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Photographs by Emily Lipson
Homosinner
22, artist living in Flatbush, Brooklyn
Your nightlife persona is Homosinner. Why did you adopt that moniker?
One day, my roommate, Josh Spellman-Hall, and I were walking, and someone preaching outside Macy’s screamed at us, “You homo sinners are both going to die and go to hell.” It reminded me of my time in Catholic school and learning about gender norms through Christianity. We wrote two essays describing Homosinner as what Adam forgot to categorize. “Homosinner” is a nonconformist—anyone who is outside of the binary of male and female.
Why did you choose to identify with such controversial words?
I am a homo—I don’t find offense in it—and we are all sinners. It’s taking something thrown at you and giving it positive power.
You also use makeup as self-empowerment.
Me being a queer folk of color, I don’t have control of how people are going to perceive me. When I go out, I want to redirect people to pay attention to me as an individual, so I camouflage my face. It makes people ask me about [my makeup] rather than why I’m wearing a dress.
Who taught you to do makeup?
Myself. I grew up [in an indigenous reserve in Costa Rica known as Bribri or Talamanca] with predominantly older women, and I always saw them apply makeup. My grandma would sit outside on the porch and apply her lipstick every afternoon when I would come back from school, like a ritual. Whenever I do makeup, it makes me feel a lot happier. It’s my own form of therapy.
Makeup Artist / Set Designer: Darragh Rose
Stylist: Joe van Overbeek
Clothing by Aaron Myers
Accessories by SVS