Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Feeling Angst For The Class of 2020

No photo description available.
We are a few hours from me and other Houston-Harris County residents having to deal with a stay at home order starting at 11:59 PM CDT tonight. 

But instead of thinking about that, I find myself thinking about the younglings. The ones I'm specifically thinking about are the ones in the Class of 2020.

Image result for TransGriot Jesse H Jones
My own high school graduation was 40 years ago, and assuming the COVID-19 crisis has calmed down by the second week of October, I'm eagerly anticipating getting together with my JJ classmates for our 40th high school reunion.

Image result for cooley high
Hollywood has frequently produced over the last few decades movies from The Breakfast Club to Cooley High to Fast Times at Ridgemont High and TV shows like Boy Meets World and Saved By The Bell that all have high school as a backdrop or as a major part of the story. 

Image result for Love and basketball
So when you finally do get old enough to enter high school yourself, you have because of all those different depictions of high school life Hollywood style, all these heightened expectations as a high school freshman or sophomore because of it. 

On top of that is your parents reminiscing about their high school days as you begin to tackle navigating that new world and figuring out your place in it.

But back to talking about the class of 2020.

Image result for may 1980 calendar
The reason I'm feeling some angst for them is because I remember what it was like to go through my own senior year and my excitement when the 1980 calendar page turned to May.  While I had my own challenges graduating while trans, I and my Class With Class schoolmates had waited three years for our turn to go through Senior Week after watching the Classes of 1978 and 1979 do so.

And it's why I feel sad for the Class of 2020.

Their senior year just abruptly ended with no Senior Week, no Senior Skip Day, no prom, and no graduation commencement ceremony with all their friends and extended family in attendance.

The Class of 2020 also gets no last day of high school to add an exclamation point to the reality that ready or not, a chapter of your life is closing, a new one is beginning, and you've  just gone through a rite of passage into young adulthood from your teen years.


Duncanville guard Deja Kelly #25 celebrates with the rest of the team in a 6A final on  Saturday, March 7, 2020 at the Alamodome.
For those Class of 2020 seniors involved in spring sports like basketball, baseball, track and field, tennis, wrestling and soccer, the pain is particularly acute.

While in Texas the girls managed to get their full state basketball tournament schedule done in San Antonio and crown champions from Class A to 6A, because the boys tournament happens a week later, that wasn't the case for them.

The boys got to play and complete one 3A semifinal game in San Antonio's Alamodome before the UIL made the reluctant call to shut down the rest of the boys state tournament.

Imagine how the 2020 senior kids feel who participate in spring sports that didn't get a chance to progress to state championships, or who may have been working on historic seasons for their schools when things were shut down.


Image may contain: flower
If I was in a Class of 2020 member's shoes, I'd feel a little cheated, frustrated and mildly pissed off about how my senior year ended.

Deep down, my rational thinking self would note the fact we're in the
uncharted territory of a worldwide pandemic, but my thoughts would still go back to we'd waited three to four years for our turn to bask in the glow of Senior Week, and now that's been shut down and ripped away from us. 

The gut punch to all of this is that you only go through high school once, and once this moment in time passes, that;s it.  It's gone as soon as you step off that high school campus for the last time. .

So yes Class of 2020,  I do feel your pain right now



Friday, March 20, 2020

Shut Up Fool Awards- First Day Of Spring Edition

Image result for first day of spring 2020 us
Today is the first full day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere.   The birds are singing, the temps are getting warmer ,and unfortunately more peeps in the US are testing positive for COVID-19.

If they can even get a test.    But that's a rant for later.

Time to handle this week's TransGriot Shut Up Fool Award business

Image result for John Cornyn
Let me just go straight to this week's winner in my home state's senior senator, John Cornyn (R)

Trying to defend Fearless Misleader for his Chinese virus comments, Cornyn let his pointed hood show and went on a rant that not only blamed china for COVID-19 and other pandemics that started

"China is to blame because they eat bats and snakes and dogs and things like that, " said Cornyn.

He was not only put on blast by Rep Judy Chu (D-CA) the chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific Islander Caucus, but a long list of liberal progressive voices and legislators.

Not only are you being put on blast for you loud and wrong comments, guess you forgot about the rattlesnake roundups they have in many West Texas towns in which they not only milk rattlesnake venom to produce an antidote for rattlesnake bites, they fry fresh rattlesnake meat for festival goers to eat. 

So glad your azz is on the ballot in November.  It's past time to make you an ex-senator

Oh yeah, Sen. John Cornyn, Shut Up Fool!
 

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Say Hello To Judge Jill Rose Quinn!

Image result for jill rose quinn judge
History was made during the Illinois Democratic primary Tuesday night as the state of Illinois saw its first ever out trans person elected to public office.

Image result for Cook County circuit court logo
65 year old attorney Jill Rose Quinn ran for a vacant seat on the Cook County Circuit Court.   There were two other candidates running for the Democratic Party nomination in the primary for that seat, and Quinn won big with over 65% of the vote.

"It’s not just a victory for me, it’s a victory for everybody out there who’s marginalized, everybody who’s different, everybody who’s trans,” said Quinn in an interview. 
Quinn was endorsed by Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D), the Cook County Democratic Party and the LGBTQ Victory Fund.   She was also rated qualified by 13 different local bar agencies in addition to drawing the top position on the ballot.

Image result for mayor lori lightfoot
Mayor Lightfoot said in her endorsement of her,"Jill Rose Quinn has fought for fairness, equality and justice her entire life and her perspective and experience will be invaluable for our courts and our community.” 

So she had a few things going her way in the runup to Election Night. 

Because there was no Republican running in their primary for this seat, she will when the November 3 election happens be running unopposed for it and is assured of being elected.. 

On that night she will officially become the first out trans person elected to public office in the state of Illinois, only the fourth transgender judge in the nation, and the second elected one after Judge Vicky Kolakowski of California.

Judge-elect Quinn does recognize the importance of her win.   In an interview that was conducted before Election Day, she said this as she reflected on her campaign:

Image result for jill rose quinn judge
“There are kids in this country killing themselves because they’re trans and they don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel. They don’t see respect. They don’t see themselves portrayed as being people, not ordinary people, of course, because nobody’s ordinary, but they don’t see how great they can be," Quinn said. “So I think it’s important for them to see that you can survive, you can prosper, you can go to school, you can study hard. You can make your way, and you can be a judge."
Congratulations Judge Quinn for making history and being a possibility model to our kids.


Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Meet Diana Zurco- Argentinian Newscaster

Some good international news for transkind to report out of Argentina.

The Argentine trans community, like their Brazilian neighbors has been caching hell there to the point that the average age for an Argentinian trans woman to live to is 41.

This media trailblazer is beating the odds.

Image result for Diana Zurco
Meet 40 year old Diana Zurco.   She made her debut recently as the first out trans newscaster on Argentinian television.

“We didn’t look for Diana because she was a trans announcer. We looked for her because she was a very good professional,” said Rosario Lufrano, president of Radio and Television Argentina. “The only way to get there is to have the doors opened for you. We all know how difficult it is for these women to win a spot.”
Image result for Diana Zurco

She had a tough road to get there.   She was in a Catholic boys school until age 17 and made it clear she was trans.  She was expelled because she refused to cut her hair.   Zurco finished her studies at a public high school, and nearly ended up in sex work until she took a hairdressing course. 

Image result for Diana Zurco

She worked in a salon and later an office job before she took the difficult exam along with 1500 applicants in 2012 to study for a career as an announcer.  After graduation she worked at Radio Cuidad before landing the job as the co-anchor of Argentina Public Television's prime time evening news program.

Trans women have appeared on Argentinian television, but they have predominately been on entertainment shows or soap operas.   Zurco is breaking ground as a newscaster.

She is quite aware her presence on this news show is not only groundbreaking and inspirational to the Argentinian trans community, it also sends a message to Argentinian society at large.   Zurco is also aware she has a platform that will be a catalyst for breaking down anti-trans prejudice.

Image result for Diana Zurco
"My presence challenges society," Zurco said in an AP interview.  "It is an invitation to society that says: 'This is me'  behind me are more people like me who want to express themselves.  We are capable, we can study, we can train ourselves, we can communicate to you what is happening in our country., . .

She's another one of the growing ranks of trans media professionals, and I hope she has a along and successful media career.


Biden Sweeps St Patrick's Day 2020 Democratic Primaries

Image result for Joe Biden speech March 17
Because of the COVID 19 pandemic, only three of the scheduled four states held primaries last night in Arizona,  Florida, and Illinois.   But that didn't stop the Joementum that has been building since Biden crushed Bernie Sanders in the South Carolina primary back on February 29.

Biden didn't just sweep all three primary contests, it was a political beatdown.  He not only decisively won Florida and Illinois to open the night, he prevailed in Arizona to open a sizable lead in the delegate count.

Florida was expected to be a 'YUGE' loss for Sanders because of his pro-Castro comments during that disastrous 60 Minutes interview combined with a Latinx electorate made up predominately of Cubans, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans who don't have warm and fuzzy memories of socialism.

Oh yeah, because I need to remind some of y'all who the base of the Democratic Party is, Florida also has a 16% Black population.

It turned out to be Sanders' worst political nightmare.   The Sunshine State was the big delegate prize of the evening with 219 delegates up for grabs, and Biden handled his Florida business by winning every county in the state.

Biden captured 61.9% of the vote and the lion's share of the available delegates.   It was the fourth state this 2020 primary season in which he swept every county.

Image result for Illinois flag map
It was just as bad for Team Sanders in Illinois, where 155 pledged delegates were in play.
Biden captured 59.1% of the vote and 101 of the state's counties.  The only one Biden lost was Champaign County, which is the home of  the University of Illinois 

And ahem, Black population percentage in Illinois is 14%.

It was closer in Arizona, where Latinx people make up 25% of the electorate and have been in Sanders camp for much of this primary season.   Black population percentage in the Grand Canyon State is 4.1%.

It only had 67 delegates in play, and Biden had been trailing in the state to Sanders as late as March 3.

Image result for Arizona flag map
Biden edged Sanders by a 43%-32% margin.   Arizona awards 23 of its delegates to the person who wins the statewide contest, and the other 44 are allocated based on how well you do in each of the states nine congressional districts.   Biden swept all nine congressional districts

Biden is now well on his way to capturing the 2020 Democratic Party presidential nomination, with after last night's  contests, 1165 delegates.    You need 1991 to capture the Democratic nomination on a convention first ballot.   Sanders has only 880 with states demographically friendly to Biden up on the calendar assuming those primaries aren't delayed like Ohio's was yesterday. 

It's past time for the Sanders campaign to assess where they are, because the unmistakable message that is being sent by Democratic primary voters is they don't think you can win in November. 

Presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders at the 11th Democratic presidential debate at CNN's Washington studios on March 15, 2020.
You have lost 19 contests since February 28, many by lopsided margins, and it's past time for you to consider dropping  out in order to unify the party so that Biden can pivot to Job Number One in making Donald Trump a one term impeached POTUS.

But I don't expect you to do that.

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Facebook Censoring The Truth Again

Image result for facebook censorship meme
The snowflakes at Facebook are big mad about two posts that have been deemed as 'going against community standards'.   Community Standards that are shifted more than Donald Trump does with the truth.

Bernie Sanders
One of the posts that was blocked was one from POLITICO which blows up the prevailing media narrative that 'Bernie Sanders does well with young voters'  by interviewing a group of young Latinx voters in Florida who will not be voting for him today.

Why aren't these Latinx voters flocking to Sanders as other Latinx peeps in other parts of the country are?   Because the Florida Latinx peeps are either Cubans or they came from Latin American countries like Nicaragua and Venezuela.   They either personally experienced or hear the stories from their grandparents where socialism went horribly wrong or they dealt with authoritarian regimes.

Image result for politico
So unlike their peeps in the Southwest, they are looking at Sanders through a different lens and set of experiences, and talk about in the article why they won't be voting for Sanders because of it.

But that POLITICO article is being taken down from people's Facebook pages who post it for the nebulous 'Community Standards' reason.

What inquiring minds wanna know is why this article is being stricken from people's Facebook pages.

Image result for The Root
The other post that is being wiped off of people's Facebook pages is one from The Root and the Very Smart Brothas looking at the COVID-19 response and asserting it's a natural response of white supremacy.

Image result for very smart brothas
It breaks down why Republicans, and conservative white peeps in general, seem to be in knee jerk reaction mode when it comes to the coronavirus and any criticism leveled at Dear Orange Misleader in terms of how badly he and this misadministration handled this COVID-19 pandemic.

It makes the case that white supremacy is permeating through this response, and that's plausible, especially since Dolt 45 has started racistly referring to COVID-19 at the 'Chinese Virus'.

But that article is plucking some vanillacentric privileged nerves, and as routinely happens on Facebook with any post or article critiquing the behavior of white people, whiteness or white supremacy, it gets labeled as a 'violation of  Facebook's 'Community Standards'

Frankly, what they're doing is censoring commentary that is uncomfortable for them to hear, and it's irritating when they do this.   It's even more irritating when Facebook censors commentary from Black writers that is critical of whiteness and white supremacy.


TransGriot Update:   Turns out that these aren't the only articles being blocked.  Facebook is claiming it's a glitch. 




Friday, March 13, 2020

The Coronavirus Crisis Is Getting Serious

Image may contain: 4 people
The Republican Party, Donald Trump and peeps in the conservative movement have been treating the justified alarm over the COVID-19 virus as a joke for the last few weeks.

Orange Foolius called it a 'hoax' and a 'foreign virus' that would die out soon as FOX Noise and conservative commentators tried to put their propaganda spin on it.   But viruses are impervious to political spin and don't care what party you support.

Image result for World health organization
They aren't laughing anymore.   The World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared the COVID- 19 crisis a 'pandemic with over 128,000 confirmed cases on six continents.  That is a declaration they don't make lightly. 

We have entire nations like Italy on lockdown as they struggle to get a handle on an outbreak that has killed more than 1000 people there with over 13,000 cases reported..

Image result for justin trudeau and sophie gregoire
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's wife Sophie has tested positive for COVID-19, and PM Trudeau himself is on a 14 day self quarantine. 

In the US, 46 states and the District of Columbia have confirmed cases, with so far 40 deaths.
I also found it deliciously ironic that several peeps who attended CPAC, the huge conservative political convention held in the Washington DC area, have tested positive for COVID-19.

That list of CPAC attendees who got sick includes several Republican legislators.

No photo description available.
Trump's precious stock market has lost the entire $11.5 trillion dollars it gained since 45 became (yuck) POTUS, and we are now in our first bear market since the October 2008 financial crisis.

We may even be sliding toward another Great Depression because of his gross incompetence

Image result for March madness canceld
In addition to that. every major sports league, the NBA, NHL, MLB, MLS, the NWSL and the XFL  has either postponed or canceled their seasons due to COVID 19 concerns.   The NCAA has not only canceled the men's and women's basketball tournaments, they have canceled all spring sports championships.

The Disney parks in Florida, California and Paris are now closed, and Princess Cruise Lines have shut down all voyages for at least the next two months.
Image result for 2020 Apollo Theater closing because of coronavirus
Even Broadway is dimming its lights along with the world famous Apollo Theater, shutting down all plays and events until April.

Image result for 2020 houston rodeo
Closer to my Lone Star State home, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, which is a huge event here, canceled on Wednesday with 11 days left in its 2020 run.  A Fort Bend County patron who attended the February 28 BBQ cookoff along with an off duty Patton Village police officer tested positive for COVID 19. 

The UIL boys state championship that started yesterday today in San Antonio's Alamodome has been suspended indefinitely.

It will be interesting to see if Pride events that are scheduled for June will also be canceled or postponed.

Image result for uil state championships basketball
Conferences are either canceling outright or deciding to do remote events,  schools from the K-12 to the collegiate level are closing, and unfortunately because Team Trump grossly botched how they handled this crisis, people are dying.

Because Orange Foolius has lied since Day One of his mispresidency, he has zero credibility when he does open his mouth.   Truth and facts are your greatest allies when it comes to fighting the spread of a pandemic, and those are both nonexistent in the Trump White House.

And where are the 'millions' of COVID-19 tests the Trump misadminstration promised?   Seems like as usual the peeps with money can get them, but the general public has been slow to receive them.


Yes, this COVID-19 crisis is getting serious.   So what can you do to help slow down the spread of it?
Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for starters along with frequently touched surfaces in your home like light switches, counter tops and sinks.

All the closings and postponements are part of a social distancing strategy in the hopes of slowing down or stopping the spread of COVID-19 and by extension, save lives.

It's also to buy more time until a vaccine or a combination of drugs that work on it can be found.

Will the social distancing work?  Let's hope and pray it does.

Wednesday, March 11, 2020

Biden Blows Out Bernie Again!

Image result for Biden wins March 10
Another Tuesday, another Biden blowout of Bernie Sanders as six more states held their Democratic Party primary elections. 

Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota and Washington were the six states participating in what was dubbed Super Tuesday II, with the biggest prize of the night being Michigan and its 125 delegates. 

Sanders now finds himself in a familiar position of trailing after getting his butt whipped during Super Tuesday, and was desperate to stop the slide in a state he surprisingly won four years ago. 

But just like in 2016, Sanders was ice skating uphill because once again, Black Democratic voters aren't Feeling The Bern and are making it loud and clear since the South Carolina primary they aren't.

Biden shattered and splatted that comeback trail political pipe dream by not only winning Michigan, Mississippi and Missouri by 'YUGE' margins,  Sanders failed to win a single county in all three of those states. 

No photo description available.
Those huge wins in the 'Three M states' were once again powered by Black voters.  If you're wondering what the Black population percentages were in those three states, in Michigan, it's 13.7%.  In Missouri, it's 11%, and in Mississippi, where he was endorsed by Jackson mayor Chokwe Lumumba but still lost Hinds County and every other one in the Magnolia State, it was 37%.

Biden also captured Idaho to add to his big night and expand his overall lead in the race to 1991 pledged delegates to clinch the nomination, while Sanders is leading in Washington and won North Dakota 

Next up on the Biden Beats Down Bernie tour are the states of Arizona, Illinois, Florida and Ohio, who will all vote on St Patrick's Day.

While Arizona's Black population is only 4.1%,  in Illinois it's 14%, Florida it's 16% and Ohio it's 14.3%.   Not surprisingly, the polling is not looking good for Team Sanders in any of those March 17 primary states as Election Day rapidly approaches. 

Image may contain: 6 people, people standing, possible text that says 'BernieSanders.com Bernie'
Sanders' comments praising Fidel Castro also aren't going to help him in a state with a large Cuban population.   Florida is also the biggest prize delegate wise, with 219 pledged delegates.  Arizona has 67, Illinois 155 and Ohio 136.

Will Biden get closer to getting the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, or will Sanders spring an upset along the way?   Not likely because he's losing more diverse states while winning overwhelmingly white ones. 

Sanders is also pinning his barely got a pulse comeback hopes on this Sunday's debate which has now been moved to Washington DC because of coronavirus concerns.

But the only polls that count in any election are the voters actually casting ballots. 

We'll see what happens next Tuesday. 








 

Friday, March 06, 2020

Shut Up Fool Awards- In The ATX Edition

Image result for Austin
I'm here after another ride on the Bougie Bus in the ATX again, and it doesn't involve me spending a huge chunk of my day at the Pink Dome. 

Instead, I'm on Forty Acres, AKA the UT-Austin campus to participate in their inaugural Educate Out Loud Symposium.   I'm delivering their closing keynote later this afternoon.

But it's still Friday, which means I gots to call a fool out this week.

Honorable mention number one goes to the Bernbots, who have been losing their collective minds since their lord and political savior lost big in South Carolina and subsequently on Super Tuesday, and have been blaming everybody but their piss poor candidate.

Honorable Mention number two is a group award for the Trump Misadministration, for the way they have botched this response to the COVID-19 Coronavirus

Honorable Mention number three is Donald Trump.    Just pick a lie and idiotic action of his for this week.

This weeks Shut Up Fool winner is Rep Matt Gaetz (R-FL)

View image on Twitter
This fool wore a gas mask to poke fun at the COVID-19 virus.  Then it turned out that one of his constituents died from it, and his azz is now in a 14 day quarantine because he interacted with a CPAC attendee who tested positive for COVID-19

Can you say karma, people?   Thought you could.

Oh, one other thing I need to say.    Matt Gaetz, shut up fool! .
  

Thursday, March 05, 2020

Moni's Headed To The ATX For Educate Out Loud!

Image may contain: text
As a proud teacher's kid, education issues are a part of my activist portfolio, and I am an unabashed supporter of public education. 

It's why I was pleased to accept the invitation of the organizers of this event to be the keynote speaker for Educate Out Loud!

It's a research and practice symposium that is dedicated to exploring and discussing issues related to TBLGQ+ people in  teacher preparation, higher education and in the field of education.

I can definitely talk about those issues with no problem. 

My keynote happens tomorrow at the Joe C. Thompson Conference Center on the University of Texas campus, so I'm headed to the ATX in a few hours so I can be there when it starts .

Hopefully I will see as many of you ATX peeps and conference attendees I know while I'm in Travis County. 

Wednesday, March 04, 2020

Biden Wins Big On Super Tuesday!

There are a lot of folks who are shocked (or in the case of Bernie supporters angry) at what took place last night.   I'm not.  I've been seeing this night coming for a while.

Been telling people for months that Bernie Sanders is not well liked by the majority of Black voters, and y'all poo pooed it or called me a 'corporate Dem' and a 'tool of The Establishment' for saying it.  .

Can you hear me now?

Biden built on the huge South Carolina win by capturing ten states, including my home state of Texas to take the lead in the delegate counts and the 2020 Democratic presidential primary race.

Image
It was a huge win powered by Black voters, who once again rejected Sanders' calls for revolution in favor of the politically pragmatic position of just beat Trump.   They also endured long waits of up to six hours to do so 

Just like in 2016, Sanders lost in Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Alabama, and did so by double digit numbers.  The defeat in North Carolina was particularly disappointing to Team Sanders because in 2016 he received 41% of the vote and they were expecting to be competitive there.  They did worse this time, capturing just 24% of the vote.

Biden also took the states of Oklahoma, Minnesota, Massachusetts and Maine in addition to grabbing the second largest delegate prize of the night in Texas.

Sanders won in Colorado, his home state of Vermont, Utah and California.

Image result for bloomberg

As for Bloomberg, who spent $500 millions trying this Super Tuesday strategy?   He only won American Samoa for his trouble, and dropped out to endorse Biden this morning

After failing to win her home state of Massachusetts, Elizabeth Warren also has a serious decision to make as well on whether to continue her presidential campaign

Next up on march 10 will be the states of Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota and  Washington

Tuesday, March 03, 2020

It's Texas Primary Election Day!

It's Texas primary election day!   It's also Super Tuesday, in which Texas and 14 other states and territories are conducting their primary elections today.

While Texas and  California are the biggest delegate rich prizes today, the other states and territories participating in Super Tuesday are American Samoa, Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Virginia, North Carolina,  Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama, Oklahoma, Colorado and Utah

Polls in Texas open at 7 AM and close at 7 PM    If you are in line at closing time, you must be allowed to vote.   Any shady behavior or voter suppression attempts at your polling places can  be reported at 866- OUR-VOTE

If you're unsure of who to vote for, I have some suggestions.

In case you're wondering if Moni practiced what she is preaching to y'all, I sure did.   I voted in the Democratic primary during the first day of early voting back on February 18.

If you live in Harris County, you can vote at any voting center in the county when the polls open.

So go handle your business.  Only takes a few moments out of your day and it's part of your civic duty to do so.  Besides, the kids who can't vote yet are counting on you to do it for them. 

Monday, March 02, 2020

My Thoughts About The Ashia Ajani Article

Monica Roberts
March is Women's History month, and I was surprised to see this Ashia Ajani article celebrating the 14 years that TransGriot has been around to drop knowledge about the Black trans community and express myself about the current events of the day since January 1, 2006.

If you haven't seen the article, here's a link to it.

Every time I start thinking I haven't done enough for the community, or wonder if anyone is even paying attention to what I write at TransGriot, an article like this comes out reminding me yes, you have been doing a lot since 1998, and I'm still blessed to be in a position to do even more.

I'm also blessed as a yelder to watch and mentor the current generation of Black trans leaders, and also have them drop knowledge on me that causes me to think about issues from a different angle.

Thank you Ashia for the article, and for the reminder that y'all see me as a journalist.

All I've done is pick up the torch that Roberta Angela Dee left behind when she joined the ancestors in 2003, and took it to another level.   I suspect that when it is time for me to pass it on, there will be other Black trans folks I inspire to get into media work, because telling our stories for historical posterity is important.

It is also vitally important in a media environment that seeks to demonize trans folks every chance they get, that we have Black trans media folks pushing back against the lies and disinformation.

We also need people to accurately tell our stories, and also talk about our successes, not just push the 'tragic transsexual' narrative.


Friday, February 28, 2020

AOC Calls Out The Evilgelicals In Congressional Hearing

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Calls Out Conservative Christians For Bigotry, Discrimination (Image via Screen Grab)
There are times I absolutely love  Rep Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY), and there are other moments in which she exasperates the hell out of me. 

But I down with Team AOC in this case because she's on point about calling out the evilgelicals (they don't deserve to be called 'Christians' ) for their bigotry and anti- TBLGQ prejudice they are merrily trying to legislate into existence under the Orwellian 'religious freedom' buzzword.

She called out the long, ugly history of right wing evilgelicals using Scripture to justify slavery, Jim Crow  segregation, and discriminating against trans and SGL people

This happened during a House hearing earlier in the week entitled 'The Administration's Religious Liberty Assault on LGBTQ Rights'   

Here are Rep Ocasio Cortez's remarks in which she called out the evilgelicals

Shut Up Fool Awards- Last Day To Vote Early In Texas Primary Edition

While the rest of you in other parts of the country have been fixated on news from the Nevada Caucuses and the South Carolina primary tomorrow, we've been early voting in Texas for our March 3 primary election since February 18.

And if you live in Texas, you have until 7 PM to get in line and early vote, otherwise you'll need to handle your electoral business on Tuesday March 3

if you still need help making up your mind who to vote for, I have some suggestions.

So while the rest of the country has been focused on debates and other punditry focused on Nevada and now South Carolina, we've been handling our business.

Just as a reminder, Texas has 228 Democratic delegates up for grabs on March 3.  the only state that has more than we do is California, with 416 delegates.

It's Friday, so that means I get to select a fool or group of fools for this week's edition of the TransGriot Shut Up Fool Awards!

Honorable mention number one is the four House Repugnicans who voted against the Emmett Till Act to make lynching a federal hate crime.  I see 2018 SUF Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Louie Gohmert (R-TX) did so along with Thomas Massie (R-KY) , Ted Yoho (R-FL) and Justin Amash (I-MI). that passed 410-4

Honorable mention number two is Cubic Zirconia and Polyester Diamond and Silk for doing what they do and cooning it up for their conservamassas at the CPAC convention


Honorable mention number three is Donald Trump, SR for trying to claim an NBC reporter was 'racist' for leaving his BS Black History Month White House meeting chock full of kneegrow sellout in town for CPAC.

Dude, don't even try it.  You don't get to make that call, we do as the peeps you're oppressing. 
You were endorsed by David Duke and a have Stephen Miller's white supremacist azz on your staff.

Honorable mention number four is Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX).  Eduardo bit off more than he can chew when he stepped to Rep Alexandria Ocasio Cortez on social media concerning her scientific knowledge and got pwned for it.

Ocasio Cortez as a high school student, won a prestigious microbiology prize from MIT and her degree is in microbiology.

When are you conservafools gonna learn to not come for Rep Ocasio Cortez unless she sends for your azz?

This week's winner is Donald Trump, Jr.

Donald Trump Jr. appears on "Fox & Friends" Friday. (Screengrab via Fox News)
He went on FOX Noise to asset that Democrats are hoping the Coronavirus kills millions of Americans to make his idiot father look bad. 

Been saying derisively for years that Junior was as stupid as his father, but today, he exceeded dear old Dad in WTF level idiocy.

Donald Trump, Jr, shut up fool!