About Dayshia “Dee Dee” Watters
Dee Dee Watters, a Black woman of trans experience, is a natural born leader, artist, performer, and entrepreneur with a lifelong passion to uplift everyone, particularly BIPOC LGBTQIA2S+. Her natural ability to connect with others while incorporating elements of performance art, education, and healing has resulted in her performing in front of and reaching thousands all around the country.
A native Houstonian and woman of purpose-driven passion, Dee Dee is a living testament of how captivating physical and emotional presence can be, especially when combined with the power of spoken word. During her youth, Dee Dee wrote, produced, directed, and starred in her own play at the Kashmere Garden Multi-Purpose Center in Houston, which caught the eye of the Houston Chronicle which acknowledged her as one of the younger African-American writers to produce, promote, and act in a stage play. Today, she uses that same gift of performance art: spoken word, storytelling, monologue, and poetry to educate, advocate and deliver messages of hope, healing, and resiliency.
Dee Dee continues her advocacy and has expanded her healing work by becoming a Death Doula, helping those aware and conscious of death and dying, honoring her participants with compassion and facilitating inner-healing. It is in this space that Dee Dee continues her gift of creating safe spaces to allow for vulnerability and sheer emotional honesty. Having the utmost trust and confidence in the individuals and communities she works with, she is able to apply trauma-informed techniques to help foster and bring inner peace & healing to those affected by unreleased and unprocessed hurt and trauma.
Committed to social justice and policy change that results in equal rights, equitable resources, and trans inclusion, Dee Dee advocates on the micro and macro level to enact change. She founded Tha 1st Amendment, a volunteer group that focused its outreach on young adults and youth and hosted several events like Easter egg hunts, Fun Day in the park, basketball tournaments, and the annual gift giveaway A Day of Gifts for over 10 years.
“Children are really important to me. Youth is very important to me. People are very important to me. I believe that we have to start somewhere, so why not start with the children?”
Dee Dee also founded a transgender support and volunteer group, Transgender Women of Color United for Change (TWCUC) in October 2007, which worked not only to advocate for equitable laws inclusive of trans people and addressing current laws affecting the trans community, but also educating at the individual level that trans people are not a monolith. Each person is different with their own experience.
As one of the first Black transgender woman to host a Transgender Day of Remembrance at one of the oldest Black Episcaple churches in Houston, Dee Dee has also served in leadership positions for countless organizations including the Transgender National Alliance and Black Trans Women Inc. (BTWI) and was invited to speak at the Black Trans Advocacy Conference multiple times. She also holds the distinction of being the first black trans woman to deliver a keynote at Sam Houston State University.
A natural entrepreneur exuding passion to uplift everyone, especially BIPOC LGBTQIA2S+ people, Dee Dee has combined her creative mind with her natural leadership and commitment to create inclusive and equitable spaces. She has gone from being in front of the camera, working as a model for hair shows and auto shows, to becoming former partner and COO of a BIPOC, trans-owned media firm (Koncept Kit: A Kreative Marketing Firm). She was also owner and operator of Transformation Cleaning, a cleaning company that employed BIPOC and LGBTQ+ staff, and was the owner and operator of DW Marketing, a marketing and sales strategy company. Following the death of Monica Roberts she inherited the online publication TransGriot and is now the publisher.
Experiencing the natural empathic nature and presence of Dee Dee can be felt by participating in one of her healing circles. Dee Dee has facilitated trauma-informed spaces of healing and connection for well over a decade, working within BIPOC and LGBTQIA2S+ communities affected by trauma, violence, tragedy, and loss.
“I saw a need to hold space in the community, not only to provide a safe space for community and family members to begin healing in the face of trauma and violence, but to hold a space to honor the person whose life was taken.”
Dee Dee is currently preparing her personal memoir for release as well as a children’s book.
Professional Achievements: (between the years of 2014 to present)
Awards:
Houston Millennial LGBTQ Hall of Fame – Houston Millennials
Certificate of Recognition – Organización Latina de Trans en Texas
Outstanding Performance – Houston SGL/GLBTQ Community Center Awareness
“The Activist of the Year Award” – M Society
“Rising Star”- Black Transmen
“Trailblazers Award”- Black Transmen
“Heavy Hitting in the Community Award”- Heavy Hitters Pride
“Dee McKellar Award”- Houston Transgender Unity Committee
SGL/LGBT Edition – The Violet Awards
Commitment and Love – Organización Latina de Trans en Texas
“Advocate of the Year” – Black Transmen
Certificate of Recognition as the Honorary Grand Marshal for Houston’s Pride Parade 2019 – Mayor of Houston
Advocacy Achievement Award “Champion of 2019” – AIDS Healthcare Foundation
Certificate of Recognition of Service – Houston’s Mayor LGBTQI+ Advisory Board
Keynotes:
Sam Houston State University (2016) – Lavender Graduation – “They Said I Couldn’t and I Said I Could”
Sam Houston State University (2017) – Lavender Graduation – “I am She and She WAS Me!”
Black Trans Advocacy Conference – “I am She and She WAS Me!”
Spring High School (2016) – “The Breath of Life”
Consultant Work
Delivering presentations in: Cultural competency, Multiculturalism, Social Justice, Trauma-informed care, Culturally responsive services, Healing one’s grief, PrePlanning, Death and Dying.
Adjunct Positions
Monica Roberts Leadership School – “Trauma-informed Care”
The SOUTH Initiative Cohort – Facilitator of cohort
Executive Leadership/Board Membership:
Transgender National Alliance Executive Director (2015-2019)
Black Trans Women Inc. (BTWI) Madam Chair (2016-2020)
Houston’s Mayor’s LGBT Advisory Board (2016-2020)
Public Speaking Engagements:
Planned Parenthood “Power of Pink Rally” (Philadelphia) – “It’s More Than Just an Abortion”
Black Trans Advocacy Conference
Trans Day of Remembrance
FORGE – (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
St. Luke the Evangelist Episcopal Church (Houston, Texas) 2014-2019
Gender Infinity (2017) – “Faith Led My Transition”
Gender Infinity (2018) – “Why Are They Killing Us”
University of Houston – “This Is My Story” Lecture
Rice University – “This is who I be!” Lecture
Baylor University – Why my care is important” Lecture
Sam Houston State University – Keynote speaker (Lavender Graduation 2017)
University of Houston – “Trans is power” Lecture
University of Houston (downtown) – TDOR presenter
Baylor University – “Pride in Care” Lecture
Rice University – “More than just Trans” Lecture
Roosevelt University – TDOR facilitator
City of Houston Pride event – “One Day” Presenter
Sam Houston State University – Keynote speaker (Lavender Graduation 2019)
Life Is Work – “Radical Healing series” Facilitator
Roosevelt University – “TDOR” Keynote
Media Mentions & Features
Huffington Post: “A Prayer for Black Trans Women”
Houston Chronicle Op-Ed: “Black Lives Matter Includes Black Trans Women”
Houston Chronicle Transgender and Bathrooms
Outsmart Magazine: “Saving Their Sisters”
Outsmart Magazine: “Black Trans Publication Inspired By Monica Roberts Has Launched”
Outsmart Magazine: “Feeling the Fear: A Transgender Houstonian’s Thoughts About the HERO Defeat
Outsmart: “Nine Faces in Black LGBTQ Leadership Houston”
Otherwise Christian: “Dee Dee Watters on Supporting Black Transgender Women”
Spectrum South: “Living Out Loud: Trans Activist Dee Dee Watters Rediscovers Passion For Poetry”
The Texas Observer: “The Next Trans Griot”
Voyage Houston: “Meet Nine Lam and Dee Dee Watters of Kinship Care Education in Southwestern”
Television/Networks
Travel channel
ABC Nightline
TLC
HBO Vice
Ripley’s Believe It or Not
Fox
Fox News
ABC Houston
CBS News