This week, if you live in the United States, you’ll find traditional American values everywhere you look — namely, an overabundance of hot dogs, cheap beer, and small explosives. Many of us have mixed feelings about this holiday, for myriad reasons, so let’s take this moment to look at some things we can all celebrate. Happy Afternoon Snack!
Autostraddle has ranked the new Lesbian Ken dolls by their Lesbianism and we are ALL ABOUT IT (also at least one of us here at POME had #55, Sun Sensation Ken, and is very excited to see her again after all these years)
Hey MARVEL AND DC, it’s time to realize that your stagnating sales are NOT due to making less comics about straight white dudes. Turns out comics about people of color and women are doing pretty well! [CACKLING INTENSIFIES]
Missouri’s Senate is looking at legislation that would overturn a previous ordinance that protected women from housing and work discrimination based on their reproductive health choices. If this bill is passed, that means a woman could be denied housing or fired from her job because she’s had an abortion or is on the pill. This is stupid and upsetting and we are tired of fighting this fight, but fuck it, here it goes I FUCKING GUESS.
RuPaul’s Drag Race is a bonafide phenomena — and some of the biggest waves it’s made has been with teenage girls. Drag Race gives them permission to be themselves, and to love themselves in all their non-normalcies, and seeing drag change the world like that is everything.
If you are into D&D and also podcasts, then chances are high that you might have more than a passing affinity for The Adventure Zone. The recent problems the McElroys and TDZ fans have been tussling with has been a tough ordeal for all who love the podcast and its characters. This article on Paste is a good and empathetic piece about the relationship so many content creators have with their fans, and the limits of fan ownership on pieces they feel so connected to.
Here is a brief foray into what is an extensive history of sci-fi and speculative fiction in the Muslim world. Let’s just highlight this bit from Sultana’s Dream, when a woman stumbles into a matriarchal society where all the gender roles are reversed:
‘Where are the men?’ I asked her.
‘In their proper places, where they ought to be.’
‘Pray let me know what you mean by “their proper places”.’
‘O, I see my mistake, you cannot know our customs, as you were never here before. We shut our men indoors.’
Sailor Moon fans continue to be the best in the world, and this article (where they ask fans what they do to fight evil in the world) proves it.
Bone Owl Puzzles is coming to a kickstarter near you and features some really beautiful work by some of our favorite artists!! (Brushwood by Rosemary Valero-O’Connell is our personal fave, but they’re all great.)
We loved Persona 5 but these are very valid criticisms that we also share. We’re ready for you to do better next time around, Atlus! (ALSO WHY IS YUSUKE NOT A ROMANCE OPTION!!!)
Mitch McConnell owes Thanatos 22 million human souls — hot take or hottest take??
In a truly just world Sense8 would go on for another 1000 until it was literal reality but I’LL TAKE IT!!!!
This list of books that feature bisexual women (without focusing on their sex lives) is what’s upppppp
This unacceptable cover from Divided States of Hysteria #4, by Image Comics, is disrespectful, insensitive, and hugely upsetting. Do better, Image Comics.
No matter what your week holds for you, take care of each other! And also of any dogs you see (dogs are scared of fireworks!!).