50th Anniversary of Thurgood Marshall Becoming First Black SCOTUS Justice

With all the horrible news coming out of Las Vegas concerning our latest domestic terrorist attack,  almost slipped my mind that today was the 50th anniversary of Thurgood Marshall being sworn in as the nation's first African-American Supreme Court justice.

Marshall  had been nominated by President Lyndon Baines Johnson on June 13, 1967 following the retirement of Justice Tom C. Clark.   He bad already made history by becoming the first African American to be appointed as the United States Solicitor General in 1965,

Marshal was confirmed by a US Senate vote of 69-11 on August 30, 1967, and was the 96th person to become a US Supreme Court justice. 

He served from August 30, 1967 until he retired due to poor health on October 1, 1991

Houston GLBT Caucus 9th Annual Equality Brunch

Last year it was yours truly being honored at the Houston GLBT Caucus Equality Brunch.   This time I got to sit back yesterday in the audience as a guest of Texas state Sen. Sylvia Garcia for this year's 9th annual edition of the Equality Brunch held yesterday at the Hotel ZaZa overlooking Hermann Park.

The Equality Brunch is a fundraising event for the Caucus, which is considered the oldest  TBLGQ political organization in the South.     

As part of the Brunch, awards are given to community heroes and sheroes

We were also thrilled to have Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner in attendance and giving some brief remarks before he left to attend another event.

Our previous Mayor Annise Parker was also in attendance along with CM Robert Gallegos, Judge Stephen Kirkland, Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis and a long list of political candidates, advocates and supporters in the sold out venue.

The spectacular view from the 11th floor of the hotel was a bonus.

Sen. Garcia was there to receive the Eleanor Tinsley Award, which goes to an ally of our community.  She was definitely that with all her hard work to help us kill SB 6. 

The John Paul Barnich Award that I received last year went to Kevin Anderson,  The Don Hrachovy Award to Kris Banks , and the new Kristen Capps Award to Alan Dettlaff.

The Houston trans and gender diverse community was well represented this year.   In addition to the Tony and Bruce Award going to Gender Infinity co-founders Becca and Colt Keo-Meier,

Gender Infinity's two day conference will once again take place at the University of Houston October 13-14.

The President's Award was given to a longtime trans advocate in Atlantis Narcisse.

She's been active for 20 years in our Houston trans community, but has been in the background doing her work as she supports more visible folks like myself,  Dee Dee Watters and Kaleb Elijah. 

It was well deserved sis, and congrats on receiving it.

Congrats indeed to all the members of the 2017 Class of Caucus Equality Brunch Award recipients, and thanks for everything you do to make our community, Houston and our state better.   

Moni's Thoughts On Vegas Terrorist Attack

I woke up this morning to discover this 62 year old thug, Stephen Paddock opened fire from his 32nd story room at the Mandalay Bay Hotel on an outdoor country concert across the street from his hotel.

Paddock killed 50 people, and injured or wounded another 400 before killing himself in the worst mass shooting terrorist attack since last year's Pulse one.

It's sad that every time I hear about a mass shooting, the first though that crosses my mind is "please don't let the shooter be a person of color'  (or enter your marginalized group here). 

The way the white dominated media covered the shooting told me everything thing i needed to know about it before I even saw a picture of the alleged perpetrator.    The reluctance to call it a terrorist attack.   The insistence of the use of 'lone wolf' to describe this terror attack.   The reluctance to immediately put a photo up of the terrorist or call him that.   The attempt to humanize the perpetrator and refrain from demonizing him like they would if the person executing this attack was anything but a white male. 

So what does this say about white males and their propensity for violently shooting people?   When will Congress open up an investigation about that?

This Las Vegas terror attack also speaks volumes to non-white Americans about how the media and conservative politicians have racialized terrorism

Let's call it what it is and not sugarcoat it because a white male is involved.   It was a terrorist attack executed by another radicalized white male seeking to Make America Great Again when it comes to our unmatched ability to rain death upon our fellow citizens by stupidly allowing anyone with a pulse at the behest of the National Racist  Rifle Association to own an assault weapon. 

When police entered his room they found ten rifles and magazine and ammo

Spare me any chatter about 'this isn't the right time' to talk about banning assault weapons?  When will be the right time?  When you lose a loved one to the next terrorist attack executed by some radicalized white male?

Tell me when is the 'right time' to talk about gun violence?  Because it seems that the right time to talk about it for you ammosexuals and mass shootings overwhelmingly being committed by white males is 'never'.

And once again the Republican Party will do nothing.  They will 'offer prayers', then will back then up with the same inaction that we have seen for over a decade, and then wring their hands when the next terrorist attack involving assault weapons happens.
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What's Kim Petras Up To?

Watching that Deutsche Welle Afro Germany documentary and perusing the results of the recent German federal elections made me wonder what has been going on with Kim Petras lately..

Kim was the youngest person in Germany at age 12 to begin her transition, and the now 24 year old has been busy building her music career in her birth nation and in Europe. 

She now has her sights set on conquering the US music market and has released a new song entitled 'I Don't Want It At All'

She also hasn't forgotten her trans status and feeling she needs to be a roleodel for tne trans kids

Air Force Academy Superintendent Calls Out Racism On AFA Campus

“There is absolutely no place in our Air Force for racism. It’s not who we are, nor will we tolerate it in any shape or fashion. The Air Force strives to create a climate of dignity and respect for all. Period."-Lt Gen Jay Silveria 
The US Air Force Academy is located in Colorado Springs, CO, the same city that is the headquarters of the nefarious right wing group Focus on the Family. 

Been hearing some disturbing stories over the last few years about faith based infiltration of the AFA  and the Air Force to the point that there's a derisive joke that states 'What Would Jesus Bomb? 

Like everywhere else in the country, the hatred has gone off the chain since Trump's election, and on Monday, hate messages with ''go home n*****s' were discovered scrawled on the whiteboards of five Black cadets at the AFA Preparatory School 

Lt. Gen Jay Silveria, the superintendent of the US Air Force Academy, addressed thousands of students about the attack, and this is the response 45 should have had in the aftermath of Charlottesville instead of coddling the Nazis.




Bravo, Lt. Gen. Silveria.  This is what leadership looks like.

Dawn Still Needs Help To Rep Team USA In Slovenia

I posted this back on August 6 about my homegirl Dawn Wilson  qualifying for the USA veterans fencing world championship team and trying to raise $3,000 to cover the expenses for her upcoming trip to maribor, Slovenia and the FIE Veterans World Fencing tournament set to kick off there on October 15.

So far she's only raised a little over $1,200 of the $3500 she's set as the target that she wishes to reach.

I know we have had several natural disasters that have gotten people's deserved attention.   but can y'all spear $1, $5, $10, $20 or more if you can to help her reach her goal.

Help a sister out so she can get to Slovenia and have a shot at bringing home world championship  gold (or silver, or bronze)

Here's the link to the GoFundMe 

Why Only 20 Trans Murders?

I've gotten questions as to why in my 2017 tracking of anti- trans murders on TransGriot, I have only counted 20 people killed.    I've also gotten questions from people who want to argue the point about Kashmire  Redd being the first trans masculine person killed in 2017

I know the original founder of the Remembering our Dead list in Gwen Smith, and I use her standards for tracking anti-trans murders. 

I'm also striving for accuracy as I compile this list of our fallen trans siblings since I'm quite aware that I'm followed by more than a few media outlets

One of the things we don't count in the overall total is police involved shootings.  Unless the police officer in question is indicted for murder, I can't legitimately consider that trans person's death via a police confrontation as a trans bias motivated murder.

It's why I don't count Sean Hake and Kiwi Herring's deaths in this year's trans statistics.   That's a separate issue with many variables in it.  . 

As per the Remembering Our Dead list standards, neither do I count suicides in my TransGriot  Remembering Our Dead count.  This may sound harsh, but a person who has committed suicide took their own life. A person who is murdered had their life snuffed out by another person or persons.

Suicide is also another separate issue with many variables, and shouldn't be lumped in with people who were murdered.  Neither should the folks who died via police involvement

Also, another mistake I see on the other lists that is a serious irritant to me is in Brenda Bostick being listed as Kenneth Bostick.

Brenda Bostick was trans feminine.  The New York City coroner who performed the autopsy on Ms. Bostick found breasts and a penis, so translation, she is TRANS FEMININE.

So please stop disrespecting Ms Bostick by listing her with a masculine name and correct your lists ASAP.

Another issue that has cropped up is Josie Berrios, who was murdered in Ithaca, NY  also went by the name of Kendra Marie Adams.    I've seen two lists that have listed BOTH names as if they were two separate people.   Nope, that's not the case.

I repeat, accuracy and consistency is important when we are compiling this list on people we memorialize for losing their lives due to anti-trans violence.   The Remembering our Dead list has met that test since 1999, and it's why I use their standards in reporting anti-trans murders on my blog.

That being said, here are the 20 people we have lost so far to anti-trans murders in the US.

***

Jamie Lee Wounded Arrow, 28, Sioux Falls, SD
Mesha Caldwell, 41, Canton, MS
Jojo Striker, 23  Toledo, OH
Jaquarrius Holland, 18   Monroe, LA
Keke Collier, 24, Chicago, IL
Chyna Gibson, 31, New Orleans, LA
Ciara McElveen, 26, New Orleans, LA
Alphonza Watson, 38, Baltimore, MD
Chay Reed, 28, Miami, FL
Brenda Bostick, 59, New York, NY
Sherrell Faulkner, 46, Charlotte, NC
Kenne McFadden, 27, San Antonio, TX
Josie Berrios, 28, Ithaca, NY
Ava Le'Ray Barrin, 17, Athens, GA
Ebony Morgan, 28, Lynchburg, VA
Tee Tee Dangerfield, 32, College Park, GA
Gwenevere River Song,  26, Waxahachie, TX
Kashmire Redd, 28, Gates, NY
Derricka Banner, 28, Charlotte, NC
Ally Steinfeld, 17  Cabool, MO 

So far in 2017 we have lost 16 Black trans people, 1 Native American, 1 Latina, and 2 White
15 of the 16 Black trans people we have lost in 2017 have been trans feminine, 1 trans masculine. 

Breaking it down by age, 3 have been in their teens, 11 in their 20's,  3 in their 30's, 2 in their 40's and one in their 50's. 

 

TransGriot 2017 NFL Picks -Week 4

We're a quarter of the way through the 2017 NFL season, and it has been a tumultuous one so far.

Trump pissed off the NFLPA, Black NFL players and their mothers with his racist comments attacking them and Colin Kaepernick, and they responded with league wide anthem protests that even crossed The Pond for the Ravens- Jaguars game that was played in London.

Meanwhile, Deshaun Watson is proving that it was a wise move for the Texans to trade up in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft and get him as he threw for 301 yards and two TD in a narrow 36-33 loss to the defending NFL champs.

Now our rookie QB gets to take on the Tennessee Traitors, er Titans in a critical AFC South Division hatefest at NRG Stadium.    Nope, not gonna let it go they moved to Nashville.

In Week 3 there were a lot of upsets in this still young NFL season, but I got one of them right in picking the Bills over Denver to win this week and increase my slim lead over Mr. Watts to two games in our season long prognostication contest. . 

It's now time to handle my Week 4 NFL prognostication business.   Once again another 16 games, another one in London and another week of trying to get to my goal of a prognostication contest threepeat.

Team I'm picking to win in bold print.  Home team in CAPS, with Mike's Week 4 picks here.

Week 3 Results                                                                             2017 NFL Season Record
TransGriot  9-7                                                                              TransGriot  31-16
Mike           8-8                                                                               Mike          29-18


Thursday Night Game
PACKERS over Bears

Sunday London Game
Saints over DOLPHINS

Sunday Early Games
TEXANS over Titans
PATRIOTS over Panthers
Jaguars over JETS
Bengals over BROWNS
Steelers over RAVENS
Lions over VIKINGS
COWBOYS over Rams
FALCONS over Bills

Sunday Afternoon Games
Eagles over CHARGERS
CARDINALS over 49ers
Giants over BUCCANEERS
Raiders over BRONCOS

Sunday Night Game
SEAHAWKS over Colts 

Monday Night Game
CHIEFS over Washington

Honduran Trans Woman Running For Seat In Honduran Congress

Trans women all over the world are stepping up to run for office in their various nations in large part because we recognize that we must be at the table helping to write the laws that govern us.

Running for office is happening even in nations with a history of being violently hostile to our existence.   Rihanna Ferrera is the latest trans Honduran to attempt to get elected to her nation's national legislative body in their upcoming November 26 elections.

Ferrera is running to represent the department of Francisco Morazan which contains the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa as a candidate for the center-left United Social democratic and Innovation (PINU) Party.  Honduran trans women have made two previous attempts in 2012 to get elected to the Honduran Congress.

Ferrera is also the co-founder of the Asociacion Cozumel Trans, a trans advocacy organization based in Tegucigalpa

Claudia Spellman and Victoria Gomez both attempted to do so that year as LIBRE Party candidates, but subsequently had to seek asylum in the US and Spain after receiving death threats. 

28 year old Kendra Stefany Jordany recently became in March the first trans Honduran to win a party primary in the nation, and is trying to get elected as a representative to the Central American Parliament  which is based in Guatemala City, Guatemala

Ferrera, should she be successful, would become not only the first trans Honduran elected to the national congress, she would also become the first trans person in North America. the seventh in the world and only the third in the Western Hemisphere to be elected to her national legislature

Danica's Unapologetically Trans Political Commercial

As some of you are aware of, Danica Roem is taking on incumbent Delegate Bob Marshall (R) in a historic race for the District 13 seat that he's held since 1991 and used to be a relentless legislative oppressor to the Virginia TBLGQ community.

Roem won a four way primary race back in June to become the Democratic Party nominee in this race and earn the shot at taking down one of the TBLGQ community's longtime political enemies.

If she wins, she would not only became the first out trans person elected to a state legislative seat, she would become the first trans person elected to a US state legislature since since Althea Garrison did so in 1990. 

Bigot Bob is living up to his name by misgendering Danica, refusing to debate her and being a transphobic idiot on the campaign trail.

Danica fired back with this ad embracing her trans identity that Bigot Bob has been attacking.



Hope you Virginia TransGriot readers who live in District 13 are registered to vote and planning to help Danica make history in a few weeks. 

'Star' Season 2 Starts Tonight

More Must See Trans TV action kicks off tonight with the season 2 debut of Star, the spinoff Empire show chronicling the rise of a girl group that has a major trans feminine character played by surprise surprise, an out Black trans woman in the lovely Amiyah Scott.

When we last saw Cotton, she was on a hospital gurney either about to get or recovering from her SRS, and handcuffs were being slapped on her. 

There was also other drama in the Season 1 finale in which Hunter and Eva shady behinds were both killed by a hitman mistaking him for Jahil while he was in the middle of coitus with Eva. 

There's Alexandra's pregnancy and the BLM activist father of the child being possibly paralyzed after a car accident,  and Big Trouble winning the NextFest music contest.



While I'm not liking that part of Cotton being arrested, the fact remains that Amiyah is playing a major trans character on a hit television show that is now in its second season. 

Besides my inquiring mind wanting to see how the group develops with Carlotta as their new manager and with a new name, I also want to see what happens in the relationship between Cotton and Carlotta, and now Jahil Rivera, the group's former manager who was revealed during Season 1 to be Cotton's biological father.

The Seson 2 fun on Star starts tonight at 8 PM CDT

Black and German

One of the little known things about me is I took German in high school, and I have a cousin who is German. 

Black people have lived in Germany for 400 years, and there are an estimated 1 million Afro Germans in the nation today.  I was aware of that history because of the late EBONY managing editor Hans Massaquoi and his book about growing up Black in Nazi Germany called Destined to Witness.

Massaquoi, while being a naturalized American citizen, still considered Germany home.

That's one reason why I was thrilled to discover the Deutsche Welle documentary by German journalist Jana Pareigis (who is yes, Black and German) discussing the Afro German community

Pareigis is also a history maker.   She is the first Afro German to be a commentator on German television for the German news network Deutsche Welle and now is a co host on ZDN's morning show


   

Dale Hansen- Anthem Protests Not About Disrespecting The Flag

"Maybe we all need to read our Constitution again. There has never been a better use of pen to paper. Our forefathers made freedom of speech the First Amendment. They listed 10, and not one of them says you have to stand during the anthem."
-Dale Hansen 

Whenever I spend time in Dallas, I'm watching WFAA-TV news and their legendary sportscaster and journalist Dale Hansen hoping to catch one of his Hansen Unplugged commentaries about topics from sports to politics.

It's time to post another video of his most recent one, in which he calls out folks who have a problem with Black NFL players protesting police brutality and the shoddy treatment of Black Americans during the national anthem. 

Two Perps In Amos Beede Murder Facing Justice

Here's the update in the Amos Beede murder case.

Beede was the trans man killed in a Burlington VT homeless camp back in May 2016.   Five people, Erik Averill, Allison Gee, Myia Barber , Jordan Paul and Amber Dennis were arrested and charged with second degree murder for his death.

In March,  26 year old Allison Gee plead guilty to a reduced charge of aggravated assault in exchange for her testimony against the other four co-defendants.   She will serve five year in prison on a 15 year sentence, and be on indefinite probation for the remaining ten years of it.  If she violates probation, she goes back to jail to serve the remaining ten years of her sentence, 

On September 14  a plea deal was reached with 24 year old Myia Barber, who plead guilty to a reduced charge of involuntary manslaughter for her role in Beede's death.   She hasn't been sentenced yet, but is expected to get 10-15 years in prison.

She was set to go to trial later in September.

Two down, three to go.

Number 20- RIP Ally Lee Steinfeld

Got home to discover the 20th trans person of 2017 has been murdered in 17 year old Ally Steinfeld of Missouri

Steinfeld was originally from Licking, MO, but had moved to St Louis.    Steinfeld had returned to the area and was living in Houston, MO before she disappeared on September 1, eight days before her 18th birthday on September 9.

And yes, Ally was initially misgendered by local media.

Her family, alarmed that she hadn't returned their messages, started searching for her on their own via social media before report her missing on September 14.  They received information that led them to contact Texas County, MO authorities and check out a farm belonging to 24 year old Briana Calderas in Cabool, MO, 70 miles east of Springfield, MO

Steinfeld's burned remains and her cell phone were recovered on that farm. and Calderas, 18 year old Isis Schauer and 18 year old Andrew Vrba have been charged with her killing.

Vrba and his girlfriend Isis Schauer have been charged with first degree murder, armed criminal action and abandonment of a corpse.  Calderas has been charged with first degree murder and abandonment of a corpse

It is presumed that Steinfeld was killed by Vrba on September 3, who admitted he killed her in Calderas'  mobile home living room, and subsequently bragged about doing so 

The murder was grisly, with Steinfeld being stabbed multiple times, eyes gouged and had her genitals mutilated by Vrba.  Schauer and Calderas wrapped the body before moving it outside to burn it.  Schauer and Calderas bought items from two Walmart's located in Houston, MO and Mountain Grove, MO to aid the burning of Steinfeld's body.

Facebook messages between the trio led to the break in the case that Texas County law enforcement official needed to make an arrest.

A Go Fund Me has been started to aid the family with funeral expenses.  As of yet no word about a memorial service, but if I do receive word concerning one I will pass that info along as I receive it. 

And yes, will be keeping track of the legal case until our latest sister heinously taken from us receives justice.

Rest in power and peace Ally.

Being A Black Athlete Has Always Been Political

With the conservafools getting all bent out of shape about Colin Kaepernick NFL anthem protests that are being joined by other NFL players, and now going viral thanks to 45's racist mouth, need to point out that being a Black athlete has always been intimately tied to politics.

From the hatred aimed Jack Johnson's way as heavyweight champion and beating a succession of 'Great White Hopes' challenging him for his title to Jesse Owens, Joe Louis, Jackie Robinson and  Serena Williams, athletic excellence has never been enough for the Black athlete.  They also in many cases have to navigate racism, sexism. and countless other issues from the hardwood to the tennis courts.

Black athletes don't get the luxury of just 'shutting up and play' as the conservafools derisively shout at them.  In many cases Black athletes have used their sporting platforms to call attention to the social injustices of the day as Muhammad Ali and Jim Brown did.

Or racist controversies find them.

And when they do call out America's faults, they are passionately hated on by White Americans as Colin Kaepernick has discovered.   He chose to take a knee during the national anthem in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and to protest police brutality aimed predominately at Black Americans.

Bob Beamon almost didn't make the 1968 Olympic team and get to execute that then world and current Olympic record 29-2 long jump at the Mexico City Olympic games.  People were upset that he and other Black athletes protested the WAC Track and Field Championships held at Brigham Young University that spring.   They were being protested because of the Mormon church's anti-Black theological beliefs and UTEP suspended him.. 

Black female athletes also have had to battle in addition to the racism aimed at them, misogyny. accusations of cheating and 'that's a man' shade simply for excelling at their sport as the Williams sisters, Caster Semenya, Brittney Griner and a far too long list of African descended female athletes can testify to.

Florence Griffith Joyner brought style to track and field along with undeniable speed and talent/  Her 1988 100m world record still hasn't been touched.   But she was dogged by allegations of steroid use that followed her to the grave despite years of clean drug tests.

And how many times have we seen Serena Williams continue to win Grand Slam tournaments, with her 2017 Australian Open win happening while she was 23 weeks pregnant. while having 'that's a man' shade and accusations of substance abuse repeatedly uttered at her?

Black athletes are in many cases also carrying the hopes and aspirations of an entire people on their shoulders, especially if they are in a white dominated sport like tennis, swimming or gymnastics.

It's why Serena 's repeated Grand Slam tournament victories or the success of Dominique Dawes, Gabby Douglas and most recently Simone Biles was a point of pride in Black America.

 

And that Black athlete doesn't even have to be from the US for Black Americans to cheer for them. We were cheering just as loudly for Usain Bolt as his Jamaican countrymen were and griped at the obvious discrimination that French figure skater Surya Bonaly faced as she was competing in the figure skating world of the 90's.

Being a Black athlete has always been a political act.  As long as injustice and anti-Blackness exists in the world, it's sadly going to continue to be that way.

30th Anniversary Of 'A Different World''s Debut

September 24 will mark the 30th anniversary of the debut of the iconic show 'A Different World' that broadcast its first of over 100 episodes over six years in 1987.

And you longtime TransGriot readers know I love the show so much I've done A Different World anniversary quiz posts that you can try your luck at here, here and here.    I even wrote a post imaging what an  A Different World reboot set in this 2K10decade would be like.

The spinoff of The Cosby Show that was supposed to chronicles Denise Huxtable's journey through her parent's fictional HBCU alma mater Hillman College after it's not well liked first season was retooled by new produced Debbie Allen into a realistic portrayal of HBCU campus life that tackled the issues roiling campuses in the late 1980's and early 90's from South African divestment, fraternity and sorority pledging, date rape, HIV-AIDS, racism to Desert Storm and the LA Riots.

Oh yeah, there was also a romance and marriage that developed between bougie diva Whitley Gilbert and nerdy genius Dwayne Wayne that basically became the relationship goal standard for Black couples

And we can't forget the other characters that wandered Hillman's campus such as Ron Johnson, dorm director and coach Walter Oakes, Jaleesa Vinson, Freddie Brooks, Lena James, Dorian Haywood and faculty like Colonel Bradford Taylor and Dean Dorthy Dandridge Davenport.

Mr. Gaines represents those elders you meet along the way that give you advice and that gentle push you need at just the right time to get you going in the right direction.

A Different World is still beloved 30 years after its initial episode was broadcast on NBC.  It is also credited with a major spike in HBCU enrollments during and after its broadcast run from 1987-1993

And because of its success, more shows featuring African American casts followed.

So happy anniversary A Different World!   I'll post a link to those quiz answers later

The Irelands On Ellen

Was happy to see one of my fave trans couples on Ellen discussing their lives as a military couple and their transitions.   What was also amazing was what happened at the end of the studio interview, but I won't spoil the happy surprise for you.

But ugh, that initial cringeworthy question from Ellen.   Note to Ellen, the NLGJA and GLAAD have guides on how to interview and respectfully cover trans people

And still looking forward to meeting Logan and Laila someday, and will keep speaking it into existence until it happens.

Here's the video of their appearance on the Ellen show.

My Houston Statue Replacement Suggestions

Don't think that because we're still recovering from Hurricane Harvey's aftermath that we've forgotten about that hideous Spirit of the Confederacy statue desecrating Sam Houston Park that alas, Harvey's raging floodwaters didn't mercifully wash away.

We still want that statue celebrating the triumph of Jim Crow segregation and put up during that time to go away.

Some folks have asked when it is taken down, and when is the operative word here, what should go up in its place?

Easy. Put a statue up honoring a prominent Houstonian.

First up is to erect a statue in that spot honoring Barbara Jordan, a proud daughter of this city.  

She became in 1967 the first (and sadly so far) only Black woman elected to the Texas Senate and the first Black Texan to be elected to the Texas Legislature since Reconstruction.  

She then made history again by getting elected to the US House of Representatives in the newly created 18th Congressional District in 1972.   She was on the Judiciary Committee during the Watergate impeachment hearings , made two historic keynote speeches to Democratic national conventions in 1976 and 1992 and was the ethics advisor for Gov Ann Richards.

She made history even when she died in 1996.   She became the first Black Texan to be interred in the Texas State Cemetery in Austin, where she is buried with other Texas heroes and sheroes right next to her friend Gov. Ann Richards.

My next suggestion is US Rep. George Thomas 'Mickey' Leland,

While he wasn't born here, (born in Lubbock,TX)  Leland grew up in 5th Ward, graduated from Wheatley and later from TSU.

He was a two term state legislator who succeeded Barbara Jordan when she retired from the US House in 1978. He served as the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus during the 99th Congress, and chair of the House Select Committee on Hunger

Leland was a humanitarian and advocate who was killed in an August 1989 plane crash at age 44 while on a mission to bring food to famine stricken Ethiopia.  

May I also suggest for a statue the first female mayor of Houston in Kathy Whitmire?  

Many of the powers that be hated her, but she was actually the first candidate I was eligible to vote for in a Houston mayoral election.

The native Houstonian CPA and UH grad served as our city controller before she won election in 1981 by building a broad progressive coalition that she successfully maintained it for 10 years across five two year terms.

Her bid for a sixth consecutive two year term as mayor was derailed when her diverse coalition suffered major defections by Lanier taking some of her white support and Black voters supporting Sylvester Turner's bid to become Houston's first Black mayor.

She broke the power grip that the 'good old boys' had on city politics and the mayor's chair.  It's why the Houston conservatives pushed term limits after Bob Lanier won in a 1991 runoff with future (and current) Houston mayor Sylvester Turner.

Whitmire appointed our first Black police chief in Lee Brown, who in 1998 would later become our first African-American mayor.  She appointed now state Sen. Sylvia Garcia to a municipal judgeship as our first Latina municipal judge, and was a vocal supporter of METRO's plan to build a rail component to our public transit system.

She also tried to pass in 1984 a non discrimination ordinance that also covered gay people that met the same death by referendum fate as HERO did 30 years later  

But those are just three worthy Houstonians I can think of who deserve to have a statue commemorating them in Sam Houston Park instead of that white supremacist abomination that sits there now.  

Dear Transphobic People- Putting You Transphobic Black Cis Men On Blast

Dear Transphobic People,
Been a while since I've done one of these posts calling y'all out on your off the chains transphobia, but in light of the fact that I have had to call out two transphobic Black men in Third Ward in the last 72 hours, with one of them threatening me with violence, it's past time for me to call y'all out like I had to do with my Black cis sisters.

First off, what the hell is wrong with y'all?  

I and other Black trans women are beyond sick and tired of being sick and tired of y'all having something to say when we are just trying to go about our day without harassment and you feel the nerve to whisper or holler 'that's a man' at us while we're close enough for you to hear it.

Neither do we like it when you Black men repeatedly get on the mics at 100,000 watt radio and TV stations broadcasting transphobic ignorance and hate speech to the world.

That transphobic hate speech metastasizes into anti-trans violence that can cause our deaths.  

Naw b****, I'm not a man. I was born an infant 55 years ago that evolved and grew to become a fabulous, proud, unapologetic Black trans woman who is finally comfortable in her body.

If I was a man, I wouldn't have spent the countless hours and years in counseling, tons of money on trans affirming medical procedures and the aforementioned counseling, money on a new wardrobe, and gleefully getting adjusted to the nuances of living life on the Black feminine side of the gender spectrum.

I and my trans sisters are women, regardless of the genitalia configurations concealed in our panties, what you assume our chromosomes are or what your ignorant masculine azz has to say about the subject.

Gender identity is between your ears, not your legs.  If you aren't a certified gender therapist, geneticist, progressive politician or pastor, supportive family member or ally, or a doctor that specializes in transgender issues, I really don't give a rats anus what your loud and wrong opinion is anyway.

I and Black Trans Feminine World are sick and tired of you kneegrows cooning it up with the same white male Republican politicians that hate your Black behinds to politically hate on the trans community, then expect me and my community's help and support when your white male GOP best buds turn on or their white supremacist police buds shoot to kill one of y'all after they're done using you for their right wing photo ops.

Whatever personal issues you have going on in your life,  or if you're mad because you ain't getting any attention sexually, don't take it out your shortcomings on Black trans women.   Don't get mad because we turned your azz down for a date. If we're not feeling you, deal with it.  

We know deep down you are turned on by us, want to date and get busy with us.  The trans porn sales numbers and sustained popularity of the trans porn genre don't lie.

We Black trans women, nor ANY woman for that mater, are not punching bags for you to release your toxic masculine anger on.   Neither is it acceptable to put your hands on or disrespect a trans woman for any reason.

Too many of my sisters are dying at your hands because you are far too concerned about your masculine reps than the lives of the trans women you are dating or getting busy with.  .

And naw Black gay men, you ain't escaping Moni's Dear Transphobic People wrath either.  It time to snatch your wigs, too

 Far too many of you have thrown transphobic shade at trans women you pass in the gayborhood streets or in the clubs while hugged up with your white male boyfriends, or while you're out and about at the club with your friends.  

Get it through your heads that trans women are WOMEN.  You are not experts (RuPaul) on how we live our lives, we trans women are.   If you want to know something about our lives, respectfully ask us.   If you work for an org that wants to know about our transfeminine lives, pay us for that privilege.

Don't get it twisted, being a trans woman is not analogous to being a drag queen.  While some of my trans sisters make their money doing drag in clubs or the pageant circuit and have used it as a way to facilitate their personal feminine transition journey, drag is simply a job for them to pay their bills.

When that show is over, they wipe the stage makeup off, clock out, exit that club, reenter society and navigate their way back home as trans women, not gay men.

And for those of you working in Black oriented or other cisgender focused human rights orgs, we need you to have our back in those policy circles you have access to, not stab us in the back.

My Black trans life matters just as much as yours does.   Black trans people aren't going away because we are an undeniable part of the diverse mosaic of human life, ,and you need to deal with that reality.

So cis Black men, next time you feel the urge to throw 'that's a man ' shade at a Black trans woman who is just trying to get through her day without drama, put your lips in park and don't do it.

Because you may not like what happens next if you follow through with your desire to mess with a trans woman that day.