Queer Joy: Why I Made a Bandana About Happiness as Resistance

The Queer Joy bandana was my first foray into creating bandanas. And although I didn't set out to build a collection - I have a few different designs which celebrate queer lives without defaulting to a rainbow. Not because there's anything wrong with rainbows, but queer joy runs so much deeper than a colour palette.

Growing up under Section 28

I grew up under the shadow of Section 28, where queerness was something you didn't talk about. There were no role models, no support, no teachers who were out and LGBTQIA+. The result was shame and secrecy - living a double life, hiding the most fundamental parts of who I was. It took me so much longer to work out that I'm a queer, trans masculine person who deserves happiness just like anyone else.

I'm one of the lucky ones. Lucky to be here. So many of my friends didn't make it. That's something I carry with me every day, and it's part of why this bandana exists.

Joy is resistance

Every symbol on this bandana means something. The carnations nod to Oscar Wilde, who wore a green carnation as a quiet signal of queerness. The lavender reaches back to the Lavender Menace - the lesbian feminists who turned a slur into a rallying cry. There are roses, unicorns, and gender symbols woven through the design, all surrounded by phrases that feel like quiet affirmations: LIVE YOUR TRUTH, SHINE BRIGHT, PROUD AND FREE. And right along the bottom edge - JOY IS RESISTANCE.

When the world tells you that you shouldn't exist, finding joy is one of the most powerful things you can do.

Why it had to be cotton

It was really important to me that this bandana was 100% cotton. I wanted it to feel soft, to be breathable, and to last as an item you'll reach for - tied around your neck on a warm day, tucked into a pocket at a celebration or wrapped around your wrist at a march.

Finding a place

This bandana is stocked at Queer Britain - the UK's first LGBTQ+ museum. The idea that something I made now sits inside a space dedicated to preserving and celebrating queer history, gives me so much joy.

I want people to always feel like they have a place in this world. That's what this bandana is really about - a small, soft reminder that your joy matters, and always will.

Take a closer look at the Queer Joy Bandana →