Artist Statement on the collection of paintings titled: “Dancing With Ego-Dystonia And A Full Heart”

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is a guide published by the American Psychiatric Association. It sets standard criteria for identifying and diagnosing mental disorders.

The first DSM and the 1968 edition, DSM-II, classified homosexuality as a “sexual deviation.” In December 1973, the APA’s Board of Trustees changed DSM-II, removing homosexuality as a general category and replacing it with “sexual orientation disturbance.” That year, the APA also issued a statement on homosexuality and civil rights.

In 1980, DSM-III no longer classified homosexuality itself as a disorder. It included only “ego-dystonic homosexuality,” for people who felt anxious or depressed about their sexual orientation. The 1987 edition removed that category, and homosexuality was not included in later editions, DSM-IV and DSM-5.

My current collection of paintings draws on my experience as a closeted gay college student in 1971. That experience, coupled with the possibility of being drafted to fight in the Vietnam War, made for some extraordinary and unsettling times.

Creating this collection has been a form of therapy for me. Through these paintings, I move between the serious and the humorous, revisiting experiences that were at times frightening, absurd, and deeply formative.

In 1971, the American Psychiatric Association still classified homosexuality as a mental disorder. More than fifty years later, I take pleasure in recognizing how much society has evolved. Yet homophobia persists, and tragic events affecting LGBTQ+ people continue to make the news.

With this collection, I hope to acknowledge how far we have come while also reminding us that progress is neither simple nor complete. Fifty years have passed, but the struggle for acceptance and equality continues.