U of L Makes Several Restrooms Gender Neutral!

TransGriot Note: This news comes courtesy of Brian Buford , head of U of L's Office of LGBT Services.

Vice President for Business Affairs Larry Owsley informed students yesterday that he had converted six restrooms to gender neutral as part of an agreement he made with leaders from commonGround and the Office for LGBT Services last fall. Two new buildings, the Duthie Center and the Center for Predictive Medicine, will also include gender neutral restrooms. "I've committed to including gender neutral restrooms in all new construction," Owsley said.

The new restrooms are on both campuses: Dental school, first floor (two restrooms); Humanities, third floor (two restrooms); and the Law School, second floor near Cox Lounge (two restrooms). They are all single-stall, private restrooms that were updated by changing signs.

Students met with Owsley before Pride Week 2009 to ask for the additional restrooms and explain the importance of safe spaces for people who are gender non-conforming or transgender.

"Bathrooms are often the places where harassment is most encountered. And when someone whose gender expression is even a little bit different from their genetic identity steps into a seemingly exclusive male/female-only space, it sets them up for personal attacks. That gets eliminated with gender-neutral restrooms," said student Evelyn Avery.

Cards Send Out Freedom Hall In Style

Freedom Hall is located on the grounds of the Kentucky Fairgrounds just 5 miles south of downtown Louisville and not far from the U of L Belknap campus.

The building has been the basketball home of the University of Louisville Cardinals since 1956 and seen a lot of sporting history. It has hosted six NCAA Final Fours between 1958-1969, Muhammad Ali fights, NCAA tournament regional finals, conference tournaments and the Kentucky high school state basketball championship from 2001-2003.

With the impending fall opening of the new downtown arena today's game against Syracuse was the last to be played at Freedom Hall.

The Cards have won 82% of the games played in this building, including a January 2004 game I and Polar watched my Cougars play against U of L during the Cards last season in C-USA before they left for the Big East Conference.

He left happy that night, I didn't.

Just as the Cards won their first game in Freedom Hall, an 85-75 win over Notre Dame, they closed out this building in style by beating number one ranked Big East rival Syracuse 78-68 for home win number 683.

It was the second beatdown they have administered to the Orange, Syracuse's first road loss, an emotional 20th win of the season for U of L and may have put the Cards in the NCAA tournament as well.

It didn't come without a struggle. The Cards trailed by eight points at the half, but rode the 4 for 4 three point shooting and 9 of 11 overall of sophomore Kyle Kuric to erase the deficit.

Kuric's career high 22 points ensured that the Cards last game in front of a record Freedom Hall crowd ended with a Cardinal victory.

The new 22,000 seat downtown arena will open this November, and Cards fans are hoping the home wins keep coming in the new building as prodigiously as they did at Freedom Hall.

Thanks blkout and Zeta Phi Beta!

Wanted to take a moment to thank blkout and the Delta Theta chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc for extending to me an invitation to participate in the panel discussion they held last night as part of their PHIner Womanhood Week.

College kids these days are doing some amazing work and stepping up to the plate in terms of holding the discussions on TBLG issues.

Despite the fact I'd been in Frankfort earlier that morning, wasn't missing this 'Black and Gay In America' panel discussion. It was also the first time I'd been on a panel in which the 'B' part of the community was represented.

While Dr. Story unfortunately couldn't be there last night, blkout's Jaison Gardiner did a wonderful job as moderator of the two hour discussion that covered a wide range of issues on and off campus.

It was an informative and interesting discussion in which some cogent and intelligent questions were asked by the audience concerning issues such as family acceptance, spirituality, how to be a better ally to the TBLG community and where we fit in the overall African descended community.

Thanks once again blkout and the distinguished sorors of the Delta Theta chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. for giving me the opportunity to take part and kick some knowledge to you about my segment of the BTLG rainbow.

'Black And Gay In America' Panel Discussion At U of L

I've talked about from time to time how my people need to have a serious inside the family dialogue on GLBT issues.

This Wednesday on the University of Louisville campus, blkout, the campus GLBT group for African descended students will host a panel discussion in conjunction with the Delta Theta chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. as part of their PHIner Womanhood Week.

The topic is 'Being Black and Gay in America' with the keynote speaker being one of my fave U of L professors, Dr. Kaila Story, the Audre Lorde Chair for Race, Class, Gender and Sexuality.

It will take place at the Red Barn on campus and starts at 7 PM.

It should be an interesting and informative discussion, especially with Dr. K being part of it.

The TransGriot will definitely be in the house for that one.

Louisville's 'LGBT Community In The 1980s' Forum To Be Held February 16

Louisville, 1981. The Humana Building was yet to be built. There was no Kentucky Center for the Arts. The Watterson Expressway was still a four-lane nightmare. The airport was an antiquated remnant of the 1950s called Standiford Field.

Old Louisville was still struggling to spiff itself up. Cardinal Boulevard was called Avery Street, and it was only two lanes. The tall apartment building across from the Confederate Monument was called Confederate Towers. Its address was on Confederate Place.

Belknap Campus was half the size it is today. There was no student center. Ekstrom Library was brand new. Where the athletic fields sit today, several low-lying warehouses and factories stood.

In that same year, what was Louisville’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community doing?

Metropolitan Community Church was nearing its 8th anniversary, and there were two small social and support groups. The city had two major gay bars: the Downtowner and the Badlands Territory (to be renamed the Discovery that year). And that’s it. No political groups, no health organizations, no other social or support groups, not even student groups: nothing.

Fast forward to the end of the decade.

In 1989, the LGBT community convinced the old Louisville Board of Aldermen to pass an ordinance banning discrimination against people with AIDS. In 1990, that same community convinced the Board of Aldermen to pass a hate crimes ordinance that included the category of sexual orientation (though not gender identity). In 1991, the Fairness Campaign was launched, initiating eight years of efforts before a local LGBT civil rights ordinance was finally passed.

What happened in Louisville’s LGBT community in the 80s that enabled such a decade of growth and progress in the 90s and beyond? Why the 80s, and not the 70s or the 90s? What lessons did the community learn in the 80s, what challenges? What victories did it have, and what defeats? In short, why was the community so sedate in 1981 and so noisy ten years later?

“Busting Out: Louisville ’s LGBT Community in the 1980s” hopes to answer those and other questions. Seven leaders from that era will participate in a forum to be held at Strickler Hall, Room 102, on Tuesday, February 16, 2010 from 7-9 PM . The public is invited to attend and ask questions.

For more information, contact Brian Buford at the University of Louisville’s Office for LGBT Services (brian.buford@louisville.edu) or David Williams, founder of the Williams-Nichols Archive and Library for LGBT Studies at the University of Louisville, at KyArchives@aol.com.

2010 Battle Of The Bluegrass

The sports rivalries between the University of Louisville Cardinals and the University of Kentucky Wildcats are always intense, bitterly contested affairs.

But it is basketball which fans the passionate flames of the Kentucky and Louisville faithful, and this date has been circled on the calendar ever since the basketball schedules for both schools were released.

It's a rivalry that is so big that it divides friends and families. The Louisville Courier-Journal and Lexington Herald-Leader not only print special sections in the paper but devotes space on their webpages just to cover it.

I'm no stranger to big rivalry games. I grew up watching the Texas Longhorns and Texas A&M Aggies Thanksgiving Day football hatefest. But this is a rivalry that makes the UT-Texas A&M one look wimpy in comparison.

I even get a taste of the rivalry here in the house. Wildcat fan Dawn and Cardinal fan Polar will be driving the 70 miles down I-64 east to take in the action at Rupp while wearing their respective school colors.

I like both teams and I'm neutral about which team I support as a Texan in exile. But this week the recruiting pitches from fans on both sides trying to get me to join Cats Nation or Cards Nation have been more intense than usual.

Televisions all across the state and a capacity Rupp Arena crowd will be on hand for the latest renewal of the Battle of the Bluegrass. The Number 3 ranked and 14-0 Wildcats will host the 10-3 Cards in Lexington. Kentucky has a 26-14 all time series lead but Louisville has won the last two games.

The Cats are flying high under new coach John Calipari and super freshman John Wall. Of course the UK fans are supremely confident they will win today's matchup that tips off at 3:30 PM EST. They are also popping their collars after becoming the first NCAA school to win 2000 games last month.

But Rick Pitino's Cards and their fans aren't backing down or caring that UK is a 7 point favorite going into this heavyweight basketball tilt. Anything can and does happen in rivalry games, and this one has had its share of fantastic finishes, great players, unsung heroes, and close games regardless of who was ranked at the time.

As former NFL coach and ESPN analyst Herman Edwards said, "That's why you play the games."

At any rate, it'll be fun to watch.

Today Was A Good Day...Sort Of

Bounced out of the house in tastefully dressed full diva mode to head to the U of L Campus at the behest of my fave Women and Gender Studies professor Dr. Kaila Story.

It was for a panel discussion on transgender rights. In addition to the TransGriot, the other people comprising the panel were U of L's Director of LGBT Services Brian Buford, the Fairness Campaign's Chris Hartman, TECK's Yana Baker, Transformations founder Andrea Tucker and Holly Knight of Sienna

The panel was a 3 PM start in the Chao Auditorium and I arrived there at 2:25 PM. I had plenty of time to chill out, use the restroom, check face and get ready for the discussion that would take place.

After the intros by Dr. Story, we had a lively discussion about what jurisdictions covered trans people, delve into some TDOR history and talk about the shady tactics of the Forces of Intolerance in terms of using bathrooms as a scare tactic. It gave Brian a chance to talk about the gender neutral bathroom they have been rolling out on the U of L campus as well and Chris to talk about upcoming state legislative battles.

I got a chance to talk about the differences in transition for African Americans, in addition to point out a gender transition's zero to femininity nature.

Andrea talked about what it was like to be a U of L student and transition, while Holly brought us up to speed about what Sienna, our local gender group was up to and the new direction she was taking it in.

It was an hour and thirty minutes of positivity, and the good vibes only lasted until I got downtown from the U of L campus and on my bus headed home.

Ironically, during the panel discussion I'd talked about how I handled a transphobe several years ago on a TARC bus.

Well, when I stepped on my connecting bus at 4th and Broadway, three African-American kids, were sitting (where else?) in the back of the bus and started tripping.

Normally, Moni has zero tolerance for ignorance but I decided to channel my inner Gandhi and ignore the ignorant. The fools didn't take the hint and upped the ante of transphobic stupidity.

One of the nekulturny trio runs all the way to the front of the bus, whispers in the female driver's ear, then makes a point of grabbing the crotch of her saggin' pants while making a derogatory RuPaul reference.

It was on like Donkey Kong after that. I told her to quit talking about her daddy, which pissed off the youngling to the point she wanted to fight.

I advised her that would not be a wise move, especially in light of the fact I was already a foot taller than her before you add the other three inches from my black patent leather pumps.

The driver tossed all of the transphobic younglings off the bus. Seems as though these kids had been giving her drama all the way into downtown Louisville from wherever she'd picked them up.

With peace and quiet returned to the bus, I settled in for the ride determined not to let ignorant kids spoil my positive mood. A few minutes later my stop approached and the TARC driver said to me before I got off, "Girl, you look good!"

I returned the compliment and wished her a blessed day as I stepped off the bus, pulled my house keys out of my black Liz Claiborne purse and strutted the three blocks home in the fading twilight.

So yeah, today was a good day after all.

Transgender Rights Forum On U of L Campus Tomorrow

TDOR Week tends to be a busy one for me with requests for my presence at various events escalating during that period. Word to the wise-for those of you who want me at your 2010 TDOR events, get to me early.

For those of you in the Louisville area, you'll get to see the TransGriot, Chris Hartman of the Fairness Campaign and other local GLBT leaders at a Transgender Rights forum tomorrow on the U of L campus.

It will take place in the Ekstrom Library's Chao Auditorium from 3:00-4:15 PM.

I'm honored to be taking part in this discussion and I'm looking forward to seeing some of you peeps tomorrow in what I expect will be an informative and interesting discussion.

And yes, I will be looking fly and in full diva mode for that discussion.

Law School Discussion Closes 2009 U of L Pride Week

U of L's 2009 Pride Week will conclude later today probably to the mixed sadness and relief of everyone involved in the planning of it.

But like all good things, they come to an end.

The successful ten day Pride Week run concludes with a noon panel discussion at U of L's Brandeis School of Law. It will take place in Room 275 was hosted by the Law School Diversity Committee and the Lambda Law Caucus.

One of the participants will be my roomie Dawn Wilson, or 'Number One' as me and Dr. Richmond call her. The discussion topic will be 'Keys to the Door: ENDA, Transgender Identity, and Community'.

So if you're interested in this closing event for U of L Pride Week, check it out.