The already bonkers LGBT town hall went wild Thursday night when a black trans woman named Blossom C. Brown rushed a questioner from the audience, stole the mic, accused CNN of erasing black trans women, demanded people “Google” her, and almost climbed on stage.
Moderator Don Lemon was in the middle of conducting the town hall for former Congressman and 2020 long-shot candidate Robert O’Rourke (D-TX) when he wanted to take a question from Lizette Trujillo, a mother with a young transgender son.
Just as Trujillo began to preface her question, Brown ran up to snatch the mic as if she was Kanye West interrupting Taylor Swift:
LIZETTE TRUJILLO: Hi, I just want to take a moment, before I ask my question, to validate the pain of our transgender siblings that demonstrated earlier and that have spoken up--
[Yelling off camera]
--especially black trans women.
BLOSSOM C. BROWN: I’m so sorry, I don’t want to take this away from you! But, let me tell you something!
“Black trans women are being killed in this country and CNN you have erased black trans women for the last time,” the Brown screeched. “Let me tell you something. Black trans women are dying! Our lives matter! I am an extraordinary black trans woman, and I deserve to be here! My black trans sisters that are here! I am tired! I am so tired of -- it's not just my black trans women!”
Lemon awkwardly stood on the stage as he tried to get Brown to give him the microphone and she demanded people Google her (click “expand”):
LEMON: Ma’am. Ma’am.
BROWN: It’s my black trans brothers too! I'm going to say what I'm going to say! I'm going to say what I'm going to say!
LEMON: No. Come here. No, no. I just want you ask you something. Come here. Tell me. Come here. What's your name?
BROWN: Blossom C. Brown!
LEMON: Blossom, let me ask--
BROWN: Google me! Please, Google me!
“Blossom, let me tell you something. The reason that we're here is to validate people like you. That is why we're giving – but that's why we're here,” Lemon tried to explain to her as she started screaming at the audience. “Hold on. We can’t hear you. Blossom, we can't hear you. Here. Blossom! We can’t hear you.”
Lemon handed her back the microphone so she could yell: “Baby, your actions have to speak louder than words. Because guess what? Not one black transwoman has taken the mic tonight! Not one black transman has taken the mic tonight! Show me!”
“Blossom, Blossom. Okay, thank you, I appreciate it. Blossom, you're a black transwoman. You have the mic in your hand. I've taken and given it back to you. We want to hear from you. We've had trans people of color, all people,” Lemon pleaded as he took the microphone back again.
Brown continued to scream despite not having a microphone (click “expand”):
BROWN: [Slapping hands together]: Not one trans people!
LEMON: But we are proud and happy that you're here. We're proud and happy that you're here.
BROWN: [Inaudible]
LEMON: Yes, but Remember, we're under a time constraint. All right. Thank you, Blossom and I appreciate it.
BROWN: That's how anti-blackness works, amongst people of color. That's what anti-blackness looks like, the erasure of black trans people. I’m here, we’re here in this room, please give us that opportunity.
“I just want to remind everyone that Stonewall was led by transgender women of color and it's 15 years later and we're still failing you as a community, but there are mothers like me and other community members that are committed to change. And so thank you for allowing that,” Trujillo appreciatively said as the town hall was finally allowed to continue.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
CNN Equality Town Hall
October 10, 2019
10:20:38 p.m. Eastern(…)
DON LEMON: Trujillo, make sure I get that right, and her son Daniel. They’re from Tucson, Arizona. The mother of a transgender son. She’s also a member of the Human Rights Campaign, Parents for Trans Equality Council, Lizette and Daniel go ahead.
LIZETTE TRUJILLO: Hi, I just want to take a moment, before I ask my question, to validate the pain of our transgender siblings that demonstrated earlier and that have spoken up--
[Yelling off camera]
--especially black transwomen.
BLOSSOM C. BROWN: I’m so sorry, I don’t want to take this away from you! But, let me tell you something! Black trans women are being killed in this country and CNN you have erased black transwomen for the last time! Let me tell you something. Black trans women are dying! Our lives matter! I am an extraordinary black transwoman, and I deserve to be here! My black trans sisters that are here! I am tired! I am so tired of -- it's not just my black trans women!
LEMON: Ma’am. Ma’am.
BROWN: It’s my black trans brothers too! I'm going to say what I'm going to say! I'm going to say what I'm going to say!
LEMON: No. Come here. No, no. I just want you ask you something. Come here. Tell me. Come here. What's your name?
BROWN: Blossom C. Brown!
LEMON: Blossom, let me ask--
BROWN: Google me! Please, Google me!
LEMON: Blossom. Blossom. Thank you, let me tell you something. Don't come on the stage. Don't come on the stage. And may I have the mic? May I have the mic?
BROWN: Okay.
LEMON: Blossom, let me tell you something. The reason that we're here is to validate people like you. That is why we're giving – but that's why we're here.
BROWN: Not one black transwoman has taken the mic tonight! Not one black transman have taken the mic tonight!
LEMON: Yeah, Yeah. Hold on. We can’t hear you. Blossom, we can't hear you. Here. Blossom! We can’t hear you.
[Gives back microphone]
BROWN: Baby, your actions have to speak louder than words. Because guess what? Not one black transwoman has taken the mic tonight! Not one black transman has taken the mic tonight! Show me!
LEMON: Blossom, Blossom. Okay, thank you, I appreciate it. Blossom, you're a black transwoman. You have the mic in your hand. I've taken and given it back to you. [Takes microphone back] We want to hear from you. We've had trans people of color, all people. You’re welcome.
BROWN: [Slapping hands together]: Not one trans people!
LEMON: But we are proud and happy that you're here. We're proud and happy that you're here.
BROWN: [Inaudible]
LEMON: Yes, but Remember, we're under a time constraint. All right. Thank you, Blossom and I appreciate it.
BROWN: That's how anti-blackness works, amongst people of color. That's what anti-blackness looks like, the erasure of black trans people. I’m here, we’re here in this room, please give us that opportunity.
LEMON: Blossom, thank you so much and we appreciate it. Thank you very much. Yes, I got it. Congressman, please address that. You want to address that?
BETO O’ROURKE: I'd be happy to, yeah, yeah.
LEMON: Thank you, Blossom.
TRUJILLO: I just want to remind everyone that Stonewall was led by transgender women of color and it's 15 years later and we're still failing you as a community, but there are mothers like me and other community members that are committed to change. And so thank you for allowing that.
LEMON: Thank you.
(…)
