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. 

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 Hernández 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  

5 trans people murdered in 2019 in US - all Black women

Last Friday May 17th was the 15th annual Day Against LGBTQ+-phobia and the House passed the Equality Act, and this past weekend was Capital Trans Pride. And yet today I am learning that this month has included the third, fourth and fifth murders of transgender people in this country in 2019. And all five are Black trans women.

Dana Martin, 31, Montgomery, Alabama, January 6th. 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 last Tuesday May 14th. Muhlaysia Booker, 23, Dallas, this past Saturday May 18th -- having survived an attack by a group of people on April 12th, also in Dallas. And Michelle Tameka Washington, 40, in Philadelphia yesterday. May their memories be blessings, as we say in Judaism, and ones that call us to act!

Last November 20th was the 20th annual Transgender Day Of Remembrance (TDOR), when we remembered almost 30 trans people murdered in this country in the past year, and more than 360 more murdered elsewhere in our world. And the great majority of our stolen siblings here are Black, women, and young (and there have been multiple murders in several locations); elsewhere, the majority are Latinx trans women and transfeminine people. Too, very little attention is given to the murders of and assaults on Native / Indigenous people who are Two Spirit.

Last year included a murder in my home state of Massachusetts -- Christa Steele Knudslien in North Adams; she was a trans advocacy colleague, and we were Friends here. And a murder here in Maryland -- Tydi Dansbury, in Baltimore, an hour from me here in Gaithersburg. Roxana Hernández died in ICE custody after being abused there, and Nikki Enriquez was one of four women victims of an intel supervisor for US Border Patrol.

I also remember Nicole Hall, a Black trans woman found dead in Dallas last May. And my siblings lost to suicide, as the attempt rate in our community is over 40%. And every year there are unreported deaths, and reported ones where the victim is not identified as trans.

May all of my trans sisters, brothers and other siblings’ memories be a blessing -- and one that calls us to act, particularly at trans justice’s intersection with racial, immigration and economic justice! May we continue schlepping 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 #DanaMartin#AshantiCarmon #ClaireLegato #MuhlaysiaBooker#MichelleTamekaWashington #BlackLivesMatter #BlackTransLivesMatter#TransLivesMatter 🏳️‍⚧🕯💔

At least two trans people have been murdered in 2019 in the US

Yesterday was the 11th annual Transgender Day Of Visibility (TDOV), and a week ago was the 385th Maryland Day. And yet this past Saturday March 30th included the second murder of a trans person in this country in 2019. Ashanti Carmon, a 20-something Black trans woman, was murdered here in Maryland, in Prince George’s County’s Fairmount Heights at the DC border. On Sunday January 6th (Epiphany / Three Kings Day), Dana Martin, 31, also a Black trans woman, was murdered in Montgomery, Alabama. May their memories be blessings, as we say in Judaism, and ones that call us to act!

Last November 20th was the 20th annual Transgender Day Of Remembrance (TDOR), when we remembered almost 30 trans people murdered in this country in the past year, and more than 360 more murdered elsewhere in our world. And the great majority of our stolen siblings are Black, women, and young (and there have been multiple murders in several locations); elsewhere, the majority are Latinx trans women and transfeminine people. Too, very little attention is given to the murders of and assaults on Native people who are Two Spirit.

Last year included a murder in my home state of Massachusetts -- Christa Steele Knudslien in North Adams; she was a trans advocacy colleague, and we were Friends here. And one here in Maryland -- Tydi Dansbury, in Baltimore, an hour from me here in Gaithersburg. Roxana Hernández died in ICE custody after being abused there, and Nikki Enriquez was one of four women victims of an intel supervisor for US Border Patrol.

I also remember Nicole Hall, a Black trans woman found dead in Dallas last May. And my siblings lost to suicide, as the attempt rate in our community is over 40%. And every year there are unreported deaths, and reported ones where the victim is not identified as trans.

May all of my trans sisters, brothers and other siblings’ memories be a blessing -- and one that calls us to act, particularly at trans justice’s intersection with racial, immigration and economic justice. May we continue schlepping 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!

And as always, there is much more information at Monica Roberts' TransGriot -- https://transgriot.blogspot.com/2019/03/number-2-rest-in-power-and-peace-ashanti.html.

#TransDayOfVisibility #TDOV #TDOV2019 #TDOR #TDOR2019#TransDayOfRemembrance 🏳️‍⚧

MedStar Georgetown University Hospital’s “Primary Care for Gender Minorities” lecture & panel

Nu, the Transgender Day Of Visibility is this Sunday (March 31st, the 11th annual), but I'll be on vacation, so I started my observance today, by being on a panel about trans healthcare with Lee Blinder and Lily Amara Pastor of Trans Healthcare Maryland, and the mother of a trans teen. I was on this panel in 2017, in a different part of this medical system, with mostly different fellow panelists.  Below is the flyer -- MedStar Georgetown University Hospital’s Medical Grand Rounds lecture and panel on “Primary Care for Gender Minorities” presented by Dr. Leon L. Lai (see also here). 🏳️‍⚧🏥     

#transhealth #transhealthcare #TransHealthcareMD 

#TransDayOfVisibility #TDOV #TDOV2019

The United Methodist Church and their "Traditional Plan"

Nu, I had mentioned the United Methodist Church’s latest LGBTQ+ news in my calendar posts on Facebook, and I wanted to say more about it.

As many of you know, on the last day of the UMC’s Special Session of their international General Conference, last Tuesday (March 26th), the delegates passed the Traditional Plan 438 to 384, or 53.28% to 46.72%. And that Plan not only continues but in some ways intensifies the Church’s ban on hosting or officiating at same-sex marriages, and on LGBTQ people remaining or becoming clergy. The One Church Plan would have at least let each congregation decide how to handle these issues. Some parts of the Traditional Plan were ruled unconstitutional, and the Plan will be discussed by the Judicial Council at their meeting next month (April). Whatever becomes law will go into effect next January 1st (2020) in the US, and next May in the rest of the world (after GC 2020). Some UM churches are already resisting and planning to.

As fewer of you know, my spouse Julia was raised in the United Methodist Church, here in her hometown and our current home of Gaithersburg, Maryland -- a city with a very long and rich Methodist history, including churches founded by formerly enslaved Black people (indeed, her first  church was in the town of Washington Grove, which started life as a summer retreat for Methodists in Washington, DC).  She left the Church as a teenager, to explore other faiths / religions / spiritualities, and came to identify as an agnostic; since we met a decade ago, she has found meaning in my traditions, Judaism and the Episcopal Church.

I lived in the Boston (Massachusetts) area until moving here in 2014 -- for most of my life there I had little awareness of the UMC there or elsewhere, though it is one of the largest religions in my home state (not that much smaller than my own, though all are much smaller than the Roman Catholic Church). Though there were moments -- including hearing that a young trans colleague had found a spiritual home in a local UM church.

However, in 2007, I became one of the founders of the Interfaith Coalition for Transgender Equality (ICTE) -- Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition's (MTPC) project which led the faith campaign for MA’s first trans rights law and part of the second. One of my fellow ICTE founders was a trans Methodist leader, and brought an allied Methodist colleague aboard, and they brought others, and many Methodist churches worked on ICTE’s campaign -- though most could not publicly acknowledge their work.

Julia and I have visited a few of our local UMC communities, including the ones that hold some of her family’s history, and we would like to visit more, but the LGBTQ issue is our primary barrier. The UMC’s painful process, including this week’s news, has been much less hurtful to us than many other people inside and outside of the UMC, but it has been hurtful.

I also want to second a few of the less common emotions I’ve seen, on social media and elsewhere.
It’s not okay to say “LGBTQ(I)(+)” (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex…) and then only talk about cis (non-trans) gay men and possibly lesbians.
"LGBTQ" =/= "gay".  Sex =/= gender =/= sexuality.
If you say “brothers and sisters” instead of “sisters, brothers and other siblings” or just “siblings”, you are not including non-binary people such as myself (and, family language doesn’t work for everyone).
Not all LGBTQ people (or allies) are able or willing to leave the United Methodist Church, for a variety of reasons. (Yes, for many it is an abusive relationship -- and those are extremely hard to leave, whether they’re with groups, individuals, or other things; I’m an abuse survivor myself.)
The rest of the Church also has a lot of LGBTQ+ work to do -- including the Episcopal Church. So does the Jewish community. So does the rest of the faith / religion / spirituality community. (Yes, even the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC), and Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA).)
The UMC also continues to struggle with white supremacy and all its components, and with intersectionality -- and so does the rest of the Church and the faith / religion / spirituality community (as always, I’m thinking especially of ableism and fatphobia).
LGBTQ-phobia in communities and countries of color is largely the result of Church and secular colonization (which have rarely if ever been separate), in this country and many others.

And I want to pray for and with my LGBTQI+ sisters, brothers, sothers, bristers, and other siblings in the United Methodist Church.
May you know that these Plans are not God’s, and that you are, always have been, and always will be part of Their Plan.
May you find healing, hope, and a home, in the UMC and/or elsewhere.
May the UMC find a true Way forward, with and/or without you.
Amen.

#UnitedMethodistChurch #GC2019 #UMC #UMCGC

✝️🔥💔

Massachusetts' An Act Making Discrimination On The Basis Of Height And Weight Unlawful - today’s update!!

This is my home state, where I lived until 2014; if you didn’t get this e-mail today, e-mail Caroline.Sherrard@MASenate.gov.

"Height and Weight Anti-Discrimination Update

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to let you all know that the bill has been filed in both the House and Senate as SD. 1581/HD. 1683 An Act making discrimination on the basis of height and weight unlawful. I’ve attached the text of both bills, which is slightly modified from last session to address the concerns of an amusement park industry group that has brought up concerns in the past. There is now specific allowance for restrictions on height and weight due to federal, state, or industry safety standards.

The next immediate action will be to gather cosponsors on this legislation. If you live in Massachusetts, sending an email or calling your state Senator and state Representative asking them to sign on to SD. 1581/HD. 1683 An Act making discrimination on the basis of height and weight unlawful as a cosponsor would be very welcome. This is most effective when the action comes directly from constituents of that legislator, so I ask that you only email legislators who represent you (or, if relevant, ask members of your organization only to contact their own State Senator or State Representative).

You can find out who your elected officials are and their contact information at: WhereDoIVoteMA.com.

Once the clerk has finished processing all of the legislation that was just filed, both bills will be assigned a new number and sent to a committee (the current number is the docket number). We expect this bill to be sent to the Judiciary Committee, where it has gone in recent years. The Judiciary Committee will then sent out a notice for a hearing. We will update the group when a hearing has been scheduled. At that point, we would love if anyone who is available to come testify in person do so and will also be asking interested parties to submit written testimony.

In addition, we heard from a State Rep in Kentucky that she is interested in filing similar legislation in her state. If you/your organization is able to work nationally or has connections with Kentucky, please email Josie.Raymond@gmail.com.

Thank you all so much for your efforts! Please let me know if you have any additional questions.

Best,
Caroline

Caroline Sherrard, Chief of Staff
Office of Senator Becca Rausch
Massachusetts Senate
Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex District
State House Room 419
617-722-1555 (internal ext. 1556)
Pronouns: she/her/hers"

Tu BiShvat & Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Shana Tova, Good Year. Yom Huledet Sameach, Happy Birth Day. It is Erev Tu BiShvat and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Night, and last night there was a Super Blood Wolf Moon, a total eclipse of the Moon but not the heart. Ḥamisha Asar BiShvat, Fifteenth Of Shvat; Rosh HaShanah La’Ilanot, the New Year of the Trees; the Birth Day of the Trees. Last April it was 50 years since Rev. Dr. King was assassinated, and this month he would have been 90; next month is Black History Month. May his memory be a blessing, and blessed be the True Judge, as we say in Judaism.

Nu, the Birth Day of the Trees is not to be confused with the birthday of the Trews – the trans Jews. We were born on the Sixth Day along with everyone else – including people of all body sizes and shapes, dis/abilities, sexes / genders / sexualities, races, spiritualities and so on. And yet even when everyone is included in the Beloved Community, the human community remains but a small branch of the Tree of Life, on this our Earth and probably in the rest of our Universe as well. Yet although there are still many more trees than people, there are less trees today than at any time since humans began to exist, and we take the lives of billions of trees every day.

Tonight, tomorrow, and every day and night, may we center climate justice and racial justice as we schlep towards tikkun olam, world repair, at the intersections with LGBTQI+, immigration, spiritual, fat, disability, and all other stripes of the rainbow of justice. Amen!

#TuBiShvat #TuBiShvat5779 #MLK #MLKDay #MLK2019 #MLK90

🌲🌳🌴🌵🎄

Massachusetts height & weight anti-discrimination bill refiled TODAY!

TODAY (the refiling deadline for all bills), the latest version of my home state of Massachusetts’ height and weight anti-discrimination bill was refiled! An Act Making Discrimination On The Basis Of Height And Weight Unlawful, SD 1581. If you didn’t get the following e-mail on Monday January 7th, e-mail Caroline.Sherrard@MASenate.gov.

"Height and Weight Anti-Discrimination Legislation

Hello all,

If you’re receiving this email you previously reached out to Rep. Byron Rushing’s office in support of height and weight anti-discrimination legislation in Massachusetts. If you would like to no longer receive emails on this topic, please let me know.

As many of you know, Rep. Rushing is no longer in the legislature. I’d like to introduce you all to Senator Becca Rausch who will be filing this legislation in the Senate and Representative Tram Nguyen who will be filing this legislation in the House. I used to work for Rep. Rushing and now work for Senator Rausch, so there is some nice continuity! Tobin Abraham, also cc’ed, is Rep. Nguyen’s staff person.

We need to refile this legislation by 1/18. If you have any comments on the language from last session (attached), please let me know as soon as possible. I’ll be in touch soon if our office or Rep. Nguyen’s office has suggested changes.

We’d like to have an advocacy strategy conference call after bill filing, sometime in late January or February.

Thank you so much for your interest and advocacy.

Best,
Caroline

Caroline Sherrard, Chief of Staff
Office of Senator Becca Rausch
Massachusetts Senate
Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex District
State House Room 419
617-722-1555 (internal ext. 1556)
Pronouns: she/her/hers"

Partner with the Black Trans Prayer Book to say Transphobia Is A Sin!

The Black Trans Prayer Book’s Transphobia Is A Sin campaign is launching TODAY, and EVERYONE’s encouraged to participate (it’s okay if you’re not Black and/or trans -- nobody’s perfect)! 

Make a sign, take a selfie, share it!!! 

Here is mine. 

#BlackTransPrayerBook 

#TransphobiaIsASin 

#TransPeopleAreDivine 

#TransphobiaIsTrayf 

#TransphobiaIsChayt

🖤🚻🛐📖 

It's only January, and yet at least one trans person has been murdered in 2019

Alas, my first post this morning must be about mourning. January isn’t even over yet, and there has already been at least one trans person murdered in 2019. And sadly it isn’t at all surprising that she is a woman, Black, or young. This past Sunday January 6th (Epiphany / Three Kings Day), Dana Martin, 31, a Black trans woman, was found murdered in Montgomery, Alabama.

Last November 20th was the 20th annual Transgender Day Of Remembrance (TDOR), when we remembered the at least 25 trans people murdered in this country since TDOR 2017, and the hundreds more murdered elsewhere in our world. And between that day and the end of the year, at least two more of my trans siblings were taken by murder here in the US, and we became more aware of an October murder. And the great majority of those stolen continue to be Black, women, and young.

Between TDOR 2017 and the end of 2017, three trans women were murdered -- Brooklyn BreYanna Stevenson (Oklahoma City), Brandi Seals (Houston), and Rhiannon Layendecker (Englewood, Florida). In 2018, they were joined by Christa Steele Knudslien (North Adams, Massachusetts -- we were colleagues there in my home state and Friends here), Viccky Gutierrez (Los Angeles), Celine Walker (Jacksonville), Tonya Harvey (Buffalo), Zakaria Fry (Albuquerque), Phylicia Mitchell (Cleveland), Amia Tyrae Berryman (Baton Rouge), Sasha Wall (Chesterfield County, South Carolina), Karla Patricia Flores-Pavón (Dallas), Nino Fortson (Atlanta), Gigi Pierce (Portland, Oregon), Roxana Hernandez (Albuquerque), Antasha English (Jacksonville), Diamond Stephens (Meridian, Mississippi), Cathalina Christina James (Jacksonville), Keisha Wells (Cleveland), Sasha Garden (Orlando), Vontashia Bell (Shreveport, Louisiana), Dejanay Stanton (Chicago), Shantee Tucker (Philadelphia), Londonn Moore (North Port, Florida), Nikki Enriquez (Laredo, Texas), Ciara Minaj Carter Frazier (Chicago), Regina Denise Brown (Orangeburg, South Carolina), Tydi Dansbury (Baltimore, an hour from me here in Gaithersburg), and Keanna Mattel (Detroit).

I note that there have been multiple murders in some places, that Roxana died in ICE custody with significant evidence showing she was abused there, and that Nikki was one of four women victims of an intel supervisor for US Border Patrol. And that more than 360 trans people have been murdered elsewhere in our world in the past year, and the great majority are Latinx -- mostly trans women and transfeminine people. Too, there continues to be little attention given to the murders of and assaults on Native people who are Two Spirit.

I also remember Nicole Hall, a Black trans woman found dead in Dallas in May. And my siblings lost to suicide, as the attempt rate in our community is over 40%. And every year there are unreported deaths, and reported ones where the victim is not identified as trans.

May all of my trans sisters, brothers and other siblings’ memories be a blessing, as we say in Judaism -- and one that calls us to act, especially at trans justice’s intersection with racial, immigration and economic justice. May we continue schlepping towards tikkun olam, world repair, at the intersection of LGBTQI+, 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 and prioritized misogyny, cis supremacy and transphobia. Amen!

#TDOR #TDOR2018 #TDOR2019 #TransDayOfRemembrance #WontBeErased

Massachusetts height & weight anti-discrimination bill UPDATE!

Friday January 18th is the refiling deadline for the latest version of my home state of Massachusetts’ height and weight anti-discrimination bill! If you didn’t get the following e-mail about that today, please e-mail Caroline.Sherrard@MASenate.gov.

"Height and Weight Anti-Discrimination Legislation

Hello all,

If you’re receiving this email you previously reached out to Rep. Byron Rushing’s office in support of height and weight anti-discrimination legislation in Massachusetts. If you would like to no longer receive emails on this topic, please let me know.

As many of you know, Rep. Rushing is no longer in the legislature. I’d like to introduce you all to Senator Becca Rausch who will be filing this legislation in the Senate and Representative Tram Nguyen who will be filing this legislation in the House. I used to work for Rep. Rushing and now work for Senator Rausch, so there is some nice continuity! Tobin Abraham, also cc’ed, is Rep. Nguyen’s staff person.

We need to refile this legislation by 1/18. If you have any comments on the language from last session (attached), please let me know as soon as possible. I’ll be in touch soon if our office or Rep. Nguyen’s office has suggested changes.

We’d like to have an advocacy strategy conference call after bill filing, sometime in late January or February.

Thank you so much for your interest and advocacy.

Best,
Caroline

Caroline Sherrard, Chief of Staff
Office of Senator Becca Rausch
Massachusetts Senate
Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex District
State House Room 419
617-722-1555 (internal ext. 1556)
Pronouns: she/her/hers"

Less than a month after the 20th annual Transgender Day Of Remembrance, more murders

November 20th was the 20th annual Transgender Day Of Remembrance (TDOR), when we remembered the at least 25 trans people murdered in this country since TDOR 2017, and the hundreds more murdered elsewhere in our world. And yet since that Day, at least two more of my trans siblings have been taken by murder here in the US, and we’ve become more aware of an October murder. And the great majority of those stolen continue to be Black, women, and young.

On October 7th, Regina Denise Brown, a Black trans woman, was killed in Orangeburg, South Carolina. On November 26th, Tydi Dansbury, also Black trans woman, was killed in Baltimore, an hour from here (Gaithersburg). And on Friday December 7th, Keanna Mattel, also a Black trans woman, was killed in Detroit.

Between TDOR 2017 and the end of last year, three trans women were murdered -- Brooklyn BreYanna Stevenson (Oklahoma City), Brandi Seals (Houston), and Rhiannon Layendecker (Englewood, Florida). In 2018, they have been joined by Christa Steele Knudslien (North Adams, Massachusetts -- we were colleagues there in my home state and Friends here), Viccky Gutierrez (Los Angeles), Celine Walker (Jacksonville), Tonya Harvey (Buffalo), Zakaria Fry (Albuquerque), Phylicia Mitchell (Cleveland), Amia Tyrae Berryman (Baton Rouge), Sasha Wall (Chesterfield County, South Carolina), Karla Patricia Flores-Pavón (Dallas), Nino Fortson (Atlanta), Gigi Pierce (Portland, Oregon), Roxsana Hernandez (Albuquerque), Antasha English (Jacksonville), Diamond Stephens (Meridian, Mississippi), Cathalina Christina James (Jacksonville), Keisha Wells (Cleveland), Sasha Garden (Orlando), Vontashia Bell (Shreveport, Louisiana), Dejanay Stanton (Chicago), Shantee Tucker (Philadelphia), Londonn Moore (North Port, Florida), Nikki Enriquez (Laredo, Texas), and Ciara Minaj Carter Frazier (Chicago).

It’s important to know that there have been multiple murders in some places, that Roxana died in ICE custody with significant evidence showing she was abused there, and that Nikki was one of four women victims of an intel supervisor for US Border Patrol. And that more than 360 trans people have been murdered elsewhere in our world in the past year, and the great majority are Latinx -- mostly trans women and transfeminine people.

I also remember Nicole Hall, a Black trans woman found dead in Dallas in May. And my siblings lost to suicide, as the attempt rate in our community is over 40%. And every year there are unreported deaths, and reported ones where the victim is not identified as trans.

May all of my trans sisters, brothers and other siblings’ memories be a blessing, as we say in Judaism -- and one that calls us to act, especially at trans justice’s intersection with racial, immigration and economic justice. May we continue schlepping towards tikkun olam, world repair, at the intersection of LGBTQI+, climate, racial, immigration, spiritual, fat, disability, and all other stripes of the rainbow of justice. May we never forget that white supremacy has always been inseparable from misogyny, cis supremacy and transphobia. Amen!

#TDOR #TDOR2018 #TransDayOfRemembrance #WontBeErased#FridayMotivation

MY ARTWORK!! Or, How I Put the Arts in MasadArts

Pictured is one of my sushi stationery sets -- little kits for creating offline mail that look like boxes of takeaway sushi!

Happy Cyber Monday, and welcome to the MasadArts art department.   

While I wouldn't say I'm well-prepared for this day or season, I have updated my artwork portfolio, and it's in three albums: 

• Stationery (greeting cards in several formats, gift tags / ornaments, keepsake books, sushi stationery sets…) 

• Jewelry (earrings, pendants, friendship pins…) 

• Miscellaneous (wrapped pomegranates and candles, juice bottle cap tea-light holders, eyeglass cases…)

My work is mostly handmade, and made mostly of vintage / recycled / found / thrifted / gifted etc. materials.  And I do take commissions, personalize, customize and so on. 

I invite you to enjoy, Like, comment, share, shop, etc.



Also, my Aunt Pat in Boston is also an artist, and offers lessons, paintings, photography, greeting cards, hand-painted eggs and more. 

Shalom, on this Thanksgiving Day / Day Of Mourning

Shalom. Rest, cessation, peace, harmony, wholeness, completeness, prosperity, welfare and tranquility. On this Thanksgiving Day.

I am thankful to be spending today at home with my wonderful spouse, our dogter, and my mother-in-sin and law. I am mindful of my privilege that makes this possible. I am also struggling today, for a variety of reasons, and thinking of those who struggle in ways like and unlike mine.

Native people, many of whom are observing the 49th annual Day Of Mourning -- including those in Plymouth in my home state of Massachusetts, where today’s high will be 23 degrees and the low 14.

Trans people, like myself, who are transitioning from observing the 20th annual Transgender Day Of Remembrance (TDOR) just two days ago.

Fat people, like my spouse, most of whom will experience an intense increase in fatphobia today, even in some of the most radical spaces.

People who are in two or more of these communities, including Two Spirit people. People who struggle with this Day for other reasons. People who struggle every day.

May we all have a meaningful fast and feast, however we define those things.
May we be comforted by the Addams family credo. Sic Gorgiamus Allos Subjectatos Nunc -- We Gladly Feast on Those Who Would Subdue Us. “Not just pretty words.”
May this day next year find us in a better place and a better world -- and may we each do our part in creating it.

Amen!

Today is the 20th annual Transgender Day Of Remembrance (TDOR)

Today, Tuesday, November 20th, 2018, is the 20th annual Transgender Day Of Remembrance (TDOR).

In 1998, the murder of Rita Hester, a Black trans woman, in my hometown of Boston, led to the creation of this Day. The other known trans people murdered in my home state of Massachusetts 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 colleagues (one of whom has since passed away), who died of an overdose.

At that time, 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.

In 2018, at least 22 of my trans siblings have been murdered in this country, and the great majority are Black trans women. Christa Steele Knudslien (in my home state of Massachusetts -- a colleague there and a Friend here), Viccky Gutierrez, Celine Walker, Tonya Harvey, Phylicia Mitchell, Zakaria Fry, Amia Tyrae Berryman, Sasha Wall, Carla Patricia Flores-Pavón, Nino Fortson, Gigi Pierce, Antasha English, Cathalina Christina James, Keisha Wells, Diamond Stephens, Sasha Garden, Shantee Tucker, Vontashia Bell, and Dejanay Stanton, Londonn Moore, Nikki Enriquez, and Ciara Minaj Carter Frazier.

Also this year, Roxsana Hernandez, a Latina trans woman, died in ICE custody; Nicole Hall, a Black trans woman, was found dead in Dallas; SJ Brooks, a trans person of color, was killed by a mountain lion in North Bend, Washington (and was the partner of a colleague).

And well over 300 trans people have been murdered elsewhere in our world, and the great majority are Latinx trans women.

Too, many of my trans siblings have been lost to suicide, and the attempt rate in our community is over 40%.

And there have been trans deaths that haven’t been reported, and reported ones where the victim has not been identified as trans.

At this time, I am 42, and living in Gaithersburg, Maryland (Montgomery County, next to Washington, DC), where I moved in 2014 to begin living with my spouse Julia, who is gender nonconforming. I still hope, pray and work for tikkun olam, world repair. But on days like today, the world feels especially broken, and so do I. At the same time, I am mindful of my white and other privilege, even as a Jewish trans person who is nonbinary and queer.

November is Trans Month and also Native Month -- and this Thursday, “Thanksgiving” Day, is the 49th annual Day Of Mourning -- and we must remember the Two Spirit people who have been taken, including Jamie Lee Wounded Arrow last year.

May all of my trans sisters, brothers and other siblings’ memories be a blessing, as we say in Judaism -- and one that calls us to act, especially at trans justice’s intersection with racial, immigration and economic justice. May we continue schlepping towards tikkun olam, world repair, at the intersection of LGBTQI+, 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 and transphobia. Amen!

(The photo is mine -- I set it up and took it at my home a few years ago.)

#TDOR #TDOR2018 #TransDayOfRemembrance #TransWeek#TransMonth #WontBeErased #TuesdayThoughts #TuesdayMotivation

TODAH RABAH to everyone who worked on Yes On 3 for Massachusetts' trans rights law!

On this seventh anniversary of the first #TransLawMA’s passage, in this Trans Week in Trans Month, I want to more formally say todah rabah, many thanks, to everyone who worked on the second Trans Law MA -- and the #YesOn3 campaign that kept it law! Thank you to Freedom for All Massachusetts, Mass Trans Political Coalition (MTPC), and the many other trans and allied groups and individuals!

On this day in 2011, Massachusetts passed a trans rights law that included gender identity and expression in its anti-discrimination laws around housing, employment, education and credit. In October 2016, they passed another, that added public accommodations. Opponents of the second law gathered enough signatures to put it on this November’s ballot, as Question 3, and tried to convince enough voters to vote No and repeal the law, but thankfully failed.

I’m an Election Judge for our county (Montgomery County, Maryland), so on Election Day I was working from 6 a.m. to after 11 p.m., and most of us aren’t allowed to use our phones or the internet while we’re serving, talk about politics with anyone, or leave the polling place. It was very difficult to wait and pray, hoping that I and everyone else had done all we could, and that the Massachusetts voters would do as they should. I really didn’t know what would happen, and it was so hard to be alone with that for so long. It was so good to get on Facebook late that night, see that it was indeed Yes On 3, and text my spouse Julia who had already seen that.

I was born in the Boston area in 1976 and lived there until 2014 when I moved here to Gaithersburg -- to begin living with my Julia, who has always lived around here. I came out as queer and trans in high school, began by working to pass Massachusetts’ LGBTQ student rights law, and continued my work through the trans rights laws -- primarily by co-leading the faith campaigns for them, as co-chair of the Interfaith Coalition for Transgender Equality. (And I have lots of stories...but many of them start with “back in my day” and end with “get off my lawn”, so we’ll save those for later.) I moved to Maryland in what turned out to be the last few months of their trans right law’s campaign, and I worked on that -- the Fairness For All Marylanders Act passed in October 2014. Its opponents tried to gather enough signatures to put it on the ballot in hopes of repealing it, but failed, largely thanks to Equality Maryland (since merged with FreeState Legal into FreeState Justice) and the Maryland Coalition for Trans Equality.

I’ve been thinking about my history, and the history. Back through the trans organizing I was part of, and before. Back through the history of Massachusetts and Maryland. Back through the thousands of Native people who lived on those lands for ten thousand years before colonists arrived. Back through all the trans people who were among them, as we have been among all peoples, always. Back through all the secular and spiritual histories and mysteries of my people to the first person, the first human, created both/neither/other than male/female, man/woman.

I’m remembering and mourning those who died waiting for this day -- especially as the twentieth annual Transgender Day Of Remembrance is next Tuesday November 20th. In many ways the #TDOR journey began with the Massachusetts trans community’s response to the murder of Rita Hester, a Black trans woman, in Allston/Brighton in November 1998 -- and her murderer has yet to be brought to justice, which is still not at all unusual. So many trans people have been taken by murder and lost to suicide, before and since Rita. At least twenty-two trans people have been murdered in 2018 in this country alone, and the great majority are Black women. May their memories be a blessing, and blessed be the True Judge, as we say in Judaism.

And I’ve been thinking about the future. How will we heal from witnessing many of our fellow Massh...erm, Massachusettsians struggle with voting Yes, or voting No? How will we recover from the loss of resources -- the millions of minutes and dollars? How will we help the two-thirds of Yes voters continue to progress, and reach the third who voted No? How will we continue to work with the faith community, who is mostly exempt from these laws? How will we move beyond the limits of laws to liberation? And how will we be more intersectional? November is also Native Month, including the Day Of Mourning next Thursday November 22nd (Thanksgiving Day) -- how will we be better partners with Two Spirit people?

We still have so much work to do, for trans justice and all justice -- how much more so liberation -- in Maryland, Massachusetts, the rest of the country and the world. May we continue schlepping towards tikkun olam, world repair, at the intersection of LGBTQI+, climate, racial, immigration, spiritual, fat, disability, and all other stripes of the rainbow of justice. Never forgetting that white supremacy has always included cis supremacy and transphobia. Amen!

💚💚💚

#WontBeErased #TransMonth #TransWeek #TDOR2018#TransDayOfRemembrance #TransformTheVote #FridayFeeling#FridayMotivation #Friyay #FridayReads #FlashbackFriday

80th anniversary of Kristallnacht

Shabbat shalom. On this Erev Shabbat that is the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht, Crystal Night, Night Of Broken Glass, November Pogrom, a Day Of Fate. Hundreds were killed and injured, thousands taken to prisons and concentration camps, and dozens took their own lives; thousands of synagogues, cemeteries, schools, homes and businesses were damaged and destroyed, in Germany, Austria and the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia. May their memories be a blessing, and blessed be the True Judge, as we say in Judaism.

My family wasn’t directly affected -- in that by 1938, they had been in this country for at least two decades, the Jewish side having left Ukraine due to the pogroms there.

Tonight, tomorrow, always and in all ways, may we find, create and share more shalom -- rest, cessation, peace, harmony, wholeness, completeness, prosperity, welfare and tranquility. Schlepping towards tikkun olam, world repair, at the intersection of climate, racial, immigration, spiritual, LGBTQI+, fat, disability, and all other stripes of the rainbow of justice. Never forgetting that anti-Semitism has always been an inseparable part of white supremacy.

Shooting at the Tree Of Life * Or L'Simcha Congregation last Shabbat

Shabbat shalom -- on this #ShowUpForShabbat, this first Shabbat after the mass shooting at the Tree Of Life * Or L'Simcha Congregation last Shabbat. May their memories be a blessing, and blessed be the True Judge, as we say in Judaism. And refuah shlemah, full recovery, to those who were wounded and survived, in all senses.

Last Shabbat I was Election Judging at Early Voting here in Gaithersburg -- my spouse Julia's hometown, symbolized by the Forest Oak, which passed away in a storm in 1997 when they were 295. And I was wearing the pendant on the left -- one of my engagement gifts from my Julia, who gave it to me in April when she proposed. And as always, I was wearing it partly because that makes me feel safer -- safety being a feeling and fact that continues to be challenging for me, even with my privilege and location, especially as a visibly trans and queer person. As havdalah approached, a voter commented that it was especially appropriate that I was wearing a Tree Of Life on that particular day. Half-expecting what I would hear, I asked her why she sounded sad when she said that, and that’s how I found out about the shooting. Election Judges here are generally not allowed access to the internet while serving, and our workdays are usually at least twelve hours. For most of the rest of my service as an election judge, I wore the pendant on the right, as well as Tree Of Life earrings.

I’ve only been to Pittsburgh once, many years ago, but I did stay in Squirrel Hill, and my visit was part of a Jewish journey (not that the rest of my last forty-two years haven’t been). Here on Facebook and elsewhere, I’ve been learning about my other connections to Pittsburgh’s Jewish community. And about the racist shooting in Jeffersontown, Kentucky, that almost included a Black church. And of course the hateful attempted mail bombings, and oh so much more.

Tonight, tomorrow and always, may we find, create and share more shalom -- rest, cessation, peace, harmony, wholeness, completeness, prosperity, welfare and tranquility. Schlepping towards tikkun olam, world repair, at the intersection of climate, racial, immigration, spiritual, LGBTQI+, fat, disability, and all other stripes of the rainbow of justice. Never forgetting that anti-Semitism has always been an inseparable part of white supremacy. ✡️🌳🔯

My acrostic poem about #WontBeErased

Nu, I wrote an acrostic about #WontBeErased (a trans community response to the latest Trump transphobic terribleness).

We won’t be erased
Our lives matter
Now and forever 
Transgender people are vital to tikkun olam, world repair

B’tzelem Elohim, in God’s image, we are made
Each of us fully human and fully Divine

Each of us struggling towards justice, trans justice
Racial, immigration, climate, spiritual, disability, fat, queer justice
At these intersections and others we exist, persist, resist
Sisters, brothers, siblings, men, women, both, neither, others
Existed we always have, and always will
Dor v’dor, generation to generation, we generate and regenerate

#LGBTQHistoryMonth #YesOn3 #TransformTheVote #acrostic #poem#poetry #acrosticpoem #acrosticpoetry #TuesdayThoughts #TuesdayMotivation