Arguably, the LGBT-themed creative projects on Kickstarter and other crowd-funding sites represent the next wave in up-and-coming queer art. So from time-to-time we'll take a look at what's currently fundraising and highlight a few projects that seem worthwhile.
While funding online projects does have its risks, each successfully funded LGBT art project has the potential to highlight the true diversity of our community while shattering outdated stereotypes about us and our passions.
See three projects worth checking out AFTER THE JUMP…
After a childhood growing up in various foster homes, Samuel viewed life as a never-ending parade of disappointment. But then he met Daniel, a guy who showed him just how lovely life can be.
When Daniel dies suddenly, a grief-stricken Samuel turns to a local medium who offers to bring Daniel back, but with one catch — Daniel must also help reincarnate the spirit of a powerful, long-dead witch to get his lover back.
This dark fantasy (entitled Evil Rising) is actually the senior thesis of openly gay San Francisco State University directing major, Kenneth Medina. The film's preview clip seems a little cheesy, but shows enough promise to warrant its modest $3,000 goal.
BEST REWARDS: $35 can get you a PDF of the screenplay, a thank you credit in the film and a digital download of the movie posters and film itself.
GOAL/DEADLINE: $3,000 by Thursday December 12 at 3:36pm EST.
A VIDEO GAME WITH LGBT CHARACTERS
Remember Matt Conn, the guy who started GaymerX (the "first ever LGBT gaming convention")? He has since started a video game company called Mid-Boss Games and he needs help releasing the company's first project, a sci-fi noir with playable queer characters called ROM: Read-Only Memories.
The game takes place during the year 2064 in Neo-San Francisco. You play a journalist has mysteriously comes into possession of a missing friend's ROM — that is, a personal cyborg who functions like your smartphone, Google Glass and laptop all-in-one. From that point, every interaction and decision you make helps unravel the mystery about your missing pal and the dark side of Neo-San Francisco.
The previews of pixel art and music from the game seem pretty great. And though the game has queer characters in it (a revolutionary concept for a popular game), Conn stresses that it is not "a gay game." It's a game everyone can enjoy that also happens to have queer characters
BEST REWARD: $79 will get you a downloadable version of the game as well as an entry badge to GaymerX2 in San Francisco during July 11-13. If you donate even more, you can get your name and other input into the game itself.
GOAL/DEADLINE: $62,064 by Friday December 13 at 12:10am EST.
Apart from Ru-Paul's Drag Race, LGBT-themed game shows are pretty much nonexistent on TV. But Chanelle Elaine and Francisco Ramirez want to change that.
The creative producer and aspiring game show host are raising funds to film two pilots of their LGBT-themed game shows, tentatively titled Who's the Gay — where celebrity guests ask questions to figure out which of three contestants is gay — and That's My Boo — basically a Newlywed Game for "gay, straight, married, partnered, poly or molly" folks.
Ramirez has an adorable, animated charm and with Elaine's production prowess their game-shows could help bring greater LGBT visibility to home viewing audiences — and who doesn't love fun games with fabulous prizes?
BEST REWARDS: $50 gets you a digital download of one of the pilots, and donating at least $10 allows you to play a round of Guess the Gay from home.
GOAL/DEADLINE: $15,000 by Wednesday December 11 at 5:07pm EST,
