Nice Stuff 3

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.

Hi folks,

Shit’s … still bad.

Gonna do another one of these…

Great Voyager reawakening news!

Ben of Ben & Jerry’s was arrested for speaking out in Congress against the famine and genocide in Gaza.

Ms. Rachel also spoke out; it’s worth listening to her explanation as to why:

I was just amazed by this courage (and that of all such students):

Hell yeah:

HELL yeah:

Some folks back home in the Bay Area are rallying to preserve the site of Compton’s Cafeteria Riot — a lesser-known 1966 predecessor to Stonewall.

Some other climber-type folks unfurled a giant trans flag across Yosemite’s El Capitan:

Some other folks over in the UK put a trans toilet outside the Supreme Court:

In an unprecedented decision, a French Court supported a trans man’s receiving top surgery. And in Texas, a bunch of anti-trans school-board incumbents lost their seats. 🙂 

Lest anyone still think that trans people ourselves are ‘new’ or even that trans people being famous is somehow ‘a recent fad’ … Here for example is an AP profile of longtime trans icon Bambi, now 89. (What’s not new is trans/gnc people, to use modern language, sure. What’s also not new is transphobia and systematic silencing of and erasure of trans/gnc people from media and from history.)

From that Bambi profile: ”Asked about author J.K. Rowling’s anti-trans stance, her response is calmly dismissive: ‘Her opinion counts no more than a baker’s or a cleaning lady’s.’”

Finally: Kate Nash dropped what I’d characterize as a diss track directed at “regressive misogynist” JK Rowling, complete with stats and citations — and a catchy hook. IMO it’s a total banger.

I also am extremely here for and encouraging of all feminists, especially those with significant platforms, getting loudly livid right back at so-called “TERFs” on trans peoples’ behalf, sure, but also upon cis women’s behalf, and upon feminism’s behalf, as Nash has done so explicitly here.

The Trans Journalists Association (of which I’m a dues-paying but like, too-anxious-to-attend-anything-ever-probably-type member and have been since its early days, when all this um stuff happened, sigh…) just released this excellent resource, which is what made me want to get this newsletter out to you all as urgently as I could:

A media guide for covering the upcoming Skrmetti Supreme Court case.

As some of my (some) cis readers may still not understand: This case could have a tremendous (read: potentially quite devastating) potential impact on trans Americans’ lives. How media covers all this and us really matters when it comes to shaping public perception of reality itself.

ICYMI: Media representation of trans/gnc people tends to be mostly/entirely cis-created (still!). The whole media landscape tilts rightward — meaning against the viewpoint that trans people deserve to exist or as equal citizens (🙃!). Yes, I’m including even most “mainstream coverage” in this description. All told, most of what’s supposedly being said in the media and online “about” trans people is, on any given day, in general, just very biased against us, if not very dehumanizing and awful. Meanwhile most outlets are still failing to actually properly cover the big story, here, so to speak — and the public hardly realizes what’s going on. This is because most big outlets still fail to staff trans people as editors and writers for example — even just proportionally to the tiny percentage of the population that we constitute.

I’ve said but to repeat, a handful of media outlets — mostly independent queer/trans-led ones — are doing a better job. Like Teen Vogue (here’s a great interview re: their work), like Rolling Stone, like WIRED. Also, as I’ve mentioned, I personally find the newsletters put out by the likes of Law Dork and Assigned Media quite invaluable.

If you’re a cis ally and have the money to spare: Please consider supporting these or other independent queer-led media if you can. Or the TJA. Or other independent trans journalists who’ve (long) done good work in this space, like Parker Molloy or like Katelyn Burns of Cancel Me Daddy. Consider listening to (and yes, in the dollars sense, supporting) that show for example or Gender Reveal or Imara Jones’ TransLash podcast.

I know my newsletter here has many subscribers who work in media — editors, journalists and producers. So to you folks in particular, again, please check out that TJA guide. Also share it with your colleagues, as applicable.

On that note and (speaking of Gender Reveal host Tuck Woodstock): To media types who actually control budgets and/or standards especially, please note the existence of this consulting company, which your organization can hire to update/improve your trans-related coverage/practices.

Again a great idea in general, as fascism’s tide rises ever higher and so many lives are at stake. But an especially great idea in particular ahead of this supreme court ruling, which again stands to be like extremely consequential…

Thank you,
Sandy

p.s. I announced this the other day on Bluesky but I’m hiring for a few positions, however urgently — namely for an illustrator interested in collaborating on a trans/gnc-related project that shall remain mysterious for now… but I’ll explain more to those I contact for interviews.

p.p.s. Also ISO (potentially): a very part-time hourly professional assistant… as well as (most hypothetically) an audio producer interested in potentially starting another podcast with me… All info on what I’m looking for and how to apply here.

p.p.p.s. Also just to note once more, I’m still looking for someone whose professional focus is data sets and crunching numbers who’d be interested in collaborating with me on the data-angle of the aftermath of my viral post about cis allyship. All the wisdom contained in the great heap of responses. Said responses haven’t stopped coming either (and I haven’t managed to even read all of them still, much as I’ve really tried). The answers picked up last weekend such that my replies became too much for me to handle (again), more than a month on... So …. I’m seeking a researcher/academic to collaborate with, maybe a data journalist. Maybe whoever-it-is is also trans/gnc? And/or maybe they study bigotry itself or even specifically transphobia? Or how humans change our minds/unlearn (prior misguided views…)? Anyway, if you are someone who would want to maybe try to work on this project with me, please reach out.

p.p.p.p.s. Just to repeat this other call I put out on social media recently here: I'm beginning research for a story about transmasc people who receive endometriosis diagnoses (whether only post-hysterectomy, as was the case for me, or whenever). I said more in this (public) thread. Thank you!

p.p.p.p.p.s. To write me (about any of this, or anything else): the contact form on this page is the best way. If you wanna share/forward this email to anyone please feel free and it is very appreciated! If anyone reading this is new(er) to my work, here’s a 101.

p.p.p.p.p.p.s. What’s Helping Today: My chosen comfort watch of late is another very nostalgic pick for me… old eps of I Love Lucy, including last night I happened to put on this absolute classic that leads off season two:

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