Toxic silence : race, black gender identity, and addressing the violence against black transgender women in Houston

217 Pages·2018·0.88 MB·English

by  William T. Hoston

Toxic Silence: Race, Black Gender Identity, and Addressing the
TOXIC
Violence against Black Transgender Women in Houston contrib-
utes to a growing body of transgender scholarship. This book
examines the patriarchal and heteronormative frames within
the black community and larger American society that advanc-
TTT
es the toxic masculinity which violently castigates and threat-
OOO
ens the collective embodiment of black transgender women in
XXX SSSIIILLLEEENNNCCCEEE
the USA. Such scholarship is needed to shed more light on the
transphobic violence and murders against this understudied
III
group. CCC
Little is known about the societal and cultural issues and con-
SSS
cerns aff ecting black transgender women and how their gender
III
identity is met with systemic, institutional, and interpersonal
LLL Race, Black Gender Identity,
roadblocks. During a time period in American history defi ned
EEE
by Time Magazine as “The Transgender Tipping Point,” black and Addressing the Violence
NNN
transgender women have emerged as social, cultural, and polit-
against Black Transgender
ical subjects to advance our understanding of the lives of peo- CCC
ple who identity as a part of both the black and LGBTQIA com- EEE Women in Houston
munities. In the end, this book calls on the black community

and culture to end the toxic silence and act instead as allies who

are more accepting and inclusive of diff ering sexualities and
H
gender identities in an eff ort to improve the generative power
O
of black solidarity.
S
T
O
William T. Hoston, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Political Sci-
ence at the University of Houston–Clear Lake. He is the author N
or editor of three academic books: New Perspectives on Race
and Ethnicity: Critical Readings about the Black Experience in
Trump’s America (2018); Race and the Black Male Subculture:
The Lives of Toby Waller (2016); and Black Masculinity in the
Obama Era: Outliers of Society (2014).
www.peterlang.com
P
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R
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WILLIAM T. H OSTON

Cover image: Copyright © William T. Hoston.
ADVANCE PRAISE FOR
Toxic Silence

“William T. Hoston’s book is timely. With remarkable scholarship, it captures the
black trans experience. Sadly, when I transitioned, everything about me vanished
from the acceptance of mainstream society—my human right to identify as
transgender, my education, my job skills, and my own life experiences as a human
being. In the face of non-acceptance, I gained a new title, equal to that of the ‘scarlet
letter’—a ‘black transgender woman.’ A title that has become a part of my
reintroduction into mainstream society, as well as, making me a target to those who
see me as ‘lesser than.’ But I have persevered and remained resilient. This book
provides a glimpse into the hardships of our lives.”
—Atlantis Narcisse, Founder of Save Our Sisters United (SOSU)

“There should be no greater pressing concern in the LGBTQ movement than the
ongoing epidemic of deadly violence against transgender women of color. But we can
never adequately address this crisis without developing a deeper understanding of the
complex factors behind it. Toxic Silence: Race, Black Gender Identity, and Addressing
the Violence against Black Transgender Women in Houston allows readers to do just that.
Say their names and read this book.”
—John Wright, Editor of OutSmart Magazine

Toxic Silence
This book is part of the Peter Lang Humanities list.
Every volume is peer reviewed and meets
the highest quality standards for content and production.

PETER LANG
New York  Bern  Berlin
Brussels  Vienna  Oxford  Warsaw
William T. Hoston

Toxic Silence

Race, Black Gender Identity,
and Addressing the Violence
against Black Transgender
Women in Houston

PETER LANG
New York  Bern  Berlin
Brussels  Vienna  Oxford  Warsaw
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Hoston, William T., author.
Title: Toxic Silence: Race, black gender identity, and addressing the violence against
black transgender women in Houston / William T. Hoston.
Description: New York: Peter Lang, 2018.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018006142 | ISBN 978-1-4331-5514-7 (paperback: alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-4331-5599-4 (hardback: alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-4331-5515-4 (ebook pdf) | ISBN 978-1-4331-5516-1 (epub)
ISBN 978-1-4331-5517-8 (mobi)
Subjects: LCSH: Transphobia—United States. | African American transgender
people—Social conditions. | African American transgender people—
Violence against—Texas—Houston. | African American transgender people—
Texas—Houston—Social conditions.
Classification: LCC HQ77.965.U6 H67 2018 | DDC 306.76/8—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018006142
DOI 10.3726/b13350

Bibliographic information published by Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek.
Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the “Deutsche
Nationalbibliografie”; detailed bibliographic data are available
on the Internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de/.

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All rights reserved.
Reprint or reproduction, even partially, in all forms such as microfilm,
xerography, microfiche, microcard, and offset strictly prohibited.
To My Son
William Terrell Hoston Jr.
You were birthed to fulfill God’s purpose for you
and take unconditional care of your mother.
You have the greatest mother in the world.
Daddy loves you.
You have given me a whole new appreciation for the color of life/ It was
black, white, and red all over before you were born/ Watching you emerge
from the womb/ Repainted my perspective/ From Parks to Lawrence to
Barnes to Nelson/ You are a self-portrait of my own self/ A canvass of life/
Daddy’s greatest masterpiece/ I love you/
~Ode to W.T.H. Jr.

I dedicate this book to the transgender community in the USA and globally.
Please stop the transphobic discrimination, persecution, violence, and
murders of transgender men and women.
A special dedication goes to Dr. Leon Pettiway who was well before his time
in providing an academic voice to the black LGBTQIA community. More
than twenty years ago, his books, Honey, Honey, Miss Thang: Being Black,
Gay, and on the Streets (1996) and Workin’ It: Women Living Through Drugs
and Crime (1997), helped to revolutionize the intersection of the disciplines
of black studies, sociology, criminology and criminal justice, political
science, and gender and sexuality studies.