Pride month is here!!! The NFT industry has been lauded for its ability to create a diverse and equitable space for artists from all walks of life, including the LGBTQ+ community. That said, in reality, LGBTQ+ NFT artists are severely underrepresented in the space. The industry sure has a long way to go to shed its current boy’s club image. Amid this, the onus is on the whole NFT community to support existing LGBTQ+ artists and make space for newcomers.
So, this pride month, we have curated a list of 10 LGBTQ+ artists that you can support.
Pride Month: Meet These 10 LGBTQ+ NFT Artists
1. Sam August Ng – TheyBalloons
Sam August Ng, popularly known as TheyBalloons, is a non-binary digital conceptual artist. The London-based artist’s works focus on re-imagining neo-expressionism in Web3 using glitch arts, 3D, and bold colours.
TheyBalloons is also the co-founder of Queer Frens, the biggest pride parade in the metaverse. Dropped in March 2022, the collection aims to promote inclusion and diversity in the NFT space through its 10,000 queer frogs.
2. Talia Rosa Abreu
Talia Rosa Abreu is a visual designer and digital artist focused on crafting brand identities, visual direction, and producing both 2D and 3D art and designs. A trans Latina artist, she is also the art director of the Runic Glory NFT Project. Apart from this, she is also the founder and creative director of the Forest Heart Project, an online collaborative video game project.
3. Bobby Coyote
Based in Los Angeles, Bobby Coyote is a transmasc multidisciplinary artist and photographer. With a background in fashion photography, Coyote’s works revolve around film and NFT photography. He can be often seen exploring concepts such as astrology, music, colour, addiction, sexuality, and surrealism.
4. Dr Brittany Jones
Dr Brittany Jones is the creator, project manager, and co-founder of the Queer Friends NFT project. A bisexual woman and athlete, Jones is a Marine Biologist who studies dolphin communication. Previously, she has used digital art to educate young girls about science and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math) careers.
5. Jason Dixon Zamora
A pansexual NFT artist, Jason Dixon Zamora (aka Mako HighFlyer) is the artist and founder of the Quinley Quokka NFT collection. The project features inclusive and intersectional NFTs celebrating 2SLGBTQIA+ icons from across the globe.
According to the project’s website, Zamora believes that “putting the control back into the hands of artists and communities is the seismic cultural shift we need to smash the current inequitable systems and hit the collective reset button.”
6. PapiCandlez
PapiCandlez is a Los Angeles-based queer illustrator and animator. He recently dropped the TheCryptoCandlez collection on OpenSea. The collection features 103 candles in different adorable avatars.
7. Derin Baysal – A queer designer and NFT artist
A queer designer, Derin Baysal is the artist behind the Queer Rise NFT collection. After finishing their studies in graphic design in IED Milano, Baysal has been working in Istanbul, Turkey as a graphic designer, illustrator, and artist.
Further, for Queer Rise, Baysal hand-drew 10,000 NFTs representing the queer culture. Actually, the project aims to turn the metaverse into a more inclusive and queer-friendly space. “Queer or not, people can be whoever they want and wear whatever they want,” the collection’s website reads.
8. Stacie A Buhler champions LGTBQ+ rights.
A fashion photographer and NFT artist based in Los Angeles, Stacie A Buhler creates works that are “relaxed, fun, welcoming, and inclusive to all”. She’s the founder of Ugly NFTs featuring Ugly Berts and Ugly Bettys. The collection takes inspiration from her personal experiences where both men and women have told her they don’t like the way she dresses.
In addition, Stacie has digitally hand-painted each NFT in the collection. “This NFT collection is based on model diversity and LGTBQ+ rights and exposure within the fashion industry,” the project’s description reads.
9. Vanshika Dhyani – An Asian, bisexual NFT artist
Vanshika Dhyani is an Asian, bisexual, neurodivergent artist. She created The Desi Dulhan Club NFT collection to raise awareness about child marriages, dowry deaths, honor killings, and female infanticides occurring in South Asia.
As a matter of fact, she first created the project to honour her grandmother, who was married off at the age of 13. Besides, the “Desi Dulhans” in the collection have no lips, to represent how women are silenced in South Asia. On the other hand, the eyes feature a “deer in headlights” look to portray a “scared and uncertain” look.
“My long-term vision for this collection is to have people who want to make a difference go to South Asia and volunteer with UNICEF to uplift, empower and educate women,” Dhyani noted.
10. Jessie – Queer artist of 100% LGBTQ+ owned NFT project
GrizzleMMC (on Twitter) or Jessie is the queer co-founder and lead artist of The Melancholy Monsters Club (MMC) NFT project. Jessie first drew the artwork for the MMC project back in 2012 as a small comic featuring two monsters. Besides, the project is 100% LGBTQ+ owned and operated. Moreover, Jessie boasts over 11 years of experience in providing direct mental health support to underserved communities, especially focusing on LGBTQ+.
Needless to say, the above list is in no way exhaustive. There are many other NFT artists from the LGBTQ+ community that you can support this pride month. This includes top NFT artists like FEWOCiOUS (Victor Langlois), Klara Vollstaedt, and Sarah Zucker.
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