Joshua “Xeno” Martinez is simply an artist striving to find his artistic voice in a society that simultaneously promotes and limits self-expression. Previously active as a political activist for the fight against homophobia and racism, Xeno strives to create awareness about the importance of pride by focusing his artwork on blatant images of homosexuality and the queer community as a whole. By incorporating pop culture references into his artwork, Xeno desires to create a space where being “queer” is the norm; essentially taking ownership of a realm of society that is deemed for the straight community.

As a Latino man and a queer individual, Xeno Martinez understands the need to recognize our interconnected identities. People are not just simply one thing but rather a multitude of different identifications combined. Gay, male, brother, son, uncle, friend, artist, and entrepreneur, Xeno hopes that his art can shed light on the need for love and acceptance; not tolerance. Through his involvement in Being Latino, he hopes to further that while helping to foster dialogue about other issues surrounding the Latino community as a whole and the need for a unified front to combat prejudice.

You can check out Xeno’s art work at his facebook fan page, The Art Work of Xeno Martinez as well as his writings at Chronicles Of A Size Queen: The Expectations, Opinions, And Confessions Of One Gay Man.