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The Weekly Geek: Lana Wachowski is a hero

Lana Wachowski is a geek hero. She’s a trans hero and an LGBT hero in any way you look at it, and judging from her recent speech accepting a visibility at an HRC Dinner, she’s one hell of an inspiration as well. A transwoman and a talented filmmaker (Bound, The Matrix and the brand new epic Cloud Atlas are all on her resume, alongside her brother Andy), Lana hasn’t been publicly out for long, but the fact that she’s now telling her story and standing up for LGBT visibility — while making amazing movies — makes her a superstar in my book. Ever since I saw The Matrix (and Bound not long after — let’s say that was a transformative baby dyke experience unto its own for moi), and since I heard the Wachowskis had graced my alma mater, Emerson College, I’ve had a total geek-crush on the mysterious siblings. I’ve been a fan of their work, as has any good geek (excepting perhaps those Matrix sequels). And as someone who adores the idea of transmedia (that is, the narrative possibilities inherent to weaving different media types – films, books, games, shorts, etc.), I see the siblings as nothing short of visionaries, even if the end result was uneven.

That crush has become far stronger in the light of Lana’s speech: In case you can’t watch it, here’s a quote:

A few short weeks ago after my coming out, the three of us, Tom, Andy and I were being interviewed, one of the reporters ventured away from the subject of the film towards my gender. Imagine that, a reporter. My brother quickly stepped in, “Look, just so we’re clear,” he says, “if somebody asks something or says something about my sister that I don’t like, understand that I will break a bottle over their head.” [applause] Few words express love clearer than these.
Love, indeed.

Speaking of the strongest emotion, I cannot wait to sink deep into the world of Cloud Atlas. The sci-fi epic is slated for release this Friday, and I have hopes as high as the, well, clouds.

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