Seven new works built from social media, algorithms and hefty scrolling to build gay-positive representations
Each collage here comes from one day's feed. The figures, the grounds and the combinations all arrive through social media, sorted by the day's algorithm. The goal is gay-positive representation built from what the scroll delivers.
Two men in army fatigues carry over from yesterday's collages. Today they stand beside a Freedom Elite motor home, its floor plan laid open below them: a dinette that converts to a bed, a wet bath, a cab-over bunk. They appear again inside a church, near a crucifix and a miraculous staircase behind a foreshortened figure.
Elsewhere, two wrestlers stand under a large blue moon with a new Veronica veil. A mid-century ranch house frames a lawn full of men at dusk, one holding a snake. A grid of OnlyFan selfies sits beside a White Star Line crew photograph and a smiling man in a 1950s plaid shirt. Contemporary figures share an AI representation of an ancient Greece exercise court. In a mall food court setting, gay men react to a chiseled torso at the center of the frame. Time for snacks!
Jupiter 3 appears in all seven. It stands for freedom, escape and witness.
Social Media Meets Gay Culture
The source material reflects how central social media is to LGBTQ life. A 2024 national survey by LGBT Tech and Data for Progress polled 1,304 LGBTQ adults and found that 96% use the internet at least once a day. Nearly 80% use social networking platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn or X, and 78% use video platforms such as YouTube or Twitch. Social media is super gay.
The purpose is connection and expression. At least 77% of LGBTQ adults use the internet to express themselves creatively, explore new ideas and connect with friends and family. 57% report often using social platforms to connect with friends or family.
This is not limited to the young. A 2025 study found that LGBTQ adults 55 and older were significantly more likely than younger LGBTQ adults to use social media for social bonding.
Sadly, the same platforms carry hostility. Half of LGBTQ adults report anti-LGBTQ bullying or harassment online, and more than a third have seen anti-LGBTQ misinformation shared online.
The feed supplies both the images and the conditions. These collages take what it offers and assemble it in support of gay life.
— Behan
Sources
LGBT Tech and Data for Progress, "ctrl+alt+lgbt: Digital Access, Usage, and Experiences of the LGBTQ+ Community" (2024): dataforprogress.org
LGBT Tech, survey release: lgbttech.org
Statista, LGBTQ+ adults using social platforms to connect with their communities (April 2024): statista.com
"Intergenerational Differences in Social Media Use Among LGBTQ+ Adults," Innovation in Aging (2025): ncbi.nlm.nih.go