Friday, June 14, 2013

GayGothGradient


I'm not exactly the rainbow type. In sentiment perhaps, but visually, not so much. In honor of pride month and more specifically West Hollywood pride, which I didn't actually make it to cause that's how I roll (intending to make it to huge overwhelming events and then not going is in fact how I roll), I wanted to creatively circumvent the rainbow with my own interpretation as visual support.

It sort of started as a joke. I said on Facebook, "Sometimes it's difficult being goth and showing gay pride support at the same time. This is my answer to that challenge."

But as the stun of my breathtaking wit subsided and I started to dwell on it more sincerely, it became much more meaningful than the simple gay/goth quip, and more meaningful than a rainbow, to me. If a rainbow represents acceptance of all different kinds of people, and everyone's ability to be bold and proud of their different identities, then perhaps a grayscale could represent the possibilities and unfixed-ness within individual identities.

It is debatable whether I can be included in the queer Q that is sometimes but not always tacked onto LGBT(Q), or if I am really just an "ally." It is debatable to the point where I don't even want to unleash the debate right now; the point is the ambiguity. I live in a gray area and know and love others who do too... Not to mention a young man by the name of Dorian.

GrAY Pride?