Artist and gay rights activist Ryan Wilks told Polarr’s Emily von Hoffmann about his newest project, which includes long form interviews with and portraits of members of Kansas City’s LGBTQIA community. The interviews focus on his subjects as people living more or less ordinary lives — rather than necessarily portraying them as victims of oppression.
H/T: Medium
Art is a powerful tool for creating and reflecting on history. Check out this exhibit on display at The Cooper Union as you celebrate LGBT History Month this month!
The exhibit explores the way transgender identity is formed between an archive and an aesthetic. In other words, between an official history or record and the performative and artistic; between what is decreed by doctors, psychiatrists, and legislators, and what is experienced and lived. The space between is the space of power relations in tension and in movement.
These are a few of the gorgeous illustrations from “Large Fears”, a children’s book by author Myles E. Johnson and illustrator Kendrick Daye.
The protagonist, Jeremiah, deals with challenges and obstacles as one might expect from a children’s book. However, Jeremiah is a queer black boy, and as such, his story is quite different from other children’s books, though in many ways his story reflects the author’s lived experiences.
From Mic:
“We both knew we were unsafe from a very young age,” Johnson says of Daye and himself. “That idea of [Jeremiah] being so overcome with fear so young reflects that. He doesn’t have that blind courage. He has what happens when someone tells you that who you are is wrong.”
“When you don’t see yourself in the media, it does weird things to your psyche,” Johnson said. “The worst thing it can do is make you agree with what you see — ‘nothing’ — and just think you’re invisible. But most people who feel like that don’t have terrible lives, necessarily. They just live believing they don’t matter.”
The duo wants their book and message to reach a larger audience, and have created a Kickstarter to create and fund a workshop for youth “that speaks on conquering large fears, accepting differences in others, and chasing your large dreams.”
(h/t to Mic for the story and images)
Queer Icons, a breathtaking multimedia photography project by Mexican-American artist Gabriel García Román, shines a light on queer people of color. It re-frames the subjects into idols, with a halo in every piece.
“My images are visually giving power to a group of people that are generally disempowered. I want young people to see these images and see them as an example of someone powerful and noble that they can become,” Román told Fusion in an interview.
There were way too many amazing pieces to fit in one post, so take a look at the rest of this collection on his website.
These inspiring images by Carol Rossetti are beautiful reminders that inclusion and visibility matter.
Creative Expression is an opportunity for you to show us how your school is celebrating No Name-Calling Week and creating a culture of no name-calling. We want to see your school wide displays featuring the message of No Name-Calling Week.
This year’s deadline is Friday, March 1, 2013.
Any kind of display can be created and a picture or video of the display will be submitted for judging. Show us your assemblies, the posters you created at school, lessons being conducted in classrooms, or anything that can show us what you are doing in your community.
The winning school will receive a No Name-Calling Week Prize pack including a Simon and Schuster Children’s Library, and a Stop Bullying Speak Up prize kit from the Cartoon Network. For more information about Creative Expressions or to enter your submission click here
Have a great No Name-Calling Week!
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May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! Before we get on with the post, it’s important to note that these are two groups of diverse people who are very unique in many ways! However, in light of the month, (and mainly due to the fact that a lot of the resources available online are for both groups), here is a compilation of resources for Asian and Pacific Islander LGBTQ+ people! Other masterposts can be found here (and don’t hesitate to add anything if you have resources to contribute)!
GLSEN Pages:
Other organizations:
Historical information from the US National Park Service:
Some LGBTQ+ Asian/Pacific Islander Creators:
Other Helpful/Informational Links:
