These mixed-media drawings are self-portraits or portraits of my partner and friends. The title “A Rapa” translates to shaved hair. These works explore society's preconceptions and stereotypes of one's character based solely on a hairstyle (or lack of hair), while the mirror reflects one's aging queer body in a world that values aesthetics, vanity, and masculinity. Before attending college, I was an ex-pelon (gang member) that was coming to terms with my queer identity and navigating the intersections of multiple realities. These images represent so much to brown queer men living in the hood. Growing up poor and in a rough environment, shaving your head symbolized rebellion. The act of shaving your head meant that there was a presentation of "hardness," when being queer was “soft” The act of shaving my head was not only a symbol of my economic instability because it cost no money to shave my head, but it was also an act of resistance to a tradition that also told me not to show emotion or demonstrate the need for the touch of men. For me, it also represented a kind of intimacy by touch in a space that did not allow for me to physically engage with other men unless it was violent. (This is an ongoing series)