Tobin Heath, a soccer player with the U.S. Women's National Team, has unveiled an artwork she created, Out Now, which features letters in colorful blocks spelling out "I Am Gay."
Heath shared a photo of herself with the painting on Instagram. She created it for re--inc, a project she founded with teammates Megan Rapinoe, Christen Press, and Meghan Klingenberg in 2019. The venture sells eco-conscious fashion for all body types and gender identities as well as artwork. It offers membership to "anyone on the path of creating positive change," according to its website.
The work is Heath's ninth for re--inc "and her most vulnerable work of art yet," the re--inc website states. The site calls the painting "a bold and brave structure that serves as an ode to the challenging process of personal discovery."
"Each square represents the uniqueness and multi-dimensional nature of a coming out experience," the site says. "The intentional boundaries between each letter suggest our identities and journeys are not always completely connected. There's room to explore. To change. The words "I am" invite both confidence in asserting one's truth, and also the power to question what's true to you. In each of our processes of becoming--there's often flexibility in our identities. What if our identities could be built with the freedom and curiosity of a child playing on the floor with letter blocks?"
The piece is being auctioned to re--inc members, with the bids ending tonight. It will be on display at the Museum of Women through December 23 and then will be shipped to the winning bidder.
Heath also recently posted a picture of herself on Instagram in which she wore a hoodie printed with "Gay Vibes." And Press posted a photo of herself in a T-shirt saying, "A day without lesbians is like a day without sunshine."
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