“Being queer is ordinary. So is making good work.”
— Collective Z, The Ordinary exhibition statement
When Collective Z announced The Ordinary, I immediately understood why the title mattered.
For many of us, simply living our lives has too often been treated as something unusual, controversial, or in need of explanation. Yet most of life is made up of ordinary things: friendships, work, love, loss, community, and the hope of being seen for who we are.
My piece Marsha P. is included in this exhibition. It began as a reflection on Marsha P. Johnson, but it also became a reminder of the people who came before us and the lives that made our own possible.
Sometimes the most important stories are not extraordinary at all. They are simply human.