Black History Month 2011

Well, today is the first day of Black History Month, started by Carter G. Woodson in order to help and encourage our people to learn more about our past, document our present so that we make informed choices about our future.

As a child and godchild of historians and a lover of history myself,  I believe that every month is Black History Month and I revel in it 365 days a year, 366 in a leap year.

It's one of the missions of this blog to find and document the lost history of transpeople of African descent, and compile the current history being made so that our transkids growing up now and Black transpeople in general know that they have played major roles in shaping the 'T' part of the TBLG community and are expanding beyond that to impact the cis African American and cis communities as well.

We have some interesting stories to tell.    And I'll also bring some of those interesting nuggets of Black trans history to the forefront in addition to whatever Black history I feel moved to comment on for the next 28 days.

Ohio GOP Governor Cuts Trans People Out Of Anti-Discrimination Executive Order

From now on, I don't want to hear ANY Republican or independent tell me the bull feces that there's no difference between the two parties..

When you're part of a marginalized community, which party control the government at the local, state and federal level when one party pushes civil rights and the other is hell bent on rolling them back is of ginormous importance.

Ohio Governor Ted Strickland (D) issued an executive order in 2007 that banned discrimination in state employment for TBLG people.  The order declared that no state employee could be fired from or denied a state job on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Fast forward to 2010 and GOP control of the Ohio state government.    Governor John Kasich (R) let that executive order expire despite a campaign promise to the contrary.   But after getting major flack over it issued a revised executive order that left out guess who?

The list of protected groups in the revised anti-discrimination order is a bit lengthy, protecting state employees or job candidates from discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender, national origin, military status, disability, age, genetic information or sexual orientation.
 

Gender identity, which was in the Strickland executive order, is missing from the Kasich one.

“The governor is opposed to discrimination in state employment and has made that clear in this executive order in the way that he feels is most appropriate,” said spokesman Scott Milburn in a statement to reporters.

Umm hmm.   Yep, screw the transpeeps..

So for all you Ohio transpeople who voted GOP or didn't vote at all on November 2, elections have consequences.   It's also past time for you to realize that the Republican Party, when it comes to civil rights issues, is not your friend.

Tampa Mom Takes Teen Kids Out Of This World

Kids, when your mother tells you the classic line "I brought you into this world and I can take you out", believe it. 

I'd also advise you to cease and desist with whatever behavior of yours is pissing her off.

16 year old Calyx Schenecker and her 13 year old brother Beau were shot and killed by their mother Julie Powers Schenecker in Tampa, FL  for 'mouthing off' to her.

Police reportedly stated that Schenecker said her son Beau had been talking back to her while on the way to his soccer practice when she shot him twice with a .38 in the family SUV.   She then returned home and shot Calyx twice while she sat in front of her computer doing homework. 

The Army wife had written a note in which Schenecker said she was going to kill her "disrespectful children," then kill herself, writing," "they talked back and were mouthy and that she was going to take care of it."

She's facing two counts of first degree murder.