Fola Francis forever.

Hey friends,

Hope you’re all hanging in there. Well, let’s get to it… CW: death I guess!

I never figured out how to be normal about this week’s episode, and I also do not know how to be normal about this week’s newsletter. I’m arguably overly aware of ~the general specter of death~ and have always been very conscious of the fact that people we’ve interviewed for Gender Reveal would someday die. There have also been many instances of people whom I hoped to one day speak with/work with/befriend passing away in their 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s. We are trans and that’s how it goes, unfortunately.

However! It had not really occurred to me that someone might die in the small window between when we record an interview and when we publish said interview. I don’t have anything smart or interesting to say about it! It’s just so sad, so sad, and so surreal, and I cannot believe Fola is gone. And I cannot believe Cecilia is gone, and that both of them had survived so much, and both of them wanted to live so much, and somehow this happened anyway.

(And meanwhile, Chevy and Nex and Stevie and Reyna; and meanwhile, hundreds of Gazans just trying to eat anything at all, and tens of thousands of Gazans just trying to live. And meanwhile, everyone else.)

I’m on a tight deadline for writing this week's newsletter, so it’s probably not the best time for me to try to have profound thoughts about the human condition or whatever. Let me just say that Fola rules, and we were lucky to have her in the world, and she deserved to go on a thousand little beach vacations where nothing bad ever happened. I feel so lucky that we were able to chat, and that our conversation is recorded forever. I hope you’ll take some time to listen to her speak, and/or read the transcript we put together.

Photo: Fola at an outdoor bar in Crocs and a zebra print robe/wrap/thing and the biggest straw hat I've ever seen. 

Uh,,, what else. Merch? Sure, merch. Palestine solidarity designs are back in the shop along with TDoS stuff. Sure! Why not.

I’m gonna skip Links & Stuff but basically everyone’s arguing about what sex is. Or maybe they’re agreeing! Impossible to know. (Drop ur hot sex takes in the comments lmao.)

That’s it for this week. Here’s your weekly Rhubarb. She’s doing great!

Photo: Ruby sleeping on a colorful, sun-dappled blanket.

Xo,

Yr resident gender detective