This artist went from "praying away the gay" to launching her own queer clothing line

This artist went from "praying away the gay" to launching her own queer clothing line, updated 10/1/20, 9:26 PM

Bisexual artist and indie designer Molly Alice Hoy kicks off the holiday shopping season by launching her new LGBT-themed clothing line Dearly & Queerly.

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this artist went from "praying away the gay" to
launching a queer clothing line
Bisexual artist Molly Alice Hoy is well known on social media for her viral comics about the
awkwardness of navigating life in and out of the closet. Raised in a conservative religious home,
she spent almost two decades unable to admit her sexuality to herself, let alone anyone else.
After graduating college and publicly coming out as queer, she
started drawing comics about the awkwardness of both handling
strangers' assumptions about her sexual orientation as well as
facing rejection from family and friends.
"My art and comics became a way to connect with
people and find validation for these new and often
painful experiences."
Burnt out on freelance illustration and
looking for more artistic freedom, in 2017
she launched her first online store, Gold +
Mean Design Co., selling a token queer pin
design she funded on Kickstarter.
From there, her store has expanded to
include more enamel pin designs, as well as
jewelry, apparel, mugs, and even a line of
pride flag face masks that she made on her
home sewing machine in response to the
pandemic.
"My approach is very much, 'See a need, fill a need.' I make the
products I wish existed, the kinds of things I want for myself but can't
find anywhere."
It's this impetus that inspired her new
queer clothing brand Dearly & Queerly, a
line of LGBT message tees featuring
cheeky phrases and bold designs in the
colors of various pride flags.
She also has a collection of pronoun
shirts so that wearers can avoid being
misgendered while out and about.
"Having a nonbinary spouse has made me much more aware of trans
issues, so now I'm even more motivated to create inclusive designs for
people who rarely feel seen or represented," she notes.
LGBT folks (and the people who love
them) can get a jump on their holiday
shopping by checking out the new
Dearly & Queerly apparel collection on
Teespring.
Celebrate sexual and gender
diversity while supporting a
queer indie artist.
Shop the collection at
teespring.com/stores/
dearlyandqueerly