Rainbow Railroad is so pleased to present this commissioned artwork to celebrate National Coming Out Day. With your support, Rainbow Railroad helped Beth, the artist, come to Canada in early 2020.
Artist Statement:
“Born in Barbados, I suffered a lot of discrimination there due to my LGBT identity. With the help of my friends and Rainbow Railroad, they helped me moved to Canada in 2020. I started as a refugee and later became a protected person in June (right before my birthday too). I now live a happy life with my partner in Sudbury, Ontario. This illustration represents the transition and healing of my relocation to Canada.”
National Coming Out Day celebrates the personal and political power of being open about one’s sexual orientation, gender identity or sex characteristics in a world where doing so can often be difficult – or even dangerous. That was Beth’s story – and it’s the story of thousands of others who reach out to us every year, for whom ‘coming out’ is impossible due to stigma and discrimination. Our work at Rainbow Railroad is to give LGBTQI+ people pathways to safety, so that they can come out and live happy and authentic lives.
Today, we celebrate Beth and all LGBTQI+ people everywhere on their coming out journey. You can explore more of Beth’s work and story at her website and by finding her on Instagram, Facebook or Patreon.