Dear Catherine,
I was struck by one of your recent conversations with Dr. Farrell about the War on Children, and thought you might find the attached photos of a street advertisement by Sephora, a makeup company, rather interesting. They depict a young boy on the left (perhaps barely pubescent) clearly in a romantic pose over a young boy on the right (likely elementary school age), with both boys in full-on women’s makeup. The slogan at the bottom reads “They, She, Ze, He Xe, We Belong to Something Beautiful“. The ads are about 20 feet tall and appear in this and similar forms on newsstands along San Francisco’s Sansome Street in the heart of the financial district. Both the Stock Exchange and the Federal Reserve are on Sansome Street. Even as a gay woman who works in San Francisco and supports transgender rights, I’ve found these ads very disturbing.
Incidentally, also in the attached photos, are sculptures of shredded images of Hermes, Dionysus, and Arman which appear in front of each side of the Federal Reserve building. I’m not sure what they are trying to covey, but sculptures of sliced up humans in front of the Fed is rather awful.
[My partner] and I so enjoyed our time with you in Australia last year. We hope that your life continues to be a fun and safe adventure, and we look forward to seeing you again.
