# The Wachowski Sisters **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 9, 2016, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wachowski-sisters/748364 "2016-03-09T01:42:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wachowski-sisters/748364/1 "2016-03-09T01:42:07Z")
Huh. I’ll admit I was not surprised when I heard about Larry becoming Lana. The rumors had been rampant as far back as 1999, when the Matrix was hitting big. [Andy becoming Lilly is a huge surprise to me. Who knew?](http://variety.com/2016/film/news/andy-wachowski-transgender-lilly-1201725853/) ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wachowski-sisters/748364/2 "2016-03-09T03:30:16Z")
Good for her. The publicish statement was nicely phrased. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wachowski-sisters/748364/3 "2016-03-09T19:58:58Z")
Still doesn’t make Jupiter Rising or Cloud Atlas any better. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wachowski-sisters/748364/4 "2016-03-09T20:52:14Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Still doesn’t make Jupiter Rising or Cloud Atlas any better. _Jupiter Rising_ was just a wreck. But I thought _Cloud Atlas_ was good overall. I think it benefited from the fact it was based on a novel rather than being wholly created by the Wachowskis; it gave them a narrative arc to work on. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wachowski-sisters/748364/5 "2016-03-09T21:02:46Z")
The thing I wonder is what are the odds that two non-twin brothers in the same family would both be transgender? Isn’t it a terribly rare thing, and really unlikely that both would be that way? Something seems unusual about that. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wachowski-sisters/748364/6 "2016-03-09T21:15:31Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > _Jupiter Rising_ was just a wreck. But I thought _Cloud Atlas_ was good overall. I think it benefited from the fact it was based on a novel rather than being wholly created by the Wachowskis; it gave them a narrative arc to work on. I liked Jupiter Rising. I mean, it was a wreck, but at least it stood out from the mess of more or less interchangable big budget sci-fi/fantasy/superhero films I saw that year. And it had enough good stuff that I didn’t feel like I’d wasted two hours. Generally speaking, even the bad Wachowski sisters films usually are at least trying something interesting. Anyhoo, no problem with the Wachowski’s being transgender, except that it took like five years for me to remember to write “Wachowski siblings” instead of “Wachowski brothers”. Gonna take a similar length of time to get used to “sisters”. It’s like writing the wrong year on your checks for most of January. ---
**Author:** ![BetsQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/fbc32d/32.png) [@BetsQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BetsQ)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wachowski-sisters/748364/7 "2016-03-09T21:18:49Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > Anyhoo, no problem with the Wachowski’s being transgender, except that it took like five years for me to remember to write “Wachowski siblings” instead of “Wachowski brothers”. Gonna take a similar length of time to get used to “sisters”. It’s like writing the wrong year on your checks for most of January. Good news! “Wachowski siblings” will still work! ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wachowski-sisters/748364/8 "2016-03-09T21:27:16Z")
They’ve been officially credited as simply The Wachowskis since Lana came out, and I doubt they’ll change that again now that Lilly’s out. As to both of them being trans… I suspect, if you took all the families with two children, the number where both are trans would be a higher proportion of those which have at least one trans child, than families with at least one trans child would be of the general ‘two children families’ population. All the potential influences would be similar (unless one was adopted), and the first sibling coming out would increase the chance of the second one being comfortable doing so. It certainly wouldn’t be in the majority, but…yeah, it certainly doesn’t seem unlikely. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wachowski-sisters/748364/9 "2016-03-09T21:54:35Z")
> [@bump](#): > > The thing I wonder is what are the odds that two non-twin brothers in the same family would both be transgender? Isn’t it a terribly rare thing, and really unlikely that both would be that way? > > Something seems unusual about that. Anecdata: My cousin has three children- two of them have just this last year come out as trans. Also, I had a friend in high school who was gay- as were his two brothers. ---
**Author:** ![Randolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Randolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randolph)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wachowski-sisters/748364/10 "2016-03-10T01:07:40Z")
> [@bump](#): > > The thing I wonder is what are the odds that two non-twin brothers in the same family would both be transgender? Isn’t it a terribly rare thing, and really unlikely that both would be that way? > > Something seems unusual about that. Maybe gender is a lot more fluid than most care to think. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wachowski-sisters/748364/11 "2016-03-10T01:13:07Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Still doesn’t make Jupiter Rising or Cloud Atlas any better. Cloud Atlas and Sense8 were cool. Jupiter Ascending was a total mess. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wachowski-sisters/748364/12 "2016-03-10T01:40:39Z")
I also liked Cloud Atlas. And I think the Matrix was overrated. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wachowski-sisters/748364/13 "2016-03-10T01:50:48Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > And I think the Matrix was overrated. We didn’t overrate it so much as we overestimated its agelessness. I thought it was the new Star Wars. 1. It’s sequels suck way more than Empire and Jedi. 2. It seems dated now in a way Star Wars does not. Still, it’s very neat. It is their best movie. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wachowski-sisters/748364/14 "2016-03-10T02:01:31Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > Anyhoo, no problem with the Wachowski’s being transgender, except that it took like five years for me to remember to write “Wachowski siblings” instead of “Wachowski brothers”. Gonna take a similar length of time to get used to “sisters”. It’s like writing the wrong year on your checks for most of January. You took the words out of my mouth. I will stick to “siblings”. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wachowski-sisters/748364/15 "2016-03-10T02:14:28Z")
> [@bump](#): > > The thing I wonder is what are the odds that two non-twin brothers in the same family would both be transgender? Isn’t it a terribly rare thing, and really unlikely that both would be that way? > > Something seems unusual about that. Typical sibling rivalry. One just did it to copy the other. Now the first one’s gonna go back cuz it’s not cool anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wachowski-sisters/748364/16 "2016-03-10T03:51:35Z")
> [@bump](#): > > The thing I wonder is what are the odds that two non-twin brothers in the same family would both be transgender? Isn’t it a terribly rare thing, and really unlikely that both would be that way? > > Something seems unusual about that. It is highly unusual, but not unknown. I’ve personally met two (genetic) brothers, of whom one transitioned and the other did not, but both were transgender. Early on in transgender research, some researchers noted the fact that transgender siblings were very rare, pointed to there not being a genetic factor in being transgender. However, as transgender research continued, increasing numbers of cases were known. One early popular case was that of [Lenette and Lauraine Lee](http://transascity.org/lenette-and-lauraine-lee-1970/) (I recently spoke to Lauraine), and I have in my archives a case in the 1970’s where three brothers in one family all transitioned from male to female. So yes it happens, but it’s still highly unusual. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wachowski-sisters/748364/17 "2016-03-10T03:55:41Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Still doesn’t make Jupiter Rising or Cloud Atlas any better. > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > _Jupiter Rising_ was just a wreck. > [@Simplicio](#): > > I liked Jupiter Rising. It’s called _Jupiter **Ascending** _. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wachowski-sisters/748364/18 "2016-03-10T04:00:54Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > We didn’t overrate it so much as we overestimated its agelessness. I thought it was the new Star Wars. > > 1. It’s sequels suck way more than Empire and Jedi. > > 2. It seems dated now in a way Star Wars does not. > > Still, it’s very neat. It is their best movie. I approve of this message. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wachowski-sisters/748364/19 "2016-03-10T13:15:56Z")
> [@BetsQ](#): > > Good news! “Wachowski siblings” will still work! Actually, they have been calling themselves “The Wachowskis” whenever I see them being collective. That still works. I LOVED _Cloud Atlas_. I liked _Jupiter Ascending_ far more than most, for all its problems. I don’t think _The Matrix_ was overrated, and I loved \*Matrix Reloaded[p/i], except for the bring Zion parts. The sequence from their entering the Merovingian’s restaurant until the explosions of the colliding trucks is one of my favorite chunks of any movie – tense and intriguing at first, going to extreme action sequences following one after another. I didn’t care so much for _Revolutions_, but they HAD to end the series. I liked _Sens8_ a lot, too. How many shows or movies try to be _that_ diverse and multicultural? I coulda done without _Speed Racer_, though. Or most of _V for Vendetta_. On the other hand. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wachowski-sisters/748364/20 "2016-03-10T13:18:53Z")
I loved V for Vendetta, which they are the writers of, but not the directors. Do they have another movie on the way? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wachowski-sisters/748364.md?page=2)