Written by Juniper August 2, 2024
Friendly Reminders:
- We are going to need a lot more people in the upcoming months to run OOTS as we will be in a more public-facing area if we get enough folks we may be able to have two on shift at once that’s the goal so spread the word!
- Log all interactions even non-OOTS related questions on the spreadsheet
- Snacks and drinks are free to use!
- Last month of Summer take advantage of the weather and do some forest bathing or head down to the beach, touch some grass this month!
What’s NOOTS?:
- Moving day is coming up and we will be closing a week before the move to begin the packing process this will probably be around the last week of August as our tentative moving date is September 3
- Keep an eye out for moving day volunteer sign-ups in ‘announcements’!
- Go check out our newly revamped website! Kira and Paul have done a fabulous job
- Join GWOOTS for one-page one-shots with Rachel! More info in the Gaming with out on the shelves chat
Queer Creator Spotlight:
In honor of trans history month we are going to be spotlighting Wendy Carlos an icon of trans and music history for her pioneering work on the synthesizer. Wendy was born in Rhode Island in 1939 and was immediately drawn to music writing her first composition at only 10 years old. She began her work in the music industry in the 1960s aiding another queer figure in music history Leonard Bernstein in his presentation of an evening of electronic music at New York’s Philharmonic hall. She worked at the first electronic music center in the US as a recording and mastering engineer. While there she helped develop the Moog synthesizer which would become the first commercially available synthesizer allowing artists to access the technology and begin creating new work with this revolutionary new instrument.
In 1968 she released Switched on Bach her first album in which she performed excerpts of Bach’s music performed on synthesizer. The album won 3 grammys and became the first classical album to become certified platinum. Because the technology was still young recording on the synthesizer was a grueling and tedious process and leading up to the release of the album Carlos worked eight hours a day, five days a week, for five months, on top of her regular 40-hour-per-week day job at Gotham Studios on to finish Switched on Bach. With the success of the album Wendy was invited to work on film soundtracks beginning with Marooned (1969) and the now iconic Clockwork Orange (1971) from Stanley Kubrick. She would later go on to compose the soundtrack to Possibly Kubrick’s most iconic film, The Shining (1980) as well as Disney’s Tron (1982). Carlos continued to release synthesizer remixes of popular classical music and moved to France with her husband in 1980. In the 1980s she would release albums of her own compositions and later work with Weird Al Yankovik on a parody of Peter and the Wolf a popular orchestral composition.
Wendy felt uncomfortable in her body since childhood and discovered the existence of trans folks in 1962 and began hormone replacement therapy in 1968 around the time of the release of Switched on Bach. With the popularity of the album Carlos experienced a lot fo anxiety about transphobic reactions to her coming out in public to celebrate the album’s success and remained in the closet until she came out through a series of interviews published in the 1979 issue of Playboy magazine despite having had sexual reassignment surgery in 1972. She released her first album as Wendy Carlos in 1980 and has been out and proud ever since. As of now, Carlos continues to make music on the instrument she helped to create. Wendy Carlos: The Biography hit shelves in 2020 if you are interested in learning more about one of the brilliant minds behind modern music. So next time you’re bopping to a synthy 80s classic or dancing along with an electropop hit remember the trans woman who helped make it possible!
The Gay Agenda:
- Happy Trans history month!
- Celebrate Gay Uncles day August 11
- Celebrate Masc Lesbian Awareness month starting August 4
- Happy Butch appreciation day August 18
- Celebrate Aromantic visibility day August 25
- Come to Vancouver Pride Saturday August 3 and Sunday August 4
- Check out Mink Stole and Peaches Christ for a night of reminiscing and film clips looking back at John Waters, Divine and other film icons of queer camp history on August 3 at the Rio theater starting at 7pm
- Check out Dandy’s Big Gay Cabaret at the Rio theater at 8 pm August 2 to support a member of our very own library
Queer Story Recommendation:
To celebrate Butch awareness I’m recommending Leslie Feinberg’s Stone Butch Blues from 1993. The novel is a semi-autobiographical tale about gender, lesbianism and the process of coming into your queerness in the late 20th century. The book follows Jess Godlberg who from childhood finds it difficult to fit into the feminine expectations her family has for her. Her journey of self-discovery begins when she finds her way into the queer world of Buffalo New York and navigates a world of homophobia, activism and just finally, some kind of peace. The novel challenges the ideas we have around fixed gender identity, the lines between lesbianism and transgender identity and the ways that those lines can blur. Its a classic in butch and trans literature and a must-read for anyone interested in trans literature and theory. Trigger warning for homophobia, transphobia and sexual assault.
