Costumes for a Cause: Haus of Other Turns Art into Action for the Queer Community

When I was 6 years old, I learned how powerful it can be to wear a costume. I grew up in North Florida so far below the poverty line that we couldn’t even see it. Early on, my experience with charity was always on the receiving end. As such, Halloween presented a unique challenge for my mother, who had four children in need of costumes and no budget to work with. 

Luckily, my mom was a very creative person, so every Halloween, we went through her closet and chose items to sacrifice for our costumes. This particular year, I chose a lavender silk shirt in leopard print, which was probably an early indicator of my impending queerness. Together, we fashioned wings out of that shirt, attached them to a white turtleneck, and then I proceeded to spin around outside like a whirling dervish. I got so caught up in the moment that I ran headfirst into the side of the house. Hidden within that headache was a powerful lesson. Through costuming, I could become someone else and experience a boldness that I didn’t normally feel in my everyday clothes. I was a fairly reserved child from a young age, but that costume introduced me to a freedom of self-expression that I would struggle to suppress for most of my adult life. Except, of course, on Halloween.

Halloween became my favorite holiday. Every year since then, I have solicited all my friends and brought them together to create intricate themed costumes. I’ve worn those costumes in Florida, New York City, and now Denver. And today, I own and operate a creative costuming collective called Haus of Other that specializes in bringing that freedom of expression to the queer community year-round.

Costumes allow us to adopt new personas. They give us a creative way to express ourselves and explore parts of our personalities that may normally remain dormant. Costumes also create connections. Whenever I am dressed up, it gives people an excuse to come up and talk to me, take a picture, and learn more about why we do what we do. Those little interactions bring a lot of value to my life and remind me that my contribution to this world is important.

Haus of Other was originally founded as a response to the political shift in America. When this administration took power, art programs and queer initiatives were the first programs on the chopping block. I felt strongly that queer creative people were going to need a place to channel that pain and frustration into art, and found like-minded team members in Crafty Grant and Zack Sham. Together, we started off by having monthly free crafting nights. Then we moved on to immersive-themed costume parties. What we found was that there was a great need within the Denver community to express creativity freely.

Creativity and Philanthropy

Supporting queer charities was one of the main tenets of Haus of Other from the beginning. As queer people, we have always had to take care of our own people. That can involve caring for those in your immediate circle, but it should also include supporting organizations that take care of our community on a larger scale. Thus far we have partnered with or supported multiple queer charities such as Trans Lifeline, YouthSeen, The Delores Project, the Alexander Foundation, and the Denver bid to host the Gay Games in 2030. Our support has varied from donating proceeds from events to donating our time, decor, or costumes to fundraisers for nonprofits. 

One of our favorite memories was showing up in full floral regalia at the Spring Fling fundraiser for The Alexander Foundation, hosted at The Governor’s Mansion. Our costumed presence added a layer of whimsy to the event and the presence of queer creativity transformed the event for attendees. Lucas Land, of The Delores Project, has this to say about our collaboration: “Haus of Other elevated our event with decor and elements that turned the space into a beautiful reflection of our organization. They were a pleasure to work with and really understood our mission and what we are all about.”

With charities losing funding left and right, it is important to find ways to elevate fundraising events, and it is my belief that queer creativity is a great way to do that. Haus of Other will be officially launching an online store soon that features curated fashion and accessories created by artisans from all over the country. Our target audience will be drag queens, circuit queens, burlesque performers, and festival-goers. Think of it like Etsy, but artsy. A percentage from each sale will go to support various queer charities. As Haus of Other grows and expands, we will constantly think of new ways to support organizations that support our own communities. This summer, we were awarded a micro-grant from Queer Business Alliance which will only help us spread the philanthropic wealth.

When it comes to charity, however, it isn’t all about money. At our summer event, Aquatica, I created a lion fish costume that is probably my favorite piece out of everything I have ever made. As I was standing in front of everyone giving a speech I barely remember, I found myself thinking about my inner child. If he could see me up there, dressed in pounds of sequins looking like the queerest Vegas headliner the world has ever seen, he would be thrilled. And it occurred to me that by creating these costumes and wearing them in public, we become beacons of self-expression for queer youth everywhere.

As someone who suffered through bullying with no queer role models to look up to, if I had seen someone like me in the media, self-expressing with unabashed queerness, it would have given me hope that things would get better. I would have tucked that image away in my head and taken it out for examination when things got really bad. I would have had proof that I could escape the trappings of rural North Florida and move to a place where my creativity and queerness would be appreciated and celebrated. Being that beacon for queer youth has become a very important aspect of my mission on this Earth both as a queer leader and a human being.

Using Art to Create Change

The very foundation of Haus of Other is that we create the most beautiful things when we work together. The same is also true of the ability to make change. Art is power. You can explain your thoughts, feelings, and political position until you are blue in the face, but you won’t change minds unless those minds want to be changed. However, art can convey those things to someone without any words attached. I can tell you why we create costumes and what causes we support, but it is much more effective and powerful to create art, and thus change, and let people come to their own conclusions.

We are living in a time of uncertainty when our rights to live and love are being challenged yet again. We all feel powerless and often find ourselves questioning how we can make a difference in a world that doesn’t even support our existence. In the face of such colossal cruelty and indifference, it may feel easier to run away, bury your head in the sand, or swallow your self-expression in favor of survival. I won’t tell you how to live your life, but I will ask you this question: What is worth fighting for?

For me, as a queer person who intends to spend his life unlearning all of the lies I’ve been fed and finding ways to support my queer community, the answer is simple. Freedom is worth fighting for. Currently, Haus of Other fights for freedom by showing up bedecked and bedazzled in unadulterated creativity and self expression and supporting the organizations that support us. That may look different for you, as it should. But whether you fight for freedom by being a beacon for the queer community or just having the courage to show up as your authentic self, your contribution to the cause is worthwhile, necessary, and appreciated.

And you can use that strength to empower our community through creativity, individuality, freedom, and charity.

Photos by Becky Duffyhill, featuring models, haus members, and costume designers Gary Adrian, Crafty Grant, Zack Sham, Nadia Evangelina, Eugene Ebner, Connor Barrett, and a special collaboration with Jess Sheeran of Shop Cool Critters.