#Chanelle Pickett

[yourdailyqueer]

Chanelle Pickett (deceased)

Gender: Transgender woman

Sexuality: Queer

DOB: 6 August 1972 

RIP: 20 November 1995

Ethnicity: African American

Occupation: Entrepreneur, activist

Note: Death helped inspire the creation of the Transgender Day of Remembrance

[lavylesby]

Trans Day of Remembrance

Trans Day of Remembrance was yesterday, Nov. 20th.

For those of you who don't know, this day (not to be confused with Trans Day of Visibility) commemorates and mourns those who've been killed for being transgender. It was started after this woman, Chanelle Pickett...

...was killed in 1995 by a man named William Palmer. Her twin sister, Gabrielle, who was also a trans woman, testified that Palmer had known about her gender for a long time. Yet he pretended to be enraged after inviting her (and Gabrielle, though she didn't go) to his home in the early morning for sex. Her body was found later that same day. (You can read more about this here.)

4 years later, Trans Day of Remembrance was officially created in 1999. Over its 25 year span, people have been given more of a voice to speak out against transgender violence and related crimes against the LGBTQIA+ community as a whole, though it hasn't always been smooth sailing. As trans people get more visibility, so do the haters.

Take this woman, Sarah McBride, as an example.

She's the first transgender member of the House of Representatives, from Delaware. Despite this achievement, she's also the target of a new bill banning trans people from using the correct bathroom, in government buildings.

Which, why are transphobic people's go to thing the bathroom? Zeroth of all, trans women are women, and trans men are men. PERIOD.

First of all, you don't know who I am. I'm going to use it and you'll probably never see me again. You're not in the stall with me when I'm using the bathroom.

Second of all, why do you want the imagery of thinking that someone pees out of a vagina vs. a penis (or anything else, in the case of intersex people)? What's that doing for you?

Third of all, you don't even consider the fact that some people get surgery, though it doesn't make someone more or less trans if they don't have surgery. That's their choice.

Fourth of all, a trans person is SO MUCH MORE than a bathroom!!

Fifth of all, you claim that the Republican Party is supposed to be Christian—where in the Bible does it say you should ban trans people from using whatever bathroom that aligns with them? And why should being Christian or otherwise religious be synonymous with being hateful against LGBTQIA+ people, or other minorities?

Anyway…

I hope that you do whatever you can to be supportive of trans people. Don't tolerate hate when you see it. Block it, or gently educate people. Saying things like "she thinks she's a girl but she's a man" and "you're manipulating children" and "men can't get pregnant" is extremely hurtful, harmful, and childish. And also, if you have a loved one who's trans, or you're trans yourself, be kind to them and yourself. If you're hurting, allow yourself to hurt. Allow yourself to mourn, to take refuge in days like Trans Day of Remembrance, and whatever safe spaces you may have. But also remember that you are not alone, and you matter, and no matter how hateful, violent, and discriminatory people are, you have a voice. And you can use it.

I will do whatever I can to make a safe space for people, whatever I do in life. And you should too. :)

[hecateisalesbian]

The Pride of June: Trans

(Read to the bottom for a special note!)

The Transgender Flag is the Flag used for any one who doesn’t identify entirely as the sex/gender they were assigned. This includes all gender identities, except for cis people. It is the most controversial term in the entire Queer community. It is also the fourth letter in the LGBTQ+ acronym. The term Transgender is also more of an umbrella term, holding all types of trans people.

Fun History Fact: the Trans Day of Remembrance (or also known as TDoR) occurs every year on November 20th to recognize those who have been killed to Anti-Trans violence and hate crimes. It began when Rita Hester, an African American trans woman, was killed on November 28th, 1998. The people’s response of grief and anger led to a candlelight vigil that was held the following Friday of December 4th. However, a few years before another black transgender woman named Chanelle Pickett had been murdered on November 20th, 1995. The community’s response created a group called “Remembering Chanelle”, created on December 18th, 1995. Later, another Black trans woman named Monique Thomas had also unfortunately been murdered. Her murder, alongside the murders of Chanelle Pickett and Rita Hester, was talked about on a web project called “Remembering the Dead”. This web project was later turned into the Trans Day of Remembrance. Today, many articles talk about those three women every Trans Day of Remembrance, and many vigils and gatherings are held every year. Most of the memorials will also read off every death that occurred to trans people from the previous year on October 1st to the current year on September 30th.

Tumblr User: The Tumblr user who has been placed is @solstakao however, every single person who is Trans in anyway May be asked about this, and should be celebrated.

Media Character: Some characters in media include Kusuo Saiki, Raine Whispers, Akiyama Mizuki, and Barney Guttman

Why the colors? The two Blue stripes on the top and bottom are chosen for being the traditional color of Baby Boys, the two Pink stripes next to the blue are chosen for being the traditional color of Baby Girls, and the White stripe in the middle is for those who are transitioning or consider themselves to be not of the gender binary.

Where can I find the calendar? The calendar is my pinned post on my blog @hecateisalesbian! This will be occurring all throughout June, and tags such as #The Pride of June and #PoJ Project can be used to find my post

SPECIAL NOTE Todays art piece is a little different from the others. This one had more time and effort put into it and features a different view. I’ve had this idea in my head since last June, and was also inspired by @prideknights. It was thought of when last June I was looking at some playing cards and noticing how each one was mirrored. I thought this was a create way of showing the ‘flip side’ of transitioning and people who are transgender. The two people in the art piece are the same person, but it shows how someone transitions from male to female and when flipped, female to male. These people are also shown as knights. Due to the recent rise of hate crimes and anti-trans bills, transgender people right now are at a major threat for their lives. Those who live in Red states or Anti-Trans countries especially are being faced with being unable to have gender affirming care or being charged with felonies. Some laws that are being made even make it so children can be taken away from their families. This means that those who are trans are at a major disadvantage and are perhaps the most vulnerable of the Queer community. These people are shown in armor and as knights to symbolize the strength they carry with them every day and the constant fight they are battling with Anti-Trans people. Every day dozens of transgender people die around the world and those who are fighting are putting their lives on the line. If you can, please show support to non-profit organizations to help transgender people, such as The Trevor Project and the National Center for Transgender Equality. This Trans Day of Remembrance, do what you can to memorialize those who have been killed to transphobia.

[thewritingcoroner]

I am begging the gay youngins to Google gay panic before making jokes about getting flustered around your crush I'm BEGGING.

That's NOT WHAT THAT MEANS.

If you are in the US (maybe elsewhere too) "gay panic" is SPECIFICALLY a term referring to a LEGITIMATE legal defense against hate crime charges for perpetrators of anti-lgbtq violence. The "panic" is not about being gay, it's about being so homophobic that finding out someone is gay (or trans, this legal defense is used most successfully against trans women of color) that the perpetrator can't help but fly into a violent rage and assault or KILL the other person.

For reference: the LGBT Bar Association has great info on this legal defense, including a list of US states that have made the defense illegal. (16 states and the District of Columbia)

In fact, I wrote my entire Masters Capstone on this legal defense, how it works, and how to combat its use. In my study, simply declaring it illegal through policy doesn't quite cover your bases entirely. BUT it's better than nothing.

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD. When you tag your fics or posts or stories or WHATEVER the term "gay panic" is not the appropriate term. This defense has been used as recently as 5 years ago!! That is practically yesterday! This is not history! This is an ONGOING rights battle!!

I want to repeat that: THIS IS AN ONGOING CIVIL RIGHTS BATTLE.

Chanelle Pickett, Gwen Araujo, Islan Nettles, Angie Zapata, Matthew Shepard, Larry King, these are the names of just some of the gay and trans people murdered over the last 30 years whose killers used the gay (and trans) panic defense. In only one of those cases did the defense NOT work to at least reduce charges, if not reduce sentencing. In Chanelle Pickett's case, her murderer slept next to her body that night and received 2 years in prison for just assault and battery.

GAY PANIC MEANS SOMETHING ELSE.

Idgaf if Heartstopper is so cute because what's his face gets butterflies when he sees his crush. It's not Gay Panic.

[rainbowuniversepageantsys]

For the Transgender Community and those of us who care about them!

From the office of the Superintendent of the College I counsel young adults and youth at:

"Each November 20, we observe Transgender Day of Remembrance as a day dedicated to remembering transgender individuals who have tragically lost their lives to anti-transgender violence. This observance, which began in 1999 to honor people like Rita Hester and Chanelle Pickett, continues to remind us of the ongoing challenges faced by transgender communities worldwide.

The Human Rights Campaign reports that in 2023, at least 32 transgender or gender non-conforming individuals were tragically killed by violent means, with 84% of the victims being people of color. While we hope for progress, this number remains heartbreakingly high.

At this college, we stand firmly against all forms of discrimination, harassment, and violence. We are committed to supporting our transgender and gender non-conforming students and employees and to creating a safe, welcoming campus that affirms the dignity of every individual. We recognize that transgender people still face systemic barriers across many areas, including education, health care, employment, and access to justice, and we are dedicated to dismantling these barriers within our community.

We also recognize that transgender and gender non-conforming members of our community may be experiencing uncertainty and concern about what lies ahead. Please know that we see you and support you, and that will never change."

Please note I have not identified the college I do business at due to harassment, stalking, and attempted theft of my business. I have to stay safe so if you need further resources and you are transgender please contact me directly @ 877-982-6410!

Please check out our resources on our Youth and Young Adult webpage @

To celebrate this special day anyone from this community is welcome to register for our Miss/Mister Victorious Rainbow for your courage during challenging times battling discrimination, abuse and hate crimes - you deserve to be loved no matter who you are, what you look like, or how you identify yourself. Register now and come get your crown!

The LBTQIA flyer will be finished and posted by next week, it is a different specialty pageant for the LGBTQIA community. Stay tuned for more info about that later on........

Be kind to those that are not like you because God loves them too. We are all a part of His/Her family. Don't forget that! They belong to God too! Love them as they were your brothers and sisters!

More info about Transgender Day of Remembrance can be found here

View the names of those that have lost their lives over the years here

[nbcnightlynews]

Today is Transgender Day of Remembrance. The somber annual event is 20 years old and continues to draw attention to anti-transgender violence. At least 22 trans and gender-nonconforming people have been killed in the U.S. so far in 2019, according to an annual report published by the Human Rights Campaign. Most of those killed in 2019 were young, black women.

The event was begun by transgender activist Gwen Smith. Three years after a Massachusetts jury acquitted William Palmer on murder charges in the death of 23-year-old Chanelle Pickett, who was killed Nov. 20, 1995, another black transgender woman was found dead. Rita Hester, 35, died Nov. 28, 1998, after being stabbed 20 times. Meanwhile, Smith was online in a chatroom, she brought the issue up and realized nobody knew about these deaths.

This was the moment that led Smith to create the Remembering Our Dead web project, where candles are lit beside digital obituaries for murdered transgender and gender-nonconforming people. Then in 1999, Smith created the first Transgender Day of Remembrance.

[mademoiselleclipon]

 Murder of Chanelle Pickett 

[ppaegopa]

Scarf Dress! #funkophotoaday #funkofamily #funkopop #funko #pickett #bowtruckle #fantasticbeasts #ハリーポッター #harrypotter #harrypotterfandom #wizardingworldofharrypotter #funkocollector #hogwarts #wizardingworld #wandsready #hufflepuff #harrypotterfunko #funkoharrypotter #newtscamander #funkomania #funkophotography #いいね #かわいい #harrypottercollector #funkopopharrypotter #pottergram #potterhead #hermes #chanel #fashion (at Tokyo, Japan) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0ZuWU5AXI4/?igshid=g3pz4g7n8o80

[transtranscendence]

Chanelle Pickett

November 20, 1995 in Watertown, MA

We will not be silenced. We must fight back against transphobia. For Chanelle.

[incatalogueanpic]

We’re so excited to announce that 15 Shillington graduates and 5 Shillington teachers were selected for the 2019 American Graphic Design Awards! Big applause for Shillington graduates—Alexandria Pinson, Chanelle Diaz, Diana Fuji, Elizabeth Calo, Esther Yi, Jessica Di Scipio, Jordan Kamp, Kathryn Pickett, Lorik Khodaverdian, Marianne Dabir, Roman Suliteanu, Sara Cohen, Sarah Staunton, Viet Pham and Ylimay Zavala. And our teachers—Alan Barba, Anthony Wood, Emily Comfort, Jimmy Muldoon and Shanti Sparrow. Alexandria Pinson, Shillington Student View Alexandria’s website. Chanelle Diaz, Shillington Student View Chanelle’s website. Diana Fuji, Shillington Student View Diana’s website. Elizabeth Calo, Shillington Student View Elizabeth’s website. Esther Yi, Shillington Student View Esther’s website. Jessica Di Scipio, Shillington Student View Jessica’s website. Jordan Kamp, Shillington Student View Jordan’s website. Kathryn Pickett, Shillington Student View Kathryn’s website. Lorik Khodaverdian, Shillington Student View Lorik’s website. Marianne Dabir, Shillington Student View Marianne’s website. Roman Suliteanu, Shillington Student View Roman’s website. Sara Cohen In Ấn Anpic – Nổi Tiếng In Đẹp In Nhanh Số 5 Ngõ 75 Nguyễn Xiển, Thanh Xuân, Hạ Đình, Hà Nội 0963223884 baogiainananh@gmail.com https://anpic.vn https://g.page/inananpic In nhãn mác Anpic ✅ In brochure Anpic ✅ In card visit Anpic ✅ In catalogue Anpic ✅ In thiệp cưới Anpic ✅ In tờ rơi Anpic https://anpic.vn/in-nhan-mac-dep https://anpic.vn/in-brochure https://anpic.vn/in-an https://anpic.vn/in-voucher-in-phieu-giam-gia-khuyen-mai #inananpic

[procrispterelas]

a statement I prepared for a Trans Day of Remembrance memorial service

I’ll be honest. I originally planned to open this statement in a different way. I meant for it to have a more hopeful approach since I’m generally an optimistic person. But having done the research and seeing the numbers and statistics and their faces, I just couldn’t. There were so many faces. The ones with we have on the tables are only a small handful of the people who’ve died. We started off with one list that would lead us to a link with another list. And the lists kept growing. Lists of trans people being murdered for being trans. It kept growing and growing and growing. And I was crying and begging to not find another list with more faces and stories. But there was always more.

When I initially started researching and compiling, I wanted to present their humanity. I wanted to find some cool fact or get a handle on their personality. So I went digging behind the lists to reclaim their humanity in some way. But as I went digging I found something even more horrifying. These people had lives. They had lives and interests and hobbies and families, loved ones, and friends. Some were murdered on the way to see family such as Tracey Thompson. Others were simply out for a walk such as Islan Nettles. Sonia Rescalvo Zarfa was hanging out in a park with friends. Rita Hester was on her way home. Stephanie Thomas and Ukea Davis were best friends who moved in together. They were half a block from their home. These were real people.

It was too painful to see that. It became easier to read about their deaths instead of their stories because they had lives. So I started hyper focusing on their murder and reading news articles about their cases and discovered a whole new trauma; the press, police, and family members constantly misgendering and deadnaming them. These people had their dignity and humanity stripped away while alive and now they couldn’t have it in death. Nireah Johnson and Deasha Andrews were buried under their deadnames.

There were disturbing patterns to their deaths. Majority of people were transwomen of color. Transgender women, especially transgender women of color, are disproportionately subjected to violence – making up more than half of all anti-LGBT homicides in the US. And most were killed after an intimate encounter with a cis man. The general plot is that the trans women hook up with someone or flirt with someone. That someone discovers their trans and is horrified that his masculinity has been “impinged” somehow. With their masculinity threatened, they feel as if they have the right to murder trans people, to disfigure, and strip them of their dignity and shove them under beds and dump their bodies behind dumpsters like they were trash and not a living breathing human being a few minutes ago. The most chilling example of this was Chanelle Pickett. Her murderer confessed, but was never charged for murder instead just battery and assault. His lawyer cleared him of murder charges with the trans panic defense: a defense that is still legal to use in every state except for California and New Jersey.

The statistics are chilling. According to the Anti-Violence Project of Massachusetts, 61% of transgender individuals reported being violently assaulted at least once because of their gender identity or expression.  Transgender people who are the victims of hate crimes are also more likely to have been sexually assaulted than others who experienced hate crime violence in the LGBTQ community.

Kids, KIDS, have to put up with this shit, in grades K-12 who identified as transgender or gender non-conforming reported high rates of bullying and violence at school: 78 percent reported harassment, 35 percent reported physical assault, and 12 percent reported sexual violence. Even more disturbing is the fact that, for 31 percent of these kids and teens, harassment came at the hands of teachers and school staff, the very people who should have protected them. Trans and gender non-conforming students of color experienced even higher levels of school bullying and violence. One sixth of K-12 students who identified as trans or gender non-conforming said that bullying was so bad that they left school because of it. The effects of this abuse seeped into these kids’ adult lives; the study found that students who had been harassed at school were more likely to have lower income levels as adults than other students.

           Trans people are told from a very young age that the world hates you and has no place for you. Is it any wonder that according to a study by from the National Center for Transgender Equality report that 41 percent of transgender or gender-nonconforming people have attempted suicide sometime in their lives, nearly nine times the national average? Additionally, more than 50 percent of transgender youth will have had at least one suicide attempt by their 20th birthday.

           A 2013 report from the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) found that transgender people are at a higher risk of homicide than other LGBTQ people. In 2013, trans victims and survivors made up 13 percent of anti-LGBTQ hate violence reports to the NCAVP, and yet transgender women made up 72 percent of anti-LGBTQ homicide victims. Trans women of color — who accounted for 67 percent of anti-LGBTQ homicide victims — were particularly at risk.

The NCAVP report found that trans people are 3.7 times more likely to experience police violence than cisgender survivors and victims of anti-LGBT violence. The risk is higher for trans women, who are four times more likely than other survivors to have experienced police violence.

The 2011 National Transgender Discrimination Survey describes harassment at work as “a near universal experience” for transgender and gender non-conforming employees, with 90 percent of respondents reporting that they had been harassed at work or forced to take “protective actions” (like hiding their gender identity) in order to avoid harassment. Forty-seven percent of respondents said that they had experienced “an adverse job action” (such as not getting hired or promoted, or being fired) due to their being trans or gender nonconforming. Twenty-six percent reported losing their jobs because of their gender status, with a significantly higher rate of job loss for trans people of color. The unemployment rate among trans people is twice the national average, and 44 percent of trans people report being underemployed — key issues that lead to high rates of poverty among trans people.

Trans people experience homelessness at a rate of twice the national average; at the same time, they are less than half as likely to own a home as the average American. Housing discrimination is a major problem, according to the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, with 19 percent of trans people saying that they have been refused housing and 11 percent saying they’ve been evicted due to being transgender or gender non-conforming. The persistent financial and housing insecurity experienced by many trans people only makes them more vulnerable to violence and less able to seek protection.

           Transphobic people want us to act as if these statistics are a result of transness being a mental illness or a perversion of the natural order. But we know who is to blame. Society is to blame. The same callousness that allows people to dismiss these statistics and not see the humanity crying out for help is the same callousness that lets them murder that humanity. Society does not see the humanity in trans people.

           There is a fear in the trans community for being a statistic. Of struggling so hard and fighting so long only to succumb to joblessness, homelessness, suicide, police brutality, or murder. That one day you too will be gone. I know that fear. I have it myself. There were so many times I was going to become just another suicide statistic. But we can’t let people become just another statistic. We need to remember their names and their faces and their stories. We can’t let them be another person to be rolled up and put away by a statistician’s calculator.  

Leelah Alcorn was a trans girl who committed suicide. In her note she explained the reasons: the constant harassment, her Christian parents forcing her into conversion therapy. She asked that we “fix society.” Society wants to fix us or eradicate us so we need to fix society. Lourdes Ashley Hunter, the National Director for Trans Women of Color Collective said, “I’m here to tell you, we don’t need to be fixed there is nothing wrong with us. What is wrong is society’s depraved existence, willful ignorance, complicity, and inactive engagement which refuse trans people humanity and right to life.”

           Sophie Labelle a trans author says, “ But if someone asks me what they can do to help, I’d say love us. Love the most marginalized of us… embrace their transness and one day we (society) might see it as a gift.”

[politicsoffat-blog]

Fat-shaming quotes from worlds top fashion retailers (Yes, these are real!)

In recent years, some of the top influencers in the fashion industry have made statements outwardly fat-shaming potential customers and employees - warning overweight people their business is not welcome at their retailers purely on the basis of body image appeal. It says to perspective employees, do not even apply because your image is not one we would like to attach to our brand.

Robin Lewis, on Mike Jeffries (CEO of Abercrombie and Fitch):

“He doesn't want larger people shopping in his store, he wants thin and beautiful people. He doesn't want his core customers [ages 18-22] to see people who aren't as hot as them wearing his clothing. People who wear his clothing should feel like they're one of the 'cool kids.’" (Pickett, 2013)

Within this instance, the discrimination against fat people is blatantly obvious, but it goes deeper - it is specifically aimed at fat women. A&F refuse to sell clothes larger than a size 10 bottom and a size large top for women, where as they accommodate up to a size 2XL for men due to their ‘athletic structures’.

Karl Lagerfeld (Creative director of Chanel, Fendi, and Karl Lagerfeld Co.):

“It’s absurd! No one wants to see curvy women. You've got fat mothers with their bags full of chips, sitting in front of the television saying thin models are ugly. Fashion is about dreams and illusions. No one wants to see round women.” (Pickett, 2013)

Tom ford (Creative director of Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, and Tom Ford Co.)

"Americans are too fat. And in London they are starting to get fat too. So I have to say that if we have to talk about race system and nationalism, I find it refreshing that everyone Chinese is slim.” (Pickett, 2013)

[radthursdays]

#RadThursdays Roundup 11/23/2017

Portrait of a young Black woman wearing a dark suit with a feathered, sequined epaulet and frilly white collar. Her afro extends like a halo to the border of the image. Source.

Issues

A Feminist Trans Day of Remembrance Reading List: "[November 20] was Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day dedicated to honoring of all those killed by transphobic violence around the world. The day began in Boston in 1999, when friends and chosen family of murdered black trans women Rita Hester and Chanelle Pickett came together to grieve and remember their friends, who had been forgotten by society and the legal system. The day has since spread around the country and the world, an opportunity for trans communities and their allies to 'honor the dead and fight like hell for the living.'"

The Unforgiving Minute: “Unfortunately, we are in one of those rare and curious moments where we have to do something unfair and hurtful in order to answer decades of pain and injustice. We didn’t want to have to make an example of anyone. We tried to ask nicely for our humanity and dignity. We tried to put it gently. Nobody gave a shit. Now that there are consequences, now that there is finally, for once, some sort of price to pay for treating women like interchangeable pieces of flesh and calling it romance, you’re paying attention.”

Portrait of a young Black woman in a fluffy white top wearing abstract, geometrical jewelry. Her hair is also cut into an abstract 3D shape. She holds her hands up at right angles to one another, framing her face.. Source.

Making America Great Again

The Nationalist's Delusion: “The specific dissonance of Trumpism—advocacy for discriminatory, even cruel, policies combined with vehement denials that such policies are racially motivated—provides the emotional core of its appeal. It is the most recent manifestation of a contradiction as old as the United States, a society founded by slaveholders on the principle that all men are created equal. [...] Trump’s great political insight was that Obama’s time in office inflicted a profound psychological wound on many white Americans [...] He intuited that Obama’s presence in the White House decreased the value of what W. E. B. Du Bois described as the “psychological wage” of whiteness across all classes of white Americans, and that the path to their hearts lay in invoking a bygone past when this affront had not, and could not, take place. [...] Trumpism emerged from a haze of delusion, denial, pride, and cruelty—not as a historical anomaly, but as a profoundly American phenomenon. This explains both how tens of millions of white Americans could pull the lever for a candidate running on a racist platform and justify doing so, and why a predominantly white political class would search so desperately for an alternative explanation for what it had just seen. To acknowledge the centrality of racial inequality to American democracy is to question its legitimacy—so it must be denied.”

The Making of an American Nazi: “Like so many emotionally damaged young men, Anglin had chosen to be someone, or something, bigger than himself on the internet, something ferocious to cover up the frailty he couldn’t abide in himself. Fantasy overtook reality, and now he couldn’t escape.”

Technology

Google’s Sentiment Analyzer Thinks Being Gay Is Bad: ‘The problem is that artificial intelligence systems like Google's Natural Language API will inevitably absorb the biases that plague the internet and human society more broadly. "It's easy to get around [the bias] for each individual problem," Ernest Davis, a professor of computer science at New York University told me over the phone, "But getting around it systematically is very difficult."’

Sophia, with Love and Hate: “We don’t need more androids, and films about androids, that drag themselves in plots about the soul and humanity. What we do need are more androids, and android stories, in drag. I’m talking about black robotics, native androids, queer AI. Other humanities.”

Portrait of a young Black woman wearing artsy wire-frame glasses and various jewelry, along with a fuzzy black top. Her afro has a wedge cut out of it. Source.

Thanksgiving

Four Centuries After the First Thanksgiving, the Mashpee Wampanoag Fight to Reclaim Their Language: "The roots of what we now call Thanksgiving date back to 1621, when a group of 90 Wampanoag tribal members feasted with White Pilgrims in present-day Plymouth, Massachusetts. The English colonizers repaid the Wampanoag’s kindness with a toxic combination of massacres, land seizures and cultural genocide that devastated the tribe and other Indigenous people. Now, the Wampanoag’s descendants are working to protect their language, Wopanaotooaok, from further erasure. The Associated Press (The AP) detailed preservation efforts by the Cape Cod-based Mashpee Wampanoag in an article published yesterday (November 21)."

Direct Action Item

This Thanksgiving, Support Indigenous Resistance: "Indigenous people continue fighting to protect their land and lives from the American government and corporations’ pro-fossil fuels, anti-people, and anti-indigenous environmental policies. Prominent among them is Mazaska Talks, an indigenous-led coalition working to divest cities from banks that fund fossil fuel companies which threaten native sovereignty, environmental integrity, and human rights. […] 'put your money where your solidarity is.' Divest yourself. Take action to divest your community. And donate to the Seventh Generation Network, supporting Mazaska Talks and other indigenous-run campaigns for self-determination, sovereignty, and the environment."

If there’s something you’d like to see in next week’s #RT, please send us a message.

In solidarity!

What is direct action? Direct action means doing things yourself instead of petitioning authorities or relying on external institutions. It means taking matters into your own hands and not waiting to be empowered, because you are already powerful. A “direct action item” is a way to put your beliefs into practice every week.

[commiepinkofag]

Trans Violence, Rink Foto, 1999

A vigil at the Castro Theater for the premier of "Boys Don't Cry" (1999), a feature film about the life and murder of the transsexual man, Brandon Teena.

[b8ztransfeminisms-blog]

Transgender Day of Remembrance

Transgender Day of Remembrance, or TDoR, is an annual observance honoring the memory of those who were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence. The week surrounding this day serves as Transgender Awareness week, during which time individuals and communities help raise the visibility of transgender non-conforming people and address the issues these communities face.

TDoR was started by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil to honor Rita Hester, a transgender woman killed in November 1998. The first TDoR was held in 1999 in the Castro district of San Francisco, where a silent vigil was held. Smith felt the urgency to organize this event after speaking with other transgender people about Chanelle Pickett, another transgender woman who was killed 3 years prior to Hester, and no one knew had heard of Pickett. In fear of the transgender community forgetting its own past and dooming itself to repeat it, TDoR was started.

According to the Transgender Murder Monitoring Project, 1,509 cases of reported killings of trans and gender variant people from January 1st, 2008 to March 31st, 2014, internationally (TMM IDAHOT 2014). This does not include the daily acts of violence, abuse, and harassment that transgender people endure. 

~Julia