21+ trans people have been murdered in the US & PR in 2020

Erev tov, good evening. Alas, although there is much good news about my trans siblings’ resilience and resistance, many of their lives are still being stolen. More have been killed at this point in the year than ever before.

At least 21 of them, and I am seeing initial reports of at least a few more. And there have been several assaults, and disappearances. Most of the US victims are Black, most in Puerto Rico and the rest of our world are Latina/x; most everywhere are women and young. And though overall reporting has improved, the reality has been worsening, and in a particular way since 2016.

🕯 Dustin Parker, 25, McAlester, Oklahoma, January 1st.
🕯 Neulisa Alexa Luciano Ruiz, age apparently unknown, Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, February 24th.
🕯 Yampi Méndez Arocho, 19, Moca, Puerto Rico, March 5th.
🕯 Monika Diamond, 34, Charlotte, North Carolina, March 18th.
🕯 Lexi, 33, Harlem, New York, March 28th.
🕯Johanna Metzger, 25, Baltimore, Maryland -- an hour from us here in Gaithersburg, April 11th.
🕯 Serena Angelique Velázquez Ramos, 32, and Layla Pelaez Sánchez, 21, Puerto Rico, April 21st -- Serena and Layla were together at the time.
🕯 Penélope Díaz Ramírez, 31, Puerto Rico, April 13th -- killed in prison.
🕯 Nina Pop, 28, Sikeston, Missouri, May 3rd.
🕯 Helle Jae O’Regan, 20, San Antonio, Texas, May 6th.
🕯 Jayne Thompson, 33, Mesa County, Colorado, May 9th -- killed by police.
🕯 Tony McDade, 38, Tallhassee, Florida, May 27th -- killed by police.
🕯 Selena Reyes-Hernandez, 37, Chicago, Illinois, May 31st.
🕯 Dominique “Rem'mie” Fells, 25, Philadelphia, Pennsyania, June 9.
🕯 Riah Milton, 33, Liberty Township, Ohio, June 9th.
🕯 Brayla Stone, 17, Little Rock, Arkansas, June 25th.
🕯 Merci Mack, 22, Dallas, Texas, June 30th.
🕯 Shaki Peters, 32, Amite City, Louisiana, on July 1st.
🕯 Bree Black, 27, Pompano Beach, Florida, July 3rd.
🕯 Summer Taylor, 24, Seattle, Washington, July 4th -- killed by someone driving into the Black Lives Matter protest they were participating in, which has happened to several dozen BLM protesters this year, though most have survived.

In addition to gun violence and police brutality, trans people are at high risk for CoViD-19, HIV and other STIs, addiction, incarceration, family and partner abuse, mental illness, suicide, healthcare discrimination, poverty, homelessness, and many other things -- how much more so when we are in other oppressed groups. We still lack full legal protection in most states, and several states have anti-trans laws or bills -- and the Trump administration continues to undo trans rights progress nationally.

Too, very little attention is given to the many murders of, assaults on and disappearances of Native / Indigenous people -- especially girls, women, and/or Two Spirit people.

May all of my trans siblings’ memories be blessings -- and call us to act! May make Black trans lives matter more! May we schlep ever closer to tikkun olam, world repair, at the intersection of LGBTQ+, climate, racial, immigration, spiritual, fat, disability, and all other rays of the rainbow of justice! Amen!

(The attached image is a collage I made today -- photos of everyone except Lexi, Penélope and Selena, with my photo of a trans symbol pendant / tealight / river rocks, on a purple background.)

#BlackLivesMatter #BlackTransLivesMatter #LatinxLivesMatter #LatinxTransLivesMatter #NativeLivesMatter #NativeTransLivesMatter #TwoSpiritLivesMatter #TransLivesMatter #TDOR #TDOR2020 #TransDayOfRemembrance ⚧💔🕯

12+ trans people have been murdered in the US/PR in 2020

Boker tov, boker or (good morning, morning light) -- and mourning light.  Today is Friday June 12th of 2020 (20th Sivan 5780) -- the twelfth day of LGBTQ+ Pride Month.  And at least twelve of my trans sisters, brothers and other siblings have been murdered this year here in the mainland US and Puerto Rico, joining dozens in the rest of our world.

And there have been non-fatal attacks, including on Iyanna Dior in Saint Paul, Minnesota on June 1st. Most of the US victims are Black, most of the Puerto Rican and worldwide ones are Latina/x; most everywhere are women and young.  And none of this is new -- though overall reporting has been improving, the reality has also been getting worse, since 2016 and long before.

Yesterday I began to see initial reports of at least two more murders, of Black trans women.  But for now, this is the list:

Dustin Parker, 25, McAlester, Oklahoma, January 1st (New Year’s Day).
Neulisa Luciano Ruiz, Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, February 24th.
Yampi Méndez Arocho, 19, Moca, Puerto Rico, March 5th.
Monika Diamond, 34, Charlotte, North Carolina, March 18th.
Lexi, 33, Harlem, New York, March 28th.
Johanna Metzger, Baltimore, Maryland (an hour from us here in Gaithersburg), April 11th.
Serena Angelique Velázquez Ramos, 32, and Layla Pelaez Sánchez, 21, Puerto Rico, April 21st; Serena and Layla were together at the time.
Penélope Díaz Ramírez, Puerto Rico, April 13th.
Nina Pop, Sikeston, Missouri, May 3rd.
Helle Jae O’Regan, 20, San Antonio, Texas, May 6th.
Tony McDade, Tallhassee, Florida, May 27th*.

Too, very little attention is given to the many murders of, assaults on and disappearances of Native / Indigenous people -- especially girls, women, and/or Two Spirit people.

We also lose many trans siblings to suicide -- the attempt rate in our community is over 40%.  And there are unreported trans deaths, and reported deaths where the victim is not identified as trans. Trans people are not included in even basic civil rights laws in most states, and several states have anti-trans laws or are attempting to pass them -- and the Trump administration continues to undo trans rights progress on a national level.

Trans people are also more likely to die of CoViD-19 -- how much more so when they are in other oppressed groups.

And while I say little here or elsewhere 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, Tony McDade, a Black trans man, was killed by the police, and he is far from the first trans person -- especially Black/of color -- to die that way.

May all of my trans siblings’ memories be blessings -- and call us to act!  May we act to make Black trans and queer lives matter more!  May we schlep ever closer to tikkun olam, world repair, at the intersection of LGBTQ+, climate, racial, immigration, spiritual, fat, disability, and all other rays of the rainbow of justice!  Amen!

(The attached image is a collage I made with Adobe Spark yesterday -- photos of everyone except Lexi and Penélope.)

#BlackLivesMatter #BlackTransLivesMatter #LatinxLivesMatter #LatinxTransLivesMatter #NativeLivesMatter #TwoSpiritLivesMatter #TransLivesMatter #TDOR #TDOR2020 #TransDayOfRemembrance

"OTHERWISE CHRISTIAN 2 : STORIES OF RESISTANCE" INCLUDES A PIECE BY ME!

TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY OF THE MONTH-LONG LAUNCH OF THE BOOK "OTHERWISE CHRISTIAN 2 : STORIES OF RESISTANCE", WHICH INCLUDES MY PIECE "IN THE BEGINNING"!

OC2 is a nonfiction anthology edited by Mx. Chris Paige -- personal reflections by 30 transgender (binary and non), intersex, and Two Spirit authors of many racial and spiritual identities!

You can order OC2 now -- and their siblings OtherWise Christian : A Guidebook For Transgender Liberation, Christian Faith & Gender Identity, and In Remembrance Of Me : Bearing Witness To Transgender Tragedy (with more books in the works)!

Today's blog post 

Main webpage
Table of Contents
Pre-orders for the Kindle e-book (Amazon)
Paperback pre-orders (Square)
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

#OtherWiseChristian #OtherWiseChristian2 #TransAndSacred #NonBinaryAndSacred #IntersexAndSacred #TwoSpiritAndSacred #SacredOtherWise #YouAreLoved #YouAreNotAMistake #ClaimYourStory #ClaimingOurStories

4th annual Theatrical Set Designs & Other Fripperies (Dec. 2019 - Jan. 2020)!

Yesterday was the last day of my friend Sarah B. Guest Perry’s 4th annual Theatrical Set Designs & Other Fripperies! THANK YOU, Fripperies fans, for all of your Likes/Reacts, Comments, Shares, tags, submissions, suggestions, etc.! Your participation makes the show possible, successful and worthwhile, especially as it is free, and it helps support our other work.  Sarah also has a blog, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Patreon and books.  

Fripperies is one of Sarah’s three free annual art shows here on Facebook (and Twitter), and I’m among her art assistants. Every morning for two months (!), she publishes a multi-image post, complete with a creative intro and object label style descriptions. And we can tag you in the comments.

Her 4th annual Dollhouses & Other Miniature Worlds starts April 1st, the 7th annual Eerie Art September 1st, and the 5th annual Fripperies December 1st -- along with my 5th annual Mycroft’s Menorah Mishigas. Thanks again, and we'll see you in the Spring!

#Fripperies2019 #Fripperies2020 #MiniArt2020 #EerieArt2020 🎨🎭🔬🎃🖼

I was featured on Goodwill Of Greater Washington's blog!

I went to Goodwill of Greater Washington’s Finding Your Good Meetup at their recently renovated Rockville store, and was included in their blog post!

“Mycroft, another diehard Goodwill pro, was spotted at the jewelry counter. They are an expert at finding unique pieces that turn heads, as shown on Facebook. Of this haul, we’re in love with this painterly watch!”

This is their photo of my finds.

Another highlight was that one of my fellow thrifters found a pair of 70s/80s women’s multicolored leather sandals, and they had some butterfly stickers on the bottoms that looked like they were from the same time, and intended for children. And that threw me back to a happy memory of my late mother.

In the early 80s, when my little* brother and I were very young children, and my mother would go out for the evening, she would wear a pair of dressy white leather sandals. And to help us be happier with being left at home, she let us put some of our stickers on the heels. I can still picture that -- I think at least one of them was a puffy lenticular sticker, maybe in a sports theme. And of course the 80s were a huge time for stickers, especially for children and youth. (And I know I’m not the only one here who never got over that!) If I ever knew what became of those shoes, I don’t remember it now. Hopefully my mother or another was able to enjoy them for the rest of their lives. Maybe they were thrifted into a good home!

My Goodwill experience made me realize that I’ve always thought this was a fairly common thing, but I’ve rarely talked with anyone about it. What do you think?

(*Now 6’5” to my 5’7”, but I’ll always be three years older!) 

#ThursdayThoughts #ThankfulThursday #ThriftyThursday #ThrowbackThursday #TBT #FolkloreThursday

"Is that the man-lady?"

Dear Diary, and social media --

Today I was in Target, and a young girl kept asking her mother “Is that the man-lady?” -- because “they look like the man-lady”. Nu, I knew I was _a_ man-lady, but _The_ Man-Lady? I must be moving up in the world!

Yours truly, and Trewly

Lord-Lady / Lady-Lord Mycroft Masada Holmes-McCrossin
Of Gaithersburg-Upon-Washington
Lately Of Boston-By-The-Sea

P.s. This is not to say that I don’t also find these experiences challenging -- and many of my fellow trans and gender nonconforming people find them more so (and some find them less). How much more so as they happen every time I leave my house. But, especially as a trans Jew, or Trew, I also need to find the happiness and humor in them.  👸🏳️‍⚧🤴

Black Trans Prayer Book’s 2nd annual Transphobia Is A Sin campaign

TODAY is the Black Trans Prayer Book’s 2nd annual Transphobia Is A Sin campaign, 

and everyone’s invited!  

Take a selfie with a sign, hashtag it, share it!!!  

This is mine from last year, which I think bears repeating. 

#BlackTransPrayerBook #TransphobiaIsASin #TransPeopleAreDivine 

#TransphobiaIsTrayf #TransphobiaIsChayt #TransphobiaIsHaram #TransPeopleExistBecauseOurAncestorsExisted

🖤⚧🛐📖

Transgender Day Of Remembrance (TDOR) 2019 (21st annual)

TODAY, Wednesday November 20th, 2019, is the 21st annual Transgender Day Of Remembrance (TDOR), the center of Trans Week and Trans Month.

In 1998, the murder of Rita Hester, a Black transgender woman, in my hometown of Boston, led to the creation of this Day. The other trans people murdered in my home state of Massachusetts that we know of are Denise Pugliesi, Georgette Hart, Diane Carter, Monique Rogers, Debra Forte (the aunt of a trans colleague), Chanelle Pickett, Monique Thomas, and Lisa Daniels.  I also remember CJ Garber, the trans son of two ally colleagues (one of whom has since 

passed away), who died of an overdose.

When Rita was murdered, I was 22, and living in Boston, as I always had; born there in 1976, I had been out and about for several years as a trans person and advocate at the time she was taken.  In 2014 I moved here to Gaithersburg (Maryland) to begin living with my spouse.

At least two trans people were murdered in this country between last TDOR and the end of 2018 -- Tydi Dansbury and Keanna Mattel. In 2019, at least 22 have been murdered here -- and all but one are Black, all but two are women, and most are young. Hundreds more have been murdered in the rest of our world, and most of them are Latina and Latinx.

• Dana Martin, 31, Montgomery, Alabama, January 6th.
• Jazzaline Ware, age unknown, Memphis, sometime in March.
• Ashanti Carmon, 27 -- like Zoe, who she knew, right 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.
• *Zoe Spears, 23 -- like Ashanti, who she knew, right here in Maryland, also in Prince George’s County’s Fairmount Heights at the DC border, June 13th.
• Brooklyn Lindsey, 32, Kansas City, Missouri, June 25th.
• Denali Berries Stuckey, 29, North Charleston, South Carolina, July 20th.
• Tracy Single, 22, Houston, July 30th.
• Bubba Walker, 55, Charlotte, North Carolina, end of July.
• Kiki Fantroy, 21, Miami, July 31st.
• Jordan Cofer, 22, Dayton, August 4th -- by his own brother, along with eight other people and almost many more.
• Pebbles LaDime “Dime” Doe, 24, Allendale County, South Carolina, also on August 4th.
• Bailey Reeves, 17, Baltimore -- only an hour from us here in Gaithersburg.
• Bee Love Slater, 23, Clewiston, Florida, September 4th.
• Jamagio Jamar Berryman, 30, also Kansas City, September 13th.
• Itali Marlowe, 29, Houston, September 20th.
• Brianna “BB” Hill, 30, also Kansas City, October 14th.

**Johana ‘Joa’ Medina, 25, a Latina trans woman from El Salvador, also died on June 1st, in El Paso, Texas -- just hours after being released from ICE custody.  Layleen Polanco, 27, an Afro-Latina trans woman, was found dead in her cell at Rikers (Island Jail, New York City) on June 7th.

Too, very little attention is given to the murders, assaults and disappearances of Native / Indigenous people -- especially girls, women, and/or Two Spirit people. November is Trans Month and also Native Month -- and next Thursday, “Thanksgiving” Day, is the 50th annual Day Of Mourning.

We also lose many siblings to suicide -- the attempt rate in our community is over 40%. And there are 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 laws or are attempting to pass them -- and the Trump administration is attempting to undo trans rights progress on a national level.

And while I say little here or elsewhere 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.

May all of my trans sisters, brothers and other siblings’ memories be blessings (as we say in Judaism) -- and call us to act! Today and every day, may we schlep ever closer to 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 and male supremacy! Amen!

(The image is a collage I made today with Pixlr Express -- photos of everyone except Jazzaline, with four copies of a photo I took (a trans-symbol pendant with a tealight and stones).)

#TDOR #TDOR2019 #TransDayOfRemembrance #BlackLivesMatter #BlackTransLivesMatter #LatinxLivesMatter #LatinxTransLivesMatter #NativeLivesMatter #TwoSpiritLivesMatter #TransLivesMatter 

Gmar chatima tova (may we be inscribed for good)!!!

Gmar chatima tova -- may we be inscribed for good! Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement (At-One-ment), the Shabbat of Shabbats, begins at sunset, with Kol Nidre, All Vows...and ends tomorrow at sunset with a festive break-fast meal. And my tradition teaches that our fates for the next year are written on Rosh Hashanah and sealed on Yom Kippur, in the Book of Life.

I took these four photos last month at sunset, as I sat on a bench outside the Gaithersburg Aquatic Center (also known as the Middle School, which my Julia and her mother attended) after my swim, waiting for my Bashert Julia. She loves to help me by picking me up on her way home from work -- I enjoy walking home, and the weather is usually good enough for me to do that, but I’m also usually quite tired and hungry at that point, and her schlepping gives us some rare time alone together, and enables us to come home together.

These clouds make me think of the Gates of Heaven, and how they are especially open to us during these High Holy Days. And how ever since I was a child, I’ve looked at heavenly clouds and felt especially close to my loved ones in the next life. And how we are drawing near to Samhain, when my Julia’s Celtic tradition teaches that the border between our world and the next is most easily crossed.

May we have meaningful fasts, and feasts -- however we define those things! And may we be mindful of those who are not fasting, and those who are harmed by shaming, shameful words around fasting and feasting -- especially fat people and those with eating disorders. May we encounter, experience and expand teshuvah, tefillah and tzedakah -- re/turning, prayer and justice! Amen!

#YomKippur #YomKippur5780 #YomKippur2019 #ErevYomKippur #KolNidre #GmarChatimaTova

SHANA TOVA (GOOD YEAR)!!

SHANA TOVA!! Good Year!! Today is Rosh Hashanah, Jewish New Year’s Day -- last night at sunset we entered Erev Rosh Hashanah, New Year’s Eve, transitioning (ha) from 5779 to 5780.

Today is also my second first wedding anniversary with my Bashert Julia -- we married last year on September 10th, which was then Rosh Hashanah (because the next day was the ninth anniversary of our first in-person meeting); the two calendars rarely align, so we will almost always have two wedding anniversaries every year (and two of most everything else).

Nu, here is a gift my Julia gave me during the first September of our partnership, ten years ago. We first met in an online fat community in July of 2009 -- she had always lived in Maryland or DC and I had always lived in Boston, and that September she visited me for the first time. I took her to my hometown of Brookline (Massachusetts), and she bought me this pendant at Israel Book Shop. It combines two of my most favorite Jewish symbols, the Magen David and the pomegranate (and the latter is a significant symbol of Rosh Hashanah and the rest of the High Holy Days).  It’s pewter with enamel, 2 1/4" including the first bail (I added the second), and was originally part of a keychain. And it has a bit of Hebrew on the back -- transliteration: l'mazal bri-ot l'hatzlachah, translation (loosely): luck for health and success.

May this year be your sweetest, fruitiest, best beJeweled yet! This year and every year, may we schlep ever closer to tikkun olam, world repair, at the intersection of LGBTQI+, climate, immigration, racial, spiritual, fat, disability, and all other shades of the spectrum of justice! Amen!

#ShanaTova #RoshHashanah #RoshHashanah2019 #RoshHashanah5780 #MagenDavid #pomegranate #rimon #Jewelry ✡️🍏🍯🍎🔯

Best Wishes for Bi Day 20BiTeen!

         Best wishes for a graight Bi Day 20BiTeen from my bi+ self and spouse! ❤️💜💙

(A meme of the bi flag with the text “Bisexuals are great. They aren’t gay. They aren’t straight. They’re graight.”)

#BiDay #BiVisibilityDay #CelebrateBisexualityDay #BiWeek #BiMonth #20BiTeen #BiDay2019 #BisexualsAreGreat #BisexualsAreGraight #MondayMorning #MondayMotivation #MondayMood

Merry Bi Day 20BiTeen from Maryland! Did you know that Route One Apparel has bi flag stickers and magnets?! They also have trans and rainbow flag ones, and we have both on our car.

#BiDay #BiVisibilityDay #CelebrateBisexualityDay #BiWeek #BiMonth #20BiTeen #BiDay2019 #RouteOneApparel #biflagcrabcrab #bicrab #Marylandcrab #bluecrabs #crabs ❤️💜💙🦀

17 trans people murdered in 2019 in US - 16 Black trans women!

Erev tov, good evening. This erev, this evening, is the first havdalah of September 2019, Elul and Tishrei, when we transition from Shabbat to a new week. Near the end of this month, we will transition to a new season, with the Fall Equinox. At the end of this month, we will transition to a new year, from 5779 to 5780, with Rosh Hashanah.

And yet my trans sisters, brothers and other siblings continue to be taken from this life. Here in the US at least 17 have been stolen -- and all but one are Black trans women -- and they join dozens more in the rest of our world. This past Monday September 2nd, Labor Day, Bailey Reeves, 17, a Black trans teen, was shot to death in Baltimore -- only an hour from us here in Gaithersburg.

Our 16 other stolen siblings are Dana Martin, 31, Montgomery, Alabama, January 6th.
Jazzaline Ware, age unknown, Memphis, sometime in March.
Ashanti Carmon, 27 -- like Zoe, who she knew, right 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.
*Zoe Spears, 23 -- like Ashanti, who she knew, right here in Maryland, in Prince George’s County’s Fairmount Heights at the DC border, June 13th.
Brooklyn Lindsey, 32, Kansas City, Missouri, June 25th.
Denali Berries Stuckey, 29, North Charleston, South Carolina, July 20th.
Tracy Single, 22, Houston, July 30th.
Kiki Fantroy, 21, Miami, July 31st.
Jordan Cofer, 22, Dayton, August 4th -- by his own brother, along with eight other people and almost many more.
Pebbles LaDime “Dime” Doe, 24, Allendale County, South Carolina, also on August 4th.

**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, 27, an Afro-Latinx trans woman, was found dead in her cell at Rikers (Island Jail, New York City) on June 7th.

Again, the great majority of our stolen siblings here are Black, women, and young -- elsewhere, they 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 lose many siblings to suicide -- the attempt rate in our community is over 40%. And there are 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 laws or are attempting to pass them -- and Trump administration is attempting to undo trans rights progress on a national level.

And while I say little here or elsewhere 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.

May all of my trans siblings’ memories be blessings (as we say in Judaism) -- and call us to act! Today and every day, may we schlep ever closer to 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!

#TDOR #TDOR2019 #TransDayOfRemembrance #BlackLivesMatter #BlackTransLivesMatter #LatinxLivesMatter #LatinxTransLivesMatter #NativeLivesMatter #TwoSpiritLivesMatter #TransLivesMatter 

DMV Fat Friendly Community @ G-Burg's Water Park

TODAY my Julia and I hosted the DMV Fat-Friendly Community’s second annual field trip to Gaithersburg's Water Park -- and it was a second success (if I do say so myself)!

Thanks, everyone!!

Pictured, the view from Camp DMV FFC at the end of our day, and my lunch.


#DMVFatFriendlyCommunity #DMVFFC #fatfriendly #fatcommunity #fatjustice #fatliberation #fatlib #fatpower #fatacceptance #fatactivism #GBurgMD #Gaithersburg #Gaithersburgers #IAmGaithersburg #GaithersburgWaterPark #GBurgWaterPark #WaterPark #BohrerPark #GaithersburgAquatics #GBurgParksAndRec #TuesdayThoughts #TummyTuesday #TransformationTuesday #TipTuesday #fieldtrip #daytrip #September1st  

🌳💑🏝

6th Annual Eerie Art Starts TODAY!

TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY OF MY FRIEND Sarah B Guest Perry’s 6TH ANNUAL EERIE ART! 

One of Sarah’s three free annual art shows on Facebook (and to some extent on Twitter) -- she art directs, and I and a few others art assist! Today through Halloween, daily multi-image posts complete with intros and descriptions! Let us know if you want to be tagged in the posts’ comments -- so you don’t miss a trick, or treat.

Sarah's 4th annual Theatrical Set Designs & Other Fripperies starts in December -- as does my own show, the 4th annual Mycroft’s Menorah Mishigas -- and her 4th annual Dollhouses & Other Miniature Worlds will be next Spring.

#EerieArt #HalloweenArt #September1st #ShakespeareSunday #SundayMorning #SundayThoughts #SundayMotivation 

🎨🎃🖼

Shabbat Shalom

Shabbat shalom.

For this Erev Shabbat, something unusual and unpleasant, yet also important. My photo of a display at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, taken during my Julia’s and my first visit (as the centerpiece of our first visit to Saint Michaels) on Monday August 5th. A black and white photo of a woman posing in front of a big “GENTILES ONLY” sign somewhere on the Chesapeake Bay (photo courtesy of the Maryland State Archives). And a police badge from Anne Arundel County’s Beverly Beach. Both from circa 1950. The Museum has also added a little sign asking “As the Chesapeake Bay became a tourist destination, was it the buyer or the seller that first suggested segregation?” 

We have rarely seen anything about anti-Semitism included in our travels together, so this was...bittersweet? I included this photo in the album of our visit I published on Facebook this morning. And it’s especially interesting as we welcomed this Shabbat at the Gaithersburg Water Park (which was the subject of my next Facebook post).

This day and every day, may we discover, create and share more shalom -- rest, cessation, peace, harmony, wholeness, completeness, prosperity, welfare, tranquility -- schlepping ever closer to tikkun olam, world repair, at the intersection of LGBTQI+, climate, immigration, racial, spiritual, fat, disability, and all other shades of the spectrum of justice. Amen!

#ShabbatShalom #ErevShabbat #Shabbat #ShabbatThoughts

Happy 20th Birth Day, Transgender Flag!

Happy 20th Birth Day to the Transgender Flag, and happy Trans Flag Day to everyone else! The trans flag was created on August 19th of 1999 by Monica Helms (todah rabah, many thanks). And five years ago today, August 19th of 2014, it was donated to the National Museum of American History (part of the Smithsonian).

I'm doing at least seven trans-flag-themed posts on Facebook today (!). Including a reminder / FYI that the planet Jupiter is trans (according to NASA and the United States Postal Service), the trans-flag-themed stained glass panel I made at VisArts in February (and the ocean-inspired one my spouse Julia made), and our new trans flag crab magnet from Route One Apparel (because we're meshuggah Marylanders, though I lived in Boston until 2014). 

And yet no observance can be complete without our stolen sisters and other siblings -- at least 16 trans people have been murdered in 2019 in the US (joining hundreds more elsewhere), and 15 are Black trans women. Dana Martin, Jazzaline Ware, Ashanti Carmon, Claire Legato, Muhlaysia Booker, Michelle ‘Tamika’ Washington, Paris Cameron (along with Alunte Davis and Timothy Blancher, Black gay men), Chynal Lindsey, Chanel Scurlock, Zoe Spears, Brooklyn Lindsey, Denali Berries Stuckey, Tracy Single, Kiki Fantroy, Jordan Cofer, Pebbles LaDime 'Dime' Doe. We have also lost siblings to ICE, prison, suicide, and other plagues. May their memories be blessings -- and call us to act! Amen!

#TransFlagDay #TransFlagDay2019 #transgenderflag #transflag #MonicaHelms #MondayMorning #MondayMood #MondayMotivation 

15 trans people murdered in 2019 in US - 14 Black trans women!

Erev tov, good evening, on this second Sunday of August 2019, as Tisha B’Av is ending and Eid Al-Adha beginning.

My mourning, prayer and work includes two more of my trans siblings murdered here in the US since my last post of this kind -- and there have been dozens more in the rest of our world. The total in this country in 2019 is now at least fifteen -- and all but one are Black trans women. Jordan Cofer, 22, was among the nine victims killed in the mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio, last Sunday August 4th -- and was the brother of the shooter. Pebbles LaDime “Dime” Doe, 24, was killed in Allendale County, South Carolina, that same day.

The other stolen sisters are Dana Martin, 31, Montgomery, Alabama, January 6th.
Jazzaline Ware, age unknown, Memphis, sometime in March.
Ashanti Carmon, 27 -- like Zoe, who she knew, right 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.
*Zoe Spears, 23 -- like Ashanti, who she knew, right here in Maryland, in Prince George’s County’s Fairmount Heights at the DC border, June 13th.
Brooklyn Lindsey, 32, Kansas City, Missouri, June 25th.
Denali Berries Stuckey, 29, North Charleston, South Carolina, July 20th.
Kiki Fantroy, 21, Miami, July 31st.

**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, 27, an Afro-Latinx trans woman, was found dead in her cell at Rikers (Island Jail, New York City) on June 7th.

Again, the great majority of our stolen siblings here are Black, women, and young -- elsewhere, they 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 lose many siblings to suicide -- the attempt rate in our community is over 40%. And there are 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 laws or are attempting to pass them -- and Trump administration is attempting to undo trans rights progress on a national level.

And while I say little here or elsewhere 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.

May all of my trans sisters, brothers and other siblings’ memories be blessings (as we say in Judaism) -- and call us to act! Today and every day, may we schlep closer to 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!

#TishaBAv #TishaBAv2019 #TishaBAv5779 #TDOR #TDOR2019 #TransDayOfRemembrance #BlackLivesMatter #BlackTransLivesMatter #LatinxLivesMatter #LatinxTransLivesMatter #NativeLivesMatter #TwoSpiritLivesMatter #TransLivesMatter

12 trans people murdered in 2019 in US - all Black trans women!

Laila tov, good evening.

Two more of my trans siblings have been murdered here in the US this year (and dozens more in the rest of our world), bringing the total to twelve -- and all twelve are Black trans women. Brooklyn Lindsey, 32, Kansas City, Missouri, June 25th; Denali Berries Stuckey, 29, North Charleston, South Carolina, this past Saturday July 20th.

The other ten stolen sisters are Dana Martin, 31, Montgomery, Alabama, January 6th.
Jazzaline Ware, age unknown, Memphis, sometime in March.
Ashanti Carmon, 27 -- like Zoe, who she knew, right 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.
*Zoe Spears, 23 -- like Ashanti, who she knew, right here in Maryland, in Prince George’s County’s Fairmount Heights at the DC border, June 13th.

**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, 27, an Afro-Latinx trans woman, was found dead in her cell at Rikers (Island Jail, New York City) on June 7th.

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 the great majority of our stolen siblings here are Black, women, and young -- elsewhere, 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 little here or elsewhere 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.

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!

#TDOR #TDOR2019 #TransDayOfRemembrance #BlackLivesMatter#BlackTransLivesMatter #LatinxLivesMatter #LatinxTransLivesMatter#NativeLivesMatter #TwoSpiritLivesMatter #TransLivesMatter 

MY 10TH ANNIVERSARY WITH MY SPOUSE!

TEN YEARS AGO TODAY, on July 5th of 2009, I met my Julia! In an online fat community. I had always lived in the Boston area, she had always lived in Maryland or DC. A direct message led to e-mails, Facebook, phone calls, postal mail and more. That September, we met in person for the first time, when she came to visit me in Boston. In August 2012, we adopted our dogter Ursula. We remained long-distance for our first four and a half years (!). In January 2014, I moved here to her hometown of Gaithersburg so that we could begin living together. Last September, we married.

Julia has been and is the most wonderful person and partner, and I am oh so amazed, happy, grateful and proud that she is, and is mine! Her beauty, handsomeness and style are wondrous as well. (Our Ursula has turned out to be all-too-aptly named after the Sea Witch from the Little Mermaid, but thus she has her own Facebook Group, so we’ll continue that discussion there.)

This family portrait was taken in April, by Bill MacFarland at Paws In The Park (see also) -- an annual MoCo Humane Society and City Of Gaithersburg event that benefits the Society, from whom we adopted Ursula.

Todah rabah, many thanks, for your decade of support, MyJul / JulCroft family, friends and fans!

AFSCME Pride 2019 (the union my spouse works for)

I’m so proud of my spouse Julia, who works at AFSCME and was on their Pride Month committee for the first time this year, working very hard to help organize the in-house Pride programming (which I was privileged to attend)! AFSCME President Lee Saunders spoke, and Julia wrote and delivered remarks to introduce him. There was a showing of “Stonewall Uprising” (a 2011 episode of PBS’ American Experience), a Pride-themed cake and stickers, lots of other fun food (including ice cream and candy, and much of it was rainbow-y), an LGBTQ history handout, and more.

#AFSCME #AFSCMEPride #AFSCMEProud #UnionPride #Union #1U #1UPride #PrideMonth #PrideMonth2019 #Pride #Pride2019 #WeMakeAmericaHappen #WeMakeEqualityHappen #StonewallUprising #Stonewall50 #kvelling 🌠🏳️‍🌈✊