I am really bad at self-promo
An incomplete round-up of what I am doing and what is on the horizon
With apologies to Elliot Page, this is one trans man who did not have the time to read or promote this memoir- a work that I am sure is insightful but frankly did not necessarily need every trans person with a blue checkmark on social media to do promotion of it. You know who needs promotion? Struggling trans writers, you answer. Yes! But also, I need promotion in that, please, dear God, there has to be somebody other than myself who can do this type of thing better than me.
A couple of weeks ago I got my first official headshot. A real, ‘You are a big boy now!’ type of moment. The photos that I have used or rather, what an editor or site has requested of me, has usually been in the realm of passable selfie or a friend, a non-professional photographer, taking a photo of me. Part of this was to give to publishers for the upcoming book I have done with Willow Maclay but also for my new workplace and also for places I have doing freelance work.
I was unsure when I would have the opportunity to post or do any longform piece on here again. I had recently got a new job that involves intensive training and a whole different schedule than the one I had before. On one hand this new schedule I have has allowed me to continue on certain opportunities involving freelance. On another hand, I have had to recalibrate and work on time management more than I have ever before. It is the first full week of June and I am booked and busy.
The first major thing I wanted to promote for the Masc series I co-curated with Jenni Olson for the Criterion Channel. It is something that has been in the making for a while and I am glad it is finally out there. It is thrilling to get feedback from people who have already explored the program. The series is a mixture of trans men, butch lesbians, and nonbinary/gender non-conforming individuals who fall into the realm of masculine presentation. There are a few films I wish made the final cut but due to circumstances (read: music rights), those could not materialize on a streaming service. There are other opportunities that will follow with this program on Criterion Channel but for now, I will just push this program that I am super proud to have been involved with in any capacity.
For theatrical and repertory screenings, I recorded introductions and discussions with Willow and our mutual friend Liz Purchell for the Alamo Drafthouse franchises on a trans movies ranging from Ed Wood’s Glen or Glenda to Jessie Dunn Rovinelli’s So Pretty. The series title is Doll Parts. Thank Willow and her love of Courtney Love for the title inspiration. Check your local listings as they say for those screenings.
Additionally, while I have no involvement in this series, Liz is continuing another Pride month series around the oeuvre of radical queer cinema icon Rosa von Praunheim and more of his films at Spectacle Theater in Brooklyn. This selection of six films includes Praunheim’s most circulated in America film, the musical City of Lost Souls, that features trans performer Angie Stardust and trans punk icon Jayne County who bravely commits to the role of playing a cis woman. Additionally, one of the greatest trans films, in my opinion, I Am My Own Woman, is included in the program and includes an additional short film about its subject, Charlotte von Mahlsdorf. These films are hard to find so I really advise those based in Brooklyn or New York City proper to check this out. I hope that one day some streamer or label can jump on the Rosa von Praunheim bandwagon, but until then bully your repertory theaters to book actual radical queer films.
I entered this month with some dread about Pride (largely in relation to safety in how Q pilled people think trans people and drag queens are the source for all social ills and also that fucking Brian Littrell lookalike Ron DeSantis having verbal diarrhea with the term ‘woke’ in his attempts to be seen as a viable presidential candidate) but somehow in hearing the feedback from many about Masc it turned my mindset around. I encourage people that if they love the Masc series and want to tweet it or promote it on Instagram to make sure to tag me both me and Jenni Olson on the Instagram side. I am not on Twitter (I know, I might as well not exist), but nonetheless, it is important to credit me but typing out my name. I am ultimately a freelancer who is not fully employed by any film institution/publication/website, so getting proper credit for this is something I always want and especially in this particular undertaking that I was lucky enough to see through with Jenni Olson. At risk of sounding annal retentive, I have gotten annoyed at the few instances where I was not cited, like when a certain movie rating site’s Instagram account did not tag me when promoting the Masc series despite the fact Criterion Collection made sure to do that from the start. I am on Instagram as @corpsesfoolsandmonsters and while the handle is dedicated to the book and research tied to that book, the grid posts and stories are all me. Anyway, I am exhausted by this self-promotion and I hope anybody with an opportunity to watch these films on either Criterion Channel or any of the theaters mentioned has a great time. If I had any real choice of which film above all else I would choose to watch above all else this series, it would be Kate Davis’ documentary on trans man Robert Eads, Southern Comfort. While not an ‘issue’ or ‘advocacy’ doc it is a deeply humanizing and devastating look on anti-trans discrimination and what are the true costs of being denied both gender-affirming care and basic healthcare.
Hope everyone has a safe and wonderful Pride month everybody! Rest in piss, Pat Robertson!