Lana and Lilly Wachowski, who directed "The Matrix" series, are auctioning off props and other memorabilia from their films in support of trans youths.
The sisters "have been doing some spring cleaning," Lilly Wachowski said in a tweet, and decided to pass on "some pretty major and magical artifacts." The collection includes more than 180 props used in "The Matrix Revolutions," "V for Vendetta," "Cloud Atlas" and other of their films.
All proceeds from the auction will go to the Protect & Defend Trans Youth Fund, which distributes funds across several organizations supporting local trans communities, like the Black Trans Advocacy Coalition.
The sisters are both trans, and both came out publicly years after the first "Matrix" film premiered in 1999.
In 2020, Lilly Wachowski confirmed that "The Matrix" series is an allegory for gender transition — "waking up" in reality and rejecting the simulation marks the start of the transition from one identity to another. It “was all about the desire for transformation, but it was all coming from a closeted point of view," she said in a Netflix Film Club video.
The Wachowskis are raising money for trans youths as a wave of anti-trans legislation sweeps the country. In the first three months of this year, state legislators have proposed 238 bills to limit the rights of LGBTQ people, about half of them specifically targeting trans people.
The auction is accepting absentee bids for the prized film memorabilia, like the prop ears Channing Tatum wore in "Jupiter Ascending."
"Like who doesn't need these?" Lilly Wachowski tweeted.
The live auction will start May 12.
