Artur Melika | I am disappointed.
Hello everyone,
My name is Artur Melika, I am from Omaha, and I oppose LB371 and other anti-queer legislation that has been introduced.
I am an immigrant. I am a recent college graduate. I am queer. I am a visual artist. And drag is an extension of my art practice.
I immigrated to the U.S. back in 2010.
As a queer child growing up in Ukraine, I remember being so excited to know that one day I will have the opportunity to come here. My parents decided to immigrate because they bought into the narrative of the American Dream, they wanted me and my sister to have a future.
I knew that the United States is a place where you are able to live freely and create your own path. In fact, my sister and I were so excited that we would play a game where we pretended to be American. We would speak to each other in gibberish pretending like we were speaking English.
I remember stepping off the plane and thinking, I've made it. This is the promised land. A utopia. A place where dreams come true. Unfortunately over the last decade, I've watched this vision of what America claims to be, fall apart in front of my very eyes. This utopia is a dystopia in disguise.
My inner-child has one thing to say. He is disappointed.
I am disappointed that freedom of expression and freedom of speech, my first amendment right, is under attack by this very government body. If I want to put on some pigmented powder around my eyes, glue more hair to my head, and dance around in public like there is no tomorrow, I should be able to do so without fear of prosecution.
I am disappointed in the fact that we have so many other issues at hand that need to be solved, but the oppression of an already marginalized community under the false pretense of protecting children is your main concern. If you're really concerned with protecting the future of our children why are we no prioritizing clean energy, access to clean food, education and housing.
I am disappointed that you are not doing your job. You were elected by the people to protect the interests of the people. And I can say with confidence that what we are talking about here today is not what the people of Nebraska are concerned with.
I am disappointed that if this false rhetoric around LGBTQ+ people continues, my queer brothers and sisters and I will be criminalized for simply existing and will have to seek asylum elsewhere.
I am disappointed that I have to put my life on pause to come here and defend my existence because I do not have the privilege of sitting back and watching all of this go down from afar.
I had plans today, but I had no other choice but to be here. Here is a little insight into the queer agenda: We simply want to exist in peace.
Before I go, I have one last thing to say: There is nothing inherently sexual about drag. Drag is art. Drag is infectious. Drag is love. We are all born naked and the rest is a drag.
Thank you.
Artur Melika is an Omaha-based, queer, Ukrainian-American artist. Melika received his BFA from University of Nebraska Omaha in December of 2022. Art’s current work explores the vastness of the queer experience and how it manifests for individuals coming from different backgrounds. His primary focus is in 2D mediums including printmaking, drawing and painting. Melika is also exploring guerrilla style performance-based work, in public and gallery settings.