Podcasts about transgriot

Special guest sermon by Dee Dee Watters Dee Dee Watters (she/her/hers) is an unapologetic Black Woman of trans experience who is a mother, leader, healer, performer and recently stepping into her calling as a death doula. She's a member of Freshwind Christian Fellowship under the guidance of Pastor Marvetta Walker. Dee Dee is the publisher for TransGriot an online publication and the host of TransGriot Weekly. Nationally recognized for her leadership and advocacy around trans murders she asks that you join her in telling elected officials that trans rights are human rights! And we must ban the trans panic defense!

InterPride is proud to present our fourth podcast episode of InterPod, focused on Trans Rights Are Human Rights. The LGBTQIA+ community has come a long way in the fight for acceptance. Our voices matter and will be heard. As we honor Transgender Awareness Month, we bring stories from activists, leaders, and Pride organizers around the world. Speakers: Aria Sa'id, executive director of the Transgender Cultural District. Donna Personna, artist, Transgender activist, member of the Cockettes. Monica Roberts, founder/editor of Transgriot, Transgender rights activist. Toni Newman, interim executive director of the Black AIDS Institute. Tamara Adrian, the first transgender National Assembly member in Venezuela. Piano, Transgender activist from Thailand, Miss LGBT 2020 Thailand. Jannat Ali, Region 18 Representative | Global Advisory Council Rep. | Human Rights and Diversity Committee Co-Chair Music: John Rothermel and Peter Mintun “Ain't Misbehavin” Sylvester and Peter Mintun “Stormy Weather” Sylvester and Peter Mintun “Happy Days are Here Again” Tookta Barbie Topline (ตุ๊กตา บาร์บี้) : “Two Minutes” สองนาทีก็มีแฮง Want to hear new episodes monthly? Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter! Make sure to follow us on social media to stay in the know about future guests, episodes, and how you can make a difference in the fight for LGBTQIA+ equality. Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube | Medium InterPride Empowers Pride Organizations Worldwide!

Barry Mandel - Houston HIV Activist/Life of Monica RobertsWe speak again with Barry Mandel in part two of his interview about his early activism in Houston including his Political and HIV work.  Barry is the President of Discovery Green. Barry was one of the heroic first responders to the AIDS crisis in Houston in the 1980s, volunteering for the Montrose Counseling Center, serving on the board of AIDS Foundation Houston, and organizing one of the first large-scale displays of the NAMES Project AIDS Quilt at the Jewish Community Center. Guest: Barry Mandelhttps://www.discoverygreen.comThen, we speak with Diamond Stylz about the life and work of Monica Roberts. Monica Roberts, a transgender advocate and journalist who chronicled the lives, and sometimes the deaths, of transgender people through her blog, TransGriot, died on Oct. 5 at her home in Houston. She was 58.Guest: Diamond Stylzhttps://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/13/us/monica-roberts-dead.html

In the Season 6 premiere, we speak with Imara Jones (she/her), founder of TransLash Media and host of the TransLash Podcast. Topics include: Why trans rights are the secret to defeating patriarchy How to be a better ally to Black trans people Why trans folks are essential leaders for building better futures The saga of Imara’s open letter to BET  Plus: we're angry about needing to be angry This Week in Gender: Celebrating the life of Monica Roberts, creator of TransGriot. Browse our limited-edition merch collection at bit.ly/gendermerch. (Hurry, everything leaves the store on 12/31.) We now have transcriptions available for every episode from Season 1-5, as well as “starter packs” for folks new to the show. Find them at genderpodcast.com  We’re on Twitter or Instagram @gendereveal. You can also follow our host's reporting at @tuckwoodstock. Join our Patreon (patreon.com/gender) to receive our weekly newsletter and other rewards. We also welcome donations via PayPal, Cash App, or Venmo. Thank you! Submit a piece of Theymail: a small message or ad that we’ll read on the show. Today’s message was by @jay.genesis.art. Join the Gender Detectives Slack at bit.ly/genderslack2. Do you have gender questions that you’d like answered on the show? Submit questions anonymously via this Google form. Thanks to Isaura Aceves, Montana Thomas and Oliver-Ash Kleine for production help this week. Logo: Ira M. Leigh Music: Breakmaster Cylinder Additional Music: “SuzyB” by Blue Dot Sessions Sponsors: YOU! Thank you!

Tonight, we are rebroadcasting our conversation with Monica Roberts here on Blog Talk Radio with a special opening tribute! The world has lost a giant, a queen, an award-winning blogger, a Texas legend, LGBTQ+ advocate, Transgender activist, and a beloved sister/friend, Monica Roberts. She made her transition on October 5th from natural causes. Tributes were held across the country. Her BTAC/BTWI family held a memorial tribute in Dallas. Her Houston, TX hosted the three-day celebration of her life on October 23-25. Her influence was felt across the country  in the struggle for not only Transgender Equality and Rights but in the ongoing strruggle for social justice for all. She was one of the first and repeat guests on Collections by Michelle Brown. I spoke with Monica not long before her transition. Of course, we talked about politics not just the presidential election but elections across the country. We talked about the vacancy on the Supreme. We talked about the Corona Virus and its devastating effect on Black, Brown, and LGBTQ+ communities. We talked about the work before us as community activists leading up to and after the election. And we checked in with one another as friends about life - our health, families, finances. As always, we ended the conversation saying, “Love you, sis!”

Hartford community activist Kamora Herrington joins Dawn and Karleigh in a podcast to mourn Monica Roberts, the creator of the award-winning TransGriot blog. Roberts, who died Oct. 5, was known as an advocate, an activist, an avid fan of the Houston Texans and was a former tennis player in high school. We celebrate her life, share tributes from friends, and bring you selected clips from our talk with Monica herself in November 2019. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We speak with Monica Roberts, AKA the TransGriot (Gree-oh) is a native Houstonian, GLAAD award winning blogger, writer, and award winning trans human rights advocate. She's the founding editor of TransGriot, and her writing has appeared at the Bilerico Project, Ebony.com, The Huffington Post and the Advocate. She works to foster understanding and acceptance of trans people inside and outside communities of color. Among her many honors are the Virginia Prince Transgender Pioneer Award, the Robert Coles Call of Service Award. the Barbara Jordan Breaking Barriers Award, and the 2020 Susan J Hyde Award for Longevity In The Movement.

In recent weeks numerous transgender women of color have lost their lives.  Who is watching, and fighting for them? We are. Today we talk about how Black Transgender Women and the horrors they face can be elevated in our public discourse.  We welcome special guest Monica Roberts back to our discussion! Monica Roberts, AKA the TransGriot (Gree-oh) is a native Houstonian, GLAAD award winning blogger, writer, and award winning trans human rights advocate. She's the founding editor of TransGriot, and her writing has appeared at the Bilerico Project, Ebony.com, The Huffington Post and the Advocate. She works to foster understanding and acceptance of trans people inside and outside communities of color. Among her many honors are the Virginia Prince Transgender Pioneer Award, the Robert Coles Call of Service Award. the Barbara Jordan Breaking Barriers Award, and the 2020 Susan J Hyde Award for Longevity In The Movement. With co-host Brody Levesque  

In recent weeks numerous transgender women of color have lost their lives.  Who is watching, and fighting for them? We are. Today we talk about how Black Transgender Women and the horrors they face can be elevated in our public discourse.  We welcome special guest Monica Roberts back to our discussion! Monica Roberts, AKA the TransGriot (Gree-oh) is a native Houstonian, GLAAD award winning blogger, writer, and award winning trans human rights advocate. She's the founding editor of TransGriot, and her writing has appeared at the Bilerico Project, Ebony.com, The Huffington Post and the Advocate. She works to foster understanding and acceptance of trans people inside and outside communities of color. Among her many honors are the Virginia Prince Transgender Pioneer Award, the Robert Coles Call of Service Award. the Barbara Jordan Breaking Barriers Award, and the 2020 Susan J Hyde Award for Longevity In The Movement. With co-host Brody Levesque  

Trans activist Monica Roberts who is being honored at the 32nd Creating Change Conference presented by the National LGBTQ Task Force that takes place at the Sheraton Dallas in Dallas, Texas January 15th through January 19th, 2020 talks with Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™. Roberts is a longtime award-winning human rights advocate. She has been advocating for the human rights of transgender people for over 20 years with a focus on the issues affecting Black trans people and will be receiving the Susan J. Hyde Award for Longevity in the Movement sponsored by Wild Geese Foundation. This year special focus will address issues facing trans women of color, the work being done to address anti-trans violence and systemic discrimination and moving the movement forward in our work for freedom, justice and liberation. The theme of this year’s Creating Change Conference is “Love, Learning & Liberation” and Rea Carey Task Force Executive Director and Kierra Johnson Deputy Executive Director will host the annual State of the Movement plenary. Though our LGBTQ community and families continue to be under attack by the current administration we know our community is strong, resilient, creative and determined. Since 1988 Creating Change has created networking opportunities and inspiration for thousands of committed people to develop and hone their activist skills. The Creating Change Conference is the foremost political leadership and skills-building conference for the LGBTQ social justice movement. Over 4,000 people from all over the country will attend this five-day program that features over 300 workshops, training sessions, meetings and events. We talked to Monica about what she hopes to accomplish at this year’s Creating Change Conference and her spin on our LGBTQ issues. Monica Roberts a native of Houston, Texas is the founding editor of the award-winning TransGriot blog. Her writing has appeared at Ebony.com, the Advocate, Black Girl Dangerous and in the 'Unapologetically Trans' monthly column in Houston's OutSmart magazine. Some of the honors that Monica has received are the GLAAD Media Award, the Robert Coles Call of Service Award from Harvard University's Phillips Brooks House Association, the Virginia Prince Transgender Pioneer Award, the Barbara Jordan Breaking Barriers Award from the Harris County Democratic Party, the IFGE Trinity Award and named to the 2019 OUT100. The National LGBTQ Task Force advances full freedom, justice and equality for LGBTQ people. They are building a future where everyone can be free to be their entire selves in every aspect of their lives.For More Info & Tix: creatingchange.org LISTEN: 500+ LGBTQ Chats @OUTTAKE VOICES

Dawn Ennis and Karleigh Chardonnay Webb talk with award-winning TransGriot blogger and longtime transgender advocate Monica Roberts of Houston, Texas. We discuss TDoR, the custody court battle involving a trans girl in Dallas, the political potential that Texas could turn blue, the Rasmussen poll on trans athlete inclusion, racism with NCTE, the AFC South first-place Houston Texans and Battlestar Galactica. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us for a memorable program exploring the struggles of African-American transgender women, who are the most frequent victims of anti-trans violence. Toni Newman is the executive director of St. James Infirmary in San Francisco. St. James is a peer-based occupational health and safety clinic, offering free, compassionate and nonjudgmental health care and social services for former and current sex industry workers. With the many challenges facing the aforementioned—including but not limited to political climate, homelessness, violence and the overwhelming intricacies of the legal, public and social systems—St. James Infirmary offers an independent alternative, providing individuals with culturally competent and nonjudgmental services. Monica Roberts is the founding editor of the award-winning TransGriot blog and is an award-winning human rights advocate. She is a sought-after collegiate and conference speaker who has been advocating for the human rights of transgender people for more than 20 years, with a focus on the issues affecting black trans people. Her writing has appeared at Ebony.com, The Advocate, Black Girl Dangerous and OutSmart magazine. Roberts has also received the 2018 GLAAD Media Award, the Robert Coles “Call of Service” award from Harvard University's Phillips Brooks House Association, the Virginia Prince Transgender Pioneer Award and the Barbara Jordan breaking barriers award from the Harris County Democratic Party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Monica Roberts is an African-American blogger, writer, and transgender rights advocate. She is the founding editor of TransGriot, a blog focusing on issues pertaining to transgender women of color. Monica shares just a small part of her story with the What's Your Story podcast listeners.

Monica Roberts is an African-American blogger, writer, and transgender rights advocate. She is the founding editor of TransGriot, a blog focusing on issues pertaining to transgender women of color, for which she won the GLAAD Media award as well as being an award winning human rights advocate. She is a sought after collegiate and conference speaker who has been advocating for the human rights of transgender people for 20 years, with a emphasis on the issues affecting Black trans people.here and across the African Diaspora Her writing has appeared at Ebony.com, the Advocate, Black Girl Dangerous, and OutSmart magazine.   We talk to her tonight about the current political and cultural climate and issues of the day! Featuring co-host, journalist, Brody Levesque.

Monica Roberts is an African-American blogger, writer, and transgender rights advocate. She is the founding editor of TransGriot, a blog focusing on issues pertaining to transgender women of color, for which she won the GLAAD Media award as well as being an award winning human rights advocate. She is a sought after collegiate and conference speaker who has been advocating for the human rights of transgender people for 20 years, with a emphasis on the issues affecting Black trans people.here and across the African Diaspora Her writing has appeared at Ebony.com, the Advocate, Black Girl Dangerous, and OutSmart magazine.   We talk to her tonight about the current political and cultural climate and issues of the day! Featuring co-host, journalist, Brody Levesque.

On Today’s Menu on Marsha’s Plate Today we are joins by the lovely activist extraordinaire Monica Roberts. We discuss her blog, politics, disconnect with the elder and the youth in the community, trans history and who Monica is fucking lol ..Tune in Accountability is an ongoing process and allyship has to be renewed everyday through actions and support Monica Roberts https://transgriot.blogspot.com/ TransFaith Bobbie Jean Baker Award Application https://www.transfaith.info/bobbie-jean-baker-memorial-award DONATE HERE https://www.patreon.com/MarshasPlate https://cash.me/$DiamondStylz https://www.paypal.me/DiamondStylz OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA https://www.facebook.com/MarshasPlate/ https://www.Instagram.com/MarshasPlate/ https://www.twitter.com/MarshasPlate/

This is a conversation with Houston,Texas based educator and LGBTQ advocate Jacqueline Taylor. We discuss the ways in which discrimination, stereotypes and poverty affects the LGTBQ community. (Note: This was recorded before the current revelations on the Jussie Smollett case) Show Notes Gamma Rho Lambda Sorority (http://gammarholambda.org/) Gaycation show (https://www.viceland.com/en_us/show/gaycation) Houston's HERO ordinance (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/11/03/why-houstons-gay-rights-ordinance-failed-bathrooms/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.3a397f5c662f) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_Houston,_Texas_Proposition_1) Transgender Day of Remembrance (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transgender_Day_of_Remembrance) Yves (https://www.instagram.com/the_yvesdropper/) Houston shooting (https://abc13.com/5105101/) Paris Is Burning documentary (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Is_Burning_(film)) Jussie Smollett controversy (https://www.vox.com/2019/2/17/18228444/jussie-smollett-attack-hate-crime-arrest-hoax-empire) Houston's Drag Queen Storytime (https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Judge-rejects-conservative-Christian-group-s-13334135.php?fbclid=IwAR1XSda1gHmhUnmZmLKWSkZ0HoWnA7u_d0JVSjDLM6ktcSQ3apS_ZRLgzyA) Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie controversy (https://www.vox.com/identities/2017/3/15/14910900/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie-transgender-women-comments-apology) We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22738563-we-should-all-be-feminists) Womanism (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Womanism) Montrose Grace Place (https://www.montrosegraceplace.org/) The Trevor Project (https://www.thetrevorproject.org/) TransGriot (https://transgriot.blogspot.com/) TransHouston (https://www.transhouston.com/) Latina Trans Texas (https://www.latinatranstexas.org/) Montrose Center (https://montrosecenter.org/) Human Rights Campaign Transgender Information (https://www.hrc.org/resources/understanding-the-transgender-community) Transgender Population Size (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5227946/) The Gender Book (http://www.thegenderbook.com/the-book/4553374748) Kate Bornstein (https://www.amazon.com/Kate-Bornstein/e/B000APD3H2%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share)

Nikeeta and Money are live in Syracuse w/ @diamondstylz Contribute to QueerWOC: https://www.paypal.me/QueerWOC Become a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/queerwocpod Use the hashtag #QueerWOC Send us an email or submit your Curved Chronicles: QueerWOCpod@gmail.com 5:34 QueerWOC of the Week LoriKim Alexander & Rahzie Seals, Co-Directors of Black Cuse Pride, a Syracuse based organization that seeks to build community with, amongst, and for Queer and Trans People of Color in Central New York. Follow them on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/pg/BlackCusePride/about/?ref=page_internal 13:06 Community Contributors Qolor Collective, Jorge Castillo, LGBT Resource Center at Syracuse University New Patron: Deb 17:57 Mental Moment with Money How to W.I.N this Winter! W - Weighted Blanket I - Indoor activities that get you moving N - Network and socialize Plan for people to have when you're not at 100 or feeling alone 29:56 Word Gay Liberation Front A long read that lays out different historic splits and tendencies within movement for Queer Liberation. Benjamin Shepherd “The Queer/Gay Assimilationist Split” https://monthlyreview.org/2001/05/01/the-queergay-assimilationist-split/ Leslie Feinberg Interview with Sylvia Rivera- https://www.workers.org/ww/1998/sylvia0702.php 56:01 Topic - Interview with the illustrious @DiamondStylz about Black Queer and Trans experiences with education. Diamond’s IG/Twitter: @Diamodstylz Marsha’s Plate IG/Twitter: @MarshasPlate Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/MarshasPlate Here are links to the people, orgs, etc. that Diamond mentions in the interview: Transfaith http://www.transfaithonline.org/ - Organization that connects transgender and gender non-conforming people of different faith traditions. Black Trans Advocacy Conference https://www.blacktrans.org / - Org that works specifically to address inequalities and disenfranchisement faced by Black trans people. Solider’s Girl https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0324013/ - Movie from 2003 that depicts the relationship and real life story of Calpernia Addams and Barry Winchell. Winchell, a US soldier is killed by a fellow soldier after they find out that Winchell is dating Addams, a transwomen. Reina Gossett Happy Birthday Marsha http://www.happybirthdaymarsha.com/ Film by Reina Gossett and Sasha Wortzel documenting life of black trans ancestor, and catalyst for Stonewall Rebellion, Marsha P. Johnson. Lala Zanell (@LaLaZannell) Black transwoman and lead organizer of the NYC Chapter of National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs. Charlene Acila https://www.mazzonicenter.org/trans-wellness/charlene - Founder of the Philadelphia Trans Health Conference and an overall visionary, activist, educator, and advocate within the transgender, faith, recovery, and HIV/AIDS communities. TransGriot https://transgriot.blogspot.com/ - Blog (and treasure trove of knowledge) from Monica Roberts, an activist and writer who focuses on issues affecting trans women of color. Miss Major https://www.gofundme.com/MsMajorRetirement - Donate to the retirement fund of long time fighter for transgender rights and liberation, Miss Major! 1:32:00 Curved Chronicles Follow Money| IG/Twitter @MelanatedMoney Follow Nikeeta| IG/Twitter @AfroBlazingGuns

On the radio show this week we cover turning rage into action, powering up to go vote on (or before) November 6th, and why it’s critically important to stand up for transgender rights right now.    *Special guests include: Soraya Chemaly, author of Rage Becomes Her; Ruth Martin, @MomsRising; Beth Messersmith, Voting in NC, Monica Roberts, @TransGriot.   featuring music from bensound.com

Amid the flooding and devastation of Hurricane Harvey Monica Roberts talks about her city, Comic Con, Doubt, history and her passion in eliminate transphobia.  A force of nature in her own right, Monica is a trailblazing leader in the transgender community leader. She works diligently at educating and encouraging acceptance of trans people inside and outside the larger African-American community. Monica is an award winning blogger, history buff, thinker, lecturer and passionate advocate on trans issues. She seeks to not only end the erasure of African-American trans voices from a movement they played significant roles in starting, but get African-American transpeople and other voices of color more involved in empowering themselves. Her activism focus is educating the TBLGQ community and allies about our issues and concerns in addition to shedding light about the struggles of GLBTQ people across the African Diaspora. Her writings about transgender issues from a Black perspective have appeared at Ebony.com, Loop21.com, Transadvocate, Racialicious, Feministe, Global Comment, The Bilerico Project, What Tami Said and Womanist Musings. What's the T? From fighting transphobic legislation, to speaking for transgender rights across the country to Comic Con, Monica will tell you! 

Monica Roberts, AKA the TransGriot (Gree-oh) is a native Houstonian, GLAAD award nominated blogger, writer, and award winning trans human rights advocate. She's the founding editor of TransGriot, and her writing has appeared at the Bilerico Project, Ebony.com, The Huffington Post and the Advocate. She works to foster understanding and acceptance of trans people inside and outside communities of color and was recently honored with the Virginia Prince Transgender Pioneer Award.  

“I just tested positive for syphilis.” That's the text message Andrew Gurza received from a recent partner, and like any responsible queer man, he knew what to do — if not exactly how to do it. Andrew wasn't sure if the local clinic would be able to accommodate the wheelchair he uses. "STI and STD clinics are kind of crammed in these really small areas where somebody with a big power chair like mine can't go," he says. He would also need people or equipment to lift him out of his chair and help him disrobe (unlike some other STDs, like HIV, the test for syphilis involves more than just drawing blood). He thought the hospital might be his best bet. "I think they were just surprised that I had come into an ER and not to a clinic that was for STI testing," he says. A doctor initially tried to persuade Andrew that he didn't need the test, but he insisted and the test was eventually administered. The whole long process (including an hour-long bus ride each way) made him realize that something needs to change in order for people with disabilities to more easily access sexual health resources. Andrew Gurza joins us this week to talk about an article he wrote on the subject for Out.com. He's also the co-founder of Deliciously Disabled Consulting and the host of the Deliciously Disabled podcast. He says gay culture, with its focus on aesthetics, is not always kind to those with different bodies. Potential partners often seem to see his disability and assume he isn't sexual at all. "All guys can ask me in the club or online or on Grindr is, 'Uh, can you have an erection? Can you have sex?'" he says. "Why can't you ask me something more nuanced and sexier than that?" We spoke with Andrew about the intersection of disability, queerness, and sexuality, and why our thinking about these things should matter, even to folks without disabilities. "In ten, twenty, thirty years, you might need some help too, and you might need a cane or a walker, and you might need some sort of assistive device," he says. "And when you do, wouldn't you want somebody to still find you sexy?" In our Juicy Fruit segment this week, we talk about a Maryland theater's plan to stage a production based on the life of Paris Is Burning star Dorian Corey. And we pay our respects to Mercedes Successful, the 12th (known) transgender person to be killed in 2016. As our Auntie Monica Roberts at TransGriot reports, the 32-year-old drag and pageant performer was found murdered in Haines City, Florida, and local media misgendered her in their coverage of the crime.

February is supposed to be the month of love and romance. The year is 2015 and in January and February the lives of Trans Woman have not matter because 6 have already been killed. There is no national or local uproar for justice for the families, friends or the victims. There are no marches scheduled through social media with expecting crowds of 1000 or more expressing outrage. There are however organizations that are raising theirs voices and hoping you join them as this is a trend that MUST STOP NOW. Joining co-host Ina, Michelle and Terry Wednesday night, February 25th will be Monica Roberts, aka the TransGriot, is a native Houstonian and a trailblazing award winning trans community leader. She has lobbied since 1998 for trans human rights protections at the federal, state and local levels in Kentucky and Texas.  January 2006 she founded the award winning blog TransGriot. We will talk about why the deaths of 6 transgender women have had little mainstream media attention, no community leadership out cry, nothing. New Orleans LGBT youth of color activist group, The BreakOUT stated in the Feb 10th news story, "The silence and lack of action from media on behalf of the Black transgender community sends a strong message that Black Trans Lives, in fact, do not matter."  At last count 5 black transgender women and 1 Latina transgender woman have lost their lives. Where are the black and latina leaders that scream when a black or latina man or woman are killed for no reason? When does a human life not matter and who determines that?

When you think about the current state of trans activism, the name Janet Mock is probably at the top of your mind. But there was a time when Mock was living a relatively low-profile life, working as a journalist outside the spotlight… until a friend recommended her for a profile in Marie Claire magazine. The article’s publication changed the course of her work, and life—lucky for all of us. "I didn't plan the role model part of it or the advocate part of it," she explains. "I think that all just kind of started. I realized after the piece came out that there was such a hunger to hear more about young trans women of color experiences. I think my writing just kind of went there because I think there was a need to hear more about that and I think there was also a need within myself to share more about parts of myself that I'd kept silent for so long." Janet's still a writer, but now she's also an activist - and one of the most recognizable faces in trans advocacy. In many ways, she's become the role model she herself didn't have while growing up. "People often say that I'm a role model," she says. "I feel like I'm a real model. Like, there's a real model of how you can do it. I'm existing. I'm out in the world. I'm still discovering who I am. I'm not playing a role. I'm being real. This is my life." In her book, Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More, she tells her story and shares some of what she's learned along the way. On this week's show, we talk to Janet about her work, her life, and the wisdom she hopes to impart on today's trans girls of color. "The biggest lesson that I've ever learned in my life is to just truly fight for who you are, and not let anyone - not even your own body - tell you that you can't do something that you know you're supposed to be doing." When we asked Janet who some of her own role models are, she name checked TransGriot blogger Monica Roberts. Monica is a long-time friend and auntie to the show, so we thought we’d close this episode with some words of wisdom from her, recorded when she was in town last summer.

You know her from her groundbreaking work as the TransGriot, and a frequent commentator on Strange Fruit. We know her as our Auntie Monica! Award-winning blogger Monica Roberts stopped by the Strange Fruit Studios on a recent visit to Louisville, and we checked in with her about the state of trans human rights. While Monica's blog covers a little bit of everything—"sports, feminism, human rights, whatever I feel like talking about," she says—the overarching focus is the lives of transgender women of color. Why a trans women of color blog rather than a general trans women blog? "Trans people of color experience a transition much differently from our white counterparts," Monica explains. "We are impacted negatively by racism that we deal with in our parent society, and even in the LGBT ranks." Even within the transfeminine community, there are challenges unique to different segments of the population. "The issues that I face as a trans woman of African descent, and the issues that a trans woman of Latina descent faces are two different issues," she says. "I don't have to deal with, like a Latina woman does, being jacked up on the street for immigration issues. But both of us do have to deal with stop and frisk." We also take you along as we visit an after-school spoken word poetry workshop, where high school students—largely LGBTQ and African American—work through tricky subjects like oppression and identity, through their writing. And in our Juicy Fruit segment, we get an update on Michael Sam, released by the Rams, picked up by the Cowboys' practice squad, and obsessed over by ESPN when it comes to showering with the team. We also talk about a conservative commentator who thinks gay people should pay more for life insurance, and learn about Dr. Story's first book, "Patricia Hill Collins: Reconceiving Motherhood."

Creating a change in you is not an easy task, Bringing an entire community together to Create Change in hard work from dedicated people who are living and breathing change for the masses. Joining CWT4R Wednesday Night will be Monica Roberts the TransGriot and Founding Editor Transgriot. Join Ina, Michelle, and Terry Boi as we talk about Creating Change and learn a little more about what we will be experiencing in 10 more days. Monica is a writer, blogger, history buff, and lecturer on transgender issues.  Monica’s an advocate with a special emphasis on not only getting African-American transpeople and other voices of color more involved in empowering themselves, educating the GLBT community about our issues, but also shedding light about the struggles of GLBT people in Africa, Jamaica and across the Diaspora.  Monica transitioned in 1994 and works diligently at educating and encouraging acceptance of transgender people in the larger African-American community as well. Monica is a vital part of planning this year’s Creating Change. There are many surprises that await the conference goers. If you listed to last weeks’ show she gave you a little pre-view of what will be going on at the conference. The National Gay and Lesbian task Force has organized and networked to bring Creating Change to Houston, Texas. The conference will be held for 5 days with approximately over 350 workshops, various training sessions, plenary sessions and other opportunities to network, (please see the Creating Change website conference information). Based on the Creating Change website it is expected to be over 3500 to be in attendance. 

After the LGBT news, Sandra Meade will interview special guest Monica Roberts, an award winning trans community leader that has lobbied since 1998 for trans human rights protections at the […] The post TransTalk – with Monica Roberts (TransGriot) and Justin Shaw (KCAVP) appeared first on KKFI.

Writer, activist and blogger Monica Roberts joins Becky from Houston, Texas and you know Presidential hopeful Rick Perry gets a close look, but that's just the beginning! It's a stimulating show with Monica's perspective as an African-American transwoman, Becky's rants, music, news and your community in your ears. Join us! TransGriot: http://transgriot.blogspot.com