Queer Celebrated Here: THE WALL

THE WALL is centered around the unknowing period of life during the first 18 months of the COVID-19 Pandemic. A time of fear and uncertainty. For many it was a time of introspection. It was also a period of isolation in which I looked at our society, back at my life, and my Queer identity.

You see, the wall and much of the visual art I created during that time took me back to my youth and how I felt isolated as a young Queer human. And even how I sometimes felt that way as an adult. I was met with lingering voices in my head, lingering shame, critical, judgmental words that stuck with me that I thought were behind me. As of this writing, the ACLU is tracking 482 anti-LGBTQ+ bills moving through US state houses, including five in Ohio, designed to make us fearful, to inflame that hate for ourselves we’re taught to have, to inflame that hate in others, and to push us back into closets.

This performance work, though – THE WALL – busts through those walls. It speaks honestly about what it’s like to constantly be questioning who you are. The internal struggle when you’re told who you are is wrong, sinful, shameful. It questions the authority, the words we allow others to hold over us when we know, sense, feel our truth. It CELEBRATES Queer intimacy and eroticism. It exposes and obliterates internalized shame with truth.

This deeply personal piece came to fruition with the support of many in the Queer community and allies. From curation, to sound design, to marketing, to operations, THE WALL is a product of our vibrant community. Nearly the entire creative team and crew identifies somewhere in the LGBTQ+ acronym. In fact, we have those first five letters covered, plus a lot of the +.

THE WALL is a story built from Greater Cleveland’s Queer tribe. So many of us have been isolated by the walls of society, of stereotypes, and of ourselves. This performance and the art within the gallery is a tribute to those who seek equality, love, self expression, and FREEDOM.

I would love to see more of my community, my family, to face THE WALL and experience it first hand. If you have attended, I am grateful. If you have not, there are two performances remaining. I invite you to come with an open mind and open heart.

I cannot begin to thank the Queer individuals, Queer artists, and allies who have supported my work over the past 15 years. Especially those who have shared space at THE WALL. Our moments together have been unforgettable. I hope this deeply personal and moving performance will live on beyond this run to help us connect in a deeper way as individuals and a community, but also help you with the walls in your life.

Ray