21/04/2025
A message from Laser—
Last year, when I learned that the Harry Potter play would be coming to Los Angeles for several months, I got angry and sad—I knew a lot of my friends would go see this play, despite the fact that JK Rowling has openly said that folks spending money to see her stuff is an endorsement of her ideals (and she uses that money to make life very hard for trans folks). But being mad gets me nowhere without action.
I know hundreds of incredible trans theater artists who just need an opportunity to make inspiring art. So, with the help of my partner Maddox K. Pennington and producer Petey Gibson, I founded THE JOY WHO LIVED, a performing arts festival! Venues, tech, and promotion were funded by crowdfunding, so theater artists needed only to create something wonderful - and got 100% of their ticket sales as profit (this never happens in theater festivals). We prioritized accessibility and diversity, and thanks to the work of http://dspstudio.la/, recorded and streamed most of the shows. Incredible volunteers leveled up the festival in gorgeous ways—shout-out to Carrie Wogaman, Morgan Peters and KC McGeorge. Overall, we put on more than 30 events, plus classes and parties, and paid over $17,000 directly to trans creators. There are a few days left of the festival—and yes, we have to do it again now, because we learned so much. I've also assembled the board for a non-profit which will be taking our project into the future—thank you Amy Spalding, Revel Bikil, and Jonathan Gould!
I'm riding high today after last night's premiere of my new musical "Love Chicken", written with Maddox and Luis Tony Gonzalez. It's a scary time, but people coming together really does make me feel great. 😊
