Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha! 10% off new merch! Which mascot R U?

Hey friends,

Hope you’re all hanging in there! We’re getting soooo close to the end of the season, which is ofc sad but also exciting for me, a person who is behind on every aspect of their life, lol.

This week on the show, I spoke with Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha. I was a little worried about how this one would be received because there are only five or six questions in it, but people are really loving the ep! I am always trying to be weirdly completionist in my interview prep, so this is useful as proof that I absolutely do not need to be doing that, hahaha.

Next week, we’ve got an advice episode with bff of the show Mckenzee, and another sweet little segment of trans people sharing their goods news. It’s gonna be cute!

In merch news, we’ve restocked the shop for August with a bunch of new stickers, plus the return of a few classic designs (T4T Mothman, Nature Is Queer, and the new-ish Gender Reveal Skull.) We’ve also got a new Gender Reveal shirt with some cute little creatures by Will Betke-Brunswick that I’m really into.

Photo ID: A white t-shirt that says "GENDER REVEAL" in red letters. Between the two words is a cartoon-y drawing of a big purple anteater with a tiny blue monkey wrapped around their front leg.

I said something last week about how we can’t give discounts anymore because of dwindling profit margins, but great news!!! Teespring is sponsoring a sale this weekend, which means that we don’t lose any money :) So use SUMMERSALE for 10% off today through Sunday.

OK, time for Links & Stuff:

• My girlfriend recently pointed out that it’s weird that the Seattle Mariners mascot is “the Mariner Moose” and not… a mariner. This has led me down several weird rabbit holes over multiple days, but anyway, here’s a list of every horrifying MLB mascot. Which one is your gender? Which one will haunt your nightmares? Let me know!

Photo ID: The Mariner Moose rollerblading with the word "MASCOTS" written over the photo.

• My friend spotted this gem downtown.
• This Nathan For You analysis is 6.5 years old(!) but I still really enjoyed it.
• Also appreciated this explainer of why some villain guy is absolutely gutting HBO Max! (If they cancel The Other Two I’m going to riot).
• As others have said, Fran Hoepfner should get a Putlizer for this Big Lollipop Journalism.

That’s it for this week. Thanks so much for being here. Here’s your weekly Rhubarb.

Photo ID: Ruby sitting in the grass with her tail curled up in a beautiful fan shape.

Xo,
Yr resident gender detective