Remember Brenda

Brenda Thomas, a one-time auto dealership owner who became a leading local transgender activist, died Sunday at a Houston hospice, a family member said. She was 64.

Thomas, who was executive director for the Houston Transgender Unity Committee and worked as an HIV-prevention counselor, dressed in women's clothing but never attempted to disguise her natural masculine voice.

"She was a longtime pioneer," said Sara Rook, an officer of the Unity Committee. "She was not afraid to be who she was. She was an inspiration to all of us. ... She was just a great leader."
Thomas, who was married three times and fathered a daughter, viewed the discomfiture of her gender-bending appearance with a grain of humor.

Once, Thomas recalled in a 2001 Houston Chronicle article on the transgender community, the activist ended a night on the town by stopping at a pharmacy to buy fingernail polish. While perusing the cosmetics counter, Thomas noted that a man was staring from behind a magazine.
"When I went to pay for my purchase," Thomas said, "I could see he was still looking. So I took three steps toward him and said, 'Jeez! Is there a problem? This is my wife's favorite dress.' "
In addition to working with the Unity Committee, Thomas was a founder of Helping TransGenders Anonymous and was active in the Tau Chi chapter of Tri-Ess, The Society for the Second Self, a transgender organization.

Thomas was editor of the local Tri-Ess newsletter, and addressed associated topics on a personal Web site.

In 2002, Thomas received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Unity Committee's annual banquet.

"Brenda shoots from the hip," transgender activist Cristan Williams once noted. "Her entire demeanor suggests seniority. She has been there, bought the T-shirt, worn it, thrown it away and already bought a new one."

Thomas is survived by her mother, Sunny Ratliff of Salem, Ore.; a daughter, Jennifer Rainer of Houston; and siblings T.J. Krueger of Washington, Jerry Edwards of Oregon, Robert Rainer of Michigan, Sandra Morris of Houston and Penny Pilgrim of Tennessee.