St. Sebastian Mural

Kickstarter Story

Throughout my life, the homophobia I’ve experienced was justified by “sincerely held religious beliefs.” It’s sucked, but I always found comfort in knowing it could be much worse. My environment is safer and more welcoming than it was for previous generations.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, the birth of the Gay Rights Movement in the US. We celebrate Pride in June because in June 1969, Black and Latinx drag queens led riots against police brutality in New York where — at the time — most homosexual acts were still illegal. Thanks to Stonewall and the decades of LGBTQ activism that came before and after, I feel comfortable being who I am.

In that spirit, I aim to express my pride by installing a mural on the north side of The Wunderkammer Company building in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Wunderkammer is a non-profit arts organization committed to revitalizing communities through creative arts.

As you could visit a different one nearly every day of the calendar year, Fort Wayne is often called a “City of Churches.” This and my fundamentalist Christian upbringing considered, I propose no better subject than the religious and gay icon Saint Sebastian. From the 16th century onwards, depictions of Saint Sebastian have been just suggestive enough to still make it to church (scroll to bottom for some Renaissance examples). 

I appreciate your patronage. Thank you.