Hope is a special education teacher in Las Vegas, Nevada. Her creation is a doodle; she started drawing in 1977. The impetus for the doodle was due to a variety of reasons: bullies were regularly beating her up, she was friendless, and she felt odd.
After a particularly brutal beating, Hope created Doodle – her self in doodle form. Through high school, college, and to this day, Doodle has been Hope’s avenue to express herself. She was the canvas to express her fears, hopes, self-doubts, and depressions upon.
Calling out discrimination, religion-fuelled homophobia, and right-wing politics are recurring themes in Hope’s art.
Hope’s advice to mscl men:
I enjoy having something that I share with other LGBTQ people that is a wink or a subtle hello that reminds us we are not alone. Maybe that is my hope for this line of clothing in conjunction with my Doodle. That it will be a “hello” and a “I’m with you.”
Hope’s gym fashion tip:
Ha Ha! I have no fashion tips. I am a transgender special education teacher that tries to make sense of the world with her cartoons. My only fashion tip would be wear something that expresses who you are and if your clothing also expresses optimism that’s a bonus.
What being featured artist means to Hope:
Having Doodle out in the world means everything to me. She is my voice, my activism, my best self, and connection to my community. More than that, she is my hope. She is my hope that people will see her and realize that we are not scary or dangerous. We are just people.
PS: I’ve never been to the UK but will if this range sells well❤️