Ooloi from Sacred Beast by Joseph Gently

Ooloi is inspired by Octavia Butler's Xenogenesis (Lilith's Brood) series. These books take place on a post-apocalyptic Earth that has been invaded by the Oankali, a mostly peaceful race of aliens that have three sexes: male, female and ooloi. This strange alien species merge DNA with human beings, who have long been infertile. The final book of the trilogy (Imago) is told through the eyes of an ooloi human/oankali hybrid who falls in love with two humans. It caught my imagination and before I knew it, this song emerged.

As a transmasculine person, I relate a lot to the concept of "Ooloi" -- a third space of sex and gender both influenced by and set apart from the binary of male/female. Octavia Butler was an absolute genius and created many strange and wonderful worlds, but I cannot recommend reading the Xenogenesis (Lilith's Brood) trilogy highly enough. It gave me hope for humanity, even in a time when we are so at odds with one another and in a constant, one-sided war with our planet.

Joseph Gently is a Tucson-based singer-songwriter. His recording is often interrupted by a loud, boisterous cat named Tank.

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