OFM Gallery: Kinky Cosplay
Photos by Julius Garrido
Models: Christopher La Fleur (he/him), Tab Solomon Gleason (he/they), Quincey Roisum (he/him)
When it comes to queer nerd culture, we can’t get enough. And that’s because a lot of us used, and still use, fandoms and fixations as coping mechanisms as we view the world through our queer lens.
Shot on location at Mile High Comics, a queer comic shop in Denver known for providing a local space and outlet for the queer and geeky communities, we drew inspiration from the rows and rows of fandom and nostalgia for these photos.
Quincey on finding refuge in fandom:
“Growing up, I was made fun of for being overweight at home and at school for being gay, even before I knew what that meant exactly. Like most of the queer community, I was teased growing up, but I was teased for more than one reason which, for me, was hard to handle. For a half hour every day I would forget about being teased; I’d forget about being made fun of. For that half hour, I’d feel cool like the Red Ranger, Jason.
“I looked up to Jason and wanted to be like him. Jason was always helpful and understanding, and always encouraged his friends to believe in themselves and follow their dreams. When I was little, I cried a lot, but I was always happy when I’d watch the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Watching this show as a kid helped me be more creative and believe in myself more. I was always coloring and playing with my action figures and always using my imagination.
“If it wasn’t for MMPR, I don’t know how well growing up would have gone for me. Watching the show, I always felt I could be anything I wanted to be. As an adult, MMPR still holds a very special place in my heart and still helps me believe I can do anything I set my mind to. MMPR also helps me get into cosplay and comic-cons, and I know wanting to be my favorite hero helped me be interested in dressing up and pretending to be my favorite diva belting out my favorite ballad.
“Dressing up as a cosplayer or performing as a drag queen were never things I didn’t think I could do because I never let any limitations stop me. I owe a lot of the loving and supportive queer man I am today to the MMPR and my childhood hero. In 2015, I even got to meet my childhood hero at a comic con, and even if his line were across the entire arena, I would have waited as long as I needed to, to meet who was there for me during a difficult time, even though he never knew.”
Christopher on connecting to manga:
“I’ve always found comic book and movie poster art inspiring. It informs my work. Movie posters and comics are iconic—They tell complex stories in a few powerful images.
“However, looking back through my memory, I realized:
My first experience with graphic novels was the now-iconic Blankets by Craig Thompson. It’s the story of a sexually-abused young man questioning his sexuality in a deeply religious home environment, and his subsequent experiences navigating life. For me, a seventh grader hiding in the back of the library, it hit so close to home.”
Tab on Cosplay Euphoria:
“As a nonbinary, transmasculine individual, nerdy fandom has always provided a safe place for me to explore my self-expression. I remember as a child, when I first cosplayed Qui-Gon Jinn from Star Wars, it gave me such a feeling of freedom and gender euphoria to be able to draw a beard on and feel accepted. Before that, I was afraid to present myself as a male character due to societal expectations. But, to my delight, I found most nerdy fandoms to be very genderfluid and accepting, which led me down a wonderful road of self-exploration and beautiful community interactions.”
