<
https://variety.com/2026/tv/features/lilly-wachowski-jk-rowling-harry-potter-trans-the-matrix-1236858104/>
"In 2014, Laverne Cox made history as the first transgender person to appear on
the cover of
Time magazine under the headline “The Transgender Tipping
Point.” The accompanying story, written by Katy Steinmetz, positioned the fight
for trans rights as the next big civil rights movement “poised to challenge
long-held cultural norms and beliefs.” It’s easy to see why Steinmetz thought
so. Cox’s show “Orange Is the New Black” had become Netflix’s most-watched
original series ever; Amazon Studios’ “Transparent” had launched to critical
raves; and Jared Leto won an Oscar for his portrayal of a trans sex worker with
HIV in “Dallas Buyers Club.” The following year, Caitlyn Jenner would grace the
cover of
Vanity Fair and take home ESPN’s Arthur Ashe Courage Award.
Then came the backlash. Republican politicians and pundits began zeroing in on
trans rights, treating it as a wedge issue in order to distract from Trump’s
economic failings. A moral panic ensued. Just last year, more than 600
anti-trans bills were introduced at the state level in the U.S., and 29 states
adopted restrictive laws pertaining to trans people. And Hollywood followed
suit, scaling back its trans representation. Cox recently shared she’d lost 90%
of her income amid Trump and his minions’ war on trans people and DEI.
This sea change has even affected Lilly Wachowski.
Wachowski is — along with her sister, Lana — the most powerful and influential
trans filmmaker around. The 58-year-old had gifted us “The Matrix” series,
“Bound” and “Sensse8,” to name a few, and yet, after her critically acclaimed
series “Work in Progress,” about a middle-aged lesbian who begins dating a much
younger trans man, was canceled by Showtime after two seasons, she spent years
pitching “cool and queer trans stories” to Hollywood but couldn’t find a single
taker.
So, Wachowski took matters into her own hands, joining forces with Bay Area
film programmer Sarah Marie Flores and producer Lawrence Mattis to form
Anarchists United Foundation and Anarchists United Studio with the mission of
championing stories from marginalized communities. Here’s how it works: The
foundation provides grants and fellowships to aspiring filmmakers, mentorships
via its Directors Prep & Pitch Lab and office space courtesy of United Spaces
of Anarchy, while helping fund the studio. Anarchists United’s first project is
“Cassie Workman Is Witchy AF,” a DIY docuseries that features the trans Aussie
comic exploring the history of the occultism and magic with her trademark wit.
It will debut Sept. 16 on YouTube."
Via Susan ****
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
