A Hole in My Pride

This piece represents my strong sense of pride and how hateful attitudes, rhetoric, and attacks on the LGBTQ+ community have ripped a hole in that pride. I began by painting the canvas with the vivid, joyful colors of the gay and trans pride flags, then I cut a hole in the center to symbolize the hatred directed at LGBTQ+ people in Florida, which has really impacted me personally.
Having worked for a queer youth organization, I served on the front lines conducting outreach and interacting with community members. Most of these interactions were positive, but occasionally someone would come along and ask me to stop recruiting or grooming children, or call me a pedophile/predator. Each time, the hole in my heart grew larger. Seeing over 400 anti-LGBTQ+ bills presented in 34 states demonstrates this vitriol is not just a local problem but a national one, further widening that hole in my pride.
The white boxes covered in blood represent harmful legislation; the numbers on them are specific bills that have been presented and will likely pass into law. The black paper creeping from the inside out represents the hate and toxicity that is spreading, while the printed logos and sayings are things that haunt my thoughts and feelings. The LGBTQ+ flags and protest signs demonstrate how I feel about what’s happening and the causes I am willing to stand and fight for: reproductive rights, gun regulation, African American history, DEI, LGBTQ+ rights, healthcare, mental health resources… the list could go on.