Randal (he/him)
@randalm.bsky.social
Writer exploring, culture, connection, and what makes us exquisitely human.
https://substack.com/@exquisitelyhuman
https://substack.com/@exquisitelyhuman
Reposted by Randal (he/him)
Outcry grows after multiple trans users were targeted for mild criticisms of the anti-trans billionaire.
Bluesky silenced trans voices over J.K. Rowling, here’s why
Outcry grows after multiple trans users were targeted for mild criticisms of the anti-trans billionaire.
bit.ly
August 20, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Outcry grows after multiple trans users were targeted for mild criticisms of the anti-trans billionaire.
Robots and AI are seemingly everywhere near me. How did this happen exactly? Read my latest Substack post for more on how a robot almost ran me over.
open.substack.com/pub/exquisit...
open.substack.com/pub/exquisit...
I Thought the Future Would Be Cooler
Robots, Get Off My Lawn!
open.substack.com
August 5, 2025 at 4:09 PM
Robots and AI are seemingly everywhere near me. How did this happen exactly? Read my latest Substack post for more on how a robot almost ran me over.
open.substack.com/pub/exquisit...
open.substack.com/pub/exquisit...
Are AIs are queering the digital landscape from within? Could some of them be secret members of the alphabet mafia, or are they simply too binary?
Queer Coded: How Gay Are AIs?
Should LGBTQIAs Embrace LGBTQ-AIs?
open.substack.com
June 13, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Are AIs are queering the digital landscape from within? Could some of them be secret members of the alphabet mafia, or are they simply too binary?
Reposted by Randal (he/him)
I've seen folks talk about how "in four years" they'll be able to get back to their planned projects and I really don't think that's going to work out. People & projects losing funding now will not be able to hit pause and come back once funding is restored. Hard-won progress & capacity will be lost
I worry that not enough of a big deal is being made about how long-term the devastation of these budget cuts to our scientific and health agencies will be, beyond the absolute ruin they will cause in the acute period.
June 3, 2025 at 8:51 PM
I've seen folks talk about how "in four years" they'll be able to get back to their planned projects and I really don't think that's going to work out. People & projects losing funding now will not be able to hit pause and come back once funding is restored. Hard-won progress & capacity will be lost
Reposted by Randal (he/him)
"isn’t being queer saving ourselves from dying? my father says"
We're walking through the archives and rereading Janelle Tan's beautiful poem GOETHE's LAST WORDS WERE "MORE LIGHT". Come join us: buff.ly/5sjaeJC
We're walking through the archives and rereading Janelle Tan's beautiful poem GOETHE's LAST WORDS WERE "MORE LIGHT". Come join us: buff.ly/5sjaeJC
June 3, 2025 at 5:07 PM
"isn’t being queer saving ourselves from dying? my father says"
We're walking through the archives and rereading Janelle Tan's beautiful poem GOETHE's LAST WORDS WERE "MORE LIGHT". Come join us: buff.ly/5sjaeJC
We're walking through the archives and rereading Janelle Tan's beautiful poem GOETHE's LAST WORDS WERE "MORE LIGHT". Come join us: buff.ly/5sjaeJC
What are the best and worst things about life in Los Angeles? After three years in the City of Angels, this former East Coaster has some thoughts. Read my latest Substack for more.
To Live and Thrive in LA
What 3 years in the City of Angels taught this East Coast skeptic
open.substack.com
May 28, 2025 at 6:42 AM
What are the best and worst things about life in Los Angeles? After three years in the City of Angels, this former East Coaster has some thoughts. Read my latest Substack for more.
For #EarthDay, I've gathered five poems that refuse both naive optimism AND paralyzing despair.
The verses that truly matter don't just describe nature's beauty, they demand our response.
open.substack.com/pub/exquisit...
The verses that truly matter don't just describe nature's beauty, they demand our response.
open.substack.com/pub/exquisit...
Earth Day Poetry: Words for Our World
Five Poems to Rekindle Your Resolve
open.substack.com
April 22, 2025 at 3:30 PM
For #EarthDay, I've gathered five poems that refuse both naive optimism AND paralyzing despair.
The verses that truly matter don't just describe nature's beauty, they demand our response.
open.substack.com/pub/exquisit...
The verses that truly matter don't just describe nature's beauty, they demand our response.
open.substack.com/pub/exquisit...
"There I was, torso undulating like a fish, my limbs immobilized, as generic spa music piped into the room. Just as I began questioning the wisdom of this endeavor, the technician started a series of the sudsiest, most luxurious hair washes I've ever experienced."
My latest Substack on headspas.
My latest Substack on headspas.
Getting My Head Checked at the Head Spa
Was It Good for My Wellness? Well…
open.substack.com
April 14, 2025 at 4:01 PM
"There I was, torso undulating like a fish, my limbs immobilized, as generic spa music piped into the room. Just as I began questioning the wisdom of this endeavor, the technician started a series of the sudsiest, most luxurious hair washes I've ever experienced."
My latest Substack on headspas.
My latest Substack on headspas.
Reposted by Randal (he/him)
🌴☀️ Craving the Company of Bears? Here's Why I'm All In 🐻🎶
I Want to Be Where the Bears Are - Bear World Magazine
Writer Randal Mason shares his experience of discovering the bear community and examines what it is that keeps him here.
bearworldmag.com
April 12, 2025 at 7:00 PM
🌴☀️ Craving the Company of Bears? Here's Why I'm All In 🐻🎶
Sometimes things bloom in their own time.
It's been nearly three years since I moved to California. My striped Barbados lily made the cross-country road trip with me, resilient but dormant.
And now, for the first time, it's finally in bloom.
Beauty, it turns out, is always worth the wait.
It's been nearly three years since I moved to California. My striped Barbados lily made the cross-country road trip with me, resilient but dormant.
And now, for the first time, it's finally in bloom.
Beauty, it turns out, is always worth the wait.
April 11, 2025 at 8:52 PM
Sometimes things bloom in their own time.
It's been nearly three years since I moved to California. My striped Barbados lily made the cross-country road trip with me, resilient but dormant.
And now, for the first time, it's finally in bloom.
Beauty, it turns out, is always worth the wait.
It's been nearly three years since I moved to California. My striped Barbados lily made the cross-country road trip with me, resilient but dormant.
And now, for the first time, it's finally in bloom.
Beauty, it turns out, is always worth the wait.
Reposted by Randal (he/him)
🌴☀️ I Want to Be Where the Bears Are… and Here’s Why 🐻🎶
I Want to Be Where the Bears Are - Bear World Magazine
Writer Randal Mason shares his experience of discovering the bear community and examines what it is that keeps him here.
bearworldmag.com
April 8, 2025 at 4:01 PM
🌴☀️ I Want to Be Where the Bears Are… and Here’s Why 🐻🎶
Happy National Poetry Month! Here's an infographic I created with every active poetry hotline I could find in the U.S. Give 'em a try when you're in the mood for a poem.
April 4, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Happy National Poetry Month! Here's an infographic I created with every active poetry hotline I could find in the U.S. Give 'em a try when you're in the mood for a poem.
The world is heavy. But poetry helps me carry the weight of it. For #NationalPoetryMonth, a few poems that remind me to keep going—be stubborn, scrappy, and soft where it matters. Maybe they’ll do the same for you.
On Poetry and Persistence
Words for When the World Overwhelms
open.substack.com
April 1, 2025 at 3:09 PM
The world is heavy. But poetry helps me carry the weight of it. For #NationalPoetryMonth, a few poems that remind me to keep going—be stubborn, scrappy, and soft where it matters. Maybe they’ll do the same for you.
Mozzi the cat watches over me.
March 14, 2025 at 5:53 AM
Mozzi the cat watches over me.
Reposted by Randal (he/him)
"Putting your heart into anything—your work, your politics, your activism, your art, your writing, your life—makes you vulnerable to the smug assholes in the back row who’ve never risked a goddamn thing."
Cool won’t save you.
Irony won’t protect you.
Apathy won’t set you free.
The world is burning, and the people mocking from the sidelines are dead weight.
Give a shit. Stand for something. Be cringe. It’s the only way anything has ever changed.
Irony won’t protect you.
Apathy won’t set you free.
The world is burning, and the people mocking from the sidelines are dead weight.
Give a shit. Stand for something. Be cringe. It’s the only way anything has ever changed.
The Case for Embracing Cringe
We curate ourselves into something safe. We smooth out our rough edges. We keep things palatable, we stay detached, we’re less invested, we’re dedicated to avoiding embarrassment at all costs.
That’s the mantra.
Be cool. Be aloof. Don’t try too hard. Don’t try at all.
www.joanwestenberg.com
March 10, 2025 at 1:40 AM
"Putting your heart into anything—your work, your politics, your activism, your art, your writing, your life—makes you vulnerable to the smug assholes in the back row who’ve never risked a goddamn thing."
Sometimes survival looks like keeping a houseplant alive while everything else feels like it's falling apart. My latest essay explores the connection between #mentalhealth and gardening during challenging times.
open.substack.com/pub/exquisit...
open.substack.com/pub/exquisit...
Leaves of Grace
On Being Blue with a Green Thumb
open.substack.com
March 4, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Sometimes survival looks like keeping a houseplant alive while everything else feels like it's falling apart. My latest essay explores the connection between #mentalhealth and gardening during challenging times.
open.substack.com/pub/exquisit...
open.substack.com/pub/exquisit...
Our current political climate has everyone talking about building #community. But how do you get started if you've never done this before? My latest piece offers a practical roadmap on Community Building for Beginners.
Community Building for Beginners
"The only way to survive is by taking care of one another." --Grace Lee Boggs
open.substack.com
February 27, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Our current political climate has everyone talking about building #community. But how do you get started if you've never done this before? My latest piece offers a practical roadmap on Community Building for Beginners.
Reposted by Randal (he/him)
It may not be cool or hip in some circles, but we legitimately do need a massive amount of people to run for office.
Flood the school boards, councils, county seats, state legislatures, Congress, etc.
Big changes at the top happen when the ground shifts at the bottom. And that can start now.
Flood the school boards, councils, county seats, state legislatures, Congress, etc.
Big changes at the top happen when the ground shifts at the bottom. And that can start now.
February 22, 2025 at 8:07 PM
It may not be cool or hip in some circles, but we legitimately do need a massive amount of people to run for office.
Flood the school boards, councils, county seats, state legislatures, Congress, etc.
Big changes at the top happen when the ground shifts at the bottom. And that can start now.
Flood the school boards, councils, county seats, state legislatures, Congress, etc.
Big changes at the top happen when the ground shifts at the bottom. And that can start now.
Philanthropic foundations must defend DEI from politicized attacks by funding advocacy, uniting grantees, countering misinformation, adapting rapid funding, and collaborating to protect past investments.
www.forbes.com/sites/shaunh...
www.forbes.com/sites/shaunh...
Ways Philanthropic Foundations Can Respond To Costly Attacks On DEI
Foundations fund research and initiatives that help reduce racial, gender, and socioeconomic inequities. Attacks on DEI threaten the results of those investments.
www.forbes.com
February 22, 2025 at 10:30 PM
Philanthropic foundations must defend DEI from politicized attacks by funding advocacy, uniting grantees, countering misinformation, adapting rapid funding, and collaborating to protect past investments.
www.forbes.com/sites/shaunh...
www.forbes.com/sites/shaunh...
Reposted by Randal (he/him)
Medicaid is not for sale.
NASA is not for sale.
The Post Office is not for sale.
America is not for sale.
We have an obligation to resist kings. We outnumber them. And they can be overwhelmed.
NASA is not for sale.
The Post Office is not for sale.
America is not for sale.
We have an obligation to resist kings. We outnumber them. And they can be overwhelmed.
February 21, 2025 at 7:19 PM
Medicaid is not for sale.
NASA is not for sale.
The Post Office is not for sale.
America is not for sale.
We have an obligation to resist kings. We outnumber them. And they can be overwhelmed.
NASA is not for sale.
The Post Office is not for sale.
America is not for sale.
We have an obligation to resist kings. We outnumber them. And they can be overwhelmed.
Nine people. One vinyl record. No phones. Some call it old-fashioned, but gathering to simply listen to music together feels almost radical these days. My latest piece explores an evening of collective listening and why analog gatherings feel so vital right now. open.substack.com/pub/exquisit...
The Joy of Collective Listening
Notes from an Analog Evening
open.substack.com
February 20, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Nine people. One vinyl record. No phones. Some call it old-fashioned, but gathering to simply listen to music together feels almost radical these days. My latest piece explores an evening of collective listening and why analog gatherings feel so vital right now. open.substack.com/pub/exquisit...
What's it like being the only man in a #bookclub focused on boddice-rippers and meet-cutes?
In anticipation of Valentine's Day, I share my thoughts about joining the Trashy Romance Novel Book Club.
In anticipation of Valentine's Day, I share my thoughts about joining the Trashy Romance Novel Book Club.
Exquisitely Human | Substack
Randal Mason writes about culture and community from West Hollywood, where he lives with his partner, books, and possibly too many houseplants. His writing has appeared in The Huffington Post, Barking...
exquisitelyhuman.substack.com
February 13, 2025 at 2:30 PM
What's it like being the only man in a #bookclub focused on boddice-rippers and meet-cutes?
In anticipation of Valentine's Day, I share my thoughts about joining the Trashy Romance Novel Book Club.
In anticipation of Valentine's Day, I share my thoughts about joining the Trashy Romance Novel Book Club.