AITEACH Issue 2 June 23

QUEER CULTURE ZINE

STONEWALL RIOTS JUNE 28, 1969

Stonewall Inn was not a heaven on earth, particularly for BIPOC patrons, and yet they stood shoulder to shoulder and fought for its existence. We owe an immense debt to those who showed us our worth and fought for a right to exist on this planet free of harassment. The fight continues and it’s time to pay that debt back.

Lest we f�get our power.

Credit: Wexford Art Centre

Credit: Wexford Art Centre Credit: Wexford Art Centre Credit: Wexford Art Centre Credit: Sive Ò Bolguidhir Credit: Wexford Art Centre

“We needed somethingbeautif ul, something fromus. The rainbow is so perfect because it really fits our diversity in terms of race, gender, ages, all of those things. Plus, it’s a natural flag—it’s from the sky!”

• John Cunningham-Ryan

SPIRITUALITY

IN DARKNESS

Self acceptance has been coming up a lot in my spiritual practice of late. And it’s getting more and more intense as I break myself open and give space to all of my energetic “insidey parts” that I have been pushing down for so long now. One of the things I have always loathed about myself is my quickness to anger. Having to jiggle

my charger about to find a connection can, at times, be enough to have me thrashing about the house cursing the Universe and everything in it.

I have a friend who can sit and weep gently as she works through her trauma. And it has always frustrated me that my divine emotion is, more often than not, rage. Not many people see it but it’s there, always, under the surface.

New-Age spirituality speaks

BY: ANDREI BOYD

of maintaining a high and peaceful state without fault so that you can match your energy to a dimension where peace and love are all that exist. The world will separate and the people who scorn you shall be banished to lower dimensions. So, we find people in the spiritual community terrified to feel low at the risk of being left behind. We hear “no bad vibes in this studio please” or “just focus on peace and love and you’ll be fine”. This causes people to bypass the opportunity to delve deep into their darkness and embrace an enormous part of their make-up.

Light cannot exist without darkness. Yang cannot exist without its Yin. A God cannot exist without a Devil.

Accepting the darkness within does not imply surrendering to its destructive forces. Instead, it

IN DARKNESS (CON’T)

give up on trying to sooth myself with my inner dialogue. What’s the point? Life is just hard and there’s no point in trying to change that.

I have found that giving myself time and space to grieve the life that I wish I had and mourn for the struggles past and present has been deeply healing. There comes a point where the intensity of a particular cycle of shadow work decreases but it I still enforce negative self talk to punish myself and sabotage my growth. Herein I realise that, at times, I feel undeserving of love and project that into how I relate to myself.

Just as the Yin-Yang symbol represents the harmonious existence of opposing forces, accepting both the light and the darkness within brings us into alignment with our true nature. It grants us the freedom to authentically express our emotions, pursue our passions, and

forge deeper connections with others.

Throughout this pursuit of self acceptance, it’s crucial to remember that the journey is not linear. We will stumble, we will fall, and we will experience moments of doubt. Yet, it’s through these moments that we have the opportunity to cultivate resilience and growth. Every stumble becomes a stepping stone towards a profound understanding of ourselves and our place in the world.

So I invite those who read this article to paint with every colour in the box. Be sure to make use of the dark end of the pallet and let it add depth to your painting. Let your intuition be your guide. And don’t be afraid to ask for help from the universe. Speak to your Yin and your Yang, embrace your shadow and love fearlessly.

• Andrei Boyd

I described myself and some of my people with charcoal in a series of portraits for a recent Gorey Scool of Art exhibition. Looking closely at the faces of others brought to the surface all sorts of feelings, mainly empathy and curiosity. And drawing myself, although it was emotionally taxing, became a healing inquiry into self-image that led to more self-acceptance.

The drawings are a record of the non verbal exchanges I had with myself and others as we sat opposite each other. Many of the drawings are quick studies, smudged and torn, sometimes distorted and stinking of hairspray where I ran out of fixative. I am grateful to my queer friends, who have taught me so much about our community, who were the inspiration for this project, and whose lives I endeavour to continue to celebrate in art.