color pencil, alcohol marker, paint pen; 20×16″
“Doesn’t every well doing veteran deserve their benefits for serving in our military? If a person currently serving in the military reveals being transgender, they can be discharged, and lose all their benefits. In my piece a transgender soldier who has fought for our country and had won awards is being taken away and their service forgotten. The hands symbolize political groups trying to take away their right to serve while the flowers in the background symbolize a hopeful future for the transgender community. Being transgender has not been recognized as a mental illness in the DSM since 2013. There are documented transgender people who have served in the US military for centuries and without causing any harm. We need to respect and take care of our veterans.”
ARTIST BIO: Charlie STARGEL is a grade 11 student at Butler Tech School of Art studying art under art teacher Mary Catherine Ruby.