The Discrimination Continues....

As some of you may have read right here on this world renowned blog, Boy G had the immense pleasure of meeting Nikki Araguz recently at the Human Right Campaign gala here in H-town.  Since then, we have become friends on facebook, and most recently, I had the pleasure of seeing her at the Houston Pride parade, where she remembered my named unprompted.


My heart so bleeds for this girl, but I have to say how honored I am to know her, and how impressed I am with her willingness to share her story and her life to further the cause of human rights.  


Check my previous post if you need a "catch up" on Nikki's case. 


A LOT has transpired since that last post, in addition to the fact that, through facebook and personal contact, Nikki has become someone I adore and admire!  I'm so impressed with the way she handles the media and the public, and I know that she is trying to make lemonade from some of the lemons that have been thrown at her!

The first big story of the week was the release of the findings from the investigation into Thomas' death.  As it turns out, Thomas never should have been sent into that fire in the first place!  There were no lives to save. The building was a tinderbox, and there was no risk to surrounding buildings.  Common protocol would have been to let it burn itself out while controlling the spread from outside the fire.  The captain who made the decision has asked to step down in his own remorse.






Then today, bigotted Republican Judge Vanessa Velasquez "scolded" Nikki for violating the terms of her bail on a petty larceny charge because of pictures posted on facebook of her attendance at the HRC Gala, including, perhaps, the FABULOUS photo of the two of us, above!!  Apparently the terms of her bail were vague, but the Dishonorble Judge Velasquez CONVENIENTLY decided that Nikki should not be allowed anywhere alcohol is served after hearing from staff members that Nikki had posted photos of herself at the Gala on facebook.  How ironic that her rights to attend a human rights event are being suppressed!!  Normally, Queen Ginger just kind of blows through the millions of county judge ballots on election day, but you can be double sure that next time this bitch is up for reelection, Queen G will pore over the ballot to find the chance to vote against her!


And I LOVE when people say this is about the money- it's how they show their own stupidity!  1st of all- the insurance money will be used to support the Thomas' kids, regardless of the way the court rules. This is a case of principles.  And secondly: Nikki could potentially make millions through this with book deals and her reality show, if she chooses to pursue those routes.  However the courts rule, girlfriend's gonna be okay!  She needs our support as she stands for her rights as a transgendered  human being, who is being denied her basic rights by the bigotted state of texas, which no longer gets capital letters on my blog!

Happy Pride from Queen Ginger Grant!

I trust all the GingerSnaps across the globe had a festive weekend as we celebrated Pride around the world!  


New York City gets the "Pride Prize" this year for giving us the greatest reason to celebrate!  Best wishes to all my 'Snaps in the Empire State, especially to David Dust and Franky G!  Auntie Ginger can't wait to come up and babysit the ADORABLE children you will have!


Here in H-town we had our typical, if not enlarged, Gay Pride Celebration!  A few die-hard members of the Krewe pulled together a float for King Tony and Queen G to ride, even if enthusiasm from the general membership seemed lacking!  Queen Ginger can always count on her lesbians to make sure she is duly honored!  We had a great time waving to the crowd and throwing glorious pearl necklaces to all the handsome hotties we saw in the crowd!   I've heard a crowd estimate of about 250,000,  which is a lot when you consider the prevailing political views in Texas!  I think it just goes to show what a farce our political system can be, when the direction taken by our leadership so clearly does not reflect public opinion!!  

After a long day of prepping and parading, Queen Ginger gave her new breathing machine QUITE a workout today!  3- count them- three (!) naps today borders on ridiculous!!  

But, my Dr. will know about all three of them TOMORROW thanks to the built-in wireless telstar uplink on Queen G's new machine! 














So, GingerSnaps. how did YOU celebrate Pride? And more importantly, how many naps did YOU take the next day?

A Very Weird Day!

I somehow knew today would be weird and it was....

It started off kilter because I had to go to an appointment with my pulmonologist- the Dr. who manages my sleep apnea.  Normally, I would not schedule a Dr.'s appointment first thing Monday AM, but he is notoriously hard to see, I rescheduled the appointment twice, and last week he cancelled it.  Today was available, so I took it, to avoid waiting another 2 months! (Damn, this post is mundane!)







ANYWAY... I really needed to see him because I continue to be SO DAMN TIRED!  Typically, I sleep anywhere from 8-10 hours a night, and I take an hour and a half nap EVERY DAY- even work days!  On weekends, especially Saturday, Shelby and I take 2, sometimes 3 naps!  I am becoming a cat!










I knew I was sleeping too much, and that part of my weight issue is that I am sleeping when I should be exercising, but I'm tired and it feels SO GOOD to sleep! 

I guess the part that surprised me, but caught his attention, was that, as I was explaining my routine to him, I suddenly welled up with uncontrollable tears as I realized I  am sleeping the best of my life away!  I sobbed as I explained that I avoid social commitments after work and on weekends for fear of being too tired, that my closet, garage, and guest room are a mess because I'm too tired to care that they are a mess, and I actually will rush through things at work or blow them off so I can go home an hour early to start my nap.  I held it together without coming unglued, but he could clearly tell I was emotional about it!


I just knew he was going to tell me I'm tired because I'm too fat, and too lazy to exercise, but he was actually very compassionate and actually complimented the fact that I've only gained 3 pounds since my last visit (I'll take that as a victory!)  Anyway, he gave me a 3-step plan to get this under control!

Step One: Make sure my sleep apnea is under control.  Even though I can't sleep without my machine at all, he's not 100% sure it is helping me sleep because there are a lot of factors that can cause it not to deliver the correct pressure.  Newers, modern machines not only can adjust themselves to provide the correct pressure at all times, they can also monitor their performance via an electronic chip that the Dr. can read to chart when I am sleeping, how much I am sleeping, whether my sleep is disturbed, and how much pressure the machine has delivered.  Ain't technology amazing?! So he wrote a prescription for a new machine, which I should get in a few days.


Step 2: he has made a note in my chart for my Internal Medicine Dr. to run some blood tests for common causes of chronic fatigue in men, namely thyroid function, testosterone levels, and vitamin D deficiency.  I wonder if all those hours in wigs and heels have rendered Boy G's testosterone levels undetectable? That could be embarassing!


Finally, Step 3, only expected to happen after one and 2 are completed, is to lose weight. Methinks that could happen, if improved health can improve my mental picture and make me care.  Meanwhile: please pass the doughnuts- I need a snack before I go to bed!!

How Many Do YOU Know?

And what's the DOUCHIEST thing you've ever seen someone do?

Golden Rules For a Happy Kitteh....

Open for Discussion...

Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich said he could explain the problems with the economy in less than 2 minutes, 15 seconds—and he did it (with illustrations to boot). A friend posted it on facebook, and it got Miss Ginger's feeble little brain to reeling:



His arguments make a lot of sense, and certainly some of his statistics are compelling.  Miss Ginger is assuming them to be true, which may be naive; not sure on that.  She does realize that anyone who professes to explain the American economy in 2 minutes,15 seconds certainly will have to simplify, and will probably do so with some level of bias.  He also described a complex, multi-layered problem and offered a simple, vague solution.  So here goes Miss Ginger's attempt to do essentially the same thing!


Not that I am defending the "super rich". Miss Ginger often wonders what rich people DO with all that money! Miss G is far, far, from "super rich", yet she has all of the things she "needs", most of the things she "wants", and many of the things she "thinks it would be nice to have!" She even finds some spare change every month or so to support a worthy cause or 2!  Granted, she is spoiled rotten and lives beyond her means, but really- how does someone with $1,000,000 SPEND  all of that money? And do they DESERVE it?  I mean, really- what makes them so different from you or me... except for maybe the 4 inch spike heels, pancake makeup, and FABULOUS red updos?

Take Michael Dell, for example.  The man is a prodigy.  Earned $18,000 in high school selling newspaper subscriptions.  Created a PC company that took on industry leaders IBM and Compaq- and won!  Clearly, he is smart. Clearly, he works hard. Clearly, he can lead people to champion his cause.


But seriously- is he SO fabulous that he deserves to earn- are you ready for this- 1,530x's more than Miss Ginger Grant?  I'm doing a little rounding here, but my boss earns about 2x's what I make. Her boss earns about 2.5x's what I make.  The CEO of my company- ranked #107 in the Fortune 500- earns about 69x's what Miss G makes.  And he is considered extremely well compensated for creating America's Department Store.  Yet he earns 4.5% of what Michael Dell makes!


Now, giving credit where credit is due, Mr. Dell's little computer factory ranks # 41 on the Fortune 500.  So in GingerMath, maybe he should earn 2.6x's what my CEO earns.  Not 23x's what he earns!!  It's just so mind boggling!!!  What can he POSSIBLY do with ALL THAT MONEY?!!!


That comparison of 2 hard-working men seems crazy enough... but lets look at someone else.

How 'bout this crazy looking bitch?  She doesn't work at all- yet she is the #6 (actually tied with her sister-in-law at #5) richest person in America- and the richest woman on the list!


Even though she clearly buys her makeup on a discount at WalMart and gets her hair done at Fantastic Sam's, Christy Walton, and her sister-in-law Alice, are the world's richest women. They don't work. Alice is divorced, and Christy's husband is dead, so they don't even have to put out!  These rich bitches just lay around, eating bon bons, and cashing the checks that arrive in their mailboxes each day!




You wanna know the bitch of it all?  These privileged bitches are in the same income tax bracket as my hardworking boss, and my visionary CEO!!  They contribute at the same rate as all the rest of us, yet sit on billions of dollars that could be put to good use!  


Now, Miss Ginger is not saying that taxing the shit out of the rich will be the answer to our country's economic woes!  Granted, one can invoke "fun with math" and make all kinds of comparisons and conjectures about the fairness of taxation.  It's a centuries' old argument that will remain for centuries to come, and is probably the most difficult concept facing organized society.  


Miss G is a firm believer that excess capacity is a large part of our economic woes, and Reich's rant supports that, at least to some degree- what the hell else caused all that growth in the economy? The difference between the cause of the Great Depression and the current economic woes is the speed of technology.  In the 30's, overproduction mandated cost reduction, which could only be affected by layoffs. That, in turn, caused unemployment, which reduced demand even further. It also left financed machinery sitting idle, which caused bankruptcies   This made many businesses go under, causing even more layoffs, and the vicious cycle continued!

With today's speed to market, the problem just gets worse!  Excess capacity causes a need to find new markets. Those markets are typically overseas, requiring additional costs for shipping, as well as new sales and marketing teams- based overseas, where the goods are sold.  In order to reduce costs to maintain profitability in these new-found markets, companies either invest in work-saving technology or move production overseas- in either case eliminating jobs on American soil.So, while the American job market shrinks, causing grief for the working class, the American economy grows along with the world economy... providing dividends for the rich. Yet, the American PERCENTAGE of the world economy decreases as other markets prosper at our expense!  Another vicious cycle!


So, how do we stimulate the American economy without unfairly taxing the shit out of the rich?  It's really not rocket science! Or robotic technology! It's just plain common sense!

Step one is to differentiate the source of one's income better than we do today. Currently, when we do our taxes, we basically divide our earnings for the year into 3 "buckets":  earned income, meaning wages from a job; unearned income, meaning returns on investments; and capital gains, meaning, in a nutshell, profits from the sale of investment property. Today, each of these buckets has it's own complicated tax rate, and only one works on a sliding scale!  If you barely make enough money to make ends meet, we tax you at one rate.  If you are able to subside comfortable on your wages, we tax you at another.  And if you make good money, we take a bit more. I'm simplifying, but that's basically it.  But here's the fucked up part.  If you barely make enough money to make ends meet, you have nothing to invest- so you really could care less how we tax your dividend income or capital gains.  If you make enough money to make ends meet, you may actually find some funds to invest from time to time- and you invest them wherever you think you can earn the most money, whether or not it supports American jobs. And you pay the rate for unearned income. And if you are making a lot of money, you have a lot to invest- which, or course, you invest where you think you can make the most money.  And since you have money to make money, you can pay someone to help you determine the absolute best return on your money- which will usually lead you to a company with overseas investments! And when your investment counselor tells you the time is right, you sell the investment- at enourmous inflation over the price you paid- yet you are taxed at the same 15% that Ma and Pa Kettle will pay on that one share of Bank of America they have owned since 1963!


So how do we fix it?  That's not so easy!  We are not going to change the nature of the investor: they are in it to make money! So, how do you get them to support the American economy while still investing wisely?  It seems to Miss G that we need more than 3 "buckets".  


Bucket # 1: Wages. The keystone of a civilized society is that all should contribute. Anyone who has a job should pay some level of taxes.  What's the right amount?  That's a whole 'nother blog post!!

Bucket #2: Dividends/Investment Income. Somehow, we have to find a way to encourage companies to expand on American soil.  How do we create sliding scale tax schedule that encourages companies to create American jobs vs. jobs overseas.  We should be taxing the HELL out of American companies with manufacturing facilities and marketing teams outside of our borders! We MUST find a way to split this bucket between "pro-American" investment and "pro-global" investment!

Bucket # 3: Capital Gains.  This is a toughy- but maybe not!  On the one hand,  if I have made a good investment, and the company has prospered, I should be rewarded for my faith in the free enterprise system.  Yet, if the stock I sell supports a company with overseas investments, should I be taxes at the same rate as if I sell stock in, say, Whole Foods, which operates only here in the great US of A?

And that mention of free enterprise brings me to yet another rambling point... how do we protect our free enterprise economy as technology mandates a world economy that accepts socialism, fascism, and in some cases communism?  How can our American airline companies be expected to compete in a world economy where national governments so closely subsidize and manage the industry? How can we expect American manufacturing companies to hire American workers when people overseas will work for so little?  Even if we tax their earnings, it may not make a difference! 

In order to maintain America's position as a world leader, we must have leadership capable of leading the world!  Any GingerSnap who has traveled overseas: what's the first question the cab driver asks you upon discovering you are American?  That's right!  "What do you think of: Bush/Hilary/Obama/Palin/Bachman"?  I'm not recommending that we open up the vote to expatriates and non-citizens, but I DO think that we, as American voters, have to consider how our future leadership will guide us through this tumultuous world economy!  


I, personally, think Barack Obama has the cleverness, uniqueness, charm, and talent to lead our country into the next 4 years.  I certainly don't think the Repubicans (sic) have produced a wiener more qualified to lead the country in the New World Order!  Seems to me they have sallied forth a lot more (see you nest Tuesday)s!


So, whaddya think, GIngerSnaps?  Discuss in comments.. PLEASE!

Fat Fighters Has a NEWWWWW Memba!

One of our favorite GingerSnaps is embarking on a new eating plan!  Good luck, sweetie- we're all pulling for you!

Just For the Record.....

... Miss Ginger has never been particularly politically minded.  As a child, Momma G always taught her to respect the President, whomever he may be, and even though she was a pretty staunch Republican, she thought that JFK was the epitome against which other Presidents should be compared. And she hated Nixon. And Reagan. But she loved Bush the First. I guess she was politically confused! Baby G found most of it, well, boring, honestly.


But, Miss G is fixin' to go all political on your ass!!  If Prick Perry runs for President, Miss G will do everything in her power to ensure he doesn't get elected! This man can't run the State of Texas, one of the richest, most productive states in the Union!  While other states struggled with economies hobbled by poor market conditions, Texas motors forward, producing oil, computers, technology, and medical advancements at an astounding rate.  Yet, the Governor is so busy worried about what people are doing in their bedrooms, or how some unintentional unwed mother handles her pregnancy, that he can't find the time to figure out how to get Texas out of the red!  
His priorities are fucked up, his policies are fucked up, and his ideals are fucked up! About the only thing NOT fucked up about him is his perfectly coiffed 'do! Somedays, his updo is bigger than Miss Gingers!


Lest we forget, this was the man that a few short years ago was ready to take The Great State of Texas and secede from the country! Now, he's applying for the job of running it?! 

Miss Ginger is getting her political panties ready to roll- regardless of who the Republicans put out there, Miss G is ready to campaign against them!

Follow Me!

Queen Ginger is at 95 followers-  it's taken a long, long, time to get there, and she's proud of her progress! But, being a goal-oriented individual, she REALLY wants to be at 100!!!


She appreciates every one of her GingerSnaps, from the daily commenters to the occassional lurkers. And, according her feedjit, there are a LOT of lurkers out there!!


What are you hiding from, dear people?! Come into the light!! Sing up for a google account- it's free- and then follow, follow follow follow, follow!

Miss Ginger's First Prom!

That's right, dear 'Snaps, Miss Ginger never went to prom in high school.  You will all be shocked to learn, I'm sure, that Miss G was "the class fag", the one who was picked on in the hallways, mocked in gym class, and otherwise ostracized by all but a select few friends in high school.  Miss Ginger couldn't WAIT until 3pm each day so she could escape those terrorist boors, so there certainly is no reason why she would want to get all dolled up on a Friday night and watch them drink themselves silly on hootch they stole from their parent's liquor cabinet. Just not Miss G's scene.


So how ironic is it that on the exact same night that Miss G's    
old gang meets for their 30 year high school reunion, Miss G gets to go to her first prom! And with one of her favorite people, no less, Ms. MB, of OCD landscaping fame!   


At one point Miss G actually contemplated going to the reunion, but her discovery that 2 of the people she would have actually enjoyed seeing wouldn't be there reduced the number of people she might want to see to 3, and one of them she sees all the time in NOLA.  That, coupled with an unfortunate facebook interaction she had with some unfortunate coonass girl who's name was probably Tammy, made her decide she'd rather spend her time volunteering.


So what a fortunate coincidence that the kids from HATCH were having their prom on the same night, and Queen Ginger was invited to represent the Krewe!  HATCH is a wonderful organization here in Houston, hosted by the Montrose Counseling Center, that allows young people to explore their sexual orientation and gender identity in a respectful, safe, and protected environment.  While other kids are at career fairs deciding what the want to be when they grow up, the HATCH kids are busy determining WHO they want to be when they grow up! It's a crucial decision for GLBTQ teens, and unfortunately, a decision some don't survive long enough to make.  

So the Queen, along with the Float Lieutenant, Vice President, and Secretary of the Krewe had a great time watching the kids have a great time!  It was certainly one of the most "colorful" things Miss G has ever seen, with girls, boys, gurls, boiz, queens, kings, and one young person designated as "Rainbow" on his or her shirt that Miss G could only label as "fabulous"!  There were kids from all walks of life, all colors of skin, and all different angles of the diversity rainbow when it comes to orientation and gender identity.  Once group of biological girls, who called themselves "The Gendermen", did a little lipsync performance dressed as bees, and they were just adorable!  2 different Lady Gagettes, one almost 7 feet tall with her shoes on, came together for an impromptu GaGa duet of "Bad Romance" that had the whole crowd on their feet!  Seeing kids with somewhere to go where they could be themselves, dress as they want, and act however they want to was pretty amazing.  Queen Ginger looks forward to doing more work with the HATCH kids, and looks forward to the next time she's asked to interview the students for the Youth Scholarship Fund.  It's great to be able to help kids find their way to becoming happy, stable, successful adults!

An Idle Brain Is the Devil's Workshop...

... and 2 are just a disaster waiting to happen!!!

Mrs. Miss A and I were chatting tonight on faceplace (ain't technology somethin'?) and we realized that we were going to need a pretty grand scheme if we ever hoped to get all the GIngerSnaps together!  


I mean, on top of our riDICulously busy schedules, and the fact that we are flung from one coast to the other, there is also the fact that flights are expensive, no one has time to drive, Houston is out of everyone's way, and there's nothing to do in Detroit.


Then, we had a BRAZZILIANT idea!!


What if we plan a GIngerSnap rendevouz in the Windy City? Mr. and Mrs. A can make an easy drive from the motor city!  Points east can typically find cheap commuter trains to make the trip.  And the most far flung of us can find cheap flights to O'Hare and Midway almost any time of the year! Nutwood's just a hoot and a holler from there! We can live on pizza and beer, camp out in cheap hotels (from which you can all come visit Miss Ginger at the Palmer House!) and if we are really sweet, we might even be able to talk Dan or Proper into giving us a tour of the city and it's infamous "BOYSTOWN!"




Waddya think, GingerSnaps? Anyone interested?  When's the best time to to go?

Posted Without Comment...

... I shall leave that to you, dear GingerSnaps!  Don't fail me- wow me with yor braZILLiantly hilarious captions!!

A History Lesson for Ms. Palin....

Someone had to do it... might as well be me!

Sarah's Midnight Bus Trip

Listen, Ms. Palin, and you shall hear

Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,

On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;

Clearly no Palin is now alive

Who remembers that famous day and year.

He said to his friend, "If the British march

By land or sea from the town to-night,

Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch

Of the North Church tower as a signal light,--

One if by land, and two if by sea;

And I on the opposite shore will be,

Ready to ride and spread the alarm

Through every Middlesex village and farm,

For the country folk to be up and to arm."

So you see, Sarah, dear, ‘twas not the Brit

but Americans warned, you stupid nit wit!

Just as your bus comes over the ridge,

don’t be surprised if they pull up the bridge.

They’ll batten the hatches, and roll up the streets,
Each window and door will be covered with sheets.
American families hide from your sight
As your spew your stupidity night after night.

With God in your Army you defend war; A phantom of violence with you as the star.

Your victims are victims whose rights are forlorn,
And despite an attack, the mistake must be born.
These victims of rape, according to you
must bear the child; they must see it through.
Though the egg that was wasted through violence and hate
Could be corrected without any wait,

You in your selfish, and ignorant way

will make these poor victims suffer and pay.

Nine months of suffering with daily reminders

Of a violent attack, seen without blinders

Then a lifetime reminder of her pain a grief

will show up under a near cabbage leaf.

 

Big Oil’s your friend, you say “drill baby, drill”

and you have contingents in case there’s a spill!

“Don’t worry!” says Sarah, as she hauls in her tractor

“We’ll tear down this plain for a nukelar reactor!”

Your world views are sketchy, your arguments trite,
And your knowledge of history’s not even right!

So don’t be surprised when you roll into town

If the drawbridge is up, and the guard gate is down!

The sentinel’s guarding the town through the night,

The moment you show up, he’ll strike up his light.

To warn all the townsfolk, each husband and wife”

“Sarah Palin is coming! Run for your life!”

 

Houston Philanthropy At It's Best!

What a day it was today in Houston for philanthropy and recognition of Human Rights!!

A midday "flashmob" in the Houston Galleria (right in front of one of Miss G's stores!) celebrated breast cancer awareness with a coreographed routine to Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Surive!"

Best part of all? It was sung LIVE by Ms. Gaynor her ownself, right there up in front of the Macy's! So sorry I missed it! Sponsored by Houston Philanthropists Sue and Lester Smith, it was one of Houston's best "worst kept" secrets, although Miss G didn't find out about it until after it had happened!

Then later tonight,  Miss G, along with the rest of Houston glitterari gays and lesbians, gathered at the Hilton Americas for the 14th annual Houston Human Rights Campaign gala.

The unspoken star of the night was Cuc Vu, who's "Miss Saigon" story of her escape from a war-torn Vietmnam was both riveting and inspiring.

The "spoken" star of the night was Kate Walsh, star of TV's "Grey's Anatomy" and its' spinoff, "Private Practice". She was sweet, cute, charming, and entertaining. And, we agreed, apparently a tad drunk. Not that we all weren't!

 
 
 
 

Miss Ginger's BIG excitement for the night, however, was her opportunity to meet Nikki Araguz, live and in person! There she was, tiny little petite woman that she is, looking 100%, bonafide, real woman. Not that there should be any doubt, nor should it matter, but believe me when I tell you, if Miss Ginger did not know this woman was transgendered, she would lose a bet, because there is no way anyone could tell she was born a man if she didn't tell them. Nikki was sweet, charming, cordial, and genuine! I can't WAIT for her reality show to air, so I can watch and recap it weekly! Miss Ginger is officially "starstruck!"



It's late! Hopefully, there will be more later, to include a photo op of Miss G with Nikki!

Who Needs Reality TV....

...when the news is this riveting??

Singer Patti LaBelle apparently felt a passerby got too close for comfort here at Houston's Intercontinental Airport, where she rolled down the window to her limo and summoned her bodyguards.  A young U.S. Military Academy senior was talking on his cellphone and wondered into the singer's line of fire, enciting the attack. According to the Houston Chronicle, the cadet is now lawyered up and is suing LaBelle, her bodyguards, and IAH.




Now, before all you Patti queens out there jump to her defense, take a look at the security video- lower right hand corner.  It looks pretty unprovoked to Miss Ginger's naked eye:

Here's one for you reality TV fans out there...

Transgendered widow Nikki Araguz is back in court, in charges unrelated to her contested marriage to deceased firefighter Thomas Araguz III.  If you're not up to date on that story, after the tragic death of Thomas Araguz in the line of duty, Nikki, a surgical transexual, was sued by Thomas' ex-wife, stating that Thomas' marriage to Nikki was illegal because Nikki was born a man.  In fact, in the bass-ackwards state of Texas, such a marriage is not legal, the judge found for the plaintiff,  and the $1mil + dollars in death benefits went to Thomas' ex-wife and Nikki was left high and dry. A pretty sad story, and a tough reflection on Texas' regard for civil rights. The question about when and if Thomas Araguz knew about his wife's sexual reassignment may never be known for sure.

This week, Nikki is in court over what appears to be a petty larceny charge.  Once again, the Texas courts consider Nikki to be a laughable being, and the judge himself allows his bigotry to show through as he shakes his head while Nikki tells her side of the story.  That in itself should be cause for a mistrial in the Court of Miss Ginger, but in this case, who knows?  Problem is, Nikki has had a pretty checkered past, so issues like these make her case more challenging.

That, and the fact that she has agreed to allow a film crew and television producer to follow her around to create a new "reality" show called "Being Nikki". I guess it's a way to pay the bills, but it seems to Miss Ginger that she might have wanted to hold off until her case makes it through the appeals court.  In any case, I wish girlfriend a lot of luck, and hope she can maintain her composure and decorum during these difficult times. 

In other news, MLK's Daughter, Rvd. Bernice King, has parted ways with the bulgilicious Bishop Eddie Long of Atlanta megachurch New Birth. According to Rvd. King, she is leaving because homeboy fucked boys she "feels called to an assignment" that she is "not calling .. a church right now". Perhaps after she gives it some undivided attention, and it grows a bit, she can call it a church, but for right now, Miss Ginger is guessing she just thinks of it as a "penis" "congregation".

And finally, in the Great Northwest, a judge has ruled that The Gay Softball World Series can legally limit the number of straight players on their gay softball teams.  Apparently there were too many pitchers and not enough catchers!!

Who needs Connie Chung when you've got Miss G?!