About Flaming Idols

Flaming Idols is about the support and inspiration queer people give each other across generations and dimensions. Flaming Idols comes out of my deep love for my queer community and the support we give one another. The first candles I made had an image of Grace Lee Boggs, and I made just six, one for each member of my queer anarchist study group. Over the 10+ years we have studied together, we have read many pieces by Grace, and she is a source of great inspiration to us. I wanted to be able to light a candle when I had a tough question and ask Grace what she would do. After I made the initial six, I started thinking about the many other people, especially queer people and queer elders, who I would love to have an idol of to call on for guidance. Thus, Flaming Idols was born! I choose people who have been influential or inspirational to me and my friends. I try to represent and appeal to a wide array of the queer community and our allies. Some idols, like TLC, gave me affirmation in my childhood and preteen years, while others, like Marilyn Buck, I didn’t come to know until much later. The Luminaries Collection is the part of Flaming Idols that I am most proud of, featuring portraits of queer artists and activists who have passed on. The proceeds go to organizations that organize and advocate for queer and trans people of color and other marginalized LGBTQ+ people, continuing the legacies of these ancestors. It's an honor to connect queer history and magic in my candles.Read their story