From Barry:

Fever, Fear, and False Frames: A Civic Response to the White House’s Autism Claims

I would only add that POTUS’s claims are an attack on pregnant people, too. Pregnancy is a complicated and physically painful condition to undergo, and that’s prior to labor which is different (and shorter, even when long.) Barry’s points about continuing to misrepresent and marginalize autistic people are well made and well taken. Pregnancy, as well, should not be misrepresented as something other than a serious medical condition.

I Used To Save Tips All Year So I Could Buy A Victoria’s Secret Bathing Suit-This Is Cool!

History-Making Alex Consani Gives BTS Tea of Latest Victoria’s Secret Shoot (Tucking Panties and All)

The brand also confirmed that Consani, a Victoria’s Secret Angel, will appear in this year’s fashion show.

By Mathew Rodriguez

Alex Consani confirmed that a tucking panty can be an Angel’s best friend.

The superstar model, who became the first trans woman to win Model of the Year in 2024, shared some behind-the-scenes footage from a recently released campaign with lingerie brand Victoria’s Secret on her Instagram on Tuesday. Alongside usual brand accoutrement, including the iconic angel wings, was another important accessory: a tucking panty.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Alex Consani (@alexconsani)

“Cant stop smiling! So happy to have the opportunity to shoot with the baddest group of girls and the best team there is!” Consani wrote. “I’m so so so grateful!”

The carousel of images and selfies in the mirror featured Consani’s outfit for the day, group shots with her winged campaign colleagues, shots of her in the glam chair and raw footage from the shoot. The shoot celebrated “the first six angels hitting the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2025 runway,” according to the brand’s Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Victoria's Secret (@victoriassecret)

One shot featured the aforementioned Tuck Kit, a product of Unclockable, a trans-led brand that was founded “to meet the unique needs of trans and queer people,” per its website. The description of the product Consani showed says that it allows the wearer to don their “favorite feminine styles without a gaff and with no bulge,” and “zero panty lines.”

In 2024, Consani became the first trans model, alongside Valentina Sampaio, to walk a Victoria’s Secret runway show. Their casting came six years after Ed Razek, the brand’s former chief marketing officer, made regrettable comments to Vogue about casting “transsexuals” in their fashion shows. ‘

“Shouldn’t you have transsexuals in the show? No. No, I don’t think we should,” he said. “Well, why not? Because the show is a fantasy. It’s a 42-minute entertainment special.” Days after the interview, a statement released by the brand attributed to Razek backtracked to say that the brand “would cast” a trans model for the show, and that it has considered trans models at castings, though one had never been hired. “It was never about gender,” he added.

In 2019, Valentina Sampaio became the first out trans model to work with Victoria’s Secret as part of a shoot with the brand’s VS Pink label. Days later, Razek retired from the company. Emira D’Spain, Edun Sodipo, Honey Dijon and Ceval Omar, all trans women, have since worked with the brand. Consani’s BTS shot is a reminder of her own declaration about the fashion industry that “the future is dolls,” as she stated in a June interview with Them.

“Seeing more of us, not just white versions of our community, not just thin versions of our community, not just able-bodied versions of our community, but all of the facets of being trans,” she said. “I think that’s so fashionable: the expression that comes from having an identity, especially now, that’s so unappreciated and unsupported.”

A Bit Of A Sojo Article I Read Earlier

of interest here. Opinion Politics Democracy, Voting, and Governance

The Church Can Offer Trans Refuge From Bad Theology and Bad Legislation

By Oisín Rowe

Snippet:
In the book The Great Open Dance: A Progressive Christian Theology, theologian Jon Paul Sydnor argues that even the apostle Paul calls for an allegorical reading of Genesis by citing his letter to the church in Galatia. In Galatians 4:21-31, Paul explains the significance of Sarah and Hagar. In verse 24, he tells his audience, “These things are being taken figuratively: the women represent two covenants.” If Paul didn’t read Genesis literally, then I think that permits Christians to interpret Genesis from a more open perspective when it comes to gender and sexuality.

I hold out hope that the Bible can be interpreted in such a way as to make room for me and other trans people. I grasp on to the idea that there is a Christianity out there that is safe and committed to fighting anti-trans legislation. Perhaps to my own harm, I even sometimes find myself hoping that fundamentalists and the Far Right can be persuaded. Persuaded to care, persuaded to see the shared humanity between themselves and transgender people, persuaded by their own good book to protect my community and change their ways. Though I know this is unlikely, I continue to cling to hope. As I am literally fed and cared for by a Christian community, I gain a better understanding of what faith looks like. Today, I am choosing to have faith in my identity as something beautiful and chosen, and good.

In Transgender, Intersex, and Biblical Interpretation, theologians Terese J. Hornsby and Deryn Guest write, “The trans body is not a minority exception to a two-gendered system; it is not an anomaly or a body that exists in the margins. The reality is that there are no margins.” This limitlessness, this abundance, is not only good theology, it is safety, it is belonging.

Oisín Rowe

Unity

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by David Hayward | Artist (@nakedpastor)

Off Topic, A Piece from Nancy Beiman

She was there, too. by Nancy Beiman

NPR interviewed me in 2014. Read on Substack

The number A113 appears in [yesterday]’s FurBabies strip. It’s the number of our classroom at Cal Arts. Click on the link to see the entire comic.

https://www.gocomics.com/furbabies/2025/02/16

NPR interviewed me for an hour in 2014 after a Vanity Fair article appeared about the program. Here it is.

https://www.npr.org/2014/02/16/277882145/disneys-first-crop-of-trained-animators-profiled

Leslie Margolin, the other girl in the first class, was not interviewed. A group photo was taken of other graduates for Vanity Fair. I am not in it. Tim Burton was Photoshopped in, but no one would do that for me even though I offered to go to New York for the photo shoot.

The so called Cal Arts Mafia only worked for the male students.

Thanks for reading FurBabies (formerly Animation Anarchy)! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

A Brain Cleanser from Lit Hub

Snippets from my this week’s newsletter, with links.

Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” is published in The Evening Mirror.

In January 1845, the greatest goth in literary history published what would swiftly become his most famous poem: “The Raven.”

Poe first sold the poem (for $9, the equivalent of about $375 today) to the American Review, where it would appear—under the pen name “Quarles”—in the February 1845 issue. It was published concurrently in the January 29 edition of The Evening Mirror, prefaced by a note from editor Nathaniel Parker Willis, who called it “the most effective single example of ‘fugitive poetry’ ever published in this country, and unsurpassed in English poetry for subtle conception, masterly ingenuity of versification, and consistent sustaining of imaginative lift and ‘pokerishness.’” Well, sure.

“The Raven,” if for some reason you don’t know it, is a narrative poem about a young scholar who, sitting alone on a bleak December night, mourning his lost love Lenore, is visited by a raven, who torments him by speaking, over and over again, a single word. Poe later wrote that he knew he wanted this word—“nevermore”—to be repeated throughout the poem, but finding the idea of a person uttering it too implausible, he struck upon “the idea of a non-reasoning creature capable of speech; and, very naturally, a parrot, in the first instance, suggested itself, but was superseded forthwith by a Raven, as equally capable of speech, and infinitely more in keeping with the intended tone.”

Well, it worked pretty well, you might say. The poem, writes Poe biographer Arthur Hobson Quinn, “made an impression probably not surpassed by that of any single piece of American poetry. It was widely copied, parodied, and one humorist even took over a page of the Mirror to suggest five alternatives as to the relation of Lenore to the poet.”

One-hundred-eighty years later, it may be still unsurpassed, though contenders abound. Either way, as you have probably noticed, the parodies and tributes have never stopped. We shall be quoting it forevermore.

MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM

In Search of the Rarest Book in American Literature: Edgar Allan Poe’s Tamerlane

A Brief and Incomplete Survey of Edgar Allan Poes in Pop Culture

The Greatest Goths in Literary History

YEP, STILL SLAPS
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore—
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
“’Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door—
Only this and nothing more.”
–EDGAR ALLAN POE, “THE RAVEN”

In other (old)news this week
Benjamin Franklin writes a letter to his daughter, pooh-poohing the bald eagle as the symbol of America, and instead championing the great and noble turkey (January 26, 1784) • John Millington Synge’s play The Playboy of the Western World premieres at The Abbey Theatre in Dublin and causes a riot (January 26, 1907) • The first part of Henry James’s novella The Turn of the Screw is published in Collier’s Weekly magazine (January 27, 1898) • Franz Kafka begins work on his novel The Castle at the mountain resort of Spindermühle (January 27, 1922) • Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is published anonymously in London (January 28, 1813) • Thomas Jefferson sells his library to the government after the Library of Congress burns down (January 30, 1815) • Anton Chekhov’s The Three Sisters premieres at the Moscow Art Theater (January 31, 1901) • The first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary is published (February 1, 1884) • Great American Iconoclast Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is published (February 1, 1962) • David Foster Wallace’s eerily prescient Infinite Jest is published (February 1, 1996).
(snip-More)

I hope you enjoyed it! These newsletters are free, and are great for brain/heart health breaks.

Useful Info for We Who Care

DEI in the Age of Trump: A Roadmap on How to Build More Just Communities in the Next Four Years

PUBLISHED 1/18/2025 by Nilanjana Dasgupta

With Trump’s second presidential administration looming before us, Americans who care deeply about equality and social justice are asking ourselves: What now? How do we move forward in this dramatically changed political and legislative climate? What actions will have a fighting chance of getting traction? What is the most effective sphere of influence for individuals?

A high priority of Trump’s agenda for his second presidential term is to eliminate diversity equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in federal agencies and to also take away federal funding from agencies, contractors and organizations that have DEI programs. This, together with the repeal of affirmative action in college admissions by the U.S Supreme Court, makes many initiatives related to diversity and civil rights a target for the second Trump administration.

The truth is some diversity, equity and inclusion programs, like training, haven’t worked. Research shows that while DEI trainings increase attendees’ awareness and knowledge about bias, there’s little evidence of changes in attendees’ behavior, nor increased diversity in the types of people hired, promoted, retained or more inclusive climate in the organizations where such training is implemented. Sometimes DEI training backfires, creating resentment and resistance when people feel coerced.

Ashley Dorelus (R) and Tanya James (L) demonstrate outside the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis on Dec. 23, 2021, during jury deliberations in the trial of former police officer Kim Potter, charged with first degree manslaughter over the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright, 20. (Kerem Yucel / AFP via Getty Images)

In my new book, Change the Wallpaper: Transforming Cultural Patterns to Build More Just Communities, I explain why.

DEI training tries to change individuals’ beliefs, hoping it will change their future behavior. But individuals’ beliefs often don’t shift behavior because human behavior is buffeted by multiple situational forces. These include the social roles individuals occupy and their accompanying behavioral etiquette, what others around them are saying or doing, and norms and rules that constrain their actions, all of which guide people’s behavior no matter what their personal beliefs.

Another situational force is the physical design of places where people live and work, which influences whether casual interactions with others of diverse backgrounds are easy or not. Such interactions, when pleasant and repeated, morph into familiarity and friendliness that are an essential building block for trust.

Like wallpaper, these situational forces are in the background, barely noticed. Yet they subtly nudge people’s thoughts and actions in small ways, accumulating over time in one of two directions. They either pull us apart based on initial differences, increasing unfamiliarity, mistrust and polarization, or they push us together, increasing familiarity, trust and inclusion.

We need to notice the wallpaper that silently pulls and pushes our own behavior. To do that, we must step out of our bubble and mix with people different from ourselves.

Even if individuals’ behavior were to be changed by DEI training, they would be quickly overwhelmed by the wallpaper when they returned to their workplace, stepped into their old roles, surrounded by unchanged norms, rules and colleagues, and in buildings with limited physical arrangements for cross-group mixing and relationship building.

Here is an alternative roadmap to social justice backed by scientific research simplified in the form of five steps.

First, we need to notice the wallpaper that silently pulls and pushes our own behavior. To do that, we must step out of our bubble and mix with people different from ourselves. Have real conversations, be curious and learn about the material conditions of others’ lives that may not be visible from the outside. Repeated interactions start a virtuous cycle of growing familiarity, understanding, trust, cross-group relationships and a sense of belonging in a shared community. These interactions reveal stories about people’s material conditions, highlighting inequality or vulnerability in a personal way, and grow solidarity and momentum for change.

Know that inequalities often hide in the “3 Rs” where we live and work: rules, resources and recognition. Do the rules in the place where you live or organization where you work exclude some people’s voices from decision-making, especially people with less power? Are there transparent and reasonable processes to change these rules? Are resources distributed to individuals based on need, merit, effort, seniority, or a combination? Are the criteria and processes for resource distribution open and transparent? Are people recognized for their contribution fairly?

If you see inequalities in the 3 Rs where you live or work, don’t be silent. Talk to others, see what they think, and explore ways to act collectively for change.

Second, actions make more of a difference if they attempt to change the material conditions of people’s lives—access to high quality education, healthcare, housing and employment—than if they are mostly symbolic—mission statements, lawn signs or imagery of diverse people on websites and marketing materials.

Third, acting collectively with other people will get more traction rather than acting alone because individuals quickly get swept away by situational forces. In acting together, the goal is not to limit ourselves to gather with people who are all the same. Rather, when we are not afraid to mix with people different from ourselves, we are able to discover and develop new allies across the spectrum instead of being caught in old identity traps that haven’t served us well.

Because the wallpaper is old and sticky, collective action is needed over and over again in different ways. It’s not one and done. That’s the fourth step.

Finally, actions get more traction if they are local. That’s the Goldilocks space. That’s our call for action in the next four years and the hope for change.

==============================================================

Ms. Classroom wants to hear from educators and students being impacted by legislation attacking public education, higher education, gender, race and sexuality studies, activism and social justice in education, and diversity, equity and inclusion programs for our series, ‘Banned! Voices from the Classroom.’ Submit pitches and/or op-eds and reflections (between 500-800 words) to Ms. contributing editor Aviva Dove-Viebahn at adove-viebahn@msmagazine.com. Posts will be accepted on a rolling basis.

JKR is back with yet another trans complaint, but I saw this to post instead-

Positive news, instead of the other. If you click through to read, roam around a little. There are some other interesting bits to read.

KAOS Star Misia Butler Says Elliot Page Is His “Biggest Queer Role Model”

Butler plays the romantic lead in a new Netflix show that retells Greek mythology stories with a modern twist.

By Quispe López August 30, 2024

Misia Butler never thought that, as a tranmasc person, he would be cast as a romantic lead. And yet that’s exactly what happened. In an as-told-to essay for Yahoo U.K. for Queer Voices, Butler opened up about playing Caeneus in Netflix’s new show KAOS, which retells stories from Greek mythology with a modern twist. Among other topics, the young actor touched on the inherent queerness of Greek mythology and his biggest role model: Elliot Page.

Butler wrote in the essay that Page, the original transmasculine heartthrob, has been an important inspiration for breaking down boundaries for trans people in film. From his early roles in Juno and Whip It to his latest work on Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy, Butler says Page has in many ways paved the way for trans actors like him to continue shattering onscreen stereotypes.

“Elliot Page is probably my biggest queer role model, him coming out was such a moving thing for me because I’ve always felt this draw to him ever since I was a kid,” Butler recalled. “When The Umbrella Academy came out I was bingeing that, so when he came out as trans that felt like an almost earth shattering moment.”

But when Butler was growing up, before there was fuller representation for transmasculine people in television and film, he said he felt resigned to never being cast as a romantic lead. Because he hadn’t seen any transmasculine people play characters who were romantically sought after, he didn’t think it would be possible for him.

“For a long time I never asked anyone out, I never talked to people I was attracted to, because I thought, ‘Well, they’re never gonna view me that way because why would they? I don’t exist in that sphere,’” the actor wrote. “So I really hope that seeing Caeneus in that light helps other people.”

Through his romance with Riddy (played by Aurora Perrineau), Caeneus will become the primary romantic interest in the show. The actor described how his character Caeneus will explore his transness with subtlety, as his identity is organically embedded in the plot. Butler noted that Greek myths are already so queer, making KAOS the perfect setting for this kind of nuanced storytelling.

“The Greek myths are such a queer group of stories, so KAOS’s approach to inclusivity is amazing and the fact that it’s so understated is a real power,” he wrote. “I think it just naturally brings in the diversity of us as humans and, especially as a Greek myths nerd myself, I love how it brings out the diversity of the original myths in such a natural way.”

Butler’s work on KAOS will only expand the ever-growing canon of transmasculine representation on screen (Queer Percy Jackson and the Olympians fans, rejoice!), this time with some romance and flair that only a Greek mythological backdrop can bring. For those of you who are scrambling to add the series to your watch list, it’s currently available to stream on Netflix.

https://www.them.us/story/misia-butler-elliot-page-netflix-kaos-role-model