This is erasure

Naw, it's just the usual "bad place produces truly remarkable people who refuse to accept the bad stuff" thing.

Still get the warm and fuzzies in my heart, of course. Cuz it's nice to see people being nice and standing up for each other.

is it bad that I just see this as ragebait?

IMO yes.

These are trans people in a ragingly transphobic place, choosing to celebrate and protest by doing something both fun and yes, provocative rather than just hide from public view or continue on as if nothing was happening, and a big name celebrity is choosing to support their work. The backlash is predictable but it isn't *the* point. Could this energy be better directed? idk maybe, but theater kids gonna theater kid. And frankly its as likely to do the opposite and inspire a backlash so disproportionate and deranged that it wakes some more people up to the fact that anti trans campaigners just hate trans people, none of their alleged grievances are in good faith

as protest its kinda libshit but as art I hope it is wonderful and fulfilling for those involved and the audience

yes it's bad

Well when you get culture war brain'd and have heard the worst of it all, you're bound to expect it

I'm having a hard time responding right to your comment. I've tried a few times and none of them have been quite right. I'm not sure this one worked either, but I gotta post something!

First, I think it's a mistake to see this as ragebait. Why shouldn't queer people who love theatre and Shakespeare be able to put on any show they please? The people doing this are doing it because they want to. Sure, having an entirely trans cast is absolutely a Political Statement here and now, but that's just because existing as trans is a Political Statement. I didn't choose to be trans (although I would have, being trans rules), and I hate that I downplay such an important part of myself in public just to be slightly safer. I can imagine it would be a powerful experience to be part of the cast of this show, because everyone in it is loudly being their whole queer self, very publicly. And I think that's beautiful, transness should be celebrated, even though it's dangerous to do so right now. In fact, maybe we need to do it more because it's dangerous right now

Second, how do you feel about Pride? Not the pink-washed corporate parade it has become, but what it started as, a revolutionary movement. "We're here, we're queer, get used to it." Were Pride parades "ragebait" back when marching in one was dangerous? I don't think so. At the end of the day, Pride is a celebration, a celebration of people whose gender and sexuality are incompatible with the dominant cishet paradigm of love, sexuality, and gender. And I feel it's important to celebrate that, even if it's dangerous, even if being proud of our identities pisses off bigots.

Finally, your last question is very, very close to the classic class-reductionist fear that "if we (as leftists) cater to all these silly little identities that don't matter, then we won't be able to unite and defeat our real enemy, the bourgeoisie". And I think this line of argument has been debunked on Hexbear often enough that I don't have to do it again here. If not, of course, let me know, I'll give it a shot, although I'm pretty sure there are people who've already addressed this argument better than I ever could.