February is a month of love, and while, yes, historically AMP’s love manifests in Sexy Temoc, love takes many forms. Personally, I fell in love when I discovered this magazine as a freshman three and a half years ago — I even sent in a pitch before I stepped foot in my dorm for the first time. It has been a blessing and honor to contribute to such an important part of the culture here at UTD, and I want to thank each of you who have expressed support for the magazine and the work of the incredible people in these pages. Your words hold a special place in my heart, and I’m glad to have made you smile at this godforsaken hellhole of a campus. Thank you.

Now, longtime fans will know from last February that I am a huge masochist. However, those of you familiar with BDSM practices will also know the importance of consent in an intense scene. While I was willing to put up with it for the sake of my team and my community, I did not consent to perpetually dealing with UTD admin’s Mercurial anti-student whims when I took this job and the stress has finally surpassed my pain tolerance… so I’m peacing the fuck out. Which is to say, this is my last issue as editor-in-chief of AMP, and it sucks because I love the work I’ve gotten to do, even if UTD admin and, later, The Mercury made me tear my hair out every step of the way. Check out The Retrograde if you wanna know more about why the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression ranked UTD 240th out of 257 universities for first amendment protections and why I’m more burnt out than a kink club’s candle wicks.

As much as it breaks my heart to leave, I led an incredibly talented team in my time as editor-in-chief, and I have full faith in the abilities of my successors. One thing I’m most proud of this magazine for is its ability to bring visibility to queer voices on campus. As a trans woman, I find it incredibly valuable to have run a magazine that shows people we are capable of great things living proudly as ourselves, even in a place like Texas. That’s not going away anytime soon.

On that note, I’d like to bring attention back to our Sexy Temoc cover this month. His artist was a fan of ours named Isaac Cook all the way in Georgia, who had a close friend here at UTD. He passed recently. He was a trans man, who, like many trans people, made his family in the friends he loved. We at AMP are incredibly lucky to have been able to bring him joy in life, and to be able to help honor his memory by publishing his insanely hot Temoc art in death. Comets: tell your friends you love them this February. And to my fellow trans Comets: we need each other now more than ever. Carry love in your heart always, both for yourself and for your community.

See you all in the next big thing.

XOXO,

Sasha Wuu