Dallas Voice Interview of Protesters at Ft Worth "Ticked Off Tra**ies with Knives"

First interview is Pamela Curry, health activist. Pamela is a loyal friend and advocate to all who find themselves discriminated against, but she doesn't call herself a "transgender advocate" and she will correct you if do do. I think whatever she calls herself she is one awesome person.

Next to speak is my pastor, Curtis Smith. I love this mans bravery and courage. After learning about this movie he brought me to speak in front of the "Would Jesus Discriminate" council comprised of our MCC Church's where it was decided unanimously to buy a FULL page in the Dallas Voice and express there love and support for there transgender parishioners. Curtis is truly one of the few, the brave and the blessed.

Next is a cisgender male, Gary Lidell, a female impersonator whom I have never met. Our experiences as transgender and and transsexual woman really have very little in common with impersonators baring perhaps our earliest days of going "full time", before our skills and personalities had not had a chance to grow and mature. I like Gary though, he has a air of sincerity about him and he is part of of our rainbow.

Lastly is a interview with myself. As you can tell we had been out in the 100 degree heat all day and that really served to get may juices going so I was pretty animated, maybe to much so I had thought immediately following the interview.

The last splice segmented me into a disjointed conversation stating "that's the reaction I get from gay men".

What you didn't hear.

The interviewer had just asked me "What do you find most offensive, the tittle or the content of TO#WK".

I answered him with a question, "What would you find more offensive about a movie called 'F@ggots chained, dragged to death behind cars'? The name, the content or that I could could fill theaters with homophobes, institute discussions normalizing the word f@ggot after screenings, or my me saying gay people should be proud of the word "f@ggot" get over it and claim it?"

And whats wrong with a little body dragging as long as we can have a discussion about it?

The interviewer lost his affable smile, his features clouding with anger and the small space between us became became charged with tension. That's when I said "That's the reaction I get from gay men" because in a instant I had demolished his detached sense of security, I had made us mutual owners equally responsible for the letter "T" in "them transgender" and made this interview as personal to him as it was to me.

I would ask the Dallas Voice, you are the only ones to blur the word tra**y with an "@" to this point. You have long used the word "tra##y" to bait us on you blog. You claim a right to do so because you beleive there is nothing wrong with the word, it is empowering and we should "own it".

You have admitted by your own actions by replacing the "a" with the symbol @ in Tra**y that you acknowledge that the transgender people find this word highly offensive yet you superciliously slap us in the face by inserting a symbol @ in the place of the letter a.

That is the same as me writing smugly about the movie 'F@ggots chained dragged to death behind cars' and feeling smugly justified in having blurred the letter a in faggot with @.

Gay Misogynists, I know you hate that I am an you face advocate for transgender dignity and respect, well thats tough. We did not ask for your hate. We could have lived longer and happier lives without you.

Israel Luna should know this. What you have done is an injustice that we will not forget or forgive. Wherever your movie goes there will be two or three transgender people out front, protesting and educating about it.

Where ever.

Truth and TO$WK Scorching Sunday Edition: No place to Hide.

Our intense methods employed to protest of TO$WK demanded the full attention of the morally responsible theater goers, made others angry and sent a few scurrying away in fear like mice from a feline telling of truth and humanity.


The ghosts of the sidewalk, now impressed permanently into the souls of Q Cinema patrons held memorized in the blistering sun, unmoving, while learning of the horrors of their demise. "They are OUR sisters" I heard myself and others repeating "who were used by Luna as a cheap advertising ploy to promote his unrepentant reprehensible grab for cash."

We drew the outlines of our murdered sisters there to instill a sense of reverence and reality to those patrons who questioned us about them....

It was extremly effective as most all of the patrons had no idea we are getting murdered at a rate of over two per week and the way to$wk's violent images further endangers us by empowering those who may have otherwise not acted on impulses to harm us. It was extremly effective in opening a direct pathway to peoples hearts as we explained why we objected to this movie.

I am fully aware that we will never advance in equality without our LGB community, I love them and value them. I pray with our community weekly and they supported us in this protest because we are there sisters and brothers. This was not a attack on the gay and lesbian people, but a statement protesting Israel Luna's movie.

We will not be silent in the face of tyranny. There are people all across our county who see this as a campaign for human dignity and women's well being.

TO$WK will be protested and educated about where ever it goes by a ever widening swath of society led and inspired by some of the most passionate human rights campaigners, transpeeps!


kelli anne Busey
June 7, 2010

Protesting Educating and Opening Hearts at Q Cinema TO$WK Saturday Edition

Today, we transgender advocates and allies, sisters and brothers gathered together at Q Cinema in Fort Worth. It was HOT but our message was even hotter. We were there protest and Educate about "Ticked Off Tra**nies With Knives"

We needed to help the patrons of Q Cinema to understand how damaging this movie is to the transgender community and instill in them a intimate experience in 30 seconds of being in close emotional contact with a transgender person.

We wanted to make this experience real and for the moments before they entered the building one that they would always remember as the most powerful, meaningful moment when asked by anyone, well how was it? (comments heard often from patrons "They said there would be awful protesters outside but you people are so nice")

Many were so unbelievable sensitive and receptive to our concerns when after the protest, the police commented to me on how peaceful the protesters were I told her "It was peaceful thanks to the patrons, they were so nice."

This held true for most, save the few transgender woman that entered the building. I was abused by some with divisive name calling and even one telling me to "SHUT UP"!

That energized me like a thousand volt shock sending me parading again down the side walk laughing because every protest I have ever participated I was never told to "SHUT UP". Well ladies I didn't and will not acquiescent to your demand.

Future protesters of TO$WK. Contact your local police department and ask them to define the laws that govern public gatherings.

In Fort Worth Texas you do not need a permit and you are within your rights to protest as long as you stay on public property and do not impede the public or block entrances or exists to buildings. Vital to know!

When we arrived in front of the building a Q Cinema attendant officially tried to tell us where we could protest at, which was a building down from the front of there building.

After he finished, I looked him in the eye and told him "Thanks for your input but we will be protesting directly anywhere we want to as long as we do not violate any laws mentioned above. He became extremly agitated and told us he was going to call the police.

Imagine his response when he saw me drawing ghost outlines with chalk on the sidewalks! He was livid and told me to stop, that I was defacing public property, was going to get arrested, well I kept on drawing.

The police just looked on and the little man scurried back inside his building.

After the protest and Q Cinema was only able to fill 3/4 of their seats a theater representative invited everyone to see the movie FREE OF CHARGE! I was not present at for that invitation probably by design because it was made in a attempt to subvert and humiliate should everyone accept.

NOT ONE SOUL ACCEPTED. They told him if it comes on TV I still would not watch this horrendous movie.

We owned the day. The message is ours. The protest was a fantastic success.

We will be back Sunday,

Fort Worth Weekly Article on Our Protest of TO$WK and my response

Friday Jimmy Fowler of the Fort Worth Weekly fwweekly.com published this article. Below it is my response.

"Dallas director Israel Luna’s “transploitation” thriller Ticked-Off Trannies With Knives seems to attract attention wherever it goes – and usually not the positive kind. Ticked-Off is receiving its Southwest premiere at Q Cinema this weekend. An activist group called Dallas Transgender Advocates and Allies has announced two protests (7pm Saturday June 5 and 4:30pm Sunday June 6) at the Rose Marine Theater, where Q holds its screenings. DTAA spokesperson Kelli Busey said in a statement:

“Humor can be used to challenge and subvert, but this movie fails on both counts. In a society where trans people struggle to be accepted and have their lives viewed as equally valuable, this film does them no service at all. Instead, it perpetuates harmful and negative stereotypes.”

"I haven’t seen Ticked-Off, though I’m a fan of the lurid and the ironic if they’re done well. But just as Q has every right to screen the movie, so do Advocates and Allies have the right to express their concerns with (peaceful) protests. That’s what keeps free expression alive and healthy in America."

My response....

Jimmy Fowler,

You are the only journalist in North Texas to this point, with enough integrity to report fairly on transgender concerns which otherwise would remain unheard because of conflicts of interests with the Dallas Voice's gay readership and sponsors. Thank you!

The Dallas Transgender Advocates are protesting at the Q Cinema presentation of "Ticked Off Tra**nies with knives, but the Sundays protest time has been changed to 2:30pm.

I would like to comment on a couple of things on your article.

Please blur out at least a couple of letters in the word "Tra**ies" in the future. That is a concession we have won from Luna and many in our community are asking everyone, including myself to adhere to that standard in the future.

It is unfair to categorize the Transgender Advocates and Allies as "ticked off'.

The DTAA is comprised of an incrediably diverse group representing nearly every continent on earth. Many of our members are people of different faiths who do not allow anger to be the guide post to advocacy.

We are not seeking to infringe on anyone's right to freedom of speech.

We will be seeking to educate Q Cinema patrons who are predominantly gay, about the damaging effect that this movie has on transgender people.

There is a misconception among the Gay community. Many feel that because the the inclusion of the T in the acronym LGB gay people have a innate knowledge of and the authority to speak on behalf of the transgender community.

That is simply not true and this misconception manifested itself most recently in this gay film makers mistaken beleive that this movie would actually 'empower' transgender people.

Does TO$WK enable trans people? Nothing could be further from the truth or reality.

The truth is transgender people have been murdered at a rate of over 2 people week for a total of 160 deaths, just for our gender expression, since Luna first introduced in January of 2009 TO$WK under a firestorm of condemnation from the worlds transgender community.

The truth is that the murdered transgender woman that Luna originally used as a advertising ploy in the trailer, Angie Zapata's mother Maria, recently spoke out in horror after learning Israel Luna had used her daughters legacy to promote TO$WK.

The truth is there are thousands more mothers of murdered transgender people who will be enraged after they learn Israel Luna has invoked the memories of there dear departed to sell this horrendous movie.

In fact TO$WK only serves to empower Luna's and his film crew's financial well being.

TO$WK sensationalizes in gratuitous grotesquely sexually suggestive images that the act of murdering transgender woman is the ultimate thrill, thereby enabling those who harbor hatred towards transgender people to act on those impulses which will result in even more transgender woman and men being memorialized and grieved over at the next Transgender Day of Remembrance.

This, my dear Jimmy, is why people of conscious from the Metropolitan Community Church's of north Texas will be standing with there transgender congregants in protest.

This why many gay and straight people who are not religiously active will be standing with us.

I do pray for our gay communities enlightenment that they will cease enabling the murderous behaviour TO$WK portrays by not attending TO$WK.

I do pray that Israel Luna's conscious will demand of him to place the concerns for transgender lives over this shameful grab for fame and wealth and that he removes this movie from distribution.

I hope you will be reporting at our protest Jimmy,

Kelli anne Busey
founder/organizer
Dallas Transgender Advocates and Allies
Author
planetransgender

Protest "Ticked Off Tra**ies with knives" (TO$WK) ON for Saturday and Sunday!

160 transgender people murdered for our gender expression since January 2009, when Israel Luna first introduced TO$WK amid a firestorm of transgender condemnation. 160 killers who agreed in thought and deed with Luna's murderous gay lead who shouts gleefully after dismembering a transgender woman "NOW THIS IS EXCITEMENT". Transgender Day of Remembrance

Israel "dedication" of TO$WK to transgender victims makes a mockery of the transgender experience and then he further degrades our existence as he laughs all the way to the bank since RedBox just agreed to distribute it "Before it was even released."

It's time transgender people stand up and expose this movie for the fraud it is.


Start Time: Saturday, June 5, 2010 at 7:00pm
End Time: Sunday, June 6, 2010 at 4:00pm
Location: The Rose Marine Theater
Street: 1440 N. Main St.
City/Town: Fort Worth, TX
Map

Description Education Rally/Protest

Now Two Dates to Participate! Saturday protest Rose Marine at 7:00pm. Sunday regroup at 3:00pm at Rose Marine.

It will be hot, wear SPF, dress lightly & bring water.

Recently Q Cinema, Fort Worth has announced that it will be screening the movie "Ticked-Off Trannies With Knives" directed by Israel Luna. Billed as comedy/thriller/‘transploitation’, it exploits violence against trans women for cheap laughs.

Humour can be used to challenge and subvert, but this movie fails on both counts. In a society where trans people struggle to be accepted and have their lives viewed as equally valuable, this film does them no service at all. Instead, it perpetuates negative and harmful stereotypes.

Crucially, the movie fails to be funny because of the social context within which trans people live: transphobia is systemic, trans people experience disproportionate levels of violence and discrimination, and each year hundreds are murdered just for being trans. Portraying trans women as murderous vigilantes hunting down their abusers is hardly going to improve understanding about this heavily marginalized group of people.

Those of us who are trans, or who love and respect trans people, won't let this movie go unchallenged.

Dallas Transgender Advocates and Allies call to action
http://dallastaa.ning.com/events/protest-ticked-off-trannies

GLAAD supports Q Cinema protest

For background information about "TOTWK" GLAAD Call to Action

Protest facebook page