We felt this was a timely exhibition because we are once again living in a moment when queer and lesbian communities are being asked to survive systems that were not built for us. These histories are not just stories from the past. They are blueprints for how we build, care for one another, and sustain our institutions now.
Professionally, the impact was absolute. For decades, I managed complex IT projects for global giants and, most recently, for Sanford Health. I am a builder of systems. But this year, I watched the federal government systematically dismantle the data structures that acknowledge LGBTQ+ people exist. When the administration stopped collecting Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) data, it wasn't just a policy change; it was an erasure.
I've spent the last 25 years since I transitioned being spoken by lawmakers, by media, by people who have never met me but feel entitled to decide what my life means. The pressure to explain, justify, or exist as a symbol in somebody else's mythology is constant. It's part of why my film, Becoming a Man in 127 EASY Steps, exists: to narrate a trans life from the inside, rather than explain it to outsiders.
In this episode: coming out. Academia can think of itself as an area that can ask the difficult questions. Science, after all, is all about getting to the bottom of things, seeking an understanding of the world around us in all its complexity. But when it comes to the complexity of researchers themselves, academia can often struggle to have the tough conversations.
The doll, which was created with input from the autistic community, comes with several accessories that "represent common ways autistic people may experience, process, and communicate about the world around them," Mattel's press release states. These accessories include a pink finger-clip fidget spinner to reduce stress and improve focus, noise-cancelling headphones to reduce sensory overload, and an electronic tablet with Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) apps to help non-verbal autistic people interact with others.
