87S31464 CJM-D
By: González of El Paso H.R. No. 251
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, A remarkable life dedicated to the rights of
transgender people drew to a close with the death of Monica Katrice
Roberts of Houston on October 5, 2020, at the age of 58; and
WHEREAS, Monica Roberts was born in Houston on May 4, 1962, to
Mable and Rick Roberts; a 1980 graduate of Jesse H. Jones High
School, she went on to earn her bachelor's degree from the
University of Houston; early in her career, she lived in
Louisville, Kentucky, and worked a variety of jobs before returning
to Houston; and
WHEREAS, In 2004, Ms. Roberts began writing a newspaper
column called TransGriot, and in 2006, she moved the column to the
Internet, where it became a pioneering and influential blog,
telling the stories of the transgender community at a time when they
were ignored, dismissed, and misrepresented by mainstream media;
the blog chronicled the lives and history of Black transpeople and
reported on violence faced by the trans community, especially trans
women of color; she also fought the misgendering of trans murder
victims in police and news reports, and she regularly wrote for
Ebony.com, HuffPost, The Advocate, and other publications; and
WHEREAS, In addition to her work as a journalist, Ms. Roberts
cofounded the National Transgender Advocacy Coalition in 1999 and
served as the coalition's lobby chair from 1999 to 2002, and she
served on the board of the Fairness Campaign in Louisville and
organized the Transsistahs-Transbrothas Conference in that city
for two consecutive years; for two decades, she also regularly
advocated at the Texas Capitol in Austin for the rights of LGBTQIA+
people; and
WHEREAS, TransGriot was honored as outstanding blog at the
GLAAD Media Awards in 2018 and 2021, and Ms. Roberts was the first
Texas African American to win the IFGE Trinity Award and the first
openly trans African American to receive the Virginia Prince
Transgender Pioneer Award from Fantasia Fair; her many other awards
included a 2016 Special Recognition Award from GLAAD, the Robert
Coles Call of Service Award from the Phillips Brooks House
Association, the John Walzel Equality Award from the Human Rights
Campaign, and the Susan J. Hyde Award for Longevity in the Movement
from the National LGBTQ Task Force; and
WHEREAS, A pioneering Black trans woman of great vision,
determination, and courage, Monica Roberts was a heroic champion
for her community, and those she has left behind will forever find
inspiration in all that she achieved; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas
Legislature, 3rd Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the memory
of Monica Katrice Roberts and extend heartfelt sympathy to the
members of her family: to her mother, Mable Roberts; to her
siblings, Kevin, Kecia, and Latoya Roberts; to her dear friend, Dee
Dee Watters; and to her other relatives and many friends and
admirers across the Lone Star State and beyond; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for her family and that when the Texas House of
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Monica
Roberts.