MORE THAN A LABEL
Exploring the Layers of Being Queer
JUNE 2025
Portrait Series: Part of "The Colors of Us" Exhibition missy
“Freedom in Layers”
A creative spirit anchored in introspection and driven by empathy, Missy navigates identity through art, community, and reflection. Known for nuanced, insightful expressions across social platforms.
Often you would hear queerness being talked about in the explicit context of sexuality or identity, but Missy speaks about queerness as an expressive force — not just about attraction, but about how you move through life with freedom and intention. It’s part attitude, part philosophy.
Expression as Identity
“Of course, sexuality and forms of expression go hand in hand, because one often influences the other. Being queer is like seeking the freedom to be who you truly are.”Her queerness blends both the personal and the political. For Missy, queerness is a form of creative defiance, pushing against cultural and social expectations in subtle, often powerful ways.
The Burden of Assumption
When people discover she’s queer, Missy feels that other parts of who she is often get overshadowed. Things such as her ideas, creativity, personality, and all make her a rounded individual are put aside, leaving her sexuality and expression placed above everything else.
“Some assume negative things about me, and then everything else gets overshadowed. Sometimes it’s sad, because I’m more than labels.”
“We’re supposed to be free, yet we end up having to follow patterns.”
— Missy
Pressure Within and Outside the Community
Missy explains the tension of feeling pressure from both mainstream society and within the LGBTQIA+ community itself. She speaks about expectations to express her queerness in specific ways — to look a certain way, act a certain way, or have certain opinions — in order to be considered “queer enough.”
“If not, you’re not ‘queer enough.’ But the truth is, we are human and we have our own thoughts and ways.”
Fear, Compassion, and Humanity
Though she’s open with loved ones, Missy still carries fear in public spaces — a fear many queer people live with every day. Visibility, for her, isn’t about being seen at all times, but about feeling safe to be seen.
“I’m more reserved, but I don’t have a problem walking with my girlfriend hand in hand or kissing in public. I tend to be more open when I'm with people close to me or when I see that they won’t judge me, because I admit that I still have a lot of fears. It’s a process”
Would you consider yourself to be more reserved or outgoing with the display of who you are as a queer person?
But through all of this, what stands out most is her belief in compassion. This is especially important because similar to her, she understands that many people are faced with reject including that of their families and towards themselves, which can lead to daunting side effects such as fear, low-selfesteem and inseurities.
“Having empathy for others, showing a little care… because we never know what the other person is going through.”Like Rihanna said “shine bright like a diamond”