By Lou Weaver
The Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) on November 20 was created to honor the memories of those who have lost their lives due to violence based on gender identity. This year, Houston community members will come together to not only honor this significant day, but to show pride and respect for the trans women of color who started the LGBTQ rights movement. To mark the TDOR, Transform Houston—a grassroots campaign dedicated to improving the lives and legal protections for transgender, gender nonconforming, and LGBTQ people—will host the Houston premiere film screening of the documentary Major!, followed by a panel on transgender rights.
Major! chronicles the life of Miss Major Griffin-Garcy—a trans woman of color elder—from the time she, Sylvia Rivera, and Marsha P. Johnson threw the first bricks at the historic Stonewall Riots to her present-day fight for trans liberation. In 2016, Major! was shown at over 60 film festivals around the world and garnered 20 awards for best documentary.
Miss Major’s story offers us a roadmap for liberation—one that we continue to walk as we witness the election of eight transgender people to political offices across the nation, as well as reject the anti-trans “bathroom bills” here in Texas.
Miss Major Griffin-Garcy (pictured), Sylvia Rivera, and Marsha P. Johnson threw the first bricks at the historic Stonewall Riots. Photo courtesy Major!
Following the film screening, activist Fran Watson, a self-identified queer woman of color, will moderate the panel discussion. The panel will feature local transgender women, including motivational speaker Reagan White, fashion model Jessica Zyrie, and award-winning blogger Monica Roberts. Each panelist will share their personal experiences as trans women, as well as discuss their impressions of the film.
The Houston screening of Major! is sponsored by the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work, the University of Houston LGBTQ Resource Center, the Change Project, Trans-Legal Aid Clinic Houston, Pride Portraits, the Texas TransVisible Project, and Transform Houston.
Miss Major is still active in the fight for trans liberation. Photo courtesy Major!
The Houston premiere of Major! and transgender rights panel discussion will be held on November 20, from 6-9 p.m. at the University of Houston’s Agnes Arnold Hall, Auditorium 2 (3553 Cullen Blvd). The event is free and open to the public.
