Happy Pride

June went by too fast, man.

I’m queer! This isn’t a secret or a new thing, but I don’t talk about it a ton so I wanted to take a second! Specifics on the spectrum shift day-to-day but I’m a bi-romantic asexual lady.

I came out the week after the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando in 2016, and days after a threat of commensurate violence was made against my favorite bar in Bushwick, Brooklyn. I was living abroad at the time, away from my community, and for the first time in my life dealing with profound isolation caused by empathizing with a tragedy in a way those surrounding me did not. Because of how I experience and express my sexuality and gender identity, it would have been very easy for me to keep a tight lid on them and not be horribly inconvenienced — a privilege many don’t have. And that knowledge made me feel a little sick.

In a time when the state I live in introduced literally dozens of bills aiming to legislate LGBTQ+ people out of public life, I think about the concept of visibility a lot. Asexuality in particular, known famously as the “invisible orientation”, is a recurring topic of debate, a question mark in the queer lexicon. Something even most aces I know have a hard time talking about because how you define sexual or romantic attraction anyway? How do you talk about yourself by communicating a part of you that is “missing”? Being “visible” is becoming an increasingly daunting ask. But for the sake of those who have no choice in the matter, it’s the bare minimum.

The queer community is full of the most authentic, creative, joyful people I know. I’m happy to count myself among them. And I one day hope to be a source of comfort and inspiration the way others were for me.

Recent Gigs

Recently I have had the privilege of providing additional voices for the following anime and live-action dubs, available for streaming on Crunchyroll and YouTube:

• Ranking of Kings: Treasure Chest of Courage, Episode 6

• The Aristocrat’s Otherworldly Adventure, Episode 8

• In Another World with My Smartphone, Season 2 Episode 9

• Ultraman Z: Episode 19, 20 & 21

Consume!

A lot of you won’t want to read this book once I explain what its deal is. But I really think you should.

Chuck Wendig, or as I like to think of him, “Leftist Stephen King”, published a complicated, complex, heart-stopping narrative about pandemic response, white supremacy, and the ethical application of artificial intelligence — back in 2019. I’d like to call this book “prescient”, but the truth is that the basis for this story has been simmering for years. This is a book about how when the odds grow ever higher, sometimes all a person can do is focus on preserving one thing. It is at times both tender and damning in its view of humanity, acknowledging monumental screw-ups while encouraging forward momentum and community care. Reading it gives you whiplash. It is one of the best books I have read all year.

This is not for everyone! I am not a squeamish reader and there were some segments that felt overwhelming to take in. I managed it because it felt like Wendig trusted me as a reader to make it through. And that’s an incredible feeling to have.

Performance of the Week

So I saw “Across the Spider-Verse”.

Listen, run don’t walk to see this movie, it is a MASTERPIECE, not a single frame is wasted, stuff is done here that I have never seen an animated movie do. But I want to give credit to the cast for a second for propping up a fantastical premise with grounded, heartfelt acting. And I think the best example of this is Hailee Steinfeld as our girl Gwen Stacy.

Gwen opens the film and makes it clear that while Miles still holds firmly onto the film’s narrative trajectory, she’s taking a turn at being a classic protagonist - the one to go through a major perspective shift and the one who will be ultimately changed by the events to follow. We learn more about what makes her tick, see how she moves through her world (and other worlds), and hear how she transforms around the people she cares the most about — Miles and her father. Steinfeld walks a beautiful tightrope with her performance, weaving gracefully between superhero bravado, youthful anxiety and shame, fumbling affection, and true vulnerability.

Closing Thoughts

I made a shepherd’s pie!

It was delicious. I’m proud of myself.

I’m proud of those who find time in the business of life to do something just for you.

I’m proud of the people who continue to create in the face of immeasurable odds.

I’m proud of folks who find small ways to make others’ lives better.

I’m proud of you.

Keep it up.