Remember the long and loud bitching I've done over transsisters being ignored when GLBT oriented events or hearings are being held?Was happy to receive a link to an Edge story about Helena Bushong becoming the first African descended transperson (and the second transperson period) to be invited to and attend a White House strategy meeting.
The invitation was to participate in the Office of National AIDS Policy’s "Women and HIV" discussion. Helena has been an advocate for several years in Chicago. She serves as community co-chair for the HIV Prevention Planning Group, a position with the Chicago Area HIV Service Planning Council and membership with both Illinois ASAP and the Chicago AIDS Foundation.
She was also recently elected as the chair of Illinois Gender Advocates.
"For too long, the ’T’ has been silent and I think other parts of the alphabet have attempted many times in litigation and policy-making, to exclude us from this bill or that bill because it’d ’offend’ the religious right," Bushong added. "But now we’re saying we are a community and this is who we are."
Congrats Helena on the history making trip and best of luck in advancing the civil rights of transpeople in the Chicago area and the state of Illinois.
TransGriot Update: Helena recently advised me in an e-mail that she is no longer the chair of Illinois Gender Advocates