I'll be headed to Netroots Nation for the second consecutive year, and this year #NN17 will be held in Atlanta.
This will be the first trip I've taken to the ATL since 2004, and I'm so looking forward to going there and actually stepping out of the airport for a change
In addition to participating in two Saturday panels and on on Thursday/Friday, I'll also be making an appearance during this year's Fourth Annual Pundit Cup competition and the finals on Saturday since yours truly is last year's champ.
One of my panels is at 1:30 PM EDT in the Hanover F room, and is entitled Talking While Black. There will also be at 3:00 PM in the University room an LGBT POC Caucus.
But I'm definitely looking forward to wandering the Hyatt Regency Atlanta on Peachtree Street convention hotel, seeing some old friends, and as always meeting new ones.
So if you see me wandering the #NN17 convention hotel, don't be shy, say hi!
The clock is ticking toward the end of the Special Oppression Session on August 18, and while we have SB 3 and the other hate bills hung up in the House, we're still keeping the pressure up on the GOP majority.
I'll be in Houston raising hell at City Council later today, but my heart will be with the group of Texas women leaders countering the big whopper that Lying Lois Kolkhorst told last Thursday at the faux faith based hate rally and make it clear that Texas women oppose this unjust bill.
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Texas women will stand together against discrimination—and together, we'll urge lawmakers to reject the dangerous proposed bathroom bills in the final two weeks of special session.
Some lawmakers claim this is a woman’s privacy issue. It is not. They claim this is a safety issue. It is not. Law enforcement officials from across the United States and right here in Texas have made clear that this is a solution in search of a problem. The leading sexual assault expert in our state says this bill will not protect women from sexual assault. Now, women are taking the lead. This is not about women’s safety or privacy.
We are mothers. We are business owners and business executives. We are teachers. We are active in our communities, in local government and in our schools. We are faith leaders and actively involved in our respected houses of worship. We are conservatives, liberals and independents. We represent the rich diversity of our state and we reject attempts to divide us and to score political points through fear and misinformation.
RSVP to let us know you can be there—and please spread the word to women in your network who you know oppose discrimination and agree Texas should be open for business to everyone.
If time permits, please plan to visit legislators while you are at the Capitol to express your opposition to the bathroom bill.
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The Texas Women Leaders rally will take place starting at 11 AM on the south steps of the Texas Capitol, with the rain date location being the Capitol Extension Auditorium in E1.004.
During our pride parade here in Houston history was made when Lou Weaver was elected to become our first ever trans masculine parade grand marshal.
Trans history is also being made on the other end of I-45 in Dallas for their Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade. While most cities in the Lone Star State celebrate TBLGQ pride near the traditional historic late June date that can get a tad warm down here, Dallas celebrates it in September.
When Dallas' pride parade takes place on September 17, it will have its first ever trans grand marshal of any gender in Nicole O'Hara Munro. She's also making history as the first ever African American ever named Dallas parade grand marshal.
Born in NOLA, Nicole now lives in Dallas, and is a trans rights advocate who works with an TBLGQ youth group and A Nu Trans Movement in addition to being the show hostess at Marty's Live.
And it's so apropos that it happened for this year's parade. Texas trans people are under GOP legislative attack, and 14 of the 16 people we've lost in 2017 have been Black trans women.
It's gratifying to see that Dallas has elected a Black trans woman as their grand marshal.
She will be joined by the parade's masculine grand marshal in newly elected District 6 Councilmember Omar Narvaez . He is the first openly gay candidate elected to the Dallas City Council in over a decade.
I've already commented on Omar's awesomeness on this blog, and glad to see he's being recognized for the trailblazing work he has done in the DFW area
Congrats to both of the 2017 parade grand marshals. May need to check my schedule and see if I can be up there for this piece of modern Texas trans history.
I've talked more than a few times on this blog about the fencing exploits of my Louisville homegirl Dawn Wilson, and me getting to tag along and watch from time to time when I lived in Da Ville.
She's good at it as well. Dawn donates her time to a lot of worthy causes in the Louisville area in addition to serving on the Louisville Metro Human Relations Commission and as an elder at her church.
But her passion is fencing. She is one of the top five 5 ranked veterans saberists in the USA, and recently she accomplished a long sought after goal of qualifying for and making a USA Veterans national fencing team.
She now gets a long sought after opportunity to prove she's one of the best in the world.
That USA Veterans fencing team will be competing in the FIE Veterans Fencing World Championship tournament in Maribor, Slovenia October 15-21, and it will be an expensive trip for travel and lodging while she's there. Dawn can cover some of her expenses, but to be at her absolute best, she would also like to bring her coach with her.
I got to take a quick trip to Austin yesterday to speak at the Here To Slay Austin Capital Takeover a mere 24 hours after the hate ministers desecrated the South Steps and express myself about Texas GOP legislative oppression..
Too bad we didn't bring any holy water or sage to cleanse them. Neither did I get my Slurpee.
It was put together by several organizations, including the Houston based Organization de Latina Trans en Texas (OLTT) , Aqui Estamos RGV, Familia and the Transgender Law Center.
It was also an honor to be asked to be the lead speaker for it, and ended up getting quoted in the San Antonio Express-Newsarticle about the event. I also enjoyed the conversations I had with many of the attendees.
So it was nice getting to see Raquel Willis, Isa Noyola and Jennicet Gutierrez again, see the ladies of OLTT, hang out for a moment with Danielle Skidmore and enjoy spending the quality time on the ride up to and back from the ATX with Alice Serna-McDougald. Also got to meet more trans and BLG younglings and talk to them about our Texas trans history.
I was also proud to be part of an event that is building ties and working partnerships between the Texas Black and Latinx community since the Texas Republican Party over the last decade has been hellbent on curbing the growing political power of our communities.
They are also deeply aware of the fact that since 2009 the Texas demographics are against them
For five hours they not only heard our voices, but three lobbying teams visited key House legislators and senate legislators.
And what did I have to say about Texas legislative oppression?
“When you have people like the trans community who have had to fight tooth and nail just to exist, we’re not going to roll over for legislative repression."
Nope, we're going to fight it with every fiber of our being. And yeah, we'll be back when you have those hearings on Rep. Ron Simmons' unjust bills..
Tee Tee Dangerfield was murdered earlier this week, and like many families in this situation, the unexpected death of a young family member has left them scrambling to cover the expenses for her funeral costs.
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Thank you so much for stopping by this page to honor and celebrate Tee Tee Dangerfield’s life and legacy.
The Dangerfield family would like to thank everyone who has expressed their condolences – and blessed us with their prayers during this extremely difficult time.
Our family never thought we would have to bury our loved one – unexpectedly.
Tee Tee was murdered on July 31st, 2017 around 4:30AM at an apartment complex in College Park, Georgia. Police say, someone shot her multiple times while she was sitting inside of her car. When medics arrived, they rushed her to the hospital, but sadly she died upon arrival. We know this story has touched many people in the Atlanta-metro area and across the country. Especially, those in the LGBT community. We want you to know your love and support has meant everything to our family. We also want you to know that Tee Tee was a prideful transgendered woman and happily supported her community.
If you feel compelled to donate to Tee Tee’s Fund to cover her burial and funeral expenses, we would gladly appreciate it.
For all those who a part of the LGBT community, in transition, scared of people’s perceptions know that Tee Tee would say – “Be fabulous, honey!”
Our sincerest gratitude,
The Dangerfield Family
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The GoFundMe page for Tee Tee has a goal of raising over $10,000, and hope that we can not only meet but exceed it.. Here's the link to it.
Sen. Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham) is rapidly becoming one of the most despised women in Texas Trans World.
Kolkhorst is becoming the face of Texas Trans Oppression in large part because she's allowing Dan 'Potty Man' Patrick to hide behind her skirts and be the front person for the unjust SB 6 that died during the regular session and now SB 3 through this Special Oppression Session.
Earlier today at the press conference the Texas Values hatemongers held on the capitol steps with 150 predominately white people in attendance, Sen Kolkhorst uttered the ridiculous claim lie that "I've not had one woman come to me and say this is a non issue. Not one woman.:"
They don't sell Whoppers that large even at Burger King.
I also find it highly ironic that Kolkhorst told this massive lie in front of a group of pastors. Then again they were violating the Ten Commandments too, so Kolkhorst was in good company.
Guess Lois wasn't paying attention during that 10+ hours of testimony in March and once again a week ago for another 10+ hours in which hundreds of Texas women cis and trans stated that point loudly and clearly.
A woman you work with, Sen. Sylvia Garcia (D- Houston) pointed out this bill was unnecessary.
Another woman you work with, Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo), also expressing herself about your unjust bill.
This woman, Dr. Jennifer Feldman, also pointed out it was unjust, harmful and unnecessary.
.
I do thank Lois for giving me some fresh material to call her out on for my speech tomorrow from those same capitol steps.
In the meantime, give Lois a call at 512 463-0118 to remind her and her staff that there are cis and trans women in Texas who do believe this is a non issue
The hate pastors are desecrating the Texas Capitol today trying to browbeat the Texas House and more specifically, the House State Affairs Committee into allowing those legislative abominations SB 3, HB 46 and HB50 have hearings and go to the House floor for a vote.
Um, no. Dignity and diversity over discrimination.
On Tuesday August 1 an event happened that I have wanted and we have needed to see for years happen in terms of progressive faith leaders showing up and rebuking their loud and wrong pastors.
It was sponsored by Texas Impact, a statewide interfaith advocacy network that was founded in 1973. The real Christians and progressive faith leaders were at the Capitol to express their opposition to the GOP hate slate and push back against the false Texas Values narrative that all Texas faith leaders support discrimination..
Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders during this Texas Interfaith Lobby Day gathered for a day of events that included a prayer service on the floor of the Texas House, visits to legislators, advocacy training sessions and called for an end to attempts to pass the unjust anti-trans HB 46, HB 50 and SB 3 bills.
They spent this day driving home the message they were #MianstreamNotExtreme.
"Mainstream faith communities affirm the shared values of respect, dignity and welcome for every person,"said Texas Impact Executive Director Bee Morehead.
"Discriminatory legislation that targets individuals based on sex, sexual orientation or gender identity runs counter to Texas values."
Trying to pass that unjust legislation has already cost Texas $66 million in convention business with more in jeopardy as an ever lengthening list of corporate leaders urges the Texas House to just say no to discrimination.
So glad that Texas progressive faith leaders are part of that chorus of righteousness
Been a busy week of events at our state capitol now that we're deep into the Special Oppression Session that is slated to end on August 18. Yesterday the progressive pastors held a lobby day, press conference and rally on the South Capitol steps, and the hate ministers will be desecrating the capitol tomorrow.
But on Friday, Texas TBLGQ people of color will be headed to Austin to show our legislators that we're here and aren't going away.
The Here to Slay event is sponsored by Aqui Estamos RGV, other Texas based orgs, Familia, the Trans Queer Liberation Movement and the Transgender Law Center and will run from 10-3 PM CDT.
The Here To Slay Capitol takeover will feature music, performers, food, community and speakers who will have a strong message to send to Gov. Abbott, Lt Gov Dan 'Potty Man' Patrick, and our Texas GOP oppressors and their DINO enablers.
And as you probably guessed, I've been asked to be one of the speakers.
So looking forward to getting a Slurpee and seeing as many of you peeps in the ATX area as I can.on Friday August 4.for the Here to Slay Capitol Takeover.
In the wake of the broadcast coonery and buffoonery of the Breakfast Club and its unrepentant host doubling down on the transphobia followed by the death Monday of another African American trans women in the ATL area, it's time to say this once more to my people and hope you get it. Black cis people need to start grasping the basic point that we Black trans people are STILL part of the Black community and the African Diaspora. We are beyond sick and tired of being sick and tired of the transphobic attitudes being expressed in our Black community ranks..
Our humanity and human rights are not up for debate or discussion or topics for tasteless jokes. Trans folks and gender variant people have existed on every continent, including Africa, since modern humans appeared on this planet.
We Black trans folks will no longer tolerate disrespect, demonization or dissemination of loud and wrong ignorance about our trans lives from Black cis people. From this day forward it's getting called out.
Sometimes those call outs will not be nice ones especially if we asked politely the first time for you to cease and desist with the transphobic behavior we found problematic and necessary to call you out on in the first place.
If you don't like the fact that Black trans people are demanding respect for their humanity and human rights within our community, too damned bad.
Neither will we in Black Trans World tolerate any attempts to peddle Black community transphobia as a 'difference of opinion', 'religious beliefs', or whatever BS excuse du jour you come up with to try to willfully ignore the fact that Black transpeople exist, aren't going away or back into the closet.
Last time I read the Bible, didn't see a scripture in either the Old or New Testament that stated thou shalt hate on transgender people.' But I did read one in the New Testament, Matthew 22:39 to be precise, that states thou shalt love thy neighbor as you love yourself.
And neighbor in this case includes your transgender neighbor. Your transgender neighbor is an intertwined part of the Black community, shares your DNA and history, and is an undeniable part of the diverse mosaic of human life.
We Black trans folks are the experts when it comes to living our Black trans lives. Unless you have a PhD in gender studies or genetics, it's past time you listened to what we have to say about our real world experiences in being Black and trans. We're tired of being flippantly blown off in discourse about our trans lives as you cisplain them.
It's also past time to stop the shady practice of having any kind of conversation about trans lives without Black trans people being part of that discussion.
We're also tired of hearing cis Black people recite anti-trans talking points we've heard far too often from white fundamentalist preachers, white fauxminist TERF's or Republican politicians. Once again, and follow the bouncing clenched fist. Trans men are men, trans women are women.
And news flash, there are Black parents of Black trans kids who need you to stop reciting the loud and wrong disinformation that get trans people assaulted and killed.
We're tired of the anti-trans violence and anti-trans hate speech coming from our own community. It needs to stop. Today As Archbishop Desmond Tutu once eloquently said, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” When you are silent, you are condoning the behavior.' Trans people's humanity and human rights are being attacked.
Many of those trans folks happen to be Black. Injustice is being aimed at us, so where do you stand cis Black community? Do you stand with the trans oppressor or the people fighting the oppression? .
Sadly, your behavior leads us to believe that far too many of you are eagerly lining up with our oppressors
Was just thinking the other day that it has been too quiet this month on the anti-trans murder front, and just before I went to bed last night I received word that we'e lost our 16th trans person this year to anti-trans violence.
Her name is 'Tee Tee Dangerfield, and according to reporting from the Georgia Voice, the 32 year old was found outside her car in the South Hampton Estates apartment complex suffering from numerous gunshot wounds at approximately 4:30 AM EDT on July 31. .
According to Major Lance Patterson of the College Park Police Department, she was rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital by College Park Fire rescue, but succumbed to her wounds.
This comes just days after a rally was held in the ATL expressing support for the transgender community.. She is the 16th trans woman of color murdered in the United States this year, the 14th African American trans woman killed in 2017, and most infuriating to me, was under age 40.
This also comes in the wake of the transphobic comments of the so called 'comedian' Lil Duval expressing his 'kill the t----y' sentiments on the syndicated the Breakfast Club show.
Anti-trans hate thoughts + anti-trans hate speech = anti-trans hate violence.
And I'm sick of my trans sisters dying.
As of this time there are no suspects in Tee Tee's murder, and if you have any information that will lead to the arrest, incarceration and conviction of her killer, please call the College Park PD TIp LIne at 404-768-8664
As of yet, have not heard of any vigils or memorial services being planned at this time for our fallen sister, and will pass that info along as soon as I receive it.
Rest in power and peace Tee Tee. We won't rest as a community until the person who took your life is spending the rest of theirs behind bars.
I get to enjoy the brilliance of my homegirl Dora Silva Santana on a regular basis when I pop up to Austin, see her at BTAC or chat with her on the phone from time to time..
Now you peeps in the ATX have a chance to witness it when her performance piece Minha Filha! A Black Trans Daughterhood happens this month.
Minha filha! A Black Trans Daughterhood
What happens when the work of love comes through navigating precarity? My daughterhood was learning and trusting a mothering style that filled with meanings the absence, the landscape, the struggle. I couldn’t be mothered-protected from history, but I could learn to see my daughterhood in the seek-and-hiding from it. My girlhood was an imaginative-embodied space where running my little legs on the mud of northern Brazil without being caught in my girly motion was my favorite freedom game. At times, I drudged in the muddiness of daughterhood-motherhood. Allowing oneself to be the daughter of your own so that you can mother yourself, blurring boundaries, daughterring in order to open space for mothering. This is part of the story I want to share with you as we engage in this journey of remembering and living. Every time I would have hungry little eyes in the middle of the struggle, my mother would say “de mais longe a gente já veio” (from further we’ve come). Every time we stumble, it is healing to look back.
The event is free, and is being sponsored by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin's Economic Development Department, the Trans Justice Funding Project and allgo.
It will be held on August 13 at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center, 600 River Street in Austin from 3-5 PM.
Hope you peeps in the ATX area check it out, and I get a chance to roll up from Houston to see it as well
Texas state Senator Sylvia Garcia (D-Houston) has been a stand up ally and champion for the Texas trans community as we have fought SB 6 and now SB 3. She's not a member of the Senate State affairs Committee, but she sat in the hearing room through the 10+ hours of testimony back in March and during last Friday's hearing.
Yesterday she took part in a conversation hosted by the Texas Tribune in Austin yesterday concerning the anti-trans HB 46 and HB 50 bills with their sponsor Rep. Ron Simmons (R-Carrollton)
All that came out during this conversation is just how awesome Sen. Garcia is about the subject and how clueless Rep. Simmons is when it comes to trans issues.
And Sen Garcia is right when she starts that 'Dignity and Diversity over Discrimination' is more important.
One of the things I'm really getting sick of along with the Black trans community and the parents of Black trans kids is the ongoing pattern in the Black community of our Black oriented media outlets, be they radio, television or on social media, spouting hate speech aimed at the transgender community.
It is anti-trans hate speech like this that results in Black trans women getting beat up or murdered.
The latest sorry instance of what I'm talking about happened on the New York based Power 105.1 FM radio show The Breakfast Club that is syndicated to 50 markets including Houston's KQBT-FM to an audience of 4 million people.
It is hosted by DJ Envy, Angela Yee and Charlamagne Tha God, and has has a problematic relationship with the TBLGQ community and a long history since the show premiered in 2010 of anti-TBLGQ commentary
This latest episode of Black media transphobia started when Janet Mock appeared on the show last Tuesday to promote her new book Surpassing Certainty.
While the Breakfast Club team managed to actually do a respectful and informative interview with Janet on that day, it was painfully obvious they hadn't learned anything on Friday when they hosted the 'comedian' Lil Duval on the show.
The show went off the transphobic rails quickly starting at the 6:28 mark In addition to Lil Duval using the t-slur, he then compounded his ignorance fueled descent down the transphobic rabbit hole by expressing the sentiment of killing a trans woman if he found out he was dating one, repeated the trans deception lie, and then topped it all off by dissing Janet Mock for laughs as the Breakfast Club hosts egged him on.
We have so far in 2017 lost 15 trans women to anti-trans violence, and 13 of those women are Black. Even more infuriating to me is many of those Black trans women we lost were under age 40.
I am sick and tired of along with the Black trans community and the parents of Black trans women, of cis Black folks peddling transphobia for laughs, ratings or your monetary gain.
It isn't funny. And I'm sick and tired of the fragile cis Black masculinity reflected in their anti-trans commentary.
When we have the Republican Party at the state and federal levels openly pushing harmful anti-trans legislation like SB 3 that we're having to fight tooth and nail in my home state and the POTUS peddling anti- trans policies, your jokes are leading to Black trans women being assaulted and murdered.
So no Breakfast Club, not tolerating your so called transphobic jokes or any upcoming weak azz apology for them, especially in light of the fact you have a long history of anti-TBLGQ commentary. #BoycottBreakfastClub
It's past time for Black media outfits, whether they are Internet gossip blogs, TV talk show hosts who used transphobia to build their brand (Wendy Williams) or syndicated FM radio shows like the Breakfast Club to please chill with the Black media transphobia .
It is getting Black trans women assaulted and killed.
One of the ongoing things that I have found laughable ever since she came out is Caitlyn Jenner's insistence that she can change the Republican Party's hostile views when it comes to transgender people.
More power to her for cluelessly taking on that quixotic political mission despite an avalanche of evidence and anti-trans legislation coming out of GOP controlled legislatures across the country that the Republican Party and the conservafool movement hates trans people.
But what will it take for Caitlyn to finally get to the epiphany that many reality based trans people in our community hit a long time ago that the GOP Hates Trans Me?
Even our trans kids are quite aware of this point that seems to escape Miss Right Wing Thing.
News flash, Caitlyn. The party that you are loyal to hates your trans guts and has zero respect for you. They are not listening to you, they are listening the Family Research Council and other anti-trans hate groups in the party. Trump is listening to Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) and VP Mike Pence when it comes to trans policy, not you.
Was Trump's anti-trans service tweet the final straw for her clueless behind? We'll see.
Or is she going to continue to be Donna Quixote charging at that GOP windmill, getting knocked off her horse time and time again and insisting that she can change a party that has anti-trans hatred embedded in its party platform?
You are not going to be able in a time in which the Republican Party and conservative movement is heavily invested in demonizing trans people for fun and their political gain change their attitudes toward transgender Americans.
You can continue on that futile path while the rest of us do what we've always done in terms of resisting the anti-trans evil coming from the Republican Party, and ensuring that the Democratic Party continues to see the wisdom of fighting for the humanity and human rights of trans people like the previous POTUS did that you hated on.
I was a fan of the show M*A*S*H* until it went off the air in February 1983. One of the characters on it was Maxwell Q. Klinger, who spent much of the series trying to get out of the Army on a Section 8 discharge. One of the ways he tried to do that was by crossdressing, but it never worked because his superior officers saw right through it
In the wake of 45's misguided tweet announcing a ban on trans military service, which the Joint Chiefs of Staff quickly stated isn't happening, there are some folks who have been posting pics of Cpl. Klinger in drag to allegedly support trans service members.
If you are doing that, stop it immediately.
It is not only disrespectful to our trans veterans and the 15,500 trans service members currently serving in various capacities across all branches of our armed forces, it is reinforcing some harmful stereotypes.
And our right wing enemies are already using the Klinger memes to attack trans military service.
Trans folks proudly served, and post military have been taking the leadership skills they learned in our military and using them to provide leadership in our community.
Some of trans trailblazers like Phyllis Frye, Monica Helms, Christine Jorgensen and Kristin Beck all have in common they served our nation in the armed forces
If you really wish to support trans service members, then use pics of real peeps like SSgt Logan Ireland, Sgt. Shane Ortega, and Col. Sheri Swokowski just to name a few.
And note to the unhinged haters, transgender people serve in the armed forces of 18 nations on this planet, many of which are our NATO allies.
Being a trans service member is not a joke. So how about reinforcing that point if you sincerely wish to support trans service members by sharing pics of actual trans people in the military?
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.-TransGriot, March 2, 2017
Of all the organizations that expressed outrage about 45's tweet attempting to eviscerate trans people from the US military, I noticed that despite the NAACP currently having their 108th Annual Convention in Baltimore and having an LGBT Forum last night, there is still a deafening silence coming from the NAACP concerning transgender people.
And as a former youth member of the NAACP who is contemplating rejoining the organization, that is bothering me.
Yes, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund has commented on Trump's anti-trans tweet and that's wonderful they did so.
But what we Black trans peeps need to see and hear is a board, NAACP presidential or chair level statement unequivocally spelling out where this 108 year old organization stands when it comes to the humanity and human rights of trans people, and backing that up with action.
Just an FYI NAACP, some of those 15,500 active duty transgender service members Trump attacked happen to be Black
We Black trans folks are catching hell, and we have noted that you have been far too silent about it.The Republican Party is gleefully passing anti-trans legislation like the odious SB 3 that just passed through the Texas Senate. We have had 15 trans women of color murdered in 2017, with 13 of those women being Black. Most disturbing to me is the increasing levels of anti-trans rhetoric being uttered in our community spaces, the time is now NAACP for you to step up and provide the moral leadership inside this community and unequivocally state that Black trans women are Black woman, Black trans men are Black men, and the NAACP will fight for their humanity and human rights.
And we need that said not only at the national level, but in state and local NAACP chapters as well.
As Jade Lenore of BTWI-Texas recently stated, "NAACP can you take a stand for the Trans people of the Black community? Myself and others need to know if you support us and stand with us. Will you defend us against this blatant hatred that ripping through our Black Trans community?"
I'd like to know the answer to that question myself, NAACP? .
So what say ye, NAACP? Will you summon the moral courage to stand with the Black trans community and unequivocally state that you do? Will you form partnerships with Black trans organizations already doing the work but who could use your century plus civil rights gravitas to aid their efforts? Will you work to become trans culturally competent? Will you reach out to the Black trans leaders, parents of Black trans children and Black community allies and supporters for guidance to help you get there as expeditiously as possible?
Will you make a dent in our 20% unemployment numbers by actually hiring qualified trans people to do the work of this organization? Black trans people are damned sure front and center in fighting for the human rights of everyone, including cisgender Black people.
Would be nice if we could get a regular paycheck for doing so.
Or will you do what many people and millennials expect you to do and say nothing, thus justifying the ossifying impression that the NAACP doesn't care about trans people or anyone that is not heteronormative , and is continuing its journey toward 21st century irrelevance?
We in Black Trans World eagerly await the answer to this question.
TransGriot Note: The BTA statement concerning the reinstatement of the trans military service ban
Black Trans Advocacy is saddened to hear that President Donald Trump is continuing the Republican assault on the humanity and human rights of transgender Americans by reinstating the ban on trans military service that was rescinded by the Obama Administration just last year.
What we find particularly odious about this is that it was done exactly 69 years to the day in 1948 that president Harry S Truman issues his executive order desegregating the US military.
There are 15,500 trans people serving in our military, and many of them are doing so with distinction. In addition, the RAND Corporation study done on the costs of transition related medical care at only $2.4 to $8.4 million, a miniscule amount considering the entire military health care budget is $7.8 billion dollars.
It was past time to allow qualified trans people who met the requirements for service in our armed forces to be able to do so. Some of those people who have or are serving in the US military are part of our Black trans family.
We at Black Trans Advocacy hope that this misguided decision is reversed as soon as possible.
TransGriot Note: The BTA Statement concerning the passage of SB 3
Black Trans Advocacy is not shocked to see our Republican controlled Texas Senate continue their misguided and reprehensible attack on the humanity and human rights of transgender Texans via the Lois Kolkhorst authored SB 3.
This unjust bill passed out of committee on an 8-1 vote July 21 and in the Senate yesterday by a 21-10 margin after 8 hours of debate. Last Friday Texans including our Mr Black Trans International king Trenton Johnson by a 12-1 margin expressed themselves via personal appearance in Austin to deliver in person testimony or sent written testimony to the Senate State Affairs Committee urging them not to pass the unjust SB 3 or SB 91 bills authored by Kolkhorst.
We thank Sen Sylvia Garcia who isn't a member of Senate State Affairs, but sat through the nearly 11 hours of testimony given on that bill, and Sen Judith Zaffirini who was the lone NO vote in committee.
We thank the ten Senate Democrats who stood up for the humanity and human rights of transgender Texans, and condemn Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr for disingenuously lying during the debate to claim he has never voted for discrimination while joining all 20 Senate Republicans to enable discrimination against trans Texans. .
Yes senator, you did vote for discrimination back in March when you voted to pass SB 6 out of committee and then did so on the Senate floor.
We urge House Speaker Joe Straus and the members of the House State Affairs Committee to do the right thing for our state and kill this legislative abomination before it costs us more convention business beyond the $66 million we have already lost.
We at Black Trans Advocacy would also like to see this SB 3 bill die before we lose any more Texas trans women to anti-trans animus.
Every day Donald Trump proves what those of us who were paying attention during the 2016 presidential election already knew. That he is not only incompetent and unfit to be POTUS, but was no friend of the TBLGQ community
Today he unleashed a series of tweets in which he stated that the armed forces ban on transgender military service that had been rescinded just last year by President Obama was being reinstated citing the BS reason of costs.
It's also bitterly ironic that he did so on the same day 69 years ago that President Harry S. Truman issued the executive order that desegregated the US military in 1948.
Two studies done by the RAND Corporation in June 2016 and another that was done in September 2015 and published in the New England Journal of Medicine basically came to the same conclusions that the medical gender transition costs that Trump and Republican opponents rail against would be minimal.
The RAND Corporation study estimated that there were 1,320 to 6,630 active duty trans service members, and projected that those costs would be $2.4 million to $8.4 million, which is only a 0.04 to 0.13 % increase in the budget.
It also pointed out that not all current active duty trans military service members would seek gender transitioning treatment, and that 0.1% of those service members would seek treatments that could delay a deployment.
The September 2015 study estimated that it would cost $4.2 million to $5.6 million and of the 12,500 service members, less than 200 would seek medical gender transition related care.
The US military's annual healthcare budget is $47.8 billion dollars.
The brand new aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford at $13 billion cost more to build than the negligible annual transition related healthcare for trans service members.
And I feel today for all those trans veterans like Carla, who proudly served this country and fought for your right to hate us.
One of those 15,000 military trans people you peeps are hating on, is serving out nation and currently deployed in Air Force SSgt Logan Ireland. He had this to say about the announcement.
"For my President to deny an able bodied, fully qualified person the inherent right to raise their right hand and serve their country, potentially giving their own life for our freedoms, is doing this country an injustice. I would love for my President to meet me so I can tell him about the 15,500 honorably serving transgender military members that are fighting right now for their liberties and for their country." -Air Force SSgt Logan Ireland
It most definitely is an injustice to not allow trans Americans to serve their nation like everyone else who gets the choice to do. 18 other nations allow their trans citizens to serve in their military
It's also infuriating to me as a trans African American to hear the same lies that were told to attempt to justify Jim Crow military segregation being retooled to aim at transpeople who wish to openly serve our country.
But then again 45 and his party don't care about your human rights unless you are a white male wealthy Republican.
![HereToSlay: Texas Capitol LGBTQ people of color take over! @ Texas State Capitol, Austin [4 August]](http://austin.carpediem.cd/data/afisha/o/f3/03/f3033dbf46.jpg)
