Kim Coco Iwamoto Running For Hawaii Lieutenant Governor In 2018!

I have more than a few posts in the TransGriot archives about this trailblazing trans woman that I finally had the pleasure to meet during #CC15 in Denver.

She has been a two time elected member of the Hawaii Board of Education, ran for the Hawaii state senate last year, and is currently a member of the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission.

Now Kim Coco Iwamoto has officially announced that she will be running to be Hawaii's next lieutenant governor in the 2018 election cycle..

It's a crowded field with five other Democratic candidates in the lieutenant governor's race, but here's hoping that Iwamoto can break out of it and make more electoral history.

Building A Better World With Breakthrough Candidates

I have been saying for years that the most important thing that we must do to take the trans rights movement to the next level is to have trans people run for public office.    It made me exceedingly proud to endorse Andrea Jenkins and Phillipe Cunningham for Minneapolis City Council. They are not only on the verge of making history for trans people and trans people of color, but are also bringing progressive values, proven experience and real leadership that is so desperately needed in these contentious political times. As a multi-racial group of trans and gender expansive people, TUF has been appalled at the level of racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia at play in this election cycle and in the campaigns of our endorsed candidates. Now that the Koch brothers, national Republicans and downtown business interests have vowed to spend over $1 million dollars to stop a progressive and diverse group of municipal candidates, it validated the importance of these historic races and stiffened our resolve to ensure that through committed action these candidates emerge victorious on Election Day. The level of violence faced by our communities, the levels of HIV, the discrimination and disproportionate impact of poverty are all 'personal is political' issues that reflect whose lives matter and whose lives do not. At Trans United Fund's Breakthrough PAC we are committed to supporting candidates who not only mean it when they say 'trans lives matter' but are committed to real and practical solutions that honor that sentiment. Today, I'm proud to announce our endorsement of four, additional candidates who we believe reflect this commitment: Mayor Betsy Hodges, Jillia Pessenda and Jeremiah Ellison. We will work hard with our partners at OUTFRONT MN to not only support these newly endorsed candidates, but with our coalition partners dramatically expand efforts to Get Out the Vote and fight back against a million dollars of right wing money.

We at Trans United Fund are acutely aware of the saying united we stand, divided we fall   So much of the history of marginalized people is one of division and outside groups seeking to drive wedges in our coalitions, but Trans United Fund knows that if we hand together, we are unstoppable.  

This announcement also comes as our community is preparing to in two week mourn during TDOR the 22 trans people we have lost to hate and violence  We often say rest in power and not one more - not just to mark their deaths - but to make a commitment to a living legacy - a commitment to the different sort of world we want to build. This year has been dark, depressing and challenging, exacerbated by unprecedented violence and political dysfunction. It has been a terrible year for trans people, for women, for immigrants and for all of us that live in the margins. And we have fought back - harder and fiercer than ever - because we know our lives and human rights are on the line.  But unlike previous times, the trans community is not fighting this onslaught of anti-trans injustice alone. We were blessed to have by our side hundreds of thousands of people responding when the Trump Administration attempted to roll back protections for trans youth and attacked our trans troops serving our country in the US armed forces.  The everyday violence against trans people is something more and more people are paying attention to and wanting to do something to end.  More families are stepping up to love and support their trans children-not cruelly throw them in the streets. This positive reality is at the core of what makes - even in the darkest of times - something new and transformative possible.  We are doing our part to help our allies connect the dots and understand how our issues and oppressions we face as transgender people are inextricably linked to theirs. And in a crucial time like this, it is needed and necessary for all of us to come together to help build a world in which trans people not only survive but thrive, but can contribute their talents to help make our communities better. But we can only make real that beautiful dream of a world together. This is just the first step towards building a political home in which we develop a shared vision, a shared strategy and the power we need to make that vision real But we can do none of it without you. Whether you can give your time, your money, your expertise and/or wisdom - please join us in this work today and let’s get started building a world we can all be proud of.

JonCasey Rowell Convicted In Monica Loera Murder Case

Good news out of Austin! 

After several hours of deliberation by a Travis County jury, JonCasey William Rowell was found GUILTY in the killing of Monica Loera at approximately 4:40 PM CST.

Rowell was charged with first degree murder by APD when he was arrested for the January 22, 2016  killing of Loera at her north Austin home.

After several days of testimony in the trial which started with jury selection last Monday, the Travis County jury hearing the case went into deliberation at noon CST today.

The case was observed by members of the Austin trans and gender non conforming community and friends of Loera.   

They will be in the courtroom tomorrow morning at 9 AM CST when Rowell is sentenced and we hope it will be a punishment that fits the heinous crime.   He is facing 99 years in jail.

On The Verge Of Making Trans Electoral History!

Tomorrow is Election Day in many locales across the country.   One of the things I have been keeping my eye on is the group of transgender political candidates who I hope will be making breakthrough political history tomorrow night.


First up are the twin historic campaigns of Andrea Jenkins and Phillipe Cunningham in Minneapolis for two city council seats.

If they win, they would hake history on several fronts.   In Cunningham's case, he would become the first trans masculine candidate elected to any office, and the first Black trans masculine candidate ever elected, and he's in a tight race for the Ward 4 seat. 

Jenkins would become the first out Black trans feminine candidate elected to public office and the first Black trans feminine person elected to public office since Althea Garrison in 1992.

Both Cunningham and Jenkins should they get elected would become the first trans candidates elected to a large metropolitan city council.

In New York State, Chrissie Browde's New Castle, NY town council race in Hillary Clinton's hood is being watched as it hits the homestretch.   Browde made history as the first New York State trans person to have the backing of the state's Democratic Party, and wants to build on it by getting elected to the town council as the second out trans elected official in New York state after Melissa Sklarz broke that electoral ceiling in 1999.

The race getting the most coverage so far of Danica Roem's Virginia House of Delegates race in which she is taking on a longtime enemy of the TBLGQ community in incumbent Del. Bob Marshall.

Bigot Bob is definitely earning his nickname in this race while Roem is fighting to take that seat away from him by focusing on the issues pertinent to the district and calling him out on his transphobia from time to time.

If you're in that Northern VA district, please handle your electoral business tomorrow.

These four candidates are all hard at work trying to get any last minute undecided voters in their columns, if you live in their locales, I hope you will vote for them

We'll know tomorrow night whether these four trans candidates were successful in this election cycle

Thoughts and Prayers Won't End Mass Shootings- Gun Bans Will

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.James 2:26

We are tired of after every mass shooting Republican politicians expressing their 'thoughts and prayers' ad nauseum for the victims of mass shootings, lowering flags to half staff, and then obeying their NRA masters and doing nothing about what will really stop the epidemic of mass shooting in this country.

Banning assault weapons.

This latest mass shooting in Texas happened in a church, so 'thoughts and prayers' weren't enough.

It's past time for legislative action that we know will stop these killings.  An assault weapons ban combined with instant background checks when guns are purchased.

These are the works that are needed to demonstrate that your faith is sincere.   If you can't do that, or start mouthing off a bunch of NRA talking points,  then we already know you are part of the GOP dry as dust religion and will not act to stop gun violence.

And I suspect the only thing that will move you from that do nothing position that gets you an A rating from the NRA is you or a family member being caught up in one of those mass shootings.

And even if that scenario happens, then I doubt that you GOP legislators will do anything to stop mass shootings except flap your gums about it.  '

What we need in this critical period in American history are legislators tough minded enough to pass those laws, judges who are willing to swat down the inevitable NRA lawsuit designed to kill that law, and people even more tough minded enough to enforce them.

Handle Your 2017 Election Business Tomorrow

If you missed your opportunity to early vote, don't get upset because Election Day is tomorrow..

You'll just have to handle your election business at your usual precincts instead of the early voting locations that were open until November 3.

Polls will be open from 7 AM-7 PM CST.

While this is a Houston centric election reminder post, I am keenly aware of the fact there are people running for office across the country in critical elections, including four trans candidates in Minneapolis, New York State and Virginia looking to make history tomorrow..

Our Lone Star State ones for governor, lieutenant governor, the Lege and other critical positions in our state government aren't happening until next year.   It'll be 2019 for the city of Houston elections .

But we do have control of the HISD school board up in this election cycle with six seats up for grabs,  two HCC boards seats , five Houston city propositions and several state constitutional amendments that require you to say YEA or NAY to.

As usual the Houston LGBT Political Caucus has their endorsed slate of candidates you can vote for the endorsed candidates on their card

Who are those endorsed candidates?   Glad you asked.

Houston Community College Board of Trustees
HCC Trustee District IV -  Carolyn Evans- Shabazz
HCC Trustee District IX-    Pretta VanDible Stallworth

Houston Independent School District Board of Education
HISD Trustee District 1-   Elizabeth Santos
HISD Trustee District III- Carlos Perrett
HISD  Trustee District V-  Kara DeRocha
HISD Trustee District VI-  Holly Flynn Vilaseca
HISD Trustee  District VIII- Anne Katherine Sung

And for the first time the Caucus has also come out with an official position on issues pertinent to our community.

City of Houston Propositions
FOR City of Houston Propositions A, B, C, D and E

If you're wondering how to vote on those Texas Constitutional Amendments,  here's analysis from Daniel Williams, one of the smart people I pay attention to when he talks about Texas politics and the Texas Legislature.

So consider this a practice run for 2018 and 2020 and go handle your electoral business.

Time To Fall Back 2017

This is your TransGriot public service announcement reminding you that Daylight Savings time ends today, so you get to pick up that hour of sleep you lost back in march unless you're out partying right now.

If you're a Trumpette, turn your clock back 100 years

So turn that clock back one hour before you go to sleep, otherwise you're going to be an hour early for all you events scheduled for today .

DFW Area White Woman Tripping About Curvaceous Black Reporter

Black women not only come in 24 different skin tones from light bright and damned near white to deepest darkest ebony, a fact that Rihanna is taking to the bank with her new makeup line, we also come in many different body types.

And one white Dallas TV viewer is mad because of that.

Meet Demetria Obilor.  She works at WFAA-TV 8 in Dallas, and does their morning traffic reports for them.  As you can also see she is beautiful, voluptuous, and curvaceous.

Conservaviewer Jan Shedd had a problem with that and took to Facebook to express herself.

“Has anyone seen channel 8’s new morning traffic reporter,” Shedd wrote on Facebook. “She’s a size 16/18 woman in a size 6 dress. She looks ridiculous. I understand that when I watch Channel 8 I’m going to get biased reporting and political correctness, but clearly they have taken complete leave of their senses."

Of course, once Jan's jealousy tinged Facebook comments were posted to Black Twitter, the ruthless dragging of Bigot Becky swiftly ensued with their usual brutal efficiency.

And yeah, Black Twitter is still putting their collective electronic foot up Shedd's behind as they call Shedd's bigoted ignorance out. 

Bitter Becky, party of one, your table is ready.

Obilor also posted a video to her own Twitter feed thanking Black Twitter for coming to her defense and calling the hater out and basically saying if you don't like her, you have channel options

You're welcome sis.  We got your back. 

Meanwhile, I have another reason to watch WFAA-TV 8 besides Dale Hansen the next time I end up on the northern end of I-45.

Shut Up Fool Awards- Carol Moseley Braun US Senate Election Anniversary Edition

It was on the date in 1992 that Carol Moseley Braun became the first African American woman and the first Black Democrat of any gender elected to the US Senate, representing the state of Illinois.

She unfortunately only got to serve one six year Senate term, and it took until 2016 to have our Second African American female senator elected in the person of Kamala Harris.

It's also Friday, and y'all know what that means.  It's time for me to call out so fools for this week's edition of the TransGriot Shut Up Fool Awards.

Honorable mention number one goes to White House Press Secretary Minister of Propaganda  Sarah Suckabee Huckabee Sanders just for walking into the White House press room and bald face lying every day 

Honorable mention number two is Donald Trump for just pick an outrage.

Honorable mention number three is John 'Papa John' Schnatter, who made the ridiculously racist comment that Black NFL players protesting during the national anthem for social justice are responsible for his sagging pizza sales.

Naw boo boo, look in the mirror as for who the guilty party is as to why nobody's buying your crappy pizza.   You're only the latest fool to learn that supporting Trump is bad for business and your career.

Honorable mention number four is a joint one for Donna Brazile , Elizabeth Warren and the Berners. 

Brazile falsely accused Clinton of once again 'rigging' the  2016 Democratic Primary.   Elizabeth Warren then threw Hillary under the bus by co-signing the statement , that caused drama in the left wing blogosphere all day as Berners seized on the remark and call a woman that they racistly attacked last year a hero/

Now all of them are silent because the comment was debunked.   All this unnecessary drama because one person want to spice up her book sales, one wants to pander to the Berners, and the Berners still wanna hate on Hillary and anyone who dares call out St Bernard of Sanders their lord and political savior and points out the inconvenient for them truth he sucked as a candidate.

News flash to the Berner wing.  Bernie STILL lost to Hillary, and no conspiracy theory you can come up with will change that 2016 primary result.

Now can we get along and move on to the 2018  midterm elections and do the work that reality based America is counting on us to do? 

This week's Shut Up Fool winner in a week crowded with contenders for the honor is Energy Secretary Rick Perry.

Perry embarrassed himself and Aggies everywhere by saying that increased use of fossil fuels can prevent sexual assault and the jury is out on the science behind climate change..

Ugh, my head hurts just even trying to quantify and make sense of the massive level of willful ignorance and WTF level stupidity that went into those statements.

Let's do this.   Rick Perry, shut up fool!

Dallas Lights Up Their Skyline For H-Town

Normally there is no love lost between Houston and Dallas when it comes to our ongoing civic rivalry, and being a proud native Houstonian with relatives in Dallas, I gleefully do my part to remind them they are only the third largest city in Texas and Austin is coming for them population wise.

But when bad things happen in either locale, the rivalry hits the pause button.

Every now and then I also have to give that metropolis on the northern end of I-45 their props when they do things right.  It has been unquestionably blue since 2006 and I love their 100 plus miles of DART light rail that I ride whenever I visit the city.   

Now I have to give them props for the classy move in honor of the Astros first title .

They lit up their skyline. 

Despite the ongoing rivalry between the Rangers and Astros that has only heated up since our move to the AL West Division, Dallas gave us our props for bringing a title to the Lone Star State weeks after Hurricane Harvey made life miserable for a lot of peeps in the Houston area and the upper Texas coast.

And for that gesture I definitely need to tip the Astros cap in their direction.

TransGriot 2017 NFL Picks Week 9

I'm having a great sports week so far.  My hometown baseballers finally won their first title.   The Coogs handed South Florida their first loss of the season, the Dynamo in their MLS playoff game with Portland finished in a 1-1 draw and the Rockets are off to a decent start.

Now the Texans need to handle their NFL business, but that might be tough after the  Bob McNair 'inmates running the prison' comment uttered during the recent NFL owners meeting went viral and thoroughly pissed off the Texans players before their epic game with Seattle.

That was followed by Duane Brown, fresh off his holdout, ripping McNair in the local press and subsequently being traded to the Seahawks.

Y'all have an AFC South division game coming up, so handle your NFL business.

As for me and Mr. Watts season long NFL prognostication business, I had an excellent Week 8, going 11-2.   My only problem was Mr Watts was better.  He went 12-1 and missed achieving our contest's first ever perfect week because of the Dolphins-Ravens game 

So yep, gots to handle my NFL prognostication business this week since Mr.Watts cut into my lead again and I now only have a one game edge going into the second half of the season. 

Enough jibber jabber.   Six teams, the Bears, Browns, Chargers, Vikings, Patriots and Steelers are watching the rest of the NFL play.  That means only 13 games to pick.   Mike's Week 9 picks are here, with the team I'm selecting to win in bold print.   Home team is in CAPS   

Week 8 Results                                                                       2017 NFL Season 
TransGriot   11-2                                                                     TransGriot   74-45
Mike            12-1                                                                     Mike            73-46

Thursday Night Game
Bills over JETS

Sunday Early Games
Texans over COLTS
SAINTS over Buccaneers
Falcons over PANTHERS
TITANS over Ravens
Rams over GIANTS
JAGUARS over Bengals
EAGLES over Broncos

Sunday Afternoon Games
CARDINALS over 49ers
SEAHAWKS over Washington
Chiefs over COWBOYS

Sunday Night Game
Raiders over DOLPHINS

Monday Night Game
Lions over PACKERS

Houston Tapped To Host 2024 College Football Championship Game

Texas conservafools, this is another undeniable example of the Lone Star State getting nice things when you peeps don't go to Austin and pass hateful legislation. 

Houston was a finalist for the initial rounds of College Football Championship games that in large part because of the HERO repeal referendum vote being in the news when these games were awarded on November 1, 2015, subsequently went to Atlanta (2018), Santa Clara, CA (2019) and New Orleans (2020). 

The sites for the next four College Football Championship games from 2021-2024 were announced yesterday.  Guess what Texas city made that final list? 

Assuming the Texas GOP conservafools don't do something stupid to cause it to be moved, the 2024 College Football Championship Game will be hosted at NRG Stadium in Houston.

The 2021 game will be played in Miami, in 2022 Indianapolis, and in the soon to be opened stadium in Los Angeles in 2023.

So don't screw it up, Texas conservafools.  Or to ensure they don't mess with our tourism money, I suggest we reality based Texans kick their butts out of power in the Lone Star State so we can continue to have nice things like major sporting events and conventions come to Houston, Dallas and San Antonio.

Astros Earn History And Finally Win A World Series Championship!

I was 24 days from arriving on Planet Earth when the Astros, then known as the Houston Colt .45's, played their first game at their temporary Colt Stadium home as the Astrodome was being built.
On that April 10 day they beat down the Chicago Cubs 11-2 and swept that series

As my hometown baseball team, I've seen a lot of games.  I even worked at the Astrodome from 1981-1986.   I witnessed my share of heartbreaking Astros playoff losses. I have the bad memories of the 1980 NLCS, 1981 NLDS, the 1986 NLCS, the 1997, 1998 and 1999 NLDS, the 2004 NLCS, the 2005 World Series and the 2015 ALDS 

So when the Astros won 101 games in capturing their first AL West title I was hopeful that this would finally be the year.   Then it was on to the ALDS where they dispatched the Boston Red Sox in 4 games to face the Evil Baseball Empire.

Home field advantage was crucial in that ALCS with the Yankees, with the Astros taking the first two games at Minute Maid to grab a 2-0 lead.  But once the scene shifted to New York the Astros bats went quiet and the Yankees won all three games in the Big Apple to head back to Texas with a 3-2 lead.   

The Astros came back home to take the ALCS Game 6 to tie the series and take down the Evil Baseball Empire in Game 7 to capture their first American League championship

They also became not only the first team in the modern era to win titles in the National and American League, they became the first AL team ever to beat the Red Sox and Yankees in the same postseason.

They would then face the National League champion Dodgers, who won a major league best 104 games to get home field advantage. 
The Astros got the split in LA, and took two out of three at Minute Maid to finish with a 8-1) to got back to LA with a 3-2 lead.

After getting beat in Game 6, they jumped on Yu Darvish again to build a 5-0 lead they never relinquished for their first World Series title in franchise history.

Wipes away a lot of frustration as an Astros fan. They also #EarnedHistory by beating baseball royalty on the way to their first title.    The Red Sox, Yankees and Dodgers have a combined 41 titles to our now one. 

But it's a so sweet one to cap an epic World Series for H-town.   And even better, we beat the Rangers to the accomplishment of bringing a World Series title to the Lone Star State.

And I couldn't be happier.   See y'all at the parade on Friday!

Can You Donate and Help Trans Candidates Make History?

It's the first day of November, and we are six day away from making history with a group of stellar trans candidates who are running for office in Minneapolis  (Andrea Jenkins and Phillipe Cunningham) New York state (Chrissie Browde) and Virginia (Danica Roem)

Our right wing opposition is getting a last minute infusion of cash to oppose these candidates that we must counter, and that's why Trans United Fund needs your help and your cash for these critical home stretch days. 

It's especially critical in Danica's Virginia House of Delegates race since she is taking on the darling of the right wing movement in longtime anti-TBLGQ foe Delegate Bob Marshall.

Phillipe also has a tough Ward 4 Minneapolis City Council race and will also need some help in the final push to the November 7 finish line 

Each one of these breakthrough candidates has already made history in their various locales.  We need to have trans people get elected to office to help push good public policy and be in position to kill bad policy at the legislative level.

These candidates have stepped up to do that.  We just need to do what it takes on our end to help them win and BE in office to help formulate public policy for their constituents and our community.

So could you take a few moments to contribute to the Breakthrough Fund today?  No amount is too small, and could make all the difference in these races.

2017 US Trans Murders List

We're getting close to this year's Transgender Day of Remembrance memorial events, and this is the current list of trans people who have died in the US in 2017.

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
Gwynevere River Song,  26, Waxahachie, TX
Kashmire Redd, 28, Gates, NY
Derricka Banner, 28, Charlotte, NC
Ally Steinfeld, 17  Cabool, MO
Stephanie Montez, 47  Robstown, TX
Candace Towns, 30  Macon, GA


So far in 2017 we have lost 17 Black trans people, 1 Native American, 2 Latinas, and 2 White
16 of the 17 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,  4 in their 30's, 3 in their 40's and one in their 50's.

Youngest has been 17 in the persons of Ava  Le'Ray Barron and Ally Steinfeld, who was killed mere days before her 18th birthday    Oldest so far this year has been Brenda Bostick.

***I use the Gwen Smith Remembering Our Dead List standards to compile this list.  Like the Remembering our Dead List, one of the things I 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.  They were both police involved shootings.  That's a separate issue with many variables in it.  .  

Also 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 made a conscious choice to take 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 error that I see in several lists is the Josie Berrios situation.   She was also known as Kendra Marie Adams, and I've seen two lists with BOTH names on it. 
So that's why I have 22 people listed per Remembering Our Dead Project standards.

I just want those murders to stop.

Number 22- RIP Candace Towns

Woke up this morning to find out that we've lost our 22nd trans person to anti-trans violence in the person of 30 year old Candace Towns of Macon, GA.

Candace is also the 17th Black trans person we have lost this year to anti trans violence, and 16 of the 17 people were trans feminine.  Sadly she was just 30 years old.   She's the tenth Black trans person we've lost in 2017 who was age 30 or younger.

And as you probably guessed, the initial article by Laura Corley not only misgendered her, but also deadnamed Candace as well. 

Towns was staying at the Rodeway Inn on Eisenhower Parkway, was last seen alive Saturday,   and war reported missing on Sunday.   At 4 PM EDT Tuesday an anonymous 911 call was received  reporting a person was down at the end of a driveway and was possibly dead. 

That person was our trans sister, and police arrived she was found shot to death on top of a hill on Rosecrest Avenue between  Bright Street and Edgewood Ave. 

This had not been Candace's first brush with anti-trans violence.   In July 2009 the Macon Telegraph reported that she'd been shot in the ankle on Pebble Street, a few blocks from when her body was found Tuesday afternoon.

As of this writing there are no suspects in this case, and if you have any information that will lead to the apprehension and incarceration of the killer, please call  Macon Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-877-68CRIME (1-877-682-7463)

No word of any memorial service or funeral arrangements as of yet.   I'll pass that info on as soon as I receive it.   I also will keep track of the case until justice is served for our sister to the satisfaction of her family and all who loved her..

2018 ACA Enrollment Starts Today

The United States has tried to pass some form of comprehensive health care legislation since the late 19th Century.  President Franklin Delano Roosevelt attempted to do as part of Social Security  was the first to attempt to do so, but was vehemently opposed by the American Medical Association.

President Harry S Truman attempted to do so as part of his Fair Deal, but also ran into AMA opposition .   That same AMA opposition was present when President Lyndon B. Johnson got Medicare and Medicaid passed in 1965, and a serious effort to do so happened during the Nixon and Clinton and Obama administrations.

To tackle the problem of over 40 million Americans being uninsured, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was passed and signed into law by President Obama on March 23, 2010.

The Affordable Care Act cut the number of uninsured Americans in half, slowing down the rapid rise in health care costs and acted as a stimulus that fueled national economic growth.

It also has saved lives in the process.

But despite the obvious benefits of the ACA, the law has been under attack by the Republican Party since its passage.  With Donald Trump now in the White House, Republicans see an opportunity to repeal the law and replace it with their own plan.   Those efforts have already failed, and were opposed by much of the American population that likes many of the ACA's more popular features like allowing dependents to stay on their parent's health insurance plans until age 26,  no preexisting conditions or coverage caps.

The Trump administration is resorting to other methods to kill the ACA by starving it of funding,  cutting the advertising budget to publicize 2018 ACA enrollment by 90% and the cut of funding for the Navigator program from $62.4 million to $36.8 million.

They cynically hope that the less people know about when to re-enroll for 2018 ACA coverage, it will cause the overall numbers of people enrolled to drop and then the conservative  'the ACA is failing' propaganda has a veneer of plausibility.

So let's commit a revolutionary act and thwart those plans.

The 2018 enrollment period for the ACA starts today, November 1 and runs through December 15th.   It's time once again to get covered, and there are people and organizations out there in your locale who will help you try to get the health care coverage you need that fits your budget. 

Here's the link to Healthcare.Gov to get you started.

Happy Trans National Holiday 2017

There's a reason why I call October 31 the Trans National Holiday. 

It's one of the few times in our binary culture (Mardi Gras, appearing in a film or play, drag in the gayborhood or female mimics clubs are the other moments) in which cisgender men can put on the clothes of the opposite gender and not get crucified for it.

Now if you do it any other time, outside of a female illusionist club or outside the gayborhood, then you are castigated for it.

It's also one of the times that if you are in the questioning phase of your gender identity,  Halloween became the day that you basically ventured out of the closet to make that test drive foray into the world dressed as your true self.

It's why before I transitioned I circled October 31 on the calendar and planned my en femme forays into Montrose with the precision of the D-Day invasion.

Then as the 80's progressed and I became more certain that it 'wasn't a phase' but an intrinsic part of who I am, I stopped just limiting myself to Halloween.

Halloween was also the time that the elaborate drag balls like Finnie's Ball in Chicago and the ones in New York dating back to the Harlem Renaissance happened that drew thousands of people.

It's why there is some truth to the joke that we tell in trans groups and at our conferences that today's crossdresser is tomorrow's trans woman booking a flight to Bangkok for her SRS.

One of the things that surprised me when I first typed in 'transsexual' just to see what happened in Google Books and all these digitized EBONY and JET magazine archived trans themed stories popped up, is my astonishment ho well in many cases EBONY and JET actually covered those issues up to and including the correct pronouns.

Through much of the 50's and 60's JET would post a short story with pics in one of their November issues of the drag queen and later drag king winners of Finnie's Ball

I was also fascinated by those pics from the New York and Chicago drag balls in a 1953 EBONY issue and how much glitz and glamor surrounded those events and the cash prizes paid to the winners.

There were also the Paris female illusionist cabarets of the late 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's like Madam Arthur, Le Carrousel and Cabaret Michou in which April Ashley, Coccinelle, Bambi, Amanda Lear and even a young Caroline Cossey performed.

While the glamorous Harlem Renaissance era balls of the 20's and 30's gave way to the ballroom community, the traditions are still there in terms of people competing to see who can looking flawlessly feminine and who can be on point masculine.

Trans themed pageants serve that purpose today along with the ballroom community.  The capital of the trans cabaret world long ago shifted from France to Thailand, home to Tiffany's and the Alcazar in the seaside resort city of Pattaya.

But on this 2017 edition of the Trans National Holiday, we do so as the dark cloud of the Trump Administration casts a shadow upon our country chock full of people hostile to the trans community.  Fundamentalists Christians and Muslims and Republican legislators attack our communities.   Even Pope Francis has violated his 'who am I to judge' statement by judging the international transgender community.

It's why just being a girl or guy like us is a revolutionary act, and I salute all you peeps who are venturing out later on this Halloween evening and using it to take your first steps toward becoming your true selves.