TWOC Keyonna Monroe Blakeney, 22, Murdered in Maryland Hotel

Her name was Keyonna. She was 22.   Another brutal loss as we learn that 22 year old Keyonna Monroe Blakeney, a Washington DC resident, was found dead with sever upper body trauma in a Rockville Maryland hotel room. Keyonna was murdered on Saturday April 16. From the Washington Blade The victim, who identified herself […]

Update on the Murder of TWOC Shante Thompson in Houston

shante Thompson Transgender

More information in the murders of Shante Thompson and her male friend Willie Sims. Two vigils have been announced. Friday, April 15 per Monica Roberts, a Houston based trans activist and blogger The vigil will take place at Houston City Hall starting at 6 PM, and in addition to honoring the memory of Shante and […]

Trump Came To Pittsburgh: The One Must-See Photo

Trump Pittsburgh

Trump was in Pittsburgh for two campaign stops yesterday. He taped a segment for Fox and he held a rally at the Convention Center. Protestors took to the streets with witty signs, shirts and slogans. Trump promised to bring back the steel industry and resurrect Joe Paterno (??) neither of which seemed to perturb his […]

Here’s The Wendy Bell Post Everyone Asked Me About

Blog Update

Apparently, many of yinz don’t follow me on Twitter or Facebook because FIVE of you approached me this weekend to ask about my ‘silence’ on the Wendy Bell issue. It is true that I didn’t write anything in this space, but I did share a lof of the things other people were saying. You know, […]

Mourning the Murder of Quartney Davia Dawsonn-Yochum, 32, Los Angeles

Quartney Davia Dawsonn-Yochum

Her name was Quartney Davia Dawsonn-Yochum. She was also known as Kourtney Yochum. She was 32 years old. She had two dogs. She also happened to be a trans woman of color. And now she is dead, after a former partner shot her in the afternoon of Tuesday, March 22, in Los Angeles near her home. […]

16 Year Old GenderFluid Iowa Teen Shot to Death

Kedarie/Kandicee Johnson

Today, I learned of the March 2 murder by gunshot of 16 year old Kedarie/Kandicee Johnson, a gender-fluid teen living in an Iowa suburb. From The Advocate: Police found Johnson after responding to calls from neighbors, who said that they heard “five to six” gunshots fired in the area, reports The Hawk Eye. Covered with […]

The Tragic Killing of Jasmine Sierra, 52, TWOC from Bakersfield CA

Jasmine Sierra Trans

A complicated tragic story involving the death of a trans woman of color in Bakersfield, California. From The Advocate: Police found the body of Jasmine Sierra, a transgender woman of color, on January 22 in an apartment on the 1000 block of Monterey Street, according to a report from local TV station KBAK. Police say […]

The Art of Voting

Voter Registration Pennsylvania

Donald Trump. Does it make you roll your eyes, sigh or exhale slowly to read that name? Does your mind immediately fly to the realities of racism and anger among the American working and middle class? Are you afraid? Just a little bit afraid that he’ll be the Republican nominee and one election away from […]

The Day I Used the Men’s Bathroom

unisex bathroom pittsburgh

Today, I attended a conference with 400 other women at a local hotel. The hotel converted the men’s room closet to the conference space into a temporary uni-sex bathroom. They had a sign informing bathroom visitors of the change and directing men who didn’t want to use a uni-sex bathroom to a men’s only bathroom […]

The Return of #AMPLIFY

  We’ve been on a brief hiatus, but next week publication of the #AMPLIFY posts resumes. We continue to need your contributions – just takes about 30 minutes to complete the Q&A.  Soon we’ll be able to start audio recording interviews. All because … Funding for the #Amplify LGBTQ Voices project was provided by The […]