The Wachowskis are auctioning off a whole bunch of movie swag for a trans kids support fund
Have you ever wanted to own the lightning rifle from The Matrix or a Speed Racer Segway? Now's your chance to do that and contribute to a good cause
It is not, not to put too fine a point on it, a great time for LGBTQ+ rights in America. Right-wing homophobes and transphobes, both inside and outside the halls of government, are currently executing a semi-coordinated push to turn the clock back on gay and trans rights across the nation, stumping for “don’t say gay” bills that attempt to silence LGBTQ+ people’s basic existence in schools, and resurrecting all sorts of shitty slanders and narratives that have been used for decades, if not centuries, to paint anyone different from the “norm” as a dangerous predator who needs to be ostracized and punished.
In the face of all that, directors Lana and Lilly Wachowski have decided to put their money—and more than a hundred props from their various movies—on the line to help raise money to push back against the -phobic tide. Specifically, the sibling duo have launched a new auction where fans can bid on props and production materials from Cloud Atlas, Speed Racer, V For Vendetta, Sense8, and, of course, the Matrix films, with all proceeds from the sales going to support the trans youth defense fund recently set up by Ariana Grande, which will disseminate money to trans defense and support groups nationwide.
In addition to being for a good cause, the Wachowski’s auction also carries the thrill of most auctions of this type: Hunting through to figure out whether you can get a spare space gun from Jupiter Ascending on the cheap. Despite being titled “Enter The Matrix,” the collection is actually a bit light on Matrix swag (although you can get he lightning gun from the first movie, as well as some legitimately excellent concept maquettes of the robo-octopus Sentinels). But that’s not to say there isn’t some awesome stuff in here; who wouldn’t want to tool around town on a Speed Racer-branded Segway, or wow friends and family with a “screen-used execution helmet” from the dystopian future bits of Cloud Atlas?
We also, inevitably, find ourselves drawn to the weirdest shit in the collection: a set of Final Fantasy X figurines that were apparently on someone’s desk at the duo’s old production office; the chance to own Lilly Wachowski’s MTV Movie Award; and, of course, the crown jewel of the entire collection: “Chip n’ Dale Figurine Gifted to the Wachowskis by Susan Sarandon,” including “Love, Susan” inscribed on base! (Some chips to edges.)
The Wachowski Collection auction is set to run live next month, on May 12you can browse the catalog (and enter absentee bids) here—or just jump straight to donating to the trans youth defense fund here.