With the help of Affirmations and Triangle today we scored a big victory.

I strongly urge everyone to go back and thank them for canceling this concert.

There will be a benefit concert this Wednesday instead.   More details in the next few days.  The concert will help defray the cost for the owners of the theatre.  They stand to lose alot of money.

Thanks again.

Early this morning this country lost one of it’s best Senators that have lived.  The liberal lion sleeps tonight. 

He was elected in 1962 after his brother John became President.  He survived many tragedies during his lifetime, but he a a tireless voice for the little people in this country.  He has authored over 2500 pieces of legislation during his tenure as Senator.  He was a champign of the TLGB community.  He has made sure that gender identity was included the Mathew Shepard bill and ENDA.

I remember when I was in high school the day that will live in infamy for me, November 22nd 1963.  The day Presiden John F. Kennedy was murrdered in Dallas Texas.  I also remember when his other brother Robert was murdered in California in 1968.  It will be hard to imagine Washington without a Kennedy at the helm.

Senator Kennedy speechat the Democratic National Convention  last year was brilliant.  The strength he had.  One hour befor he gave his speech he was hospitalized for kidney stones.  He gave one of his best speeches of his long career.

One thing I have heard over and over today was how this man with his millions could champaign the cause of the poor and middle class.  He has done so much for tis country starting with the civil rights act of 1964.  He was always for the underdog.

I know tonight I will ight a candle and say a prayer for him.  I hope you do to.  Take a minute out of your day on saturday the day of his funeral and pray for him and his family.

G-D bless your soul Senator Ted M. Kennedy.

A lot has happened within the the last few weeks that have impacted the transgender community.  The Mathew Sheperd bill has passed the Senate and will go to a conference committee.  Hopefully gender identity and sexual orientation will not be stripped out of the bill.  It has been attached to the Dept of Defense bill a move that made it easier to pass.

ENDA has passed in the house and I’m sure it will pass in the Senate.  There is alot of opposition to this bill.  The right is again using our community as a scapegoat to defeat it.  Their argument has been the bathroom issue again.  It has been used successsfully on the state level on the East coast.  We all need to call our senators and have a face to face meeting with them.  There are pointers on how to acheive this by going to www.ncte.org.

Just a few days ago the trila for the murder of Lateisha Green in New York ended with the conviction of manslaughter with hate crimes.  This is the sencond such conviction in this country.  Because Dewight Delee used the word “faggot” they used the hate crimes statue.  Presently New York does not include gender identity in hate crimes.  We are moving forward little by little.

This week is the start of Hotter Than July put on the black society of Detroit.  The link will let you know the calender of events.   http://blackpridesociety.org/web/index.php?option=com_events&Itemid=54.  This is a fun event and should not be missed.  I know I will be there for the family picnic on the 25th.  I urge all who read this to attend.

Shalom for now.

This weekend marks the fourtieth anniversary of Stonewall.  The birth place of the gay movement. 

It was a year later that the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) took over and had their first pride march in New York.  It was at this point that the gay movement pushed out the transgender community and left us behind in the quest for equality.  Forgetting the queens of stonewall started it all.  They were fearful that alligning with the transgender community they will not be able to acheive thier get their civil rights.  Today 40 years later it is still happening.  In 2007 with the blessing of HRC they stripped out gender identity in the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

Last week Barney Frank introduced ENDA in the House.  H.R. 3017.  Right now we  need to have 218 votes for this to pass,  right now we have 197 votes.  We need to be strong and talk with our representatives get this bill done.  In Augest the house will be on summer break giving you a chance to meet with your representative.  Call your representative now to set up your appointment to talk with them face to face.  Be positive and tell them your story and how many of us have been fired for transitioning.  How many of us are also under empolyed or not working at all.  On facebook join the group Inclusive Enda.  We are not going to get our civil rights sitting around and thinking someone else will do it for me. 

One reason the gay community is so powerful is that so many have come out of the closet.  People are leaning more about the gay community because they are learning that they know someone who is gay.  If more of us come out it will give society a chance to know us and maybe know someone who is transgendered.  When they begin that process they will be more of an allie and be more tolerant.

Shalom