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Superhero Coming Out Campaign [need help]

Discussion in 'Coming Out Advice' started by ogzltheeve, Oct 7, 2013.

  1. ogzltheeve

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    For my graphic design thesis, I will be pairing a coming out campaign with the analogy of superheroes – Superman in particular.

    While, homosexuality has generally become more socially accepted, adolescents continue to struggle with the process of coming out, due to fear of social rejection. To address this problem I want to raise awareness on self-acceptance. I will be incorporating real life experiences and stories of how people went about their process of coming out. My goal is to provide a visual aid and metaphor that will aid adolescents to embrace one’s individuality with confidence. The metaphor will be based on the idea of a superhero. Superman, for example, discovers at a young age that he is different. He doesn’t yet know his place in the world and is seeking the right answers and opportunity to make the most of his difference. Although he learns the hard way that not everyone is ready for what he is capable of, he is reinforced with the faith that he is meant to lead and be a prime example of what’s best in the world. This analogy is a reflection of revealing one’s inner superhero with personal experiences and stories along with my ambition to reach out to the LGBT community.

    Not exactly sure what I’m going to do design-wise but I’m definitely thinking about including an interactive element to reach out to the LGBT community (like a “Reveal/Unmask Your Inner-Superhero”). I will be designing a website and possibly some posters. I was also considering creating my own superhero characters that would serve as a motif. I was thinking about creating 2 characters that would be based on myself and my twin brother since we're both gay and in the process of coming out. The problem with creating my own characters is the fact that I'm not an illustrator or great story teller. Another problem is that I don't know exactly how this "Superhero" aspect would tie in with other people's stories and experiences.

    Any thoughts??
     
  2. WiliamRoberts

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  3. Silver Sparrow

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    I like the idea! You can also use it to highlight the lack of queer characters in the media.
     
  4. GayLibertarian

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    Well sometimes when people come out, it inspires others to do the same or promotes others to support the LGBT community. Maybe a character could be trying to be a super hero to those who are too afraid to come out and showing that doing so is OK and maybe will inspire others to cast the weight from their shoulders.

    I like the idea about the "Reveal Your Inner Superhero" tagline, which I believe could tie into the thing above. Obviously this is just a thought and if you wanted to roll with it, it would probably require some fine tuning. Good luck on this though!