Antivaxxers who say shit like this get one chance to look at this graph, really look at it and think about it for an hour. They get one (1) singular “tHaT WAs juST sAnITATiOn imPRoviNg”, and then they get to watch a 30 minute recording by an epidemiology historian explaining exactly why the timelines for that do not line up in any way shape or form.
And then if they persist they get fed into a woodchipper feet first.
I absolutely love drawing this beautiful stormy boy! This time with Syl! (because I love them so much) Hopefully I did him some justice this time around. Enjoy💙
Annika Caswell a student from the Wimbledon School of Art wardrobe department, dressed as Catherine Parr, next to her portrait attributed to Master John, c. 1545 in the National Portrait Gallery, London. * The students are recreating portraits dating from the Tudor period to the 19th century which have been inspiration for their lavish costumes . (Photo by Rebecca Naden - PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images)
The first asexual person I met outside of the internet was a 65 year old woman.
I’d been interning with her as an artist/executive assistant for some time. To put a long story short she’d developed a tremor that kept her from doing a certain amount of studio work, so in between sending emails and invoices for her I’d chip in and help with line art or drafting on longer projects. A lot of it was the two of us sitting in her basement studio, doing our own thing, waiting for the phone to ring. We got to talking a lot. I’d just moved across the country and was still finding my footing.
There was a handyman she had over occasionally — he was a personal friend who enjoyed her company more than she enjoyed his. She didn’t dislike him by any means, but he definitely had feelings for her that she didn’t reciprocate. One day, after he’d come over to repair something-or-other and left, she and I started talking about relationships.
She asked if I had a boyfriend. I told her I wasn’t interested in being in a relationship with anyone and that I’d never had a desire to be in a relationship. Admittedly, I was bracing for the “You’ll meet the right person someday” response. I knew it generally came from a place of care, but it never changed how much I dreaded to hear it. I really respected my mentor and I was prepared to nod along to whatever response she gave me. Instead of anything I expected her to say, she just kind of nodded and said, “Me neither. I think I’m — what’s the term — asexual?”
I was ecstatic. I told her I was asexual, too. I saw her sigh in relief, the same way I did. I couldn’t believe it.
We didn’t get much work done that day, we just started talking about our experiences. She’d been married once when she was younger and even during that period of her life her disinterest in a sexual relationship didn’t change. She had a roommate after graduating college who confessed to having feelings for her and she had to tell her “It’s not that I don’t like girls, it’s that I don’t like anybody.” The roommate harbored enough bitterness over this that they had to split ways. Her mother told her that she would quote “rather have a gay daughter than a daughter who didn’t fancy anyone at all” unquote.
I didn’t have nearly as many experiences as she did, but I was able to share my own for the first time. I shared how it was easier to say I was taking time to work on myself than to say I had no interest in being in a relationship. We talked about the words “You’ll meet the right person someday” and “You’ll know when you’re in love” and “Don’t worry, one day you’ll meet some guy that changes everything.” As if something was broken.
“I’ve been alive for sixty five years,” my mentor told me, “and I’ve never felt like I was missing something, even if everybody told me I was.”
Currently, my mentor lives with her parrot, her cats, and her backyard-wildlife pals in a house that she owns. She makes art and hosts community art groups and volunteers at care homes and is the most self-fulfilled woman I’ve ever met. And she loves her life. She loves the people she knows and they love her, too. If I could be half as cool as she is when I grow up, I think that’d be pretty amazing.
“Asexuality” isn’t a problem to be fixed or a phase to grow out of. Sometimes you’re fifteen and sometimes you’re sixty-five. I knew in my heart that older asexual people existed but it changed me completely to meet one. We were here before and we always will be.
Teyana Taylor in an outfit designed by Marc Jacobs, Teyana Taylor, and Ruth E. Carter!
And your runner ups:
In 2nd, Janelle Monae in a look by Thom Browne and Paul Tazewell, and in 3rd, Ugbad Abdi in an outfit by Michael Kors!
The 2024 Met Gala tournament - the theme of which was “The Garden of Time / Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” - will kick off in a couple of days!
These are just a few of the reasons I LOVE the LGBTQIA+ community so much!
It’s always important to remember what being a part of a community like this means. For me personally it means home, it means love, friendship and safety but for millions of people across the world right now it’s the opposite, with everything going on in the world (especially with the recent rulings in the UK and USA) it’s easy to forget that not everyone has a safe space in the world, they’re being persecuted and hated for just being themselves!
Remember people, be there, be seen, be careful, be proud but above all be kind!
And on that note, if you need a friend, a place to vent or rant about anything that’s going on in your life then my inbox and DMs are open to all who need a friendly face and listening ear.
If your family don’t accept you then I’m your family now. Go eat, drink some water, and take your meds!
