"Hey everyone, this is Julie. I know you were expecting the next ep to be the tour of a big fancy manor, but we've got something interesting for you today," said Julie as she started the broadcast, "As many of you are aware, June is National Pride Month." Here, the broadcast cut to a pride of lions lying around in the Savannah. "Not that kind of pride," said Julie, the broadcast coming back to her, "I meant this kind of pride." The broadcast showed the word 'PRIDE' in big rainbow-colored letters. "As you know, Animalia has many members who were non-hetero before their conversion." Here, we see a brief collage of several of Animalia's most notable LGBT+ members, including Eliza, Beth, Ella, Simone, Leo, and Brawn. "And while some may see Animalia as a 'cure' for homosexuality, we do not force the life style on anyone. Everyone is free to be with who they want, provided they follow the edict about interspecies breeding. Reminder: not allowed. And we continue to acquire more newcomers who defy the usual dichotomy of male and female. Such as one of our newest members, Date."
Here, the camera turned to show Date, the herm raccoon dog Animalian. Shi gave a friendly wave and said, "Hi, everyone. It's nice to be on the show."
"So, Date, you're a herm tanuki now. Anything you'd like to say about it?" asked Julie.
"Well, I haven't figured out how to shapeshift yet," said Date, putting a leaf on hir head. There was a pause before shi said, "Nothing yet."
"So, do you feel like you've always been meant to be a herm?" asked Julie.
"Well, I think I was gender-fluid for most of my life, but I didn't really realize it until recently," said Date, "Some days, I feel more like a girl, others I feel more like a boy. Not that I'm both, I feel...settled, I guess you could call it."
"Well, I'm glad you speak to us about Pride Month," said Julie.
"What month?" asked Date.
"You know, Pride Month," said Julie, the rainbow letters appearing again.
"That's a thing?" asked Date in surprise.
"Yes, it's for everyone who's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, questioning, intersexual, asexual, or something else," said Julie, a list of those mentioned groups appearing on a list that spelled out LGBTQIA.
"That's a long list," said Date.
"Well, as the community keeps growing, the list expands," said Julie.
"I'm kinda wondering if 'bisexual' and 'intersexual' are a bit redundant. And which one would fit us herms better?" asked Date.
There was an awkward pause before Julie said, "Uh, instead of asking questions neither of us have answers for, is there something you want to say about your fellow herms?"
"Well, since I've joined them, I've noticed that a few herms were still single. From what I've heard, herms tend to pair up quickly, if they weren't already in relationships," said Date.
"That may not be a hard and fast rule," said Julie.
"Maybe, but these guys/girls have been kept waiting for a while. And most of them are currently the only herms of their species, like me," said Date.
"So are you doing something about it?" asked Julie.
"Actually, yes. We've heard the dating auction has worked out pretty well for other couples so we're going to have one ourselves. There's only five of us so it's going to be smaller, but we certainly have some interesting members." At that, the broadcast showed some photos of the single herms currently in Animalia. These photos were of them wearing gym clothes, which showed off their figures and muscles pretty well. There was Everix the maned lioness, Elena the bull shark, Holly the reindeer, Rocket the mangrove killifish, and, of course, Date hirself. These photos also showed the herms' names, species, and what events they were doing in the IAC.
"It's a bit of a wonder that they're still single," commented Julie.
"Well, I'm sure that'll change soon enough," said Date.
"Any other news about our community?" asked Julie.
"Well, we have one particular couple making a splash," said Julie as a picture of Arlene and Moxie appeared, "Because they've announced that they're both pregnant."
"Uh...how can that happen with just two women?" asked Date.
"Well, it's no secret that they've got a close relationship with this couple," said Julie as a picture of Herman and Jason appeared, "There's little question about who the fathers are."
"Well, ok, but how will it work?" asked Date.
"I hear they're going to be moving to a bigger house together," said Julie, "Probably closer to the seashore."
"To one of our island colonies?" asked Date.
"Could be," said Julie, "They're saying they're stable enough with finances to be able to manage the change. As for the actual raising of the kids, they'll be, and I quote, 'playing it by ear'."
Date tilted hir head and said, "But they don't have ears."
"That's what I said," said Julie, "Well, they still have earholes, but I think the point still stands."
"Well, there shouldn't be anything wrong with that," said Date, "Plenty of same-sex couples have raised good kids. It's just the four of them living together that's a little confusing. Who will the kids be calling 'mommy and daddy'?"
"That's an interesting point, but I'm sure they'll have something figured out," said Julie, "And if they want to keep it private, then it isn't our concern."
"That's true enough," said Date.
"Anyways, thanks for watching this ep. Next ep will be the fancy manor tour you've been waiting for," said Julie, "In the meantime, see you in the wilds of Animalia."