Thousands of people across the country rallied in solidarity to support black trans-rights, Sunday.
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Black transgender activist Raquel Willis explained the movement to CNN in an interview: "This collective of folks is particularly powerful because it's modeling what is possible when you do have allies and folks who do care and also want to make sure that they're building something that speaks to the hearts of the actual people that they're representing," she said. "So often that doesn't happen."
Willis led the crowd in New York City in a chant during the protest saying "I believe in my power," while the crowd echoed the words back. "I believe in your power. I believe in our power. I believe in black trans power."
Melania Brown, the sister of Layleen Xtravaganza Cubilette-Polanco, a black transgender inmate at Rikers Island who died last year, spoke to the same crowd as well.
"Black trans lives matter," she said. "My sister's life mattered. All of the loved ones we have lost, all of these beautiful girls that we have lost. There lives matter. We have to protect them."
"We can't just talk about trans people when they're dying," Eliel Cruz, one of the co-organizers of the event, explained to CNN. "But what are we doing actively and intentionally to create space for them to be safe and well?"
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J.K. Rowling Doubles Down On Trans Stance, Emma Watson Responds
J.K. Rowling caught heat for her recent comments about trans people, and "Harry Potter" actress Emma Watson added her two cents.
Daniel Radcliffe, the actor who portrayed Harry Potter in the celebrated films, recently came forward to speak about transgender women. His comments were prompted by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, as she found herself in the midst of controversy following a few remarks she made about being transgender. The public believed Rowling was saying that trans women weren't real women because they couldn't do what biological women could, as well as other remarks, sparking accusations that Rowling was transphobic.
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On Wednesday, J.K. Rowling returned with an over 3,000-word essay about her stance on trans people and while she's received quite a bit of hate mail over the years because of her views, she's not backing down from her position. "I want trans women to be safe. At the same time, I do not want to make natal girls and women less safe," she wrote. "I believe the majority of trans-identified people not only pose zero threat to others, but are vulnerable for all the reasons I've outlined."
"I'm mentioning these things now not in an attempt to garner sympathy, but out of solidarity with the huge numbers of women who have histories like mine, who've been slurred as bigots for having concerns around single-sex spaces," Rowling added. Later, Emma Watson, the actress who played Hermoine Granger in Harry Potter, tweeted, "Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they aren’t who they say they are."
J.K. Rowling Comes Under Fire For Tweets Labeled As Transphobic
J.K. Rowling is on the hot seat for tweets being labeled anti-trans.
J.K. Rowling, author of the book-series Harry Potter, is under fire on Twitter for posts that fans have labeled as anti-trans.
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The author posted the link to an article titled "Opinion: Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world for people who menstruate," with the caption, "‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?"
Many took offensive to condescending tone of the tweet. She has since explained her position on the issue and what she meant with the tweet.
"The idea that women like me, who’ve been empathetic to trans people for decades, feeling kinship because they’re vulnerable in the same way as women - ie, to male violence - ‘hate’ trans people because they think sex is real and has lived consequences - is a nonsense.
"I respect every trans person’s right to live any way that feels authentic and comfortable to them. I’d march with you if you were discriminated against on the basis of being trans. At the same time, my life has been shaped by being female. I do not believe it’s hateful to say so," she wrote on Twitter.
"I respect every trans person’s right to live any way that feels authentic and comfortable to them. I’d march with you if you were discriminated against on the basis of being trans. At the same time, my life has been shaped by being female. I do not believe it’s hateful to say so,” she added.
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Iyanna Dior, A Black Trans Woman, Beaten By Mob Of 30 Men
Iyanna Dior suffered minor injuries after being attacked by a group of approximately 30 men in Minnesota.
When people say Black Lives Matter, they mean all Black Lives. Male Black Lives Matter. Female Black Lives Matter. Straight Black Lives Matter. Gay Black Lives Matter. Trans Black Lives also Matter.
The attack of Iyanna Dior, a black trans woman, is appalling to watch and it speaks to the exact reason why we are protesting. She was brutally attacked inside of a convenience store by a mob of 20-to-30 cisgender men calling her transphobic slurs and throwing punches. Dior was able to escape behind the shop counter before eventually finding safety through the back door.
As noted by Vox, details about the attack are still unclear but it appears to have happened after a fender bender car accident.
In a video posted to her Facebook page, Dior shows her injuries, which are minor, and gives her Cash App to people who would like to donate money. She says that she has slight damage to her forehead and teeth.
The incident caught the attention of many, including Megan Thee Stallion, who offered to help.
"The video of lyanna Dior really broke my heart," she wrote on Instagram. "Please help her out any way you can if you know her real cash app put it in the comments #blacklivesmatter #blacktranslivesmatter."
Thankfully, Iyanna Dior is still alive to tell her story.
Gabrielle Union Thinks It’s "Odd" To Receive Praise For Supporting Zaya Wade
Gabrielle Union believes all parents should support their children, so she finds it odd that she and Dwyane Wade have received recognition for encouraging Zaya Wade through her transition.
Ever since they shared that Zaya Wade was transitioning from male to female at 12-years-old, parents Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union have faced backlash. They’ve been criticized for supporting Zaya during this time, but the LGBTQIA+ community have stood by their side. Dwyane and Gabrielle have been applauded for how they’ve accepted Zaya, and during a recent chat with Ellen DeGeneres, the actress talked about how it’s strange for her to be praised for something she says parents should do, anyway.
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“To us, it’s a little odd to get any kind of recognition for doing what you’re supposed to do, which is love, and accept, and embrace your kids,” Gabrielle Union said. “So it’s odd to get recognition for that. Unfortunately, there are so many people who just don’t.” She added, “[There are] so many people who really truly feel like their kids are disposable. If they’re not perfect images of them, they’re not interested. And it’s heartbreaking. So we’re just doing what is natural to us, and loving her.”
Later, in another interview, Gabrielle gave advice to parents raising an LGBTQIA+ child. “Love your child, listen to your child, accept your child,” she answered. “Reject the notion that your children are disposable if they are not little mini versions of you and that creating more of you isn’t in every kind of way, isn’t the solution to keeping them safe or paving the way for a happy life.” Watch a clip of the actress dishing out advice to LGBTQIA+ parents below.
Egypt Criss’s Fiancé Reveals He’s "Not Straight But Not Gay" On "GUHH"
Egypt Criss, daughter to Treach and Pepa, and her fiancé Sam shared the news with their friends at their engagement party.
The relationship between Egypt Criss and Sam Mattick has been a central focus of Growing Up Hip Hop. As the daughter of Naughty By Nature’s Treach and Salt-n-Pepa’s Sandra “Pepa” Denton, Egypt has plenty of people looking out for her. The 21-year-old’s romance with Sam has often been a point of contention with a few of her friends who don’t believe that he has the purest of intentions.
Nevertheless, when Sam proposed, Egypt happily accepted. In a recent episode, the pair decided that it was time for Sam to live his truth so he made a revelation to the cast that left many people floored while at his engagement party. Sam was in the middle of performing when he sang the line, “I’m not straight but I’m not gay” which shocked a few of his friends.
In a speech, Sam spoke about his love for Egypt because she was the first woman he was honest about his past with. He said even after he told her about his two children and his “massive child support” during the first week that they met, Egypt didn’t run from him. “Egypt was the first person that I ever told that I had experiences with a trans woman.”
Eazy E’s son Lil Eazy E said the news took him by surprise and he almost spit his drink out. Angela Simmons was “happy for Sam that he’s being open and honest and vulnerable.” Dame Dash’s son Boogie said he was “shocked” but “not surprised” because “Sam has an outrageous lifestyle.” Vanessa Simmons wished them the best, but Egypt expressed her main concern was how her father, who was in the audience, was going to react.
Treach was obviously not happy how things were unfolding. You can watch his, and everyone else’s, reaction below.
Cardi B Defends Dwyane Wade’s Trans Daughter Zaya
Cardi B hopped on Instagram live to lend her support for Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union's transgendered daughter, Zaya, and shut down the transphobic opinions expressed by other public figures since Zaya came out.
Cardi B explained why people should keep their opinions to themselves about Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union's trans daughter, Zaya, on Instagram live, after various celebrities spoke on the subject since Zaya came out as trans earlier this month. A few weeks ago, Dwyane and Gabrielle revealed to the world that their 12-year-old child identifies as a girl, and would thus forth go by Zaya and be referred to with female pronouns. The proud parents have been nothing but supportive of their daughter, and various celebrities have reached out to express their support as well. However, others were much more hateful. Boosie Badazz went on a transphobic rant (which eventually got him kicked out of Planet Fitness) about Zaya, insisting that Dwyane and his family have "gone too f*cking far."Young Thug was also insensitive toward the 12-year-old, misgendering her just as Boosie did and claiming that "God don't make mistakes." Boosie and Thug received plenty of backlash for their comments, and now, Cardi has taken it upon herself to express how she feels about the whole situation. The rapper began explaining her stance by reminding everyone that Zaya is a child, and that we should all be more sensitive about how we speak about her.
“A lot of people have been giving opinions about this little kid wanting to transition and everything," Cardi said. "And I feel like a lot of people are forgetting that this is a 12-year-old kid, that before you say your opinions and everything, let’s not forget that this is a kid. Let’s not forget that this kid could be very, very sensitive." She went on to explain how nobody is "too young" to know who they are. "People are saying that this kid is too young to transition but it’s like…if you were born thinking that you are a girl in a boy’s body, how old do you have to be to keep knowing that that’s who you are? That’s who you are, that’s your identity. If that’s who you feel that you are, what is the age limit for you to know that that’s what you want to be?"
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Cardi then refers to a video she watched that gave her some perspective on trans issues. “I've seen a long, 18-minute video on Youtube—way before this Zaya situation—about this 5-year-old little girl," she explains. "At 5 years old, she transitioned to be a girl and she knew that that’s what she wanted to be because…she knew that! She likes to wear dresses, she likes to play with Barbies. If you’re born like that you’re forever going to be like that. Whether the age that you pick it to be, it’s your choice."
She also relates Zaya's struggles growing up trans to her struggles growing up poor, indicating that children should be able to find their happiness now if they have the resources instead of waiting until they're older. “There’s certain things that I always wanted to do when I was younger, right?" she says. "And I’ve started to do [them] now, now that I have money. I be like, ‘Wow, I wish I would’ve been learned how to do this. I wish I would’ve been knowing this and that.’ I would’ve been happy. What’s the point of you being older, and then transitioning, and then being like, ‘Damn, I should’ve been doing this. I could have found my happiness.’ Let people find their happiness, especially kids. Let them feel comfortable doing what they want to be."
Dwyane Wade: Zaya’s Gender Identity Was Tough To Talk About
In a new interview with Good Morning America, Dwayne Wade recounts how he struggled, at first, to open up about his daughter Zaya's transition.
Dwyane Wade and his daughter Zaya have been making headlines over the last week due to the revelation that Zaya is trans and identifies as a female. At 12 years old, Zaya has been able to recognize her gender identity and has been making strides to educate her parents on how she feels. Wade has taken this all in stride and has been as supportive as one could imagine.
Recently, Wade sat down with Robin Roberts Good Morning America where he spoke on his brand new documentary. D.Wade: Life Unexpected takes a look at the basketball player’s hectic life. Zaya is a major part of the documentary and as Wade described, he felt a little uneasy about talking about her transition, at first.
“I struggled on how much I wanted to talk about it in the doc,” Wade said. “I actually didn’t talk about it a lot, but I knew if I put it in the doc at all, it would be a big conversation…We struggled with what people would say about a 12-year-old making a decision about her life. But we also know our child.”
Eventually, Wade came around on the idea of opening up because he knew it would help people out there. He figured that if people were going through something similar, they would be able to relate to him and his family’s story.
“We’ve been through so many different things that other people and other families go through and they thank us for speaking out on it,” Wade said. “That’s what we’re trying to do. We know there are other families out there dealing with their kid finding themselves and learning who they are.”
Wade says Zaya was very self-aware of herself early on and new that she was different from everyone else. The former basketball star says Zaya would talk things out with her parents often which eventually led to her discovery. Thanks to the power of research, Zaya was able to learn about herself and it eventually made it a lot easier to talk with her parents.
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“Zaya, early on, knew two things: She knew straight and she knew gay,” Wade went on to say. “But Zaya started doing more research. She is the one who sat down with us, as a family, and said, ‘Hey, I don’t think I’m gay.’ She went down a list and said, ‘This is how I identify myself. This is my gender identity. I identify myself as a young lady. I identify as straight trans because I like boys.'”
Admittedly, Wade says he needed to check himself once Zaya came out as he needed to fully understand what she was going through. Throughout his career, Wade has used words in the locker room that would be regarded as offensive in today's climate. Being aware of that, Wade says he knew he had to change his behaviors in order to become a better father. Needless to say, Wade has come a long way over the years and will do absolutely anything to make sure his child feels loved.
