This Flag Makes the LGBTQIA+ Community of Jefferson County, Indiana Feel…

I have been intending to share more about one of my recent works of art, but have found myself distracted by the election and other urgent matters. Now that the election is over, sharing more about this recent piece seems to be the urgent matter. It is difficult to pinpoint my emotional state right now, but a bold and all caps CONCERNED is in the mix. It is especially concerning for people who are positioned to have their lives upended or threatened because they don’t fit the mold that the majority of voting Americans want them to exist within. It is in this moment that I want to remind people who are suffering with the dread that comes with the election outcome, that their voice still has power and they are seen and loved.

We have been seeing evidence of anti-people movements in my community, well, at least since people of European descent came here. It is unnerving to see how boldly many people hate and fear people that are even slightly different, and how they work as hard as they can to misunderstand them and seek out lies to allow them to fear them as well. It is a reflex that feeds many “isims” and hate, and it isn’t good for anyone. I have been paying attention and working on a few art projects to try and counter that instinct in our community. 

Jane Stormer, This Flag Makes the LGBTQIA+ Community of Jefferson County, Indiana Feel…”, Mixed Media, 2024.

I recently completed a piece titled, “This Flag Makes the LGBTQIA+ Community of Jefferson County, Indiana Feel…” I came up with the idea when I made a plan to attend the first Madison Indiana Pride Celebration in June 2024. Our LGBTQIA+ community has had to endure a lot of public speech that calls for them to be invisible, heavily debated church splits where their existence is the crux of the issue, and interference with events like Drag Shows that are fundraisers for support services in our community. As an ally I can see how people feel unwelcome, scared, and othered. With this piece I wanted to counter this particular anti-people sentiment with a positive and educational look at the pride flag. 

One of the most consistent calls in our community is to get rid of the “rainbow flags.” There has been a rash of pride flag thefts in our area, even my own pride flag went missing from my house last summer. When I see people lash out at a symbol of unity, I have to assume that they don’t know what it means, and I know how hard it is to have productive conversations about learning in this community. I find myself relying on having conversations through art and design because when no one will listen you have to make your words seen. I wanted to give a voice to people that often go unheard for fear of safety and retaliation, so I planned to define the pride flag with the words of people in our local LGBTQIA+ community. At the Madison Pride festival I had a retired pride flag that was faded and torn from being displayed on my house for a year. I asked people “how does this flag make you feel” and encouraged them to write their answer on the flag. I collected over 50 statements! I then recorded the statements, painted the bright colors back on the faded flag, stabilized the fragile fabric, and painted every word that was shared on the flag in bold letters. The words are simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming. Seeing the word “Safe” several times made me tear up. This flag isn’t about indoctrination or disrespecting other symbols. This flag saves lives, and that is the learning outcome I want this piece to achieve. 

Set up and ready for people at the first ever Madison, Indiana Pride to share their words! June, 2024

This particular flag is special because it helped me save a life, that is one of the reasons why I kept it. I had a friend approach me after seeing me in a parade with this flag nearby. They were looking for help finding resources in our community for people questioning their gender identity. I helped them find resources and they later told me that finding those resources saved their life. That is why I tried to find the most visible space to display the flag, because when this flag is visible it can save lives. Main Street in Historic Downtown Madison, Indiana is our county’s community center and also a tourist destination. I was lucky and privileged to be able to work with the Peddie and Fish Artist’s collective and the Circe Society Artists to display this piece in their front window on Main Street for about two months.

A nighttime view of the flag installation. September, 2024

I made prints of the flag because I wanted many people to have access to it. It has an educational purpouse for our community, but I also wanted it to be a symbol of comfort to everyone in the LGBTQIA+ and ally community. Soon I will be making a donation to PFLAG Hanover/Madison with the proceeds from the sale of the flag and prints. If you want to be a part of that donation, you can find open edition prints and postcards of the flag at the Circe Society Gallery at 115 E. Main Street, in Madison, Indiana. If you can’t get to Madison, reach out to me and we can work it out!

Postcards available for sending to friends and politicians!