During the late 1950s through the mid-1960s, Florida’s state 

legislature created a committee that targeted vulnerable Americans on account of their sexual identity. Because identifying as a gay 

individual was taboo at this time, the John’s Committee was determined to target individuals suspected to be Queer and published what became known as the “Purple Pamphlet.” The Johns Committee harassed over 70 professors and college students suspected of performing Queer activities. The Purple Pamphlet was a report on homosexuality in Florida, “Benefiting every individual concerned with the moral climate of the state”. Within the Purple Pamphlet was a glossary that included derogatory categories and definitions of different queer identities.

In this body of work, The Lavender Pamphlet, I acknowledge the 

historical trauma The Purple Pamphlet has caused. By appropriating and personalizing aspects of the contents of the Purple Pamphlet, I am uplifting and celebrating the Queer identities I can associate myself with. I am repurposing a publication and images that were intended to harm the Gay community as a positive and powerful means to explore 

my own identities. 

My artwork examines socio-political ideologies under the scope of 

being a gay black man. As we discover ourselves as individuals, we learn how to experience the ability to become loving beings. I examine 

experiences with sexual identity, race, human rights, and romantic endeavors to create the “Lavender Pamphlet.” 

The Lavender Pamphlet uses striking color schemes and poetic 

narratives. Through self-portraiture and colorful expression, this body of work asks viewers to explore and create new possibilities and identities for themselves.