Black Trans Advocacy, an organization that focuses on the inequities faced by black transgender people, is holding its sixth annual conference in Dallas, Texas from April 24 to 30. Founded by Carter and Espy Brown, Black Trans Advocacy is the only national organization for black transgender men and women. The agency is headquartered in Dallas.…
Texas Gov. Abbott Signals Support for “Bathroom Bill” from Texas House
By Patrick Svitek, The Texas Tribune April 18, 2017 Gov. Greg Abbott is signaling support for House legislation that some hope will serve as an alternative to the Senate’s “bathroom bill.” In a statement Tuesday, Abbott called the House alternative developed by state Rep. Ron Simmons, R-Carrollton, a “thoughtful proposal.” The revised version of Simmons’…
Texas Lawmakers Drop Anti-Trans Amendment in Exchange for Defunding Planned Parenthood
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. In the wee hours of last Friday morning, Texas House representatives decided it was finally time to vote on a state budget. But even after 15 hours of negotiations (and drama) on the House floor, there was still a long list of bill amendments they had yet to…
ICE Detains Trans Woman Seeking Domestic Abuse Protection in El Paso
An undocumented transgender woman, who had just received a protective order against a boyfriend who she alleges was abusing her, was detained on February 9 at the El Paso County Courthouse by six Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. The woman, who is a citizen of Mexico, was arrested after federal immigration agents got a tip…
Mayoral Candidates at Town Hall Questioned About Anti-Trans Bill
Three mayoral candidates attending a town hall sponsored by the Rivard Report on February 7 at the Pearl Stable were asked to comment on Senate Bill 6, the anti-trans bathroom bill under consideration by the Texas Legislature. SB6 bars transgender people from using the bathroom that matches their gender identity and would prohibit local ordinances…
Straus Warns of Economic Consequences if Bathroom Bill Passes
Addressing the Texas Association of Business conference on January 18, Texas House Speaker Joe Straus said lawmakers should consider the economic consequences to the state if a proposed bathroom bill (SB6) is passed by the legislature. “There’s been a lot of work put into our state’s economic success. We want to continue that success, and…
Trans Prisoner Granted Parole After Years of Violent Abuse
Originally published in the San Antonio Current Passion Star, formally known as Joshua Zollicoffer, has filed more than 30 grievances for the chronic sexual and physical abuse she’s endured as a transgender women within the Texas prison system. For her past 14 years behind bars, Star’s grievances have largely been ignored by prison officials. Only…
Trans Woman Released on Parole from Texas Men’s Prison
A transgender woman named Passion Star was granted parole on December 6 after serving 14 years of a 20 year sentence at all-male detention facilities, most recently at the Telford State Prison in Bowie County, Texas. “Passion’s experience in custody has been punctuated by acts of interpersonal and institutional violence,” Demoya Gordon, an attorney with…
Preparing Our Community for the Trump Years
By Justin P. Nichols, Guest Contributor This election didn’t end the way many people wanted, and even more didn’t expect. I’m not one to scream “the sky is falling,” but for the LGBT community, particularly the trans community, I’m saddened to predict cloudy skies with a strong chance of thunderstorms come 2017. We don’t know…
Trans Panic: Coping with a Trump Presidency and the Shifting Political Climate
Originally published in the San Antonio Current The first thing I did when I woke up this morning was check the results of the presidential election on my phone. I had fallen asleep fairly early, before all was decided, because the way the race was leaning was making me far too anxious. Despite the efforts…