Showing posts with label Austin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Austin. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Sen. Williams, Your Transphobia Is Showing

In case you're wondering why I and other POC's can't stand Republicans, it's because we know from experience they have been anti-civil rights since the Dixiecrats started arriving en masse into the party starting in the 70's, and the Texas division of Republicans isn't much better especially as they have gone more right wing than the national party.

Some of you non- POC peeps are just now figuring that out.

I mentioned earlier today that Meghan Stabler and Nikki Araguz were in Austin chit chatting with state senators today about SB 723.  In addition to conversing with Democratic senators to get them to continue presenting a united front against this unjust billl, they decided to have a chat with some of the Republicans as well.

One of the Republican senators they decided to have a chat with was Sen. Tommy Williams (R-The Woodlands), the sponsor of this odious bill.

So how did it go?   Can you say they were thrown out of his office?   Thought you could.

Here's the YouTube video of it prior to them being tossed and the BS being spouted by the Williams staffer.

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While I realize that there are some Republicans who resent being lumped in with their bigot wing, they will have to verify with me and other POC's they are consistent civil rights supporters before I trust them.

Our standards are much higher to gain that trust than the ones of you short time marginalized people seeing that Republicans have spent decades opposing and leading the charge against civil rights issues.of importance to POC's.

But back to Sen Williams blatant attack on trans Texans human rights.    What axe do you have to grind not only against a widow who lost her husband, but trans Texans in general? 

I also have to wonder exactly what influenced your desire to file this bill, since you had no objection in the 2009 session to the bill passing and sex change documentation becoming part of the list of approved documents for a marriage license.     

Inquiring minds wanna know.


Kill SB 723!     






Friday, December 17, 2010

Rest In Peace, Jennifer Gale

Two years ago today transwoman Jennifer Gale was found dead sleeping on an Austin sidewalk outside a homeless shelter run by the Salvation Army.  (one reason why I refuse to donate money or used clothing to them). 

The reason she was outside on the sidewalk instead of inside the shelter is because they would not allow her to be housed with the women because of genitalia incongruent with her gender presentation. .   She would have been foced by their policies to be housed with cisgender men.

Austin was in the grip of unseasonable cold in 2008, and the postulation by EMT's is the near freezing temperatures helped trigger the heart attack that killed her.

Jennifer made multiple runs for political office in the area and was a frequent presence at Austin City Council meetings.  The night before she died,  Jennifer attended and spoke at an Austin city council hearing in which she sang 'Silent Night' to the assembled members before departing.

In honor of the second anniversary of her death, the Austin City Council at last night's meeting played the video (Jennifer's section of it starts at the 1:20 mark) from that fateful evening. They also dedicated in her memory a seat in the city council auditorium with a plaque bearing her name attached to it.

Jennifer's death also had an impact on a shelter up I-35 in Dallas.   The Bridge changed their policies in order to base their housing and intake decisions on the person's gender presentation irregardless of genitalia configurations.


Rest in peace, Jennifer.  You are not forgotten, nor will your trans brothers and sisters and all you loved and cared about you allow people to forget how you died.   We'll also bust our behinds to ensure that this doesn't happen to a transperson ever again.