“Heaven for the Unwanted”

"I remember growing up In Puerto Rico, an island with very strong religious beliefs. The obsession with religion such as Christianity, and Catholicism was something that I always feared because of the oppression towards homosexuality that the bible speaks about. I am a gay man and due to religious beliefs I felt that I could never live my truth and that I had to camouflage myself, within my culture I had to present someone else. In this series "I wanted to speak to those that also felt religious oppression in their lives, from a young age to now offering this work as a way to bring attention to my community, peers, and friends''. Using my personal experiences, and ideas through research that relates to religion and sexuality as a way to comment on how it affects the LGBTO+ community mentally and physically particularly in colonized regions such as Puerto Rico". As well as celebrating those who are able to be confident in their sexuality by overcoming the stereotypical judgment. I want to continue to produce work that not only reflects on my childhood experiences in these isolated and controlled environments and ideas of gender roles and "how" and "who" we should be because of our assigned gender, but also to find common stories and create beautiful art that reflects on the uncertainties of religious oppression.