January update: so! many! things!

Hey, all :) Happy new year! I hope this update finds you curled up on the sofa with a hot chocolate in hand. Unless you're in the Southern hemisphere, in which case I guess I hope this message finds you... surfing? Barbecuing? Whatever.

I've got a lot to update you on this month, including some very exciting news, so I'll split this update into two parts. The whole thing is worth reading, I swear!

Part 1: things are bad,

I want to level with you: morale is pretty low at Lily Alexandre Headquarters (aka my house). I'm struggling to find the energy and focus to sit down and write the next video. That's for a few reasons:

1. ...I mean, there's a plague. Things are worse than ever in Montreal. You get it.

2. Lindsay Ellis announcing her departure has sent ripples through the YouTube world. A lot of creators are worried for the future of this medium, this platform, this scene. Lindsay is someone I've admired for years - as nearly every essayist has - and the fact that even she couldn't manage a healthy life on YouTube is discouraging. I'm trying not to let it get me down.

3. Most significantly, since the day after Christmas, I've been the subject of a targeted anti-trans harassment campaign. TERFs caught wind of my last video, and have been hitting me with a barrage of harassment since. As of January 1st, there have been nearly 3000 transphobic comments directed at me - insulting my appearance, describing how strongly they hate me, calling me every name in the book and then some.

I don't have anything new to say about this. I'm okay - but it sucks - but I'm okay! I knew it would happen eventually (because trans woman) but nothing can really prepare you for when it comes.

With all this in mind, I think the best move is to pace myself and not force anything. There won't be a new video in January; the next one is a big topic, and I don't have it in me to crunch for a full month. Hopefully, it will be out in February, and we'll get back on track from there.

Part 2: but maybe it'll be okay!

(This is how I structure like 60% of my videos: "This thing is pretty bad, but maybe it'll be okay". The other 40% are "This thing is pretty good, but sometimes it's bad". If you want to write a Lily Alexandre video, that's the secret - run with it!)

That said, it's not all bad! Here are a couple things in the pipeline:

1. This week, I start work on the most ambitious project of my career so far: a three-part series on trans youth, and the problems they face in the healthcare system. To produce the series, I'll be partnering with Trans PULSE Canada, a research project that conducted a huge survey of trans people in Canada.

They have a staggering amount of data on trans Canadians that just didn't exist before, and they want to use it for good. The videos will be written & produced in close collaboration with the PULSE team - in fact, for the duration of the project, I'll actually be a staff member there!

This is my first ever run-in with academia, so I'm a little intimidated. But it's important work, the production value will be great, and God, I'm excited.

(I actually found out about this opportunity from a Patron. Thanks again, Dan!)

2. Instead of putting out a video while the TERFs have me in their sights, and risking a whole new wave of harassment, I've been trying something new.  I'm just starting on this, and I can't promise it'll work, but I'm trying to adapt a fan-favourite video into a zine!

(You'll never guess which one.)

It's been a really fun challenge so far. Constructing a zine is so different from constructing a video essay.

I have no idea if this will pan out, but if it does, all Patrons will get a free digital copy, and Patrons at the $12 tier will get a free physical copy by mail! For everyone else, I'll probably sell it on itch.io.

Whew, that was so many words. If you've got any questions about the PULSE project, the zine, or anything else, ask away in the comments :)

Take care, everyone!