Believe him
My favorite writer is novelist and poet Maya Angelou and in one of her writings she once said that when a person tells you who they are you should believed them.
I say that to say that people are acting surprised by the actions that Donald Chump is taking in the first two weeks of his presidency. The reality is he is doing EXACTLY what he said he was gonna do. As usual, the voting public did not consider the implications of their actions when they elected this asswipe. A long time ago, I was having a conversation with a couple of hispanic men who were complaining about police treatment. I said to them that they are about to find out what it's been like to be Black in America.
At the time I made that statement I didn't know how prophetic those words would turn out to be but I do have an understanding that words have power and the words spewed out of the racist misogynist hatemonger pretending to be president were so powerful that they got him elected as leader of the free wold (as we like to call it). But those same words are now the concern of the world's political community. You see, it's on thing to talk tough, it's another thing entirely to be tough.
For the sake of clarity and perspective I'll put it to you this way. If you are a regular reader, you know I am an AfricanAmerican transwoman. My entire life internally I have always identified a s a woman but I have not always shown it. I'm 53 years old. I'm not from the time when at 6 years old you could come out to your family and it would be cool and someone does and exposé on the topic so there had to be a certain amount of inner toughness to live inside your own soul while outwardly denying who you really are. Conversely, when people found out who (or what) you are you had to deal with two responses: fight or flight. I chose to fight and I mean that in a literal sense.
In those days I talked tough and I was tough and very violent. Growing up in Brooklyn, you often had to be able to fight just to be able to use the schoolyard basketball court so even now at 53 my skill at basketball should be considered evidence at my skill growing up and my ability to ALWAYS be able to use my neighbourhood court. In short, I can talk shit and back it up. As an inmate in a wide array of systems, I've always be at the top of the food chain, never been anyone's bitch but always the baddest bitch on the block. "Toughness" to walk this type of path, my path, there has to be a certain amount of respect and fear.
Donald Chump does not elicit any of either of those qualities from those who would call the U.S. and enemy. Our allies are fearful; fearful that they will be dragged into unnecessary conflicts because the person they rely on on the lead intelligently cannot do so because of thin skin and massive amounts of hubris.
Our adversaries view us as weak under the new leadership and have expressed that view in both words and actions. The current situation with Iran is an example of that disrespect. Next will be his "friend" Putin stabbing him, not in the back, but right in this chest, while he looks in his eyes and taunts him to "die, comrade". And this weakling saying that nothing is off the table militarily is or should be a clear indication that troops in Iran is forthcoming. This from an asswipe who has never had the honor fo combat among brothers because he hid behind deferments, fuck you, you fuckin sissy.
Now this prick is banning people from what he says are predominately Muslim countries. There are 1. 5. billion Muslims in the world and it is stupid and inflammatory to suggest that coming from any country with large Muslim populations are more likely to be terrorists or harbor terrorists than anyplace else in the world. Furthermore to say that only Christians can have unlimited and unencumbered access to the country is stupidity at it's greatest height.
Please let me remind you that it was the Christians who started the Crusades, hell, it was Christians who killed off Jacques de Molay and the Knights Templar, which by the way is where Friday the 13th actually comes from. The Klu Klux Klan are responsible for hundreds of lynchings, home burnings and the brutal burning of the people, as well as the brutal murders of Emmett Till, Civil Rights workers Goodman Schwerner and Chaney not to mention Medgar Evers and a host of others, all sat in churches, all throughout the south with their wives and children and proclaimed their Christiandom so to place "Christians" at the forefront of all this as being Christian somehow make you morally superior is an affront to the religions of the world and the moral compass of people specifically.
But again, I will remind you that Donald J. Chump told you who he is for 18 months before all of this and you elected him anyway. Now you're surprised at what he is doing. Hahahahah, screw you, buddy. Deal with it. Maybe the next time someone tells you who they are, you'll believe him.
Fatima Speaks.
I say that to say that people are acting surprised by the actions that Donald Chump is taking in the first two weeks of his presidency. The reality is he is doing EXACTLY what he said he was gonna do. As usual, the voting public did not consider the implications of their actions when they elected this asswipe. A long time ago, I was having a conversation with a couple of hispanic men who were complaining about police treatment. I said to them that they are about to find out what it's been like to be Black in America.
At the time I made that statement I didn't know how prophetic those words would turn out to be but I do have an understanding that words have power and the words spewed out of the racist misogynist hatemonger pretending to be president were so powerful that they got him elected as leader of the free wold (as we like to call it). But those same words are now the concern of the world's political community. You see, it's on thing to talk tough, it's another thing entirely to be tough.
For the sake of clarity and perspective I'll put it to you this way. If you are a regular reader, you know I am an AfricanAmerican transwoman. My entire life internally I have always identified a s a woman but I have not always shown it. I'm 53 years old. I'm not from the time when at 6 years old you could come out to your family and it would be cool and someone does and exposé on the topic so there had to be a certain amount of inner toughness to live inside your own soul while outwardly denying who you really are. Conversely, when people found out who (or what) you are you had to deal with two responses: fight or flight. I chose to fight and I mean that in a literal sense.
In those days I talked tough and I was tough and very violent. Growing up in Brooklyn, you often had to be able to fight just to be able to use the schoolyard basketball court so even now at 53 my skill at basketball should be considered evidence at my skill growing up and my ability to ALWAYS be able to use my neighbourhood court. In short, I can talk shit and back it up. As an inmate in a wide array of systems, I've always be at the top of the food chain, never been anyone's bitch but always the baddest bitch on the block. "Toughness" to walk this type of path, my path, there has to be a certain amount of respect and fear.
Donald Chump does not elicit any of either of those qualities from those who would call the U.S. and enemy. Our allies are fearful; fearful that they will be dragged into unnecessary conflicts because the person they rely on on the lead intelligently cannot do so because of thin skin and massive amounts of hubris.
Our adversaries view us as weak under the new leadership and have expressed that view in both words and actions. The current situation with Iran is an example of that disrespect. Next will be his "friend" Putin stabbing him, not in the back, but right in this chest, while he looks in his eyes and taunts him to "die, comrade". And this weakling saying that nothing is off the table militarily is or should be a clear indication that troops in Iran is forthcoming. This from an asswipe who has never had the honor fo combat among brothers because he hid behind deferments, fuck you, you fuckin sissy.
Now this prick is banning people from what he says are predominately Muslim countries. There are 1. 5. billion Muslims in the world and it is stupid and inflammatory to suggest that coming from any country with large Muslim populations are more likely to be terrorists or harbor terrorists than anyplace else in the world. Furthermore to say that only Christians can have unlimited and unencumbered access to the country is stupidity at it's greatest height.
Please let me remind you that it was the Christians who started the Crusades, hell, it was Christians who killed off Jacques de Molay and the Knights Templar, which by the way is where Friday the 13th actually comes from. The Klu Klux Klan are responsible for hundreds of lynchings, home burnings and the brutal burning of the people, as well as the brutal murders of Emmett Till, Civil Rights workers Goodman Schwerner and Chaney not to mention Medgar Evers and a host of others, all sat in churches, all throughout the south with their wives and children and proclaimed their Christiandom so to place "Christians" at the forefront of all this as being Christian somehow make you morally superior is an affront to the religions of the world and the moral compass of people specifically.
But again, I will remind you that Donald J. Chump told you who he is for 18 months before all of this and you elected him anyway. Now you're surprised at what he is doing. Hahahahah, screw you, buddy. Deal with it. Maybe the next time someone tells you who they are, you'll believe him.
Fatima Speaks.
The evolution of Dap
We generally associate giving DAP with just a simple handshake that we continue to embellish in order to look cool however the origins of this go far deeper than that so I will attempt to explain this origin as best I can so you have an understanding as to why things like this develop and why it is important to the African American community.
The word DAP is actually an acronym for Dignity And Pride. During the war in Vietnam, a great many of the draftees were African American and this was also during the period of the civil rights movements and the Black Power structures being established. Black soldiers wanted each other to know that they (we) are all together out in this hell so handshakes were developed to create a singular unity among the Black troops. Each part of the handshake means something different. Five on the back hand side meant to slap the backs of your hands together. The back hand side of your hand meant there is Black unity here. The clasping of your hands together meant there is strength here. This is also reminiscent of the grip of the lion's paw, offered by Free Masons upon greeting. Don't ask me how I know that, I won't tell you. Just know that I know. The clapping of hands on the back in the hugging embrace means I gotch back.
Over the years these handshakes have developed their own personality due to different neighbourhoods wanting to have their own uniqueness and originality. They can also denote what neighbourhood you come from which in many cases can be the deciding factor in your survival at times but handshakes are a part of Black culture for the purpose of saying I belong and are reciprocated as a way to say you are accepted. Black fraternities are lifelong commitments. Your membership in a Black fraternity or sorority does not end when you graduate so handshakes and call and answer sounds are integral to Black communication. These things say I know you, I support you and I respect you and in many cases the person who first offers the handshake or DAP may be the one who decides your position in the tribe. So when you see the DAP happening be aware that there is far more to it than just a cool ass handshake. There is a multitude of things being said as well.
Fatima Speaks
Marry Me Laverne.
Coming next: The history of ebonics.....
Words have power. Use them wisely.....
The word DAP is actually an acronym for Dignity And Pride. During the war in Vietnam, a great many of the draftees were African American and this was also during the period of the civil rights movements and the Black Power structures being established. Black soldiers wanted each other to know that they (we) are all together out in this hell so handshakes were developed to create a singular unity among the Black troops. Each part of the handshake means something different. Five on the back hand side meant to slap the backs of your hands together. The back hand side of your hand meant there is Black unity here. The clasping of your hands together meant there is strength here. This is also reminiscent of the grip of the lion's paw, offered by Free Masons upon greeting. Don't ask me how I know that, I won't tell you. Just know that I know. The clapping of hands on the back in the hugging embrace means I gotch back.
Over the years these handshakes have developed their own personality due to different neighbourhoods wanting to have their own uniqueness and originality. They can also denote what neighbourhood you come from which in many cases can be the deciding factor in your survival at times but handshakes are a part of Black culture for the purpose of saying I belong and are reciprocated as a way to say you are accepted. Black fraternities are lifelong commitments. Your membership in a Black fraternity or sorority does not end when you graduate so handshakes and call and answer sounds are integral to Black communication. These things say I know you, I support you and I respect you and in many cases the person who first offers the handshake or DAP may be the one who decides your position in the tribe. So when you see the DAP happening be aware that there is far more to it than just a cool ass handshake. There is a multitude of things being said as well.
Fatima Speaks
Marry Me Laverne.
Coming next: The history of ebonics.....
Words have power. Use them wisely.....
proxima B
Apparently, scientists have found a planet close by (several million light years) that is similar to earth in many ways. They've named it Proxima B. So I'm ready to get on the Starship Enterprise and make a move off this sorry ass rock. Wouldn't it be great to be able to have the chance to start over on a universal scale, to create a place where there exists NONE of the problems we are dealing with on the earth we currently live on. I'll address this at a later date, but man, would that be great to do.
education
Big ups to Sean Diddy Combs, Bad boy extraordinaire. Home boy is from Harlem (New York) and just recently, he opened a charter school in New York to educate our youth. I say this a lot, but it bears repeating, the key to being a great nation is education.
Mylan Drug Dealers
Mylan Pharmaceuticals, the makers of Epipens that save the lives that suffer extreme allergic reactions increased the cost of the Epipen to a mind boggling $600 while at the same time increasing the salary of the CEO to a whopping 19 million dollars. So my question is: Are they fucking crazy? Why the hell do these drug makers feel like they can gouge out the pockets of the people that need these drugs to survive? Look at the idiot that raised the price of the HIV drug and thought it was a joke then had the audacity to do shit like mock the Wu Tang Clan when he bought their classic one off CD. his ass wipe walked around postering with a bunch of fake gansters like he was some kind of tough guy. Now feel me on this. As you all know, I am a transwoman but make no mistake, I am originally from Brooklyn and I rep Brooklyn hard, no matter where I might be living at the time and also before and even during my transition to womanhood, I was, and always will be a bigger gangster than him or any of the fake thugs he ran around with and giving the opportunity I'd beat the crap out of all of them just for a light workout.
My point in all of this is that something really needs to be done about the healthcare pharmaceutical system in the United States. We should not be worrying about paying outlandish prices for life saving medicine. As it turns out, the generic version of the Epipen is far less expensive but even that one is rather costly. The hundred dollar cost of the original pen should be the perpetual price. Unfortunately, people cannot boycott the use of the pen because it's needed as opposed to just wanted but we can boycott the companies that make all the medical products that keep rising in price.
The downside to that is that the generic stuff more often than not is produced outside the country, which drives companies out of the U.S. and increases unemployment or (which is often the case) the companies we boycott set up out of the country subsidiaries and still make money off unsuspecting Americans. Nationalized healthcare is the answer but as long as American insurance companies and drug makers along with greedy medical professionals run the industry, we are stuck with what we have.
My point in all of this is that something really needs to be done about the healthcare pharmaceutical system in the United States. We should not be worrying about paying outlandish prices for life saving medicine. As it turns out, the generic version of the Epipen is far less expensive but even that one is rather costly. The hundred dollar cost of the original pen should be the perpetual price. Unfortunately, people cannot boycott the use of the pen because it's needed as opposed to just wanted but we can boycott the companies that make all the medical products that keep rising in price.
The downside to that is that the generic stuff more often than not is produced outside the country, which drives companies out of the U.S. and increases unemployment or (which is often the case) the companies we boycott set up out of the country subsidiaries and still make money off unsuspecting Americans. Nationalized healthcare is the answer but as long as American insurance companies and drug makers along with greedy medical professionals run the industry, we are stuck with what we have.
What the fuck?
It would appear that THE ENTIRE FUCKING WORLD has gone mad. Every time I watch the news it's the same old shit. Some bullshit politrickin is trying once again to be trickin. Bill Cosby has raped another woman, fucked up ass cops have killed another Black man, and Dumb ass Donald Trump has said some more stupid shit and actually thinks he'll be a good president.
Personally I think we need a good Male to Female Transwoman as president. The sister Sandra Bland may have taken her own life after ending up in jail over a bullshit traffic stop and I'm willing to bet this will be the catalyst that keeps jerkoff cop from being culpable in her death.
I pause for a moment to give you a glimpse into a new feature called "THAT BITCH MUST BE CRAZY". In this week's commentary we will talk about the great Susan Smith. She recently said, "I am not the monster people think I am." Now let me remind you she left her kids in a car strapped in the back seat, pushed it into a lake and atched as the oldest of the two boys struggled and pleaded with her to save them before they were drowned. So for her to say what she most recently said has gotta mean that THAT BITCH IS TOTALLY CRAZY.
Now back to my regular bitching and moaning. One our own died recently, Ms. KC Haggard was stabbed to death recently. From the looks of it, she may have survived had someone shown enough human dignity to pick her up and drive her to help, but no one did, and the world lost another wonderful soul.
Be careful out there my sisters. Many people don't mean us good will. If you must work the corner, do it together. Be safe and rely on each other for safety. We have to protect ourselves and each other.
We have a thing called tweet shaming. Cowards online talking shit about people. Who the fuck are you? Oh I know, a COWARD. Don't go online and talk shit to people and then hide your online address or when found out bitch like the BITCH you really are and come up with some bullshit excuse for why you did what you did. Don't hide behind your keyboard. What, are you scared you'll get punched in the face? Well let me tell you I will punch you in the fucking face, trick.
Donald Trump, I WILL PUNCH YOU IN THE FUCKING FACE, nuff said.
Let me finish. Some kid screwed off 100 grand of her college loot and blamed it on her parents -------- WHAT THE FUCK?
Fatima has
Spoken
Personally I think we need a good Male to Female Transwoman as president. The sister Sandra Bland may have taken her own life after ending up in jail over a bullshit traffic stop and I'm willing to bet this will be the catalyst that keeps jerkoff cop from being culpable in her death.
I pause for a moment to give you a glimpse into a new feature called "THAT BITCH MUST BE CRAZY". In this week's commentary we will talk about the great Susan Smith. She recently said, "I am not the monster people think I am." Now let me remind you she left her kids in a car strapped in the back seat, pushed it into a lake and atched as the oldest of the two boys struggled and pleaded with her to save them before they were drowned. So for her to say what she most recently said has gotta mean that THAT BITCH IS TOTALLY CRAZY.
Now back to my regular bitching and moaning. One our own died recently, Ms. KC Haggard was stabbed to death recently. From the looks of it, she may have survived had someone shown enough human dignity to pick her up and drive her to help, but no one did, and the world lost another wonderful soul.
Be careful out there my sisters. Many people don't mean us good will. If you must work the corner, do it together. Be safe and rely on each other for safety. We have to protect ourselves and each other.
We have a thing called tweet shaming. Cowards online talking shit about people. Who the fuck are you? Oh I know, a COWARD. Don't go online and talk shit to people and then hide your online address or when found out bitch like the BITCH you really are and come up with some bullshit excuse for why you did what you did. Don't hide behind your keyboard. What, are you scared you'll get punched in the face? Well let me tell you I will punch you in the fucking face, trick.
Donald Trump, I WILL PUNCH YOU IN THE FUCKING FACE, nuff said.
Let me finish. Some kid screwed off 100 grand of her college loot and blamed it on her parents -------- WHAT THE FUCK?
Fatima has
Spoken
active shooter
Recently there was another active shooter situation. This one in San Bernardino California. As usual there was a call for stricter gun control. However well intentioned this call may be, fact is, it simply will not work.
Let me for a time be the voice of reason. I am an African American transwoman. I currently live in a country where African American men have literally come under fire by killer cops. This state of the nation is absolutely unacceptable. However, let me for a second deviate from my usual tirade against what I believe to be a corrupt government in regard to these actions and talk about gun control.
Among many things, I am also a convicted felon and I can tell you it is a fact that as long as you are concerned about "legal" gun control you will not be able to win the war against active shooters anymore than you will against terrorists. The rules are different. Fact is, where the criminals are concerned, there are no rules except to out gun the competition or the adversary.
The police respond to incidents firstly with a 10 shot sidearm. the last time I owned a gun with less than a sixteen shot clip I was 10 years old, I'm 52 now. Although I no longer carry weapons I am very familiar with the rules governing how to obtain one and not one of those rules says to buy a gun at the gun shop or gun show.
Prohibition should have been the ultimate teaching moment for this country. If something is illegal or near impossible to get that makes it more valuable. Conversely, every time you create harsher gun laws, the guy with 200 guns in his trunk smiles and raises his prices. This guy knows two things: he's either gonna retire before he's 40 or make enough money to become a player in the game on another level. That's the guy who's gonna supply the home grown terrorist, the guy radicalized by ISIS over the internet.
The reality is the people who need firearms to legally protect themselves won't have them but people who don't play by and don't care about the rules will have all the fire power they need. There has also been the argument made that if you handed out life sentences for having illegal weapons it would deter criminals. Ask yourself does a state having the death penalty for murder deter people from killing? Does the prospect of getting 20 years for selling dope stop the dope boy from pitching off the curb every day?
The street has a different ideology just like ISIS. Terrorists don't give a rats ass about the "rule of law." The only rule they care about is the one that says it is culturally and religiously acceptable to kill as many people who don't agree with them as possible. I have my own idea on how we should deal with terrorists but I'll save that for another time. In the meantime the world needs to understand that to deal with an active shooter you have to understand the rule that there are no rules.
Fatima.
Let me for a time be the voice of reason. I am an African American transwoman. I currently live in a country where African American men have literally come under fire by killer cops. This state of the nation is absolutely unacceptable. However, let me for a second deviate from my usual tirade against what I believe to be a corrupt government in regard to these actions and talk about gun control.
Among many things, I am also a convicted felon and I can tell you it is a fact that as long as you are concerned about "legal" gun control you will not be able to win the war against active shooters anymore than you will against terrorists. The rules are different. Fact is, where the criminals are concerned, there are no rules except to out gun the competition or the adversary.
The police respond to incidents firstly with a 10 shot sidearm. the last time I owned a gun with less than a sixteen shot clip I was 10 years old, I'm 52 now. Although I no longer carry weapons I am very familiar with the rules governing how to obtain one and not one of those rules says to buy a gun at the gun shop or gun show.
Prohibition should have been the ultimate teaching moment for this country. If something is illegal or near impossible to get that makes it more valuable. Conversely, every time you create harsher gun laws, the guy with 200 guns in his trunk smiles and raises his prices. This guy knows two things: he's either gonna retire before he's 40 or make enough money to become a player in the game on another level. That's the guy who's gonna supply the home grown terrorist, the guy radicalized by ISIS over the internet.
The reality is the people who need firearms to legally protect themselves won't have them but people who don't play by and don't care about the rules will have all the fire power they need. There has also been the argument made that if you handed out life sentences for having illegal weapons it would deter criminals. Ask yourself does a state having the death penalty for murder deter people from killing? Does the prospect of getting 20 years for selling dope stop the dope boy from pitching off the curb every day?
The street has a different ideology just like ISIS. Terrorists don't give a rats ass about the "rule of law." The only rule they care about is the one that says it is culturally and religiously acceptable to kill as many people who don't agree with them as possible. I have my own idea on how we should deal with terrorists but I'll save that for another time. In the meantime the world needs to understand that to deal with an active shooter you have to understand the rule that there are no rules.
Fatima.
Any and Every
Recently there was a show on the local PBS station called Anyone and Everyone. I found it to be a remarkable show. It expressed everything that we as trans men and women deal with in our lives. Very often people have no idea what we go through just being who we are. There is a gigantic amount of self doubt that goes along with this life. Most of that doubt is due to the people we have to deal with in our everyday lives.
There is a great deal of misunderstanding surrounding who and what we are and a lot of hatred for who and what we are. Parents disown their children and brothers and sisters disown their brothers and sisters. There's even a certain amount of dislike and hatred among members of the gay community especially in the prison system. Many members of the gay community look down on the transgender men and woman as if they are clownish or buffoonish, like we are side show attractions.
People for the most part have no idea the courage it takes just to walk out of the comfort and safety of your home wearing female garments. But the reality is, most people are pretenders of one sort or another. Many men are NOT the macho alpha males they want people to believe they are and many women are not the confident I-can-have-it-all women they pretend to be. Many of these men are cowards in lions' clothing and a good many women breakdown and cry in bathroom stalls all across America the minute their job appears to be at risk.
It is the same way in the gay community. Drag queens are sometimes looked down upon as pretenders, point of fact is that is exactly what they are. Illusionists, thy are not trying to fool anyone into thinking that they are women. What they are doing is giving you the most realistic show possible for your entertainment. And for that they are castigated and shunned and cast aside as pretenders to the throne of womanhood, a throne that many women don't deserve to have.
Many transwomen are so filled with hate for other transwomen that it oozes out of every pore in their hormone infused bodies, especially if you stand above and will not attend the hate parties they are constantly throwing.
So as a transwoman I have to be aware of all of this from every side. As a result I am appreciative when we as both a group and individuals are shown the respect we are entitled to as women in this world. It is important however that the core of this respect comes from our loved ones. The people who are supposed to care about us the most are often the ones who do us the most harm and that should never be the case.
There was a time when we had to act as if we were CIA spies because our lifestyle was looked upon so poorly that it was practically legal in the U.S to beat and kill us at will which by the way is the case in many countries around the world. It is almost like another form of honor killing to murder a gay member of your family for bringing shame on the family.
It should be heartbreaking that so many transwomen are un-unified in the prison system but for me it just makes me angry especially when I see how these cops use another "tranny" to keep the others in line.
It's basically putting the chief lunatic in charge of the asylum which is the go to method on A-yard here at CSATF and as long as we do not recognize this we will always be divided. This method is not new to the wold, divide and conquer is a tired and true method of vanquishing adversaries. It took gays lesbians and trannies in a bar on Christopher street to say "No. We won't do this anymore," and stand up.
Forty years later we can sit at our televisions and see the stories of transmen and women in the right form, not the Jerry Springer form. We can hear our brothers and sisters tell the world what it is like to be who we are and as productive members of this planet we can show them as well, a la Ellen Degeneres, Caitlyn Jenner, Janet Mock and a host of others.
Yes we are anyone and everyone. Get used to it.
Fatima said it so it must be true!
There is a great deal of misunderstanding surrounding who and what we are and a lot of hatred for who and what we are. Parents disown their children and brothers and sisters disown their brothers and sisters. There's even a certain amount of dislike and hatred among members of the gay community especially in the prison system. Many members of the gay community look down on the transgender men and woman as if they are clownish or buffoonish, like we are side show attractions.
People for the most part have no idea the courage it takes just to walk out of the comfort and safety of your home wearing female garments. But the reality is, most people are pretenders of one sort or another. Many men are NOT the macho alpha males they want people to believe they are and many women are not the confident I-can-have-it-all women they pretend to be. Many of these men are cowards in lions' clothing and a good many women breakdown and cry in bathroom stalls all across America the minute their job appears to be at risk.
It is the same way in the gay community. Drag queens are sometimes looked down upon as pretenders, point of fact is that is exactly what they are. Illusionists, thy are not trying to fool anyone into thinking that they are women. What they are doing is giving you the most realistic show possible for your entertainment. And for that they are castigated and shunned and cast aside as pretenders to the throne of womanhood, a throne that many women don't deserve to have.
Many transwomen are so filled with hate for other transwomen that it oozes out of every pore in their hormone infused bodies, especially if you stand above and will not attend the hate parties they are constantly throwing.
So as a transwoman I have to be aware of all of this from every side. As a result I am appreciative when we as both a group and individuals are shown the respect we are entitled to as women in this world. It is important however that the core of this respect comes from our loved ones. The people who are supposed to care about us the most are often the ones who do us the most harm and that should never be the case.
There was a time when we had to act as if we were CIA spies because our lifestyle was looked upon so poorly that it was practically legal in the U.S to beat and kill us at will which by the way is the case in many countries around the world. It is almost like another form of honor killing to murder a gay member of your family for bringing shame on the family.
It should be heartbreaking that so many transwomen are un-unified in the prison system but for me it just makes me angry especially when I see how these cops use another "tranny" to keep the others in line.
It's basically putting the chief lunatic in charge of the asylum which is the go to method on A-yard here at CSATF and as long as we do not recognize this we will always be divided. This method is not new to the wold, divide and conquer is a tired and true method of vanquishing adversaries. It took gays lesbians and trannies in a bar on Christopher street to say "No. We won't do this anymore," and stand up.
Forty years later we can sit at our televisions and see the stories of transmen and women in the right form, not the Jerry Springer form. We can hear our brothers and sisters tell the world what it is like to be who we are and as productive members of this planet we can show them as well, a la Ellen Degeneres, Caitlyn Jenner, Janet Mock and a host of others.
Yes we are anyone and everyone. Get used to it.
Fatima said it so it must be true!
shades of gray
Everyone has seen the news videos of the Baltimore protests in response to the assassination of Freddie Gray by the Baltimore police. Now, there is a story that an inmate in the wagon "heard" Mr. Gray attempting to hurt himself. Firstly: how much did he get paid to say that? And what charge did he get dismissed from, as a result of helping the murderers of Mr. Gray? Whomever this guy is, he didn't even see anything so this begs the question: how does he know Freddie Gray was trying to hurt himself? How does he know that the cops weren't the ones on the other side of that wall hurting this brother? If you can't provide clear facts, shut the hell up, stupid, you treasonous asshole.
Also, the video that has lit up the web is the video of Toya Graham beating and berating her son at the confrontation with police. Some people praise her and some don't. I'm one of the people who do not support what she did. It's not so much what she did, it's the way that she did it. I get that she wanted to save her son from a situation that could have gone bad and gotten him hurt but the reality is that even under the best of circumstances things can go bad.
People don't like to see the reality of a situation and they do shit thinking that it's the right thing to do but it really isn't. Historically, students were killed at Kent State University during the Vietnam War protests. Women and men were beaten nearly to death during a peaceful march in Selma Alabama and pretty much everywhere in the South. Freedom riders found their buses bombed and set on fire during the voter registration drives during the Civil Rights Movement.
A lot of people were hurt at sit ins, even children in some cases. Those people put themselves at risk for what they believed in and the Constitution gives people the right to peaceful protest. I do not condone the wanton destruction of property nor do I condone the wanton destruction of Black life by law enforcement or these so-called neighborhood watch vigilantes and fake ass volunteer cops that get to play cop because they have donated a few dollars and some equipment to the storm troopers to abuse us with.
Martin Luther King was killed for our right to fight for our rights so was Medgar Evers and lets not forget all of the gay, lesbian and transgender people that were shaken down and eventually attacked by police during the Stonewall riots that effectively began the gay rights moment. With that said, I believe that Toya Graham should have done a better job at teaching her son (Michael Singleton) that yes, you do have the right to protest but not in the manner you are going about it.
She should have been giving him a history lesson not a public flogging. We really should do better by our children by way of not only protection but also by way of teaching them the history of our people and all the struggles that people had to got through just to be able to do something as simple as get served a meal. African American youth need to have some sort of grip on appreciation for those struggles and a better understanding as to what the outcome of the protests were all about and why they took place to start with. Once that is in place then maybe the youth will be able to better channel their anger into a positive action.
There needs to be a better way to handle the youth than publicly "goin upside the boy's head". That could actually turn that situation into a contentious situation between parent and child though it shouldn't be.
Bottom line is lets do a better job at teaching our children and when they are angry, find out why. I don't like the fact that the media makes it seem as if this young man should not be angry at the current state of the nation where law enforcement is concerned. He has every right to be angry. Look at what's happening. But he's not being interviewed because of his stance on police brutality, he's being interviewed because his mother beat him up on national television for protesting.
So whats wrong with that picture? And above all, the mother is being hailed as a hero for doing it. That's bullshit. Yea, you should as a parent protect your child but you should also educate them. If you are not telling them that sometimes it is right and proper to use your voice than you are doing exactly what the power that be want you to do, be a sheep easily led to slaughter.
FATIMA HAS SPOKEN....
Also, the video that has lit up the web is the video of Toya Graham beating and berating her son at the confrontation with police. Some people praise her and some don't. I'm one of the people who do not support what she did. It's not so much what she did, it's the way that she did it. I get that she wanted to save her son from a situation that could have gone bad and gotten him hurt but the reality is that even under the best of circumstances things can go bad.
People don't like to see the reality of a situation and they do shit thinking that it's the right thing to do but it really isn't. Historically, students were killed at Kent State University during the Vietnam War protests. Women and men were beaten nearly to death during a peaceful march in Selma Alabama and pretty much everywhere in the South. Freedom riders found their buses bombed and set on fire during the voter registration drives during the Civil Rights Movement.
A lot of people were hurt at sit ins, even children in some cases. Those people put themselves at risk for what they believed in and the Constitution gives people the right to peaceful protest. I do not condone the wanton destruction of property nor do I condone the wanton destruction of Black life by law enforcement or these so-called neighborhood watch vigilantes and fake ass volunteer cops that get to play cop because they have donated a few dollars and some equipment to the storm troopers to abuse us with.
Martin Luther King was killed for our right to fight for our rights so was Medgar Evers and lets not forget all of the gay, lesbian and transgender people that were shaken down and eventually attacked by police during the Stonewall riots that effectively began the gay rights moment. With that said, I believe that Toya Graham should have done a better job at teaching her son (Michael Singleton) that yes, you do have the right to protest but not in the manner you are going about it.
She should have been giving him a history lesson not a public flogging. We really should do better by our children by way of not only protection but also by way of teaching them the history of our people and all the struggles that people had to got through just to be able to do something as simple as get served a meal. African American youth need to have some sort of grip on appreciation for those struggles and a better understanding as to what the outcome of the protests were all about and why they took place to start with. Once that is in place then maybe the youth will be able to better channel their anger into a positive action.
There needs to be a better way to handle the youth than publicly "goin upside the boy's head". That could actually turn that situation into a contentious situation between parent and child though it shouldn't be.
Bottom line is lets do a better job at teaching our children and when they are angry, find out why. I don't like the fact that the media makes it seem as if this young man should not be angry at the current state of the nation where law enforcement is concerned. He has every right to be angry. Look at what's happening. But he's not being interviewed because of his stance on police brutality, he's being interviewed because his mother beat him up on national television for protesting.
So whats wrong with that picture? And above all, the mother is being hailed as a hero for doing it. That's bullshit. Yea, you should as a parent protect your child but you should also educate them. If you are not telling them that sometimes it is right and proper to use your voice than you are doing exactly what the power that be want you to do, be a sheep easily led to slaughter.
FATIMA HAS SPOKEN....
passing
Most recently, the news has been awash with the Rachel Dolezal fiasco. Seems this chick has been impersonating a Black woman, even representing Black folks as a member of the Spokane Washington NAACP, now ain't that a bitch? A White woman acting Black. Yea, that ain't happened before, not at all.
Let me think. We have NO White rappers, NO White R&B singers, NO White blues musicians. By golly, we really just don't have any white people doin anything Black, like sagging pants, calling eachother nigga, datin white women. Oh wait. They still date white women (just the ones that act black though)...
If you don't get the sarcasm here, then you're an effin idiot but for the sake of the people I know actually are fucking idiots, let me be clearer. I get the whole being upset with Rachel Dolezal deal. I know people don't really give a rat's ass that she identifies as Black. Shit, more people are bothered by me identifying as transgender.
What people really care about is the integrity of her game. She misrepresented herself on a major scale, by (if you really believe her interview) acts of omission. By not correcting people when they assumed she was black, it gave a black eye to her credibility, no pun intended. I believe in what Pindar says: LEARN WHAT YOU ARE AND BE SUCH.
I think on some level she has learned that. If her spirit truly tells her she is black, then let her be Black and sit your bitchin and moaning ass down someplace and shut the hell up. Fact is people have been doing this for HUNDREDS OF YEARS.
For those so-called educated Black folk who don't know, many of our greatest icons had episodes of passing, long before any of this crap. And yea, I know, it's not the same, so all you smart asses thinking you can put me in my place on this - - - - no honey you can't - - - - fact is there were a lot of our people who were the offspring of the master, thereby being light enough to walk around and enjoy all the benefits of being white without actually BEING white; so get over yourself.
Let us not forget the red niggas that were so white they could buy back family and pose as slave owners. And lets talk about all of the Hispanic people out there who hate blacks, especially here in California, but they do everything in their power to be like us.
They walk, talk and dress like us, wear the same haircuts, listen to the same music, use the same foul derogatory language that we do. They even commit the same crimes on their people in the same manner we do.
So these people have basically thrown their own culture to the curb in deference to ours. Even the Mexican and White trannies on the hoe stroll want to be like us because they said we have more swagger. So this passing thing is not a phenotype thing, but I"ll let you figure it out and tell me what you think it is.
I will tell you this, I know that a lot of these people have had moments when they wished they didn't act like us because these fuckin cops sure as hell will treat you like one of us. They are worse on you when they think you're pretending, so welcome to the being a negro club.
Fact of the matter is, A LOT of people are passing. Crossdressers who are only women on Friday night at the club. Big money ballers who are only ballin after they get that income tax check. The chick with the knock off hoochie bag and payless shows hurtin the hell out of her feet, you know who you are. We all have moments when we are passing. Like when you're trying to get that promotion on the sorry ass job so you can get a 10 piece instead of a two piece and a biscuit. Check your shit maaaan, and get over yourself.
Yea Rachel Dolezal was a little foul on this one, but bitch you know you have been too.
Let me think. We have NO White rappers, NO White R&B singers, NO White blues musicians. By golly, we really just don't have any white people doin anything Black, like sagging pants, calling eachother nigga, datin white women. Oh wait. They still date white women (just the ones that act black though)...
If you don't get the sarcasm here, then you're an effin idiot but for the sake of the people I know actually are fucking idiots, let me be clearer. I get the whole being upset with Rachel Dolezal deal. I know people don't really give a rat's ass that she identifies as Black. Shit, more people are bothered by me identifying as transgender.
What people really care about is the integrity of her game. She misrepresented herself on a major scale, by (if you really believe her interview) acts of omission. By not correcting people when they assumed she was black, it gave a black eye to her credibility, no pun intended. I believe in what Pindar says: LEARN WHAT YOU ARE AND BE SUCH.
I think on some level she has learned that. If her spirit truly tells her she is black, then let her be Black and sit your bitchin and moaning ass down someplace and shut the hell up. Fact is people have been doing this for HUNDREDS OF YEARS.
For those so-called educated Black folk who don't know, many of our greatest icons had episodes of passing, long before any of this crap. And yea, I know, it's not the same, so all you smart asses thinking you can put me in my place on this - - - - no honey you can't - - - - fact is there were a lot of our people who were the offspring of the master, thereby being light enough to walk around and enjoy all the benefits of being white without actually BEING white; so get over yourself.
Let us not forget the red niggas that were so white they could buy back family and pose as slave owners. And lets talk about all of the Hispanic people out there who hate blacks, especially here in California, but they do everything in their power to be like us.
They walk, talk and dress like us, wear the same haircuts, listen to the same music, use the same foul derogatory language that we do. They even commit the same crimes on their people in the same manner we do.
So these people have basically thrown their own culture to the curb in deference to ours. Even the Mexican and White trannies on the hoe stroll want to be like us because they said we have more swagger. So this passing thing is not a phenotype thing, but I"ll let you figure it out and tell me what you think it is.
I will tell you this, I know that a lot of these people have had moments when they wished they didn't act like us because these fuckin cops sure as hell will treat you like one of us. They are worse on you when they think you're pretending, so welcome to the being a negro club.
Fact of the matter is, A LOT of people are passing. Crossdressers who are only women on Friday night at the club. Big money ballers who are only ballin after they get that income tax check. The chick with the knock off hoochie bag and payless shows hurtin the hell out of her feet, you know who you are. We all have moments when we are passing. Like when you're trying to get that promotion on the sorry ass job so you can get a 10 piece instead of a two piece and a biscuit. Check your shit maaaan, and get over yourself.
Yea Rachel Dolezal was a little foul on this one, but bitch you know you have been too.
outreach time
In April 2015, somewhat of a summit was held at the White House that involved transgender women of color. Personally I think it was a good thing that transwomen of color finally got an opportunity to have an audience in the White House. I believe it is a good thing whenever people from a marginalized group get a chance to address the problems that plague that group of people.
As an African American transwoman, I'm sure I relate to most if not all the problems discussed at this briefing. My problem is, first it was just a briefing, and second, things like this are not done on the state and local levels. For the most part in most cities, the members of the transgender community are ignored until a crime is committed either against, or by a member of the community and in many cases, a crime committed against a transgender person invariably becomes a crime committed "by" a transgender person and that person is going to prison or at the very least, jail.
What I would like to see at these "briefings" is a presence by transwomen who are incarcerated. There has to be a point where the care and treatment of transgender inmates becomes a serious discussion among the people who can create and enforce policy within the prison industrial complex.
The existing policy for transgender care and treatment is nonexistent, insomuch as there are blanket policies against transgender inmates being transgender. There are unspoken rules among the staff that allows them to disrespect and abuse trans inmates simply because (in their words), "this is a mens' prison" and you are not a woman. This opens the door for all manner of abuses which are readily used.
Many times the problems of transmen and women in prisons across America is that we are not taken seriously and often have to go into long protracted court battles to get taken seriously. Almost always, they are being disrespected by the court for being made to respect a human being. So, for these reasons and many more there should be someone at these meetings to account for trans prisoners.
I for one would welcome the opportunity to be able to (by phone), attend one of these conferences and address as many issues as possible, primarily because I feel that if you want to know if the water is wet, sometimes you have to put your hand in it. I am (obviously) always available to have these conversations, either by phone or in person if need be. We, the prison transgender community, are the ones best equipped to tell you what's really going on.
With that said, it's OUTREACH TIME : : :
As an African American transwoman, I'm sure I relate to most if not all the problems discussed at this briefing. My problem is, first it was just a briefing, and second, things like this are not done on the state and local levels. For the most part in most cities, the members of the transgender community are ignored until a crime is committed either against, or by a member of the community and in many cases, a crime committed against a transgender person invariably becomes a crime committed "by" a transgender person and that person is going to prison or at the very least, jail.
What I would like to see at these "briefings" is a presence by transwomen who are incarcerated. There has to be a point where the care and treatment of transgender inmates becomes a serious discussion among the people who can create and enforce policy within the prison industrial complex.
The existing policy for transgender care and treatment is nonexistent, insomuch as there are blanket policies against transgender inmates being transgender. There are unspoken rules among the staff that allows them to disrespect and abuse trans inmates simply because (in their words), "this is a mens' prison" and you are not a woman. This opens the door for all manner of abuses which are readily used.
Many times the problems of transmen and women in prisons across America is that we are not taken seriously and often have to go into long protracted court battles to get taken seriously. Almost always, they are being disrespected by the court for being made to respect a human being. So, for these reasons and many more there should be someone at these meetings to account for trans prisoners.
I for one would welcome the opportunity to be able to (by phone), attend one of these conferences and address as many issues as possible, primarily because I feel that if you want to know if the water is wet, sometimes you have to put your hand in it. I am (obviously) always available to have these conversations, either by phone or in person if need be. We, the prison transgender community, are the ones best equipped to tell you what's really going on.
With that said, it's OUTREACH TIME : : :