In truth, I’ve always thought it would be easier if I were a monster on The Island of Doctor Moreau or had been assimilated into the Borg. I have felt uncomfortable navigating the world, and unrepresented by most queer representations in media. Well into my 20s, I used stereotypical masculine activities like fishing, sports or fraternal organizations as a way of ignoring the profound uncertainty that I felt about gender and sexuality. This work rejects traditional masculinity as an artificial product of both consumer culture and the masculine tradition of outdoor recreation. By ornamenting my body with fishing tackle, I am queering the hyper-masculine activity of fishing and asserting the visibility and validity of my assigned male at birth body.
