REMEMBRANCE
Trailblazing Trans Blogger Monica Roberts Dies at 58
Beloved advocate remembered for unwavering dedication to covering transgender lives
BY MATT TRACY
Monica Roberts, a pioneering
transgender
blogger and advocate
who was instrumental
in bringing attention to the
deaths of trans and non-binary
individuals nationwide, died early
this week at the age of 58.
KPRC-TV, an NBC affi liate in
Roberts’ hometown of Houston, reported
that she was fatally struck
by a vehicle while taking out the
trash outside her apartment complex
shortly after midnight on
October 6. But in a written statement
on October 9, Houston police
said “further investigation and an
autopsy conducted by the Harris
County Institute of Forensic Sciences
determined Roberts suffered
a medical emergency and was not
the victim of a hit and run crash.”
Roberts was long revered by
journalists and members of the
community alike for her work as
founder of TransGriot, a blog she
launched in 2006. That site became
a prime source of information
about the discrimination, barriers,
and violence facing transgender
individuals of color at a time when
many mainstream media outlets
strayed away from covering those
stories, perpetuated transphobic
narratives, and deadnamed or misgendered
victims. Frustratingly,
those same issues persist today.
Dee Dee Watters, a trans activist
who was close to Roberts, fi rst
shared the news of her death on
Facebook on October 8.
“As I type this, tears are fi lling
my eyes,” Watters wrote. “My best
friend, my sister, my role dog Monica
Roberts, was called home to
glory on Monday…”
News of Roberts’ death reverberated
across social media platforms
throughout the evening of October
8. LGBTQ leaders, organizations,
journalists, and celebrities
expressed a combination of shock
and grief upon learning of Roberts’
unexpected death.
Janet Mock, a writer, director,
and activist whose recent work
includes writing, directing, and
Monica Roberts this past January at the 2020 Creating Change Conference hosted by the National
LGBTQ Task Force.
producing the FX TV show “Pose,”
shared a link to the TransGriot blog
as she paid tribute to Roberts.
“Monica Roberts held us down
— the fi rst to defend, to celebrate,
to amplify,” Mock wrote in a tweet.
“I would not be where I am without
her — a big sister who told it like
it was, who centered Black trans
lives, brilliance & history unapologetically.
Rest well sis. Thank
you.”
Raquel Willis, the communications
director of the Ms. Foundation
for Women who formerly was
the executive editor of Out magazine,
said she was saddened to hear
about Roberts’ death and issued a
call to action in honor of her.
“Our charge from our newest
ancestor Monica Roberts is
to uncover the glorious history of
Black trans people and document
our lives today and beyond,” Willis
wrote on Twitter. “Her #Black-
TransPower lives on.”
Among countless others, Human
Rights Campaign president
Alphonso David also acknowledged
Roberts’ passing and described
her as a “true trailblazer and an
DEVON ROWLAND/ COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL LGBTQ TASK FORCE
important voice for trans rights in
Texas and around the country.”
Darnell Moore, an author who
received a Gay City News Impact
Award last year, said he lost a
friend in Roberts.
“Someone who I looked to for
courage… for voice,” Moore wrote
in a tweet. “I’m better for having
spent time in her presence on the
rare occasions we were able to be in
the same room. And I give thanks
for her advocacy! I won’t forget her.
May she rise in power.”
The Trans Journalists Association,
which provides support to
transgender journalists and guidance
to newsrooms on trans-related
coverage, hailed the late blogger
for her tireless work.
“Today we are devastated to
learn of the passing of Monica
Roberts (@TransGriot), a pioneering
trans journalist who dedicated
her life to lifting the voices of Black
trans lives,” the Trans Journalist
Association wrote in a tweet.
“Her exemplary work as a reporter
shows the necessity of trans people
writing our own stories.”
Several other LGBTQ organizations,
including legal groups, also
spoke up. The Transgender Law
Center said in a tweet that the organization
was “devastated to learn
of the passing of @TransGriot” and
pointed to her “groundbreaking
work for our communities for decades,”
while Lambda Legal CEO
Kevin Jennings said his organization
was “heartbroken” upon
learning of Roberts’ death.
“This is an incredibly sad loss
for the city of Houston and the
country,” Jennings said in a written
statement. “Our hearts go
out to all who knew her and were
touched by her kind spirit. Monica
was a beacon of light in our fi ght
for equality in Texas — and all over
this country. She advocated on behalf
of those often left in our movement’s
shadows, especially Black
transgender women.”
GLAAD described Roberts’ death
as a “monumental loss for the entire
LGBTQ community.”
“She was a powerful voice for
trans people, using her platform
to speak out against discrimination
and violence,” GLAAD’s tweet
noted. “She will be missed by the
countless people whose lives she
changed for the better.”
The National LGBTQ Task Force
remembered Roberts as one of the
“fi ercest voices” in the LGBTQ community
and credited her for raising
awareness of trans folks and
inspiring those around her.
“Monica was part of the Task
Force family, just this year we
recognized her at our Creating
Change Conference with the Susan
J. Hyde Award for Longevity
in the Movement,” Rea Carey, the
National LGBTQ Task Force’s executive
director, said in a written
statement. “She spoke powerfully
at a rally decrying the epidemic of
violence against the trans community
at the same 2020 conference,
which she meticulously reported
on, often providing support to local
communities and families, while
holding the media and law enforcement
accountable and seeking justice
for her trans siblings.”
➤ MONICA ROBERTS, continued on p.21
October 22 - November 4,20 2020 | GayCityNews.com
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