January 23, 2019

John Oliver’s Marlon Bundo strikes again

by

Let’s begin 2019 with a nice soft story–shall we? As soft as a little bunny. And it’s the bunny you know from one of last year’s most-clicked storiesMarlon Bundo.

For those of you who weren’t with us last year, welcome!

And here’s some catch-up: Marlon Bundo is the protagonist of the children’s book A Day in the Life of Marlon BundoIt’s a sort-of fan fiction in which the pet bunny of our exceedingly homophobic Vice President (Pence really has a Marlon Bundo in his life) falls in love with another handsome boy bunny named Wesley. 

The book, written by Jill Twiss, illustrated by EG Keller, and produced by John Oliver was a major hit, thanks in part to the bonus that all proceeds went to The Trevor Project and AIDS United.

But the bunny protest phenomenon has not yet run nor hopped [I promised you soft] its course.

Just last week Drew Schwartz at Vice reported that 100 copies of the book were sent to the Virginia private school where Karen Pence has returned to work after some time off to be a better Mother to Mike Pence. Why was Immanuel Christian School the target of this mailing? Nothing less than their institutional ban on LGBTQ students and teachers–their dark vision of the future the Pences want.

The copies came compliments of The Trevor Project, and the accompanying note explained:

“Policies and rhetoric that exclude or reject LGBTQ youth can lead to increased risk for suicide and depression, and it’s our organization’s mission to end suicide among LGBTQ young people,” the letter reads. “With your help, we hope you will change your school’s student and employee policies to accept LGBTQ students and employees.”

Hell yeah. Sometimes just mailing a book can be an easy way to show the turkeys-in-chief that we know what they’re up to.

 

 

Ryan Harrington is a senior editor at Melville House.

MobyLives