Edward Thomas Trial Starts Today

The reason that Diamond Stylz and I made a quick trip up I-45 to Dallas late Sunday night was to bring awareness of the fact the Edward Thomas trial was starting today in the Frank Crowley Courts Building.

Thomas was arrested for the April 12 beating of Muhlaysia Booker in a South Dallas apartment complex after a minor fender bender that left her with a concussion and other injuries.

She was murdered a month later.

We joined with local Dallas trans advocates Mieko Hicks and Stacey Monroe in a Monday morning press conference to not on shed light on that upcoming trail, but the transphobic comments of Thomas' defense attorney Andrew Wilkerson.

Wilkerson also attempted to sow the trans panic defense in this case by trying to get Booker deadnamed and misgendered during this trial, motions that Judge Hector Garza shot down.

We also called out the problematic release of Domingo Ramirez-Cayente and the murder of Atatiana Jefferson by a Fort Worth police officer that happened just before we departed for Dallas

Ramirez-Cayente is the waste of DNA who attempted to kill Daniela Calderon.   He was not only ridiculously charged with aggravated assault, but bond was set at only $25,000.   He was also allowed to leave without being required to wear an ankle monitor, and as you probably guessed, took the first opportunity after his released to point that red truck down I-35 south and run to the border.

Back to the Thomas trial.

Hope that my Dallas trans fam will pack the courtroom for this trial, and send a message to the jury, the defense and prosecuting attorneys that Muhlaysia was loved by a lot of people in the Dallas area.

For those of you who don't live in the DFW area, Dallas Morning News reporter Dana Branham is following the trial on her Twitter feed.

Number 22- Rest In Power And Peace Brianna 'BB' Hill

Seems like as fast as I find out and get the details about one of my trans siblings being murdered, I'm having to sit down and write about another one.

We go back to Kansas City, MO for our latest trans murder.   

She is 30 year old Brianna 'BB' Hill.   She was shot  at 11:30 AM CDT on Monday October 14 near 43rd St and Hardesty Avenue in eastern Kansas City.    She died at the scene before police arrived and took the shooter into custody.

Hill is the third trans woman to die in Kansas City this year, the 21st African American trans woman, and the 22nd in the US in 2019.

The man who stands accused of shooting Hill waited for police to arrive, and and KCPD investigations are currently looking into the motive for this crime.

As of yet no word on whether any memorial service or vigils are being held there.   I'll pass that info along as I receive it.

Rest in power and peace, Brianna.   May justice be served in your case as well.

 

Why Was An Attempted Murderer Let Loose In Dallas?

Daniela Calderon Rivera is still recovering from the six gunshot wounds she received when a motivated by anti-trans hatred Domingo Ramirez Cayente tried to kill her.back on September 20.

ICE is also claiming according to the Dallas Morning News that Ramirez-Cayente was deported to Mexico back in 2010. 

We presumed in the DFW area and Texas trans community based on that emerging info, that when he was arrested, Ramirez-Cayente would be locked up until his trial, but we were wrong.  Instead of being charged with attempted murder, the Mexican national was only charged with aggravated assault

WTF?


To add to the high levels of WTF level issues in this case, Magistrate Judge Hal Turley issued a $25,000 bond for a hate crime.   Since you only have to pay 10% of that amount, that meant that all Ramirez Cayente had to come up with was $2500 to be sprung from the Dallas County Jail.

Turley compounded his bond amount mistake by not ordering him to wear an ankle monitor to ensure that he could be tracked.   

Turley also failed to consider the fact that Dallas is only a 7.5 hour drive to Laredo and the Mexican border, and that Ramirez Cayente may have a major incentive once released from jail to point that red Chevy truck he owns onto I-35 south and skedaddle across the Rio Grande into Mexico.

It appears that Ramirez-Cayente has fled the Dallas area, and that a fugitive warrant was issued by the Dallas Police Department on October 7 for his arrest. 

Local advocate Stacey Monroe is holding a press conference at 3:15 PM at the Frank Crowley Courts Building to discuss the latest developments in this case.

Daniela Calderon Rivera deserves justice, and has every right to be fearful in light of the fact the violent transphobe who tried to kill her is a fugitive from justice.   Some folks in the Dallas County justice system failed her, and they must  be held accountable for that.

We also need to know the answer to the question of why an attempted murderer was released in Dallas?

2019 TransGriot NFL Picks -Week 6

Week 5 was good for me since I once again won the week    It was also a good one because the Texans won big against the Falcons and the Tennessee Traitors and Arlington Cowchips lost.

Naw peeps.  never letting it go that the Traitors moved to Nashville.

The Texans rewarded my faith in them after their crappy outing last week by pimp slapping the Falcons 53-32 at NRG after Deshaun Watson threw for a career high 426 yards and five TD's, three of them going to Will Fuller who had a career day.

The Texans  now have to travel to KC to play a Chiefs team that lost to the Colts 19-13 in large part because Indy made sure that Mahomes spent more time picking splinters out of his behind and nursing his injured ankle from the bench than piling up video game yardage totals on them by running the ball down their throat.

We're almost at the halfway point of this 100th NFL season, and it's becoming clearer which teams are Super Bowl contenders and which ones will be competing for the first pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

We have another NFL game in London on the schedule and a pretty good one for you peeps across The Pond in the NFC South rematch between the Carolina Panthers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The Bucs managed to shut down Christian McCaffrey and get away with a 20-14 win despite a wounded Cam Newton throwing for 333 yards in that game. 

New quarterback for the Panthers now in UH Cougar Kyle Allen in addition to McCaffrey playing at an MVP level for the moment.   Can the Bucs do it again?  We'll see.   

The Bills, Bears, Colts and Packets are on their bye week, and get to watch everyone else play.  Only 14 games to pick, so let's get to it. 

My picks in bold red print with the home team in CAPS.   Mike's picks can be viewed at this link 


Week 5 Results                                  NFL Season Results 
TransGriot     9-6                                TransGriot   48-29-1
Mike              8-7                                Mike            46-31-1

Thursday Night Game
PATRIOTS over Giants

London Game
Panthers over BUCCANEERS

Sunday Early Games
CHIEFS over Texans
Seahawks over BROWNS
Washington over DOLPHINS
Eagles over VIKINGS
Saints over JAGUARS
RAVENS over Bengals

Sunday Afternoon Games
49ers over RAMS
Falcons over CARDINALS
Cowboys over JETS
Titans over BRONCOS

Sunday Night Game 
CHARGERS over Steelers

Monday Night Game 
PACKERS over Lions

Number 21- Rest In Power Itali Marlowe

I am not happy to report that we have lost another trans woman in my Houston area backyard to anti-trans violence

She is 29 year old Itali Marlowe, and she was killed back on September 20 at 2 PM CDT on that date in the Ridgemont portion of Houston that extends into Fort Bend County. 

HPD offices responded to a shooting call at 15829 Ridgeroe Lane and found Marlowe when they arrive lying in the driveway of the residence.  She had been shot multiple times, and was transported to a nearby hospital where she subsequently was declared dead, according to the HPD press release.

Now for the stats.

Marlowe is the 20th Black trans woman to die due to anti-trans violence in the US this year and the second one in the Houston area in 2019.   She is also the fourth trans person killed in Texas this year and the 14th under age 30.

We have a suspect in this case.  23 year old Raymond Donald Williams has been charged with murder in this case by the Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office. 

Williams was living with Marlowe, and was spotted fleeing on foot from the Ridgeroe Lane residence prior to the arrival of HPD officers.

 If you have information on his whereabouts, you are urged to call the HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477)

Rest in Power, Itali   We won't rest until this perpetrator is caught, prosecuted, and incarcerated for your murder.

BTWI Statement Concerning The SCOTUS Cases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 8, 2019
Contact Monica Roberts
BTWI Media Chair 346-310-0824
Dee Dee Watters  BTWI President
855-255-8636
media@blacktranswomen.org

BTAC and BTWI along with the entire Black trans community's eyes are turned toward Washington DC on this historic day as a trans rights case is being argued for the first time in our country's history

The question before the SCOTUS is a fundamental one.   Is it legal to fire someone for being transgender?  We At BTAC and BTWI believe the quite obvious answer to that question is an emphatic no and being trans is not a fireable offense..

But where we find ourselves on this historic October 8 day is our humanity and human rights as transgender Americans being under persistent attack by the Trump administration and its reprehensible accomplices. .   

The Harris Funeral Homes vs EEOC case being brought by Aimee Stephens is a case that will not only impact the human rights of the trans community, but one that will negatively impact all Americans if this case is decided incorrectly.

If that happens, it will also disproportionately affect the Black trans community that we proudly serve.   Now that the case has been argued before the SCOTUS, we at BTWI  and BTAC will continue to fight for the humanity and human rights of our community no matter what happens in this case.

Trans rights are undeniably human rights, and we urge the SCOTUS to be on the right side of history and say no to discrimination.  If they don't, then the Roberts Court will forever set in stone the undeniable impression that it is a partisan, unjust body when it comes to the civil rights of Americans.

Major TBLGQ Rights Cases Being Argued At SCOTUS Today

Just wanted to remind the five conservafools on the SCOTUS as they do oral arguments in the two cases that will determine our human rights that  TBLGQ, and especially trans Americans are Americans.

Those cases being argued by the way if you haven't heard are Zarda v. Altitude Express and Bostock vs Clayton County Georgia, which have been consolidated in a single case to determine whether gay peeps can be discriminated against, and Harris Funeral Homes v EEOC, the trans case.

These cases are being argued on the basis of whether Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act applies to anti-TBLGQ discrimination. They will also affect all federal laws banning discrimination on the basis of sex including Title X of the Education Amendments of 1972 and the Fair Housing Act.  Just wanted to leave y'all with this reminder courtesy of the season 2 finale of POSE.

Iconic Actress Diahann Carroll Joins The Ancestors

I was saddened to hear the news that iconic actress Diahann Carroll has joined the ancestors at age 84 after losing her battle with breast cancer..

Carroll was a trailblazer in the acting world, and her big break came when she was just 18 years old.

She appeared on the TV show Chance of a Lifetime, and won the top prize of $1000.  She won for four consecutive weeks, and the show led to engagements at the Cafe Society and Latin Quarter nightclubs in Manhattan.    Carroll was in the movie Carmen Jones playing the best friend to Dorothy Dandridge's  Carmen.

She became the first Black actress to win a Tony Award in 1962 for her role in the play No Strings. 

In 1968 she became the first Black actress to star in a hit TV show in a non stereotypical role when Julia debuted on NBC and ran for three season on that network.   She won a Golden Globe award in 1969 for that role and was also the first Black actress nominated for a comedic-lead Emmy

In 1974 she was nominated for an Oscar for her role in the movie Claudine.

In 1984 she joined the cast of Dynasty, playing Dominique Deveraux, the half sister of Blake Carrington and nemesis of Alexis Colby Carrington.  Her Music and Arts HS classmate, Billy Dee Williams, played her husband ex husband Brady on that show



A few years later she played Marion Gilbert, the mother of Whitley Gilbert in a recurring role on the NBC show A Different World in which she received a third Emmy nomination in 1989. 



She was not only a trailblazer for many people in Black Hollywood and Broadway, the native New Yorker was also revered by many as the epitome of style, grace and class.   I and many Black trans women of my generation considered her as one of our feminine role models.

She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997 and beat it after nine weeks of radiation treatments .  That led her to become a spokesperson urging early detection and treatment for cancer.

Diahann Carroll's place in history is secure, and we will miss her as she joins the ancestors.   But hers was a trailblazing life well lived, and she paved the way for our current generation of actors on the stage and silver screen to soar.

And she looked damned good doing it. 

Rest in power and peace Queen.   You've earned it.

The TransGriot 2019 Houston Municipal Election Endorsements

Since one of the things I talk about on this blog is politics from a trans perspective, I do pay attention to what's going on at the city, county, state, national and international level when it comes to what's happening in the political world.

As a person who is also a writer and advocate, it's also my job to know and pass that info on to you.  I want people to be more informed voters when it's time for you to head to the polls.

The early voting period starts October 21 and runs until November 2.  Election Day for our Houston municipal election and the special Texas House elections will be on November 5

Speaking of voting, if you wish to participate in our upcoming Houston municipal election or the Texas House special elections, you'll have until October 7 to register to vote in order to be eligible to do so.

Now that the basic information is out of the way, let's get to the endorsements.

***

Mayor- Sylvester Turner
Controller- Chris Brown 

City Council
District A- Iesheia Ayers Wilson
District B- Tarsha Jackson
District C- Shelley Kennedy
District D- Carla Brailey
District F-  Anthony Nelson
District G- Crystal Pletka 
District H- Isabel Longoria
District I-  Robert Gallegos 
District J- Sandra Rodriguez 
District K- Martha Castex Tatum 

At Large 1-  Georgia Provost
At Large 2-  David Robinson 
At Large 3- Janaeya Carmouche
At Large 4-  Dr. Letitia Plummer 
At Large 5- Ashton P. Woods

Houston Community College System Trustee 

District 1- Monica Flores Richart 
District 2- Rhonda Skillern Jones

HISD Trustee

District II- Kathy Blueford Daniels
District III-  Daniela Hernandez 
District IV- Larry McKinzie
District VIII- Judith Cruz

Texas House Special Elections

HD-28 -  Eliz Markowitz 
HD-148- Penny Morales Shaw 

METRONext- YES

Ready For Our ABC Nightline Closeup

Dee Dee, Diamond Stylz and I recently taped on July 22 an ABC Nightline episode in which we talked about the violence affecting Black trans women in Texas and around the country.

The initial part of it was taped while we were in Dallas for our recent BTAC Leadership Institute, and the rest was done when we returned back to Houston.

We were also doing so in the wake of the loss of Denali Stuckey at the time we taped it.  We're now up to 20 trans women lost to anti trans violence with three months left in this year.

As y'all know, anti-trans violence aimed at the Black trans community is a serious issue.   It's past time that we were blessed to have an in-depth discussion about it with the people that it negatively affects on national television.   

It was also nice to be having that discussion with my H-town homegirls and fellow BTWI board members.

Was alerted that the show will finally air tonight.   Looking forward to seeing how this segment turned out    As for when  ABC News Nightline airs, it comes on at 11:35 PM CDT.

Hope that when you watch it, it will be an informative show and that those of you who see it will get something out of it.  .

2019 TransGriot NFL Picks -Week 5

We have now gone through a quarter of the 2019 NFL season with the calendar page turning to October.   Week 4 was good to me because I won my second week of this year's prognostication contest despite all the upsets.

I didn't see the Texans- Panthers game because I was in downtown Houston attending the GLBT Caucus Equality Brunch.   Glad I was because I probably would have been throwing things at my TV.   Can y'all fire Bill O'Brien and get us a new coach?

The Cowboys lost to the Saints, so anything that shuts up the Harris County Dallas Cowchip fans is all good for me.

Who Dat?  Who Dat?  Who dat thought they were gonna beat dem Saints?

Enough messing with these Cowchip fans, time to get to this week's picks.  Another 15 games since the Lions and Dolphins are on their bye week     As usual, my picks will be in bold red print with the home team in all CAPS.    Mike's Week 5 picks can be found at this link.

Week 4 Results                            NFL Season Results
TransGriot  9-6                             TransGriot   39-23-1
Mike           8-7                              Mike           38-24-1

Thursday Night Game
SEAHAWKS over Rams

Sunday Early Games 
TEXANS over Falcons
Jaguars over PANTHERS
Patriots over WASHINGTON
TITANS over Bills
Ravens over STEELERS
BENGALS over Cardinals
SAINTS over Buccaneers
Vikings over GIANTS
Bears over RAIDERS
EAGLES over Jets

Sunday Afternoon Games
CHARGERS over Broncos
Packers over COWBOYS

Sunday Night Game
CHIEFS over Colts

Monday Night Game
49ERS over Browns

MJ Off Broadway

Y'all know I absolutely love MJ Rodriguez from POSE, and if you've watched seasons one and two of the show we've discovered that she has an amazing singing voice. 

Now that we're anxiously awaiting Season 3 of POSE,  until they start filming it Rodriquez is keeping herself busy with other acting projects like playing Audrey from Little Shop of Horrors
That Pasadena Playhouse production of the musical play started on September 25, and also stars George Salazar.  It's running through October 20 for you Cali folks who wish to see it. 

MJ and George Salazar were on CBS' The Late Late Show With James Corden performing the Suddenly Seymour song from the play, and here's the video from it to brighten your day

Amber Guyger Guilty!

To be honest, I didn't think I would be writing these words in relation to that case, but that's what happened.  A cop who killed an unarmed Black person in their own home finally will be held accountable for it.

And the coolest part of this whole story is it happened in my home state.

The white women's tears she cried on the witness stand didn't work, as the jury made of of 5 Black peeps, 5 Latinx peeps and 2 whites returned a unanimous verdict convicting her of entering 26 year old Botham Jean's Dallas apartment on September 6, 2018 and killing him.

Can't do the happy dance just yet.  Trial is still in the punishment phase, and the racist texts the former Dallas PD officer unleashed have come out     She is facing 5-99 years in a TDC cell, so to me justice won't be truly served unless she's doing as close to 99 years as possible.

We'll find out soon how much time she got.

But the people I feel for are the Jean family, who have lost someone they can never get back 


TransGriot Update:   And how much time did she get?  10 effing years?   Really?  People, and especially POC's have gotten more time for selling drugs or robbing a bank.

What Happened To Trans-Fusion Radio?

Last Friday night there was supposed to be a Trans-Fusion Radio show on the subject of the trans prefix and whether it was necessary to identify ourselves as such or just use 'woman' to ID ourselves.

For the record, I think we should unapologetically ID ourselves as trans women, but that's another post.

When 7 PM CDT hit I was in my Dallas hotel room tuned in and eagerly expecting to hear the voices of my Dallas based sisters Mieko Love, Leshay Weeks and R. Pocahontas Duvall Crowe.   

But what I and everyone who tuned into Power214.com that evening got was silence, and when I called the show's number it just rang without being picked up.

When I called Mieko Saturday morning to find out what happened to that Friday's show, I was angered to find out that since mine and Dee Dee Watters' visit to the Power214.com studios back in April during the BTAC conference, they have not been treated with the respect they were due as one of the more popular shows on that Dallas based broadcast platform.

In fact Trans-Fusion Radio has become so popular beyond the Dallas- Ft. Worth area, the other Power 214 platform shows noticed and expressed their desires to do collaborative shows with the Trans-Fusion Radio team, according to Love.   

But they were receiving no love from the station's cisgender Black male owner, who was getting squeamish about the increasing popularity of the show and bristling from comments he was hearing from the Dallas Black community that Power214.com was 'the t****y network'.

The owner revealed that alleged community critique in conversations with the Trans-Fusion team,  then in the wake of the conversation started showing up late to produce Trans-Fusion Radio. 
Even though it was his tardiness that would delay the start of their show, he wouldn't make up for his late arrival by extending their paid for two hour time block into the next show . 

When the Power214.com studios moved to a new building at the intersections of Alpha and Preston Roads in far north Dallas, the owner asked if they were coming along, but said it in such a way that gave the Trans-Fusion team the impression he wouldn't be disappointed if they didn't.

Power214.com also has a online magazine that does feature interviews with the podcasters to promote their shows.   In the time that Trans-Fusion Radio has been part of that station, they have never had a feature article done on them.

So being fed up with the shady treatment they were getting for their t-bills, the Trans-Fusion team started looking for a new broadcast studio home just in case caca hit the fan and the Power214.com owner went full transphobe and cancelled the show.

The final straw was the Dallas Morning News article written by award winning journalist Lauren McGaughy to discuss the epidemic of anti-trans violence in Texas that seems to be centered on the DFW area.   McGaughy interviewed the Trans Fusion team for the story and wanted to take some photos of the Trans Fusion team at work in the studio for Friday's show.

Most rational business owners would jump at the chance to get free media publicity about their business.  But the transphobic station owner started tripping, probably because of who was getting the publicity and why. and the Trans Fusion team had enough of his crap.

Trans-Fusion Radio is moving to a new home, and as soon as they have done so, they will let everyone who loves their show know what night and time it will be broadcasting from their new platform.   I also hope that there is a way they can file a complaint against Power214.com under the Dallas non discrimination ordinance that covers anti-trans discrimination

And I hope that Trans-Fusion Radio is broadcasting sooner rather than later, because the DFW area, Texas and the world needs to hear their voices.

Happy 95th Birthday President Carter!

Today is the 95th birthday of President Jimmy Carter, who served as our POTUS during my high school years and was the first one I was able to vote for when I hit voting age in 1980

We would also be a much better nation had he gotten that second term.

As of today, he is now our oldest living former president. This is a man who has been a person who role models his Christian values better than all the evilgelicals who claim their are but are more like Pharisees and Sadducees.   He left the Southern Baptist Convention and said this in his letter explaining why:

"I have seen an increasing inclination on the part of Southern Baptist Convention leaders to be more rigid on what is a Southern Baptist and exclusionary of accommodating those who differ from them. In the last couple of years, this tendency of the Southern Baptist Convention leadership to ordain their creed on others has become more onerous for me and more difficult for me to accept."

During his presidency he broker a peace deal between Israel and Egypt that still lasts to the present day and led to Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat jointly winning the 1978 Nobel Peace Prize.
The Department of Energy and Department of Education were established, the treaty was signed with panama to end US control of the Panama Canal in 1999, full diplomatic relations were restored with China, and the Strategic Petroleum Reserve was established.

He also had to deal with the Iranian hostage crisis and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan that led to the US led boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games.

Although he only served one term, he has post presidency continued to be a clear and consistent voice for human rights.  He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his dedication to international democracy building, conflict resolution, and development programs.

Carter has also won three Grammys for Best Spoken Word Album.  He has  monitored elections around the world, builds homes for Habitat for Humanity, and has continued to be a great role model of what Christian love in action looks like.

For those of you in the ATL, the Carter Center will have a 95 cent admission price in honor of his birthday.  you can also leave a birthday message here

'Trans In Texas' Documentary Wins an Emmy!

I noted that Kai Shappley has her bag packed to go on a quick trip to New York, but didn't know what the trip was for.

The trip for my adopted niece was for the Short Doc Emmy Awards, and the Trans In Texas documentary in which Kai had a major role in won a Short Doc Emmy.

This was the moment they announced the winner.   I couldn't be happier for Kai and the team that put it together., 

Short Doc_Emmy Acceptance Speech: 2019 from Daresha Kyi on Vimeo.


Congrats