Congrats Mayor Fischer

One of the things I also missed with the move from Da Ville was how the 2010 mayoral election played out there.   I was part of the C-FAIR endorsement committee for the primary elections that vetted all the mayoral candidates on the Democratic side and the two GOP ones that sought our endorsement.

I missed the fun of the fall campaigns, but was happy to see Greg Fischer, who I'd met at various liberal-progressive events in Louisville during my time there beat Republican Hal Heiner and become the city's next mayor.

Yesterday was Inauguration Day for Mayor Fischer and the Louisville metro council, so I wanted to take a moment to congratulate him and all the peeps I got to meet during my time in Da Ville who took their oaths of office yesterday.  

May you serve the citizens of Louisville and the state to the best of your abilities. May you have continued success in winning elective office while upholding liberal progressive positions and policies that benefit all citizens and not just a narrow monoethnic slice of it.

What We Has Here Is A Fauxgressive Failure To Communicate

Because I talk about the issues of race, class and how they affect the TBLG community and perceptions of how we view the same events in American society, every now and then I get vitriolic stuff hurled at me by peeps inside and outside the community in online discourse.

When I break it down for them to the point they have no logical response their favorite tactic is either hurling insults or calling me a 'racist' for doing do.

People seem to have forgotten their Sociology 101. Every ethnic group has bigotry and prejudice prevalent in it. Racism is a dominant social group using its bigotry and prejudice infused with power (political, economic, social, sexual, military, or police) to act against a minority social group or an individual in that group in order to retard or roll back their societal progress.

Power is the key element in racism..

Thought I'd give you an example of what I deal with just so you know that Moni isn't sellin' you woof tickets about some of the Hateraid she gets from time to time.

It all started innocently enough when Ashley Love commented in a FB message about the lack of coverage in the trans and gayosphere about the Sunday reception to honor President Obama. It was held at the just concluded NBJC Out In DC event that coincided with the Annual Legislative Conference held by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.

Ashley September 21 at 12:47pm Reply
i hear u. but I'm so frustrated. personal attacks is not the same as pressure. why dont we put more pressure on McCain and the republicans

September 21 at 12:50pm
Because many of the peeps in Gay Inc want to be just like the GOP. They want their WP back and see the only thing keeping them from it is their sexuality.

At that point the fun began.

Nataliya September 21 at 1:11pm Reply
the president has done very little of what he promised.
and how dare you Monica. stop being racist. black lgbt are ashamed because no one helps them, it's not the "white peoples" fault. by saying that you will do nothing but make racism in the lgbt sector, we don't need that.

After a long post from Dennis Repealdadt Veite about his take over what President Obama hasn't done, another comment pops up which attempts to microanalyze or derail what I said in the initial response to Ashley.

Wendy September 21 at 1:25pm Reply
I know what Monica is trying to say, but perhaps has too wide of net cast. I don't speak for HRC who is grossly underrepresented. There are many, many white and non-white LGBT's right now fighting hard for EQUAL privilege not WP, and the do not 'criticize the President' campaign runs the risk of alienating allies right now, of which I am one of, who reserve my right and duty to criticize ANY President regardless of nationality. I also defend Ashleys right to criticize the Tea Party freaks, but we are not them.

Monica Roberts September 21 at 1:37pm
Nobody in the AA TBLG community, myself included, has said you can't criticize the president, Wendy. The problem as POC's see and perceive it is the criticism of President Obama has gone TOO far in one direction, is coming primarily from one ethnic group, and the loudest critics are those who were Hillary supporters..

When we compare and contrast the virulent criticism of President Obama it to GLBT silence and lack of direct protest action toward your GOP oppressors, it pisses us and our allies in the AA community off.

That comment, as you see, was totally ignored

Wendy September 21 at 1:48pm Reply
So YOU are making the racist connections, not those accused. I personally been told I cannot criticize the black president because I am white by the above mentioned so you cannot really claim that. Obama is being criticized by progressives and GLBT progressives because he campaigned for their votes and cash and has since with the appointment of Rahm Emmanuel thrown their issues under the bus. To which they have valid criticisms. I'd recommend taking your racist assertions to the Tea Party where they belong, not gin up a race war in the community.

Wendy September 21 at 1:49pm Reply
And on that note, I'm done. I'm too busy taking the fight to my GOP and Dem oppressors to engage in a false and unproductive war with my own.

Dennis September 21 at 1:50pm Reply
Monica: What silence? We have and are protesting against the GOP officials. GetEQUAL just staged a protest to McCain's DADT stand just this past week. I'm not sure what you're seeing as silence and lack of direct action.

And I'm not sure if this has been noticed or not but some of Obama's loudest critics, aren't white.

I don't care if Hilary Clinton was in office; if she were doing the same crappy job, I'd be speaking just as loudly as I am right now. It doesn't have anything to do with race. Why does that keep getting brought up?

Monica Roberts September 21 at 1:54pm
Racism equals prejudice plus power, Wendy. It's interesting that when I point out a fact of life in America that race permeates everything in American society, people like you who are wallowing in 'whiteness' and unacknowledged privilege are quick to inaccurately call me 'racist' to deflect that reality..

The GLBT community as a subset of the greater society, is not immune to American's problems with race and dealing with the insidious nature of the doctrine of 'whiteness'

Dennis September 21 at 1:56pm Reply
This is not about race. It's truly sad that you can't see past that. And now I'm done to. This conversation is counterproductive. Good day everyone.

***

She'll be back in a few minutes. But a note to Dennis.

Bull feces Dennis, it most certainly is and does have an element of race in it. Even President Jimmy Carter acknowledged that the criticism of President Obama have racist elements in it.

Okay we now return you to you regularly scheduled post.

***

Then Wendy loses it...

Wendy September 21 at 1:58pm Reply
f**k you and your wallowing bulls**t. You have no knowledge of me or who and what I fight for. Tell that to my Ugandan LGBT's and they will laugh you off the planet, you fool.

Again with the fallback to Uganda. What's up with that? Uganda is not germane to this discussion

Then Nataliya piles on..

Nataliya September 21 at 2:01pm Reply
i second that, i help people in uganda write letters to embassies. i translate letters into many languages so they can seek asylum in the west. don't dare pull the race card.
i'm russian and tatar, people hate tatar because of OUR race, so don't act like only black people get the blunt of racism.
people like you make our country divided. when will you be satisfied? only a few years ago we would not even have a black president.

Ashley tried to play peacemaker here, but it was already on like Donkey Kong.

Ashley September 21 at 2:05pm Reply
Ladies let's be cordial. I doubt anyone on this thread is racist. You all are friends. I just wanted to hear your thoughts, and I appreciate them, and I have a lot to think about it. Let's just try to see where the MANY black (and non black) lgbt activists and leaders are saying about the personal attacks. MLK didn't attack Kennedy when things were going just as slow

Monica Roberts September 21 at 2:08pm
Dennis, many of us in the AA TBLG community sincerely doubt that 'If Hillary were in the WH we'd be protesting just as loudly' sentiment.

If Hillary were in the WH, I'd be willing to bet that the peeps in the GLBT community who supported her would be pointing out the facts that President Hillary Rodham Clinton inherited two wars, a crappy economy in free fall toward depression, and was being opposed by a GOP determined to make sure her presidency failed just for starters.

I find that interesting GetEqual is only doing so now in the face of criticism from the AA GLBT community of the imbalance.

but I'll be interested in seeing GetEqual or similar GLBT orgs disrupting speeches of GOP officials or their fundraising events like they did with President Obama's speech at a Cali fundraiser recently? When am I going to see on gayosphere blogs the same virulent rhetoric aimed at the GOP that you aim at President Obama in your posts and comments?

And is GOPProud and the Log Cabin Republicans closing the GayTM for GOP politicians and a party that has used you as a political punching bag for the last 20 years?

Nataliya September 21 at 2:10pm Reply
F**K ALL OF THE GROUPS!
we are queer, not black not white not republican not democrat, just get over it. lets just all agree we are queer and fight together and get common victory!.

Nataliya, if you were paying attention and it's obvious tat this point you aren't, Black GLBT peeps hate being described by the word 'queer'

Monica Roberts September 21 at 2:13pm
@Wendy...To quote the poet laureate Gwendolyn Brooks, 'Truth tellers are not always palatable..there's a preference for candy bars.'

Who is the person resorting to insults because she heard stuff that didn't fit neatly into her vanilla flavored viewpoint?

Wendy then posts this link from Robert F. Kennedy before sending this next message

Wendy September 21 at 2:17pm Reply
as apposed to your what, chocolate one? how utterly offensive. Don't take it as an insult, take it as a conviction.

Dennis September 21 at 2:19pm Reply
Monica: You are seriously misinformed. You make assumptions without facts and you pretend to know things that you do not (you have no idea who I am or what I fight for; you simply see a white person criticizing a black person regardless of the facts involved). If you want to make any real change, you should seriously rethink your approach. I'm dismissing you now as irrelevant because your statements have proven that you lack information and the desire to actually obtain that information and have a civilized conversation on the subject. I sincerely hope that someday you're able to overcome your barriers and join this fight. The LGBT community needs you.


Monica Roberts September 21 at 2:19pm
@Natalia,
People like me who tell the truth about race and race relations in this country aren't the ones who are 'keeping it divided' as you claim, it's the people wallowing in 'whiteness' and those of you who enable white privilege that do when you refuse or dismiss out of hand someone who is giving you an insight into a community and that they are thinking, and is freely sharing their thoughts on how they see things based on their lived experience.

Genia September 21 at 2:22pm Reply
This thread has gotten beyond ridiculous. When people learn how to debate without swearing at each other and acting like children perhaps THEN the LGBTQQIA (hope I didn't forget any letters!) community will get its shit together and start accomplishing something.

I have always been a very vocal critic of both parties - and I don't really care who's in charge at the White House.

I noticed that SOME people in the LGBT community will allow white folks to get away with a whole lot more than they would EVER allow Obama to get away with. Your precious Hillary Clinton gave us DOMA. Go yell at her! And Bill Clinton gave us DADT. Go yell at him! Bush tried writing discrimination AGAINST homosexuals into the Constitution with his stupid Federal Marriage Amendment Act. A whole lot of our white brothers and sisters have forgotten that. All they care about is the fact that a Black man is in the White House and he's taking his sweet time giving the white folks full equality. WHERE was GetEqual during the Clinton years? WHERE was GetEqual when Bush was trying to pass the Federal Marriage Amendment Act? I'll tell ya where: Sitting on their asses letting a white man screw 'em over - and doing absolutely nothing about it. But let a Black man do the same thing and all hell breaks loose.

You're an uneducated, whiney, childish brat if you DARE claim that the anti-Obama rhetoric isn't race-based. It most certainly is.


So after Genia called her out, Wendy resumed the Monica is a 'racist' attack

Wendy September 21 at 2:23pm Reply
people like you are todays racists Monica.

Monica Roberts September 21 at 2:25pm
Dennis, your opinion. And it is the height of arrogance for you to assume or presume what I am thinking when you don't know me either.

Answer this question for me Dennis, why is the lived experience of Whites considered 'more authoritative' that the lived experiences of POC? Why is it that we are are told repeatedly by whites that we're not supposed to be 'angry' over things that happen to us, but 'angry white people' are celebrated in this culture are exalted and praised?

Monica Roberts September 21 at 2:28pm
Wendy, racism equals prejudice plus power Wendy.. Racism is a majority group taking your prejudices, infusing them with power (social, political, economic, sexual, military, or police power) and using them to retard or hold back the progress of a minority group,

That's something you should have learned in Sociology 101

Nataliya September 21 at 2:34pm Reply
Monica, you are a racist.
and "white folks"? REALLY. wow. never have i met two racist people at once, bud damn, today i sure have.

Nataliya September 21 at 2:35pm Reply
i'm anti obama and i'm not racist! how dare you! how fucking dare you!
you sound like a gop tea party memeber.
if you don't like us, you're a communist.
but with you, if you don't like someone who happens to be black, you're a racists. hmmmm such ignorance.

Monica Roberts September 21 at 2:46pm
Didn't say you were Nataliya, you only presumed it.

You presumed that I was 'racist', without knowing anything about me other than my skin color, because I dare to point out the hypocrisy in the GLBT community's criticism of president Obama when they haven't exerted an equal or heightened amount of vitriol at their GOP oppressors in the same time frame that they've been loudly criticizing the Obama administration.

Genia September 21 at 2:49pm Reply
I'm definitely a racist. My half-white kids know it. My white ex-husband knows it, my white best friend knows it and my white fiancee knows it, too.

Have a great day, everyone!
- Genia

Wendy September 21 at 3:00pm Reply
not "presume", accuse. That seems to work for you Monica. You accuse all of us of doing nothing against Bush and his war criminal crew of neo-cons, without ANY facts or knowledge otherwise!!! Just accusation alone and the color of skin. How confederate is that. And Genia, duh!

Nataliya September 21 at 3:04pm Reply
hahah,
my african american boyfriend, he knows i'm racist too!
goodness Genia, we have so much in common.

Monica Roberts September 21 at 3:17pm
@Natalya And having an alleged AA boyfriend wont stop you from exercising that WP you're wallowing in either.

Nataliya September 21 at 3:22pm Reply
oh just go f***k yourself.
i don't need your support or believe of anything i say. i've made it this far, i will continue to move on, unlike you.

Once again Ashley tried to play peacemaker:

Ashley September 21 at 3:29pm Reply
Please refrain from swear words

Monica Roberts September 21 at 3:34pm
Seems like the only one having a problem with what I said and can't get past it is you, Nataliya. have a nice day....

Wendy September 21 at 3:45pm Reply
seems fair considering the diatribe and baseless accusations Ashley. You are picking a fight based on race with the wrong people you seem intent on having because you are not taking your fight to the correct people. I will no longer subject myself to it Ashley. Another ally bites the dust.

***

To Wendy and Nataliya, you promise?

And even after I started compiling this post, they STILL kept coming back to post on this thread.

As you can see here the smell of vanilla flavored privilege was overwhelming in this discourse. We weren't even two posts into this before I was getting slammed with the 'racist' epithet.

They tried to attack my intelligence, derail the thread, and do everything possible sidetrack the focus of the conversation from dealing with why my blog was the only one in the transosphere besides the IFGE website that posted about the Sunday NBJC Obama reception.

Then they got their noses out of joint about a comment I made about Gay, Inc. It's a sentiment hat is regularly expressed and said in internal chocolate GLBT community discourse. So if you don't like it, do something constructive to change our perceptions about it.

But this entire conversation reminded me of an Albert B. Cleage, Jr. quote:

Truth is that which serves the interests of a people. Two groups of people locked in combat cannot be expected to have the same truth.

The truth is the GLBT community has an unaddressed problem with race. Another truth is that even if we all see the same event, a white GLBT person is going to see it one way, I and my fellow TBLG/SGL people are going to see it another way, and a Latino/a or Asian GLBT person is going to have another take on it based on all our lived experiences, class, and other factors. Sometimes those of us in the same ethnic groups will have different takes on it.

But one piece of advice to get that long needed conversation on race in the GLBT community started. Do not under any circumstances use the conservafool definition of 'racism'.

Racism is prejudice plus power, and the power element is part and parcel to it.

Hate The Smell Of Vanilla Scented Privilege

One of the things that is maddeningly infuriating to transpeople of color when we try to interact in groups dominated by white people is the mischaracterizations that result when we speak our minds.

A POC transperson speaks their mind about a hot button issue du jour, and their critics inevitably hurl the words, 'divisive', 'verbally violent', 'angry' or 'polarizing influences' bull feces at them or whisper it to other white friends behind the POC's back.

Conversely, let a White transperson speak their mind, get mad, vent or say the exact same thing a POC transperson may have just verbalized about the issue, then it's considered 'refreshing honesty'.

Can you smell the vanilla scented double standard and privilege in the air?

Thought you could.

One other thing, I do get sick of hearing the patronizing 'watch your tone' BS. There are times when I write posts or say things critiquing various issues that you may presume I was 'angry', but actually was as calm as President Obama in a meeting with angry Republicans.

When I'm pissed off, you'll know it.

PTSS-Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome

Since 1865, the United States has been suffering from an unacknowledged malady, and nope, I'm not talking about racism, even though it's unfortunately still part of the American body politic. Racism predates 1865.

What I'm talking about is PTSS. Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome.

Even though it's been almost 150 years since my peeps emancipation from chattel slavery, whether people want to admit it or not, it has had debilitating effects on former slave and former slave owner alike.

A primary example of it happened in April with our different perceptions about the Confederacy. While whites with Southern heritage mourn the 'Lost Cause' and extol the virtues of brave Confederate soldiers, myself and other African descended Americans see them as traitorous racist oppressors who sought to keep us in permanent servitude.

It has had negative effects on our national politics and race relations. African Americans are still judged by racist myths that originated during slavery. Our negative economic status today vis a vis whites is rooted in the fact that the weatlth that whites built up was at the expense of my ancestors 246 years of uncompensated labor and then spending another 100 years locking us out of various occupations thanks to Jim Crow laws.

Some of the colorism issues we have within the African American community can be traced back to America's original sin as well.

Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America's Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing is a book by Portland State University professor Dr. Joy DeGruy Leary that tackles how the aftermath of slavery has negatively effected African-Americans to this day.

She argues that both overt and subtle forms of racism have damaged the collective African-American psyche—harm manifested through poor mental and physical health, family and relationship dysfunction, and self-destructive impulses.

Leary suggests that African Americans (and other people of color) can ill afford to wait for the dominant culture to realize the qualitative benefits of undoing racism. The real recovery from the ongoing trauma of slavery and racism has to start from within, she says, beginning with a true acknowledgment of the resilience of African-American culture.

Sounds like it's an intriguing book that I'm looking forward to having the opportunity to read.

Gay Mayoral Candidate In Gainesville, FL Facing Recount

Gainesville, FL residents went to the polls yesterday for a runoff election that would determine their city's next mayor.

The candidates were openly gay city commissioner Craig Lowe, who led the initial round of voting by garnering 40.13 percent of the ballots cast.

His opponent Don Marsh is a businessman and hater who ran on the campaign promise of overturning the newly passed TBLG non-discrimination law. Marsh got 29.13 percent of the ballots cast on March 16 to get into the runoff.

The haters are especially ticked off at Lowe not only because of his sexual orientation, but because he supported the 2008 trans inclusive anti discrimination ordinance. Lowe was one of the leaders in the effort to defeat an amendment designed to kill the law.

The mayoral runoff has been marred by the usual hatemongering from the 'christian' conservafools. It has led to some ugly displays of homophobia such as the pink flyer mocking Lowe that found itself planted on car windshields in the runup to election day..

All the back an forth of the campaign came down to whether the progressive side or the regressive side could turn out their voters.

For the moment, it looks like Craig Lowe did and you can call him mayor*.

With all 34 precincts in, Craig Lowe had 6,098 votes or 50.14% with Don Marsh getting 6,063 votes or 49.86%. Since it's less than a 1% margin a recount is forthcoming.

Once it's completed, we'll know for certain who the next mayor of Gainesville, FL will be. Let's hope it's the candidate who will unite all the city's citizens and not the one offer no more than just hate and shady divisiveness.

When You Republicans Start Consistently Doing Things For The African-American Community, Only Then Will We Cut Y'all Some Slack On Race Gaffes

The GOP is up in arms because of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-NV) foot in mouth moment that recently came to light thanks to the recently published book 'Game Change'. During the 2008 campaign he's allegedly quoted as saying that it was an advantage for for then candidate Obama to be a 'light skinned Black with no Negro dialect'

Sen. Reid quickly apologized for it, the president accepted the apology along with other African-American political and thought leaders.

"While there is no question that Senator Reid did not select the best word choice in this instance, these comments should not distract America from its continued focus on securing healthcare or creating jobs for its people," Sharpton said.

Congressional Black Caucus Chair Barbara Lee (D-CA) stated, 'But while there is "a deep unease about race which cannot be swept under the rug, Reid's public actions speak louder than words."

"Over the years, I have had an opportunity to work with Majority Leader Reid. Senator Reid's record provides a stark contrast to actions of Republicans to block legislation that would benefit poor and minority communities," she said, citing health care reform as one example. "I look forward to Senator Reid continuing to serve as Majority Leader to guide this important agenda through the Senate."

Michael Steele and friends immediately screamed foul and demanded Sen. Reid's resignation as Senate Majority leader, claiming a dubious 'double standard' on race when it comes to Republicans versus Democrats on race issues.

There's a double standard alright, and it's one the Democrats have earned thanks to forty plus years of fighting for and passing legislation that helps my community.

The Republican whining is especially acute in light of the resignation of Trent Lott (R-MS) from his majority leadership position after making racially insensitive remarks in 2002. He stated at then-Senator Strom Thurmond's 100th birthday celebration if Thurmond's 1948 pro-segregation presidential bid had been successful, the country would have been better off.

There's light years of difference in the two situations that anyone with functioning brain cells can see. Sen. Harry Reid doesn't have the long history of working with white supremacist groups and negative NAACP Congressional Report Card ratings (F by the way) that former Senator Trent Lott had.

Unlike Sen. Trent Lott, who spent his career along with his party fighting legislation that would help African-Americans, Reid has been on the other side of the issues fighting to pass them. and has the A rating from the NAACP to prove it.

The Republicans can stop whining because they have caused and continue to exacerbate their problems with race that feed the false 'double standard' they complain about in the first place.

I don't see Democrats actively working to suppress voter turnout in African American communities, advocating tax policies that only benefit their well heeled supporters, and being openly hostile to advancing civil rights legislation.

When they stop acting like the party of George Lincoln Rockwell and build up a history in this century of tirelessly working on issues that will benefit African-Americans and other working class Americans, and have done so for 40 plus years, then and only then will African Americans consider giving them a pass when they make mistakes on race issues.

Go Annise Go!

You TransGriot readers are aware that I'm closely watching a potentially historic mayoral race in my beloved hometown. There will be a December 12 runoff between city controller and former at large councilmember Annise Parker and city attorney Gene Locke.

Annise is bidding to become the second woman elected mayor of Houston, and Gene Locke is trying to become the second African-American elected as mayor of my hometown.

Who am I rooting for? Annise Parker.



Parker led wire to wire during the election on November 3 but didn't get the 50% she needed to win outright and has received the endorsement of the Houston Chronicle.

That's got Dave Wilson, Hotze's Nazis and the rest of the 'white' wing christobigots coming out of the closet with their hatred of Annise and backing Locke.

Locke also has some issues that are dogging his campaign as well in addition to the Christohaters..

If Parker wins, she would also become the first open lesbian to become mayor of a top tier city and the first open GLBT person in Texas to do so.