There’s a very interesting and serious story that’s just staring to break on the ‘net, that I’m afraid is going to be presented in extremely unflattering and quite probably derrogative ways once it starts to spread. As reported in a very thoughtful Hot Button article by David Poland, it appears that Larry Wachowski — one half of the team of brothers behind the Matrix films — is starting the process of undergoing a sex change.

Now, tell me whether you would be laughing and picking up the phone to share this gossip if he was a member of your family. Convince me how funny it is when someone finally comes out of the closet to his or her family. Explain how hysterical going to a 12-step meeting and admitting your addiction for the first time is.

Can you imagine anyone who is more emotionally vulnerable than Larry Wachowski is right now, no matter how sure he is and how proud he is to be making this change? Money and fame is obviously a lot easier than poverty and obscurity. Money can ease the burdens of the physical world. But it can’t protect the human heart.

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p>I’m sure that once this story starts to spread wider, it’s going to provoke a number of reactions. Sadly, very few of these are likely to be messages of support. Given the success of the Matrix franchise, Larry is a very public name at the moment, and as such, is likely to catch far more flak for this choice than most people would — and from everything I’ve ever heard, this isn’t the easiest thing for people out of the public eye to go through.

For what it’s worth, I’d like to offer Larry support and wish him the best of luck through whatever may happen in the coming months. Hopefully people take Dave Poland’s column to heart and think about what they say before they shoot off at the mouth.

(via Patrick Sun)

[See also: Matrix: Revolutions first impressions | Politics in the Matrix? | The Matrix runs Windows | First look inside the new Sci-Fi museum | Been a busy weekend ]

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