The Bilerico Project

NAACP Hosting A Trans Free LGBT Town Hall Meeting

Monica Roberts — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 16:00:00 -0500

The 102nd NAACP convention starts officially in Los Angeles on July 23 and runs through July 28 at the LA Convention Center with the theme of 'Affirming America's Promise'.

One of the things I'm heartened to see the NAACP do is finally address the undeniable fact that there are African descended LGBT people who are proud members of the African American community.

Our issues and problems as African descended TBLG people are intertwined with those of our parent African American community due to our shared cultural and historical ties. As members of that community we have a vested interest in seeing it survive and thrive.

I was happy to hear as a former card carrying youth member of the organization that the NAACP for the first time in their 102 year history is hosting a town hall meeting to discuss the issues that face African descended TBLG people.

"Black members of the LGBT community share a common history and continued struggle to address issues of bigotry, yet their identities, talents, and leadership are oftentimes diminished because of homophobia and fear of physical violence," remarked Benjamin Todd Jealous, NAACP president and CEO. "It is important that we address these issues head on."

Yeah, I would definitely agree with the sentiment President Jealous expressed, except for one problem. The panel that was put together for this NAACP Town Hall meeting has no trans participants in it.

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We're Sick of 'You People' Screwing Us Legislatively, Del. Pena-Melnyk

Monica Roberts — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 11:00:00 -0500

YOU PEOPLE KEEP CALLING ME AND TELLING ME PUBLIC ACCOMMODATIONS MUST BE INCLUDED AND I'M SICK OF IT DO YOU HEAR ME I'M SICK OF >YOU PEOPLE< CALLING ME SICK OF IT!!!!!

It seems MD Delegate Joseline Pena-Melnyk is a little upset about all the attention she's been getting about the flawed trans rights bill she introduced at the behest of (In)Equality Maryland.

I guess I should be thankful for the small favor that Del. Pena-Melnyk referred to us as "you people."

And as for your threat to pull your support for this jacked up bill you worked so hard on, that goes both ways. We can also find someone to run against you in 2012.

But seriously, Del. Pena-Melnyk, you're a smart woman. We got screwed by the Maryland legislature and our gay "allies" in 2001 and we fear it's happening to us again. What did you expect the reaction of the Maryland trans community and its brothers and sisters around the nation would be when you introduced a bill that members of the community that it's supposed to help and lawyers we have consulted tell you is flawed and worthless?

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Gay Marriage Reality Check

Monica Roberts — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 16:00:00 -0500

Now that the DADT repeal has been signed into law, there has been chatter in GL world and the Gayosphere about shifting the positive momentum gained from the historic win to renewing the push for gay marriage.That would be a mistake.

And don't let the poll numbers showing increasing support for same-gender marriage and your giddiness over the DADT win spur you into making another tactical error.

Did you not forget why you shifted to a full-court-press effort on getting DADT repealed in the first place?

Remember the marriage loss in Maine? I do, and so do many politicians. 0-31 is the number the politicians are looking at. That is the current record reflecting the GL community's success rate in fighting the implementation of statewide anti same-gender marriage amendments when it's put to a vote.

It loses more right now than the LA Clippers.

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Covenant House Texas Is Not A Home For Houston Trans And Intersex Youth

Monica Roberts — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 13:00:00 -0500

The Covenant House location in Houston opened its doors on June 27, 1983 and has been around in the Montrose gayborhood for over 25 years. It claims on its website that it has counseled, mentored, educated, inspired, transformed, and healed thousands of lives.

Unless you happen to be transgender or intersex.

Covenant House was begun by a Franciscan priest back in 1969, and founded as an organization in New York City in 1972. Lady Gaga recently gave Covenant House a $20,000 donation for their work with LGBT youth, but judging by how they handle things in Houston, you'd be hard pressed to give them a passing grade for the way that Covenant House-Texas deals with Houston area transgender and intersex kids.

Over the last few years the anti-trans attitudes injected into the Vatican hierarchy by Father Urbano Navarrete and Dr. Paul McHugh are entrenching themselves in the Roman Catholic Church and trickling down to the flock and its faith based service organizations.

It seems that one of those service organizations that has been affected by the faith based transphobia is Covenant House Texas.

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Texas Bathrooms Have Transsexuals In 'Em

Monica Roberts — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 10:00:00 -0500

As promised in a previous Bilerico post, I'm giving Projectors an early Christmas present in another one of my infamous song rewrites.

I've actually done a rewrite of the ''Texas Has a Whorehouse in It' song from The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas before to slam the attitudes of some of my fellow Lone Star State residents in the ongoing Delgado v. Araguz case.

Now in the wake of one of my African descended transsisters being arrested simply for going to the bathroom on November 17, new lyrics were needed for it

So you know the drill. Fire up those iPods and prepare to sing to Moni's remixed lyrics after the jump.

Continue reading "Texas Bathrooms Have Transsexuals In 'Em"...

The Best Little Trans Bathroom Controversy In Texas

Monica Roberts — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 13:30:00 -0500

Projectors, time to do a post with a twist.

It's now blown up into a kerfluffle that involves local hater Dave Welch and his right wing "Christian" minions, Mayor Annise Parker, a transphobic TV reporter, our local Fox Noise outlet and local LGBT activists.

Hmm, maybe I should be writing this as a Broadway play.... But back to the story.

26 year old Tyjanae Moore had no intention on doing anything but minding her own business as she visited the downtown Houston Public Library branch on November 17. At some point during her visit she had to use the restroom, and that's where the fun starts.

A transphobic female security guard observes her entering the bathroom, and then gets a Houston po-po involved by stating "there's a 'man' in the women's restroom."

Meanwhile Tyjanae is handling her business and as she exits the facility is confronted by the not-so-dynamic duo of the transphobic female guard and the Houston cop. The HPD officer cites a law the GOP controlled Texas Lege passed which makes it unlawful for any person to use a restroom of the opposite sex unless given permission by the building owner before arresting her.

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TDOR Is A Memorial Event, Not A Party

Monica Roberts — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 10:00:00 -0500

One of the things that I've heard over and over from some quarters of the trans community about today's worldwide celebration of the Transgender Day of Remembrance is that it's 'too somber' or 'depressing'.

Um, hello! It's a memorial to the people we've lost to anti-transgender violence. It's not supposed to be a happy-happy joy-joy event.

TDOR is designed to point out to the media the cost of anti-trans violence. It's an opportunity for our allies to do intersectional work with our community and support us on one of our issues.

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Why The TBLG Community Can't Sit Out The 2010 Midterms

Monica Roberts — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:00:00 -0500

I'm noting the volcanic level anger within elements of the GLBT community at the Democrats over the pace of the community's political agenda. While I'm angry at the Dems for different reasons and some of y'all within the GLBT community as well, Mrs. Roberts also didn't raise no fool either.

She raised a daughter who happens to see the big picture implications of the elections, and not just the "Save the Democratic Congressional majority" one that's all too familiar to us.

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Tyra Hunter Medical Transphobia Death 15th Anniversary

Monica Roberts — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 11:30:00 -0500

Yesterday marked another sad anniversary.

It was the 15th anniversary of the death of Tyra Hunter on August 7, 1995 at the hands of Washington DC transphobes.

Transphobes who sadly held the titles of doctor, nurse and emergency medical technician.

While her mother Margie Hunter eventually won a multimillion dollar settlement for EMT Adrian Williams' reprehensible actions at the corner of 50th and C Streets in Southeast DC, I'd wager she'd be willing to give up every penny to have her child back.

Unfortunately the lack of medical treatment and medical transphobia that prematurely ended Tyra's life is still being experienced by transpeople 15 years later.

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Happy 21st Birthday Angie Zapata

Monica Roberts — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 15:00:00 -0500

Yesterday was a day that should have been a happy occasion for a young Latina transwoman who lived in Colorado.

But sadly, it wasn't, thanks to a waste of DNA who is now serving a life sentence in a Colorado prison for his crime.

Yesterday would have been the 21st birthday for Angie Zapata.

I think back to how happy I was when I hit that milestone birthday, and I wonder what Angie would have felt on this day being surrounded by a loving family and friends.

I wonder how she would have celebrated this day, and how far along she would be on her feminine journey now.

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You Can't Declare War On Love

Monica Roberts — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 15:00:00 -0500

When it was on the air, Battlestar Galactica was one of my fave sci-fi shows and I never missed an episode during its four year run. I own all four seasons on DVD, the "Razor" and "The Plan" standalone episodes as well.

I recently entertained myself on a slow news day by watching "The Plan." The story for you non-BSG fans is that Number One, aka Brother Cavil, hates humanity with a passion. He coordinated along with his fellow Number One avatars the genocidal nuclear sneak attack by the Cylons on the Twelve Colonies that nearly wipes the human race out.

During one scene in it, Brother Cavil is ranting to a Number Six avatar about why his grand plan to exterminate humanity and its remaining 50,000 survivors is failing miserably. Number Six listens, then says to him, "You can't declare war on love."

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Stupid Medical Profession Tricks

Monica Roberts — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:30:00 -0500

One of the things that continues to be an issue in the trans community is the negative treatment that trans people receive at the hands of people in the medical establishment.

While some doctors, nurses, EMT's and other medical personnel are caring, compassionate and professional, we have some nekulturny fools in the bunch as well.

We have doctors who fail to live up to the Hippocratic Oath, and nurses, EMT's and other medical personnel who are more concerned with maintaining their faith-based bigotry of trans people than providing the quality medical care their trans patients need and deserve.

Even at the expense of that trans person's life.

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My 100th* Bilerico Post

Monica Roberts — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 08:30:00 -0500

Projectors, I reached a blogging milestone here at the Project with my 100th Bilerico post.

But you'll note in the title I placed an asterisk in it.

This post that you're perusing at this moment celebrating that accomplishment is actually Post Number 102 since I became a Bilerico contributor and wrote my first post for the Project on January 25, 2008.

That one was called 'First Musings' and you can check it out courtesy of this link.

So why my belated celebratory post marking this auspicious occasion? I'll tell you after the jump..

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Ms. T-DART And The Dallas TBLG Community Get Screwed

Monica Roberts — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 08:30:00 -0500

Never underestimate the determination of people who wish to oppress and discriminate against others.

It's a lesson that the GLBT community has painfully had to be reminded of repeatedly over the last 40 years in our civil rights struggle.

The latest example of the determination of the Forces of Intolerance to oppress and how far they will go to preserve their ability to discriminate against others took place in Dallas Tuesday night.

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The Grio's Trans Free LGBT Leaders List

Monica Roberts — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 08:30:00 -0500

I'm usually paying attention when black LGBT leaders lists are put together by media outlets geared toward people of color.

I've found these lists are heavy on the gay and lesbian side of the community, forget the bi part or add them as an afterthought, and either forget the trans part altogether or mistakenly believe that drag queens are acceptable substitutes for actual trans people.

Not surprisingly, I get to tell y'all about another African descended media outlet that fails in that regard.

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