"Why do you put so much gay stuff in your artwork?" "I'm fucking gay, you stupid asshole.": a qualitative study on the connection between queer or trans identity and creativity

Using grounded theory, the author interviewed members of the queer and trans community about their use of art. Questions were asked about usage such as if there was a family history, and if they believed their art and identity were intertwined. The themes were allowed to emerge with no specific question to be answered. The main themes that were found were Normalization and Retroflection. Normalization was the use of art to fill the spaces with queer or trans representation that mainstream media had failed. Retroflection was the use of art to either explore one's identity or to help one feel that their journey to understand their identity was safe and they would come to a positive conclusion in their lives. In conclusion, the creativity and sexual/gender identity is interconnected.