TransAwesome

The International Transgender Day of Remembrance was this week with events around the City and around campus.  I am reminded how fortunate I am to work in a place so welcoming and supporting of our trans friends.  I get choked up about it sometimes.

Two recent posts have prompted different versions of the same question to me: One, the mention of Hank Green and his amazing explanation of human sexuality; and two, the plug for Awesome Ellen's Awesome Album, Hank Green, which is raising money to build a well for a school in Africa.

The question is Who is Hank Green?

Here's my brief explanation:

Hank Green and John Green are brothers.  Hank is an entertainer, musician, and teacher. John is a NYT best-selling novelist (my experience).  They are both immensely popular with "the kids these days."  Together they share a video blog (blog) on YouTube and are known as the VLOG Brothers.  The Vlog is actually pretty great.    Fans of theirs are known as Nerfighters (not that they fight nerds, as in firefighters, but for nerds and as nerds, as in freedom fighters).  It is ridiculous how popular these guys are with teenage girls.  Something in the neighborhood of…and I'm guessing here, all of them, are their fans.  

Hank's site
Wikipedia on Hank Green

Hank publishes under DFTBA Records.  DFTBA is the brothers' credo, often quoted and invoked by their followers.

DFTBA: Don't Forget to Be Awesome.

There is even a nerdfighter salute, and one of the olympic gymnasts did it to the cameras  and it blew up the internets.

Last year, Ellen won a contest to be the name of Hank's next album.  So Hank Green's newest album is called "Ellen Hardcastle." When my niece was at camp last summer, other kids would ask, "Are you that Ellen Hardcastle?"

Ellen's first album came out this summer, and she named it "Hank Green."  I think that's awesome.

My brother told me this week that they were at a bookstore and the girl behind the counter recognized Ellen from her YouTube videos and music.  It is a different world!

And in honor of the Transgender Day of Remembrance, and because it bears repeating, here is Hank Green's entertaining presentation on human sexuality which should be required viewing for every parent of every age, and ever teenager everywhere.