I am gay. I am afraid. I don't want to be.

Fear has a way of settling into your body. It makes you hold your breath without realizing it, keeps your shoulders tight, and teaches you to scan a room before you relax. Lately, I’ve been feeling that familiar tension again. The world seems to be getting louder about hate. The people who once whispered their prejudices now say them proudly, waving them like flags. It’s everywhere in current politics, but also elsewhere. It’s an atmosphere. A chill in the air. And I know I’m not alone in feeling it.

I’m tired of it. Tired of the silence it creates. Tired of making myself small so that someone else can feel comfortable. I want to take up space. I want to walk into a room and not feel like I have to gauge who’s safe and who isn’t. I want to be visible. I want to be unafraid.

That’s how this design started. It wasn’t a marketing brainstorm or a new product launch. It was a moment of frustration that turned into a kind of personal declaration. I wrote down the phrase “Gay and Unafraid” and it hit me like a bolt of lightning. Simple, direct, and honest. It’s not pretending to be clever. It’s just what I want to be true.

The first few designs didn’t land. I tried a bold font with a rainbow fade, but it felt too clean. Then a classic serif with delicate wings, but that looked too polite. What I really wanted was something raw. Something that looked like it belonged on a torn-up punk flyer stapled to a telephone pole in the 80s. Something that said, “I’ve seen the world, I’ve been hurt by it, and I’m still standing.”

That’s when the anatomical heart came into play. A real heart, with veins and muscle, because courage isn’t about being flawless. It’s about being human and still showing up. The wings made sense immediately. They’re not soft or angelic. They’re fierce. They remind me of how queerness itself has survived through centuries of people trying to clip our wings.

The final font is gritty and imperfect, like something you’d find spray-painted behind a club or on the back of a well-worn leather jacket. It makes the whole design feel alive, like it’s breathing defiance. When I put it all together, I finally saw it: the balance between heart and fight. Between fear and freedom.

It felt right. It felt like me.

That’s when I decided this shouldn’t just be a t-shirt. This message belongs wherever someone needs a reminder to be brave. So I’ve made it available on other products too:  sweatshirts, tanks, and accessories. Because bravery isn’t seasonal. It’s daily. It’s something we all have to keep choosing, over and over again.

This shirt, for me, is a mantra. It’s a little piece of armor that I put on before I walk out the door. It says, yes, I’m scared sometimes, but I’m not going to hide because of it. If the other side can be emboldened by hate, then I can be emboldened by pride, love, and the simple act of being visible.

So, if you see yourself in this message, I hope this design speaks to you too. I hope it reminds you to stand tall, to breathe, to take up space. And I’d love to hear from you. How do you find courage when fear creeps in? What helps you feel unafraid?

Tell me in the comments. Let’s talk about how we keep going. How we stay visible. How we stay unafraid.

Because we deserve that. Every one of us.

Shop the Gay and Unafraid Collection here.