It’s Trans Day of Visibility, and Popsugar has a collection of in-their-own-words stories from trans entertainers and activists, such as first out trans Miss USA contestant, Kataluna Enriquez, and RuPaul’s Drag Race star and the show’s first out trans drag queen, Peppermint. I recommend both essays, as well as the article about transwomen competing in women’s sports. Transwomen are women, trans rights are human rights. (Popsugar)
Chris Pratt says he understands why we’re all so suspicious of his Mario voice in the upcoming Super Mario Bros. movie. He also says he’s a fan of the game. These are two claims I doubt. (DListed)
Teyana Taylor is doing her best Moira Rose. (Go Fug Yourself)
Jonathan Majors’ lawyer released some texts that “recant” the survivor’s allegations of abuse against Majors. Um… I know some people will twist the “I love you” and her apologizing for him being charged, but anyone familiar with abusive patterns and survivorship will recognize the attempts to defuse a person she knows to be angry, as well as the tendency for survivors to engage in self-blame and self-recrimination. This is not a woman out of the woods yet, she’s in the thick of it. Further, the texts actually do confirm she “collapsed” and “passed out” after her (alleged) altercation with him. Er, like, explain how that all happened again? (Celebitchy)
Vogue Philippines’ April cover features 106 year old Apo Whang-Od, also known as Maria Oggay, a mambabatok who practices an Indigenous form of stick-tattooing called batok. Apo Whang-Od and her grand-nieces are basically keeping the art alive, and Audrey Carpio examines the colonialist effort to erase batok from Indigenous Filipino culture, as well as the impact of cultural tourism in saving and promoting the art, but also the inherent implications of appropriation. It’s a great read, Apo Whang-Od sounds awesome, but also, the photo spread, by Artu Nepomuceno, is spectacular. (Vogue Philippines)
