Minority? Entitlement? Bullies? I Think It’s Just Called Life-Saving
Reshop, Heda—but let me tell you: something remarkable has happened since 3 March 2016.
There have been numerous articles covering the fallout of Commander Lexa’s death on The 100—most notably on the exploitation of the fanbase, the social media manipulation game and the cold way the episode was hyped to a largely LGBTQ fanbase only for that very episode to feature every young, vulnerable LGBTQ teen’s nightmare: the ‘Bury Your Gays’ trope. I don’t really want to write about how badly it was done. I think it’s adequately covered by the fantastic Ms. Mo Ryan of Variety; exquisitely explored in Professor Elizabeth Bridge’s essay; numerically tolled in this alarming Autostraddle article (and the equally alarming converse of it).
What I did touch on, very briefly, was the very real humanity behind the movement wheeled into motion after Lexa’s death. I also touched on, briefly again, the very real and worrying harassment and discrimination LGBTQ teenagers/young adults/people of any age face in a society that thinks itself to be progressive but in many ways has not reached that peak yet. I spoke a little about the demo of The 100, of how I believed it to be teenagers or young adults—vulnerable ones too—and speculated that some certainly happily lost themselves in Lexa, a great character, and a horrible loss, for an hour’s blissful escapism. It isn’t so much speculation as it is what I’ve seen on Twitter.
I’ve become more active ever since the fallout, and one day, the fanbase decided to trend ‘LexaForMe’. Upon browsing the tag, I only had to look for approximately thirty seconds before finding some truly touching, genuine messages:
What I have always praised about this movement is its inclusivity, but what I also want to praise about this movement now is its utter honesty on social media. Sure, ‘LexaForMe’ is very character-specific, but many tweets depicted the real struggle tweeters—real humans—felt behind their computer screens. If you have the time and a Twitter account, I’d highly recommend you search ‘LexaForMe’ in the search bar and just see exactly what I mean.
I quickly mentioned a research paper in one of my previous articles and much to my surprise I got a few questions about it, and queries as to where I could find similar articles. I think that kind of goes to show the real impact this death has caused, to young people’s mental health and real-life struggles. I’ve spoken to young tweeters who are still sad and depressed about Lexa’s death, and it greatly saddens me because I just wish so desperately it wasn’t that way. Yet I can’t do anything about it. Everyone mourns differently, and I don’t think anyone can be that emotionally removed to simply tell a fan to “get over it” or something akin to that.
What I do want to mention, and I write this with a massive, awestruck grin on my face, is that the fundraiser set up in Lexa’s honor (with all proceeds going to the Trevor Project) has smashed $50,000. When I first set my eyes upon this fundraiser that kind of money was just unimaginable. Now as I look at it, I can’t help but feel emotional as I think of all the people who’ve donated; people who have struggled with Lexa’s loss; people who’ve lost loved ones to LGBTQ discrimination and prejudice; people who sympathize greatly with the hurt LGBTQ fandom of The 100; people from other fandoms lending a helping hand and a shoulder to lean on.
If that isn’t further proof of the fact that people affected by Lexa’s death are real, honest-to-god, wonderful, generous human beings—then I don’t know what is. I’ve seen this fanbase being called out as bullies, morons, something to be mocked—yet in the face of all of that, they’ve knuckled down to create an amazing website. They’ve set up a Twitter account…and another one. They have been collating articles to support their cause; it gained such massive traction that even the BBC reported on it.
From the very star herself, Debnam-Carey said of the movement: “I think any attention we can draw to a movement like that is an amazing thing, and is a great thing to pursue and keep working towards” and of the situation in general: “I hate to hear people wanting to not watch the show anymore for a certain reason like that. I do understand, of course, it’s a social issue. If people are feeling that way, it’s really important to recognize.”
And she’s right. It is a social issue, and it is important to recognize it—not as something young, LGBTQ teenagers will get bored of trending and brush off—but as a final straw. I quoted the Autostraddle article earlier, glaring proof of the number of LGBTQ deaths on television, and on one of my previous articles, commenters made great analogies of why these deaths aren’t just akin to ‘normal’ deaths.
But to draw back to my original point: firstly, I cannot stress enough, that these sufferers are so incredibly human. To reference Figueiredo and Abreu(2015) again, they reviewed literature surrounding LGBT suicides and found that whilst unclear, they were strongly linked to comorbidities such as depression and anxiety disorders, as well as discrimination, prejudice, and stigmatization. Another paper, focused on bisexual individuals, came to similar conclusions; in 2014, Pompili et al. found, in their systematic review, “Individuals reporting a bisexual orientation had an increased risk of suicide attempts and ideation compared with their homosexual and heterosexual peers. Risk factors included related victimization, peer judgments, and family rejection. Bisexual individuals also reported higher rates of mental illness and substance abuse.”
At a school-level, Whitaker et al. (2016) found that LGBT school-goers were three-times more likely to commit suicide or have suicidal ideations than their heterosexual peers, though the researchers admitted the likely causes were unclear and further research was required in that area, particularly for that age group.
And this isn’t just a Westernized problem; it’s really rather global. I have simply skimmed the surface of research (but if you are interested, I highly recommend JSTOR or Science Direct as reliable sources of journal articles). Even then, I happened across Biçmen & Bekiroğulları’s article (2014) about LGBT individuals in Turkey, and the social problems they faced. Extremely worrying, they found that LGBT individuals were subject to intense harassment and abuse—both verbal and physical—to a point where they weren’t accepted in their hometowns or even in places they’d migrated to. The full paper can be found here.
But what does this mean for this charitable movement, the social media uproar following Lexa’s death, and television culture in general? Firstly, as I have confessed in my previous article: I’m young and naive. I have never witnessed as many LGBTQ deaths as listed on Autostraddle, so perhaps I am not the ideal spokesperson for this situation. But I have to note that even I am aware of the changing scope of television these days. When my mother used to sit down to watch an episode of ‘Angel’ (she very much-loved David Boreanaz) she would not be live-tweeting or interacting with fellow fans on social media platforms. It was a matter of watching the weekly episode and then getting on with life, even if some undoubtedly traumatizing and awful stuff may have happened on the show.
Now, as younger audiences are getting cleverer with social media and more vocally active, they have a voice. They will be heard. That is evident in the way they smartly organize phrases to trend, for certain hours and even convert for different time-zones. It is evident in the way they reach out to critics active on Twitter, eloquently and well-versed. It is evident in the way they set up websites and Twitters in order to collate everything, or ‘receipts’. Television isn’t what it was ten or fifteen years ago. Now I know I’m a hypocrite for making such a statement when I am a peachy twenty-two, but you would surely have to be very ignorant to not see it. Social media matters, because it’s instantaneous reaction to certain episodes; it is instantaneous support systems to vulnerable people left in shock over certain twists.
I suppose the point that I’m making is a very obvious one: that television viewers are not just props or stepping-stones for show-runners, especially LGBTQ viewers. That isn’t entitlement—it’s a rarity to see LGBTQ characters on television, well-represented. If you flick the channel, you will see a billion other straight males with dark hair and a gloomy back-story. But LGBTQ viewers, whilst vulnerable and sometimes scared to approach new shows, are also compassionate, generous, empathetic and inspirational individuals. Who on earth would have thought they’d have raised over $50,000?!
The reason why I’m linking journal articles and papers isn’t to seem like some sort of snob (gosh, that’s the last thing I’d want to do). I’m linking them because they provide real, hard statistics and also qualitative information on LGBTQ individuals in the real world. The same LGBTQ individuals who tune into shows like The 100, which promised representation and ‘groundbreaking’ storylines only to find themselves lured into the same, exploitative trap of a cheap lesbian death. The reason I linked them is because the reaction I saw on Twitter was raw, emotional and heartbreaking. The messages I received on Twitter, when I opened my Direct Messages box for all, was full of grief and heartbreak. Many kindly acknowledged my personal loss: and I confess, my mind was such a mess at that time that I didn’t grieve for Lexa much at all. I had other things to grieve over. But infinitely worse than Lexa’s death, and Debnam-Carey’s departure (she will be sorely missed—for me, she carried some episodes that were frankly dull to watch) was getting these tearful reactions and messages from young viewers. I plucked up the courage to watch some reaction videos on YouTube too, for episode seven (‘Thirteen’) and the stark contrast of utter happiness at the Clarke and Lexa kiss—representation given to them, finally—only to be robbed minutes later by her death, resulting in masses of tears and disbelief—was dumbfounding to watch. It was horrific to see unfold on my PC screen, and there are a few reaction videos that will stay in my mind forever—because their reactions were so heartbreakingly genuine.
The reason I link those articles is because LGBTQ representation is still a huge problem in media. On The 100, it showed promise right up until that very episode. As a Person of Interest fan, I can assuredly say that I have utter faith in the writers to deliver on the same-sex couple of Root and Shaw—not once have they lied or made false promises, or exploited the fanbase—but that is one show, and another topic. On a broader scale, vulnerable LGBTQ youths still exist among us. You may not spot them straight away, but they are there.
Something else I’ve seen, worryingly, on Twitter is—as I’ve stressed before—the accusation of the LGBTQ community as bullies. As Mo Ryan states in her article, she has never been approached with anything other than kindness. To my knowledge, and from what I’ve seen, the LGBTQ community has been nothing but welcoming and generous. I think perhaps the $50k is proof of their generosity; as for the friendliness and open arms, you may just have to take my word for it. But never, ever have I ever seen LGBTQ fandoms—from all shows—band together to support fans like this, in the face of an exploitation so dramatic that it’s been stated multiple times by various sources even they’ve never seen anything like it.
Again, I don’t write to preach. I don’t write to dictate people’s feelings. I’m merely a student hoping to register as a pharmacist someday, and to look after patients as my first concern. I am not a writer, and I am barely eloquent. But I can empathize, and I can feel. I can learn to understand the long-lasting discrimination against the LGBTQ community, not just in real life but via social media and the Internet too—cyber-bullying is also on the rise of WHO’s increasingly unpredictable suicide rates list, because of the murky nature of it all. I’ve linked those articles just in case anybody’s interested, or in case anybody wants to do any further research. But my main point to hammer home is what I’ve said all along, it’s obvious: that LGBTQ viewers are real people. They cry and laugh and joke and emote. They are not just a statistic. They are not just a stepping stone in a plotline. They are human, and shouldn’t it be innately our duty to care and love others? When you stigmatize the LGBTQ community, essentially for who they are or who they love, would you stop and reason why? Why are you singling out a community made of flesh and blood, just like yourself? Do you see them as humans, or do you see them as just another statistic?
I understand this is a departure from my regular articles, and to be quite frank, I don’t have anything witty or cheeky to lighten the mood. I guess I am maybe still too naive to highlight this situation under a spotlight, but I want to try. I want people to listen and I want people to read those articles, and understand that objective evidence cannot lie; that LGBTQ viewers are people. That they matter, even when at their lowest, some may not think so. That as humans, as civil, decent people—we have a duty to look after each other and support each other. I wonder if this article will impact on anyone’s life at all, or if it will change anyone’s perception at all. Maybe; maybe not. But I can’t be ashamed for trying, and I can’t be ashamed of the inspirational fundraiser who has so far totaled up over $50,000 to a charity that supports and saves the lives of suicidal LGBTQ youth.
Thank you for reading this article. As said before, I am aware that this is indeed a departure from your usual article from me—but the past ten days or so have been incredibly hard-hitting for me, personally, and to see that coincide with real grief from tons and masses of youths only added to it. I hope the articles are of some interest to you; I hope that they offer some solid evidence. But most of all, I hope the article validates you. Upon reading that, it seems incredibly self-absorbed of me to say so, but I guess what I want to say is: you all matter. Greatly. You matter to your friends, your family…to me. You matter to someone in this world, and you have all been so inspirational and powerful. You have all been eye-opening and bright, bright spots of hope and joy in a seemingly dark world. I hope, from the bottom of my heart, that you all continue to shine as you do. I’m contactable via twitter @NicolaChoi or indeed the comments below—but firstly, do take care of yourselves, love yourselves, and know you matter. Thank you again, for being so, so incredible. Thank you for teaching me. Thank you.
19 comments
I’m in aw of your writing and you – a gorgeous human being. You matter too, immensely.
Thank you.
*awe
Thank you Zak–and thank you for your kind words–I really appreciate it!
I’m not quick to leave a comment on articles, frankly I rarely go through the trouble. However I felt compelled this time. Why? Because I’m not sure if you know how much your support and kind heart means to me and my community. Every article you have wrote about this moves me to tears and at first I wasn’t sure why. I’m 25 years old have a rich and fulfilling life, working with young people with mental issues and a great family and partner.
Upon further reflection it hit me why I was so moved, despite almost everybody validating me, I to this day feel like I could be rejected by every new person I meet, I still feel like I’m regarded as less than everybody else by my countrymen. Frankly the fact that I’m moved boils down to me not being used to feeling validated and embraced. Nico, it shouldn’t be your job to make people feel that way and it saddens me that you are one of the few reporters that can make me and my community feel included but you do.
In no way should you feel burdened my words, I only wish to thank you, thank you for your words and making me and my younger more vulnerable community members feel loved and understood. It is rare and I treasure it. Know that what you wrote will have more impact than you think, don’t underestimate yourself, you have a good head on your shoulders and as far as I have seen you are kind and compassionate, cherish that and you will go far.
I guess this wasn’t really constructive criticism but I really wanted to let you know the impact you have. From the bottom of my heart thank you and wish you strength. Know that you have had a positive impact on at least one life (my own) and I’m fairly certain more.
Hi J–first of all, I’m gobsmacked by this comment. Comments very rarely leave me speechless like this and in this situation I was so moved that I–confess I teared up a little. I’m just–speechless. I’m very sorry to hear about that–and you are right: I have no idea how much any of my articles impact, if at all, on the LGBTQ community. I try my best but I wonder if it’s enough. Of course I do not feel like it’s a burden at all–quite the contrary. I’m so happy that you feel moved and that you feel validated in some way. I’m young and I don’t think I have the audacity to say that I validate the LGBTQ community but I guess if I am one voice among many, then that matters, I suppose? Thank you so much for your kind words. I don’t know–you know, I guess it’s not my job to make others feel validated but I want to. I want to let people know they matter; I want to let people know they are loved; I want to let people know that they are accepted by the community, in a world where we think we are progressive and in times like these–we are shown the exact opposite. So I don’t think it’s a burden on me as much as it is something I want to get off my chest. Thank you for your kind words–you know, it frustrates me when I see ‘hate’ or ‘bullying’ thrown on the LGBTQ community when kindness and compassion is so much easier and so much more pleasant to extend. After all, aren’t we all humans? Why should a community be kicked in the dirt and bullied simply for who they are? Thank you for your amazingly moving words–I can’t express my gratitude enough–and just…thank you. Thank you so much.
You are a beautiful soul, DLJ. Thanks for all you do and for all you’ve done.
Thank you, Nicole. You are all beautiful souls! <3
You have no idea how thankful I am and I am sure others that you took the time to research and see what is really happening, why we are angry and what we are trying to accomplish.
Thank you Simon. I confess I did a module on suicide in my course so I’m a little bit well-versed in that area, hence knowing where to look for relevant info–but I needed to put it in a cultural context because it is so vastly important and hugely topical. Thank you so much for your words, Simon, and indeed–I greatly admire what you are all trying to achieve (and will do!). 🙂
Reading from you on this subject is always a breath of fresh air because you really take the time to see where we’re coming from and you feel our pain and it’s just really nice to have someone pay attention to why this matters so much and the depth of emotion we have invested into this movement, into picking up the pieces and trying to bring awareness and change to an industry that doesn’t want to tell our stories the right way.
Thank you so much. Your last article is my all time favorite, but this follow up is so so soothing.
Thank you, Leah. I think part of that is delving into the Twitter fandom and seeing the heartbreak, the messages and the tweets–it gave me a real understanding of just how much this cheap and ill-written death shook the fandom–yet I cannot help but admire the positivity that has spawned from such an ugly situation–the fundraiser! Thank you for your kind words. I think it matters immensely because–minorities are not statistics; LGBTQ youths are not statistics to be thrown around. Believe it or not, LGBTQ youths are human; they are flesh and blood. If they cannot be treated as such, then I fear for society because it’s really rather despicable. Humanity should not be forgotten, and is it not the point? To care for others; to love?
Thank you for your lovely words, Leah. X
Brilliant and spot=on. You’ve weaved legitimate research articles into, as you say, a murky area (that is suicide and thoughts of suicide) incredibly well, and worthy of a professional. This is professional writing and I say that with sincerity. You acknowledge that there are other articles about Lexa’s death, the uproar it caused, the fan upset, the backlash on Jason Rothenberg – and you didn’t feel any need to add to that. Personally I think you’re right: those articles covered it very well (and you, in your previous article, covered it very well). But by far, for me, while I love the last LGBT article I’ll disagree with Leah (politely!) and say that this is my favorite article of yours on this topic. You so cleverly back up all your points with evidence. You in both articles show empathy and understanding far beyond your years. You reassure those vulnerable teens that they matter, and it’s not condescending or pretentious at all.
I just want you to know that in writing these amazing articles, you might not get all the feedback in terms of comments or tweets or whatever – but know that you’ve inspired and affected a lot of people hurt by this exploitation. Know that there are a LOT of people who have sought solace and comfort from your articles, and for someone so young, I find it incredible that you can understand this from such a mature and empathetic angle when grown-ups and actual adults act like bullies and are discriminatory. There is even a middle-aged woman I saw comment that “minorities are called so for a reason” (paraphrased, but you know what I mean) and that is absolutely disgusting and utterly disrespectful. You ermphasize all the time that a.) you’re not a writer; b.) you have a lot to learn and c.) you will never dictate how people should feel.
I think in point c.) that is a very mature and sensible way to approach things. With point a.) I argue that you are a naturally born writer. All of your articles have single-handedly been the most popular and most touching articles I’ve ever seen on this website, so well done. And as for b.) – I think you’re right – you have a lot to learn but that is because you are so young. You show greater understanding than a LOT of older people already. The fact that you acknowledge you have a lot to learn and are willing to do so, is admirable and incredibly brave and honest of you. I cannot praise you enough for your sensitivity, your kindness, your big heart, and the fact that you opened your DM’s on Twitter for fans hurt by Lexa’s death. I agree, the viewers on Twitter is much younger. I imagine you got a lot of DM’s, but its very brave of you to console those who are hurt.
Thank you for writing this. I’d like to echo J’s comment and say that perhaps you don’t know how many lives you have honestly touched; how your articles have genuinely moved people, maybe to tears. Maybe to inspiration, maybe to hope. You really have an incredibly mature and empathetic head on your shoulders, as well as intelligent. I think it’s your innate adamant want to care for people (perhaps that is to do with the profession you wish to enter!) as well as your lack of fear into diving head-first into the fandom. That means as well as being hugely empathetic and understanding, you are an excellent journalist. You learn from the fandom and you listen, and I wish more people were like you: considerate, supportive and kind. Your generosity of heart is something really to admire, as well as your passion evident in every piece you write. You are so very young and I hope, sincerely, that you have a bright future ahead of you. You deserve it.
Woah–thank you so much for the high praise! I’m speechless–I don’t really know what to say. Yes, first off I think there have been an incredible amount of articles that have been amazingly written by critics regarding Lexa’s cheap death (Variety, Hollywood Reporter, io9…) and of course I would not want to compete with such professionalism and the way they are so well-written. But I guess I do like to look for different spins on things, as you say. Thank you very much for your high praise, and indeed I’ve been getting a lot of tweets and messages on Twitter that have thanked me–and i’m immensely grateful–but I don’t really think there is much to be thanked. I just wish the world would “get it” because it’s really not that difficult. And no, it’s not the firs time I’ve heard that phrase–that minorities are such “for a reason” and quite frankly that is despicable, and I’m quite the pacifist so I don’t wish to spark any arguments, but a comment like that is absolutely disgusting and inconsiderate of the very vulnerable and young and massively LGBTQ demo of The 100.
Thank you so much for your high praise. Indeed you raise some points that I like to think of morals I will always stick by: I will never dictate how someone will feel or tell them to simply “get over it”–quite frankly, that’s rude and inconsiderate. And as you mention–I’m young and I have a lot to learn. I do look forward to learning–it seems quite the steep learning curve–but if that informs me more of the situation then that can only be a good thing. I guess I’m ready to listen and learn from fandoms past, etc!
Thank you, lastly, for your touching last paragraph. I had no idea I had such impact and I ponder if it was widespread at all; I have had a few messages telling me so and it warms my heart but at the same time, it saddens me, because why should I be the one covering this kind of article? Why aren’t there more? Why don’t more people ‘get it’? It frustrates me to no end, and I must praise the fanbase for being so resilient, generous and strong. Aha indeed perhaps it is my innate profession to care–after all, as a pharmacist, a patient is my first concern–and I hope that kind of reflects in my writing. I know I have a long way to go before writing a masterpiece or anything. Thank you for your kind words!
The fact that you got quoted by Mo Ryan from Variety twice (once on an article on Variety, and the other on her blog, if you’re unaware) as well as recommended in the footnotes of the Televerse podcast just shows how touching and impactful your articles are. I have seen the impact of your articles on social media. Quite often you reduce readers to tears (of happiness, gratitude) and I’ve seen so many comments that say “finally, a writer who gets it”. You don’t tackle topics that have already been tackled; you take a new spin on things and in this particular case, with you taking these research articles, you don’t simply reference them and list the results. You put them in the cultural context, and you put the show in a cultural context. You apply it to why this movement/rally matters and I don’t think I’m ever going to read an article of this caliber ever again. Well done.
I’m still fangirling like an embarrassing 13 year old girl to get quoted by Mo Ryan because she is my absolute IDOL. Thank you so, so much for your kindness (and I’m a huge Televerse podcast fan myself too–I think Kate, the host, is absolutely spot-on and she is so knowledgeable and passionate). Thank you for your kind words. I think it’s important to put this into a cultural context. The Trevor Project, for one, focuses on real teens with real suicidal ideations. This isn’t a joke or something that’ll go away; these are real, vulnerable LGBTQ youths. Hence why putting it in such a cultural context matters, because of the very fact that it affects real humans in a very saddening way. Thank you for your amazing comment, Alex–and your high praise!
Off topic, but you did mention POI so…
“don’t think anyone can be that emotionally removed to simply tell a fan to “get over it” or something akin to that.” >> Yet that was exactly what some POI fans (mostly Shoot fans) did to other fans after Carter’s death. Perhaps you could explore that in another article. 😉
Yes, unfortunately, this is off-topic for a very sensitive issue in regards to The 100. From my experience I have never seen Root/Shaw fans be like that towards Carter–I myself am a Root/Shaw fan and Carter is one of the best characters on TV I have ever seen. I cannot speak for the rest of the Root/Shaw fandom. I will not be writing such an article because a.) I know nothing about such matters and I am not informed about it at all, and b.) that is an incredibly divisive and unnecessary article to write–it will only create arguments when I have always applauded the Person of Interest fanbase as one that is unified and a family. I do not wish to ruin that. Henceforth I will not be writing such an article. In fact the sentence you just quoted sums it up–for any fandom, so I really do not think an entire article is necessary, and nor will it be approved for the audacity of attacking, quite simply, another fanbase–that is the Root and Shaw one–on no factual basis. I have no factual basis on this, and no proof. That just means I would be creating an article of meaningless and groundless accusations when in my experience of the POI fandom, everyone–from Root, Reese, Shaw, Finch, Bear, Fusco, Carter–fans have all welcomed me. Going into its final season I do not wish to post something so negative and petty and I doubt it will be approved. Thank you for commenting regardless.
Thank you so much for this. It matters so much to us to be validated, because sometimes it feels like we’re screaming into the void, specially when people call us “bullies” or “just some annoying teenagers”. This started with Lexa and her senseless, cheap, poorly written death. It started with the writers of T100 baiting us and using us for ratings until they got a S4 and then discarding us like we’re garbage. But now it’s a lot bigger than this. We have the opportunity to change things and tell TV show runners that LGBTQ fans DO deserve better and we will not stand for this anymore. People like you who have a platform to shed some light on the issue are helping this cause so much. So thank you, not only for that but for saying we matter. I’ve been having a bad day and it made me cry.
Thank you, Ana, it means a lot to me 🙂 I find it absolutely despicable that the LGBTQ community are being called bullies and harassed when they have literally started a gobsmacking fundraiser to save further LGBTQ youths’ lives. That is just beyond me, and I can’t believe it. Granted, I think there was some negativity and OTT tweets towards the showrunner–but even Mo Ryan said that the LGBTQ community of The 100 have been nothing but eloquent and intelligent. I absolutely agree with you. I don’t wish to validate anyone on a major basis or represent anybody–I don’t think I am conceited enough or have the ability to do so–but if my words offer any solace at all, then I really hope it does help. Thank you Ana for taking the time to comment. And I can’t believe that you have to thank me for saying that you matter–because quite frankly, every single person of the LGBTQ community should KNOW that they matter–an incredible amount.
Thank you, Ana. <3