As we wrapped up last year at Natural Pursuits, we turned to you for input on what you wanted to see from us next. Turns out y’all really wanted t-shirts. So, we listened and throughout this year we’ll be launching a few different designs.
As a nudist magazine, our speciality is taking clothes off, not putting them on. So, coming up with appropriate clothing designs required careful consideration and creativity. For this first batch, we took inspiration from a decade-old project.
In 2014, I collaborated with the incredibly talented Joe Sinness to figure out how the world sees queers people. I researched the history of the words and lexicon that shaped the societal identities of men who love men and Joe drew a visual representation. Our aim was to peel back the layers of these words, understanding the impact they’ve had on our identities and, through art, transform them.
I loved the images Joe created and what they said about queer identity. Part of our mission at Natural Pursuits is to use nudity to strip away preconceptions. Similarly, these t-shirts are designed to reappropriate the words people use against us.
How you ended up getting called a ‘faggot’
In crafting the designs for our t-shirt collection, we intentionally chose not to directly include the phrases they depict. Instead, each design offers a nuanced interpretation that goes beyond mere words to encapsulate a broader range of gay stereotypes and identities. We’re hoping this approach reflects our experience that being out involves a fluid and dynamic relationship with pre-existing societal labels and expectations.
These artistic choices are deliberate, aiming to provide a deeper narrative around each term. By doing so, we not only celebrate the complexity and diversity of gay identities but also hoping other queer people will clock the layers of meaning and history encapsulated in each design. Who doesn’t love an in-joke.
‘Faggot’
The History
“Faggot” originally meant “bundle of sticks.” From these humble beginnings the word transitioned to a derogatory term to describe the old women who collected the faggots in the late 16th century. The term meant “old, useless and rude.” By the 19th century “faggot” applied to any woman viewed as contemptible. In 1914 “faggot” appeared as a synonym for “drag queen” in Jackson and Hellyer’s A Vocabulary of Criminal Slang, With Some Examples of Common Usages.
Throughout the 20th century “faggot” became a derogatory term for all gay men. In the United States it is arguably the most — ahem — inflammatory thing you can call a gay man.
Myth Buster: Although many believe that gay men are called “faggots” because they were burnt at the stake, there is no historical evidence to support this.
The Design
Rather than spell out the term, we opted for a visual metaphorโa bundle of sticks, symbolizing the word’s original meaning. When you look closer, you see that it’s bound with a cock ring and placed on a dance floor, integrating elements of gay culture and the reclaiming of identity with playfulness and defiance.
Pillow Biter
A “pillow biter” is someone who, in the throes of passion, bites a pillow during sex. It’s most commonly associated with being the receptive partner during anal intercourse. Stripped of context, “pillow biter” is a really hot term; it implies really great sex.
The history of “pillow biter” is one of political scandal and attempted murder. It all begins with Jeremy Thorpe, a member of the English Parliament from 1959 to 1979. Everything was going great for Thorpe until Norman Scott, Thorpe’s stable boy, accused him of having gay sex with him. As gay sex was illegal back then, there was a trial. It’s equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking that there is now a formal decision by the court that no gay sex was had.
Later, someone tried to kill Scott, and he accused Thorpe of being behind the attempt, because of the scandal. There was another trial and Scott famously said, “I just bit the pillow; I tried not to scream, because I was frightened of waking Mrs. Thorpe.”
Since that time, the phrase “pillow biter” has lived in infamy.
The Design
The “Pillow Biter” design doesn’t merely illustrate the term but delves into its historical and cultural layers. Featuring a set of dentures biting into a pillow, the design nods to its origins in a British Parliament scandal while incorporating gold lamรฉ and floral patterns as symbols of the femme associations within the gay community.
The Message
These t-shirt designs are inspired by the ongoing experience of “being out.” There is a big focus on the singular act of coming out to embrace the daily realities, challenges, and joys of living openly as a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
Being out is not a one-time declaration but a continuous engagement with the world around us, where our identities interact dynamically with societal perceptions, stereotypes, and expectations. Words like “faggot” and “pillow biter” often carry with them a weight of stereotypes and assumptions. Yet, understanding their origins and the stories they carry can disarm their power to harm. Our goal, with Joe’s incredible talent, is to reclaim these words, transforming them into symbols of pride and celebration through art.
About the Artist
Joe Sinness works and lives in Saint Paul, MN. Joe’s delicate and detailed colored pencil drawings create settings and stages for the performance of sex and desire. Joe is a 2013 and a 2019 McKnight Visual Artist Grant Fellow, has received two Minnesota State Arts Board Grants, and was a participant in the 2015 Fire Island Artist Residency (FIAR).
website: www.joesinness.com
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