• Issue
  • Mar 01, 2024

A Room of My Own: Escaping Queer Erasure Through Art

ERIC BICO, Bagong Salta, 2023, photograph, 51 × 66 cm. Courtesy the artist.

In queer culture, a “second adolescence” often occurs after coming out, as one experiences a transformation typically associated with teenage development. For me, that metamorphosis occurred during my late 20s when I began navigating my deeply ingrained unease toward my gender expression. I have always been considered “effeminate” in the manner I conduct myself, but have never overtly presented as such, particularly in my clothing. In the last year, I decided to grow my hair past my shoulders, and last July I dared to venture out to a rave wearing a slinky, emerald satin slip. While my femininity was confidently on display, however, I was furtively self-conscious.  


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