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What I Learned from Being a LGBT+ Artist

You can be who you want to be from behind a canvas, and the genuine you is what people need.

By Andrew HoangPublished 6 years ago 3 min read
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When I started drawing webcomics I never thought about how they could affect me. I just wanted to draw and make people smile, but recently I posted a comic about being polysexual called "Twitterpated." It left many with questions and then I realized I never told my readers I'm transgender and polysexual because I can draw myself the way I want to be perceived. Then for a while I didn't post anything related to my sexuality or gender identity because I didn't want to be labeled as the "gay comic guy." Then I realized that by not talking about my sexuality and gender identity I was pushing myself back into the closet. My sexuality and gender identity is who I am and that is the part of myself I should be proud of. I should be setting an example that it's okay to be who you are, I shouldn't be afraid to be who I am. So I came out and the support I got was amazing. It made me reevaluate why I was posting comics.

Cartoons and the Sunday paper's comics were a big part of my childhood and as I got older I started reading comic books and anime which is one thing that me and my first girlfriend had in common. I had my first kiss with a girl, and the first person I ever dated was a girl; so from a young age I had an bit of an idea of who I was, but I didn't know much about different gender identities and sexualities. In high school I started to understand how I felt about my gender identity, and I went through some had times coming out as bisexual and then as trans. One thing that always made me feel better was drawing cartoons. I started drawing all the time at during school, after school, at work, and as soon as I got home. I still draw daily, and I may not love how all of my drawing turn out, but I love what I do.

Flashback to a couple months ago when I got a message from a teenager in Germany. They told me that my comics made them feel better and that they were still trying to discover who they are. After that I suddenly wanted to be an icebreaker and I want to be the person that people can use to explain how they feel to those that just don't understand. When I was coming out as trans I heard about this kid that transferred too my school I heard someone say they were a girl that wanted to be a boy. So when I wanted to tell my friends I asked what they thought of that new student who wanted to be a boy. That student didn't know it but they were the icebreaker I needed to have the conversation with others about how I felt. And so I realized that from the other side of my digital canvas I can help others learn themselves and help myself to open up to the community I have been afraid of meeting.

I've also learned that being an artist isn't easy, and almost all artists are financially struggling. It can really ware you down when you paint daily and only make a couple of bucks (if you do at all). Even though the financially struggling can be exhausting being part of the LGBTQ community makes me feel like I'm not just working for me, I'm working for every person that is ever going to question who they are or how they feel. I learned that there is a community full of love and support that I was afraid of, and for what "not being trans enough"? Be whoever you are, love what you do, and you can be an icebreaker for someone else too.

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