Welcome to What’s Helping Today, a newsletter about the everyday work of staying alive on earth, written by author and journalist Sandy Ernest Allen.

If you’d like to support my work, you can do so via my Buy Me a Coffee page. Thanks!!

Hi folks,

Well, the much predicted, very feared, indeed quite ominous has happened: The House GOP finally attacked all trans healthcare — for adults as well. They did so in a very cowardly, late-in-the-night way. If this bill passes, the implications for Americans will be devastating, no doubt deadly.

This is just really fucking bad.

If you hadn’t already heard as much, well… Perhaps consider this a sign you want to change your media diet. At least consider supplementing with some (more) queer/trans-run independent media outlets (I recommended some at the end of that post).

If you’ve got Democratic senators especially and you consider yourself an ally to trans folks…

PLEASE call your senators and ask them to stop this bill. This is a critical time to demand our Democratic senators stand up for trans folks. Genuinely feels like if we don’t stop this now we don’t have much of a future in this country.

I was writing a whole other newsletter that got so long I broke it into several other still-long newsletters that I then also set aside, for now...

Instead given everything, I decided to just share some of the media I find most comforting during stressful AF times.

Some of you are no doubt familiar with the ~activity~ of watching videos or movies or TV shows on repeat to numb or distract yourself when you are overwhelmingly sad. (Shoutout to my fellow sometime depression-havers!)

Anyway, here are a few of my personal favorite things to consume when I am feeling super low, or anytime… FWIW!

Comfort Content…

TV: 30 Rock. Golden Girls. Star Trek: TNG. The Great British Baking Show. Also the pottery one. During an extended stagnant spell of some kind (like a back spasm or an Big Sad or a surgery recovery), I might seek out long-form documentaries — like I watched Ken Burns’ jazz one during my top surgery recovery. Or I’ll put on something about nature narrated by David Attenborough. Also recommend the Japanese reality show Terrace House, especially the “Opening New Doors” season. Finally, the trashy show I like most, The Queer Ultimatum, which is returning for a second season, hellllll yes!

Movies: Moonstruck. Ratatouille. Babe, especially that one scene. The Big Lebowski. The 80s Annie. The Wizard of Oz (my favorite movie of all time).

The fourth Star Trek movie from 1986, the one set in San Francisco, with the whales…

YouTube:

Trixie & Katya’s very mindless, often hilarious series UNHhhh — early episodes especially.

This nonsense song I believe aired on some Italian comedy program in the 1960s? (one impersonating English and sorta Bob Dylan):

This one time at the Grammys when Aretha Franklin stepped in last minute for Pavarotti, who was sick, and gave arguably the greatest vocal performance of all time (intro’d by Sting):

The last few minutes — and in particular, the last few seconds — of this:

Obviously this…

Podcasts: My personal reigning comfort listens, the podcasts I never miss an episode of — because they can make me chuckle or even belly-laugh on even otherwise terrible days: Who? Weekly. Why Won’t You Date Me. The Handsome Pod.

Music: I listen to tons of lyric-free, low-key ambient/jazz/instrumental-type music. You can check out my myriad playlists of such here. Here’s a new one I’ve had on lately called thank you for being here.

What’s Helping Today: This essay on despair, by Hanif Abdurraqib — which is exquisite and astonishingly brave. Easily the best writing on suicide I’ve ever encountered. (And figure I’ve read lots.)

I’ve read this essay a few times now and no doubt will return to it, for years to come. It strikes me as being an instant classic — and no surprise either, he is one of our greatest living writers, IMO...

Alright, once again: If you’re a cis ally represented by democrats in the U.S. senate, I am begging you to call your senators, today. Here’s a website that makes calling very easy.

I managed to call my senators yesterday and I’m an anxious-as-hell trans dude who basically re-learned to talk a year ago and who still hates talking on the phone a lot. So! If I could do it, I’m guessing chances are you can too…

Making these calls is huge way you can be a more active ally to trans people, right now. Thank you.

Sending love,
Sandy

p.s. Here again was my recent-ish newsletter about suicide itself, featuring an extended Titanic metaphor.

p.p.s. Here is some in-depth, further reading on just how bad this bill is — and how to fight back.

p.p.p.s. Again: Heck, if you even want to tell me you called your senators after you do so, that’s totally welcome. That link there is the best way to contact me in general, about anything. There’s also info there about how to write into my occasional advice column.

p.p.p.p.s. Bowen’s still straight:

Thanks for reading What’s Helping Today! If you were forwarded this message, you can subscribe here for free. Once more, here’s a page where you can tip me via my Buy Me a Coffee page. Thank you!!!