Food For Thought/Thought For Food No. 30: Pride Across The Multiverse

So, a quick apology. Not for anything awful I said, but some mismanaged timing last year. I genuinely forgot that Pride Month takes place in June, not May. Again, it wasn’t anything bad. Just being off.....so I guess it’s time to talk about Pride Across The Multiverse!

I think it’s a pretty safe bet to say that Pride Month is about one of the few times in the entire year that everybody in the LGBTQIA2+ community feel some semi-balance of safety. Pride Month is one of the only times out of the entirety of the 12 months that everybody of the Rainbow spectrum can come out, and show off how colorful they are. Not only that, but all allies of the Rainbow come out also, ready to standby those that they love so much, and to keep them safe from any nimrod that would be dumb enough to do something stupid. However, Pride Month does have one group come out each & every time, and depending on how you look at it, they either help the situation or make it worse. That group, of course, is big business.

Look, I’ll fully admit that I find it oddly refreshing to see franchises like Bud Light have some Trans representation or Target having LGBTQ products in their stores. Sure, outside of the United States in certain areas that acknowledgment goes right out the window (*Cough* Saudi Arabia *Cough*), and sure once Pride Month concludes it goes back to the status quo, but even a half-assed attempt at basically saying Rainbow people exist is better that keeping their mouth shut. However, every once in a while when a big business of any kind offers some truly sincere support, it’s real & genuine, and that’s what Pride Across The Multiverse was, but first......let’s rewind the clock a little.

It’s 2019. Two of MTG’s characters, Chandra & Nissa, have been having an on & off/back & forth “Are They/Aren’t They” lesbian thing for quite some time. In the year before The Plague hit us, a book related to the War Of The Spark set was released, and one of the big selling features was that there was finally going to be a confession (At least I believe that was a selling feature). The confession came, and to say there was a firestorm of controversy was putting it lightly. There was such a vibe that the two women were finally going to say that they had a thing for each other.....only for one of them to flat out say that they liked dudes.

People were understandably mad as hell! Fans of these two characters were led by the nose for years that there may have been something between them, but in one swift moment it was completely squashed for something incredibly safe. So fans were understandably ticked off, but that anger eventually turned into confusion. Why would WotC do this, when they were hinting at something for ages!? Cut to 2020 of all years, and the company flat out admitted that they squashed the potential reveal due to the same book getting a release in China, and if you remotely know anything about how they treat the LGBTQIA2+ community, you know it’s not good. In that same confession, they also offered some seemingly sincere apologies, and made a promise to do better in the future......so that all leads to Pride Across The Multiverse.

Released on the 4th of May in 2022, Pride Across The Multiverse was one of many numerous Secret Lair being released in the past few years, but what set this one apart from practically all of the ones released last year was the focus on representing certain aspects of the LGBTQIA2+ community. This wasn’t just some half-assed thing in a hallow attempt to garner some popularity among the rainbow community however: each and every piece of art used in this Secret Lair was made by someone with some kind of LGBTQIA2+ identity. From someone who is Two Spirit (Native American term to describe an individual with masculine & feminine spirits), to a queer PoC artist, to another PoC artist that is non-binary, each of the 8 cards that are in this release deals with something that a Rainbow Person would easily relate to. There’s a little bit of subtly here & there, but the love and care put into this is loud and clear. Take a look!

Trans Representation & Lending A Hand

Bears

Gay Pride Parade

Lesbian Love

The Rainbow

Tying The Knot

Symbolism

Staying Strong Against Adversity

Sure, Wizards Of The Coast (And Hasbro by extension) are an absolutely horrible company most of the time, but every once in a while a broken clock can be right. Every once in a while, a bent compass can point in the right direction. For Pride Across The Multiverse, it was the broken clock that was correct, and it was the bent compass that led the way. Since it’s release, the company has been digging a pretty big hole for itself, but at least they managed to crawl out of it rarely enough.

So that was a look at Pride Across The Multiverse. Compare to a lot of others in the Food For Though/Thought For Food series, this wasn’t an angry one. Considering the month, it seemed only appropriate to have some literal sunshine & rainbows. Well, the Summer Of Nu continues in July, but before I continue my look at one of the most underrated metal genres out there.....I’m in the patriotic spirit. See you all on the 4th of July!


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If you’re curious about the process in which this Secret Lair was made, then click on the link below:

Pride Across The Multiverse (Article)