Li’l Sebastian may have been fictional, but Indiana does have one real-life animal resident famous for her genetic uniqueness and diminutive moniker: Lil Bub. Bub and her “dude” live in Bloomington, Indiana, and, like Wilco and Nick Offerman, are apparently not fans of the so-called “religious freedom” law that was recently passed—and more recently amended—in their state. And so, using her outsized influence as an internet celebrity cat, Bub is lending her adorable face to a new compilation benefitting LGBT charities in the state.
Called 50 Bands & A Cat For Indiana Equality, the compilation will feature songs by the Thurston Moore Band, Thee Oh Sees, Surfer Blood, Of Montreal, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Why?, Half Japanese, Margot and the Nuclear So and Sos, Deerhoof, David Yow of The Jesus Lizard—who recently interviewed Lil Bub for The A.V. Club—and 41 other bands, with a track from Lil Bub herself comprising the 51st track. (What, you thought that title was a joke?) Released by Indianapolis-based label Joyful Noise, the compilation will be available for download for $25, a price that also includes a handmade, limited-edition 7-inch record. Proceeds from 50 Bands & A Cat For Indiana Equality will benefit the Indiana ACLU, Freedom Indiana, and Indy Pride.
“Without my Indiana compatriots, I would not be where I am today. Despite the unfortunate decisions of Indiana’s lawmakers, the true people of Indiana are some of the best people on the planet,” Lil Bub “says” in a statement. “This project serves to celebrate those people and their talents, and to make it clear that we firmly believe in equality and acceptance, and won’t stand for anything less in our state, or on this planet.” Whether conservative rhetoric supporting the bill will be able to withstand the formidable power of Lil Bub’s derp face, or if the entire state will collectively go “awwww” and forget what they were fighting about, remains to be seen.