Cheers to Growing Up Gay with a flaming capital G
There's truly a lot to share about Leo and his work.
“Leo Herrera is a Mexican writer, activist and filmmaker. His work focuses on the American Queer experience. His films and writings explore LGBTQ culture, politics and history, paying homage to our past and educating a younger generation.
"Leo is the director of Fathers, a sci-fi documentary and multimedia project which imagines the AIDS pandemic never existed. Fathers weaves real-life events, survivor histories and fiction, creating a surreal vision of an alternative universe (streaming now at iftheylived.org).
"Leo’s viral “essay memes” explore Queerness, race and disease: Instagram @herreraimages.
"A Bumpy Ride podcast on the Monkeypox outbreak in Berlin. Bumpy Ride got the attention of the White House Monkeypox Taskforce and Leo was invited to a monthly workshop tackling the next phase of the outbreak.”
We first met Leo when we participated in Jordan Eagles' piece Blood Mirror. "In 2016, 50 PrEP advocates gathered in protest to donate their blood to Blood Mirror. Each individual donated a tube of blood – 50 tubes equals a full pint, the amount in a standard blood donation — which was collected into the “community pint”. This blood was preserved inside Blood Mirror. The FDA’s current 1-year deferral policy continues to stigmatize gay and bisexual men without accounting for PrEP, condoms, and other safe-sex practices that can greatly reduce the risk of HIV infection."
Over our summers in Provincetown we've had the chance to regularly cross paths in person in store and we have been following all of Leo's work. His sex-positive attitude and deeply held care of our community is evident through all the work he does.
Last year while on a men's retreat we purchased three of Leo's musings from his instagram that could be hung on the wall. One of his posts in particular really resonated and we though it would make a great lavender tee. This season you are able to purchase signed copies of POST in store along with the t-shirt. The full text on the tee follows:
Recently for pride Leo posted a clip on Instagram featuring Jake Shears narrating the piece.
Leo has a new publication that is available to preorder titled [analog] CRUISING. '(analog) Cruising is a step-by-step guide to sex outside of our phones. Leo Herrera tackles Queer cruising etiquette with a blend of history, humor and poetry alongside his own personal cruising fairy tales and failures. From what to expect checking into a bathhouse, to the rules of consent in a darkroom, Leo shares tips helpful for first-timers and rusty old-timers. (Analog) Cruising builds its own language, defining implied consent, caressing cues and the museum technique."
Last week we caught an episode of the Sniffies podcast featuring Leo discussing Cruising.
