elder confidently speaking to over 1000 people with cameras trained on her firing up a diverse crowd before they went to their various meeting with state legislators under the Pink Dome.

It matters that our Black community knows that #BlackTransPeopleExist, we are concerned Texans who are expressing ourselves to our legislators about the issues that matter to us, and we thought it was so important to do so we took a day out of our lives to make it happen

It matters for me to be hugged by Mia  and Jessica, and having a two hour intergenerational conversation on the bus ride back to Houston about the issues we deal with as Black trans women and our hopes, fears, insecurities and aspirations for the future,

It also was heartening to know that these young women also shared my concerns about the media images of Black trans women and were determined to role model being quality Black women who just happen to be transgender.

It mattered to be called Aunt Monica by Zuri.  While it brought on a momentary twinge of sadness with the thought crossing my mind that I don't have biological kids of my on and at this stage of my life, it's probably not gonna happen for me, the trans kids are basically my kids as well.

But Zuri's presence also reminded me that this Texas trans human rights fight is about ensuring that she has a Texas and a country she can grow up in that will allow her to become the amazing Black woman she is well on her way to becoming.

Would I love to see more Black trans representation when we have these lobby days in the 2019 session?   Absolutely.  

That's one of the goals we need to make happen, and it become even more important in light of the fact some of the members of the Texas House and Senate share our ethnic heritage and history as Black Texans.

There are some arguments I can make while lobbying in a Black legislator's office that frankly, a white trans person can't.  It's one of the many reasons why we need to start being hired and paid as lobbyists or to do work in equality orgs that profess to work for the entire community but are still overwhelmingly white in their employment and staffing rolls.

It's either do so or don't get mad and whine 'Why are you separating from us?" when we form our own organizations to do the work you refuse to do or hire us for.   That's why BTWI, BTMI and Black Trans Advocacy exist in the Lone Star State right now.

And our right wing opposition has no problem hiring Black sellouts to deploy and use against you

And speaking of that sustained Texas Black trans representation, much of the heavy lifting and elbow grease required to make it happen also is on us Black trans Texans.   If you want orgs that rep you, you have to support them not only with your sweat equity but with your dollars so they can do the work you say you want and need to have happen.  

Do I hope to see in my lifetime Black trans women standing in the Texas House or Senate as elected representatives, judges or accomplishing whatever their heart desires and their skills take them?.

Do I hope to one day see an end to cadres of Black ministers selling out our community and preaching anti-trans hate from their pulpits as white fundamentalists and conservative Republicans smile?

Do I hope to have my Black community say in one loud voice that Black Trans Lives matter and I see an end to the obscene levels of anti-trans violence aimed at us?

I sure do.

It's why building Texas Black trans representation is needed, necessary and needs to expeditiously happen.\

The All In For Equality Texas Rally Speeches

I got up at 3:30 AM CDT so I could board a bus headed to Austin to participate in the All In For Equality Lobby Day.  I was also tapped to be one of the speakers at the rally happening on the south Texas Capitol steps, and if you wish to hear my comments, they start around the 13;00 minute mark of the video

And here's the link to me, Sara Ramirez and other orators speaking truth to power outside the Texas State Capitol.

Another Week, Another Lobby Day

If it seems like I was just in Austin two weeks ago, yeah I was up along with trans people from across the Lone Star State and our allies giving Lois Kolkhorst hell for pushing the Texas Transgender Oppression Act.

I was there for the Trans Texas Lobby day, but missed the GLBT Caucus one last Monday because frankly, still hadn't adjusted to the time change and was still a bit tired from last week's lobby day plus the marathon State Senate Affairs committee hearing and needed to rest a bit.

Now that I've done so, I'm ready to head back up to the ATX and talk to our reps about stopping SB 6 and other bad anti-TBLGQ bills in addition to explaining why they should support some good bills that will help our community.

Will also take the opportunity to thank in person the Terrific Ten Democratic senators who stood tall for the human rights of transgender Texans.

This one is the Equality Texas All In For Equality Lobby Day, and is also cosponsored by the Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT) , the ACLU of Texas and the Human Rights Campaign

There's over 900 people registered, and that makes it the largest EQTX lobby day ever.  Definitely beats the days when we would consider more than a dozen people showing up a great lobby event

We're scheduled to be there from 10-4 PM CDT, and proud to rep my hometown and my Black trans fam.

See y'all in a few hours..

Shut Up Fool Awards- The Fools Of Texas Edition

I love my home state, but hate is Republican controlled government that seems cant go one day without embarrassing the Lone Star State without some Grade A stupidity, idiocy or WTF level arrogance.

So since we had a bumper crop of Texas based idiots this week, it's time to do a TransGriot Shut Up Fool Awards with a Texas twang and barbecue some Lone Star fools.

Honorable mention number one goes to Sage Steele for opening her mouth and saying that racism would end if Black people stopped saying the n-word

Really fool?   Comments like that are why woke mixed race folks can't stand your behind and neither can those of us with TWO Black parents

Honorable mention number two to the Trump Administration for pick an outrage

Honorable mention number three is Oklahoma state Senator. TBLGQ oppressor and pervert Ralph Shortey. (R-Oklahoma City)

Lock him up!   lock him up!  Lock him up!

Honorable mention number four is a group award for the Texas Senate Republicans 

Honorable mention number five goes to Sen. Eddie Lucio, Jr (DINO-Brownville) for being the lone Democrat to support SB 6.   Somebody in the Brownsville area please primary challenge his azz next year.

Honorable mention number six is Sen Joan Huffman (R-Lake Jackson) who got caught on a hot mic during the SB 6 Senate Affairs committee hearing calling Dr Colt Keo-Meier a 'pervert'.

Since you want to call people names.  Here we go.  You're  an ignorant bigot and a trans oppressor. .

This week's Shut Up Fool winner  goes to Sen. Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham) for uttern that she was a feminist and continuing to assert her SB6 bill is not discriminatory against the Texas trans community.

You can stop telling that lie because you had more than a few opportunities when amendments were offered to prove that SB 6 wasn't about discriminating and oppressing the trans community, and you turned down one amendment specifically exempting the trans community because you said 'it would 'gut the bill'

So naw Lois, you ain't fooling nobody.   And BTW, shut up fool! ...

TransGriot Perv Watch- Oklahoma TBLGQ Oppressor Busted For Child Prostitution

How deliciously apropos in the wake of the Texas senate passage of SB 6, the Texas Transgender Oppression Act which is laughingly claimed to be about 'protecting our children', that another conservative Republican legislator gets busted on child prostitution charges.

If the GOP was serious about protecting our children, they would ban Republican male legislators from the bathrooms.

This time it's north of the Red River in Oklahoma, and the GOP legislative perv that got busted for being in a hotel room with an underage by is Oklahoma state senator  Ralph Shortey (R-Oklahoma City) .

Shortey voted to advance a failed trans oppression (bathroom) bill out of committee last year that has stirred up anti-trans animus in the state,  and now he's been busted  for engaging in the predatory behavior against our youth he and his fellow Republicans repeatedly accuse transgender people of engaging in.

Shortey was also Trump's Oklahoma campaign manager during the state's GOP primary.

The married Shortey was busted on March 9 in a Moore, OK Super 8 motel room with a 17 year old male juvenile with a history of soliciting himself online according to his parents and the Moore PD.  

When they arrived at the motel room there was according to the Moore PD a strong smell of marijuana and an open box of condoms in the juvenile's backpack.   Shortey claimed he was there 'just hanging out with a friend'  

Communications records from the teen's Kindle Fire that was also in his backpack say otherwise.   KFOR-TV reported that when the teen told Sen. Shortey that he needed money for spring break, Shortey allegedly responded, "Would you be interested in sexual stuff?"

Shortey was arrested and charged with three felony counts of engaging in child prostitution, engaging in prostitution within 1000 feet of a church, and transporting a minor for prostitution  

The Oklahoma Senate in the wake of this serious unanimously voted to strip Shortey of his legislative privileges.  While he still gets to collects his monthly Senate paycheck and can still vote on legislation, he has been stripped of all committee assignments, barred from his office and stripped of his right to have an executive assistant.

Hopefully the voters of his senate district will strip him of his legislative seat in the next election cycle.

Freedom Oklahoma noted Shortey's support of the failed OK bathroom bill in their comment about his arrest to the Norman Transcript:

"We find it highly ironic that Senator Shortey voted to advance these bills out of committee and less than a year later, he was caught in what appears to be actual predatory behavior toward a vulnerable youth.  

There has never been a legitimate recorded incident in Oklahoma of a transgender person harming anyone in a restroom, yet there are numerous accounts of predatory behavior by anti LGBTQ legislators who have taken bigoted votes akin to the one Senator Shortey cast last year. "

And once again I and the trans community collectively ask, who are the perverts?   And FYI, Shortey wasn't in drag when he committed his crimes.

Will be keeping an eye on this case to see what happens.,

Moni's 2017 NCAA Women's B-Ball Bracket

Unlike the NCAA men's tourney, I've had a lot better results (6-3) picking the champion in the NCAA women's tournament ranks.  Then again, when you're dealing with the sustained excellence of the UConn women (107 wins and counting) it's a huge upset and a major news story when they don't win a game or make it to the Final Four.

In 2008 I started doing a bracket for the NCAA women's tournament in honor of Women's History Month and frankly because I believed the lady collegiate ballers needed some love and March Madness attention on this blog as well.

These are my 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 , 2014 and 2015 TransGriot NCAA women's tournament brackets.here 

In 2016 I only got one of the Women's Final Four teams correct, but it was the eventual champion in UConn.  But in 2015 I correctly predicted the title game, and I've also correctly picked all four women's NCAA Final Four teams in 2008, 2009, 2012 and 2015.
Like I said, I do a better job on the NCAA women's tournament.

So now it's time to see who are going to be the last four teams standing when they get to American Airlines Center in Dallas on March 31 and who will be playing in the women's title game on April 2

Will UConn win their fifth straight title, 12th overall  and complete their seventh perfect season?     Or will somebody in this field pull off the upset for the ages?

We're about to find out starting in a few hours.

Bridgeport Regional
First Round .
Connecticut, Iowa State, Texas A&M, UCLA, West Virginia, Maryland, Temple, Duke

Second Round
Connecticut, Texas A&M, Maryland, Duke

Sweet 16
Connecticut, Maryland

Bridgeport Regional Champ
Connecticut

Oklahoma City Regional
First Round
Baylor, LSU, Tennessee, Louisville, Oklahoma, Washington, DePaul, Mississippi State

Second Round
Baylor, Louisville, Oklahoma, Mississippi State

Sweet 16
Baylor, Oklahoma

Oklahoma City Regional Champ
Baylor

Lexington Regional 
First Round
Notre Dame, Purdue, Ohio State, Kentucky, North Carolina State, Texas, Kansas State, Stanford

Second Round
Notre Dame, Kentucky, Texas, Stanford

Sweet 16
Notre  Dame, Stanford

Lexington Regional Champ
Stanford

Stockton Regional
First Round
South Carolina, Arizona State, Marquette, Miami (FL), Missouri, Florida State, Creighton, Oregon State

Second Round
South Carolina, Marquette, Missouri, Oregon State

Sweet 16
South Carolina, Missouri

Stockton Regional Champ
South Carolina

Final Four Connecticut  Baylor, Stanford,  South Carolina

Championship Game
Connecticut, South Carolina

2017 NCAA Women's Champion
Connecticut

The Terrific Ten TX Dem Senators Oppose SB 6

For those of you who were wondering where were the Texas Senate Democrats in opposition to SB 6 and its 21-10 passage in the Texas Senate on Tuesday and Wednesday to sen it to the Texas House, they were live and in full effect in opposing this bill.  Unfortunately we hand one DINO in Sen.  Eddie Lucio, Jr who joined the Texas GOP trans oppressors

But elections matter, and the GOP has a 20-11 edge in the Texas Senate.   You don't like that, vote the GOP oppressors out starting in 2018.   That DINO Lucio needs to primary challenged.

Ten senators rose in opposition to the Texas Transgender Oppression Act that Houston GLBT Caucus president Fran Watson has dubbed 'The Terrific Ten'

Here are their words in opposition to the unjust bill.


Sen. Sylvia Garcia



Sen. Judith Zaffirini 



Sen. Jose Menendez 




Sen Chuy Hinojosa 



Sen John Whitmire 

Diamond Stylz- Her Comments About Chimamanda Adichie

It's been a while since I've posted one of Diamond's videos, and this one definitely deserves to be signal boosted.

I've said what I've had to say about Chimamanda Adichie, and now Diamond Stylz weighs in on Adichie's problematic comments about trans women

Countdown To LGBTMedia17!

Looking forward in one week to being on a flight to Orlando and joining my media colleagues from around the nation at the 8th annual LGBT Media Journalists Convening

The LGBT Media Journalists Convening is sponsored by the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association, the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund and the Arcus Foundation of which I am a member..

This year we'll be in Orlando at the Rosen Centre Hotel.   While we'll be in the middle of all the touristy things Orlando has to offer starting next Thursday, this is a business trip that is coming at an unprecedented time in our nation's history.  

It's a gathering of TBLGQ media people at a time in when journalism and the media in the US is under attack by the reprehensible regime of 45.   We're needed now more than ever to fulfill our historic role as the check and balance on the government and ensure that our citizens are informed about what their government is doing..

It is also coming at a time that for the trans media people in attendance, our very human rights and humanity are under attack by GOP controlled state and the federal government..

The LGBT Media Journalists Convening will use an interactive approach to help attendees build their journalism skills, learn more about LGBTQ-centric topics beyond marriage equality and employment law and expand audiences through on-site media training with broadcast experts.
Next week I'll be tweeting the action along with my colleagues at the #LGBTMedia17 hashtag.  And even better for moi, there's a 7 Eleven near the hotel, so Slurpees will be destroyed on this trip.

This is definitely going to be an interesting few days in Orlando, and looking forward to seeing all my media colleagues next week.

National Day Of Action For Trans Women And Femmes

I warned a few days before the 2016 presidential election that the humanity and human rights of trans people were on the ballot.   Since he took office, Trump has made that warning prophetic along with Republican state parties around their country with their legislative attacks on trans people.

I've been asking where are the orgs in our community and why haven't they been standing up for us like we Black trans women have been for every one else's movements and causes.

GetEqual has called for a National Day of Action for today to celebrate the lives of Black trans women, since six of the seven women we have lost to anti- trans violence in 2017 are Black trans women ,

As part of this National Day of Action, several cities are hosting events as part of this day, and these are just a few of the announced events taking place today.

Hope those events will have people show up and show out for them, because we need that to happen

Texas Transgender Oppression Act Passes In Senate

Despite the valiant efforts of the Terrific Ten Democratic senators who offered multiple amendments to give the GOP oppressors an opportunity to prove SB 6 wasn't anti- trans discrimination, it passed 21- 10 late Tuesday afternoon.

It also proved a point I've been making for several years now in that the most dangerous bigots are the ones who have legislative power.

There was one alleged Democrat, Sen. Eddie Lucio, Jr  (DINO-Brownsville) who voted for the reprehensible bill.   Somebody in the Valley needs to primary challenge his transphobic azz in 2018.

Ironically his son, Rep. Eddie Lucio III opposes SB 6.

Thanks to Sen Sylvia Garcia, Sen Jose Rodriguez, Sen John Whitmire and other Democratic lawmakers opposed to SB 6 who offered numerous amendments to give the GOP a chance to prove that SB 6 wasn't anti-trans legislative oppression, and they led by Sen Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham) swatted them down while disingenuously trying to make the laughable claim the bill wasn't discriminatory.  

SB 6 will now move on to the Texas House, where it faces a much tougher road to passage and one in which Speaker of the House Joe Straus (R-San Antonio) has already stated his opposition to the unjust Texas Transgender Oppression Act.

Transgender Texans, the Texas business community, convention planners in Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio and fair minded Texans across the state hope he isn't selling woof tickets about that, and he buries the bill in a House committee that won't let that affront to Texas values see the light of day again..

TNA Fundraiser At Hamburger Mary's Tonight

Later tonight at our brand new Hamburger Mary's location in the heart of the gayborhood the Transgender National Alliance will be hosting a fundraiser event there.

So what's the Transgender National Alliance?   It's a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization that seeks to employ and empower the transgender community by providing funding, outreach, education and support for the issues affecting our community and allies. Focusing on providing name and gender marker changes, we distributed more than $50,000 in 2016 providing surgical procedures and legal funding to more than 50 people.

TNA exists to support and give a voice to our trans community in addition to empowering them with name and gender marker changes.  

I was one of the most recent recipients of one of those gender marker changes last month, and it helped complete a nearly 20 year journey for me in terms of getting my documentation changed.

I would love to see a full house at this Hamburger Mary's TNA fundraiser tonight so that other trans people may also experience the joy of knowing that their documentation matches the person they know they are and present to the world.

The Hamburger Mary's Charity Drag Bingo night will also feature in addition to their wonderful dinner menu, games and performances by their showgirls with the proceeds to benefit the Trans National Alliance .

There will be $10 bingo cards and $5 raffle tickets available for purchase, and six prizes valued at more than $1000 will also be given away during the evening

Also neat to know that international fashion model, founder of Gender Proud and trans advocate Geena Rocero will also be in the house tonight. along with some GLAAD award nominated blogger y'all know.   Thanks to TNA, after a 19 year journey, I now have my documentation in order thanks to a TNA New Year's Eve fundraiser that raised enough money to also cover my gender marker change.

And as someone who does a lot of air travel with a trip coming up next week, I'm ecstatic that this upcoming trip will be the first one I take in which I get to show a driver's license with corrected gender markers  

I want others in our community to know what that feels like, and I hope you'll join us from 6-10 PM   Hamburger Mary's is located at 2409 Grant #A.

Seating is limited, so call Hamburger Mary's at 713- 677-0674 for reservations.

Moni's 2017 NCAA B-Ball Men's Bracket

It's that time again when the entire country goes gaga over NCAA college basketball and spends the next few weeks checking their brackets to see how accurately they pick what team eventually advances to win the NCAA championship.

I'm a huge college basketball fan, and like everyone else I also do a bracket.  Since 2007 I've been posting mine on the blog for everyone to see and pick apart

In 2015 my March travel schedule was so jam packed I didn't  have time to make out a bracket and just made a pick that Duke alums are still reminding me I got wrong.  I also got wrong what team would be cutting down the nets in NRG Stadium last year when Villanova upset North Carolina

That dropped me to a 4-5 record over my blog's history of picking NCAA men's brackets.

Speaking of brackets, here's the previous NCAA men's brackets that I posted on the blog for 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014   

It's 2017, and once again I'm going to attempt to pick what team will be cutting down the nets April 3 when the championship game is over at University of Phoenix Stadium.

Here's my picks

First Four
New Orleans, Wake Forest,  UC Davis, USC

East Regional
First Round
Villanova, Wisconsin, Virginia, Florida, SMU, Baylor, South Carolina, Duke

Second Round
Villanova, Virginia, SMU, Duke

Sweet 16
Villanova, Duke

East Region Champion
Duke

West Regional
First Round
Gonzaga, Northwestern, Notre Dame, West Virginia, Maryland, Florida Gulf Coast, VCU, Arizona

Second Round
Gonzaga, Notre Dame, Maryland, Arizona

Sweet 16
Gonzaga, Arizona

West Region Champion
Arizona

Midwest Regional
First Round
Kansas, Michigan State, Iowa State, Purdue, Creighton, Oregon, Michigan, Louisville

Second Round
Kansas, Iowa State, Oregon, Louisville

Sweet 16
Kansas, Louisville

Midwest Region Champion
Louisville

South Regional
First Round
North Carolina, Arkansas, Minnesota, Butler, Cincinnati, UCLA, Wichita State, Kentucky

Second Round
North Carolina, Butler, Cincinnati, Kentucky

Sweet 16
North Carolina. Kentucky

South Regional Champion
North Carolina

Final Four
Duke, Arizona, Louisville, North Carolina  

Championship Game
Arizona, North Carolina

2017 NCAA Men's Champion
North Carolina   

The Existence Of Trans Women Is Not Up For Debate, Period

Once again we have a situation in which a cis woman has put her pumps in her mouth, spouted loud and wrong opinions about trans women in the media, and gotten mad and because she's being called out for uttering the loud and wrong disco era TERF flavored lies about trans women.

Well, not caring if you are mad Chimamanda Adichie.   You had the option of letting trans women speak for themselves, but instead you waded into a topic you know nothing about and are getting called out on the Net and by us for it.

Let's say this one more time so there is no mistaking it.   Trans women are women.

Now repeat that for the people in the back who didn't or the transphobic bigots who didn't want to hear it.

People have spouted their loud and wrong opinions about trans women (and trans men) since the 70's with little pushback from us.  The most gleeful anti- trans cheerleaders have been the TERF's (trans exclusionary radical feminists), of which many of them were lesbians.  

Because of the way that transitions were done at that time, we were encouraged to hide and assimilate in plain sight.  That had the unintended effect of silencing our voices to push back against this onslaught of anti-trans rhetoric coming from Janice Raymond, Mary Daly, Germaine Greer and other predominately white second wave feminists.

Meanwhile, it was trans folks like Christine Jorgensen and other people fighting local battles through the 70's, 80's and 90's who were holding up the trans banner while fighting for their humanity and human rights.

But because we were hiding in plain sight, and y'all had a louder megaphone unless we were outed like Renee Richards, Tula and a too long list of trans women at that time were, our voices were effectively silenced.  

Now we trans people are unapologetically out and proud of who we are, and we are going to speak our minds, tell our stories and defend our human rights and our humanity as we do so.  We're also going to call your cis behinds out when you disrespect or attempt to legislatively oppress us.

Don't like it that trans people are standing up to defend our humanity and human rights? Too bad.  You can roll your eyes, suck your teeth and snake your necks all you wish about what I just wrote,

But the facts are, and I'm going to say this one more time, that trans women are women.

We are beyond sick and tired of 40 years of predominately white cis women, TERF's and others having a mostly unobstructed run of facts free sliming of the trans community for your fun, profit and personal electoral gain.

We in Trans World really don't care if you or anyone else don't like it when the trans community calls bullshyt on cis people's unsolicited opinions about our lives, because those unsolicited opinions result in the deaths of non-white trans women .

And that's unacceptable to me, our trans men and other trans women. 

If you want to learn about trans women and our lives, how about doing the simple thing of actually talking to a trans person, reading our books, inviting us to speak (and paying us fairly to do so) on college campuses and having us do the media interviews to talk about our lives. 

That is the only way to accurately learn what it is like to walk in our pumps and live our trans feminine lives.

Just as there is no universal experience for being a woman on this planet, neither is there a universal experience for being a trans woman.  

But the salient point I want you cis women to take away from this is that the existence of trans women is not up for debate, period.

We exist, and we're tired of you cis women and your allies trying to deny the obvious fact that we do.

The Houston GLBT Caucus Goes To Austin

The Texas Legislature is in session, and those of us whose human rights are being targeted by our GOP majority are making sure they know we're watching what transpires in this legislative session.

At 6 AM CDT this morning the Houston GLBT Caucus along with their partner organizations United We Dream, the Transgender Foundation of America, Women and Allies,  the Iota Chapter of Delta Phi Upsilon, the TransAdvocate, the Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce, and the Montrose Center got on the bus and headed to Austin.

They are there as you read this to talk about SB 6 and other unjust laws that impact our diverse state and the city of Houston such as racial justice, immigration, economic equity and LGBTQ equality.

They plan to be at the capitol until 7 PM and then head back to Houston.

Best of luck while you're up there and hope that you get to talk to as many of our legislators and state senators as possible.

Casa Ruby Vandalized

Hate thoughts + Hate Speech = Hate violence/ Hate murders.  

There are some of you who don't believe this Equation of Oppression to be true, but those of us in marginalized communities know this all too well what happens when bigots and bullies feel empowered to be as hateful as the wanna be, especially when they believe that particular hate speech they espouse against a group has a governmental stamp of approval.

Was angered to hear that yesterday the Casa Ruby LGBT Community Center on Georgia Ave in northwest Washington DC was vandalized and the trans person on duty who was working at the time was assaulted/

And this isn't a hate crime Washington Metro PD?

This was a mere  two days after Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and Metro DC Police Chief Peter Newsham reported a 62% increase in hate crimes aimed at TBLGQ Washington residents in 2016 from 66 incidents to 107 in 2016.    Crimes in DC against the DC trans community according to Ruby Cordao have gone up 100%

This also happened two days after anti-trans comments from a feminist blew up on the Net.

I have had more than a few pleasant visit to Casa Ruby in the last few years, and it pisses me the hell off that an org that is doing much good in the District and is the largest employer of trans folks there is having to deal with this level of destructive ignorance.

Metro DC police are looking for this suspect, and hope the waste of DNA who is swiftly captured and brought to justice.

I will also pass on any additional news from Ruby if the center needs anything besides your donations to fix what was damaged.
 

Miss International Queen 2017 Is..

Another Thai winner.  

Jiratchaya  Sirimongkolnawin was crowned on March 10 as the newest Miss International Queen winner.  The runner ups in Miss International Queen 2017 were a pair of girls from South America. First runner up was Nathalie Oliveira of Brazil and the second runner up was Andrea Collazo of Venezuela.



While I ain't mad at those girls who won or were the first and second runners up, I've had a problem with Miss International Queen on a lot of levels since 2011.


My dissatisfaction with this so-called most prestigious premiere international pageant for trans women has only increased since I wrote this post in the wake of the controversial end of the 2011 pageant calling for Miss International Queen to have an international judging panel.

I have serious questions about the impartiality of an all Thai panel with uncomfortable connections to the host Tiffany's venue, and also have serious concerns that those Thai judges have a cultural bias against dark skin girls.

If that's not the case, then why has there in the history of this MIQ pageant NEVER been a Black trans woman to win it, and only three who have even placed in the top three of the pageant since 2004?

Black trans girls across the African Diaspora don't even bother trying to enter the Miss International Queen pageant because of the perceived anti-Black bias.

It's also problematic when all four Thai winners of the Miss International Queen title also won the Thai only Miss Tiffany's Thai pageant that year, and the Tiffany's show bar in Pattaya is the host venue for Miss International Queen.

So nope, still going to be giving Miss International Queen the side eye until they decide to make the changes necessary that will take the pageant to the next level, make it a truly international event, and people who wish to compete in it don't feel like it's rigged in favor of a Thai or Asian trans girl.

Deenequia Dodds Case Update

Have some more good news to report in the Deenequia Dodds case

To refresh your memory banks, 22 year old Deenequia was our DC sister who was shot during a robbery on July 4 in NE DC and died nine days later in the hospital.

Three men, 26 year old Jalonte Little, 21 year old Monte Tyree Johnson and 21 year old Cyheme Hall have been arrested and charged in this case  with a robbery conspiracy and first degree felony murder while armed that was motivated by Dodds trans status.

These three reprehensible people are also being charged with four other robberies that occurred that day including the trio robbing another DC trans woman.

Little, Johnson and Hall are facing a potential 60 years in jail if convicted, and with the hate crime enhancement, if the judge in the case chooses to do so, bumps up the potential sentence to 90 years in prison.

Longtime DC trans activist Earline Budd praised the indictment in her comments to the Washington Post.

"It sends a message that it's not OK to go around and shoot, harm and kill transgender people," Budd said. "It sends a message that we are human like anyone else." 

Now they just need to enhance the message being sent by finding them guilty of their crime and sentencing them to the maximum sentence allowed 

I will be keeping track of this case as well and seeing if justice is served in Deenequia's case.

Did You Spring Forward Yet?

If you're reading this post and don't live in Arizona, hope you have moved your clocks forward one hour because Daylight Savings Time started today.

If you don't, you'll be an hour early for many of your events and pissed off because you cost yourself an hour of sleep.

So move those clocks and watches if you have one forward an hour.

You'll get to move it back on November 5

Sit Yo' Azz Down Chimamanda And Talk To A Black Trans Woman...

Before you part your lips to say something this cluelessly ignorant about us ever again.

Some of my TransGriot readers have asked me what are my thoughts concerning the jacked up comments that Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has made in a British Channel 4 interview in which she made some negative comments about trans women,



After seeing the video, it pissed me off to the point I needed 24 hours to craft a response to it.

It's obvious in this series of WTF level contradictory statements that Adichie has neither talked to or spent any time talking to trans women, and especially Black trans women.  

If she had, she wouldn't be facing the firestorm of criticism she's getting now and me writing this post telling her to have several seats.

Doesn't matter if trans women's parents attempted to raise them as males with the male privilege that comes attached with that.  The nanosecond we start taking hormones and our bodies morph to that female form, we lose whatever male privilege we have and get all the gender specific BS aimed at women on this planet.

There also crap that we get simply for being trans or seen as effeminate..

We in Trans Feminine World don't and never have denied the fact there are certain aspects of our lives that are intrinsically different from a cis woman.  But at the same time neither can you deny or dismiss the fact that there are also similarities in feminine life experiences with cis and trans women.

Neither can you deny unless you are being willfully ignorant and intellectually dishonest about it that trans women get sexually assaulted, murdered, discriminated against and disrespected simply for being and living as women on a plant hostile to femininity.

The fact that we have increasing numbers of trans women who have experienced life on this planet as female from childhood makes her comment problematically clueless.  It also makes Adichie guilty of doing to trans women what she cautions people about in terms of making blanket statements based on a single narrative.

Chimamanda, it's not like I and other Black trans women haven't been telling our stories.  Like your fellow feminists, you refuse to hear it.  We're tired of the facts free sliming that comes from feminists and TERF's. We're also tired as Black trans women of the racism that comes with those facts free lies about us we've heard since the disco era.

It's also comments like these to borrow the words of my homegirl Bryanna Jenkins, that make Black trans women as reluctant to trust and embrace Black cis women as Black women are to trust white women.

But with a hostile Republican administration in place in Washington DC and various US states, if we want to solve the problems that impact all women, both cis and trans Black women are going to need to have those hard ongoing conversations in order to build the sisterhood we'll need to make that collective  action happen.

The base level of understanding we need from Black cis women to get this started is that Black trans women are women.  We can go from there.    

So sit your azz down Chimamanda and talk to a variety of Black trans women before you ever again part your lips to say something as problematic about us in a public setting ever again.