Sauron’s Tower: A Beacon of Hope for Middle Earth

On June 20th, 2021, Amazon founder and pathological wealth hoarder Jeff Bezos ascended into inner space in a rocket made in his own image. The news coverage of this event went to sometimes elaborate lengths to frame a billionaire’s joyride as proof that a Great Man’s achievements are the fundamental metric of a successful society.…

The Summer of Jordi Perez is the Queer YA Beach Read You Need

The Summer of Jordi Perez (and the Best Burger in Los Angeles) is a perfect beach read. I write this knowing that the term “beach read” carries with it a faint whiff of disapprobation and unseriousness, and you could say the same thing about the topics TSOJP concerns itself with: teens, queerness, romantic comedy, fashion,…

Why Dumbledore’s Straightwashing Hurts So Much

This week, Entertainment Weekly released an interview with David Yates, director of Fantastic Besats and Where to Find Them, and its upcoming sequel, The Crimes of Grindelwald, in which he revealed how his next film planned to address Albus Dumbledore’s sexuality. This kind of coy, “not explicitly” language is a reminder that when it comes to…

Queer Vampires of Color in The Gilda Stories

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: It has come to the attention of this committee (the Queer Entertainment and Enlightenment Fellowship) that you have not yet read the classic lesbian vampire novel The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez. We must request that you take immediate action to rectify this situation, and then discuss it with us…