#AFSCME #AFSCMEPride #AFSCMEProud #UnionPride #Union #1U #1UPride #PrideMonth #PrideMonth2019 #Pride #Pride2019 #WeMakeAmericaHappen #WeMakeEqualityHappen #StonewallUprising #Stonewall50 #kvelling ๐ ๐ณ️๐✊
Wednesday, June 26, 2019
AFSCME Pride 2019 (the union my spouse works for)
#AFSCME #AFSCMEPride #AFSCMEProud #UnionPride #Union #1U #1UPride #PrideMonth #PrideMonth2019 #Pride #Pride2019 #WeMakeAmericaHappen #WeMakeEqualityHappen #StonewallUprising #Stonewall50 #kvelling ๐ ๐ณ️๐✊
Monday, June 17, 2019
HEARING TODAY - Massachusetts' Height & Weight Anti-Discrimination Bill
TODAY AT 1:00 (EST) IN BOSTON (my hometown!!), Massachusetts' House Bill 3413, An Act Making Discrimination on the Basis of Height and Weight Unlawful, has a hearing! The contact person is Caroline Sherrard, Chief of Staff of the Office of Senator Becca Rausch -- Caroline.Sherrard@masenate.gov and 617.722.1555 (internal x1556). I lived in MA until 2014 (when I moved here to Gaithersburg, Maryland), and have been supporting this bill for several years, though it is older than that. #MondayMotivation #MondayMorning #fatjustice#fatliberation #fatacceptance #fatactivism ๐♀️๐๐♀️
This is the supportive testimony I submitted:
June 17th, 2019
Senator James B. Eldridge, Senate Chair, Joint Committee on the Judiciary
Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz, Senate Vice Chair
Representative Claire D. Cronin, House Chair
Representative Michael S. Day, House Vice Chair
Massachusetts State House
24 Beacon Street -- Rooms 320, 136, and 111
Boston, MA 02133
Via email: James.McCarthy@mahouse.gov
Caroline.Sherrard@mahouse.gov
Gretchen.VanNess@masenate.gov
Tobin.Abraham@mahouse.gov
Dear Senators Eldridge and Chang-Diaz and Representatives Cronin and Day --
Senator James B. Eldridge, Senate Chair, Joint Committee on the Judiciary
Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz, Senate Vice Chair
Representative Claire D. Cronin, House Chair
Representative Michael S. Day, House Vice Chair
Massachusetts State House
24 Beacon Street -- Rooms 320, 136, and 111
Boston, MA 02133
Via email: James.McCarthy@mahouse.gov
Caroline.Sherrard@mahouse.gov
Gretchen.VanNess@masenate.gov
Tobin.Abraham@mahouse.gov
Dear Senators Eldridge and Chang-Diaz and Representatives Cronin and Day --
My name is Mycroft Masada Holmes, and I lived in greater Boston for more than 37 years, from my birth in 1976 until January of 2014, when I moved to Gaithersburg, Maryland to begin living with my partner. I love and miss Boston and the rest of Massachusetts, though I have visited a few times, and I have always been proud to call them my home.
I write to you today primarily as a faith leader called to advocate for social justice, particularly LGBTQ+ and fat justice. Before my move, I was the Chair of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition’s Interfaith Coalition for Transgender Equality (ICTE), and a board member at Congregation Am Tikva. I was one of the leaders of the interfaith campaign for both of Massachusetts’ transgender civil rights laws.
Today, I testify in support of House Bill 3413 -- An Act Making Discrimination on the Basis of Height and Weight Unlawful -- as I have done in person and/or in writing for a few legislative sessions. At one hearing, I also read the written testimony of attorney Sondra Solovay. This bill and the second trans rights bill actually shared a hearing a few years ago.
In my personal and professional life, I have experienced and witnessed a great deal of discrimination – especially in employment -- and much of it has been based on physical appearance and information, including height and especially weight. This discrimination is wrong, profoundly damaging, pervasive, and rapidly increasing -- in Massachusetts and the rest of our country -- especially since the November 2016 elections; those who would discriminate in these ways are among those who have been empowered by the current presidential administration. We must do what we can to change this as soon as we can, and HB 3413 can help. This bill is also an critical educational tool – its implementation process will help dispel the widespread and increasing ignorance, misinformation and fear about weight. You will be given expert testimony about these issues today and during the rest of this session – ample evidence of the significant and urgent need for this legislation.
My faiths teach that like the Adam, the first human being, all people are made b’tzelem Elohim – in the image of God -- people of all weights, heights, sizes and shapes. Our infinite diversity of bodies and their changes over our lifetimes are gifts and blessings, meant to be lived and shared with joy and pride. God creates and loves all of us, equally, in body and spirit. And all of us should be equally recognized and protected by the law.
And as much as I speak to you as a person of faith, I also speak as a spouse. My wonderful partner of ten years next month, Julia McCrossin, and I are the same height, and she weighs well over twice what I do; I’ve always been thin, she has always been fat. Julia is a lifelong resident of Maryland and Washington DC, and visited me in Massachusetts several times. After her father passed away, I moved to Maryland to begin living with her, largely so that we could help care for her disabled mother and the family dog.
We are very privileged to live in Maryland, not to mention Montgomery County, for many reasons. Our county, state and neighboring Washington DC have trans-inclusive civil rights laws, and DC’s Human Rights Laws consider height and weight included in “physical appearance”. We are privileged in other ways as well – as much as we and those like us struggle, daily life is far more challenging for those directly facing other intersecting oppressions, such as racism, classism and ableism. At the same time, we worry about moving to and through places where we are legally unprotected, which we often need and want to do. We and so many others need An Act Making Discrimination On The Basis Of Height And Weight Unlawful to pass into law as soon as possible. I pray that this can be another way for my home state to provide social justice leadership to the rest of the country.
My partner and I want to visit Massachusetts together more -- especially to see our family, friends and colleagues there -- and perhaps make a home there one day. And we have much to offer my great state. I want her to have full civil rights wherever she is. I want her to be able to continue to live, work and play better than she has done, contributing even more to our communities than she already has. I want this for all residents of and visitors to Massachusetts. I don’t want anyone to experience discrimination – and yet I know that some will, and I want them to be able to take appropriate action to address it.
I urge you to do everything you can to further this vital and long overdue legislation so that it can be passed into law this legislative session.
Thank you,
Mycroft Holmes
[My home & e-mail addresses]
I write to you today primarily as a faith leader called to advocate for social justice, particularly LGBTQ+ and fat justice. Before my move, I was the Chair of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition’s Interfaith Coalition for Transgender Equality (ICTE), and a board member at Congregation Am Tikva. I was one of the leaders of the interfaith campaign for both of Massachusetts’ transgender civil rights laws.
Today, I testify in support of House Bill 3413 -- An Act Making Discrimination on the Basis of Height and Weight Unlawful -- as I have done in person and/or in writing for a few legislative sessions. At one hearing, I also read the written testimony of attorney Sondra Solovay. This bill and the second trans rights bill actually shared a hearing a few years ago.
In my personal and professional life, I have experienced and witnessed a great deal of discrimination – especially in employment -- and much of it has been based on physical appearance and information, including height and especially weight. This discrimination is wrong, profoundly damaging, pervasive, and rapidly increasing -- in Massachusetts and the rest of our country -- especially since the November 2016 elections; those who would discriminate in these ways are among those who have been empowered by the current presidential administration. We must do what we can to change this as soon as we can, and HB 3413 can help. This bill is also an critical educational tool – its implementation process will help dispel the widespread and increasing ignorance, misinformation and fear about weight. You will be given expert testimony about these issues today and during the rest of this session – ample evidence of the significant and urgent need for this legislation.
My faiths teach that like the Adam, the first human being, all people are made b’tzelem Elohim – in the image of God -- people of all weights, heights, sizes and shapes. Our infinite diversity of bodies and their changes over our lifetimes are gifts and blessings, meant to be lived and shared with joy and pride. God creates and loves all of us, equally, in body and spirit. And all of us should be equally recognized and protected by the law.
And as much as I speak to you as a person of faith, I also speak as a spouse. My wonderful partner of ten years next month, Julia McCrossin, and I are the same height, and she weighs well over twice what I do; I’ve always been thin, she has always been fat. Julia is a lifelong resident of Maryland and Washington DC, and visited me in Massachusetts several times. After her father passed away, I moved to Maryland to begin living with her, largely so that we could help care for her disabled mother and the family dog.
We are very privileged to live in Maryland, not to mention Montgomery County, for many reasons. Our county, state and neighboring Washington DC have trans-inclusive civil rights laws, and DC’s Human Rights Laws consider height and weight included in “physical appearance”. We are privileged in other ways as well – as much as we and those like us struggle, daily life is far more challenging for those directly facing other intersecting oppressions, such as racism, classism and ableism. At the same time, we worry about moving to and through places where we are legally unprotected, which we often need and want to do. We and so many others need An Act Making Discrimination On The Basis Of Height And Weight Unlawful to pass into law as soon as possible. I pray that this can be another way for my home state to provide social justice leadership to the rest of the country.
My partner and I want to visit Massachusetts together more -- especially to see our family, friends and colleagues there -- and perhaps make a home there one day. And we have much to offer my great state. I want her to have full civil rights wherever she is. I want her to be able to continue to live, work and play better than she has done, contributing even more to our communities than she already has. I want this for all residents of and visitors to Massachusetts. I don’t want anyone to experience discrimination – and yet I know that some will, and I want them to be able to take appropriate action to address it.
I urge you to do everything you can to further this vital and long overdue legislation so that it can be passed into law this legislative session.
Thank you,
Mycroft Holmes
[My home & e-mail addresses]
Saturday, June 15, 2019
10 trans people murdered in 2019 in US - all Black trans women!
Shabbat shalom. Today is the 15th day of LGBTQ+ Pride Month 2019, and Pride Day in our county capital Rockville and in Baltimore -- and yet yesterday the at least TENTH transgender person was murdered in this country in 2019, which was the THIRD just this month. Zoe Spears, 23 -- right here in Maryland, in Prince George’s County’s Fairmount Heights at the DC border -- the same location as Ashanti Carmon* in March, and they knew each other. And ALL TEN are Black trans women.
The other nine stolen sisters are Dana Martin, 31, Montgomery, Alabama, January 6th. Jazzaline Ware, age unknown, Memphis, sometime in March. *Ashanti Carmon, 27 -- again, like Zoe, who she knew, here in Maryland, in Prince George’s County’s Fairmount Heights at the DC border, March 30th. Claire Legato, 21, Cleveland, shot April 15th and died May 14th. Muhlaysia Booker, 23, Dallas, May 18th -- having survived a transphobic attack by a group on April 12th. Michelle ‘Tamika’ Washington, 40, Philadelphia, May 19th. Paris Cameron, 20, Detroit, May 25th -- Alunte Davis, 21, and Timothy Blancher, 20, both Black gay men, were also killed, and two other people were injured. Chynal Lindsey, 26, Dallas, June 1st. Chanel Scurlock, 23, Lumberton, North Carolina, June 6th.
Johana ‘Joa’ Medina, 25, a Latinx trans woman from El Salvador, also died on June 1st, in El Paso, Texas -- just hours after being released from ICE custody. Layleen Polanco, an Afro-Latinx trans woman, was found dead in her cell at Rikers (Island Jail, in New York City) on June 7th.
The photo collage at the bottom of this post shows Dana, Ashanti, Claire, Muhlaysia, Michelle, Paris, Chynal, Chanel and Zoe -- I am not finding a photo of Jazzaline yet (and I used Pixlr's Express).
Last year in 2018, more than 30 trans people were murdered here in the US, and well over 300 others elsewhere in our world -- and there have already been dozens of murders in other countries this year. And the great majority of our stolen siblings here are Black, women, and young -- elsewhere, the majority are Latinx trans women and transfeminine people. Too, very little attention is given to the murders, assaults and disappearances of Native / Indigenous people -- especially girls, women, and/or Two Spirit people.
We also continue to lose many siblings to suicide -- the attempt rate in our community is over 40%. And there continue to be unreported trans deaths, reported deaths where the victim is not identified as trans, non-fatal assaults and much more. Trans people are not included in even basic civil rights laws in most states, and several states have anti-trans legislation in process -- in addition to the Trump administration’s attempts to undo trans rights progress on a national level.
And while I say here on my blog or on social media about the death details -- primarily to avoid further traumatizing my trans followers, especially those living at similar intersections as the victims -- it is vital to say that the great majority are shootings, and that this is yet another reason we desperately need gun control, and it is an LGBTQ+ and racial justice issue. Too, this past Wednesday June 12th was the 3rd anniversary of the mass shooting at the Pulse LGBTQ+ nightclub in Orlando, on Latinx Night, which took the lives of 49 people, most of them LGBTQ+, Latinx and young.
May all of my trans sisters, brothers and other siblings’ memories be blessings (as we say in Judaism) -- and call us to act, particularly at trans justice’s intersection with racial, immigration and economic justice! This month and every month, may we schlep towards tikkun olam, world repair, at the intersection of LGBTQ+, climate, racial, immigration, spiritual, fat, disability, and all other stripes of the rainbow of justice! May we never forget that white supremacy has always included cis supremacy, misogyny and transphobia! Amen!
#Pride2019 #PrideMonth2019 #TDOR #TDOR2019 #TransDayOfRemembrance #DanaMartin #JazzalineWare #AshantiCarmon #ClaireLegato #MuhlaysiaBooker #MichelleWashington #ParisCameron #ChynalLindsey #ChanelScurlock #ZoeSpears #JohanaMedina #LayleenPolanco #BlackLivesMatter #BlackTransLivesMatter #LatinxLivesMatter #LatinxTransLivesMatter #NativeLivesMatter #TwoSpiritLivesMatter #TransLivesMatter
The other nine stolen sisters are Dana Martin, 31, Montgomery, Alabama, January 6th. Jazzaline Ware, age unknown, Memphis, sometime in March. *Ashanti Carmon, 27 -- again, like Zoe, who she knew, here in Maryland, in Prince George’s County’s Fairmount Heights at the DC border, March 30th. Claire Legato, 21, Cleveland, shot April 15th and died May 14th. Muhlaysia Booker, 23, Dallas, May 18th -- having survived a transphobic attack by a group on April 12th. Michelle ‘Tamika’ Washington, 40, Philadelphia, May 19th. Paris Cameron, 20, Detroit, May 25th -- Alunte Davis, 21, and Timothy Blancher, 20, both Black gay men, were also killed, and two other people were injured. Chynal Lindsey, 26, Dallas, June 1st. Chanel Scurlock, 23, Lumberton, North Carolina, June 6th.
Johana ‘Joa’ Medina, 25, a Latinx trans woman from El Salvador, also died on June 1st, in El Paso, Texas -- just hours after being released from ICE custody. Layleen Polanco, an Afro-Latinx trans woman, was found dead in her cell at Rikers (Island Jail, in New York City) on June 7th.
The photo collage at the bottom of this post shows Dana, Ashanti, Claire, Muhlaysia, Michelle, Paris, Chynal, Chanel and Zoe -- I am not finding a photo of Jazzaline yet (and I used Pixlr's Express).
Last year in 2018, more than 30 trans people were murdered here in the US, and well over 300 others elsewhere in our world -- and there have already been dozens of murders in other countries this year. And the great majority of our stolen siblings here are Black, women, and young -- elsewhere, the majority are Latinx trans women and transfeminine people. Too, very little attention is given to the murders, assaults and disappearances of Native / Indigenous people -- especially girls, women, and/or Two Spirit people.
We also continue to lose many siblings to suicide -- the attempt rate in our community is over 40%. And there continue to be unreported trans deaths, reported deaths where the victim is not identified as trans, non-fatal assaults and much more. Trans people are not included in even basic civil rights laws in most states, and several states have anti-trans legislation in process -- in addition to the Trump administration’s attempts to undo trans rights progress on a national level.
And while I say here on my blog or on social media about the death details -- primarily to avoid further traumatizing my trans followers, especially those living at similar intersections as the victims -- it is vital to say that the great majority are shootings, and that this is yet another reason we desperately need gun control, and it is an LGBTQ+ and racial justice issue. Too, this past Wednesday June 12th was the 3rd anniversary of the mass shooting at the Pulse LGBTQ+ nightclub in Orlando, on Latinx Night, which took the lives of 49 people, most of them LGBTQ+, Latinx and young.
May all of my trans sisters, brothers and other siblings’ memories be blessings (as we say in Judaism) -- and call us to act, particularly at trans justice’s intersection with racial, immigration and economic justice! This month and every month, may we schlep towards tikkun olam, world repair, at the intersection of LGBTQ+, climate, racial, immigration, spiritual, fat, disability, and all other stripes of the rainbow of justice! May we never forget that white supremacy has always included cis supremacy, misogyny and transphobia! Amen!
#Pride2019 #PrideMonth2019 #TDOR #TDOR2019 #TransDayOfRemembrance #DanaMartin #JazzalineWare #AshantiCarmon #ClaireLegato #MuhlaysiaBooker #MichelleWashington #ParisCameron #ChynalLindsey #ChanelScurlock #ZoeSpears #JohanaMedina #LayleenPolanco #BlackLivesMatter #BlackTransLivesMatter #LatinxLivesMatter #LatinxTransLivesMatter #NativeLivesMatter #TwoSpiritLivesMatter #TransLivesMatter
Tuesday, June 11, 2019
HEARING SCHEDULED - Massachusetts' Height & Weight Anti-Discrimination Bill
THIS JUST IN!!! News about Massachusetts’ height & weight anti-discrimination bill! HEARING NEXT MONDAY JUNE 17TH! I got this e-mail today at 5ish EST -- e-mail Caroline to get on her list. MA is my home state (I lived there until 2014, when I moved here to Gaithersburg, Maryland), and I have been supporting this bill for several years, though it is older than that.
#fatjustice #fatliberation #fatacceptance #fatactivism #HealthAtEverySize #HAES #SpiritualityAtEverySize
๐๐♀️๐
"Height and Weight Anti-Discrimination Legislation
Good afternoon everyone,
I am writing to let you know that the bill hearing for S. 1012/H. An Act making discrimination on the basis of height and weight unlawful has been scheduled for a hearing next Monday, June 17th at 1 pm in Gardner Auditorium at the State House.
If you could come to testify in person and/or submit written testimony to the committee, that would be much appreciated. Testimony can be submitted by email to James.McCarthy@mahouse.gov. If you could also send a copy of your testimony to my office for our records, we would appreciate it. Please let me know if you have any questions on this process.
I will update you later this week on Senator Rausch and Rep. Nguyen’s plans for submitting testimony or attending in person. Gretchen, our legislative director, and Tobin, Rep. Nguyen’s staff person are both cc’ed on this email.
You can view the hearing notice here: https://malegislature.gov/Events/Hearings/Detail/3171.
Best,
Caroline
Caroline Sherrard, Chief of Staff
Office of Senator Becca Rausch
Massachusetts Senate
Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex District
State House Room 218
617-722-1555 (internal ext. 1556)
Pronouns: she/her/hers"
#fatjustice #fatliberation #fatacceptance #fatactivism #HealthAtEverySize #HAES #SpiritualityAtEverySize
๐๐♀️๐
"Height and Weight Anti-Discrimination Legislation
Good afternoon everyone,
I am writing to let you know that the bill hearing for S. 1012/H. An Act making discrimination on the basis of height and weight unlawful has been scheduled for a hearing next Monday, June 17th at 1 pm in Gardner Auditorium at the State House.
If you could come to testify in person and/or submit written testimony to the committee, that would be much appreciated. Testimony can be submitted by email to James.McCarthy@mahouse.gov. If you could also send a copy of your testimony to my office for our records, we would appreciate it. Please let me know if you have any questions on this process.
I will update you later this week on Senator Rausch and Rep. Nguyen’s plans for submitting testimony or attending in person. Gretchen, our legislative director, and Tobin, Rep. Nguyen’s staff person are both cc’ed on this email.
You can view the hearing notice here: https://malegislature.gov/Events/Hearings/Detail/3171.
Best,
Caroline
Caroline Sherrard, Chief of Staff
Office of Senator Becca Rausch
Massachusetts Senate
Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex District
State House Room 218
617-722-1555 (internal ext. 1556)
Pronouns: she/her/hers"
Sunday, June 9, 2019
9 trans people murdered in 2019 in US - all Black trans women!
Boker tov, boker or -- good morning, morning light. Today, Sunday June 9th, is the ninth day of LGBTQ+ Pride Month 2019, and Pride weekend in neighboring DC and my hometown of Boston -- it also Shavuot and Pentecost. And yet there have been at least NINE transgender people murdered in this country this year -- TWO this month -- and all are Black trans women.
Dana Martin, 31, Montgomery, Alabama, January 6th. Jazzaline Ware, age unknown, Memphis, sometime in March. Ashanti Carmon, 27 -- here in Maryland, in Prince George’s County’s Fairmount Heights at the DC border, March 30th. Claire Legato, 21, Cleveland, shot April 15th and died May 14th. Muhlaysia Booker, 23, Dallas, May 18th -- having survived a transphobic attack by a group on April 12th. Michelle ‘Tamika’ Washington, 40, Philadelphia, May 19th. Paris Cameron, 20, Detroit, May 25th -- Alunte Davis, 21, and Timothy Blancher, 20, both Black gay men, were also killed, and two other people were injured. Chynal Lindsey, 26, Dallas, last Saturday June 1st. Chanel Scurlock, 23, Lumberton, North Carolina, this past Thursday June 6th.
Johana ‘Joa’ Medina, 25, a Latinx trans woman from El Salvador, also died last Saturday June 1st, in El Paso, Texas -- just hours after being released from ICE custody; she suffered severe health complications that went untreated during detention. Last year Roxana Hernรกndez died in ICE custody after being abused there. And Nikki Enriquez was one of four women murdered by of an intel supervisor for US Border Patrol.
The photo collage at the bottom of this post shows Dana, Ashanti, Claire, Muhlaysia, Michelle, Paris, Chynal, Chanel and Johana -- no photo of Jazzaline seems to be available yet (and I used Pixlr's Express).
Last year in 2018, more than 30 trans people were murdered in this country, and well over 300 others were murdered elsewhere in our world -- there have already been a few dozen murders in other countries this year. And the great majority of our stolen siblings here are Black, women, and young -- elsewhere, the majority are Latinx trans women and transfeminine people. Too, very little attention is given to the murders, assaults and disappearances of Native / Indigenous people -- especially girls, women, and/or Two Spirit people.
We also continue to lose many siblings to suicide -- the attempt rate in our community is over 40%. And there continue to be unreported trans deaths, reported deaths where the victim is not identified as trans, non-fatal assaults and much more. Trans people are not included in even basic civil rights laws in most states, and several states have anti-trans legislation in process -- in addition to the Trump administration’s attempts to undo trans rights progress on a national level.
I say little here or on social media about the details of these murders -- primarily to avoid retraumatizing my trans followers, especially those living at similar intersections as the victims -- but it is vital to say that the great majority are shootings, and that this is yet another reason we desperately need gun control.
May all of my trans sisters, brothers and other siblings’ memories be blessings (as we say in Judaism) -- and call us to act, particularly at trans justice’s intersection with racial, immigration and economic justice! This month and every month, may we schlep towards tikkun olam, world repair, at the intersection of LGBTQ+, climate, racial, immigration, spiritual, fat, disability, and all other stripes of the rainbow of justice! May we never forget that white supremacy has always included cis supremacy, misogyny and transphobia! Amen!
#Pride2019 #PrideMonth2019 #TDOR #TDOR2019 #TransDayOfRemembrance #DanaMartin #JazzalineWare #AshantiCarmon #ClaireLegato #MuhlaysiaBooker #MichelleWashington #ParisCameron #ChynalLindsey #ChanelScurlock #JohanaMedina #BlackLivesMatter #BlackTransLivesMatter #LatinxLivesMatter #LatinxTransLivesMatter #TransLivesMatter
Dana Martin, 31, Montgomery, Alabama, January 6th. Jazzaline Ware, age unknown, Memphis, sometime in March. Ashanti Carmon, 27 -- here in Maryland, in Prince George’s County’s Fairmount Heights at the DC border, March 30th. Claire Legato, 21, Cleveland, shot April 15th and died May 14th. Muhlaysia Booker, 23, Dallas, May 18th -- having survived a transphobic attack by a group on April 12th. Michelle ‘Tamika’ Washington, 40, Philadelphia, May 19th. Paris Cameron, 20, Detroit, May 25th -- Alunte Davis, 21, and Timothy Blancher, 20, both Black gay men, were also killed, and two other people were injured. Chynal Lindsey, 26, Dallas, last Saturday June 1st. Chanel Scurlock, 23, Lumberton, North Carolina, this past Thursday June 6th.
Johana ‘Joa’ Medina, 25, a Latinx trans woman from El Salvador, also died last Saturday June 1st, in El Paso, Texas -- just hours after being released from ICE custody; she suffered severe health complications that went untreated during detention. Last year Roxana Hernรกndez died in ICE custody after being abused there. And Nikki Enriquez was one of four women murdered by of an intel supervisor for US Border Patrol.
The photo collage at the bottom of this post shows Dana, Ashanti, Claire, Muhlaysia, Michelle, Paris, Chynal, Chanel and Johana -- no photo of Jazzaline seems to be available yet (and I used Pixlr's Express).
Last year in 2018, more than 30 trans people were murdered in this country, and well over 300 others were murdered elsewhere in our world -- there have already been a few dozen murders in other countries this year. And the great majority of our stolen siblings here are Black, women, and young -- elsewhere, the majority are Latinx trans women and transfeminine people. Too, very little attention is given to the murders, assaults and disappearances of Native / Indigenous people -- especially girls, women, and/or Two Spirit people.
We also continue to lose many siblings to suicide -- the attempt rate in our community is over 40%. And there continue to be unreported trans deaths, reported deaths where the victim is not identified as trans, non-fatal assaults and much more. Trans people are not included in even basic civil rights laws in most states, and several states have anti-trans legislation in process -- in addition to the Trump administration’s attempts to undo trans rights progress on a national level.
I say little here or on social media about the details of these murders -- primarily to avoid retraumatizing my trans followers, especially those living at similar intersections as the victims -- but it is vital to say that the great majority are shootings, and that this is yet another reason we desperately need gun control.
May all of my trans sisters, brothers and other siblings’ memories be blessings (as we say in Judaism) -- and call us to act, particularly at trans justice’s intersection with racial, immigration and economic justice! This month and every month, may we schlep towards tikkun olam, world repair, at the intersection of LGBTQ+, climate, racial, immigration, spiritual, fat, disability, and all other stripes of the rainbow of justice! May we never forget that white supremacy has always included cis supremacy, misogyny and transphobia! Amen!
#Pride2019 #PrideMonth2019 #TDOR #TDOR2019 #TransDayOfRemembrance #DanaMartin #JazzalineWare #AshantiCarmon #ClaireLegato #MuhlaysiaBooker #MichelleWashington #ParisCameron #ChynalLindsey #ChanelScurlock #JohanaMedina #BlackLivesMatter #BlackTransLivesMatter #LatinxLivesMatter #LatinxTransLivesMatter #TransLivesMatter
Monday, June 3, 2019
8 trans people murdered in 2019 in US - all Black trans women!
Erev tov, good evening. Today, Monday June 3rd 2019, is the third day of LGBTQ+ Pride Month 2019. And yet there have been at least EIGHT transgender people murdered in this country this year -- FOUR last month in May and one already this month -- and all eight are Black trans women.
Dana Martin, 31, Montgomery, Alabama, January 6th. Jazzaline Ware, age unknown, Memphis, sometime in March. Ashanti Carmon, 27 -- here in Maryland, in Prince George’s County’s Fairmount Heights at the DC border, March 30th. Claire Legato, 21, Cleveland, shot April 15th and died May 14th. Muhlaysia Booker, 23, Dallas, May 18th -- having survived a transphobic attack by a group on April 12th. Michelle ‘Tamika’ Washington, 40, Philadelphia, May 19th. Paris, 20, Detroit, May 25th. Chynal Lindsey, 26, Dallas, this past Saturday June 1st.
Dana Martin, 31, Montgomery, Alabama, January 6th. Jazzaline Ware, age unknown, Memphis, sometime in March. Ashanti Carmon, 27 -- here in Maryland, in Prince George’s County’s Fairmount Heights at the DC border, March 30th. Claire Legato, 21, Cleveland, shot April 15th and died May 14th. Muhlaysia Booker, 23, Dallas, May 18th -- having survived a transphobic attack by a group on April 12th. Michelle ‘Tamika’ Washington, 40, Philadelphia, May 19th. Paris, 20, Detroit, May 25th. Chynal Lindsey, 26, Dallas, this past Saturday June 1st.
The photo collage at the bottom of this post shows Dana, Ashanti, Claire and Muhlaysia, Michelle, Chynal (I made it using Pixlr's Express site).
Johana ‘Joa’ Medina, 25, a Latinx trans woman from El Salvador, also died this past Saturday June 1st, in El Paso, Texas -- just hours after being released from ICE custody; she suffered severe health complications that went untreated during detention. Last year Roxana Hernรกndez died in ICE custody after being abused there. And Nikki Enriquez was one of four women murdered by of an intel supervisor for US Border Patrol.
Last year in 2018, more than 30 trans people were murdered in this country, and well over 300 others were murdered elsewhere in our world -- there have already been a few dozen murders in other countries this year. And the great majority of our stolen siblings here are Black, women, and young -- elsewhere, the majority are Latinx trans women and transfeminine people. Too, very little attention is given to the murders, assaults and disappearances of Native / Indigenous people -- especially girls, women, and/or Two Spirit people.
We also continue to lose many siblings to suicide -- the attempt rate in our community is over 40%. And there continue to be unreported trans deaths, reported deaths where the victim is not identified as trans, non-fatal assaults and much more. Trans people are not covered by even basic civil rights laws in most states, and several states have anti-trans legislation in process -- in addition to the Trump administration’s attempts to undo trans rights progress on a national level.
I say little here or on social media about the details of these murders -- primarily to avoid retraumatizing my trans followers, especially those living at similar intersections as the victims -- but it is necessary to say that the great majority are shootings, and that this is yet another reason we desperately need gun control.
May all of my trans sisters, brothers and other siblings’ memories be blessings (as we say in Judaism) -- and call us to act, particularly at trans justice’s intersection with racial, immigration and economic justice! This month and every month, may we schlep towards tikkun olam, world repair, at the intersection of LGBTQ+, climate, racial, immigration, spiritual, fat, disability, and all other stripes of the rainbow of justice! May we never forget that white supremacy has always included cis supremacy, misogyny and transphobia! Amen!
#Pride2019 #PrideMonth2019 #TDOR #TDOR2019 #TransDayOfRemembrance #DanaMartin #JazzalineWare #AshantiCarmon #ClaireLegato #MuhlaysiaBooker #MichelleWashington #ChynalLindsey #JohanaMedina #BlackLivesMatter #BlackTransLivesMatter #TransLivesMatter
Johana ‘Joa’ Medina, 25, a Latinx trans woman from El Salvador, also died this past Saturday June 1st, in El Paso, Texas -- just hours after being released from ICE custody; she suffered severe health complications that went untreated during detention. Last year Roxana Hernรกndez died in ICE custody after being abused there. And Nikki Enriquez was one of four women murdered by of an intel supervisor for US Border Patrol.
Last year in 2018, more than 30 trans people were murdered in this country, and well over 300 others were murdered elsewhere in our world -- there have already been a few dozen murders in other countries this year. And the great majority of our stolen siblings here are Black, women, and young -- elsewhere, the majority are Latinx trans women and transfeminine people. Too, very little attention is given to the murders, assaults and disappearances of Native / Indigenous people -- especially girls, women, and/or Two Spirit people.
We also continue to lose many siblings to suicide -- the attempt rate in our community is over 40%. And there continue to be unreported trans deaths, reported deaths where the victim is not identified as trans, non-fatal assaults and much more. Trans people are not covered by even basic civil rights laws in most states, and several states have anti-trans legislation in process -- in addition to the Trump administration’s attempts to undo trans rights progress on a national level.
I say little here or on social media about the details of these murders -- primarily to avoid retraumatizing my trans followers, especially those living at similar intersections as the victims -- but it is necessary to say that the great majority are shootings, and that this is yet another reason we desperately need gun control.
May all of my trans sisters, brothers and other siblings’ memories be blessings (as we say in Judaism) -- and call us to act, particularly at trans justice’s intersection with racial, immigration and economic justice! This month and every month, may we schlep towards tikkun olam, world repair, at the intersection of LGBTQ+, climate, racial, immigration, spiritual, fat, disability, and all other stripes of the rainbow of justice! May we never forget that white supremacy has always included cis supremacy, misogyny and transphobia! Amen!
#Pride2019 #PrideMonth2019 #TDOR #TDOR2019 #TransDayOfRemembrance #DanaMartin #JazzalineWare #AshantiCarmon #ClaireLegato #MuhlaysiaBooker #MichelleWashington #ChynalLindsey #JohanaMedina #BlackLivesMatter #BlackTransLivesMatter #TransLivesMatter
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