RPR 108: A virgin birth fit for Pride
also queer socks flapping and great news for nepo babies
Hi, misfit fam. I’m back from NYC where The Family Court Report made its Lower East Side debut at the charming Metrograph theater last week. It was a surreal whirlwind of trip drenched in art and prosecco. Stay tuned for more. I’ll be sharing FCR’s 2-min film and pics from the boat party where I ate cotton candy and awkwardly admired the dance moves of my very stylish colleagues in tomorrow’s newsletter. In the meantime, let’s get to it.
SOMETHING TO LISTEN TO
Stitcher might be deserting us, but don’t worry because Odd One In is here for weirdos forever. This week the one-and-only Jess Silver is back with the latest teaser for our upcoming second episode.
Jess’ amazing ode to 80’s dyke mullets was a big hit in our last issue, and this teaser is a muddy romp of a follow-up. I’m hoping Jess launches her own podcast ASAP.
Click Jess’ cute photo below to listen to her hilarious 2-minute story about how she and her partner navigated out to their dream yurt on nights they neglected to plan ahead. Enjoy!
SOMETHING TO READ
Exciting news for people who believe that beige groups of wealthy nepo babies are hotbeds for innovation: The Supreme Court has decided today that Affirmative Action is no more, outlawing the consideration of race in college admissions.
And while Clarence Thomas declared that considering race “demeans us all,” the Justice apparently had no musings to share about controversial legacy admissions—the practice of colleges and universities offering preferential treatment to the children of alumni.
What’s wrong with letting teenagers whose parents with deep pockets and ties to the school get a head start in the race to get that coveted acceptance letter? According to this staggering 2022 report by Senior Policy Analyst James Murphy and Education Reform Now, The Future of Fair Admissions: Legacy Preferences, for many highly ranked colleges and universities (mostly white and affluent) legacy students outnumber total Black student enrollment.
In addition to outlining four clear recommendations that could help even the playing field for my proud fellow descendants of nurses and car salesmen, the report also offers a nicely succinct summary of the problem: “Legacy preferences help to keep those positions of power restricted to those who have traditionally held them.” Congrats, lacrosse players in Loro Piana boat shoes! Spread the word.
SOMETHING TO HOLD ON TO
In honor of Pride month, hopeful lesbian moms around the world have been celebrating a recently released report by Biology Letters sharing the news of a female crocodile in captivity who laid an egg containing a tiny, fully-formed fetus inside without ever encountering a dude crocodile.
Sadly, the fetus was non-viable, and the rest of the 14 eggs in her virgin-birth clutch were filled with “unrecognizable contents.” Still, it was bonkers. Also, the fetus appeared to be its mom’s clone. According to The Smithsonian, that’s not great for hybrid vigor:
“Researchers aren’t sure why some animals can reproduce this way, but they have a few theories. It might be an adaptation to give birth during long stretches without an available mate. Or, perhaps it’s a survival strategy for a species that’s approaching extinction, per Live Science’s Hannah Osborne. But it may also just be a random trait that persists without much purpose. After all, most species—including all mammals—do not reproduce this way, likely because the genetic diversity resulting from sexual reproduction typically makes offspring more resilient to disease, illness and other threats to their survival.
Sarah Kuta has the story: Scientists Record the First ‘Virgin Birth’ in a Crocodile.
THAT’S A WRAP ON ISSUE 108
Thanks for listening, reading, and holding on, friends. And congrats to all the students who are celebrating the commencement of summer! Hang in there, parents. You can do it.
See you tomorrow in your inbox for the latest from FCR.
K.