Happy Transgender Flag Day 2018!

It was on this date in 1999 that Monica Helms created the pink, white and blue striped transgender flag that in less than two decades since its first appearance in a Phoenix parade in 2000, has become the universally accepted flag and symbol for the international  trans community.

As a testament to its increasing international acceptance as a symbol for our community, it has not only inspired the painting of a Washington DC crosswalk in the trans pride flag colors, but giant trans pride flags have been created for parades in Mexico City, Palm Springs and last year in Los Angeles.

The LA trans flag carried during the 2017 LA Resist march is the current world record holder at 25 feet 6 inches by 160 feet  (7.8 meters by 48.7 meters). It beats the Palm Springs trans pride flag by 1580 square feet  (146.8 square meters).   The Palm Springs flag eclipsed the giant Mexican trans flag.

If you're wondering what happened to original flag that Monica Helms created, the original trans flag that Helms (far right in the pic) created is currently housed at the Smithsonian as part of its LGBT History Collection.   It was proudly displayed at the White House during the last LGBT Pride Reception of the Obama presidency in 2016.

This celebration of Transgender Flag Day comes at a challenging time for the US community in which we have a transphobic idiot in the White House and a (in) Justice Department that is attempting to roll back the meager gains we have made human rights wise in this country.

Meanwhile, we watch as rights are expanding for trans people elsewhere around the world. 

But as always, we will fight the trans oppressors tooth and nail.   We trans folks and our accomplices will continue to fight for the day that trans rights are a reality in all 50 states, and take our revenge at the ballot box this November against the legislators who oppose us. 

Happy Transgender Flag Day 2018!

The Queen of Soul Has Joined The Ancestors

Was saddened to hear the news that Aretha Franklin has passed away moments ago at age 76 in her hometown of Detroit.

The iconic singer was known as the Queen of Soul and her career spanned seven decades.   She won 18 Grammy awards and had a string of 20 number one R&B hits from 1967 to 1985.  She sang at the inaugurations of three presidents, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, and was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W Bush in 2005. 



And oh yes, out of the three versions of the theme song for the iconic TV show A Different World, my fave is Aretha's version (sorry not sorry Boyz II Men)

Aretha also lent her talents to raising funds for the African American Civil Rights Movement, and sang at the Rev. Dr Martin Luther King, Jr's funeral 

In 1987 she became the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

She had announced her intention to retire last year and only perform at selected events   Franklin had been ill in recent years from an undisclosed illness, and in the past week her health worsened to the point where she was reportedly in hospice care at her home

She is considered by music critics to undeniably be one of the greatest singers of all time, and she will be missed by her family, friends and her fans. 

Rest in power and peace, Aretha.   Our ancestors are waiting with open arms for you. 

Historic 2018 LGBT Slate Of Gubernatorial Candidates

With the historic win of Christine Hallquist last night, it not only points out the building Rainbow wave in this upcoming 2018 election cycle, but also completed an interesting political footnote.

For the first time ever, we have candidates representing different parts of the LGBT acronym running in the same election cycle for governor in their respective states.

In my home state of Texas, we're proudly providing the 'L' in Lupe Valdez, the former longtime Dallas County sheriff who is running for governor against the incumbent Greg Abbott (R).

We go to Colorado for the 'G' in Jared Polis, the current US congressman representing Colorado's 2nd Congressional District, who is running to succeed Democratic governor John Hickenlooper.

The 'B' is Oregon's incumbent governor Kate Brown, who is fighting off a challenge from Republican gubernatorial nominee Knute Buehler.

And as you're aware of by now, the 'T' is provided by Vermont's Christine Hallquist, who is challenging incumbent Republican governor Phil Scott.

This is a year in which we have had over 400 LGBT candidates run for office and who were motivated in large part because of Republican legislative attacks on the TBLGQ community.

There are according to the Victory Fund, 500 LGBT elected officials in the US, and that's only .01 % of the total number of elected officials nationwide, so there is much room for growth. 

Yes, it's clear by the GOP attacks on LGBT rights people from this community must be represented in the halls of governmental power at every level of government, and the sooner, the better. 

Having members of our community wielding the power of the gubernatorial pen to sign executive orders, approve good legislation or veto bad bills is now more than ever even more crucial to our ability as a community to defend ourselves against legislation hostile to us.

The Democratic Party gubernatorial nominations are only the first step in the process. In order to see them sworn in as governors of Colorado, Oregon, Texas and Vermont in January, we're going to have to bumrush the polls and vote for them on November 6.
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Have A Wonderful 2018-19 School Year, Trans Family!

The school year gets started for ten Houston area school districts including the Alief one I now live in tomorrow.   But the events in Achille, OK have me thinking about our trans kids getting ready to start school either tomorrow or over the next few weeks. 

And Maddie, you and your family are in our collective thoughts as you start the school year in Achille today.  We hope it gets much better for you as the year continues and those transphobic adults are punished. 

It also has me pissed about the move Secretary of Miseducation Betsy DeVos pulled in which they announced back in February they would not be acting on bathroom discrimination complaints filed by transgender students

But back to discussing this school year that is about to start.

Trans kids, your Aunt Monica wants you to know that you are not only loved by me and your trans elders, we will fight with every fiber of our beings for your humanity and your human rights.  We will also fight for your most important right of getting a quality education free from harassment by you fellow students or their transphobic parents

We will also fight tooth and nail for those of you who wish to participate in extracurricular activities so that those of you who have the ability and talent to excel in sports can do so.

So run for class president.   Try out for whatever team you wish.  Run for homecoming or prom king and queen   Run for cheerleader. because we trans elders and our accomplices will be solidly in your corner rooting for your success.

We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that if you are left alone to handle your education business, you will excel and thrive because you are #TransExcellence personified.

Also keep in mind that standing up for you trans selves can also lead to human rights advances for our entire community.

While we are in a tough environment to grown up trans, we have gone through far worse periods in our history as trans people and survived it.  This Trump misadministration will eventually go away as you elder work to make him a one termer.   Also keep in mind that your best revenge against the folks who hate you is to hold your head up high, be unapologetically proud of being trans, and be better students and human beings than they are.

As this 2018-19 school year begins, I'm looking forward to seeing and writing about the historic trails you will blaze over the next few months that inspire me to work harder to be a better role model for you. 

No matter what happens in this 2018-19 school year, know that we unconditionally love you and are rooting for your scholastic success.  Your trans elders and I also hope you have a school year as wonderful and fabulous as we know you trans kids all are, whether you're starting pre-K, elementary school, middle school, high school, college or graduate school.

Have a wonderful 2018-19 school year, trans family.
 

Dayna Smith Running For South Carolina Senate Seat

There's a special election happening in South Carolina today that will also get my undivided attention when the polls close this evening.

Dayna Smith is running for the SC State Senate District 20 seat that covers Lexington and Richland counties and the cities of Columbia, Irmo, Lake Murray, Seven Oaks and St. Andrews.

She's also the first out trans person to run for office in South Carolina

The special election is happening because longtime state Senator John Courson (R) resigned and vacated the seat after pleading guilty to official misconduct in June.    The seat has been held by the GOP since 1984, and South Carolina has a 28-18 GOP state Senate majority that the SC Democrats would love to begin the process of flipping by flipping this senate seat..

Smith is one of three Democrats competing for the seat, and faces off against Dick Harpootlian, the former chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party and Kyle Lacio for the Democratic nomination. 
Four Republicans are running in their primary. 

If no one gets over 50% in their primary, there will be a runoff election scheduled for August 28.    The primary winners will face off in the November 6 general election for the District 20 seat .

Good luck to Dayna and hope she makes some South Carolina political history later tonight.

Christine Hallquist Attempts To Make More Vermont Trans Electoral History

Four primary elections are happening today in the states of Connecticut, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Vermont.   In addition to seeing what transpires in some races key to who holds control of the US House and Senate, the American trans community's eyes will be on Vermont as another trans candidate attempts to make electoral history. 

Back in 2000, the late Karen Kerin made history in the state by winning the Republican nomination for Vermont's US House seat.  She subsequently got blown out in the general election by Bernie Sanders.

A conservative who was a perennial candidate in the Green Mountain State, Kerin was also the 2008 Republican candidate for attorney general, and lost Republican primary election races for the US House in 2002 and for attorney general in 2006. 

In her last race in 2010, Kerin was making her second run as a Libertarian candidate for Vermont attorney general.  She had previously run as a Libertarian for attorney general in the 2004 election cycle   

Kerin passed away in 2014 at age 69.   

Now as we fast forward to this crucial 2018 election cycle, another Vermont trans person in 62 year old Christine Hallquist has stepped up to run in the Vermont Democratic Party primary race for governor.

Her platform includes Medicare For All, access to better education and more high wage jobs.

The former energy executive is running against three other candidates in James Ehlers, Brenda Sigel and 14 year old high school student Ethan Sonneborn. 

Sonneborn is eligible because Vermont does not require candidates to be of voting age.

If Hallquist wins the nomination, she would make electoral history on two fronts by becoming the first out trans person in the Green Mountain State to win a Democratic primary for any office. 
She would also become the first out trans person nationally to win a major party nomination for governor 

She would also take on the winner of the Republican gubernatorial primary race between incumbent Governor Phil Scott and Keith Stern.

Early voting has already occurred in Vermont, so it will be interesting to see what transpires when the polls close later this evening.


TransGriot Update:  Hallquist did make history!   She won the Democratic primary, and will take on the incumbent Republican governor Phil Scott in the fall.   

Massachusetts Trans People's Human Rights Are On The Ballot

On November 6 when the nation will be in breathless anticipation of whether the Democrats or Republicans have control of the US House and Senate, trans people's eyes will be nervously cast at Massachusetts to see whether the human rights law protecting the Massachusetts trans community stays in place or is repealed.

The Massachusetts legislature passed in 2016 a law that extended public accommodations protections to its transgender citizens and prohibited discrimination against them.

Predictably, the transphobic bigots formed Keep MA Safe, and successfully fought to get a referendum on the 2018 ballot, called Question 3, that would eradicate those protections. 

And as they've done in Houston and elsewhere, the transphobes are peddling the debunked bathroom predator lie to make sure that the NO votes on Question 3 carry the November 6 day.

Once again, the human rights of trans people are on an election ballot, but this time it's in the blue state of Massachusetts.   I and a lot of people outside of the state are concerned about this referendum because if they transphobes are successful in killing this Massachusetts trans rights bill, it could set off a wave of anti-trans referendums just in time for the 2020 presidential election.

And those concerns are shared by our allies and my fellow trans elders who are keenly aware of the Bay State's anti-trans past. 

Knowing that historically Massachusetts has been the home of transphobic TERF's for decades like Janice Raymond and Elizabeth Hungerford, and former US Rep. Barney Frank opposed trans inclusion in ENDA by pushing in the 90's and 2000's the transphobic  'penis in showers' argument, we know there's a possibility that the NO votes could prevail and roll back the human rights of our trans cousins living there  with unpleasant repercussions for the rest of transkind in the US.

A WBUR poll conducted back in May was equally disturbing, showing that only 52% of Massachusetts resident were in favor of keeping the trans rights law versus 38% of Massachusetts residents who favored getting rid of it.

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Massachusetts will be a trans political battleground as we get closer to Election Day, and that's why the bipartisan Freedom For All Massachusetts coalition started back in May.

They are hard at work to ensure that we hear good news from the Bay State on November 6.

And while it's wonderful a broad based coalition of business community, women's groups, law enforcement, supportive legislators, organizations and trans people and their families has been assembled, and Bay State transpeople are feeling somewhat confident that their fellow citizens will support them when the time comes, the reality is this election is taking place during a time in which our human rights and humanity are under daily attack by the Trump misadministration, its Department of Injustice Justice, the TERF's and right wing fundamentalists.

The only support that matters is in the voting booth on November 6.   That's why Trans World will be nervously watching the election results from Massachusetts on that date..

Because once again, trans people's  human rights are on the ballot, and it's a must win election for us.

Transphobic Oklahomans Plot Hate Attack On Pre Teen Trans Child

If I need any more incentive to push harder to pass hate crimes and nondiscrimination legislation that protects trans people, I need to look no further than north of the Red River into Oklahoma

This disgusting series of Facebook posts came to light from Oklahoma courtesy of the Hate Trackers website .  Burney and Jamie Crenshaw in the Achille ISD parents group began ranting about a 12 year old trans girl attending school in the district just north of the Texas-Oklahoma border.   It didn't take long for the Facebook posts to dive into the transphobia ignorance and dehumanizing trans hate speech sewer.

And nope, these aren't the trans child's peers.  They are adults.

One post by Kevin Bickerstaff advocated encouraging Achille ISD students to violently attack the trans girl in question until she is too afraid and traumatized to come to school. 

"Just tell kids to kick ass in the bathroom and it won't want to come back,"  wrote Bickerstaff in his FB post.

Eddie Belcher, who has alleged white supremacist ties, advocated cutting the trans child's genitals.

"If he wants to be female, make him female.  A good sharp knife will do the trick," wrote Belcher.

The conspirators also advocated in those trans hate posts coming to subsequent Achille ISD board meetings to demand they take action against the pre-teen trans student.

Gee, wonder if they will be bringing pitchforks and tiki torches to those Achille ISD meetings as well?

The disturbing posts also got the attention of trans parents groups, the Oklahoma media,  the Achille ISD and our TBLGIQ accomplices.  Meanwhile in reaction to the violent transphobes, the parents of the trans girl sought an emergency protective order on August 10 against Crenshaw. 

Achille ISD took down the transphobic  posts from their Facebook page, and it does have an anti-bullying policy   Wonder what Achille ISD superintendent Rick Beene thinks about it and these violent parents wishing to harm a trans child?

Hopefully they have also gotten the attention of law enforcement officials in Oklahoma.

Oklahoma was one of the Republican controlled states in which the legislature pushed for anti-trans hate legislation that fortunately failed.

What happened in Achille is a salient example of anti-trans rhetoric being peddled by the TERF's, the conservative movement, white fundamentalists, right wing media and the GOP for political advantage now filtering down to the unwashed rural Trump loving masses and having negative impacts on the real lives of transgender people.

Anti-trans hate thoughts + anti-trans hate speech = anti-trans hate violence/murders.   You hatemongers are aiming that rhetoric against trans children and it needs to stop. 

I repeat, stop it now before it gets to the violence and murder result of the Equation of Trans Hate.

Trans Puerto Ricans Can Compete In Miss Puerto Rico Universe

The Miss Puerto Rico Universe is one of the most competitive pageantry titles on the island.   It also has since 1970 produced five Miss Universe winners in Marisol Malaret, Deborah Carthy-Deu (1985), Dayanara Torres (1993), Denise Quinones (2001) and Zulekya Rivera (2006).

While the Miss Universe pageantry system since 2013 has allowed trans women to compete,  Puerto Rico along with Venezuela, the Philippines and surprisingly Thailand have been among the holdout organizations among the perennial Miss Universe contender nations barring trans women from competing.

But in the wake of a t positive federal court decision earlier this year from US District Judge Carmen Consuelo Cerezo that allows trans Puerto Ricans to update their gender markers, and Angela Ponce's breakthrough win in the Miss Universe Spain pageant, that's changing.

Quinones, took over as the new Miss Puerto Rico Universe pageant director in March and has long been an advocate for trans women being allowed to compete. 

She announced during a pageant registration event taking place on the same day that trans Puerto Ricans were allowed to change their gender markers,  that trans women would be allowed to compete in the Miss Puerto Rico Universe pageant starting in 2019.

Like other contestants, trans Puerto Ricans who are ages 18-27, have changed their documentation and wish to compete in the pageant either must be born on the island,  have one parent who is Puerto Rican or ha lived on the island for 10 years or more, will be allowed to compete for the title.

We'll have to wait until 2019 to see if any trans contestants enter Miss Puerto Rico Universe.  Time will tell if there will be a trans Miss Puerto Rico that wins the title, and goes on to compete at Miss Universe and bring another crown back to the island.

NABJ Passes Resolution Condemning Trump Attacks On Journalists

As someone who writes for a living, I have been appalled at the Trump misadministration repeatedly attacks journalists. He has gone as far to call them 'The Enemy of the People' 

The problem with that dangerous rhetoric is twofold.   A free press is essential to a democracy.

The other problem is that his knuckle dragging lemmings will potentially take that rhetoric to heart and go beyond simply yelling at journalists they don't like and start physically attacking or killing them as was recently done in Maryland at the Capital Gazette.

At their national board meeting in the wake of the just concluded National Association of Black Journalists convention and Career Fair in Detroit, the NABJ Board of Directors unanimously approved the following resolution condemning Trump's attacks on the media 

At the national board meeting following the NABJ Convention & Career Fair in Detroit, the board approved the following resolution:

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"Whereas President Trump or his aides have excluded a reporter from a White House briefing for asking unwanted questions; 

Whereas President Trump has suggested taking away journalists' press credentials because of perceived negative coverage; 

Whereas President Trump has repeatedly and unjustly labeled much of the news media as "fake news"; 

Whereas President Trump has called the news media "very unpatriotic"; 

Whereas President Trump has described journalists as the "enemy of the people"; 

Whereas supporting and protecting journalists is consistent with the National Association of Black Journalists, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that takes no position on governmental policies and programs; 

Therefore, the National Association of Black Journalists rejects and condemns any statement and action by President Trump and his administration that are detrimental to freedom of the press."

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The NABJ's 43rd annual convention drew over 3000 journalists, media professionals, students and thought leaders attendees to the Motor City from August 1-5.

I hope I can make it to next year's convention in Miami, and if I can't, I definitely want to be in DC for the joint NABJ-NAHJ one in 2020.   The NABJ Convention is coming to me in Houston in 2021.

Back to the post. 

In addition, the NABJ Board discussed conducting a study on Trump and the media, and reporting the findings by the 2019 NABJ convention in Miami. NABJ is interested in hearing from organizations, educational institutions, individuals and entities that may be interested in partnering with them on this study.

If you are, you can contact: study@nabj.org.



 

Hawaii 2018 Primary Election Today

The Hawaii primary election is taking place today, and one of the races I have my eye on in the Aloha State is the lieutenant governor's one.

Current Lt Governor Doug Chin (D) decided to run for the 1st Congressional seat being vacated by Rep. Colleen Hanabusa (D), who decided to primary challenge incumbent Gov. David Ige (D).

Kim Coco Iwamoto, who served two terms on the Hawaii State Board of Education in 2006 and 2010 and was subsequently appointed to the Hawaii Human Rights Commission, is running in this crowded five candidate Democratic primary race for Lt. Governor.

She has been surging in the latest polls, but will she get enough support from Aloha State voters to win this statewide race and the Democratic  lieutenant governor's nomination? 

She has been endorsed by one of the major labor unions in Hawaii and Trans United Fund

If she does, she'll get one step closer to making more electoral history by becoming the first out trans person to win a major party lieutenant governor primary in the US. 

However, we won't find out the results of today's Hawaii primary election until all the ballots are cast, counted and the totals revealed in the early morning hours of Sunday our time.

You know I'm hoping for that trans electoral history to happens for her.

 

Shut Up Fool Awards- Charlottesville Anniversary Edition

This Sunday marks the first anniversary of the hate rally in Charlottesville, VA that led the the death of Heather Heyer and others being injured when a Nazi deliberately drove his car into a crowd of people.

And what was Dolt 45's response?   The Nazis are 'very fine people.'   Yeah, right.

Now the emboldened white supremacists are taking their hate speech to Washington DC's Lafayette Park for another 'Unite The Right' hate rally

Ugh. 

Let's get to this week's fools, shall we? 

Honorable mention number one is Donald Trump for just pick an idiotic statement

Honorable mention number two is Rudy Giuliani for continuing to be a fool for Trump and attempt to do his part to trash the Mueller investigation

Honorable mention number three is Laura Ingraham for making another racist comment on her show

Honorable mention number four is a group award for every racist idiot who participates in this hate rally at Lafayette Park keynoted by David Duke.

Honorable mention number five is Rep Devin Nunes for attending a fundraiser for embattled Rep cathy mcMorris Rodgers and being recorded confirming what every American paying attention is aware of in terms of the GOP is abdicating their oversight authority on the executive branch in order to protect Dolt 45

This week's SUF loser winner is Pastor John Gray.

This kneegrow is doing his best Uncle Ruckus impression by continuing to try to justify cooning it up with Trump at that WH meeting in which another kneegrow pastor laughing claimed that Trump is the 'most pro Black president ever by blasphemously claiming that meeting with Trump is equivalent to meeting with Jesus. 

Really fool?   It's time for you to have a come to Jesus meeting with the Black community.

This kind of crap is why young people are turning away from the church, because of shady characters like you who spend more time sucking up to power than speaking truth to it.

Time for Moni to speak some truth to you.

Pastor John Gray, shut up fool!.

Sir Lady Java Interview

Sir Lady Java was one of our trans pioneers and elders who worked with Lena Horne, Redd Foxx and others as the premiere female illusionist of the 60s and 70's.

She was not only #BlackTransExcellence in her day, Lady Java was also a trans rights warrior, helping to take down the odious LAPD Rule Number 9.

Lady Java is still with is.  She's living in Los Angeles these days and now doing interviews talking about her life and 'her people' as she calls girls like us. 

Check out this