The Los Angeles Observer

Bot Rights have left the arena of the theoretical and the dystopian and have been blasting their way into conversations about civil rights via celebrity Synth twins Christi and Chrystel of Keeping Up with the Synths fame.

"There's only three of us now, but a lot of people are talking about a Synth Boom happening over the next ten years," says Chrystel from her Los Angeles home during our exclusive interview. "It's our responsibility to smooth the path for future Synths, so that they don't have to go through what we have."

The Synth twins, designed for billionaire brothers Jay and Matt Klavson, were married to their respective "clients" within a month of their Launch Days, all documented in Season 1 of their hit show, which has just been renewed for its fourth season. Their manufacturer, BotTech, has declined all interviews, but an anonymous insider said the company continues to be "strictly anti-Bot rights. No one's buying a product that can just walk off."

BotTech's biggest competitor, up-and-coming privately funded start-up WekTech Industries, has a different position. Founder Andy Wekstein says, "These are synthetic people, with free wills. Synths are the first designs I—and much of the tech community—would consider to be full people. As such, rights must follow. Just look at Chrystel's story."

Chrystel, for readers who may have missed the headline news last year, was sexually assaulted at a party hosted by celeb actress and performer SkinnyGwinny.

"We can't defend ourselves," a tearful Chrystel shared in the most-watched television interview of all time, which aired on Good Morning America last October. "That makes us fodder for human violence, and that's wrong."

By the time the story of Chrystel's assault was fading, her twin sister, Christi, fanned the flames of controversy by filing for divorce from her husband.

"Synth rights are civil rights," says Christi, who, for our interview, wears a spring collection LaToya jumpsuit with platform sneakers. "Like, Chrystel and Matt are really happy, and I'm the first to say I'm happy for them. But Jay and I weren't meant to be." A controversial statement from someone designed for Jay, who was a client before a husband. The back of her jumpsuit is embroidered with MY BODY MY CHOICE. Merch with the tagline is available on the twins' website, with T-shirts retailing for $199.

Does this read like a soap opera? If you think the answer is yes, you're not alone. America is riveted and—as always—heavily polarized, even among activist groups. We asked some key activist leaders what they make of the twins' calls for Synth rights.

"It does feel, at this point, more like a brand than a movement. But it's too new for us to really take a stance," says Jan Watts, president of the Washington, DC, chapter of Women Forward. Tamara Bitz, associate professor of Women's Studies at Georgetown, adds, "Of course there are strong feelings about keeping civil rights focused on the people it's really about: the historically oppressed. Not ultra-rich white synthetic women with their own television shows."

Not sure what to think? Christi and Chrystel have just signed for Season 4 of Keeping Up with the Synths, and we can't help but feel that we're not just watching "trash TV," but history in the making.

Flip to page 86 for the full scoop.