Thursday, August 4, 2016

VIDEO: Trans Icon Donna Personna "Betrayed, Disappointed" by SF City Whitewashing Compton Cafeteria Riots


VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tf8Mzu6LbxA

On July 16th, directly following the Tenderloin Museum's One Year Anniversary celebration, I interviewed trans pioneer and artist Donna Personna (she was in SF during Compton Cafeteria Riots) about San Francisco city's unbelievable whitewashing of Compton Cafeteria Riot's legacy.

During the recent post-Trans March ceremony on June 24, 2016 the city renamed the intersection of Turk and Taylor 'Gene Compton Cafeteria Way' instead of  'Compton Cafeteria Riots Way' as Donna and others voted on, and what the community assumed it was being renamed as.

 So not only has 'Riots' been whitewashed out, the name of an accomplice of police brutality has been snuck in. Gene Compton, the cafeteria owner who conspired with the violent law enforcement, should not be honored, the people's resistance against transphobia, homophobia and racist and sexist state violence should be.

#DropTheGene #DropTheG #DropPoliceBrutality


VIDEO: Trans Icon Donna Personna "Betrayed, Disappointed" by SF City Whitewashing Compton Cafeteria Riots


VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tf8Mzu6LbxA

On July 16th, directly following the Tenderloin Museum's One Year Anniversary celebration, I interviewed trans pioneer and artist Donna Personna (she was in SF during Compton Cafeteria Riots) about San Francisco city's unbelievable whitewashing of Compton Cafeteria Riot's legacy.

During the recent post-Trans March ceremony on June 24, 2016 the city renamed the intersection of Turk and Taylor 'Gene Compton Cafeteria Way' instead of  'Compton Cafeteria Riots Way' as Donna and others voted on, and what the community assumed it was being renamed as.

So not only has 'Riots' been whitewashed out, the name of an accomplice of police brutality has been snuck in. Gene Compton, the cafeteria owner who conspired with the violent law enforcement, should not be honored, the people's resistance against transphobia, homophobia and racist and sexist state violence should be.

#DropTheGene #DropTheG #DropPoliceBrutality

Saturday, December 12, 2015

Empire State Pride Agenda To Close Despite GENDA Bill Not Being Passed To Protect Trans* New Yorkers


 
BREAKING: wtf? (Though not surprised). LGB New Yorkers get gay marriage perks and now they want to close down ESPA? What about GENDA, the bill to give trans* New Yorkers anti-discrimination rights - it has yet to be passed. Yes, I was there when the Governor said a few words about trans* rights, but he never actually said 'GENDA'. Sigh. And people wonder why non-token trans toms have little to no faith in white Gay, Inc. "handling" our affairs. It's time we as trans* New Yorkers take a stand for ourselves and stop letting LGB Non-Profit Inc manhandle and misrepresent our movement

ESPA's Press Release:
http://prideagenda.org/news/2015-12-12-empire-state-pride-agenda-announces-plans-conclude-major-operations-2016

Thursday, November 12, 2015

LAPD’s Public Relations Dept. Seeks to Unethically Co-opt Trans Day of Remembrance




Nov. 20th is the annual Trans Day of Remembrance where we honor the lives of transsexual and transgender women and men who lost their lives due to male violence, transphobic bigotry, state violence/police brutality and/or domestic violence, most of whom are trans women of color.

In a flagrant disregard for this sacred memorial, the LAPD has announced a distasteful public relations campaign where they plan to dishonorably co-opt our community’s annual ritual into the corrupt law enforcement establishment by unbelievably manufacturing a “LAPD Hosts the Transgender Walk of Remembrance” stunt to be carried out on November 19th.

 Needless to say the majority of L.A. trans leaders, anti-police brutality activists and social justice advocates are rightfully appalled. More importantly, people who have had trans family members and close friends tragically murdered are deeply offended or even traumatized that for what is in essence a ‘funeral’ is being inappropriately used as a PR gimmick by the marketing department of the LAPD – especially when the male brutality and state violence many police officers in L.A. are guilty of is equal to the male brutality and state violence which has cost countless Black and Latina transsexual or transgender women their lives.

The way the LAPD seeks to use our dead as an opportunity to clean up their public image is not only unethical – it is an act of violence due to the pain it’s inflicting on so many who have lost loved ones due to both police brutality or transphobic hate crimes.

Being an "ally" does not mean distastefully hijacking a funeral of which you're not invited - it means asking the community what THEY want and need and act accordingly

What actually would make sense would be if the LAPD did a march to honor all the unarmed women and men killed by law enforcement, not only would this be a way to show the residents of Los Angeles their compassion for the loss of human life at the hands of police officers – it wouldn’t be infringing on an already established ritual of mourning without the stakeholder’s (the local trans community and the families of deceased trans women) consent.
 
 

Is it too much to ask that the LAPD not use the loved ones we have as props in some disingenuous political campaign?

#NotYourProp