Torn

Abstract

This is a self-reflection painting that depicts one ‘torn’; a woman pulling them to be more feminine while a man is pulling them towards masculinity. The green ribbon around their neck represents mental health awareness. The anklet worn is the semi-colon because they tried to take their life the day after Christmas, 2017. The semi-colon is the adopted symbol for suicide awareness, “my story is not over yet”. I identify as Black, homosexual, and gender nonbinary and have struggled with my gender identity since the age of five. I am 40 years old and still battle with Gender Dysphoria. Who am I? Fearing rejection, I have successfully hidden my various mental illnesses from the public eye. Considering my culture, the stigma behind mental illness adding to the stressors of not being accepted for my skin color, or the person I love, or who I identify as is often too much to bear. I hope to bring awareness to Gender Dysphoria, mental health, suicide, and intersectionality; they affect everyone, including social workers. People often fear what they do not know. As social workers, it is our duty to challenge the injustices of intersectionality that have plagued our society for centuries.