ProjectQ Commissions “Trans Joy is Resistance” Mural for Los Angeles Community Center

Trans people do not have enough external positive visual cues to remind us that we are loved. ProjectQ, a Los Angeles non-profit community center that provides safe space and gender-affirming haircuts for LGBTQIA+ youth, commissioned a mural for their new location on 4709 Fountain Ave — offering a joyful dose to trans resistance to passersby on the intersection of Vermont and Fountain Ave.

This two-building mural, titled “Trans Joy is Resistance” is part of a larger series “Trans Joy” by the artist Mars Wright.

“I draw tons of inspiration from the works of Keith Harring, specifically his subway drawings,” Mars says. “How do we make Trans Joy tangible, a lived reality? We put it everywhere, we remind everyone passing by that we are not going anywhere and our joy is actively resisting the Transphobia we experience, the Transphobia that tells us we do not belong and we should not have joyous lives as out Trans people.”

The white-on-black, black-on-white two-building mural portrays a smattering of smiling mouths in motion in Mars Wright’s iconic illustrative style. 

ProjectQ Community Center is a non-profit organization that provides safe space for LGBTQIA+ youth. At their Community Center, LGBTQIA+ folx with housing insecurities can receive free mentorship classes and workshops, along with free gender-affirming haircuts. While many centers are not welcoming to all, the ProjectQ Community Center is a 100% inclusive and safe space where everyone is welcome; regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, size, ability, and income. 

Mars Wright is a trans artist and activist who is dedicated to spreading Trans Joy through art. 

The mixed-media artist and fashion designer explores the beauty of imperfection and the strength of radical honesty. Through sharing his life vulnerably he hopes to help folks feel less alone. “I am so honored to have my mural at ProjectQ, an important and necessary resource for LGBTQ+ folks,” Mars says.